DALY'S FIRST MOVE AN INSPIRED PERFORMANCE.Byline: Karen Crouse The Dodgers were desperate for a left-handed bat, a home-grown talent, a clean-cut face. They needed somebody to connect with the fans and command the spotlight. They had to find a marquee name for their next production, which opens in April. Fortunately they had the right guy heading up the search. Newly named Chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Bob Daly learned a thing or two hundred about securing top talent in his years making movies for Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . Daly rolled up his sleeves, the better to rub elbows with all the pertinent players in this game-within-the-game. It didn't take him long to land his first baseball star. On Monday, the Dodgers announced they had acquired Shawn Green Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972, in Des Plaines, Illinois) is a 6' 4" left-handed Major League Baseball player. Green is the starting right fielder for the New York Mets.[1] Green was a 1st round draft pick, and has been a two-time major league All-Star. from Toronto. Central Casting central casting n. A movie studio department responsible for hiring actors, especially for nonstarring roles. couldn't have conjured up a more inspired choice. He is the perfect antidote for a city that had grown tired of Raul Mondesi, the five-tool, 16-personality player who was shipped to Toronto in the deal along with left-handed reliever Pedro Borbon. Where Mondesi was known as much for his mood swings as his mighty swings of the bat, Green is a 30-30-100 man: You can pencil him in for 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 100 percent equanimity e·qua·nim·i·ty n. The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure. [Latin aequanimit . In extolling Green, general manager Kevin Malone
Kevin Malone is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. He is played by Brian Baumgartner. pretty much excoriated Mondesi, whether he meant to or not. ``Shawn Green,'' Malone said, ``brings that character and integrity so essential to having a championship franchise.'' So there. Three months after Mondesi threw a tantrum tan·trum n. A fit of bad temper. tantrum, n a sudden outburst or violent display of rage, frustration, and bad temper, usually occurring in a maladjusted child or immature or disturbed adult. , Malone let the screen door serve as his de facto [Latin, In fact.] In fact, in deed, actually. This phrase is used to characterize an officer, a government, a past action, or a state of affairs that must be accepted for all practical purposes, but is illegal or illegitimate. paddle and finally let the petulant pet·u·lant adj. 1. Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish. 2. Contemptuous in speech or behavior. [Latin petul player have it. Hey, better late than never. With Green, who turns 27 on Wednesday, replacing Mondesi as the subject, discipline will take on a whole different meaning. It'll no longer be a verb but, rather, a noun that aptly describes how Green turned himself into a dependable fielder and a batter consistent enough to cobble together cobble together Verb [-bling, -bled] to put together clumsily: a coalition cobbled together from parties with widely differing aims Verb 1. a 28-game hitting streak this past season. The devotion Green shows for the game comes paired with a sense of duty, a rare coupling in today's budding sports superstar. Gord Ash, the president of the Blue Jays, earlier this year described Green as ``a very mature young man, a very smart young man, a credit to the organization, one of the fan favorites,'' which begs the question: Then why get rid of him? The Blue Jays breaking up with Green in order to snuggle with Mondesi is mind-boggling, like the Spurs dumping David Robinson for Shaquille O'Neal. Mondesi and O'Neal are red-flagged flings; team-oriented players like Green and Robinson are keepers, to be hugged and held onto when it's time to get serious. It was a decision undoubtedly dictated by money, not love. Ash knew in his heart Green would bolt after his current contract expired next year. So he ended the relationship now rather than get burned later. Mondesi might yet realize his staggering potential. Maybe he'll even do it as a Blue Jay. If that's to happen, he'll have to declare a whole lot of maturity at the border. Time will tell and we wish Mondesi well. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , we think it's swell the Dodgers got two players for their $14 million a year investment: a left-handed hitter and a leader in the clubhouse. The Dodgers were in dire need of both. After watching a roomful of guys playing for themselves last year, it thrilled us to hear Green say he intends to make an impact with his own play and also ``elevate some of the other performances of some of the other players on the team.'' No question, the Tustin High graduate is the answer to Dodgers fans' prayers. Green is not just the Dodgers' future, he is a composite of the club's storied, starry past: He played high school ball in Southern California, like Darryl Strawberry. He's a fiery competitor, like Jackie Robinson. He has left-handed power, like Kirk Gibson. He is Jewish, like Sandy Koufax. His words, like Vin Scully's, are music to Dodgers fans' ears. To those who care, his arrival is as welcome as spring training. |
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