Dodgers Need New Blood to Aid Recovery

Hello, my name is Bill, and my problem is, I am a typical Dodger fan.

I crave championships and superstars, big names and big events, first place and nothing else.

I can imitate Tom Lasorda’s walk, Kirk Gibson’s trot, Vin Scully saying, “Two-and-two to Harvey Kuenn. . . .”

I expect victory, demand excellence, accept only the best.

All of which explains why I lie before you in the fetal position, shivering and mumbling and watching the walls melt.

Today, I am making a change.

Today, I am going to start beating this addiction to winning.

Today--(deep breath here)--I pledge not to complain if the Dodgers want to tear the whole thing down and start all over again.

I will not gripe if they dump some veterans and bring in a group of youngsters that cannot finish higher than third--as long as those kids play hard and improve.

I will not whine if next year’s team makes mistakes--as long as they are mistakes of aggression.

I will not howl if next year’s team has only a couple of stars--as long as everyone else is trying to fly to the stars.

I will not miss seeing big names--as long as I see hunger.

The young Pittsburgh Pirates dance at home plate after another comeback win, kids in the outfield stands dancing along with them, and I wish that were happening here.

The young Cincinnati Reds stir up dust battling the Houston Astros for a playoff spot that is probably out of reach, and I am inspired by the effort.

Those places may not have flash, but they have something we don’t, and that is hope.,

Sick of underachievement, weary of disappointment, I have come here today to vote for hope.

And I hope the Dodgers are courageous enough to vote the same way.

As we approach the season’s final trade deadline of Aug. 31, the Dodger front office is quietly worried about us addicts.

The Dodgers want to get younger, but they think fans won’t accept anything that may compromise winning.

They want to rebuild, but they are worried fans will stop showing up to watch.

They think that with this team, in this town, there can never be a transition year.

Well, guess what? We’re in the middle of a transition year. From bad to worse.

And given the stunningly thin makeup of this team, a little tweaking here and tightening there will not make any difference any time soon.

“The Dodgers are two or three years away from contention, and the sooner they realize it, the better,” said one National League West official. “It may get ugly, but they have to go through it some time.”

In the past, driven by fans who thought the way I did, the Dodgers avoided anything that even remotely smelled of rebuilding.

Holes were filled by expensive veterans. Spring training was not a time of tryouts, but coronations.

I vote today for something different. I vote for wide eyes. I vote for dives on AstroTurf, and racing toward home on wild pitches, and macho fastballs on 3-and-2.

And I’m not the only one.

“I think L.A. fans will accept youth, if that youth is enthusiastic and doing whatever it takes to win,” said Steve Garvey, who knows something about all this. “After this year, fans will take anyone willing to prove themselves, willing to give us some excitement.”

Garvey was a rookie once, you know. Many great Dodgers were rookies here, and many at the same time.

Contrary to popular belief, youth movements have worked here before.

But again, that was back when the Dodgers had youth.

“I remember back in our day, the Dodger fans really tracked the minor leaguers, and knew how they were doing, and were excited about when they came up,” Garvey said. “That was part of the fun of it.”

The last time fans were excited about anybody from Albuquerque, well, that guy is now on a pace to hit 20-plus homers for the Chicago White Sox. Guy by the name of Paul Konerko.

The Dodgers need to think about Albuquerque this winter as much as they are thinking about Los Angeles. They need to stock up in prospects at both the major and minor league levels.

They need to trust that the fans will not only understand, but revel in being around a bunch of guys still chasing a dream that might one day be shared by all.

Of course, you can’t trade everybody. Even the league’s most disappointing team has to have some untouchables.

Lots of fans have already made their lists. Here’s mine.

Ten guys, in no particular order, who should definitely not be traded:

* Kevin Brown: Maybe not the leader they wanted, but certainly the ace they need.

* Chan Ho Park: You don’t quit this soon on an arm that good.

* Darren Dreifort: The six-inning pitcher is ready to extend himself.

* Pedro Borbon: You can never have enough decent left-handed relievers.

* Onan Masaoka: Especially if that lefty could go to Albuquerque and learn to be a starter.

* Todd Hundley: He’s getting stronger every day, and his left-handed bat is too valuable to give away.

* Angel Pena: Allows Hundley to change positions if necessary.

* Adrian Beltre: Their third baseman for the next 10 years.

* Todd Hollandsworth: Important piece in a lefty-righty platoon that Davey Johnson has worked so successfully in the past.

* Gary Sheffield: The team’s best hitter, and don’t forget that championship ring.

You’ll notice several names are not on this list.

Jeff Shaw is not on this list. What good is a great reliever if it may be a couple of years before you use him in October? And think of the riches he’ll bring.

Raul Mondesi is not on this list. Initially, the thought here was he was too good to trade. But now it’s obvious, he’s just too darn unsettling to keep.

Eric Karros is not on this list. He is a great role model, and has had a great second half, which still doesn’t change the truth that if somebody will give you three young stars for him, you have to listen.

Ismael Valdes is not on this list. He has pitched better this year, but he has basically run out of chances.

In the past, the Dodgers have worried about trading even one of their established stars, much less three or four.

They probably still are.

They shouldn’t be.

Enough is enough.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at his e-mail address: bill.plaschke@latimes.com.