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About Jon
Thank You For Not ...

1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
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Nuts
2008-07-28 22:28
by Jon Weisman

So close, so bitterly close ...

Comments (77)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2008-07-28 22:34:15
1.   Krebstar
It's not whining. It's the truth. Blown calls are the reason.
2008-07-28 22:38:38
2.   Greg Brock
1 No, it's whining.

Going down seven runs and then blaming the umpires? Really?

Really?

2008-07-28 22:41:49
3.   underdog
That 5 run inning had some bad luck no doubt, and there were a few close calls, but almost all of them frankly were the right call. It was frustrating, and there was bad luck, but you can't blame the umps. Compare how Kuroda fared vs. how well the bullpen pitched. The pen was lights out but except, again, for some luck, Kuroda did not pitch well. End of story. The Dodgers made a nice comeback, too, and it could have been enough had Kuroda settled down, but he never did.

Tough one to lose, but it just seemed like it wasn't their night.

2008-07-28 22:43:12
4.   sporky
I blame the wind (or lack thereof) on Kent's loooong fly ball.
2008-07-28 22:43:52
5.   Eric L
The Dodgers Live crew sure made a big deal about Blake's ejection.
2008-07-28 22:45:37
6.   Linkmeister
I didn't see the end so I just looked at Gameday. Jones reverted to form in the 9th, huh? Another strikeout.
2008-07-28 22:45:54
7.   MC Safety
Take away that hit Kuroda gave up to Correia and we most likely win.

Tough loss.

2008-07-28 22:46:44
8.   Krebstar
2 Castillo's single was all the difference in the world and Ethier caught it. That's what I need to know.
2008-07-28 22:47:16
9.   Zak
6 To be fair, the worst SO of the night was Matthew Kemp's flail job.
2008-07-28 22:47:41
10.   68elcamino427
It looks like Kuroda is going to need a tight defense behind him to be successful. When he has been extended with 20 plus pitch counts in his last two outings he has run out of gas. He didn't have his best stuff tonight. Hope his shoulder is ok.
2008-07-28 22:48:07
11.   underdog
7 True, that one hit to the pitcher was all the difference, and it's just inexcusable on the part of Kuroda.

8 I thought he caught it for sure too but replay showed it looked like it hit ground first, and Andre didn't argue it or sell it. Was very, very close though.

2008-07-28 22:48:35
12.   sporky
6 The radar gun was a bit generous, but there's no way Andruw v.2008 could catch up on those fastballs.
2008-07-28 22:50:36
13.   Zak
Pierre on 2nd, no one out, 5 runs in and Kemp, Martin and Kent to follow. That should have been a bigger inning. But, games like this have about 12 if-only moments.
2008-07-28 22:52:52
14.   LAT
The worst part of this game isn't the loss. Its that Sweeny got a pinch hit single for nought and now Torre will be convinced he has value. Watch out below. More Sweeny to come.
2008-07-28 22:53:42
15.   Tripon
Kennedy's getting really emotional talking about O'Malley's hall of fame introduction.
2008-07-28 22:54:18
16.   Tripon
14 We shouldn't be relying on pitch hitters to win games.
2008-07-28 22:55:56
17.   Greg Brock
Castillo's single was all the difference in the world and Ethier caught it. That's what I need to know.

That's an amazingly difficult call to make, and I'm not even sure it's an out, even after watching it a bunch of times.

That's not a bad call...That's an unbelievably difficult call.

Casey Blake getting tossed must have fired Colletti up. Gamer!

2008-07-28 22:58:19
18.   Greg Brock
How much does one's GAMR go up after getting the gate?

Blake's beard put him at a .989 GAMR. Getting run must put him at .998.

2008-07-28 22:59:47
19.   bhsportsguy
17 I blame you for tonight's loss, what was the common thread of the previous 3 games, your presence making the stands unsafe for beach balls.
2008-07-28 23:00:51
20.   Eric L
17 Though the post game crew didn't talk about it on TV, I think what ended up getting Blake tossed was the he yelled at the home plate umpire after the 1st base umpire made the call. Doing that stuff makes the other guys on the crew look for reasons to run a player.
2008-07-28 23:02:11
21.   68elcamino427
Sweeney Shweemy - who's he blocking?
Whoever is in that spot is someone that is not very good anyway.
It's someone who is not good enough to start.
Gotta justify that $600,000.00 contract and all of the good guy in the clubhose Blah, Blah, Blah.

On Thunder road Sweeney's gonna pinch hit,
Kent's gonna play second and bat cleanup,
and Jones is gonna play center if he gets two hits a week.
And McCourt is gonna wonder where everybody is.

/end rant

2008-07-28 23:03:46
22.   scareduck
I thought this was a hilarious game. Kuroda couldn't buy a break, the Dodgers pounded the Giants' starter, and both teams kinda slopped and dashed through it.

Get 'em tomorrow.

2008-07-28 23:04:09
23.   sporky
I'm more concerned about Ned and our new shortstop-to-be than the loss tonight.
2008-07-28 23:04:58
24.   underdog
Blake DeWitt hit a 2-run homer for Vegas tonight.

--

I wonder if they're gonna call someone up to fill in for Nomar. Otherwise a weak bench is even weaker.

2008-07-28 23:10:58
25.   sporky
Kyle Russell had a double and 3 strikeouts.
2008-07-28 23:11:54
26.   max power
Sheesh, Yahoo, it's almost August...

"Ejections: LA DODGERS' Blake by Gibson (8th), NY YANKEES' Torre by Gibson (8th)."

2008-07-28 23:12:23
27.   sporky
Delmonico was a triple shy from hitting for the cycle. Is he going to be converted into a catcher?
2008-07-28 23:13:56
28.   underdog
Weird little stat from that Vegas game tonight:
"Outfield assists: Repko 2 (Pie at 3rd base, Pie at 2nd base)."
2008-07-28 23:15:26
29.   LAT
21. The fact that there is no one better than Sweeny and his .106 avg. on this team doesn't make me feel better. Especially when we know better options are toiling away in Vegas.
2008-07-28 23:19:29
30.   Brent is a Dodger Fan
17 The Jints broadcasters showed a really good back-and-forth replay of Ethier's catch/trap, and Krukow ultimately concluded that the Giants got a break.

The replay they showed was convincing: you can see that the ball hits Ethier's glove webbing, on the ground, and pops up a touch. The ump must have seen the bounce and not seen that it was bouncing within Ethier's glove.

That call cost the Dodgers two runs, so you can either be accepting that a tough call isn't the reason to lose, or that the umps blew the game with that one call. As far as the Jints are concerned, I let emotions carry, so I say that the umps blew that one.

2008-07-28 23:24:09
31.   Zak
Isn't this argument futile really? I mean is anyone so naive as to think that we lost by one run and if they had called that a catch in the 3rd inning, we would have won? I mean, there is a distinction between us losing and the umps blowing a call.
2008-07-28 23:32:01
32.   Andrew Shimmin
I'm caught up. But now I don't want to talk about any of it. It's like that Twilight Zone, where the doll goes on a killing spree. Or the other one, with the pig nosed plastic surgeons. One of them, I'm pretty sure.
2008-07-28 23:33:36
33.   Greg Brock
I mean is anyone so naive as to think that we lost by one run and if they had called that a catch in the 3rd inning, we would have won?

I can think of ten bad things the Dodgers did in this game, none of which have to do with the umpires.

Jeff Kent hitting cleanup...Jeff Kent being an absolute mess at second base...

Let's just move on.

2008-07-28 23:37:36
34.   CanuckDodger
637 In The Last Thread:

Jtrichey, to address your question about Ted Lilly as a minor leaguer (by the way, in case you weren't aware, Lilly was drafted and signed by the Dodgers in 1996 -- a 23rd rounder -- and was traded by Kevin Malone to the Expos in 1998 as part of the deal for Carlos Perez, Mark Grudzielanek, and Hiram Bocachica): Lilly's best pitch, in his prospect days, was his curve. He could get his fastball into the low 90's, but it was straight and got pounded when he left it up in the strike zone. He also had a solid change-up.

2008-07-28 23:42:12
35.   CanuckDodger
DeWitt hit a home run tonight in Vegas.
2008-07-28 23:44:18
36.   Brent is a Dodger Fan
31 I can't get deeply metaphysical about this. I can go reducto ad absurdum, however, and reply by saying that with that reasoning, any discussion about a game that is over is pretty much futile, since we have no influence over the game that has happened, or the games that will happen. Even to point out mistakes Dodgers made is equal, as we are in no position to influence that in the past or future, too. So it would, by that logic, all be pointless.

So having said that, I counter with: we are here to discuss, to commiserate, to deal psychologically with the Dodgers, so why the heck not?

2008-07-28 23:44:58
37.   Xeifrank
32. Oh thanks, now I'm going to have nightmares. I already heard something rustling around in my backyard tonight.
vr, Xei
2008-07-28 23:49:37
38.   Greg Brock
Or the other one, with the pig nosed plastic surgeons.

Great episode.

2008-07-28 23:59:48
39.   KG16
i was always partial to the one with the dolls in the box. and the gremlin on the wing.
2008-07-29 00:02:57
40.   Wilbert Robinson
18. GAMR = (Facial Hair + Ejections + Little Things Done Right) * (Runs)/ (Games Played)

Casey Blake had a huge game.

2008-07-29 00:16:00
41.   underdog
{{sob}} Canuck ignores my 24 . {{cry}}

I think we all need to return to Muppet Dodger Thoughts as soon as possible.

2008-07-29 00:16:04
42.   ucladodger
The umpiring crew stunk, but you can really point directly at Jeff Kent for the 2nd time since the break as to why Kuroda got pounded (at least on the scoreboard). Just like in Arizona, his complete inability to turn a double play on a pretty routine ball to his right led to 5 runs. He has been a disaster at the plate with his .300 OBP and 83 OPS+, but his fielding has taken us right out of 2 games since the break. He needs to hit a ton more to make up for his other shortcomings (which is basically the rest of the game of baseball).
2008-07-29 00:18:42
43.   Landonkk
The ads need to stop. I thought this was a weekend experiment...?
2008-07-29 00:18:44
44.   Alex41592
"My name is Talky Tina...and you better be nice to me." Classic.
2008-07-29 00:19:23
45.   Greg Brock
Cliff Robertson and the dummy is brilliant.
Dennis Hopper and Hitler is great.

Willoughby is still the best episode ever.

2008-07-29 00:20:01
46.   Tripon
Can we just sit down Jeff Kent for a couple of games, and put Ozuna at 2nd?
2008-07-29 00:26:32
47.   Bob Timmermann
45
I just want to find a place where a man can slow down to a walk and live his life full measure.
2008-07-29 00:33:57
48.   dzzrtRatt
I'm with scareduck 22 . I saw the game as a guest of DT commenter evenatriple and we were thoroughly entertained. I mean, the Dodgers are absurd. What a collection of characters. We got to see Casey Blake run across the field like a madman. We got to see Torre get tossed. We got to see some Giant fan express his polymorphous man-crush with a dive into the dugoout, and be carried out, Gandhi-style as if the whole world was watching. We got to see Kuroda forget what game he's playing. We got to see two betes noire, Sweeney and Jones, each have their moments of glory, and then watched one of them revert to his old self, like Cliff Robertson in "Charly."

From the perspective of the stands I would blame Kent's hobbling defense and Kuroda's loss of focus before I'd blame the incompetent umps. But the real culprit is clearly the Bossa Nova.

Sure, I'm sorry they lost and all, but I'm not bitter. Like Donald Rumsfeld says, you go to Dodger Stadium to watch the team you've got, not the team you want. Our team, folks, is memorably bad. You can't hate them. You just sit back and watch the clowns do their show.

2008-07-29 00:34:46
49.   Greg Brock
47 I know of such a place.
2008-07-29 00:39:31
50.   CanuckDodger
45 -- "A Stop At Willoughby" is good, but I think the best Twilight Zone episode is one I never hear talked about as a classic, "The Last Flight." In it, a World War I fighter pilot who cowardly fled an aerial battle lands his plane at an air base -- in 1959. He learns that he has a second chance to go back and save the life of the comrade he abandoned to be killed by German fighters.
Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2008-07-29 00:39:42
51.   Tripon
Blake DeWitt hit a two-run homer to the tie the score in the bottom of the ninth in his first game back for Class AAA Las Vegas. He also managed to play some first base in the game.

Also, Jerome Williams has been promoted to Las Vegas.

2008-07-29 00:40:55
52.   Tripon
Just want to say that Casey Blake is playing a lot better than I thought possible. The guy actually seems he's working each at bat.
2008-07-29 00:43:12
53.   Tripon
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers29-2008jul29,0,713861.column

New Simers article. Kent says he's likely going to retire at the end of the year,(Thank God) but won't 'Favre it'.

2008-07-29 01:22:09
54.   Greg Brock
50 I direct your attention to this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2jLxlyTrAC4

2008-07-29 01:31:20
55.   ryu
Down by a run in the ninth, the Dodgers send up Berroa, Jones, and Ozuna.

Talk about lack of depth.

2008-07-29 01:31:21
56.   Bob Timmermann
54
Not fair to count that as a "Twilight Zone" episode. It wasn't written for the show. Rod Serling even says so.

Nevertheless, it's great.

2008-07-29 04:38:28
57.   D4P
Andy LaRoche has yet to play since being sent down to Las Vegas.

That is all.

2008-07-29 05:21:24
58.   CanuckDodger
57 -- Sheesh, he was sent down on Sunday. That he didn't play Monday means he didn't even get there yet. A demotion to the minors isn't like a major leaguer getting traded, in which case a guy is practically rushed on to a plane. I rememeber that when Kershaw was sent back to Jacksonville he was told to "take a couple days off."
2008-07-29 05:23:14
59.   D4P
57
DeWitt played yesterday...
2008-07-29 06:13:51
60.   Marty
Hello from muggy Chicago. I just discovered I can get MLB Extra Innings on my room TV. So, I may watch the game tonight.
2008-07-29 06:15:40
61.   CanuckDodger
59 -- Meaning that DeWitt got there quicker. Were they demoted at exactly the same point in the day, DeWitt on Saturday, LaRoche on Sunday?
2008-07-29 06:28:23
62.   jtrichey
LaRoche could even still be in LA waiting on word of a Nomar DL stint.
2008-07-29 06:30:13
63.   jtrichey
Thanks for the Lilly report Canuck. I knew you'd have some scouting info (yes I remember he was a Dodger). I know you have said you actually like Bills curveball more than Kershaw. What do you think of Kershaw vs Lilly? (I'm not trying to limit Mr Kershaw, the similarities just struck me last night).
2008-07-29 06:43:12
64.   CanuckDodger
63 -- I think you are correct in seeing a similarity in the curves: they are both kind of slow and loopy. Lilly is better able to throw his curve for a strike, however, but Kershaw will get there in time. And yes, my preference in curveballs is for ones that are a little harder with later, tighter break.
2008-07-29 06:44:01
65.   MollyKnight
From Jeff Kent:

"I don't hang out with the guys -- never have," he says. "I don't go out drinking, look at porn, have a girlfriend or get divorced -- so I'm selfish."

2008-07-29 06:49:29
66.   CanuckDodger
By the way, jtrichey, since I upgraded my computer a few months ago I have been able to check out the scout.com Dodger board, my old stomping grounds. I have wondered if I should post there again, but DT seems like home now. It is interesting to see people there, including yourself, occasionally referring to me, though some people there clearly don't miss me.:)
2008-07-29 06:50:36
67.   regfairfield
Jeff Kent is awesome, I don't care what any of you say.
2008-07-29 06:59:59
68.   Penarol1916
60. Muggy Chicago? This is downright pleasant for the summer here. It is a little muggier than it has been for the last couple of weeks, but this has been easily the nicest summer we've had in the 8 years I've lived in Chicago in terms of heat and humidity.
2008-07-29 07:04:49
69.   bhsportsguy
I know I could be violating the rule on taunting a poster but here's a nugget from BP's rumor mill.

As Will Carroll mentioned earlier, the Marlins are desperately looking for catching help, and are considering a variety of backstops. However, the catcher they covet most is the Reds' David Ross because of his reputation as an outstanding game-caller while also showing occasional pop at the plate.

2008-07-29 07:05:27
70.   D4P
It has been relatively un-humid this summer in NC as well.
2008-07-29 07:16:40
71.   PDH5204
Lord, lord, lord,...forget the best for a moment and consider the most appropriate, what with an aging Kent and Nomar, and Andruw Jones, and so...The Big Tall Wish.

By the way, the best episode: The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street.

2008-07-29 07:20:31
72.   Marty
Mulberry Street

Considering I'm from LA, its very muggy to me. But then again, I'll be in Florida next week, so this will seem pleasant.

2008-07-29 07:27:44
73.   CanuckDodger
71 -- That episode is so over-rated. A heavy-handed, artless social commentary on Cold War paranoia. It's right up there -- or should I say down there? -- with the 60's Star Trek episode with the aliens with half-black, half-white who hate members of their own species who have the colors on the wrong sides of their faces (a subtle treatment of American race relations, that).
2008-07-29 07:28:47
74.   Ken Noe
Any local chatter about Ned getting a shortstop? I'm fine with Hu, but will he be?
2008-07-29 07:39:23
75.   JoeyP
The Marlins must be cornering the market on former Dodgers with the last name of Ross.

David Ross had a strange career.
His rookie year with the Dodgers in 2003, at age 26 and clobbered the ball: .258/.336/.556.
Then in 2004, he sucked--.170/.253/.291
And in 2005 he sucked--.222/.263/.380
In 2006, he comes to the Reds and figures it out at age 29--> .255/.353/579

His power seems to have fallen off this year but his bb/ks are pretty good:
28bbs/30ks, .250/.397/.397.

Interesting fact about David Ross:
Dodgers liked him so much they drafted him twice:
1995 out of high school in the 19th round.
1998 out of Florida in the 7th round.

And this has been your daily David Ross update....

2008-07-29 07:47:33
76.   Jon Weisman
I pronounce NPUT as "N-PUT." How do you pronounce it?

NPUT

2008-07-29 08:17:22
77.   MC Safety
22 I wouldn't say we pounded Correia. Those errors by Castillo and Vizquel got our rally kick started. Take out those plays, and he proabably has a quality start. The middle of our order went like 2-16 or something.

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