Dodgers in 4 See ya Next Year

[Benjamin Grimm]

Poor cleon. I can imagine how sad he must be feeling right now.

[Guest Edgy DC]

We'll probably see him before next year also.

[Guest cooby]

He still has his dignity

[Guest Edgy DC]

Speaking of seeing you next year, check out Julio Lugo with the faux pas of getting baited into talking about next year.

Odd time to look ahead for Lugo

Dodgers infielder is entertaining thought of playing with Mets

BY ERIK BOLAND

Newsday

Staff Writer

Published October 6 2006

Credit Julio Lugo for answering the question honestly. Dock him for the timing.

Lugo, who received the start at third base for the Dodgers last night, was asked before the game about speculation the Mets might try to acquire him this offseason. Instead of offering the usual platitudes such as "We'll talk about that after the season, or I'm just worried about helping this team win a championship," Lugo actually gave an answer of substance.

"Well, it's nice to know that people want you out there," said Lugo, who will be a free agent at season's end. "I mean, I'm grateful for them to be interested because I was raised here in New York. I was a Met fan for a while."

Lugo, 30, moved from the Dominican Republic to Sunset Park in Brooklyn with his family when he was 13 and attended Fort Hamilton High School.

The Mets' appeal when he was young?

"The blue hats," Lugo said. "I used to love the blue hats they used to have."

Lugo was chosen in the 43rd round of the 1994 draft by the Astros, but he didn't reach the majors until 2000. Lugo spent three-and-a-half seasons with Houston before being dealt to the Devil Rays in the middle of the 2003 season. The Dodgers acquired Lugo July 31 in exchange for minor leaguers Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza. The Mets reportedly were interested as well, but the Dodgers were able to close the deal.

Primarily a shortstop for most of his career, Lugo became a utilityman in Los Angeles and struggled. He appeared in 29 games at second base, 16 at third, eight at shortstop, two in rightfield and one in leftfield. Lugo was hitting .308 with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs and 18 stolen bases for the Devil Rays, but his numbers dropped significantly after being dealt to the Dodgers. After the trade, Lugo hit .219 with 10 RBIs, no home runs and six stolen bases in 49 games.

"That's my main position. I played shortstop all through my career," Lugo said.

Of course, if Lugo joined the Mets, it likely would be as a second baseman. Jose Valentin is unlikely to be there next season and David Wright and Jose Reyes are fixtures at third and short, respectively. Lugo said exceptions can be made.

"If you want me to play second, I will think about it," Lugo said. "There's no reason why you couldn't do something for a good team."

What made Lugo's bluntness odd was the time and place. Players, especially those in the playoffs, rarely engage in conjecture on where their next stop will be. Dodgers manager Grady Little, however, sounded as if Lugo's departure was probable.

"I don't think he's adjusted to it in terms of the fact that he likes it," Little said. "I just think he'll do whatever he needs to do to help us win games."

[Benjamin Grimm]

]The Mets' appeal when he was young? "The blue hats," Lugo said. "I used to love the blue hats they used to have."

Man has good taste.

Unfortunately, these days the Dodgers caps are blue much more frequently than the Mets caps are.

[MFS62]

]"If you want me to play second, I will think about it," Lugo said. "There's no reason why you couldn't do something for a good team."

That's interesting. In prior interviews, he has maintained that he wants to play shortstop - only. And I recall several articles that speculated that he would be adverse to coming to the Mets specifically because he didn't want to have to play second.

Do ya' think he's just trying to drive his price up, or is he really willing to change positions?

In the mean time, another second baseman, free agent to-be Belliard, has been putting on a good show in the other NLDS. His gut is almost as large as that of David Wells, but he has made some dazzling plays in the field.

Later

[metirish]

] Do ya' think he's just trying to drive his price up, or is he really willing to change positions?

With the way he has played since joining the Dodgers his price might be going down.

[Guest Edgy DC]

And his leverage to pick his position.

Really, though, his .278 / .341 / .421 // .762 line looks decent enough, until you see that it was all as a D-Ray, and in 150 at-bats as a Dodger, he's at a really yucky .219 / .278 / .267 // .545.

Good point by irish.

[Guest vtmet]

I like Lugo's speed and versatily over Belliard...but as far as an every day 2nd baseman, I would prefer Belliard...from what I've seen of his defense, I have liked his range and arm (which allows him to play deeper than a lot of 2B's and still get the ball to first quickly)...I doubt that Lugo would agree to a utility role, but IMO that's where his value is the best for a team...both have ties to NY...

if you look at both of their numbers, both have struggled offensively going from the AL to the NL midseason...which kind of makes me ponder a bit...so many "experts" say that the AL is superior to the NL, yet how many AL batters have struggled in their initial leap to the NL, whereas IMO alot of NL guys have improved their batting once in the AL...

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, I didn't mean to hijack this thread (not that cleon gave it much of an itinerary) away from the business at hand. My point was only that Julio was committing a huge faux pas and maybe the Dodgers in general are already looking to next season.

[Guest ABG]

It seems fairly unlikely at this juncture that the Dodgers will win this series in four games.

[Guest vtmet]

ABG wrote: It seems fairly unlikely at this juncture that the Dodgers will win this series in four games.

which IMO makes it the perfect "Battle Cry" thread to last as long as the Mets are still alive...the prophets of doom said that we should have just conceded: we lost our best reliever in Sanchez; we lost our ace in Pedro; we lost our "mr October" in El'Duque; we lost our RH hitting OFer in Nady; our HR leader from '05 can barely walk; Delgado/Beltran can't hit at Shea; we can't hit lefties; Dodgers are red hot; etc...yet, the Mets are not giving in to excuses...

[soupcan]

Meanwhile our Mets have quietly (or maybe not so quietly) won 6 in a row.

Thanks in large part to my facial hair.

[Guest vtmet]

I could settle for a 15 game winning streak at the end of the year...kind of makes up for the losses in September when the games didn't mean much...

[Valadius]

Take THAT, Pittsburgh series!!!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Let's not get too cocky here. We're still vulnerable to a three-game losing streak. And if the Pirates could do it, so can the Dodgers.

[Guest cooby]

You be dissin the Pirates? Arrrrgh

[Guest Edgy DC]

cooby is straddling between buccaneer slang and Compton slang. Excellent.

[Guest cooby]

That's a wide straddle

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: cooby is straddling between buccaneer slang and Compton slang. Excellent.

A veritable confluence of cultures is our Cooby.

Later

[Guest cooby]

Now that you mention it, if you took off the Arrgh, I see what you mean...

[soupcan]

cleonjones11 wrote: Maddux,Lowe,Kuo,Penny...hot team Oliver Perex Glavine and a pile of AAA pitchers. Another Yankee World series... Typical Mets since 1962

I'm sorry, what was that Nostradomus?

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Could we please get a gloom and doom prediction from cleon on the NLCS with St. Louis? He's got the whole "reverse-Karma" thing down cold.

[nymr83]

soupcan wrote: ="cleonjones11"]Maddux,Lowe,Kuo,Penny...hot team Oliver Perex Glavine and a pile of AAA pitchers. Another Yankee World series... Typical Mets since 1962 I'm sorry, what was that Nostradomus?

Nostradumbass?