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The rumor mill has the Dodgers going after the Indians’ C.C. Sabathia and shortstop Jack Wilson from the Pirates according to Ken Rosenthal from FOX Sports. Rosenthal implies that Andy LaRoche, minor league pitcher James McDonald and shortstop Chin-Lung Hu could be some of the players potentially headed to Cleveland.

Now those would be some moves. In my opinion, help at shortstop is the clear priority with Furcal likely done for the season. You can never argue with adding a #1 starter to your pitching staff, but that’s not where the Dodgers really need the help. The Dodgers are currently leading the NL with a 3.70 ERA. Clearly the pitching staff is producing, and is on the upswing with Kuroda coming back and Kershaw waiting in the wings in the minors.

What the Dodgers desperately, desperately need is hitting (Jason Bay and Matt Holliday are at the top of my list). As I mentioned yesterday, there is no way the Dodgers are going to advance in the playoffs without some big bats producing for the team. If you’re not going to hit home runs (the Dodgers are ranked 15 out of 16 NL teams with just 60 HRs), then you need clutch hitting, and that’s something this team does not do well either. To date, they’ve generated 330 RBI, placing them a meager 14 out of 16 teams. I’m not saying that I don’t want Sabathia on the Dodgers, but picking up an ace is going to mean absolutely nothing without having the run support behind him.

As for “the kids,” the Dodgers need to get better, and not all of their young players are going to turn into All-Stars. Ned has shown a proficiency in identifying the best players to keep and the ones to move. Right now, I think LaRoche could be a great bargaining chip. We have depth at 3B with DeWitt and Nomar, and Loney is really showing some fantastic hustle and pop with the bat, making the stock of the first baseman a lot higher than Andy’s in my opinion. Now is the time to make a move, and Ned, this is your chance to save your job. Let’s make it happen.

Just an FYI to be sure and check out Tim Brown’s Kim Ng profile on Yahoo! Sports.  It’s a nice look at a very private (and largely anonymous) individual.

I’ve got that “Welcome Back Kotter” song stuck in my head today as I prepare to celebrate our nation’s birthday with an afternoon of hot dogs and beer.

Yes, Nomar and Andruw are back, but is this good news for the Dodgers? The reality is, the Dodgers desperately need Jones’ bat if they want to advance in the playoffs. Word is that Jones has slimmed down a bit, worked on his swing and wants to help the team win now. Ned must have agreed, as the team brought him back on the road in San Francisco, rather than saving him for the upcoming homestand. That’s the kind of veteran enthusiasm the Dodgers need (and probably what Ned needs if he wants to save his job).

As for Nomar, how bad can he be at shortstop? Sure, it’s been four years since he last played the position, but Angel Berroa was batting .194 and Luis Maza was hitting a blistering .225. Jesus, maybe Ned can bring us some relief before the trade deadline…and I’m not talking about some over-priced veteran that’s due to breakdown for the remainder of the season.

Of course, with the good comes the bad: Rafael Furcal is predictably transferred to the 60-day DL where he is to undergoe surgery on his bad back. Realistically Furcal is done for the season, which is a huge disappointment for the club after getting such a strong start out of their oft-injured shortstop.

It’s hard to believe, but Juan Pierre’s sprained MCL was the first injury the speedy outfielder has received that’s caused him to land on the DL. Pierre has 35 steals, placing him second in the majors, one behind Willy Taveras. Replacing Juan (if that can be done) is Jason Repko who’s up from AAA. Repko’s batted .375 (39-for-104) with eight doubles, 15 RBI, and eight steals in 26 games in June, which is good considered Juan’s only supposed to be gone for 15 days. Here’s to a (ahem) “speedy” recovery for Mr. Pierre!

Game update: Unfortunately that hot month in AAA didn’t carry over in the bigs. Repko was 0-5 tonight with four strikeouts, leaving four men stranded. I think I can hear that choking sound from Houston all the way out here in Santa Monica.

You heard me correctly, $75 will buy you lunch and the opportunity to press palms with many current and former Dodgers at Dodger Stadium this Saturday.

The Dodgers are planning to honor their star players from the 1970s Saturday at a luncheon open to the public at Dodger Stadium. It will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. and include a question-and-answer session and the opportunity to score autographs and mingle with former players.

The ever-popular Tommy Lasorda is scheduled to attend, along with former Dodgers Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Maury Wills, Rick Monday and others. The players will be honored before Saturday’s game and sign autographs before Sunday’s game (both of which are against the Angels). This is a serious lineup of former players that should be of interest to hard-core fans and a great way to help a Dodger charity at the same time.

Tickets are $75 for adults and $50 for children 14 and under and include parking and a reserve level ticket to Saturday’s game. Fans can upgrade to a loge box, field box or baseline box club ticket for an additional fee. Proceeds benefit the Dodgers Dream foundation

Tickets are available at the team’s Web site, www.dodgers.com and Dodger Stadium. Additional information is available by calling (323) 224-1507 or by e-mailing fanfeedback@ladodgers.com.