February 27, 2008
Maybe They Both Should Play
Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp are competing for the job of Dodgers rightfielder:
In the top of the fifth inning of the team's second intrasquad game, Matt Kemp stepped into the batter's box against James McDonald and swatted a ball far over the center-field wall. It landed at the top of a grass embankment fronting the Dodgers' executive offices and rolled back down to the fence.
In the bottom of the inning, Andre Ethier slammed a pitch from Cory Wade even farther, off the second-floor balcony of those offices beyond right-center field.
With that, the two players who are expected to fight each other all season for playing time in right field landed their first punches. But, as Ethier so eloquently put it afterward, "I could care less. It's practice."
Meanwhile, Juan Pierre appears to be ensconced in left. He's the one who should be fighting for a job.
It goes without saying that the Dodgers front office should be fired en masse for allowing this to continue--and if Joe Torre is complying without protest, he is desecrating his entire career by crippling the development of two major prospects to give a starting job to a sub-mediocrity. Shame on you, Joe.
Not only is Pierre the favorite to start in LF, but Nomar is the favorite to start at 3B. I was really hoping Torre wouldn't cater to the veterans, so he's got about a month to make things right and bench the both of them.