The Trolley Dodger

Regarding the rumored acquisition of Joe Torre and Don Mattingly, it wouldn’t be the first time the Dodgers have welcomed former Yankee superstars to their coaching staff, particularly one (like Donnie Baseball) who desperately wanted the Bronx manager job.

You might recognize the fellow in the middle of this picture, who traded his pinstripes for a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform for half of the 1938 season:

With the breaking news of the rumored firing of Grady Little, hiring of Joe Torre, and addition of Don Mattingly et al., (not to mention Kobe’s imminent exit and A-Rod’s ill-timed announcement), I have obviously entered some sort of Mirror Universe where reality has been replaced by surreality.

I fully expect to wake up in the morning a fan of the Los Angeles Senators.

If the Torre rumors turn out to be true, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Don Zimmer rejoins the Dodgers, too.

Congrats and many happy returns on the day to the Sons of Steve Garvey, who turned 1 year old today. I think that’s 22 in blog years.

Collectively, the seven Sons have been one of the brightest spots on the Dodger blogging scene for the last 12 months — I’ve consistently appreciated their writing and wit, and even if I haven’t always agreed with them, I’ve always enjoyed myself. To put it succinctly, they rock.

And I’m not just saying that because they gave me a T-shirt.

The Trolley Dodger’s own 1-year anniversary is coming up next month, so perhaps we can put our feet up en masse this next 30 days or so and look back fondly on the year. Lord knows it’s hard to find any enjoyment in Dodger land these dark days of, uh, Autumn. ;)

So, again, congrats to the Sons. Long may you rave.

Congratulations to the Colorado Rockies, winners of the 2007 National League Pennant!

Alas, the Dodger career of Olmedo “Killer Tomato” Saenz has come to an end, as he — along with octogenarian Roberto Hernandez — have declared free agency.

Saenz, 37, is coming off the worst of his four seasons as a Dodger, having hit .191 with only 18 RBIs in 110 at-bats. His slugging percentage fell more than 200 points from 2006. Saenz’s departure leaves Brad Penny as the longest-tenured member of the Dodgers.

Thanks for all the memories, Olmedo!

UPDATE 10/12 Shea Hillenbrand joins them in free agency, as mentioned in a dodgers.com story.

Looks like I had a winning season too, thanks to the Sons of Steve Garvey.

Back in the halcyon days of January 2007, SoSG announced a contest, the “Olmedo Saenz Pavilion Deadpool”.

Following the tradition of the late Think Blue rewards program, how long will the latest creation of Drew McCourt, Director of Marketing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, last?

Enter your guess (month and day) in the comments section and we’ll keep a running tab. Winner is the closest to the date of officially announced death, regardless of over/under.

My prophetic (and altogether lucky) guess was the end of the season, which turned out to be correct as the Sons announced today.

And what does Robert win for his prescience? Why, this lovely Dodger Blue SoSG T-shirt that he can wear proudly while cheering on the boys in blue. (And it’s a roomy size large, just in case Robert himself has been partaking of the Olmedo Saenz Pavilion.)

My comment on that story:

ROFL! Thanks, Sons. While we haven’t taken the opportunity to visit the Pavilion, I will have to don my new shirt and grill up some Official Dodger Dogs in Olmedo’s honor. It’s always all-you-can-eat at my house. :D

It’s funny — despite Andruw Jones’s “down year”, his 26 homers are still better than anybody else on the 2007 Dodgers.

And with today’s news that the Braves are cutting ties with him, the Dodgers Hot Stove has already begun to shine. :)

Thank you!

Sincerely,
A Dodger Fan

P.S. Go Cubbies!