http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck14LKBI9GM

I am going to say NSFW, because people will probably think you are a weirdo.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031225/

I hope the guy that worked on that with a computer felt dirty at some point.

In the middle of that tour he asked to switch R&R assignments with me so he could see his family in Hawaii. he did not return from that recon and still listed as MIA to his family.

Years later I always tried to return to him for haircuts. However they were sad occasions. He had this POW/MIA flag in front of the barber shop and died in 90's still missing and still honoring his son.

I always wondered if we had not switched assignments. However it always good to remember old friends.

I agree. I have not been following the Dodgers closing for too long. It has been really fun to watch Matt grow as a player.

If only I could watch sports without sound.

What are they saying?

A bunch of nonsense.

I hate you, ESPN.

Minnesota is hitting over .300 and the Angels doing what they need to do to win, is hitting .288 with RISP.

This is so clown shoes.

or maybe there scouts?

(And yes I'm aware which team won that game)

oh, hey, and check it out, they're still playing baseball?

My heart literally skipped a beat I was so excited during that.

And then when little dribblers are hit like that, we got no shot.

So wouldn't the word average be better than chance?

It just seems like chance involves an equation that can't be quantified with no one on and no one out, but I can understand the average...

Of course, Chad could be also be wearing down a bit at this time of year.

better lucky then good as they say.

They don't have any real offensive identity and they don't have a bigtime starter to highlight.

Jimmy Rollins, 2007
Alfonso Soriano, 2002 & 2003
Bobby Bonds, 1973

Billingsley should count here.

Also, it was really insightful to hear that Matt Kemp "is just not the prototypical leadoff hitter" and "doesn't have that lead-off hitter mentality" right at the start of the game. (And then bang, two base hit!)

{{Mute}} Hopefully the game itself can right itself and put me in a better mood.

And the points about Kemp were made so poorly, whether or not he's prototypical, it sounds like something we'd soon see dissected on FJM.

http://mollyknight.tumblr.com/post/47367345

The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

Dodgers need a way to figure out how to sign this 9 year old.

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-toogoodtopitch&prov=ap&type=lgns

He is Berroa(ing) down on each pitch.

I hope that's not a requirement.

He's batting behind Blake, Berroa, and Billingsley.

--

Man, this lack of offense with RISP all series is tres frustrating.

Sigh.

Down 2 runs with this craptacular offense, you cut down the run, not to mention the guy on deck hadnt even touched the ball in his 2 previous ABS.

Orel is now saying I do not see any frustration or anger on Dodger faces. Like they are just passing time.

However, I think Orel & Phillips are beating the "Dodgers aren't showing any fire" point into the ground.

He's worse than Joe Morgan.

Cant believe I just typed that.

Anyway, enough out of me. I'm gonna watch some CNN for a bit. Prod me if the Dodgers start coming back. ;-)

It reminds me a bit of Scott Wolf, the SC beat writer from the Daily News whom SC fans despise and love to rip on. Everyone's convinced that even as an alum, he hates the program and that his end game is to somehow bring them down or something. I used to think the same, until I heard him on the radio the day after the Texas game, he was ripping Carroll, not just to do it, but genuinely b/c he seemed pissed about what had gone down.

I saw this team with no fire come back from a 6-1 deficit two weeks ago.

I thought the Phillies showed nothing against Kuroda at Dodger Stadium.

Wow that was a badly defended triple. Manny was Manny, but Berroa looked like a shotputter from 40 feet away on the relay.

211
(Rollins needs a HR for the Wes Parker)

I was gonna mention that as well Eric but I think that's his look.

Cant see a team wanting him to play LF when he's 38-40 yr old seasons.

And maybe Manny wouldnt wan to play it either.

At least we didn't trade anything good.

Veterans know that games in August and everything after count more than games in the early part of the season.

Has there been any news on Furcal lately? I hadn't read anything, but is he out for the duration?

right on.

All of Manny's Mojo was in his dreds.

.301/.333/.447/.780

But, only one grand slam. Kemp.

Neither is that worthless sack who calls himself Cody Ross. Be we didn't want any of the soulless players that Google Boy acquired.

Funny, I have this sense of deja vu.

we win 4 at home

the Phills win 4 at home

I think it was Evans rain (sp?) when the whole Victorino thing happened.

He's good.

Then DePo did it with the Phils, except he didnt offer to buy him back from the Phillies.

I hope Torre talks to the team or something.

Ran home from second while Jeff Kent imagined himself jumping his dirtbike.

Didn't seem to work.

As I said earlier, the Dodgers have also had some bad luck too, as far as balls hit hard but at people, or Manny's ball hit into the wind, which could otherwise have been at least a two base hit. And the Phillies have outhustled them, too. Ugly and frustrating, but can't do much about it.

(Except crying, pounding the floor, biting the head off a live chicken.)

Kent threw to 1st, and Werth just kept on going home.

I'll take those Schrute Bucks in singles, please. I need money for the bus.

I really hope this is the last year we have to put up with Jeff Kent.

Wasn't DeWitt like 6/7 with the bases loaded?

--

Well if nothing else, this game has one positive: Russell Martin having 3 hits and much better at bats tonight.

(I clicked over to the convention on Werth's hit. Glad I did.)

Even with Kent's great hot streak, he hasnt been an amazing offensive juggernaut. It's really a Juan Pierrian streak, with only 5 extra base hits in around 90 ABs. Hes hitting .400 in August with only those 5 XBH and a .919 OPS. So while he has been so much better than before, its not like he has been a a run producing maven. Add to that some pretty ABs like tonight, and what you have is a guy not really helping his team all that much, espeically when you consider defense. Basically, his hot streak OPS is almost Adam Dunn's career average, a player Ned didnt think highly enough to block from the team we trail.

Charlie Steiner buzz-kills it by announcing that "Tanyon Sturtze continues throwing in the bullpen." I hope he's not throwing a baseball, but I gather that he is.

Guess I will move to the Democrats on cable.

As much as it pains me to say it, from a pure superstitious standpoint, it might be time for the Journey to end. :(

When I say his .919 OPS is almost Dunn's career number, it should be the other way around. Dunn's career OPS is an even .900.

In case Juan hit a 3 run bomb. Torre needs to cover all possibilities, you know.

Help us, Jeebus!

We play the Nats next. Although its not technically do oer die because we still play Arizona, but the team needs to sweep. I dont see us going 5-1 against the D'Backs, so we have to make up the games somehow. Sweeping bad teams is a start.

Or, baseball is a funny game. The way we're playing right now we're going to protect our first rounder when we sign expensive FAs like C.C. and Manny, and Jesus Christ. I imagine ol' Jesus can steal a couple of bases and turn water into wine.

"...an awful lot."

No team has had a 14 hit shutout.

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/eGF9

Then we'd have to retire his number.

Assuming I ran the report correctly.

Hear, hear!

Last year people just assumed Kent knew what he was talking about and Plaschke just ran with it. If Kent tried to play the same card again, people are going to be more skeptical. And Kent went on record this year that Kemp's one of the reason the Dodgers had success this year before the recent slump. To attack him or Ethier now would be in bad taste.

Manny?

Sax noticed a number of players during his playing days "getting kind of taken" financially, so now he represents a few athletes, with Kris Humphries of the Toronto Raptors and former Major Leaguer F.P. Santangelo among his nearly 100 clients.

When is the last time a team got a hit in every single inning in a nine inning game and got shutout?

The Padres take the early lead on AZ, 1-0 at Petco!

This is a team that hits a lot of singles and little else. It is also a team that hits a lot of ground balls.

That is exactly the sort of team you should expect to have a combination of high hits and low scores.

350 In this series, not so hot. In the previous week's homestand vs same team and Brewers, much better. Check back week to week to see how he and they (and we) are faring. It's a very moody season.

Peavy's got a shutout thru 3.2, but he's thrown 80 pitches to do it.

Our good, young, players need development that puts them in the right direction. In particular, Kemp really needs to learn to walk. If he maintains an IsoP of around 0.05 then he will not amount to the great hitter he could be.

Loney is not realistically going to develop into an average 1B. He has only shown power once in his career - his short stint in rookie-ball. His GB% is way to high and always has been. If he could learn to walk like a superstar, then maybe he could be average. Apart from that, he will need to completely change his plate approach.

Martin is really the only one doing things properly. Either as well, actually, he just does not have a huge ceiling, but that is not a slight.

I don't have any good suggestion from a "fix" because there isn't one that will show results quickly. The Dodgers need to completely change their approach to building an offense. Doing this now, however, is not likely to show anything for several years. That, frankly, is a depressing thought considering that two years ago I was convinced the Dodgers were about to start a dynasty.

I'd go through the list I posted.

Also, is it just me or is all of Loney's power to right/right center field. I only remember one opposite field HR from Loney and it was in his Coors game September of 2006. Perhaps he's not thinking power and is trying to go opposite field.

It was great to see the Dodger's offense finally bust out. They were hitting the ball all over, and even the outs were generally hit squarely. I can't remember the last time I've seen that many baserunners at a game! The Dodgers looked like they were winning, which is almost as good as the real thing.

The DPs, lack of power, & dependence on hitting singles to be effective is much to overcome for a 1st basemen.

So, sure, I agree, if he bulks up and (as previously mentioned) completely changes his approach, he could produce. The Dodgers current development, however, does not seem to be stressing these things. So, overall, I'll stick by what I said about him.

So yes, I'm going to say that you're in a slump if you are a power hitter not hitting for power or much of anything.

New post up top.