An anniversary of two sorts took place on Saturday, and they both had to do with the same thing. One I like, and the other still sends shudders down the spines of Dodger fans everywhere.
For starters, it's the anniversary of me starting this site seven years ago. I grew up a Dodger fan, I love to write, so I figured, What the heck? Combine them both. Seven years later, here I am, and I still love doing this.
The flip side? It's also the anniversary of the Dodgers' infamous free agent deal with Andruw Jones. It's a marriage that was supposed to last for two years, but thanks to one of the worst seasons anyone has ever seen, he was mercifully sent packing after the 2008 season. No worries, as he still pocketed $36.2 million in a deal that was deferred through last season.
Yes, that's right - the Dodgers were STILL paying off Jones's contract through this past season. At least that finally ran out.
Oh by the way, the Jones signing was my very first post on this site. Looking back now, it's just laughable at some of reasons why I was excited:
* "the big bat to fill the middle of the order has hopped on the train"
* "Hopefully Jones can right some of his hitting holes and get back to his old self. It's a chance definitely worth taking."
* "it's nice to see the Dodgers sign someone in his prime"
OK, so like Jones in the '08 season, that commentary was a giant swing-and-a-miss. If you recall at the time, the Dodgers had young players like Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Russell Martin looking to take the next step. They also still had Jeff Kent, Juan Pierre, and Rafael Furcal. So there was reason to be excited with Jones coming in to add more pop.
Instead, he hit .158 with three homers, 14 RBIs, and 76 strikeouts in 75 games. He was just so, so, so, so, so, SO bad.
Which leads me to this point: signing Jones was a great move by the Dodgers. Why? Because that led to a trade later in the season for some guy named Manny Ramirez, who went on to have one of the best end of season runs in baseball history by hitting .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs and in 53 games.
Granted, he may have had a little help in getting those numbers... but it was sure fun to watch while it lasted.
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