It's already past the middle of January, spring training opens in a month and the Dodgers starting rotation is still incomplete. A replacement for left-hander Randy Wolf has not been found. Wolf, who signed as a free agent with Milwaukee in the off-season, was the Dodgers most consistent pitcher in 2009.
After signing Chad Billingsly last week to a one-year contract, the team's rotation for 2010 includes Billingsly, Clayton Kershaw, Hiroki Kuroda and two open spots. One spot might be filled by the young right-hander, James McDonald, who has been used by Manager Joe Torre as a middle reliever. The Dodgers might consider signing veteran Pedro Martinez, who was not picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies after the World Series.
Having a veteran such as Martinez as a fifth starter would make sense for L.A., where he once pitched before being traded to the Montreal Expos, a transaction that the Dodgers will forever regret making.
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What do Kobe Bryant and Jerry West have in common? Certainly both men are and were among the best players of their eras. Both play/played for the Lakers. Another common bond, though, is they both don't/didn't let injuries take them out of the game. West played with several broken noses and assorted leg and hand injuries. Same for Bryant. There hasn't been a player in recent memory that deals with a banged-up body as well as Kobe. For this, he is an inspiration to his teammates and a credit to basketball.
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Add Lakers: Don't miss the nice story in today's L.A. Daily News by the Associated Press on the the 50th anniversary of the team' plane's emergency landing in a cornfield during a storm in 1960 near Carroll, Iowa.
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Just when the NFL playoffs were taking on that aurora of boring predictability, along come the New York Jets to save the day. If there ever was a tournament that needed some spark and zest and a detour from the ordinary it was pro football's January post-season.
Dullness had set in by half time at the one-sided victories by the Saints, Colts and Vikings. But the Jets' exciting win over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday put some glamor back in the playoffs. Can the upstart Jets upset Indianapolis again and get to the Super Bowl? In a word, Yes!
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