http://tinyurl.com/55sh6l

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-sound18-2008jul18,0,4006711.story

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/dodger_trolley.jsp

--

Hmm, I guess Tony Jackson took the week off from blogging after the All-Star game.

Some of my most frustrating TV moments have come VS that guy.... he just isn't as good as he is… Maybe it's the lounge chair wind-up.

Nomo retired...it was time I guess.

Today is already a good day because I got "Spaced" the entire series (by Shaun of the Dead's Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright) on DVD, out next week, today from Warner Brothers for review. I was going to buy it! Oh man, I can't wait. So many extra goodies, too.

*Kershaw up, Park to pen
*Meloan up, Park stays in rotation

The first option makes the most sense. If they decide that Meloan is more valuable in relief with Saito out, then the second could happen. I don't they'll let Meloan start.

Lets see what Broxton can do as the closer this time around.....I think he will do well this time.

Lets see the offense wake up!

As I said I am definately "feelin it"....too bad I won't be home from work till 7:15, Arizona with their dang 6:40 games!

That is assuming he could put on a Dodger uniform without getting shot.

On the serious side, Bonds would help us and I hope we don't sign him.

....3) baiting other commenters....

Yea, DailyNews... was out last week I was just trying to ignore it....

Juan Pierre, out since June 30 with a sprained ligament in his left knee, is scheduled to travel with the team on the next road trip to Arizona, but might not be activated until the next homestand. Trainer Stan Conte told Torre that Pierre is ahead of schedule on his recovery....

And his arms looked really weak.

http://www.uniwatchblog.com/2008/07/18/brew-crew-bonanza/

And my only response to that is: Yo, barkeep!

Clayton Kershaw's hard work doesn't pay off for Dodgers

By Ez and Dylan Hern

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/05/sports/sp-kershaw5

51 suggests that Kershaw still has stuff to learn, and should stay in AA or AAA to work on that stuff. This is a reasonable idea. Sometimes you want pitchers to learn this stuff in the minors, because of the luxury of not caring much about Wins and Losses - failure is OK if it's a step to learning.

53 suggests that Meloan's performance has not been adequate to warrant a callup. This is also a reasonable position. But what if Meloan's recent "failings" are precisely because he's working on things and not caring much about outcomes so much as learning?

At the major league level, unless the season is a lost cause, there's a premium on results. For young players, in whom the team has an investment, and for whom the real payout should be in the future, what is the best way to judge readiness? If Kershaw just isn't challenged at AA, then how much can he improve there? How can he practice holding runners if he never allows any runners? Should he be told to walk guys, at the risk of looking, a la 53 like he's "allowing...too many baserunners?"

I guess my real point is not that the balance is impossible to strike, but that it's hard for us as desk-chair analysts to know WHY minor league players, especially those on the cusp, are putting up the numbers they are, and what they exactly mean. On average, we believe that Minor League numbers are meaningful enough that we can produce Major League Equivalents, but in a short time-span, for an individual player, it's hard to know what the numbers mean unless you know what the player and his coaches are really trying to do. I think we all understand this about Spring Training stats (that they're "meaningless" because different players are working on different things), but why wouldn't the same be the case for guys like Kershaw and Meloan who have had a cup of coffee, and been sent down to improve on something?

I think we've discussed how we're seeing this with Matt Kemp this year at the plate. He seems to be working on stuff (particularly plate discipline/pitch recognition, with predictably mixed results as he learns. The unfortunate thing for Kemp (and, maybe, for the Dodgers in the short run) is that he's trying this at the major league level, on television.

If your argument has nothing to do with skill, but just with stamina, then I guess you're right that AA is just as good. On the other hand, if there's anything to the notion of pitchers working harder in higher-leverage situations (e.g., with runners on base and better hitters at the plate) then perhaps stamina might also be a function of the level of the challenge.

And that still raises the question about why AA and not AAA. Wouldn't AAA batters be more likely to jump on mistakes (or take bad pitches), thus accelerating his learning curve? If one can get away with mistakes in AA, then one is less likely to learn how to avoid those mistakes in the future.

three outings with a pitch limit of 70, then three at 80, four at 90, five at 95, and then a few at 100. that would actually make some sense.

That's why he's not there.

* Courtesy of the BBC website which updates every few minutes (I moved to golf shortly before the cricket finished for the day).

http://www.beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/prosports/mlb/dodgers/

295guys.com

Apparently they design, print and compress T-shirts for $2.95. And the have a live videocam showing their warehouse operations. They're busy little beavers!

Van de Velde is just 5 strokes out!

As for another hard pitch, I think the Dodgers have a philosophy of not teaching their young pitchers sliders unless they already have that pitch coming into the organization. Like Billingsley though, Honeycutt is going to most likely help Kershaw throw the cutter. Hes going to be awesome with that pitch.

John should be at the airport by now.

http://tinyurl.com/6qwlaj

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Andy Laroche can't play shortstop.

I know. I wanted to make a joke because thats how I deal with my sadness.

Nicklaus wonders if money has made golfers soft

Oy vey.

Colletti might, but not Beane.