The Jerry Sands Era has begun. He was called up today and got his first start in LF and a double in his first Major League at-bat. For what it's worth, he's the first young prospect in recent years since Ned Colletti took over to ask about being a leader. And he's been compared to Matt Holliday with insane power and great plate discipline. That's good, right?
Meanwhile, Matt Kemp continues to tear the cover off the ball. After hitting a walk-off two-run home run yesterday while going 3 for 4, he started the day leading all Major League hitters with a whopping .474 avg. He got an RBI hit in his first at-bat tonight.
On the flip side, before his two-run single in his first at-bat tonight, James Loney was hitting a whopping .150 with an OPS of .391. No, that's not a typo. His OPS is that much lower than Kemp's avg. (Make that two hits tonight.)
And our old friend Manny Ramirez decided to suddenly retire last week. Why? Because he chickened out and refused to serve a 100-game suspension that was looming. Yep, that's right. He failed yet another drug test. Manny's Fertility Drug Supply is now open for business!
(Sands just hit a sac fly for his first Major League RBI. 4-0 Dodgers over the Braves in the third inning.)
And finally, you have to wonder how much longer Frank McCourt can tolerate the drama and negative publicity surrounding his franchise.
Back on Opening Day, two drunk Dodger fans decided to take matters into their own hands and beat the living bazookas out of an innocent Giant fan in the parking lot after the game. The fan is currently in critical condition in a medically-induced coma with head trauma at USC Medical Center. The suspects are still at-large. And the security at the stadium? Well, wherever it was that day, it has since been revamped with the hiring of former LAPD Chief William Bratton. Police presence and security has been beefed up. Will it be enough though?
McCourt also had to recently borrow $30M from FOX (yes, those guys again) just to be able to pay the players their first paycheck this year. You'd think Bud Selig and MLB would have stepped in by now and taken over this mess.
And it looks like the fans are now finally taking a stand too. They've finally had enough and they're showing their frustrations with the team's play, in particular the dreadful offense sans Kemp and Andre Ethier, and with McCourt by staying away from the park. Attendance has finally taken a hit at the Ravine.
One can only hope McCourt, Colletti and Selig all take notice.
