I haven't posted about sports stuff in a while, but thanks to my MLB.TV subscription, I've managed to watch almost every Dodger game this year, despite being in New York, Boston, Paris, etc. It's definitely worth the cost of a few tickets at Dodger Stadium.

Now that we're halfway through, I'm starting to get a feel for my thoughts about the team. Everything that happened with Paul Depodesta last season is still a sensitive subject, but I understand why they did it.

Coming into the season, I wasn't a fan of signing Furcal, Lofton, or Garciaparra. Needless to say, Nomar has convinced me, but I'd be happy to trade the other two if they had any value whatsoever.

And don't get me started about trading young starting pitching prospects for bad relievers, or young catchers and pitchers for old catchers and pitchers. Time will tell, and I'll only remember the trades that are disasters.

I think the Dodgers could win the division, but we need a couple more Brad Pennys to show up (preferably from the farm system) before anything further can happen.

Meanwhile, the Lakers' summer league is starting, and I like the way things are looking. The roster is very full, but there are at least two guys at every position that I'm happy with. It should be a fun year to watch, with a lot of interesting questions: Kobe's scoring levels? Radmanovic's position? Farmar's playing time under Phil?

I know there's been a lot of speculation about a trade of Chris Mihm, and my gut feeling is that at least one of the centers will be moved. Not only do they have three legitimate players at that position, but this is the NEW NBA, as repeatedly articulated by Andrew and others, and it's now totally reasonable that Lamar or Turiaf, or even Radmanovic or Walton, could see time as a speedy center-like apparition.

Now I just gotta get my handle and shot back from a long off-season.

(One last thing, I enjoyed watching the Italian defensive grinders win the world cup, but my god, how can anybody really enjoy so much flopping? It totally explains Vlade Divac.)

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