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The Dodgers have taken a quick U-turn to put dismal '05 in rearview

Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 22, 2006 at midnight

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The Los Angeles Dodgers had no manager or general manager, and second baseman Jeff Kent was concerned. From afar, the team's topsy-turvy October alarmed Kent.

Where were the Dodgers headed? They were coming off a horrendous season marred by injuries and seemed to be adrift. Manager Jim Tracy and the team mutually had parted right after a 71-91 finish. A managerial search was under way, and the candidates to replace Tracy were rather uninspiring for such a prestigious franchise.

And on Oct. 29, general manager Paul DePodesta was fired after two seasons, giving Kent more reason to wonder if the Dodgers had a sense of direction, a vision of the future. There was one way to find out. Kent flew to Los Angeles in November to meet with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt Jr.

"I was concerned about the remainder of my career," Kent, 38, said. "Whether I should just play out my one year and ride it out. Whether I should ask to be moved, if they want to go young, which I didn't have a problem with.

"I just wanted to know where they were going and how I fit into that. I was very convinced when I left the meeting that (the situation) was being righted by Frank. I was reassured at that time that he was going to steer it in the direction to win now but also collect for the future."

On Nov. 16, McCourt hired Ned Colletti to be the Dodgers general manager. Colletti had spent the previous 11 years with Los Angeles' rival, the San Francisco Giants, including the past nine as assistant general manager. Kent, who played six seasons for the Giants from 1997 to 2002, was encouraged. When Colletti came aboard, Kent said it "just solidified" his "confidence even more in what Frank was doing."

At the winter meetings in early December, Colletti introduced Grady Little as the Dodgers manager. Little is folksy and down-home, a Texas native who went to high school in North Carolina, lives there and could pass for an extra on The Andy Griffith Show.

In reality, Little, whom Rockies manager Clint Hurdle calls "swamp smart," is a savvy, respected baseball man, thankful for a second chance to manage in the majors. He spent two highly successful years in Boston, where one pitching decision involving Pedro Martinez backfired in the 2003 postseason, assuring Little of infamy in Boston and unfairly defining him there.

"He understands baseball, and he understands people," said Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe, who went 21-8 with a 2.58 earned-run average for Boston under Little in 2002. "There's a reason why there's been a lot of guys, including me, who have had career years under him. He makes the playing atmosphere so comfortable. He doesn't put any more added tension on a player."

Kent, who never had played for Little, said, "I like his patience and his compassion for players, his methodical understanding of the game. He doesn't get too rattled. I like how he fits for this ballclub."

Old hands

Little's hiring was announced Dec. 6. By Christmas, Colletti had signed a host of free agents, including shortstop Rafael Furcal, third baseman Bill Mueller, catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., first baseman Nomar Garciaparra, center fielder Kenny Lofton and pitcher Brett Tomko. And Colletti acquired promising young outfielder Andre Ethier from Oakland in a deal that rid the Dodgers of moody outfielder Milton Bradley.

In January, Colletti made two trades, acquiring starting pitcher Jae Seo from the New York Mets and reliever Danys Baez from Tampa Bay, where he had been the closer.

Furcal received a three-year, $39 million contract. Tomko and Mueller signed two-year contracts. And Garciaparra, Alomar and Lofton are on one-year deals. Colletti assembled a veteran club with minimal cost to a farm system generally acknowledged to be one of the best in baseball.

Skeptics question whether the Dodgers, with all their experience - read: age - can hold up under the rigors of a long season. Some of them probably won't. But Colletti followed the best available path for the Dodgers, who begin a three-game series with the visiting Colorado Rockies tonight. He didn't tie up the Dodgers, who, with a $98.4 million payroll, rank sixth in baseball, to lengthy contracts for veterans. The thinking was, if they broke down later in the season, they could be replaced by younger players.

"I had hoped that the kids would have a chance to play in Triple-A for half a season, at least," Colletti said. "But the one thing you always know is that you don't know. The injuries have brought them to the big leagues quicker."

The Dodgers called on James Loney to play first base when Garciaparra was injured. With Mueller out about a month after arthroscopic right knee surgery last week, the Dodgers recalled third baseman Willy Aybar. Jonathan Broxton joined the bullpen May 1, several days before prize catching prospect Russell Martin was recalled after Dioner Navarro, another young catcher, suffered a right wrist injury.

In addition to Mueller, 35, and Garciaparra, 32 but limited by injuries to 143 games the past two seasons, Lofton, who will turn 39 on May 31, has been on the disabled list.

Outfielders Ricky Ledee (left groin) and Jason Repko (left ankle) are on it now. Closer Eric Gagne, who had a nerve removed from his right elbow in April, is expected to return about June 1. Shortstop Cesar Izturis, who had reconstructive right elbow surgery in September, is about a month from returning. But reliever Yhency Brazoban (right elbow) is out for the year, and outfielder Jayson Werth (left wrist) has been slow to recover from his second wrist operation.

"Right now, we are like keeping the head above water, considering all the injuries to main players," Alomar said. "People are dropping like mangoes. One day, one guy; another day, another guy. Grady has to be shuffling the lineup and create different scenarios."

The Dodgers have been buoyed by a rotation that includes Lowe, Tomko, Brad Penny and Seo, who was acquired in a trade that forced the Dodgers to part with valuable setup man Duaner Sanchez.

The Dodgers starters are 17-8 with a league-leading 3.64 ERA. They lead the league with 236 runs scored and are tied for the league lead with 42 stolen bases.

But the bullpen without Gagne has been a problem, and the Dodgers were bobbing around .500 until last week, when they won two of three at Coors Field and swept an interleague series with the Angels. That surge improved their record to a season-best 24-20.

"The old saying around baseball, 'Hey, at least we're in the NL West, where .500 normally does pretty good,' " Lowe said. "I don't think .500 is going to win the division. I've always said, no matter what team I'm on, you can't win the division in the first three months, but you sure can lose it. Our goal is to be there in August and September."

Going forward

DePodesta, a disciple of Oakland general manager Billy Beane, orchestrated the Dodgers' managerial search before Colletti was hired with the intention of hiring Dodgers farm director Terry Collins. They had worked together, and Collins was going to be a better fit than Tracy to implement DePodesta's Moneyball concepts.

McCourt stepped in, unhappy about this flow of events, and fired DePodesta. Colletti hired Little after interviewing Jim Fregosi, Joel Skinner, Manny Acta and John McLaren.

Colletti said he was intrigued by how long Little had managed in the minors - 16 years from 1980 to 1995 and the first 12 years below the Class AA level.

"Most people don't want to do that," Colletti said. "You learn a lot. You need to learn to adjust on the fly, and anybody who's paid his dues that way, I have great respect for."

After six seasons as a major- league coach, Little finally received the opportunity to manage in the big leagues. It came in 2002 in Boston, where he had served as the bench coach from 1997-2000. Little took over the Red Sox early in spring training in 2002. When Little's hiring was announced to the players, they gave him a standing ovation. Under Little, the Red Sox went 93-69 and 95-67.

"Big media market," Colletti said, "a lot of demands on his time, on his thought process, and the people I talked to there had nothing but great things to say about him.

"Now there was the one game with the Pedro Martinez thing, which has become attached to him. That doesn't bother me. One game never defines anybody."

Ah, the Pedro Martinez thing. Martinez, then the Red Sox's ace, pitched seven innings in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against New York at Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox were leading 5-2. Martinez went out for the eighth, retired the first batter but allowed four consecutive hits and three runs to the dismay of all New England. The Yankees advanced to the World Series when Aaron Boone led off the 11th inning with a homer to win 6-5.

Colletti said he knew instantly he and Little would get along well. And as Colletti spoke one-on-one with Little and in a small group, something else became clear.

"In this game, there are a lot of people, whether they're managers, coaches, front-office people, who try to shift the spotlight of blame on somebody else," Colletti said, "and try to find an excuse, an easy way out.

"I gave him the opportunity to shift blame or to conjure up an excuse. No way. He refused to take the heat off himself. He refused not to be accountable, even though some of the things that may have transpired he had very little to do with. But he refused, and I thought that mark of his character was excellent."

Little came to the Dodgers from the Chicago Cubs, where he spent the past two years as a special assistant and roving catching instructor. He wasn't expecting another opportunity to manage in the majors.

"There's only 30 of these jobs," he said. "So any time when a person is given an opportunity to take one on, I think they're very fortunate. To assume that you're going to get another one? That'd be goofy for me to say. There's a lot of qualified people out in the world of baseball, and a lot of people that are very qualified will never get the chance that I'm getting."

The Dodgers' chances have been hindered, to some degree, by injuries, a factor for any team. But Colletti said Little "has been marvelously upbeat" and his attitude, in turn, has spread to the players.

"The resolve of the club and the resiliency of it, you can't just manufacture that," Colletti said. "That's inside the people, and it starts at the top with the manager. He hasn't panicked, and he'll never panic."

Not surprisingly, Little deflects the credit toward his players, who keep doing their best, regardless of the circumstances.

"They've kind of gotten to where they're going with a motto," Little said, "kind of like, 'Yesterday don't mean nothing. We've got to get after it with the people that are on the card.' And the results have been pretty good."

Those results could improve dramatically if Gagne is anything like his old self when he returns. Little diplomatically said the Dodgers bank on everyone and aren't banking any more heavily on Gagne. That said, Baez has blown five saves, including four in succession during a dreary stretch from April 30 to May 13.

"I've learned real early the competitive nature of Eric," Colletti said, adding that Gagne called "within 24 hours of me getting this job. He was on the phone, explaining where the club had been, his view on what needed to be upgraded, because winning to him was imperative.

"He gives us another option, obviously. And it also gives us, depending on where he's at, maybe one of the best midseason acquisitions in baseball."

Disabled Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers players who have spent time on the disabled list this season, and their replacements, where applicable:

Date On disabled list Injury Added

May 12 3B Bill Mueller, 15-day Right knee surgery IF Oscar Robles

May 10 OF Jason Repko, 15-day Sprained left ankle IF Willy Aybar

May 6 RHP Yhency Brazoban, "Tommy John" surgery RHP Aaron Sele from 15- to 60-day

May 5 C Dioner Navarro, 15-day Right wrist bruise C Russell Martin

May 2 OF Ricky Ledee, 15-day Pulled left groin OF Andre Ethier

April 7 OF Jayson Werth, Left wrist surgery from 15- to 60-day

April 6 RHP Eric Gagne, 15-day Right elbow surgery RHP Takashi Saito

April 3 IF Nomar Garciaparra, 15-day** Strained right intercostal IF James Loney

March 30 OF Kenny Lofton, 15-day* Left calf strain

March 29 SS Cesar Izturis, 15-day Right elbow surgery

* Activated April 14; ** Activated April 22.

Eastern philosophy

Though the franchise left Brooklyn, N.Y., for Los Angeles in 1958, the men in power still look to the east to see how their careers took off. From left to right: Owner Frank McCourt Jr., a Boston native, founded a company involved in developing major commercial real estate projects around his hometown before he took over the Dodgers in January 2004; general manager Ned Colletti, hired by McCourt in November, is a Chicago native who began his major-league front office-career with the Cubs in 1982; and manager Grady Little, who was born in Texas and raised in North Carolina, made his major-league managing debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2002, then was hired by the Dodgers in December.

An upside to changing directions

With the addition of several veteran free agents during the off-season, including, from left, pitcher Brett Tomko, first baseman Nomar Garciaparra and shortstop Rafael Furcal, things seemed to be looking up for the overhauled Dodgers. While some might believe time isn't on their side with a 25-man roster that, at present, includes 14 players who are 30 years old or older, the thinking was the farm system could provide plenty of youngsters if the veterans break down later in the season. But with all the early injuries (see "Going south"), the Dodgers find themselves rushing to the minors, which could take them on a serious detour.

Going south?

Will enough key Dodgers, including closer Eric Gagne, heal in time to set them straight? Time will tell, but consider what catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. said: "Right now, we are like keeping the head above water. . . . People are dropping like mangoes."

Best of the West?

Hovering around the .500 mark might be good enough to keep the Dodgers in contention for the National League West title. Remember, the San Diego Padres were the division champs last season with an 82-80 record. Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe summed it up when he said: "The old saying around baseball, 'Hey, at least we're in the NL West, where .500 normally does pretty good.' I don't think .500 is going to win the division. I've always said, no matter what team I'm on, you can't win the division in the first three months, but you sure can lose it. Our goal is to be there in August and September."

etkinj@RockyMountainNews.com

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