Seriously, have a wonderful birthday.

205 a 16-1 start (best in club history, until this year...?).

Looking at the Lakers' upcoming schedule I wouldn't be surprised to see them surpass that.

I remember when the Bulls had their 72 win season they lost to the expansion Raptors twice.

Manny Acta does an interview. Cool stuff to read.

A great mystery of our time. How in the heck did Khalil Greene get 97 RBIs in 2007 with a sub .300 OBP?

My best guess though is that he's the next manager of the Yankees after Giradi's run out of New York. Cashman is going to want to look for somebody really different after Giradi.

>> They could turn to Angel Berroa, who did a solid job defensively in 84 games with the club this past season but batted only .230. He's a .260 career hitter in eight seasons in the Majors. <<

http://tinyurl.com/69ac4z

If he had eight seasons in the Majors he would be a free agent. So someone is counting his Minor League years.

http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/mlb/dodgers/

Bases Empty

359ab
20runs
85hits
20hr
20rbi

Volume

Plaschke does not like Charlie Weis.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke26-2008nov26,0,5081841.column

Wow, the McCourts don't seem to want to pay for free agents now.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers26-2008nov26,0,1102785.story

11,
No, thats right, he's played parts of every season in the Majors since 2001. In '01, he only played in 15 games. Then in '02 he only played in 20. He was in the minors for most of that time but became a full-time regular in '03 (When he won ROY... somehow). He was also sent down to the minors for practically all of '07 (only played in 9 MLB games) and the first half of '08. Then we picked him up.

Are they really using charity as an excuse? Because that is what it sounds like to me.

Also Jamie McCourt has this nugget to say.

"I think, oddly enough, maybe if things weren't guaranteed, then we could pay for it," she said. "If people can't play anymore, it's like, 'Oh well, see ya.' Different story. Whatever money they are guaranteed could be money that we could otherwise have given to community."

I... I don't know how to respond to that other than complete astonishment.

Sure, in the big picture, contributing tangible assets to a community is certainly more important than acquiring a ballplayer.

As someone who just got his renewal notice for his season tickets, I am happy that the Dodgers are trying to do something more than just win ballgames.

Sure, in the big picture, contributing tangible assets to a community is certainly more important than acquiring a ballplayer.

As someone who just got his renewal notice for his season tickets, I am happy that the Dodgers are trying to do something more than just win ballgames.

The Dodgers' payroll for next season has yet to be set, with McCourt explaining that it was important to maintain flexibility during an economic downturn

"We don't have a crystal ball," McCourt said. "I'm not smart enough to tell you how it's going to play out. Ned (Colletti) would love President-elect Obama to tell him exactly what's going to happen so I can in turn."

Excuse me while I throw up.

Can I now please get back the money that I just spent on my Dodger game tickets for the upcoming season? If I wanted to give that money to the community I would have done so myself.

Prediction - The McCourts are in big trouble.

Odds on Maza being our starting SS?

http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/mlb/dodgers/

They're asking "fans" to tell them whether it's more important to pay for a high-priced free agent or to build 50 urban ballfields???

If they want to build 50 urban ballfields, they should do it with their own money, meaning not the daily operating revenues of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the checks made out to Mr. and Mrs. McCourt as salary, dividends, bonuses or however they compensate themselves. Perhaps if they started a 50-ballfields foundation and asked me for a donation, I would cough one up. But to ask me as a fan if I'm willing to see the revenue I bring into the Dodgers be diverted away from the team and the fan's experience is an insulting and disingenuous guilt trip. Building youth ballparks or any other charitable activity is one outcome of running a profitable business. It is not, however, the reason the business exists.

What if you went into a department store to buy a jacket and after showing you the jacket, the salespersons said, "would you rather pay $200 for the jacket, or wouldn't you feel better about yourself if you just gave me the $200 and I could donate it to a charity of my choice? If you just buy the jacket, that's your right, but everyone will think less of you." My answer would be: Fine. I won't buy the jacket. But you also can't have my $200. I'll donate it to a charity of my choice. Or maybe I'll buy another jacket in another store.

The worst thing I can say about the McCourt's tactic: Not even Donald Stirling would do this. All those years he underinvested in the Clippers, he never told the fans that he was doing it for the sake of his charities. He just let us all think he was a cheap miser. The McCourts want to keep their money and be admired for it.

Rule 5 stays my hand here. But if this becomes a pattern, I might get a lot less interested in this team. I don't mind lousy baseball, but I don't want to be insulted.

And whatever you think of them, they have done more than Fox did when they own the team whether it be providing scholarships to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, their cure cancer foundation and the Dodger foundation which is partnering with another corporation to fund building ballparks.

If this was Arte Moreno talking about this, the take would be Arte is straight talking, with the McCourts, it is like they are hiding aces in their sleeves.

And I don't think its fair but its everyone elses right to disagree with me.

Either way, its just insulting, considering we put so much time, energy, money, and love into this team

happy birthday Jon

I always remember seeing her on TV and at the games in person, she always seemed to be enjoying herself and definitely loved the Dodgers. She was known by many as the Dodgers number 1 fan. It is a shame she couldn't have been alive to see Obama inaugurated. The Bradley effect was talked about much in the past 6 months, and I will always remember seeing it first hand when I assisted Jon Brooks from KFWB on the night we all though Tom Bradley was going to be elected governor-and make history and ended up losing to Dukemajiaen.(sp)

RIP Ethel, we know you will always be rooting for the Dodgers!

Either baseball matters or it doesn't--if it doesn't, the McCourts spent an awful lot of money buying something trivial.

Sure they should devote some of their profits to community activities. Even better is to use their massive publicity power to inspire and organize community giving, harnessing the fans' compassion and commitments to a better world.

But, as with any other business, their business is their business. Tiffany sells jewelry. The Dodgers are baseball team. Before you can do anything else, you have to get that right.

If they don't think they can make money from investing in a given player, don't pay him. I don't expect them not to have a budget or to be discriminating in how they spend their money.

But to ask paying customers to give the McCourts leave to forego efforts to field the best possible team in the name of their pet charity is a form of moral bullying. I mean, the answer is obvious in a way. Of course the world would be better off if the Dodgers didn't exist, IF that meant every kid in the inner cities could play on a great ballfield. But that choice doesn't exist in the real world.

Here's the choice the McCourts could present to the fans. What's Manny or CC worth to you, fans? Are you sure that, in a recession, you'll really come that much more often? You'll watch more games on TV? So, how much are you willing to pay for that premium player. Is it worth $20 more per ticket? $50 more? I wouldn't try to ascertain that in an unscientific newspaper poll, but it would be interesting to get some answers from people. Is Manny worth a higher ticket price?

Especially the (Southern) California world.

A disastrous PR move by the McCourts, no matter what the real case. I think with the current downturn, salaries could go down for ballplayers, despite decades of evidence to the contrary. And the owners could accomplish this without collusion if they just sheathed a bit of their greed. Of course the Yanks didn't help that fantasy by immediatley offering a 6 year 140mil contract.

I also loved Frank's answer to spring training tickets prices in light of the economy. "And keep in mind," Frank added, "there's also going to be the berm seating at the ballpark," referring to tickets to sit in the grass behind the outfield fences, which will cost $8 or $10, depending on the game.

Would it not be hilarious if Manny, after forcing Boston to give up two $20,000,000 option years, wind up getting $15,000,000 a year for 2 years?

I always root for that kinda scenario.

Add in the economic uncertainty and everything goes out the window. Everyone is being a little more cautious, and the fact that McCourt might be cautious, too, isn't a sign of anything at all. If he bites on CC, but -- and this is just an example; I don't have any particular knowledge of the situation -- later faces a margin call on some other investments that he can only meet by selling the team, well, that doesn't do him any good.

So I'll lay off the McCourts, except that this charity-or-CC thing burns my buttons. It's disingenuous, false, tricky, foolish, stupid, and clumsy.

On the other hand, my own credibility is shot here, because my tickets for 2009 are already bought and paid for.

Shoot, you're probably too young to get the reference.

Anyway, happy birthday, amigo...thanks for being the C-Span and NPR of sports writing :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYsOf_AtkCU (SFW)

Then regfairfield comes along and says something about how good the player is on defense or something and how Win Shares or whatever says he's worth the $7 million a year he's getting paid.

Who will pitch more in 2009? Both are injury risks and I think both will perform roughly the same.

Although the allure of RJ's 300 win will maybe get the dodgers more revenue.

Stan from Tacoma

Salaries are outrageous, more so given the state of the economy, but Manny and Raffy had better years than the President. While the exorbitant spending needs to be reigned in, I'm not sure that Raffy and Manny are the contracts where Ned should dig his heels in. Schmidt and Pierre come to mind...Manny got the job done. Raffy's back is problematic to be sure, but he sure made a hell of a comeback this year, he's only 31, and appears to be in good shape(how about that Andruw?).There are too many questions up the middle to let Raffy get away. Sign him and you can concentrate more on other infield needs. Manny...shirt sales alone...come on. Pitching is problematic and I wonder if a different pitching coach is in order...just thinking out loud.

In a vacuum, sure, Jack Wilson isn't a terrible player, but when you have Hu and Izturis is a free agent, there's no reason to go after him.

http://tiny.cc/iIuoH

I assume you're talking about defense, because (hard as it may be to believe) it looks like Pierre is actually a better hitter.

So I assume it's normal, then, to feel loads of angst about turning 40? Because I certainly have been. "Oh woes me, I haven't finished all the things on my Must Do/Be By 40 Checklist! I am a failure" etc. That kind of thing? It comes in waves. But right now I'm in that "it's just a number" mindset. If I should survive, thankyoucomeagain.

Anyway, happy bday and happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Jamie McCourt is in the press talking about building 50 youth fields.

Yikes. We can't sign top FA's, we can't hold onto stud prospects, we can't get value out of stud prospects, we can't sign a Kyle Blair type in the draft, we have a crap GM who thought Juan Pierre was a good deal at 5/45, I mean why am I rooting for this team?

Is there anybody other then CC that we would be comfortable losing our number one pick for? If Frank really wants to save money he could sign one of those Type A relief pitchers and skip the bonus he'd have to pay the 1st round pick. I think we used to call that a Sabean Special.

http://tinyurl.com/6jvu5w
http://tinyurl.com/5cbkxb

Loathed is a strong word...I didn't realize Torre had fostered such ill will.

But she has to know how those comments will sound, and the ability to invest in charities is contingent on the success of the Dodgers.

Maybe this was the wrong investment for the McCourts?

Avoiding known injury risks, sure, but that quote makes it sound like we don't want to commit to anyone. It's not like Schmidt and Jones were hurt all the time before they came here.

We are looking at priorities within this economy, and we may be headed the direction of fielding a homegrown team, so we will have more money to work with in 2010.

I would be okay with that straightforward answer.

Exactly.

I just hope that if the Dodgers dont sign CC/Manny/Tex/Dunn/Furcal/Lowe...that they dont sign anyone of lesser value. Just go with kids in 2009.

Has Jeff Kent announced his retirement yet?

That is what I thought we were going to do last year.

C- .276/.376/.391 (103 OPS+)
1B- .292/.344/.458 (109 OPS+) -1 defense
2B- .281/.340/.419 (98 OPS+) -12 defense
SS- .244/.310/.367 (77 OPS+) +6 defense
3B- .245/.321/.376 (83 OPS+) +10 defense
LF- .300/.371/.445 (113 OPS+) -5 defense
CF- .236/.301/.358 (73 OPS+) -2 defense
RF- .315/.373/.537 (136 OPS+) -18 defense

I think it's safe to assume C, 1B are pretty sure bets to be better this year. 3B is I think at worst the same with a lot of real upside possibility assuming DeWitt gets the job. Our OF trio last year combined for a line of .284/.348/.448 (OPS+ 108) and -25 on defense. If we don't sign an OF'er Andruw Jones could be the make or break point of the season, if he's right, could that trio match that line of 108 OPS+ or come close? Probably, and it's reasonable to expect the OF defense to be much much better. Now, to adress our other holes SS and 2B. A full season of Hu, would be better the +7 number on defense. He should destroy that number, just a question if he can come close to the 77 OPS+ number. Now to 2B, sign Orlando Hudson maybe? If you do that's a massive upgrade at 2B, his offense will probably be better than the 98 OPS+ number and his defense would probably be at least 20 plays better than what we had last year. So, with signing just Orlando Hudson there is a very real possibility to expect a team to score more runs and play better defense than last year.

Happy Birthday, Jon!