Best laid plans...

I was all set to write a nice little post about the Chargers facing Cincinatti this weekend. I was going to explain how the game would likely be a shootout because the Bolts' depleted linebacking corps would have trouble sustaining a solid pass rush against the Bengals' line and Carson Palmer, despite allowing the 10th most sacks in the league. You can only expect so much from Carlos Polk and Marques Harris. And with the public griping of Chad "Christmas decoration" Johnson (serenading him at the game with "Oh Christmas Tree" seem appropriate now that he describes himself as a hood ornament) and TJ Housh... (I don't have time to look up Alphabet Soup's last name) I would expect the Bengals to throw left, throw right, throw down and throw up. If you have Rudi Johnson on your fantasy football team, bench him like he's the last kid picked for a touch football game. If he gets more than 12 carries in this game, Marvin Lewis is about as dumb as an Northern Arizona University grad (sorry Marc). I was going to explain how the Chargers offense should have some fun, though, facing a team that ranks 24th in yards allowed. LT will run left, Antonio Gates will catch passes to the right and in the middle a Rivers run through it (sorry, couldn't help myself, I'm a softie for bad puns).

All that said I thought the Chargers still had a shot to up their record to 7-2 with a 38-34 win in Cincy. I'd punctuate the post by saying if they could get through Shawne Merriman's 4-game suspension with a split - losses to the Bengals and Denver, wins over Cleveland and Oakland - they'd be in decent shape. So far, they're 1-0 Merrimanless.

Yeah, that's what I was going to say until I opened up the L.A. Times online and read Los Angeles Dodgers rightfielder J.D. Drew chose to opt out of his 5 year, $55 million contract. Drew's contract gave him the right to test the free agent market, and with that market being more mom-and-pop corner store size than Costco this offseason it was a sound business decision for the frail outfielder. I say frail, but that might not be altogether fair. He wasn't frail with the Dodgers, just unlucky. He missed the last half of the 2005 season when Arizona Diamondback's pitcher Brad Halsey broke Drew's wrist with a fastball. However, before that he was considered an injury risk, playing more than 140 games just once in his career. For the Dodgers in 2006, he played 146 games - the most in his career - and finished with a 100 RBIs, 20 homeruns, and on-base average of .393 and a .498 slugging percentage, good for second on the team. Those are solid face-value numbers.

What surprises me, and General Manager Ned Colletti if you read the L.A. Times article, was that Drew told all the local newspaper hacks that he was happy in L.A. and would not use the opt-out clause. He said that a little more than a month ago. It's a business decision, sure, and you can't fault him for that (heck, I can't deny I would likely have done the same thing if my agent urged said it was the right move), however, I can't help but think it was a little dishonest of Drew. It's like a girl you date for a month. You wine her and her dine her. She tells you how much fun she having on each date. Then, out of the (Dodger) blue, she says her boyfriend is coming back to town and she can't see you anymore. You're dumbfounded. What boyfriend? I imagine that's what Colletti feels right now. "I thought we were having a good time. You even said so."

On the bright side, that frees up $11 million to lure another free agent to Chavez Ravine. Maybe a bag of 3B Aramis Ramirez and carton of LF Alfonso Soriano of the shelf would taste good to Dodgers fans. Sprinkle on some Jason Schmidt or Barry Zito (the former of the San Francisco Giants who has finally found the error of his way) and you have a nice meal.

But they're the Dodgers, we all know it won't be that easy.