And if Pierre and Manny start a game together, whoever else is playing better drink a lot of coffee that day.

July is gone and August arrives with many reasons for hope in Dodgerland.

The starting and relief pitching have been fantastic and the offense finally has a chance to produce the kind of runs that make winning easy, given how our arms have been performing. Kemp is starting, Manny is in Dodger blue, Martin is Martin, and I believe Ethier will secure his place in the lineup in the coming days.

Martin
Ethier
Kemp
Manny
Loney
Kent
Black
Berroa
Pitcher

Fellas, that is pretty darn good. Things have not been perfect this year, or close to it, but when have they ever been? Let's agree on the notion that the Dodgers finally are ready to make some noise, specifically the kind of noise that brings a smiles to fans faces. It's going to be a fun couple of months.

I need odds!

"The movie or the planet?"

"And you are starring ... as the human."

"It's the part I was born to play baby!"

"I hate every ape I see from Chimp-pan-a to Chimp-pan-zee."

"Oh my god, I was wrong. It was earth all along."

"Down in front!"

1B Loney
2B DeJesus
SS Hu
3B DeWitt
LF Pierre
CF Kemp
RF Ethier

Go hardcore with pitching (money from all the expiring contracts should go to Sabathia and Sheets). Decline Penny's option.

Sabathia
Billingsley
Sheets
Kershaw
Kuroda

And this only goes for Jon, I don't want any other DTers asking for money that day, it is enought that I am making breakfast.

That's pretty harsh.

14, That would be exciting but no way we sign both CC and Sheets and I doubt we won't sign at least one FA bat.

game is still an option.

~$800K (Manny, Kemp, Ethier)

Sitting on the bench - ~$27M (Pierre, Jones).

I said earlier that I think Kim and Logan are no longer free from criticism. If we make a change in management, I want a complete change.

I don't think Dejesus is going to be ready to start next year.

1b Loney
2b Hu
ss Furcal (1 year deal)
3b Dewitt
RF Ethier
CF Kemp
LF Manny

I have no idea what happens to Jones and Pierre but that team isn't that expensive and should be defensively sufficient enough.

An aside to trainwreck, I saw Coach Walker in June and he told me how taken aback he was by all the support he got from everyone.

I'll be at some of the practices next week so I'll you posted on what is going there.

Aren't the Dodgers in a position to be contenders for a decade? Kemp, Martin, Loney, Ethier, Billingsly, Kershaw, Broxton - that sounds like a pretty solid core of guys to build around.

I think the better analysis is that the team has done pretty much all it can with respect to building from within and now must build through free agency. There's still a chance for Hu, DeJesus, or DeWitt to become part of the core, but not all of them (one likely). Time for better decisions on the free agency front.

The problem with that, however, is that the sample size for the remainder of the season is so small that a "net-wins" analysis is far more likely to be wrong than right (in either direction). What we need is beyond me, other than to say that as I thought it out, that we need it is further evidence of how awful this trade is.

Basically, long term, what we did was trade LaRoche and Morris for two top-50 draft picks. That is a trade that is clearly stupid.

The remainder of the trade is some increased probability of winning our division this year. As we stand today, before the trade and before tonight's loss, we had a 35ish% chance to make the playoffs (for the Dodgers, making the playoffs and winning the division are so close to the same thing as to consider them identical). So, what will our probability be tomorrow, before the game starts? I don't know. The math is beyond me. What I do feel, however, is that it just can't be that great an amount.

I also feel very certain that by merely playing the right players (forget all year - just start doing it now) would have meant more than the acquisitions of Blake and Ramirez. There is a substantial possibility that the Ramirez acquisition could mean very little (assume he replaces Either) and certainly a non-zero chance that it hurt us (assume he replaces Either day-to-day and several more games are Ramirez-Jones-Pierre).

Given what Torre has shown us all year, I don't see how the conclusion can be that the right choices will be made. But, even if they are, I just don't see this move as likely to move us from 35% to 60+% to make the playoffs. Maybe someone more capable can do the math and convince me I am wrong.

Don't forget Blake and Kent in the infield.

Manny-Pierre OF.

Atrocious.

We really know how to waste money.

I think he meant for a spot for Jones or Pierre..

w/Cleveland (1993-2000)
4095 PA, .313/.407/.592, 152 OPS+

w/Boston (2001-2008)
4682 PA, .312/.411/.588, 155 OPS+

Manny/Kemp/Ethier

OR

Manny/Jones/Kemp

OR

Manny/Pierre/Kemp (though starting Pierre over Kemp in center is a terrible idea)

The only way Pierre plays with Manny in the lineup is in center field.

We can talk about stats, and all that, but the reality is that 'playing the right players'(who I assume you mean the majority of the younger players) wasn't going to happen. Management would never allow that to happen unless massive injuries happened to all the Vets on the team like Kent, and Pierre, and even then, they would go sign a vet from the scrap heap like Ozuna, and Berroa. Getting Manny means that this current team is greatly improved that what it was 24 ago, and he instantly becomes our best player. Yes, even Matt Kemp who I love, but is still only 23 and might actually learn a thing or two to become a better player from one of the best in Manny.

But to say this trade was stupid just because you want to simplified the trade for LaRoche, and Morris for Two draft picks, that is your precognitive. But you're seriously underrating the impact Manny has on this team, and might have on future years since McCourt has shown he is a huge spender in the offseason. McCourt is the same owner who allow Ned Coletti to give Andruw Jones a $36 million contract, Juan Pierre $54 million, Jason Schimdt $39 million. And McCourt doesn't even like those guys. McCourt's still a Red Sox fan at heart and with Manny's he's going to vote with his heart. He's going to pay Manny whatever he wants. Anyway, that's my two sense.

Bill Madlock, 1985
34 G, .360/.422/.447, 147 OPS+ Dodgers are 22-13 when he starts

Steve Finley, 2004
58 G, .263/.324/.491, 112 OPS+, 13 HR, 46 RBI, Division-winning slam

Marlon Anderson, 2006
25 G, .375/.431/.813, 208 OPS+, 7 HR, "The Marlon Anderson Game" (before it got renamed)

When did LaRoche do this? He never bashed the organization in interviews, and for the most part said all the right things when asked about his demotion.

He earned his way back to the club by hitting in AAA.

And no, you will not get a percentage.

If that's true, then Joe Torre is a little girl.

In a frilly pink dress.

Of course, to actually explain the decision, in addition to allowing for the possibility that Colletti et al., way overestimate the marginal 2008 on-field impact of Ramirez, you have to consider:

1. The marginal impact on butts-in-seats, and the attendant concessions, parking, etc.

2. The marginal impact on Colletti's future stream of income, either from McCourt or Peter McGowan, or whomever.

Both of those numbers are big, I would imagine, or at least perceived to be big, which would explain, if not excuse the decision.

Colletti made the 3rd base decision Torre-proof with the Casey Blake pickup and LaRoche demotion/exile. But he really screwed up the OF choice set, and increased the probability that Torre will choose to leave win shares on the bench. And like you, I have no faith that Torre will avoid the mistake of wasting one third of the outfield at-bats.

Don't get me wrong - I'm very excited to see Ramirez bat as a Dodger. But then I enjoyed having Sheffield here. I love to watch great hitters hit. But I still think this was a mistake, unless they dump Pierre AND Jones this winter and play them precious little between now and then.

I'm also going to root very hard for Andy LaRoche in Pittsburgh. Who knows - maybe we'll take him back as a free agent once he's all veterany and stuff.

The key thing is that Pittsburgh felt that he and Morris were enough when addded to Boston's prospects to give up Bay.

Jayson Stark's early review of this deal is that Pittsburgh again went with quantity if not a big sure thing prospect after talking to other scouts. I will repeat what I have said about Andy for months now, if we cannot take his work in the minors and rely upon that for any kind of prediction in how he will do in majors than we should just promote guys straight out of Rookie Ball because Andy had the best work than the guys who remain in Dodger Blue today.

That is why there is some concern about the deal.

That said, given all the alternatives, if you are going to get a 2 month rental, the price was reasonable and you can't really dispute Manny's credentials. But even when they produce like Teixeira did for Atlanta, that doesn't mean you will achieve your ultimate goal.

And that is how this deal will be measured since Manny will be gone the second the last out of the Dodger season is made.

When was Nomar's last game? He has to sit out 15 days after that. We can always bring up Hu on Tuesday and send a pitcher down then until Nomar is ready but then we are left with the same dilemma.

It was interesting to see Martin at third and Blake at second. Those kind of moves could leave Ozuna out of a job if Nomar is really ready to go soon. But we can't count on his health for sixty days, can we?

Does someone like Jones develop a phantom injury and then has to rehab in Vegas until the end of August?

Lost in all of this is what to do with Delwyn when he comes off the DL. He is out of options. Does he get traded for Maddux or Jack Wilson or David Eckstein or just DFA'd?

It was always hard for me to say push DeWitt out because really if he was one of the other guys (and mean any of them), everyone here would be pleased that the management was giving him time to work things out.

It didn't happen and once they went another way, they sent DeWitt down to play everyday.

LaRoche never got that opportunity that I think this staff was ready to give him back in ST. That's unfortunate but because his value remained high, the Dodgers did not have to give up one of their young regulars nor a better lower level prospect than Morris.

I think that is the most likely thing.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=120903

And there are currently 26 players on the active roster.

And you don't want to risk that type of injury anyway. A bad swing can reaggravate it.

I enjoyed it all ... up until 541 & 542 of the previous thread. I'd hope both the comments and author get deleted soon. There has to be a violation or seven in there somewhere.

Also, I'm a D'backs fan, so, I'm happy LaRoche is out of the division. I just wish you'd had to give up Kershaw, too.

Nationals released catcher Paul Lo Duca.
Lo Duca, who was given a $5 million contract over the winter, hit .230/.301/.281 in 139 at-bats for the Nationals. While there was no interest in him at his current salary, he figures to be pretty popular once he becomes available for the minimum. The Astros, Dodgers and Reds could consider him.

Because we need a no power slug like Lo Duca again.

1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity

But since I was so negative at the report of the trade, I will try to be positive and hope we can win a playoff series and justify trading him away. I like Manny Ramirez, even if he is lazier than I am.

All I want is Joe to start the right outfield and I will give Ned & Co. leeway for a bit. I am willing to be reasonable for a little bit, so the ball is in your court Dodgers. Please do not let me down, like you have pretty much done the entire time that I can remember being on this planet.

Hey Lo Duca could be Martin's caddy. Ardoin seems to actually know how to play defense so I'm in no rush to see it, but it would make a nice little story for Mr. "heart and soul" to come back and finish his career here mentoring the next heart and soul of the Dodgers. That of course assumes he's willing to accept being a backup, and doesn't hate us over the trade.

To me, that doesn't really dispose of the issue. Of course White's excited to get Ramirez. We never doubted that.

The point is that he says nothing positive about Andy. Normally in these situations someone in White's position would say something like, "Yes, we're sorry to see Andy go, but we're excited to get Ramir