Don't Cry for Me Juan Uribe / MLB Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers

I will never forget the Jazz Hands.

I will never forget that man, swinging with all his might. Hacking at pitches a foot outside, whiffing so hard he fell to the ground.

But oh, when he made contact. The ball would leap to Left Field as if it were shot out of a cannon. No-doubters taylor made for Duane Kuiper's home-run call. His low, swooping swing connecting on a slow curve ball -- it's an image I will never forget.

But most of all, I will remember The Sac-Fly. And I will remember the home-run in Game 6, kicking my chair back at Raleigh's and watching in disbelief as the ball sailed into the first row. Uribe never went opposite field. But he did that night.

Here it is.

But then on a November afternoon, everything changed.

Juan Uribe went from the summit of the Giants' Mount Everest to it's Death Valley. He went from having his face chiseled on the 2010 Giants' Mount Rushmore to being the face of the enemy.

I don't blame Juan Uribe for signing with the Dodgers. He certainly earned a raise and the Dodgers were begging to give it to him. He's a guy who's already played for 3 Major League teams. I doubt he feels a strong allegiance to any one club. Thus, when the Dodgers came after him hard guaranteeing him $21 million, what was he supposed to say? Sure, the Giants reportedly offered him $20 million, but would you rather sign with someone pleading to have you or a team that reluctantly matched another offer?

What saddens me most is how his choice affects his legacy. You have to think, if Uribe signs with the Giants and finishes his career out in SF, he's a legend. He could hit .240 the rest of his career in San Francisco and he'd still be remembered as a hero. Instead, he signs a $21 million contact for the Dodgers, where fans will now be expecting him to perform like a $21 million player. If he hits .240 for the next three years, Dodgers fans will hate him. Dodgers fans will boo him, Giants fans will boo him. Everyone will boo him. Instead of eternal glory, he's risking collective disdain.

Uribe's an athlete. Obviously he's confident in his abilities and expects to live up to his contract. But from a Giants fan's perspective, it's just sad. It's like seeing a girlfriend from college move away after graduation. You understand why she had to leave, and you'll always have the memories. You'll enjoy seeing her at reunions, but you'll always wonder what could have been.

Wait, what? This is supposed to be a preview of the whole team? Crap!

The Dodgers. It's not easy to gaze into the eyes of pure evil and try and give an objective, unbiased assessment – just ask Obi-Wan Kenobi or Lindsey Lohan's Judge. But the truth of the matter is, I'm afraid of the Dodgers. Yes, the Giants are 2010 World Champions. But that comeback only lasts so long. Sports trash talk is founded on "what have you done lately?", and the World Series will do little to deflect a 11-2 loss at Chavez Ravine in 2011. Whoever wins the day, wins the day.

And the 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers have a chance to win the whole season. If any team is going to unseat the Giants as NL West Champs, chances are it will be these boys in blue. With an incredibly deep rotation, a core of young, talented hitters and the Giants' secret weapon, the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles have one goal – to win, and in doing so, wipe the smiles off the faces of their Northern rivals.

The Dodgers' 2011 season will depend largely on what type of performance they get from their three young sluggers -- Andre Ethier (RF), Matt Kemp (CF) and James Loney (1B). All three are entering their prime years and have the potential to rank among of the best 3,4,5 hitters of any National League lineup. All three, however, underachieved in 2010. After a white hot start, Etheir struggled through the second half. James Loney, especially, disappointed with only 10 HRs and a .267 average. If the Dodgers are to succeed in 2011, at least two if not all three of these players will have to improve significantly over 2010.

After those three, the Dodgers lineup appears much more modest. As long as they can stay healthy, Juan Uribe and Rafael Furcal will play at worst decent second base and shortstop. After that, however, things look pretty bleak. In Left Field, the Dodgers look to start Jay Gibbons. That's the same Jay Gibbons who hasn't played in over 100 games since 2005 and was out of the Majors entirely for 2008 and 2009. It's a wonder that this career .260 hitter is the best the Dodgers could find. At Third will be Brian Wilson's nemesis, Casey Blake. Although he'll likely start the season on the DL, Blake will return to Third once he's healthy. Blake was yet another Dodger with a down 2010, hitting only .248. Unlike the others however, the Dodgers don't expect much in the way of a recovery from the 37 year old. In the squat, replacing the former "franchise" catcher Russell Martin will be journeyman backstop Rod Barajas. After stints with 5 different clubs in the past 5 years, you pretty much know what you're getting with Barajas. You'll get about 15 HR, 50-60 RBI and a .250 average -- if you're lucky.

As seems to be the trend with all contending teams in the NL and AL West, the Dodgers strength is their pitching. Behind young studs Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsly, the Dodgers have one of the deepest rotations in baseball featuring proven veterans Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and my second cousin Jon Garland. While Garland did suffer an injury during Spring Training, it's likely to only keep him out the first two weeks of the season. Additionally, starter Vincente Padilla is expected to return from injury in June, giving the Dodgers yet another veteran arm. Kershaw (23) and Billingsly (26) could experience some growing pains in 2011, but I'm not buying it.  Kershaw, a legitimate ace at only 23, sported a 2.91 ERA in 2010 and Billingsly was not far behind with a 3.57. After being acquired mid-way through 2010 from the Cubs, Ted Lilly went 7-4 with a 3.52 ERA for the Dodgers. Kuroda, meanwhile, had a 3.39 ERA and Garland a 3.47.

Did you do a double take? I know I did. 2.91, 3.57, 3.52, 3.39 and 3.47. Those are the ERAs of the Dodgers' five starters. Average them out and you get 3.37. Or in other words, only .01 higher than the Giants starters' 3.36 average ERA. Yikes.

The Dodgers' shakiest situation is likely their bullpen. After Jonathan Broxton's nightly collapses in 2010, the Dodgers are praying he can return to his dominant closer form. But even if he can, he has a questionable group of relievers that are being counted on to get him the ball with a lead still intact.

All you have to do is look at those five ERAs to see why the Dodgers have a chance in 2011. Having said that, the back three starters are getting up there in age and could regress. But even if all five starters have stellar years, the Dodgers success will depend on its three young offensive stars' ability to bounce back from down 2010s. The beginning of the season is going to be huge for the Dodgers. If they come out hot and prove to themselves what they're capable of, I could legitimately see them going wire-to-wire. Having said that, if their confidence is damaged early on, much like it was in 2010, it could be yet another lost season in Dodgertown. Which will it be? I'll let you know as soon as I find out. But if there's one thing I know for sure, it's to never underestimate the power of the Dark Side.

The 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers:
C: Rod Barajas

1B: James Loney

2B: Juan Uribe

SS: Rafael Furcal

3B: Casey Blake

LF: Jay Gibbons

CF: Matt Kemp

RF: Andre Ethier

P: Clayton Kershaw

P: Chad Billingsly

P: Ted Lilly

P: Kiroki Kuroda

P: Jon Garland (second cousin)

P: Jonathan Broxton

Best Case Scenario:

Proving the McCourt Divorce to be the most overplayed story in baseball, the Dodgers come screaming out of the gate like Seabiscuit in his prime (respect). After racing out to a 10 game lead in May, the Dodgers go wire to wire. The Giants' starters all spend a period of time on the DL, while the Rockies' rotation and lineup reveal their lack of depth.

With the Angels leading their division by double digits as well, LA baseball enjoys a Renaissance in the Summer of 2011. Dodger fans flock to the park to see Andre Ethier put up numbers that eventually win him NL MVP, while Clayton Kershaw pitches his way to the 19-9 record, a 2.87 ERA and the NL Cy Young. More remarkable than all of this however is the night of September 2, 2011. Dodger Stadium sells out.

In the postseason, the Dodgers dispatch of the St. Louis Cardinals before meeting the NL Wild Card San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. For the Dodgers, the only thing better than seeing the Giants miss the playoffs entirely is beating them to win the Pennant, which is exactly what happens. Feeding off tears of Giants fans, the Dodgers meet the New York Yankees in an old-school World Series for the ages. Nursing a late lead in Game 7, manager Don Mattingly comes to the mound in the bottom of the ninth to talk to closer Jonathan Broxton. After leaving the mound, Mattingly turns around to say one more thing to Broxton, only to be tackled immediately by Casey Blake. On the ground, while trying to pop Mattingly's shoulder back into place, Blake reminds him of his infamous mound visit faux pas in 2010. Although Mattingly requires assistance off the field, Broxton remains in the game and seals the Dodgers' World Series victory.

Worst Case Scenario:

Rather than go wire-to-wire, the Dodgers accomplish a similarly stunning feat by going cellar-to-cellar. In last place for 162 games, fans start referring to the Dodgers' season as "Armageddon" due to its similarities to the end-of-days film of the same title, minus the large asteroid and everything working out ok in the end.

After Jon Garland, the Dodger fall victim to the injury bug and fail to field their projected starting lineup once before the All-Star break. As the McCourt Divorce begins attracting more and more negative attention, GM Ned Colletti decides to scrap the team and rebuild. After hitting only .240 through June, the Dodgers trade James Loney to the Pirates for prospects. Matt Kemp is also shipped out. Andre Ethier remains on the team, mostly due to a now public romance with Dodgers' part-owner and recent divorcee Jamie McCourt. After hitting only .190 through July and inciting rage among Dodger fans, Juan Uribe is traded back to San Francisco where he is welcomed with open arms.

The Dodgers finish the season with only 68 wins. Juan Uribe hits a walk-off homerun for the Giants in Game 7 of the 2011 World Series. The Dodgers finish dead last in attendance in 2011 and LA voters place a measure on the ballot to turn Dodger Stadium into either a year-round practice facility for the Lakers or a football stadium for LA's eventual second NFL franchise. The measure is defeated by only 2 percent.