The best offensive 2nd baseman in LA Dodger history and one of the top 10 offensive 2nd baseman in the history of baseball will ride off into the sunset. The next time we hear about Jeff Kent will be five years from now when we see if the borderline HOF candidate makes it or not. He wasn't better then Bobby Grich or Lou Whitiker when defense is taken into account and neither of them got any traction from the HOF voters.
The baseball cowboy gave Dodger fans everything they could have hoped for when he came to the plate during his four year reign as our 2nd baseman, but he left me wishing for something more. During the 2005 season he could have been a Milton Bradley mentor instead of a needler. In 2006 he could have been a smarter baserunner and maybe the postseason would not have ended so soon. In 2007 he could have done a better job of working with the kids as they adjusted to the big league life. In 2008 he did the best he could do. No one was more impressed with how hard he worked in Sept to try to help the team in make the playoffs and do some damage. I'm sure he was disapointed that he was simply a pinch hitter in the playoffs but he did not create any waves externally.
When he signed with us as a free agent in 2005 we knew we'd get offensive production and defensive ineptitude. We also knew we were getting a taciturn individual who cared more about reading motorcycle magazines then clubhouse chemistry.
Some fans will remember the offense, some will remember the surliness with the young kids in 2006, some will remember the Milton Bradley debacle, but I think most will always remember Jeff Kent for being the main stooge in the most embarrassing postseason play since Willie Davis dropped consecutive fly balls in one inning during game two of the 1966 World Series.
The first two year contract that Depodesta gave Jeff Kent worked out well. It was the extension of two years that Ned gave Kent that didn't work out so well. Given the history of 2nd baseman it seemed strange to give an old 2nd basmen such an extension. I think in retrospect that Ned didn't trust Loney and expected to move Kent to 1st base by 2008. If he really expected Jeff Kent to play 2nd base in 2008 at age 40 when he gave him the extension then it was simply a bad decision.
MSTI has a great read about Lisa Guerrero dissing her her husband's comeback attempt and an extra little ditty about Frank McCourt bolting an awards show in the middle of a speech.