HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF DECENCY, SIR, AT LONG LAST?

We're all for calling people names and slinging mud when it is apropo to do so. It's not personal and it's more often than not well overdue. A favorite term is jackass. Another that comes to mind is Terrence Long. See? Not personal at all and completely harmless.

Marge Simpson: "You know, Homer, it's very easy to criticize..."
Homer Simpsons "Fun, too."
- The Simpsons, episode #5F03 Bart Star

Now, when it comes to criticism, we take the task on whole-hearted (please, no Extreme references).

If you recall we pointed your browsers to an article in the Long Beach Press-Telegram a few weeks ago in the middle of our 'Paul D, We Hardly Knew Ye' post:

From February 12, 2004

A recent article appeared in the Long Beach Press-Telegram stating:
"...The other person being mentioned as Evans' possible successor, Oakland's Billy Beane, has done a terrific job with modest funds with the A's, but he's also a shameless self-promoter who wrote a book about his imagined genius and is despised by scouts around baseball."
Yah, and we wonder why we aren't employed writing for a newspaper, too. The jackass who wrote the story was trying to list suggestions for the new Los Angeles Dodgers owner, Frank McCourt. In the same breath as rejecting Billy Beane, he suggested hiring Pat Gillick, "a shrewd baseball lifer".

If you are at all irritated that a professional journalist can get away with lies and slander, and just blatant stupidity, go ahead and read the complete article for yourself by following this link: McCourt needs to hire, fire, acquire. Then email him and his editors and let the Long Beach Press-Telegram know what you think about Doug Krikorian's ravings. Do you need the email address or can you find it yourself?

That was last week. Wonders never cease.

DOUG KRIKORIAN STRIKES SUCKS BACK

Well, stupidity is a hard target to hit so very, very often, but Doug Krikorian seems to have ample ability. On Thursday afternoon, the editors at the Long Beach Press-Telegram, either asleep at the switch or maybe just drunk enough allowed Krikorian's latest claptrap to spew forth. You can click the link and read it and come back, or just follow along as we set it on fire. Our comments will be in italics and not indented, just to point out in advance. Normally, out of respect and deference, we do not like to paste whole articles for review when a hyper-link will do. But this article is not worth that consideration.

"I interviewed Paul DePodesta, aka Paulie D, the other day, and he seems like a bright, affable young fellow, which I suspect isn't surprising for a cum laude graduate of Harvard."

What the hell does that mean? Does Harvard have a history of turning out troglodyte talking heads over the age of 60? What is, 'he seems like a' in reference to? Has there ever been a report, not filed by an ex-gillfriend, that Paul is a jerk for all seasons? Young fellow? Paul is 31 years old.

But, really, should one of the most sacred franchises in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers, entrust an on-the-job-training type to run its operation?

The Dodgers have not been a sacred franchise since the team was bought by Rupert Murdoch in 1998. maybe it's just opinion, but most everything Murdoch touches turns up a later a bit tarnished, if not covered in slime. NO, that's probably fact...Paul DePodesta has been working in baseball for several years. Three years with Cleveland and the last five seasons have been with Oakland, where the A's, perhaps by coincidence, went to the playoffs. Thrice winning the American League West. Fortune magazine named him one of the 'Top 10 Innovators Under 40'. The Blue Jays offered the job of General Manager to Paul DePodesta two years ago at age 29. J.P. Riccardi, the Blue jays second choice, also from the A's organization, took the position.

Of course not.

Yah, you don't want to hire anyone under age 50 to run a baseball team. They might forget to lock up the equipment cage and then drive all over town with their hoodlum friends down at the malt shop...ruining Main Street with their pleated trousers and haircuts.

Maybe Mr. DePodesta will turn out to be another Billy Beane, the respected Oakland A's general manger whom Paulie D has caddied for in recent years.

Caddied for? It's pretty clear the amount of respect that Billy Beane has for Paul Depodesta. It's fairly clear the amount of respect the rest of baseball has for Paul DePodesta. If more than obvious the admiration the rest of the business world, outside of a few sports writers in Los Angeles, California, have for Paul DePodesta. Last week, Krikorian was calling Billy Beane

"...a shameless self-promoter who wrote a book about his imagined genius and is despised by scouts around baseball."

-Doug Krikorian on Billy Beane, Long Beach Press-Telegram January 29, 2004

But maybe he won't.

Unless Kaiser Selig and MLB have adopted some cloning programs, it's probably safe to say Paul will not, "turn out to be another Billy Beane".

You would have thought the new Dodger owner, Frank McCourt, would have at least made a serious attempt to quell the negativity engulfing his team in recent months, and brought in a GM with a proven record like, say, Pat Gillick, who guided the Toronto Blue Jays to two World Series titles and also did exceptionally administering the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles.

Yes, if "exceptionally" means over-paying for over-rated talent and putting teams on a course of financial destruction. Then, yes. That's is what Gillick's legacy will be. Gillick started with the Houton Astros in 1963. In 1974 he took a post with the New York Yankees. In 1976 he joined the expansion Blue Jays. He stepped down after the 1994 season. A lot of people miss that because of the strike. But the Blue Jays run was over, they were 55-60 at the time of the strike. The Jays went 56-88 in 1995. Gillick spent four seasons with Baltimore and left after the 1998 season, the O's were 98-64 in 1997. In 1998, the Orioles were 79-83. Kind of makes you wonder what the mariners will do in 2004. You know, because Gillick has that "proven record". Which is all so confusing. The constant stream of criticism of the A's is that they do not retain their star players when the become free agents. Three names for Gillick's Seattle tenure; Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr. You can throw in Lou Pinella if you like.

Gillick's presence would have given the Dodgers instant credibility.

If the Dodgers were such a sacred franchise, why does it not have enough, 'credibility'? Is it because Krikorian is writing out of his ass?

And I hear Gillick could have had the Dodger GM position, but priced himself out of it by demanding a contract that would have paid him at least $1 million a year.

Hear what you want to hear, but the selection of Paul DePodesta did not come as a decision over Gillick v DePodesta or even a $500,000 difference. If it did, the equation would have been, 'DePodesta was with the A's and they took the AL West three of the last four seasons to Gillick's one season - when they one an unprecedented 116 games, seven over their Pythagorean W-L expectation. And Gillick had more than twice the payroll through that time. And enough money to pay $13 million just to talk to a player (Ichiro Suzuki). And a new pitcher friendly ballpark and a dot.com boom feeding the turnstiles all the while.'

Of course, that's the market rate for a person of Gillick's qualifications.

Gillick is qualified to be a baseball general manager by the standard; he's white, middle aged and has had a general manger's job before. Paul DePodesta is more than qualified to be a baseball general manager in that he knows how to create, develop and institute a sound plan for an organization on a financial, social and athletic front. Further, Paul can find untapped, inexpensive talent where other teams pay for never-had-talent. The market rate for Paul's qualifications is priceless, to a cheap $1 million and a golden parachute when the river runs dry for Gillick.

But McCourt, whose heavily leveraged acquisition of the Dodgers for $430 million has been well-documented, quickly shied away from Gillick when it became apparent he would have to spend a few extra dollars to get him and brought in the untried, untested, unknown DePodesta at probably half the price.

How is it that Paul is untried? Everyone knew who Paul DePodesta was years ago when he was in Cleveland. How is it that Paul is untested? He has been with the Indians when they developed their winning teams in late 1990's and with the A's as they over-hauled their organization. How is it that Paul is unknown? He is married. Somebody has claimed this guy. Did McCourt just flip the Baseball America Directory in the air and point at a name that appeared on the page that came up? If the Assistant General Manager of a baseball team is a part of an organization that goes to the post-season in four consecutive years on a miniscule payroll and is unnoticed - That's one thing. Unknown is something else. Paul was neither of those things. Paul has been offered and interviewed for other General Manager's positions before. This job, he accepted.

So, ominously for Dodger loyalists, McCourt in his first major decision goes for thriftiness and inexperience over a more expensive, proven commodity.

McCourt's first decision was to try and get Billy Beane. He was rebuffed. When it was rumored the Dodgers were looking to hire Beane, Billy went into proactive mode (is there any other for Beane?) and laid the groundwork for Paul DePodesta. Proven commodity, is that like a used car missing a door or more like regurgitated food? A guy who is on the hook for $430 million plus interest for a company would hardly balk at an extra $500,000 as Krikorian supposes. Especially if that extra $500,000 was going to be paid to the 'CEO of the company'. Hey, Dan Evans is a proven commodity. And he's already on the payroll. Where's the argument for Dan Evans?

It's certainly possible that Paul DePodesta could turn out to be another Billy Beane, who's built the A's into a formidable team despite limited funds with shrewd drafting and deft trades.

There's also a chance that Paul could be better than Billy Beane. About $50 million a year better than Billy Beane.

But there's also that dark possibility that he could turn out to be a bust, which only would be continuing the recent Dodger tradition of hiring GMs Kevin Malone and Chemical Dan Evans come to mind who generate more ridicule than victories...

Paul hasn't been on the job a week and he's already had enough ridicule to last through the All-Star Break...of 2006. Hey, wasn't Kevin Malone an assistant General Manager under Pat Gillick in Baltimore? Why golly, he certainly was! And wasn't Dan Evans responsible for cleaning up the mess that Malone made. Like acquiring Shawn Green and a bloated contract? Or Darren Dreifort who has made more than $1,000,000 per win the last five seasons.

Dodger tradition, is that sacred Dodgers or the Dodgers with no credibility or the Dodgers who just got better by signing the best possible General Manager avaialbe?

If you have time, write an email to the Long Beach Press-Telegram and let them know what you think about Doug Krikorian. And send a few over to ESPN Radio, too. He apparently has a face for radio Monday through Friday between 3pm and 7pm (PST) on ESPN Radio KSPN 710 AM.