Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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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
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
In the 2008 National League Championship Series, Rafael Furcal has as many hits as game-changing errors. Casey Blake has one walk, one single and one giant Almost.
But the guy I want to preach patience for most of all today is Matt Kemp.
A lot of folks have grown frustrated with Kemp, such as the estimable ToyCannon at True Blue L.A.. Kemp is 1 for 7 in the NLCS and 3 for 20 in the postseason. All three of Kemp's hits have been doubles, and he also has two walks, but I understand that a .527 OPS is not enough to make people feel better. It hasn't been a great October.
However, I guess what I don't want is for the heightened intensity of the playoffs to cause people to lose faith in Kemp. Kemp is a streak hitter. He's looked bad countless times for the Dodgers - he did set the team single-season strikeout record, after all - and then come back to post remarkable games.
Some of Kemp's failings are more inexplicable than others. Sometimes he gets himself out, but other times, you have to tip your hat to the pitcher. It's not as if Kemp is alone in tipping his hat to Cole Hamels or Brad Lidge or any of the Cub pitchers who came into October with sterling seasons. Kemp has struck out seven times in the playoffs, but that's the same as Russell Martin and one fewer than Andre Ethier. As a team, the Dodgers have struck out 22 times in their past two games.
In any case, I truly dispute the notion that he's been hopeless at the plate.
Again, it has been anything but a successful series for Kemp, but he's not lost. He has taken some bad swings, but he has also put the bat on the ball with runners on base and been drawing the occasional walks. In short, he's been Kemp. He's not Willie Mays, but don't let the times he looks awful lead you to believe that he can't look good.
Kemp is a metaphor for the Dodgers in the NLCS. The bad has outweighed the good, but the good is still there, ready to be tapped.
* * *
With the exception of James McDonald, the Dodgers should have a full bullpen to back Hiroki Kuroda today. Hong-Chih Kuo has had two days off, as have Jonathan Broxton and Greg Maddux. Cory Wade threw only three pitches Friday and Joe Beimel 12.
Kuroda himself hasn't pitched in exactly a week. The Dodgers will of course be hoping that he can pitch more shutout ball, but if the Phillies cash in opportunities the way that Chicago couldn't, Joe Torre can't hesitate to go to the relievers, even though Derek Lowe will be pitching on three days' rest Monday. The Dodgers need to get this victory today before they can worry about problems they might or might not have tomorrow.
* * *
Other tidbits:
* * *
There should be a beautiful sunset tonight. When the game starts, the scoreboard will say 0-0. Let's have some fun.
Tidbit One! Brought to you by the makers of Life's Not Fair!
I think this pretty much sums up the whole notion of flukes being the biggest factor. If those three close their eyes, swing and happen to hit like Babe Ruth for two days, you lose. Not a lot more analysis of what you did wrong needed. As for Kemp, he will be starting until these playoffs end and he will be starting opening day next year. He's got the skills. But approach is a real thing and he lacks skills in that dept. With the skills he does have, he can win a game any time. Hopefully we'll see more of that this week than his flaws. Maybe next year he'll close that gap and be unstoppable.
Either way, I think it bodes well for the Dodgers over the next few years, as I don't think that any of the core players have reached their peaks. But, let's also keep in mind that this is a team with 2 All Stars (Martin and Saito (did he make it this year); 3 if you count Manny). Manny and an aged/ineffective Kent are the only potential Hall of Famers (at this time).
When it comes to Kemp, let's not turn into Yankee fans, complaining about A-Rod because he only hits .275 in the playoffs with solo home runs. Bison is going to come around, hopefully tonight, and if not in this series, then next year and the year after that and the year after that. Same with Loney, Martin, Ethier, and DeWitt.
Besides, all the Dodgers have to do over the next couple of days is what they did in the regular season, beat the Phillies three times at Dodger Stadium.
.370/.404/.519/.923
20 for 54 2 HR's 7 RBI's 3 walks
He's just in a funk right now.
1. wonder why kemp is not playing
2. bash torre for not playing kemp
3. bash Pierre
4. bash Ned for having Pierre there
http://tinyurl.com/bison2008
I see substantial improvement in the last 65 games (or so) of the season. Only 7 games with multiple strikeouts, his batting average very consistently in the .290s and a ton of multi-hit games. Also, let's not forget, he just turned 23
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2008/10/scott-proctor-t.html
Do you ever assign him multiple errors on one call...?
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2008/10/12/tale-o-tape-nlcs-game-3-pitching-moyer-should-fear-manny/
Thing is: I've never heard a stadium quieter than Citizen's Bank Park during Game 1 when the Dodgers had the lead. I mean, it was SILENT. Those people are notoriously paranoid, so if we could somehow push this series back to Philly and take the lead in game 6, I really like our odds.
(Repeat every few scenes, er, innings or so.)
For the first time in my life, I'm grateful to the NFL.
http://www.ratbehavior.org/QuizRatOrMouse.htm
10 out of 12
So it was a rat that I saw!
Related: EW.
For the next 4-5 months, we set up a mousetrap every night, with cheese or peanut butter or some such thing, only to awake to find the trap sprung and the food gone. We finally bought a large squirrel trap (that didn't harm the animal, but just caged them in) and eventually found out that the mouse had actually been a baby rat. The thing was humongous.
I hate the whole city of Philadelphia after that.
I hate the whole city of Philadelphia after that.
unrelated: hey, two up, two down. nice.
also unrelated: i ordered an iphone today. went to the apple store, only to learn that the network with at&t was down and they couldn't complete the purchase. so i have to go back tomorrow. but i did get Civilization IV, so there is a good chance that this is the last you hear from me until Spring Training.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattus_rattus
See that "tending even to flee upwards" there in the 2nd paragraph? Rattus rattus is very good at climbing the curtains. Helps to have your Easton Assassin handy. So too your Titan TPM 2020. The screaching following contact isn't pretty, but this is war.
What with rabbits as pets, well, Rattus rattus can smell the waste and food, even with regular daily cleaning, and the critters have been known to chew through the bottom of wooden doors to create entry space. Two paid dearly for that error and I was so incensed that they were even buried without customary and traditional honors. Presumably, lucky for me that Rattus rattus is not protected by any Geneva convention concerning the treatment of enemy combatants during time of war.
I thought Beimel did a phenomenal job yesterday.
Ma-Knee!
71. LoL!
But this -- http://tinyurl.com/3mltvr -- is grossly, overly hot.
Which I kind of like.
Strike 3 was a heckuva pitch . . .
Not one word by Buck, McCarver or Rosenthal about sportsmanship, rising-above, or maturity on the part of Billingsly.
Moral of story: nominally civilized sportscasters will condemn athletes for violence...yet condemn them for non-violence. Criticize bean balls...condone bean balls. You can't win.
DeWitt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
woooiiiiiiiiiiihoooooooo!!!
YES!
I almost said something critical about DeWitt being up(which implies Loney is not starting) but never mind.
Great freakin inning though, I yelled out "WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!" when that ball landed.
Who cares wether they approve or not
Your first loyalty is to your teammate and baseball has rules about who gets thrown at when. Bills didnt hold up his end of the bargain
I love him as a pitcher but would be miffed at him as a teammate
let's hope he has an un-Dodger-like Bill Mueller career....
thats a two run homer in their park
He's so proud of himself. That must be awesome.
I need a hobby...
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
WOOOHOOOO FURCAL!!
It was a Marlins home uniform too, wasn't it?
Also, I love the Dodger outburst, but you hate to see it happen to Jamie Moyer. Oh well. yeeehaw
McCarver wants to see a nasty brawl on national TV tonight?
I would really try to throw the ball through Utley next time he came up
Not really...no warning yet
That's our job!
The usual command was "put one in his ear"
Martin right behind him and rung him up
A pitcher WITH BALLSSSS
My stomach just did backflips, I thought he was gone
I would have preferred Utley but with 2 outs we needed it in this inning
Maybe the Phillies hitters will deliver the message to thier pitchers - stop that noise
Again how is CONDREY not issued a warning? Ridiculous.
Ill admit I got super pumped when that pitch got thrown but I don't want this series to de-escalate into some kind of heat match. Consider me a pacifist with rage problems...
strange but true, once a team decides they are going to try to intimidate your hitters the only way to make them stop is to return the favor
now that we have thrown back, we have more of a chance of this all stopping
....maybe it was the 'roid rage. Sorry i couldn't resist
Or now.
I looked in during Game 2 but didn't feel like intruding. Chez Weisman is a good deal happier today.
Run!!!!
I will be the first to admit I really really dislike McCarver's broadcasting skills, but he is RIGHT. This is BASEBALL.
This is EXACTLTY what the Dodgers needed! Good job Kuroda!!!! LETS GO!
it's early yet.
Giggity-giggity
"the only other guy who could have made that play was the other 1st baseman for the Dodgers"
I thought for a second he was going to say Larry Bowa or something. Seriously, am I missing something here?
236 Hey Greg Brock.
E-mail me so that we can our program to your school.
Lexsteppling at encompass dot org
congrats everyone on DT, great game, thus far. and kuroda mows down the heart of the order! nice pick by no-mah at first...
underdog doesn't seem to be around, is he at the game?
And then Buck asks him what specifically woke him up, and McCarver says, "the game".
you're either a high minded guy or a realist...
its the hypocrisy, not the point of view
sorry, couldn't help it.
Glorious looking sunset at the yard this evening.
No, underdog lives in the Bay Area.
the only way he can keep from falling asleep is to listen to himself droning on nonsensically?
I bet he'd be pretty calm about the whole thing.
and you can get seriously jacked
--Ah, now we see the bitter old-school ballplayer mentality coming into the open.
Love it.
The Phillies love the team huddle.
Now go offense go--please.
His jersey says "Tanyon 08" on the back.
you mean a young Macauley Culkin?
Good joke. Nailed it. High five!
Kemp looked safe, but for the over slide.
But sorry Shane, I'm sending nothing but negative vibes your way for the rest of this series :)
Bit of a Luddite here-- no tivo yet, but thanks for the pointer!
Everything means nothing now!
The game is only two hours old and we're already through 6.5 innings.
I love the NL.
Get off the stage, midget!
"The mountains, white with love?"
That's... not the lyric...
in todays USA you dont love America unless you are telling someone you love America
Doing something for your country is another matter, all that matters is the right bumper sticker and reverence
grrr
Just stop.
I do not believe it
By rule, with with two outs and a runner on first, with or without other bases being occupied, the batter becomes a runner, and the force is on as it would be had he hit a ground ball.
For example: If the third strike is dropped with bases loaded and two outs, the catcher with ball in possession needs only to tag home plate with his foot or hand to get the third out since this is a force play.
I have never seen this happen, nor even heard of it. But it could.
We got fined in high school if we ever hit a batter with anything but a fastball
Also, if the ump would have tossed him it would have sent a message to the Dodgers that he thought it was intentional and then the Dodgers would have had to retaliate
as it stands now I dont expect that our boys send a message next inning
By my count he has already discussed it 5 times. The over/under: he will mention this twice more in this game.
Those gentlemen took pride in the bruises they left
http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=29712
Never understood walking Barry on 4 pitches when 1 hard one in the ribs does the trick just fine
I just caught up with the game live after watching it a bit delayed via Tivo and FF-ing off and on. And here we are! w00t!
This has been quite a game. Enjoyed catching up on people's comments too.
I have to say, while I hope someone throws a purpose pitch at Tim McCarver's noggin, Joe Buck, surprisingly to me, has not bothered me at all this series. Don't know if I'm just in a forgiving mood or he's just been less smug or annoying this go round... But McCarver is a major Rule 8 violator.
It is unwise to give up an out, even at this stage.
Well, Tim, you CERTAINLY blew that one.... but what's new?
Oh, and, Phillies? Please stop hitting my catcher. Thank you.
And Kent is dead!
Oh, and Go BULL! Shut them down, Biggest Man Alive.
I nominate "Separate Ways."
i was thinkin the same thing. =/
This moment deserves an ice cream. A humble, yet delicious, ice cream.
And Grampa Snipes comes in to catch the final out! That's why we bring Defensive SuperSub in. ;-)
Whew. A game they had to win, and they did.
What?
Idiotic.
nice win tonight for you guys, it's a series now. the Lowe-Blanton matchup certainly favors LA...
I like Shane. But, hey, Shane, we get it. Don't throw at your head. Throw at your ass, not your head. After twenty hand signals in the game and saying it fifteen more times now, we get it.
See you all tomorrow night!
I know Jon often laments that the fans leaving early meme is a bit of media exaggeration, but it's games like this that will legitimately perpetuate that image. There were an embarrassing number of empty seats in the eighth and ninth, not only in the luxury boxes but across the stadium. It's the most important game of the season, you were lucky enough to have tickets, my god can't you actually wait and see us earn the victory.
The last couple of times? I've been checking back there still every couple of days... I miss anything juicy?
Okay, I'm in a good mood, but tomorrow feels like a must-win game to me, too.
oh, was there a game tonight? did the Dodgers kick ass? Let's not talk about that, though. Let's get an interview with THE CATCHER Tim McCarver and see what he thinks. That should be FASCINATING.
I know, I am violating Rule 8.
Or quickly build a stadium teleportation device.
No matter... it's great to have ice cream back in my life.
---
Poor alarmis, commenting all by hisself over at Bronx Banter earlier. :-( Well, yer always welcome here during Dodger games, or whenever.
But now I have to go finish some work, speaking of which, so I can watch Mad Men.
I am so glad I got a haircut. I doubt it helped, but I was happy to change things up.
Cory Wade just keeps getting the job done. Kuroda settled down nicely after the first. Broxton was able to concentrate in a non-save situation. Furcal hit a homer.
Lots of bright spots. Go Dodgers.
357 , off the top of my head, Danny Jackson and Lonnie Smith and David Justice say hi...Bob and Eric Stephen must have stayed for the end of the game or else you'd have your answer by now!
Also, I know this isn't popular but the video tribute to Tommy and Fernando followed by the obligatory wave to the crowd is growing old. Surprised Oral didn't get more love than he did.
Yeah. WHATever. Why is it acceptable to continually throw at Dodger players, not be expected to retaliate, and then by not throwing at Ryan Howard they're then wrong again? It's hard to win with the logic behind the illogic.
Okay, stop procrastinating, underdog.
Jeff Kent is 5 for 6 against Joe Blanton.
Casey Blake is 1 for 21 against Blanton.
DeWitt at third and Kent at second could be an option for tomorrow night. But, with Lowe on the mound Torre may stick with Blake, Furcal, DeWitt and Loney.
Defense is key. I'd stick with the regular infield i.e. Blake, Furcal, DeWitt, and Loney.
Onan Masaoka.
https://mikesrants.baseballtoaster.com/archives/1159356.html
Posted without comment.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/masaoon01.shtml
Ah yes, there are several terrific Ice Cream brands that are great to choose from. This week I'm working on a quart of Thrifty Award Winning brand Chocolate Ice cream. Cheap and yet so delicious!
If you're not in Southern California, there's lot of other quality Ice Creams to choose from. I'm partial to Breyer's and sometimes Dryer's ice cream. Obviously, Ben and Jerry's has among the best mixed concoctions around.
If you're out in New England, I've heard great things about Hood Ice Cream. Finally, there's Coldstone Creamery and even the tried and true Baskin Robbins. Mmm mm!
Gelson's Market might have some McConnell's brand ice cream, but don't quote me on that.
Bristol Farms, including South Pasadena, has McConnell's pints two for one through Tuesday. Probably only a few flavors to choose from unfortunately. A perfect way to celebrate a Dodger win. And a new lifelong vice if you dare.
East Coast ESPN (radio) condemning the Dodgers for not throwing back in Game 2. Brett Myers is now a marked man. I hate unwritten rules!
Dodgers, don't give in to this junk... the bat is mightier than the sword!
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3wds2n
I didn't click on each one to see if they'd pitched with the Dodgers.
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