An Andruw Jones Retrospective

Well, well, well...It's almost to the halfway point of the 2008 season as the All-Star game approaches next week. The Dodgers' lone representative is Russel Martin...who makes the Major League Minimum. He's on his way to his 2nd consecutive appearance.

But wasn't Andruw Jones supposed to be the Dodgers' newest All-Star? After a great career in Atlanta that saw his power numbers steadily decline since he hit 51 homers in 2005, the Dodgers signed him to a whopping 2 year contract at $18 million per year...

So to date here are Andruw Jones' stats at the halfway point...in 49 games with 152 at bats Jones has a .171 batting average, 9 RBIs and 2 home runs with an on base percentage of .270 and a slugging percentage of .263. That breaks it down to $2 million an RBI and $9 million a home run.

Today the Seattle Mariners released Richie Sexson after nobody wanted him and his "pitiful" .218 batting average and 18 home runs. No I don't smoke crack or anything but man that sure seems like one hell of an improvement over Andruw Jones and he's still patrolling center field for the Dodgers. And I haven't even mentioned Jones weight, which lets just say is much higher than his batting average.

So if you were Ned Coletti the Dodgers' GM or Manager Joe Torre, would you bench Jones? No way, they just fired their hitting coach, since it must be his fault Andruw Jones' chin looks more like the Golden Fleece than the chin of a multi-million dollar professional athlete. So now it's Don Mattingly's turn to keep Jones away from the In and Out truck.

So needless to say this is one of the most disappointing free agent signings since Darryl Strawberry lit a crack pipe in the Dodgers' locker room.

We love the Dodgers but we don't love Jones. We are sad that he is taking valuable playing time away from young players with potential like Delwyn Young. So a fan of the "blueness", I raise a clenched fist to all those Angel banners around town and ask the Big Blue Dodger in the sky, "why couldn't it have been Torii Hunter in blue instead of red?"

Like the owl from the Tootsie Rolls commercial back in the 70's said..."The world may never know." All we know is that Andruw Jones lack of production is costing people their jobs...and in an article in today's LA times, Bill Plaschke reports that Ned's head might roll next...

Stay tuned true believers!...More exciting Dodger talk coming your way...Same Fat, I mean Bat time and same Bat channel!