NOT BLAMING YOU, IT'S JUST ALL YOUR FAULT

DELICATE INDEED! TRULY DELICATE! THERE IS NO PLACE WHERE ESPIONAGE IS NOT USED.

- The Art of War -

Under the guise of a losing season, Paul DePodesta has been fired by those darlings of Southern California, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tommy Lasorda, long boasting his Italian heritage, shows how undermining and cowardly he could be by getting into bed with the Southern California sportswriters - who are having a bad month. They couldn't keep USC atop the NCAA football polls, the Angels lost, the Saints are threatening to move to L.A. (not Louisiana) and UCLA's football team won't go away.

The AP, in all of their glory, have allowed Ken Peters to write:

"DePodesta graduated cum laude in 1995 with an economics degree from Harvard, where he played baseball and football for the Crimson.

He had been an assistant to Oakland GM Billy Beane since 1998 when he was hired by McCourt at age 31. DePodesta worked for the Cleveland Indians for three years before joining the A's.

Beane, under tight payrolls restrictions in Oakland, lead the revolutionary change in player evaluation that valued statistics over gut instincts. Author Michael Lewis wrote the 1984 bestseller "Moneyball" about Beane's approach to the game, which was adapted by DePodesta.

The technique has been criticized for underestimating the importance of team chemistry."

Just when you think you've read everything...

A lot if the articles are pointing toward the trades that DePodesta made, like the trade of Paul LaDuca to Florida. Hmm. Lasorda. LaDuca. LaDuca, supposedly the team leader in Los Angeles, went to the Marlins. Where his leadership and team chemistry skills worked wonders on the Florida Marlins in 2004 and in 2005. Meanwhile the Dodgers won the NL West in 2004 and in 2005 were stymied by an invasion of injuries.

Even better was that DePodesta is blamed for the Milton Bradley and Jeff Kent feud. Since when does a General Manager in baseball have anything to do with the personal relationships in the clubhouse? When Kent and Bonds were going at it in San Francisco, who was blamed? Not Dusty Baker and not Brian Sabean. So why is DePodesta footing the bill?

The Dodgers 'lost' Adrian Beltre, Alex Cora, Shawn Green, Steve Finley and Jose Lima. When you lose that, isn't it sort of like waking up the next morning and discovering that your amputated legs had grown back?

The L.A. hitmen continue:
T.J. Simers let's Lasorda do the talking, and it looks like if Bobby Valentine is not available the team 'might' be leaning toward Terry Collins. I wonder who is running the Dodgers, Lasorda or his ego. Hey, isn't he the guy who ran the franchise into the ground in the first place?

And the unbearable Bob Plaschke has never seen a paragraph. Plaschke doesn't care if he contradicts himself as long as he continually lobs non sequiturs at Paul DePodesta. Plashcke is the kind of 'writer' who makes Ray Ratto's mood swings a pleasure to put up with.

Nobody seems unwilling to throw DePodesta under the bus, Tony Jackson.

All the fingers point to an owner trying to blame the GM for his own decisions. Hiring high priced free agents, then trying to please Bill Plaschke and his gang of 'irreconcilables' and preening to the Angels.

Screw 'em all, Paul. Come home to Oakland. Come back and save Billy Beane's brain. The thing has been rotting in place since you've left. Anyone else think it's a mystery that the A's failed to make the playoffs the last two years and Paul has been gone for two years?

Just come home, Paul. Take a day or two and say goodbye to the smog and traffic and take the long way up Highway 1 to the BayArea...to the fog and traffic.

We'll see you at the 2006 Oakland A's fanfest.

• Darling: So you see, Blackadder, Field Marshal Haig is most anxious to eliminate all these German spies.


• Melchett: Filthy Hun weasels fighting their dirty underhand war!


• Darling: And, fortunately, one of our spies...


• Melchett: Splendid fellows, brave heroes, risking life and limb for Blighty!