Chronicles of the Lads

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I missed the game last night, which means I missed Yet Another Ramon Ortiz Suckfest (TM). Then, this morning, the subhead on the Times' report says of Ortiz "Scioscia may be rethinking role." Really? That's great!

Too bad it doesn't seem to be true. Quoth Scioscia:

"Everyone is aware of those options [Gregg, Sele, and the unmentioned-by-article-Shields], but what's best for our club is to give these guys the opportunity to see what direction they're going to go. Ramon is going to take the ball again….

"We feel the guys who are struggling in our rotation now are going to be real shining spots for us as the season goes on. We're going to let it play out until we feel they're not where they need to be. But it's far too early for that."

Oh, jeez, that's encouraging. Great.

Of course, while Ortiz has looked predictably miserable, Gregg has looked excellent, Sele has looked very Batting Practice Pitcher Extraordinaire, and Shields has been uncharacteristically wild. Gregg looks like the best guy to step in right now, but Shields has a track record. Either one would clearly be a better choice.

Incidentally, this whole thing where Shields is "too valuable" to be moved from the bullpen is silly. What makes him valuable from the pen, historically, is that he comes in to bail out some lousy starter. Wouldn't it make more sense to have him start in the first place?

This reminds me of a situation I once encountered at work. I wanted to transfer to a different position, working directly for someone I liked, and one that would earn me higher pay. My employers determined that I was too valuable in my current position, and that they would have a much easier job filling the other one. This made sense in a way, though if I'm so much more valuable, why isn't my pay the same, or more, as this other position? Well, now it almost is, but still ... I'm just sayin' I sympathize with Shields on this one.

Anyway, after learning that they're not really considering moving Ortiz yet, I look over and learn that Bobby Jenks needs tests on his elbow.

Ay. Ca. Ram. Ba.

So, anyway, I'm looking around for the reset button on Halos' news today. Let me know if you can find it ...