Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Kim Ng Chat Wrap, Unfiltered

Dodgers VP and Assistant GM Kim Ng--at least, we are led to believe it's Kim Ng--spent some time on Dodgers.com today to answer some fan questions. SoSG brings you her unfiltered responses below the (understandably) canned responses that were listed at her chatwrap:

kamiboy: Being a Dodgers fan for a long time now, I think the team is still one or two players away from having the complete puzzle. Will the Dodgers be making a sweet deal to complete that puzzle?

NG: This offseason, we're going to be looking at all the different options and permutations on how to make the club better. Our mission statement is to be searching under every stone and scouring the waiver wire and keeping the lines of communication open with all the clubs. We have also done extensive work on the potential free agent class coming up this offseason and we have our entire scouting staff out there watching big league games in hopes of securing more talent.

Ng unfiltered: No.

scalino: In your six seasons with the team, what has been your proudest accomplishment to date?

NG: It's hard to limit it to just one moment, but making it to the playoffs in '04 and '06 would be it. I've been fortunate to have been in the postseason in seven of my 16 years in baseball and gone to the World Series four times and I understand the hard work that it takes on a daily basis to achieve that ultimate goal. Just to get to the playoffs in itself is tremendous and I treasure each time that I've been with a club that's been able to get there because these opportunities don't come around that often.

Ng unfiltered: Making it to the playoffs is all to which I can aspire, since the Dodgers can't seem to win anything once we get there. And by the way, making it to the playoffs this year is far from a lock, as you know.

letzgostem: Of the "five tools" which would you say is the hardest to come by, or see potential for, in a young player?

NG: Power, because it has to do with a player's strength. Based on the way we've drafted over the last five or six years, players don't fully mature physically until their mid- to late-20s, so you really have to project on the power.

Ng unfiltered (and uncapitalized, for that matter): Hitting for power is the hardest tool to find, at least for this organization. Have you seen our batting average with RISP, or the scarcity of our home runs?

wrisp: What is the arbitration room like? Is that a part of the job you enjoy, or is it something you do just because it is part of your job and you are good at it? (And thank you for being so good at it, by the way...)

NG: The arbitration room can be tense. Arbitration is a process that we have in baseball, but for me and for the Dodgers, it's a last resort. We never want to go through a process that most likely is going to cause animosity because we do view ourselves and the players and field staff as one big group. But, as in all jobs, there are things that we have to do that we don't necessarily like to do. If we can't come to an agreement with a player and his agent, this is a process to resolve those situations.

Ng unfiltered: The arbritration room is usually a light, pastel shade with a crown molding and hardwood floors. The acoustics are pretty sweet, too, although it gets cold in there sometimes.

gusgus03: Hi, Kim. I am one of your biggest fans. I have watched the Dodgers go from first place to almost last place in our division....[D]o you think they have a chance of winning the division?

NG: Thank you very much. Anything can happen. People talked about the Yankees being done in May and there are so many stories about clubs coming back. You have to keep the faith. We have added [Esteban] Loaiza in the last week and we're going to play almost exclusively against our division in the last month. The rest of our schedule after Chicago is all in our division and we can make up a lot of ground. I personally love the unbalanced schedule because it can sway a race, big time, at the end. So like I said, keep the faith!

Ng unfiltered: No.

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