the devil we don't know ................. 0 1 / 3 1 / 2 0 0 4
Frank McCourt bought the Dodgers and now life is all the burning lake down in Dodgerland. Dan Evans has been shown the door without actually showing him the door. Scott Boras, the man who tends the burning lake, the father of lies himself, has let slip that one of McCourt's organization -- NOT acting GM Dan Evans -- has opened discussions about free agent pitcher Greg Maddux. As if we needed another pitcher. Perhaps McCourt is trying to corner the market? Well -- he is from Southie, after all, and they do things a little differently over there. If things continue in this vein, we can expect another Fox-like maneuver soon. Perhaps they unload a beloved clubhouse presence -- say, Paul LoDuca or -- well, there really aren't any others -- for a bag of balls* and yesterday's expensive, injury-riddled hot bat. Better, they open the floodgates to any slow chimp GM (i.e. Kenny Williams of the Chisox) for a big expensive bat (i.e. Magglio Ordoñez), and release all the highly-rated young players we have in our system who were going to beat our NL West competition to a pulp in 2005 and 6.

Hope may be the thing with feathers, but it's being roasted on the spit now. Want a drumstick?

Walter O'Malley spins in his grave; I can hear it from here. Meantime, even a passionate Dodger-hater like Padres GM Kevin Towers has to scrape his jaw off the floor over Evans' apparent demotion to also-ran for his own job. "Stand" Pat Gillick refused to be interviewed, and Schott won't let McCourt speak with Billy Beane, supergenius. The dredges of GM-hood are in sight: Dan Duquette, he of the Manny Ramirez acquisition -- which has worked out so well for the Red Sox that he was put on unconditional waivers last year -- is now mentioned as a possible successor to Evans. Stranger things have been seen in the skies, but not by reliable witnesses.

I extend congratulations to the Giants on their presumptive win of yet another division title. As for me, I'm wearing my Angels cap at the moment and expect it may well stay affixed for a number of years. Arte Moreno knows how to run a club, or so goes Southland thinking the moment. We shall know more in a few weeks.

*balls to be surgically grafted onto McCourt so he will be able to disclose the truth about what happened with Vlad.
more gruntles rlm@scareduck.com
Last modified: Sat Jan 31 23:19:43 PST 2004