Los Angeles

Former Dodger closer Eric Gagne can represent the best of times as well as the worst of times for Dodger fans.

Some would say strains of "Welcome to the Jungle" still reverberate around Chavez Ravine. Others still feel disgust from the disclosure of his PED usage.

Wash away all the sweet and bitter and one fact remains, Eric Gagne's last dominant season as a closer is five years in the rear-view mirror. The chance of him recapturing anything close to that form is approximately equal to that of Tommy Lasorda passing up a free dinner.

Roy Halladay is in Philly. John Lackey is in Boston.

Now is the winter of the Angels' discontent.

Just days after baseball's Winter Meetings ended, after which GM Tony Reagins claimed his team had laid “groundwork,” the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim watched their hard work melt away like snow in the coming spring.

For those unfamiliar with the situation, or if you've just been living under a baseball-free rock, let's recap the events of the Angels' Black Monday:

Lackey Signs with Boston

Arte Moreno had us all fooled.

Thanks to the free agent signings, the stadium improvements, and the winning ball club, we all thought Anaheim was a big market city.

We loved the atmosphere at Angel Stadium, the rally monkey, and the perennial winner.

You fooled us all, Arte!

I looked the other way when the Angels lost Chone Figgins—no easy task when you consider it was a loss within the division.

I understood when word came that no attempt was being made to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero. 

When Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings got underway on Dec. 7, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were said to be serious contenders in the bidding war for outfielder Jason Bay.

By week's end, Bay remained unsigned and Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters his team had “more pressing needs” to address.

Scioscia may have meant a new starting pitcher, but he might as well have been talking about his bullpen.

On Friday, the Angels announced reliever Jose Arredondo will undergo Tommy John surgery in January and miss the entire 2010 season.

The shortstop who stole 104 bases, the catcher who was a great Dodger long before he was a great Met, and the third baseman who may have had one of the best single offensive seasons in L.A. history.

Power or speed? The past or the present?

It all points to one question with hundreds of possibilities: Which Dodger had the greatest offensive season at his position?

Major League Baseball has been asking fans this same question in an effort to choose each team's best-ever collection of stars.

They are calling it MLB 9s.

I was foolishly under the impression that things couldn’t get any murkier for the Los Angeles Dodgers front office.

Then I came across a startling article in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that claims Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is running out of money.

Uh-oh.

The piece, written by John Emshwiller, details some very disturbing facts that have emerged from the divorce papers filed between Frank, the team owner, and his soon-to-be ex-wife Jamie, former Dodgers CEO.

Roy Halladay's pitch hand is strong.

So strong, in fact, he's got practically every team in the Majors falling all over themselves to make sure it belongs to them. 

Top prospects, proven starters, first born children—all being offered up like sacrificial lambs to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Halladay's unique services, but one team has emerged as a potential front-runner.

Mike Scioscia added one more piece to his incredible 2009 season: He is your American League Manager of the Year.

A more appropriate choice there never was.

In a rollicking, emotional season filled with tragedy and triumph, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won 97 games and another divisional crown, thanks in large part to their sound-minded skipper.

Scioscia's award-winning fate was sealed on Sept. 28, when his Angels clinched their franchise record third consecutive AL West division title.

The most valuable asset in baseball is good pitching. Good, young, controllable pitching could be likened to winning the lottery for a million dollars, and when you go to cash in your ticket, you find out you actually won five million.

To call the 2009 season a roller coaster for Chad Billingsley would be an understatement. He was named to his first All-Star game in July, but he also had his career-worst year statistically.

In a move that should come as a surprise to nobody, SI.com’s Jon Heyman is reporting that Manny Ramirez will exercise his $20 million player option for 2010.

Nobody in the Los Angeles Dodger organization should be surprised by this. This was a no-brainer decision for Ramirez. At the end of the day, Ramirez didn’t have any other options.

What was he going to do? Back out of his contract and test the free agent market?