Last call: Angels and the 11th greatest L.A. Dodger
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OK, Red Sox fans, now you’re getting greedy. You’ve won two World Series this decade. How about stepping aside and letting another team win for a change? That was a tough game to watch. Despite appearances, I’m an Angels fan, especially when they are playing the Red Sox. But, they always seem to fall apart in the playoffs. Take a look at these career postseason numbers:
Chone Figgins: .171 (13 for 76, with two walks and 23 strikeouts!)
Vladimir Guerrero: .235 (16 for 68, 1 home run)
Mike Napoli: .100 (1 for 10)
Howie Kendrick: .105 (2 for 19)
Erick Aybar: .000 (0 for 9)
Garret Anderson: .255 (35 for 137, 5 home runs)
You know what the Angels need? Guys like Troy Glaus, Tim Salmon and David Eckstein. They haven’t been the same since they let Glaus go, and Salmon and Eckstein were big-game players. Remember how James Worthy always stepped up his game in the playoffs? They didn’t call him ‘Big Game’ James because he liked to go hunting.
The Angels don’t have any ‘Big Game’ guys.
Oh, and Frankie Rodriguez? Take a look at his ERA in the last two postseasons: 2007: 54.00. 2008: 13.50. Ouch.
Now, every Friday we will be counting down the 12 greatest L.A. Dodgers of all time. No. 12 was Reggie Smith. You still have time to vote for the fan picks. Just e-mail me you list of the 12 greatest L.A. Dodgers of all-time to houston.mitchell@latimes.com . And remember, they have to be Dodgers who played in L.A., not Brooklyn.
The 11th greatest L.A. Dodger of all time:
A multiple Gold Glove-winning center fielder, Davis is second in career games played for L.A. with 1,952. He is second in doubles, first in triples and third in RBIs. His stats are more impressive when you consider that he played in a pitcher’s park during the 1960s, a dead-ball era.
-- Houston Mitchell