After Hours

The Matt Kemp situation just freaking rubs me raw. The double standard clueless Joe Torre continues to employ is the biggest disgrace in baseball. If Kemp is such a thorn in the Dodgers’ sorry ass, why didn’t they trade him? Lord knows Reed Johnson, Jay Gibbons and their ilk could fill Kemp’s shoes.

Kemp leads the Dodgers in home runs (19) and runs (63) and is second in RBIs (67) and stolen bases (16) despite his gaffes on the base paths.

He also leads the Dodgers in total bases (202), and with the exception of Andre Ethier (191) and James Loney (182), no one is even in the ballpark. Granted, he’s having an off year, but what about the rest of the club? See any career years from anyone else?

So what gives? Why does Torre bench Kemp, but doesn’t dole out the same punishment with non-hitting players like Casey Blake? And why oh why does the L.A. media continue to blame Kemp for the Dodgers’ woes? They blow a 7-run lead and lose to the Phillies Thursday night, and again, they blame Kemp? It’s an absolute joke.

From Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times: “Kemp returned to the lineup Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies after being benched for 2 days, and he was the usual maddening Kemp. In the Dodgers' devastating 10-9 loss, he helped the team to a 7-run lead with a 2-run homer in the 7th inning. But 1 inning later, he perhaps cost them a 10th run when he stood at the plate on a blooper down the right field line that he inexplicably didn't see. The ball fell inside the foul line, and a surprised Kemp was barely able to turn a double into a single.”

Maddening Kemp? Dude, you watching the same game? Granted, Kemp lost the ball after hitting it (happens to the best of them), but there was no way, even with his speed, he could have turned that bloop into a double without getting thrown out at 2nd. Oh, and if you were watching the same game, Kemp made a heads up play by racing to third on another bloop, but failed to score because, you guessed it, one of his lame-ass hitting teammates failed to drive him in. Kemp went 3 for 5 and drove in 4 of the Dodgers’ 9 runs.

Maddening is Jonathan Broxton unable to close a game. Maddening is Torre bringing in George Sherrill from the bullpen again. Maddening is a bullpen that can't hold a lead. Further, Loney and Ethier stranded 10 runners on base against the Phillies Thursday night. Maybe if just 1 or 2 of those runs could have been that 10th or 11th run that Kemp supposedly cost them, we might have been sipping Goose and tonic up in the club.

Clueless Joe is like a drunk at the bar. He serves up this gem, when ESPN’s Tony Jackson (and Jackson, we might add, has been one of the biggest offenders when it comes to Kemp) asked him how well he knows Kemp: "That's a good question. I try to have a sense for what he is dealing with, but I can't tell you if I'm right or not. As I say, he doesn't really give you a lot. He is very quiet, and he doesn't say a whole lot. He kids around a lot with the other players, and he is very comfortable in that environment.”

The double standard has existed all season. For all the times Torre has benched Kemp, never has he benched Casey Blake, who has only 12 homers and 47 RBIs, or the light-hitting Russell Martin before he got hurt. Martin could have used some days off, particularly as overworked as he was, hitting below .250 with only 5 home runs and 26 RBIs before suffering a season-ending injury. But that was Torre’s boy.

Manny? Have you seen her? Since Ned Colletti whined about the money (Kemp is making just over $5 million per year) Kemp was getting paid earlier this year, you’ll never hear the GM, who, like the doorknob Tribune Co. Plaschke works for and a cast-off of the punk-ass Cubs, whine about Ramirez cashing checks for $25 million this season with little production. He’s played in only 61 games. His stats: 8 homers and 39 RBIs.

Oh, and isn’t he the same tool busted for hormone drugs last season, forcing him to miss 50 games due to a suspension, let alone the other times he came up lame? Again, have you seen her?

There are plenty of reasons the Dodgers won’t make the playoffs this season, but the fault doesn’t lie at Kemp’s feet. The leadership is among the worst in baseball. It falls in Torre’s lap, Colletti’s and do we need to remind you of the train wreck known as Frank McCourt?

Place the blame of this fiasco where you want, but Matt Kemp isn’t the only source of it.

Read more of Forrest Lee at Blak4rest.com.