Looking at the fallout from the Dodgers’ hiring of Mark McGwire

It’s the return of Web links …

Normally I prefer to disagree with The Times’ Bill Plaschke. Spent half my professional career arguing with him, because where’s the fun in just simply sharing the same point of view?

But I thought he was right on in his column on the Dodgers’ hiring Mark McGwire as their new hitting coach.

It’s one thing to not honor him by an admission into the Hall of Fame because of his steroid use, which McGwire seems to understand, and something else to deny him employment.

Maybe he confessed only because he wanted back into baseball, but he did confess, however belatedly, and that’s still more than most of those bloated species from the steroid era.

-- John Valentin will be McGwire’s No. 2. The Boston Globe reports he has been hired as the Dodgers’ hitting instructor. Last season he served as the triple-A hitting coach.

-- Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown said McGwire’s biggest challenge isn’t to answer questions about PEDs in Los Angeles, but to awaken the Dodgers’ bats.

-- Not that I know diddly about the “Survivor” TV reality show, but I bring you the sad news from Aaron Gleeman at NBC Sports that our man Jeff Kent has been bounced. Kent, naturally, went out with fighting words, if strange:

“You know what pisses me off? I think I’ve made about $60 million playing baseball and I want this frickin’ million dollars in this game. And it’s not even a million bucks, it’s 600 grand by the time Obama takes it. I’m a Game 7 World Series loser.”

-- ESPN’s Jayson Stark marvels at how the Dodgers have gone from being bankrupt to the biggest spenders in baseball.

-- The San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea seems to take issue with reliever Brandon League’s assertion that the Dodgers are the team to beat next season: “A case can be made that the Dodgers, in the eyes of the Giants and even their fans, never have been so irrelevant.”

-- Chad Moriyama cautions against those who shrug off the Dodgers’ big expenditures, believing they have an unlimited bankroll.

-- Eric Stephen at True Blue LA takes a very detailed look at the Dodgers’ payroll.

-- Who could have seen this coming? Blackstone, which represented Frank McCourt in the bankruptcy proceeding, is seeking to block subpoenas requested by Jamie McCourt and her bid to set aside their divorce settlement, Bloomberg reports.

-- Mike Petriello takes a look at Anibal Sanchez, the free agent pitcher Stark said the Dodgers were interested in.

-- The Times’ Dylan Hernandez writes that GM Ned Colletti is not hopeful of trading for another starting pitcher.

-- Just in case, ESPN/LA’s Mark Saxon examines five potential trade targets.

-- And because I know you were wondering, Manny Ramirez is apparently planning on playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. Contain yourself.

ALSO:

The rise and fall of Chad Billingsley

Clayton Kershaw a finalist for NL Cy Young Award

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says trade for a starting pitcher unlikely