Rafael Furcal was traded to the Cardinals. It is not a surprise (even as I try to find a way to hold out hope for 2011). It also begins in earnest the Dee Gordon era, and the young speedster might prove a great replacement and another good step in the youth movement.
But it is still sad to see Furcal go, and associate myself entirely with the comments by Jon Weismann at DodgerThoughts about Furcal as a Dodger shortstop--Billy Russell notwithstanding (and his best years before my first season in 1982).
What I always think about when it comes to Furcal is road games, perhaps in San Francisco, with Vin Scully giving the preliminaries as Furcal warmed up on the on-deck circle, walked up to the plate, and started the game. He might run up in the batters box or slap a half-bunt/half-swing into the no man's land between the pitcher, shortstop and third baseman. When he was on and got the game going, you knew it would be good. Furcal was a key ingredient to the Dodgers over the last 6 years, which included a lot of good baseball, and even though it makes sense, he will be missed.
As Furcal leaves, it is also worth noting that Furcal has not been just a great shortstop for the Dodgers, but a great humanitarian. Let's hope that even with him gone, Dodger players follow his example.
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