Panic moves = bad moves...

tonight: 3-7 2b, hr (11)

He's slugging .564 on the season with excellent plate discipline. He is breaking out in a HUGE way.

Give Russ a shot at short!

we've heard a lot over the last few years about guys going to lighter bats to increase bat speed. but I'm wondering about a trend the other way.

F=m*a
p=m*v

however, you want to look at it from a physics standpoint.

At some point the increase in velocity or acceleration won't make up for the loss in mass. Where is that point? And would a singles hitter (like say Ivan DeJesus, Jr., or I don't know, Juan Pierre?) benefit from going with a heavier bat? Would the increase mass actually generate more force or momentum (the "p" in the equation above)?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844441/

It's kooky and features a Sookie!

Plan 9.

Jack Wilson!

I gotta muster up the courage to ask 'em though.

It's not like split with your wife is a crime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Necessity

Duncan is only 2 years older than me. And I'm only 2 years older than Jeff Kent.

You think the Yankees would be interested in taking Proctor back for Wilson B? Don't know if we could pry away Willy Aybar from Tampa Bay?

However on more serious note what always frustrates me about the Dodgers in comparison to the A's is exactly the case you make for Ivan DeJesus, no reason he couldn't come up and with Nomar and Mazza, between the three of them we might be able to piece it together. If DeJesus doesn't cut it you send him down and yes we may lose one year, but in the long run that is better than making a bad trade for at best a BELOW average SS.

Hu was supposed to be seeing another eye doctor, and perhaps there is a simple solution to his eye problem. He definitely showed far more offense last year.

While we all laugh at possible Duncan and Bowa being replacements, the question that can't be laughed at is why the Dodger medical staff either misses these diagnosis or how players are able to not disclose the true extent of their injuries.

Please, please, Ned, don't make any stupid moves. Please, Joe, put the right lineup forward. I can deal with the season failing if the players don't quite make it to the end, but I just can't tolerate any more organizational stupidity.

Seriously though, Nomar may no longer be an everyday player, but there is no way he can be as bad as Berroa. And while I'm not going to be making any bets on Jones' hitting, it will be nice to have his glove in centerfield again.

Of course, the way this season's been going (and really, this past decade), they'll both suffer some terrible freak injury and miss the rest of the season.

Speaking of which, why not just give Hu until August 1 to clear his head at Las Vegas and then give him the shortstop job again? It's very clear that he's a better hitter than he's shown so far. And even with the putrid offense he displayed, his overall performance has been far and away the best of the three failed Furcal replacements.

When Andruw is activated, since he is on the 15 day DL thus on the 40 man roster, we will have to drop one person from the 25-man but not the 40. I assume we will continue to carry 4 OFers thus Repko and Young would seem the best candidates but I think Young is out of options so Repko is the best candidate for Vegas.

When Nomar comes back its a bit more complicated since he is on the 60 day DL and does not count toward the 40 man roster. Best candidates to go down would be Sweeney, Berroa or Maza. Room on the 40 man roster could be created for Nomar by moving Furcal to the 60 day DL but I would assume that whoever goes down among those 3 would be DFAed so it is not necessary. My vote is for Sweeney.

At 3/39, even from what appeared to be a good gamble the Dodgers lost.

They got Furcal's career year in 2006.
A terrible Furcal in 2007.
And 1.5 months of a great Furcal, followed by no Furcal in 2008.

Raffy, we hardly knew ye.

It will be interesting to see which GM gives him a big paycheck next year.

If he signs somewhere in the division for 3/39, and that somewhere is LA, he will have three 2007's.

A) give him what he wants
B) offer him arbitration
C) wish him well and move on

#1. He's not going to be a type A free agent, so there's not the good draft picks to look forward too.

#2. If he takes the arbitration, he's probably looking at a deal of at least 14/15 mils for the 2009 year. Thats just not a very good gamble to take on a player that might be done.

I think it was reasonable to expect/hope for an OPS+ of around 100 from Furcal. That would make a huge difference on this team, but Furcal is really only an average hitter (above average for a shortstop).

I guess I feel that losing Furcal hurts so much not because he is so good, but because everyone else has been so bad.

"Ivan DeJesus (SS, LAD) follows in a line of strong defensive shortstops in the Dodgers' system. The 20 year-old is fundamentally sound and possesses range in all directions and average arm strength. He has a good bit of athleticism, but is only an average runner. His offense has improved immensely in just a year's time, as he is making better contact and drawing more walks. He lacks the secondary skills of power and speed, so his offense will be predicated on his BA/OBP. If he can maintain a respectable OBP, his bat handling abilities could suit him well in the number two hole. "

You got that right.
The 22yr old catcher at Class A Inland Empire has these numbers:

.319/.426/.564
11Hrs
53bbs
44Ks

Is it too early to tell Russ Martin that his future with the Dodgers is at 2nd base ala Biggio?

Santana, DeJesus have to be in the lead for Dodgers Minor League POY.

It seems like a rough breakdown would look like this:
below average (but serviceable): 4 million
average: 6 million
above average (but not great): 10 million
all star: 15 million
superstar: 18 million

Although, I suppose it is generally the case that the winning bidder overpaid for the player.

As a RH: .343/.375/.522
67Abs, 11ks/3bbs 1HR

As a LH: .311/.439/.578
206Abs, 33Ks/50bbs, 10HRs

He's listed about the size of Beltre:
5'11 170#s. Doesnt seem very stout for a catcher, but his bat at that position would be a major asset.

Wilson Betemit was last seen playing SS for the Yankees.

Next season Shortstop and Second base need to be manned.

I'd be surprised if the Dodgers haven't been exploring ways of filling these needs with other teams since Furcal first went down. Berroa was all that the Dodgers could get for next to nothing.

Who are the FA middle infielders that will be making themselves available for next season?

If you want to see what this group of kids can do for the rest of the season can DeJesus Jr. be any worse with the bat than Berroa? He might be as nifty at the plate as Maza.

With Kent and Furcal and Nomar probably not being back next year and Hu and Abreu now more of a question mark along with Jones, I can see trades in the off season for veterans using the Kent, Furcal, Lowe, and Nomar money.

Why has it taken so long for Hu to have a second opinion on his vision problems.

And lets give DeJesus a shot.

Kemp, CF
Ethier, RF
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Loney, 1B
DeWitt, 3B
Young, LF
Maza, SS
Billingsley, P

2B - Mark Ellis, Orlando Hudson, Felipe Lopez, Mark Grudzielanek
SS - Adam Everett, Edgar Renteria (Det has an option), Cristian Guzman, and a trio of ex-LA SS's: Furcal, Cora, and Izturis.

So, does the hunch refer to the lineup, or to the possibility of injury updates?

Didn't Wood always have high strike out numbers?

What is Furcal's salary this year? His average is $13M/year, but ESPN has $15.7M for this year. His contract was backloaded, I believe.