Who's L.A. sports' Person of the Year?
The Daily News has named Ned Colletti the Los Angeles Sports Person of the Year, recognizing the Dodgers general manager whose moves restored the confidence of the franchise and its fans in 2006. (Read about it here.)
Do you like our choice? Who would you pick?
Post your comment below.
Comments
Good call on Colletti as Sports Person of the Year. As a Dodger fan, my optimism and interest in the team is certainly rising again, which is the best reflection of Colletti's performance so far.
As for next year's winner, does the award cover all of SoCal, including San Diego? If so, here's an early vote for LT!
Posted by: Dave Humphrey | December 19, 2006 10:30 AM
Your article about Colletti is full of inaccuracies and digs at Paul Depodesta, perhaps the most unjustifiably maligned person in LA Sports history. In his first year, Depodesta's team won 93 games, the division title and the first playoff game in 16 years against the NL Champion. In Colletti's first year his team won 88 games, the wild card and got swept out of the playoffs by team that did not make the World Series. In other words, Depodesta's season was unquestionably better. Depodesta was hated for a trade that brought back Brad Penny, who started the All-star game for Colletti's Dodgers this year. Collettti meanwhile traded his number one prospect going into the year (according to Baseball America) for a player whose sole contribution was a .219 batting average and zero home runs before leaving as a free agent. The signing of J.D. Drew over Adrien Beltre was much hated by the LA Media. Yet in two years Beltre has produced batting averages of .258 and .268 (compared to .334 in '04) and less combined home runs (44), then he hit in his fantastic 2004 (48). Drew, worthless as many think he is, recently signed a 5 year 70 million dollar contract with the Red Sox, whose GM is widely hailed among the best in the game. Ned Colletti, meanwhile, signed Juan Pierre to a 5 year 44 million dollar contract that has been generally criticized, given that the Dodger had a lack of power and already had a superior lead off hitter on the roster.
The Baseball America article crediting the Dodgers as the organization of the year barely mentions Colletti and only then in reference to Logan White, whom the article is about.
I don't think Colletti is doing a bad job and I am very hopefully for the future of the team. However, it is absurd to think that Paul Depodesta ruined the team and Colletti saved it.
Since Depodesta had a better first year and his second year was marred by horrific injuries, Colletti had better hope that for good team health in 2007 or he might be looking for a new job too.
Posted by: Benaiah | December 19, 2006 01:08 PM