The tool, Dennis Mannion, interviewed

[realmofotalk]

Shaikin: We hear from you and Ned that it is "business as usual." Yet, that is becoming increasingly difficult for fans to believe, given the actions of a major-market team that just about broke even last season. In the last two years, in addition to the Wolf decision, the Dodgers have:

* Deferred more than $45 million in player salaries, most of that with Manny Ramirez

* Traded top prospects in lieu of picking up contracts

* Declined to bid on virtually every top free agent

* Declined to bid on top international prospects

* Spent fewer dollars than any other club in the last two drafts

* Delayed playoff ticket refunds this year

* Fired more than a dozen employees

* Didn't re-invest $19 million from the Jason Schmidt insurance payment and the Manny Ramirez suspension into baseball operations

* Deferred renovations to the loge and reserve levels, beyond center field and in the clubhouses

No one action raises a red flag, but doesn't the totality of events suggest the Dodgers are experiencing financial trouble?

Mannion: I think that you have to look at the degree of all those things and how big of an issue they really are. For example, with Wolf, this is a very complex economy. Folks were building five-year strategic plans a long time ago. They're now into five-month strategic plans. So to take a guy and say, we're going to offer him arbitration, and put yourself in a position where you may have been able to acquire a similar pitcher for less money later on, isn't prudent use of a civic asset. It doesn't make sense to do that, if you're a good steward for your franchise.

So I think it's imperative that, when you look at all those types of things added up, you can bunch a group of them as capital markets-based projects. You can bunch a group as staffing. You can bunch yet another group in a very, very chaotic salary period for all four major sports. I think you have to look at the totality. You have to look at that in buckets, and then you have to look at the totality of what this economic disruption has done to the entire country.

It's a factor for every team. Gold Glovers who lead off? They go. Career leaders in home runs for a franchise? They go. Star pitchers for a franchise? They go, and then they go get somebody. Or, a first baseman they let go and he goes and wins the World Series for the Yankees? You have to do what you have to do if you're a well-run operation. Teams that are well-oiled, well-run operations make very hard decisions, and sometimes it requires you to have restraint in how and when and where you spend your dollars.

It's critical. Or you're going to find yourself way on the outs, deeper in debt and in a lot of trouble. You make your decisions based on the player. Sometimes you just don't want the player back. Sometimes it's based on descending salaries on certain types of players. Why would you put yourself in a position where, if the guy can win -- let's use a number -- $8 million in arbitration and his agent right now is asking $9 million, and you have a history where it comes down to $4 million, what are you thinking?

And is it worth a premium draft pick? That's also showing bizarre behavior, in my opinion, in terms of teams bidding against themselves for draft picks. That's been going on for a while on the amateur side of the business. But it's happening now on the international side, with guys you don't know anything about.

It's strange to me to see teams operate in a way where they bid against themselves for unknown talent, and at the same time, you have this plethora of guys in the system that maybe are not developing appropriately, i.e. a (Ronald) Belisario. That's interesting stuff to me. I think it's really fascinating. It's probably the upside of having very tough economic times.

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Dennis sucks at lying. What a load of asinine drivel. Well-run organization my ass.

[realmofotalk]

Gold Glovers who lead off? They go. Career leaders in home runs for a franchise? They go. Star pitchers for a franchise? They go, and then they go get somebody.

Minions who spread useless disinformation? They go. Asswipes who testify on behalf of Frank? They go, and then Frank goes get somebody in their place.

How you like 'dem apples, Dennis?