He's been cantankerous all week -- like that's different than any other week, but he's really been Jeff Kent ornery and then some -- peeved at anyone who might suggest he's doing better because Manny Ramirez is hitting behind him in the lineup.
It's obvious, though, everyone noticing it, Kent going into Saturday night's game hitting .500 behind Ramirez, Vin Scully mentioning it during each broadcast.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday, August 18, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
Dodgers batting order: A T.J. Simers column in Sunday's Sports section made two references to Jeff Kent batting behind Manny Ramirez in the Dodgers' lineup. Kent bats ahead of Ramirez in the lineup.
"Vin Scully talks too much," Kent said.
Now that's funny, the guy who normally doesn't say much, this time saying way too much.
"You can't say that," I told Kent, and he said he had just spoken to 200 women (at a Dodgers function) "and I told them the same thing, and they laughed.
"We all love you, Vin," Kent added with a mischievous grin, "but you still talk too much."
Ran that by Scully. He had nothing to say.
NEXT WEEK, I presume, Kent will go after the Pope.
Now how would Kent know what Scully is saying? If he's playing second base, the consummate pro that he is, why is he listening to the TV or radio? How do we know he doesn't have Scully and Charley Steiner mixed up?
Then who has the problem?
"Scully is making the same point everyone else is making," I said. "He says the stats indicate you are having success hitting behind Ramirez -- tell me that isn't the case."
"See my answer to the first question," said Kent, and sometimes you wonder if he sleeps with his bed against a wall forcing him to always wake up on the wrong side. "Listen, I'm so tired of talking about this stuff. It diminishes my whole career and all the hard work. I take it as an insult.
"I'm 40. You don't get better when you are 40."
Kent's batting average has increased by more than 20 points in the past 10 days since hitting third. Manny being Manny has rejuvenated Kent. It's so much fun telling him that.
"It's so pathetic," he said. "You guys write about things happening in a week's time. That's why we don't like you. Baseball is a six-month game."
That might work if everyone was writing for their high school annual.
"What did I hit last year? Without Manny? How do you explain that? What's my career average? What will I be hitting at the end of this season?"
Kent hit .302 last season, a miracle, the best I can surmise.
"Manny was only hitting .300 in Boston with 20 home runs," Kent said, as a prelude to the sarcastic kicker. "And he's doing way better than that here -- so I'm helping Manny."
