Baseball BeatNovember 18, 2005
Weekend at Colletti's
By Rich Lederer

Fridays are normally known as the day of the week in which the new movies hit the big screen. And November, many times, features some of the biggest films of the year. This year is no exception. Hitting the theatres today is none other than Weekend at Colletti's, a parody of the 1989 comedy by a similar name.

I was able to catch a sneak preview of this farce and snag one of the movie posters. The latter is sure to become a collectible for fans of the Dodgers, Frank and Jamie McCourt, and/or Ned Colletti.


Colletti improved.jpg



The above serves as a segue to a chat Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts hosted after the recent appointment of Colletti as the Dodgers GM was made official. Jon invited Jay Jaffe from The Futility Infielder, Rob McMillin from 6-4-2, and me to give our insights about the hiring as well as the near-term outlook over at Elysian Park Avenue.

Here is an excerpt of an exchange between Jon and me in Dodger Squaretable with Jaffe, Lederer and McMillin.

Jon: Well, while we resolve to be thoroughly guarded in our predictions for Colletti, let's try to set his agenda. Among other things, there is true mystery about who the Dodgers' third baseman and No. 5 (if not No. 4) starter will be, and true mystery about whether two statistically qualified players, Milton Bradley and Hee Seop Choi, will still be Dodgers by February.

[snip]

Rich: It all comes down to time horizon. If you want to win next year, you upgrade the starting rotation, the corner infield spots, and left field via free agency or by trading prospects (like LaRoche or Guzman, Russ Martin or Dioneer Navarro, Chad Billingsley or Chuck Tiffany, and Jonathan Broxton) plus Choi, Perez, Aybar, and Jayson Werth. If you're not so worried about 2006, you might even do the opposite - you know, trade Eric Gagne and Jeff Kent for younger players who can help you in 2007 and beyond when the Dodgers could field one of the best teams in all of baseball.

Jon: I think the division still looks too weak, and that there is too much evidence of teams rising from the dead (like the phantom contender in Arizona this past year) for the Dodgers to give up on 2006. Certainly, the Dodgers didn't flip GMs to sit back on 2006. I think Colletti will pick and choose - go with kids in one place, sign a free agent for another position, trade a prospect to get a name vet in a third position.

Rich: I'm not saying the Dodgers will sit back on 2006. I have no doubt that Colletti is going to try and deliver a winner for the McCourts this year. The weak division will seduce them into thinking they can have their cake and eat it, too. That's too bad because anything they do this offseason at the expense of the future will come back to bite them in the butt.

Hurry on over to read the entire chat and to see what Jay and Rob also have to say. I think the consensus view leans more toward pessimism than optimism but cynicism is what probably rules the day.

Comments

Interesting that Jamie is taller than Frank in that promotional still, Rich.

I think it has less to do with her height and more to do with her growing stature. Bravo on a funny, and at the same time, sad parody of the Dodgers. Here is another good movie line (Fletch) that is appropriate right now:

[Fletch sees a photo of Chief Karlan with Tommy Lasorda]
Fletch: Hey, you and Tommy Lasorda!
Karlan: Yeah.
Fletch: I hate Tommy Lasorda! {punches glass out of picture frame.}

I'm with Fletch

Wimbo, the day DePo was fired, I called a Dodger friend of mine and quoted that exact line!!

Humor, Rob, humor.

Wimbo, Fletch and Tommy. Classic!

From Simers 11/22 column:

TODAY'S LAST word comes in email from Bob K.:

"I'm a local high school teacher and coach and one of the coaches in our office observed that the new Dodger GM looks exactly like the Bernie Lomax character in the popular 1989 movie, 'Weekend at Bernie's.' "

That would explain why I didn't get anything out of him Monday.


He's stealing your bits!

Interesting. Don't know if I should be flattered or amused. Either way, it sounds as if I have at least one reader out there.