I was disappointed.

http://tinyurl.com/7t9pu4

Yes, It's been underway for some while, and might be over by now.

There are pictures on the dodgers homepage.

Here are photos

http://tinyurl.com/7xgzs3

http://tinyurl.com/7bt7uk

Just send them out at night with Russell Martin.

TINSTAAPP, indeed.

Bills
Kershaw
Kuroda
????
????

That said, I'd be shocked if Troncoso actually made the rotation. He hasnt pitched more than 80 IP in any of his seasons. Plus, the team cant be that confident about how many innings Kershaw will be good for.

This is the most unknown starting staff the Dodgers have had in a long time.

Broxton will be in the $2M range and Repko around 650K.

Here's a quote from the story. The use of "apparently" could mean this is Gurnick's idle guess, or it could mean it's what the club told Troncoso. The story is unclear, and Colletti's quotes don't address McDonald's status:

"Troncoso said he got the surprising word of a change in roles when he showed up for winter ball. Apparently club management so liked what it saw from James McDonald in relief that it might want to keep him there instead of starting, so the decision was made to try out Troncoso as a starter."

Stinks!

I don't really dig the "whole new pack of interns every year" thing. I know that probably happens in real life, but I don't think it really does much of the show. For one thing, I think the writers struggle to create a bunch of new interesting, unique characters every season and they start to run out of ideas.

I imagine a few were flying for business, so I bet they will be on a plane soon.

8

Ramon Martinez looks pissed off in that second group of photos.

Abreu needs at bats after missing so much time. I'll be surprised if he is not started out at AAA since he has options. Long term I still think he is our 2nd baseman unless he really is injury prone. Would not surprise me a bit to see Casey Blake becoming super sub by August. A defensive infield of Loney, Abreu, Furcal, and DeWitt could be as good as it gets.

The interesting parts of the show, IMHO, are the introspective moments for House. Sometimes this is brought out by Wilson (a role for him of which I am growing increasingly weary), or maybe by Cuddy (I like the direction her character is taking). But House's introspection becomes less the focus of the show with more doctors and their own side plots. I think the best episodes are those where House is dealing with prosperity (like when his leg is temporarily healed).

Just thought I'd chime in on House, since it's one of only three shows I watch.

I am only on disc 3 of season 4, so I don't think I will be caught up by tonight.

First Kevin Kennedy and now Steiner.

I wonder how much taking on Howard Stern's salary is affecting the overall budget?

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=hottopic&id=battlestar_galactica

By the way I think Kevin is still on, just later in the day. Mark Patrick is gone from Baseball This Morning, as is Buck. Whatever XM does, please keep Holden Kushner off the air, can't stand that sort of shock jock junk by some no talent boob.

Anyone else notice that XM is now the NY Yankees, East Coast baseball network with even less coverage of anything East of the Hudson?

Sirius... this is all Sirius' doing. Apparently they're hell bent on turning a national radio medium into a Mega New York Radio station.

Started with Howard, then the merger of XM and Sirius, continued with injecting Cousin Brucie and old 80's MTV Vee-Jays into the decades channels, then Mad Dog Radio (which I enjoy), and finally the merging of the XM channels with Sirius ones.

We all have Mel to thank for this.

By the way, did you mean "West" of the Hudson?

DOH!

The organization is loaded with talent but Victor Garate stands out thanks to his interesting background. A middle reliever in the Houston Astros organization, Garate was nabbed by the Dodgers in the minor league portion of the 2007 Rule 5 draft. He was a little old for A-ball but he took to the starting role like a fish to water, so there may be something there. It will be interesting to see if the Dodgers organization fast-tracks him to Double-A even though he struggled a little bit in a tough pitching environment to finish the season at High-A ball (44 hits allowed in 38.1 innings, but with rates of 3.29 BB/9 and 11.03 K/9). Earlier in the season, Garate carved up A-ball hitters with 61 hits allowed in 77.2 innings. He also posted rates of 3.24 BB/9 and 11.94 K/9. The southpaw has a high-80s fastball and a plus change-up, as well as an OK breaking ball. If he can tighten up his third pitch, Garate could slide into a fourth or fifth starter's role at the Major League level, thanks in part to solid deception and good command.

With that K rate I expected his velo to be much higher. That change-up must be pretty nasty. Maybe he can follow a former Rule 5 LHP with a plus change up?

Right, but I think the only thing we are expecting from Abreu is to be a quality backup middle infielder, at least for 2009. Anything more would be icing on the cake.

Any progress in your phone decision?

(Or simon bar sinisters.)

Do you think it would be even possible for Abreu to get enough plate appearances to push Casey Blake into a sub-utility role this year? Barring any injuries, I just can't see that happening, unless Blake drops off big time or Dewitt does over at 2b

That is a good point. I imagine Casey would be injured at least for a month at some point, so if Abreu is healthy and playing well, Dewitt goes to 3b and Abreu slides right in.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/pac10/0-6-66/USC-Arizona-moved-to-Dec--5.html

I like this quote.

"Coach came out and asked who wanted the assignment, who wanted Harden," said the Trojans' Taj Gibson, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds. "Daniel stepped right up and said, 'Me.' That's him. He's got that edge. He was raised in Italy."

That explains it.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-usc-basketball16-2009jan16,0,7105623.story

Brian Dohn, Daily News UCLA beat writer answering a question on what campuses are the best to visit says that he likes Stanford and Cal (the views of the SF Bay is a big selling point). He does not like WSU (Spokane plus I am sure the travel) and thinks both campuses in Arizona are boring (to look at).

Another Ichiro-ism. warning for salty language.

Forza Italia!

I love when I see couples in line some place, and both people are just surfing on their iPhone.

For a site dedicated to "dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers," this is a valuable therapeutic tool.

Despite knowing that he was injured when he was signed.

Next game will be Feb. 25, @ Chi. Cubs, 4:05 pm EST.

As I said months ago, if we were going to get rid of just one of Jones and Pierre, it should have been skinny one.

Maybe, maybe not. Both players apparently asked to be traded or let go, though we haven't heard much from/about Pierre for a while now.

Zito got too many years, but I think he will bounce back, and the SF rotation will be something to fear.

I think I can return to that state.

http://garveyceyrusselllopes.blogspot.com/2009/01/dodgers-journey.html

So beautiful outside, and so unproductive inside. Hope you're all doing ok out there.

P's & C's are only weeks away. I am really surprised Manny hasn't signed with someone by now.

I wish we would just get it done

Bring him back, Al!!!!

Too bad gas is rising again.

Thank you! My work music was getting stale, and this is great.

And heck, if I were Andy Reid, and I were to WIN the SB, I'd resign the next day. The way he's been treated in that city is a crime. 5 NFC Title Games in 8 years, with nowhere near the best talent (and consistent injuries to stars), and all Philly fans do is whine. Granted, Reid the GM might be Reid the coach's biggest problem, but still...

And 122 yah, totally. Reid and McNabb have both been pretty disrespected in Philly. I have mixed feelings but part of me is rooting for them just for that reason.

http://www.circuitcity.com/closed.html

Hmmm, I need new speakers, but I don't know if I want to deal with the crowd.

AZ over Philly
Pitt over Balt

AZ over Pitt

LCD's don't look as good as plasmas, but they use less energy and plasmas dim over time. LCD's still look very good, but plasmas have blacker blacks.

For LCD's I think sticking with the big brands like Sony, Samsung, or Sharp would be good. You probably get better standard-def conversion and they have better warranties and are generally higher quality.

You may want to consider 120Hz TV's because they can play blu-ray at 24fps without doing fancy processing. (Most TV's are 60Hz and 60 doesn't divide by 24 nicely so the frames get split up with what's called 3:2 pulldown). I don't think it matters for DVD, but just looking down the road... 120 Hz TV's do cost more though. (120 HZ TV's have other features like frame interpolation, but I don't use those)

Now I'm unemployed but these prices keep dropping...so maybe i can find something good and cheap :D

The only drawbacks are during the day, the sun will not make the picture as crisp, and the bulbs in projectors will burn out eventually. We've had one since Aug 06, and we've only replace the bulb once and the 2nd one is going strong. Bulbs go from $200-$400.

Seeing a 4ft tall Manny in HD bat every night is definately worth it. Oh, if any of you live in Santa Barbara, I welcome any of you over to watch this thing. Enjoy the 3 day weekend
(long time reader, rarely post)

Any Samsung owners have opinions about the speakers built into the TVs? I can live with "adequate," but some of the reviews say the sound is actually pretty awful.

If anyone does get a projector, I'd recommend getting a Mack warranty. They're a couple hundred dollars but they come with 2 (or 3?) bulb replacements at no charge. Basically it ends up as much or cheaper than the bulb replacements alone, plus you get 3 years of warranty for it.

We were young and naive when we bought it, didnt get a warranty. We only use the thing at night or during day games. If it would be your only TV, then I wouldnt recommend it.

I know a friend (also in SB) who has a setup very similar to yours. It's an Optoma projector that just dominates the big wall in their living room. Actually I think they use a ginormous screen as well.

I can imagine your setup is very impressive. And we get KCAL HD in SB now!! Kool!

136 What, you didn't get her an HDTV-ring instead?

What ever happened to "The Learning Channel" @ 3'oclock there were showing "What not to wear" I mean COME ON!!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000473/

Would love to see her do something with Woody again someday... Manhattan Murder Mystery was fun as a sort of reprisal.

http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-buying-guide/?tag=rb_mtx;contentNav

I don't have any info on the sound for my Samsung HDTV since I use a sound system.

If you're willing to brave 100-page threads about TV models, check out AVSForum's model-specific threads:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=166

---

Speaking of movies... Attention sci-fi nerds:

>>Columbia Pictures has won rights to produce a film adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation science fiction trilogy, with Roland Emmerich attached to direct. Emmerich will produce along with Michael Wimer, who was also a producer (and thus, a complicit party) in Emmerich's own 10,000 B.C.<<

http://tinyurl.com/9kjfmj

(tsk tsk, wait until I'm behind on my DT to confuse Jeff with Joe Carter...)

AB's - 476
dingers - 21 (with dodgers - overal 22)
Runs Batted In - 69
BA - 277
OB% - 317
OP+ - 106

____

I remember T-Bone hit 2 home runs one summer with his family watching in the stadium (I don't know why but I always remember that about him) Vinny seemed very excited for him & I thought it was cool...

trying to remember the name of the stadium, I think it was old bush stadium but not sure.

Hey that reminds me of the way FM used to be!

http://www.avguide.com/channel/the-perfect-vision/

AB's - 676
Dingers - 9
Runs Batted In - 42
Stolen Bases - 33
OB% - .277 (He was up there swinging)
____

His swing was IDENTICAL to Brad Pennie's, I guess that's why I remember him so much...

Whoo Hoo!

Ya think?

Heck for $850K, I would even like Juan Pierre!

It is pretty surprising.

Maybe people are wising up

I'm more inclined to think that teams just don't want to spend a lot of money right now. A GM and his/her owner's money are soon parted.

Also, I have to apologize. I thought some mail I was sending you had gone out already, but this morning I realized that it hadn't. I will get it out soon.

At least his jersey has his team's name on it. Who are the "Bucs?"

Main dodgers site has a video of today's winter development stuff at Dodgers stadium.

Now that it's clear that there's no interest from any team in long-term, 4+-year contract for Manny, and only the Giants just possibly willing to compete at the shorter end, not what Boras wants, Boras's only hope is that when the other biggish bats like Dunn are on the verge of signing, the Dodgers might panic that they won't have any alternative and will finally cave.

So now they're saying, through Gurnick:

"They seem committed to wait out Ramirez, making the acquisition of an alternative hitter unlikely as long as Ramirez's situation is unresolved, even if it means going into the season without the addition of a run producer."

They're taking the stare-down to a new level, saying they just wont budge, Manny will have to take what they're offering or nothing. I wonder if they'll really let the other bats go elsewhere. Maybe they figure if the season begins with Dunn and others elsewhere, finally they'll still be the biggest Manny bidders standing in April or May. Worst come to worst they might trade from someone else in June or July. Hmmmm.

And how many times did Torre put Furcal, and JP in the lead off, and 2nd spot?

Ned has been very active lately, being interviewed by KNBR the Giant station on Wednesday, also was on the MLB Hot Stove Show, Thursday, it seems that this might be his way of trying to put some pressure on Boras to come up with a better counter offer than four years.
In my opinion Dunn, and Abreu are waiting until Manny signs. For reasons I don't understand they haven't been able to do a deal with a pitcher-not even offering a two year deal to Sheets.

Rings In A Box:
Jon Gruden 1
Andy Reid 0

1) The Rolling Stones cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" (which blows the original away)

2) Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" (that one is a toss-up, depending on one's feelings about Dylan)

I like both, but Hendrix's version is classic. Dylan himself has said he prefers Jimi's version. Nice call.

The film quality really held up. This is riveting!

I'll say it right now, this team is not going to win an NBA championship. They don't have the heart, guts, or determination to get the defensive stops they need to make it happen.

I liked the Boston game, but since then they've folded against all the elite teams. They got lucky at Houston, then folded to SA and Orlando back to back. Granted, they're missing 4 guys, but doesn't excuse their lack of defense.

212
Taking the lead after being down 100-89 in the 4th to San Antonio is "folding?"

In other words, I would like some more consistency. But am not too worried, either.

Boston fans will disagree on Julio Lugo right there.

http://www.fangraphs.com/

That 1962 Dodgers team scored 842 runs.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/custom/letters/la-sp-letters17-2009jan17,0,198022,full.story

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/1962.shtml

Obviously, Friday Night Lights too.

Sigh, Sawyer.

"Marlins have interest in ex-Brave Star Jones"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSHK1728J9E

I thought it was somewhat ironic to be exiting a Metro station listening to the Beach Boys as a blast of Artic air came blowing on my face.

I am perfectly fine if the Dodgers play Blake in LF instead of Manny to pay for the second year of Jones. And, I would love to see an infield of Loney, Abreu, DeWitt, and Furcal.

If the Dodgers could get Peavy for Hu, DeJesus, and either McDonald/Stultz or Elbert/Stultz.... I am not that big of a Peavy fan to offer more even if warranted.

The Phillies have reached a three-year, $20.5 million contract with their ace, Cole Hamels, the Post has learned. Hamels will receive $4.35 million in 2009, $6.65 million in 2010 and $9.5 million in 2011.

If you compare the salaries to players actually on the field, I'm sure the Dodgers compare favorably.

Someone needs to tell the people in Eugene about concept of "contrast." Although I suppose if Phil Knight said that he wanted all of the Ducks basketball players to wears a coat with tails and shoes with spats, they would all look like very tall Fred Astaires.

It also helps to be on the team with the better record.

The second is more important than the first.

But does that make it screwy overall?

If a player makes less then he is worth early on, and more then he is worth later on, isn't the cumulative effect a wash? Certainly not in every case, but in most?

To the extent that this rationale holds, it only really holds when the player stays with the same team. There's no reason for Team X to compensate Old Player Y for being previously underpaid by Team Z. And it's not even totally clear that Team X is obligated to compensate Old Player Y for previously underpaying him.

In terms of the teams, they control that. If a player is only going to be worth $15 million to you over the next 4 years, then why give him $35 million? As you say, they are not obligated.

It would appear, smartly, that the Dodgers are not playing this game currently. At least not with long term deals?

I got hit with some really nasty viruses lately, and after numerous attempts to restore them, in safe mode, I still haven't shaken the malware.

I keep getting these stupid pop ups. Next, I tried to run a repair installation of Windows. Now my computer hit a dead end. I get a Blue Screen of Death. If only I could have backed up my system. Now, I'm running on this old PowerMac G4. What a day!

---

Lakers talk: I think the one thing that concerns me, since I already know they're banged up and all, is their occasional lack of focus. I just hope that they don't get shell shocked as they did in last year's Finals. Kobe has been playing great this week, though, no doubt!

Young Miss Weisman gives me a good idea...

8 1 22 5 1 7 18 5 1 20 4 1 25

Boysenberries=best berry, too. Just throwing that out there.

Does it come in an edible container?

I tried to send it to Bob - not sure if it came through.

It was 9 degrees (not counting wind chill) this morning when bh was exiting the metro.