ESPN's Buster Olney says the Brewers have agreed to terms with Hoffman on a one-year deal with an option

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view -- I was kind of neutral), you don't have to add:

o Dodgers sign RP Trevor Hoffman.

>>ESPN's Buster Olney says the Brewers have agreed to terms with Hoffman on a one-year deal with an option.<<

Or what D4P boldly stated.

1 boldly went where no one had gone before.

I'm very happy about the Hoffman news. I want Broxton to be our closer next year.

Whew!

I want Broxton to be our closer next year

I'm sure Ned's not done looking for a Proven Closer™. Which raises the question: who's left out there for Ned to be interested in?

You know that "Dodgers sign Dennys Reyes" is the next bit of news to come though, right? Just preparing you. But at least he's cheaper than TH, a lefty, and more innocuous. I'm fully prepared!

Reyes isn't terrible. He looks like a major groundball pitcher who Ks a fair number of hitters and doesn't give up a lot of HRs, but does issue a lot of free passes.

Reyes could do very well at handing out free passes to Universal Studios.

7 Brandon Lyon and Saito.

http://tinyurl.com/8ywjos

This Hoffman stuff is like a roadshow production of Furcal: The Musical.

Anyway, MLB.com tops its story with an update that says they got confirmation from Hoffman's agent.

7
His stated priorities going in were the infield, Manny, and starting pitching. Why are we going so hard after bullpen arms when we need as many as two starters.

With Sheets, Wolf, Pettite, Perez, and Looper left, why aren't we making a run after those guys as opposed to Dennys Reyes and Trevor Hoffman?

10:24am: Tom Haudricourt says Hoffman gets $6MM in '09 with $1.5MM in incentives, plus the 2010 club option.

Too rich for my blood.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/37271094.html

I woke up at 4:30 this morning after having a very real dream. I'm not sure if I was Boras, Manny, Ned or a bug on the wall, but the conversation ended with an agreement for two years at 22.5M and a third year at 20.5M and I remember something about number of AB had to be 500 each season, but I'm not sure if that was a clause or not.

Thank you Brewers.

The A's are among a few teams looking at free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera, according to league sources.

I thought the A's liked good players? Then again, this is Heyman reporting.

http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/hot_stove/posts/38941

in a perfect world K/Guo would be our closer...

17 According to fangraphs Orlando Caberra was worth on average 3.45 WAR the last 4 years.

18 In a perfect elbow he would be the closer. We could gloss him Status-Kuq since the score would be the same before and after he entered the game.

18 - In a more perfect world Kuo would be a starter.

18, 20 - Closing would probably be the best thing for Kuo if you're worried about his elbow.

18 in a more perfect world Kuo would be a starter.

Is there any chance we would try to work something out with Saito or is he long gone?

I am having a hard time imagining Saito anywhere else...this is purely emotional for me, I know.

24
If John Smoltz can sign with Boston, you can handle Saito pitching elsewhere too.

22 - It seems that Torre felt otherwise, no? Didn't he deem it necessary to rest Kuo at least 3-4 days between appearances and then make sure that he used him if he warmed up and if he didn't use him to rest him for 2-3 days before putting him back on the mound? You are saying that a more consistent use of Kuo would be a better approach to dealing with the elbow issue?

25

It's the idea of Saito signing with Boston that is the hardest for me.

Bob, do you happen to know the history of the "no overnight parking" rule in Pasadena from 2-6am?

I was just about to ask Bob the history of the outrageous parking fees at the library.

I think Boston has an exemption of a 35 man roster with all of these free agents. Baldelli too?

The Red Sox signing Penny made sense, since Penny's still in his prime & just 1yr removed from a very good season.

Signing Smoltz doesnt make much sense though,especially since Smoltz couldnt start in Atlanta due to injuries. He sure isnt going to take over Papelbon's spot. That one is baffling.

Broxton as closer: This is what I remember. First pitch, ball 1. Second pitch, ball 2. He might have done a lot of positive things, but whenever he comes in, this is what I remember. Call it selective memory.

21

actualy, in a perfect world Gagne would still be closing for us (serca when he was good) & Mike Piazza would have never left the Dodgers...

32

I will be happy to see Broxton get the chance to be the full-time closer

22 -- I disagree. Kuo got hurt last year after moving to a set-up role, after Saito's injury. Kuo has had, over his career, TWO stretches of significant length in which he has been highly effective, 2005 in Jacksonville and last year. Both times he was pitching in the bullpen, two or three innings at a time, with three or four days rest between appearances. He is too fragile to pitch on back to back days, like a closer or set-up man has to do.

I'd love it if they could find a way to bring Saito back. For his sake, I hope he's not done. I've really rooted for him the past few years and always enjoyed watching him pitch quite a bit.

yahoo reports that the Braves are targeting Derek Lowe now. Their first rounder is protected.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ge-lowesmoltz010809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

32 -- Yes, selective memory. Sure, his control could be better, but it isn't that bad, and he piles up K's while giving up very few HR's. Honestly, with the standards some people think a Dodger closer just HAS to meet, you'd think they never heard of Jeff Shaw.

28
Don't know the history of overnight parking rules in Pasadena, but many of the cities in the San Gabriel Valley have similar restrictions. It's been that way for over 20 years. I would assume restrictions on overnight parking were put in to: 1) create a disincentive for people building apartment buildings that were too big and 2) keep the less than savory from parking all night outside of nice homes

• Heard this: Brad Ausmus might sign with the Padres, but he could have a chance to make more money with the Dodgers, so he will wait for them.

Er... not that Ausmus wouldn't be the worst signing in the world, but why?

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3818161&name=olney_buster

29
The library doesn't own the lot. It's owned by the Maguire Partners people.

I can recite much of this page in my sleep:
http://www.lapl.org/central/parking.html

We don't have access to Saito's medical records but the Dodgers probably have a good reason for not re-opting him, I understand the reasoning behind it especially because of the Schmidt-Jones thing.

37 - In other news, CNN's Female Staff Predator Alert has been moved to ORANGE.

43 I don't think Carolyn Hughes would like her husband to cheat on her.

40 Because the Dodgers must have a veteran backup catcher. Didn't you know? That's the law.

Honestly, if that is the case, then just bring back Danny Ardoin again. He was adequate. Though I understand they are promising to give Martin more days off next season so maybe they want someone with a better bat.

I say give AJ Ellis a shot.

Järvenpää, Finland
Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
Mishima, Japan
Vanadzor, Armenia
Xicheng District, Beijing, China
Tangier, Morocco

I was not aware that these are the international "sister cities" of Pasadena

46
They're all listed in a little garden across the street from Pasadena City Hall.

I learned this when I was on a scavenger hunt for some librarian team-building exercise. It was loads of fun to tromp all over Pasadena in 100 degree weather.

43
Prediction: Derek Lowe leaves Carolyn Hughes for Christiane Amanpour.

This would involve Ms. Amanpour leaving her husband too.

But I would really like to listen to a discussion between the two.

Without other clubs bidding against the Dodgers for Manny, the only way for Boras to try to get McCourt (forget Colletti, Boras has made it clear several times he prefers to deal with owners) to up the ante to more years than we want is to keep holding out until there are no more alternate hitters out there to go to. So at what point does Colletti call chicken by announcing that he is going to sign Dunn or some other hitter the next day? If the Dodgers go for someone else, Boras/Manny will end up having to settle for much, much less with some other team. Everyone loses. But if the Dodgers don't make a move, there will be no one else out there as an alternate bat and we either have to take Manny for too many years or get no big bat at all. How long does this game of chicken go on?

39 Or 3) To allow for street sweeping and 4) to identify abandoned cars.

http://cityofpasadena.net/trans/parking/

47 - Feuding librarian gangs roam Pasadena!

44 - Neither did the woman to whom Lowe was married when he began seeing Carolyn Hughes.

49 What good is making that play if you are not going to back it up and sign that player?

51
My team did not win. I was quite disappointed.

48 Would that involve Derek Lowe discussing ballplayer rendition?

35 In that case, would having Kuo start be reasonable? In that case Kuo would pitch more innings (obviously) but he would also have more rest? If not, what role would you like to see Kuo in?

41 So if I park there after 9:30, and I stay for 90+ minutes, and I don't visit the library, then I pay $36.50. Amazing.

51 Both Lowe and Hughes claim that their affair started when both of their marriages were doomed. I do not know why I know this.

Why are we going so hard after bullpen arms when we need as many as two starters?

For one, signing a bullpen arm might enable us to begin the season with McDonald in the starting rotation. Additionally, it could result in Elbert beginning the season in the minors, working on his stamina so that he could theoretically join the rotation later in the year (or in 2010).

I feel strongly that we will still be adding a starting pitcher. There are still too many out there for me to think otherwise.

52 Yes, that's what it would most likely come to, since you can't count on Boras falling for it. Do the Dodgers want to wait until all the other big hitters are gone, so there's only Manny left? That's Boras' best chance to hope McCourt will cave in and take Manny for four years in the hope that he can trade him away to an AL team later on, rather than have the Dodgers end up with no big bat at all. Otherwise they have to give up on Manny and take Dunn before he's gone too, with only a much slighter chance that Boras will cave in at that point and offer 3 years - not very likely. Probably we'd end up with Dunn, Manny would sit around until June or so and then some other team would get him for less. So the practical choice is soon becoming - Dunn, or Manny for too many years.

56
Welcome to the big city. I could probably find some parking rates in Manhattan that would be far worse.

I feel strongly that we will still be adding a starting pitcher. There are still too many out there for me to think otherwise.

The scary part for me is that we'll pick a pitcher like Oliver Perez where we have to give up a first rounder, and doesn't pitch well at all for the Dodgers.

I think only The Huncharm of Taiwan and his doctor know what's best for him in terms of what role is best for his elbow/arm.
vr, Xei

60 I love big cities. I also love small college towns. Parking is one of the main things I hate about big cities. Lack of things to do is one of the main things I hate about small college towns. What I need is a small college town with good public transportation to a big city, which has a convenient subway system for getting around the city.

Or I can just blame Bob for any troubles I have when visiting L.A.

I love it when Xeifrank is funny.

http://tigers-thoughts.blogspot.com/2008/12/edwin-jacksons-prospect-history.html

A bit old, but Eddie at Detroit Tigers Thoughts talks about the History of Edwin Jackson.

63
The supply of good parking spaces in Downtown L.A. comes nowhere near the demand for it. There are lots of public transportation options to get to the library. It's in between two subway stops.

I think my employer is much more understanding about parking than the McCourts.

Dodgers need a starting pitcher, so why not Jake Peavy?

Trade Andruw Jones + Bag of Balls

Juan Pierre with Dodgers picking up this years salary.

60 2007 Typical parking rates (Daily / Monthly, in U.S. dollars) (published in June 2008):

London, City - $64/day/$1198 per month
Tokyo - $84/day/$702 per month
Sydney - $46/day/$688 per month
Midtown Manhattan - $42/day/$630 per month
Moscow - $50/day/$620 per month
Paris - $36/day/$324 per month
Munich - $27/day/$314 per month

66 UCLA raised its daily fee to $9, which might not be bad if you were there for than 2 hours to watch a basketball game.

61 I used to think that Oliver Perez was too rich for our blood, but with the way the free agent market has been crashing, I wouldn't rule it out. With Perez, I'd worry more about the "doesn't pitch well" part than the first rounder, as he is capable of being a top of the rotation pitcher. I'm thinking he's too much of a risk for our suddenly risk-averse upper management, but if his price continues to Burrell . . .

68 I have been fortunate that every job I had included parking but if I worked downtown, I would walk a lot to avoid paying to park in some of those buildings.

69
When I was a UCLA student, the daily fee was $3. That was from 1983-87.

But UCLA should charge a lot more to park because it should discourage people from driving there.

USC charges $8 to park at the Galen Center.

63

Santa Barbara has great parking

66 Given that a tourist won't want to be checking out materials, is the Central Library otherwise worth visiting, in terms of architecture, book browsing, or any other criteria? Should I put it on my list of things to do with the kids next time I'm in town?

72 You can park for free at UCLA or USC, provided you are a member of my church. Both places have a church lot adjacent to campus.

74 - Be careful, to actually get your parking validated it is not enought to just visit the library, one has to present a library card for LA.

All this talk about the Assistants Nine made me think of the Fellowship of the Ring, which features a group of nine individuals united for a common cause: winning a championship ring [or destroying an evil one--I forget]. If you want to know which member of the nine you most resemble, take this quiz:

http://www.geocities.com/mydigitalview/lotr_person.html

74
There certainly are plenty of tourists who come by. And they speak many languages.

And there are four Starbucks within one block of the library!

78

That reminds me of when we searched cafe/diner in my brother GPS in Vegas. The first 20 entries all within .2 miles of each other were Starbucks'.

77 Somehow I don't picture myself as a female with "Spock" ears

Hoffman signed with the Crew?

Thank you, Jesus.

I'm Gandalf

When I worked for Parking Services at UCLA parking was $6. While there I met (or sold parking to) Dennis Quaid, Jermaine O'Neil, Taylor Negron (biggest jerk ever), Andre Agassi, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Magic Johnson, and Clint Eastwood, amoung others. By far, the most interesting thing was that Clint Eastwood drove a beat-up early 90's Blazer, something like this:

http://tinyurl.com/9ejt36

83 My buddy goes to UCLA and he also worked at the parking lot there. He met a bunch of famous people too. It seems like a cool part time job.

Anyone know anything about LHP Jacobo Meque? He's one of the players invited to the Dodgers winter conditioning program, and the one name I was clueless about.

66 The LA Metro system is surprisingly good and thankfully cheap as well. A fact I would have never known had it not been for the Dodgers Trolley system last season.

77 LOL, I'm Frodo. Love the quiz. It's timely because this offseason, I am listening to the BBC radio version of the Lord of the Rings. I am currently on Disc 09 of 13. Frodo and Sam have run into Faramir, Gandalf and Pippin are speeding to Minas Tirith, King Theoden is ready to ride to Gondor for war and Aragorn is leading Gimli and Legolas to the Path of the Dead.

I haven't read the books or seen the movies for at least 4 years now, so it's nice to catch up.

86 So long as you are not travelling to or from the Westside.

41 So does the city own the Library building?

84 My sister earned more than twice the minimum wage back in the day working as a parking attendant.

A friend said the only better job at UCLA is working at the Central Ticket Office.

But then that was back in '70s. When they had carved roast beef sandwiches at the Treehouse or whatever that place was called at Ackerman.

84 Sometimes the Playboy Mansion uses Lot 4 as a parking lot and shuttles people to the mansion from there. You can see some "interesting" outfits working there. It's a great part time job because you can study or read a large portion of the time. while being paid.

89
The City of L.A. owns the Central Library, but not all of the surrounding property. Some of that is owned by Maguire Partners. The city gave Maguire the air rights to build the big (tallest building on the West Coast) U.S. Bank Tower in exchange for funding to help renovate and expand the library.

Before the renovation there wasn't much parking before I was told.

92 Do you recall those sandwiches I mentioned in 90 ?

With all this Maguire Brothers talk, we've moved into six (or rather, two) degrees of separation territory.

Amazing - It seems to me that Maguire got the better end of that deal.

95
The library had been torched by TWO different arsonists. So the city of L.A. didn't exactly have the upper hand in negotiations.

If you're nice to me, I can get you parking for $1.60 a day.

96 Wow, I had never heard of that arson until today.

95 I actually forgot about that. Did you work there then?

75
I think so.

96 If I recall correctly, I was downtown that day at court and I saw the smoke and wondered what was burning.

I'll say up front that I have no verifiable alibi.

I can't remember where I saw it, but it seems Rocky Colavito fell of a cliff almost like Andruw's though at age 33.

98
http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/860429_CentralLibraryFire/042986_CentralLibrary.htm

99
No

Sorry if that was old news!

103 I was working downtown at court at that time, I believe Bob was wondering if UCLA was going to hire a new basketball coach.

105
I was getting ready to seek revenge on Scott Brooks for the NIT humiliation.

I hope Oklahoma wins tonight.

85 From a cursory look online, he appears to have bounced around a bit before landing with us. I had never heard of him and can't find anything akin to a scouting report. He did win the Southern League pitcher of the month in September last year. Here are his stats, etc.:

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/jacobo-meque.shtml

Bob was working at a LA library by the time of the Northridge quake. Bob, did you have a lot of restocking to do after that day?

103 That's a pretty remarkable web site for the depth of detail it has.

108 Correction: He won player of the week.

http://www.mlntherawfeed.com/minor-league-baseball/2008/9/3/andrew-lambo-and-jacobo-meque-named-southern-league-players.html

(tinyurl is blocked at my work!)

108 Huh, thanks. Intriguing, if not all that exciting.

--

Btw, this was pretty amusing -- the McCovey Chronicles "live blogs" (with tongue in cheek) the latest Manny rumors from the Giants' side:

http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2009/1/7/713427/live-blogging-the-manny-ra

109
I was working in Carson in 1994. Surprisingly, we had to be closed for a day, but not because books came off the shelf. However, the suspended ceiling tiles all fell down.

112 So have you recovered from your birthday hangovers?

112

That live blog was great

The last time I paid for Dodger tickets, they swept Arizona.

They know what I expect them to do now that I have finalized my season tix package.

116 - well, that's at least 81 wins, right?

117 How did you make out in Vegas? I have fight the itch to go down to Commerce and play.

82 and 83 made me laugh, though I'm pretty sure they weren't meant to be read with 83 as a reply.

Check that.

81 and 82 .

Though 83 was, I'm sure, funny on its merits.

do you mean 81 and 82 ?

Taylor Negron (biggest jerk ever)

Who?

93 I don't remember the sandwiches but I remember Treehouse (not that the question was directed at me). During my first couple years there I worked at the Cooperage, one floor below Treehouse in Ackerman. In fact, all the Treehouse employees came down to work at the Cooperage for a quarter when the renovated Treehouse.

That was good times (free food from work never hurts when you're a college student).

123 I believe the sandwiches stopped in the early '80s.

Braves CEO 'shocked' by Smoltz's decision

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2009/01/08/smoltz_red_sox.html

The Braves off season gets more hilarious.

114 {hic} Yep. The weeklong celebration has ended. And have so far {knock on wood} avoided getting sick, too.

{knock on wood}

{knock on fanerman}

124 Ah, that would explain it. I was there from '97-'01.

125 2008-09: When Terry McGuirk and Frank Wren turned into Captain Renault.

125 Why do I have this picture in my head of the Braves GM all huddled up in his bedroom with streaked mascara, eating ice cream straight from the carton and listening to Morrissey CDs at full volume?

Choosing more money over less tends not to shock me.

125

2.5 million is not close to 5 million

122 Taylor Negron, C list actor who was in Angels in the Outfield featuring Danny Glover! I was also once met Buzz Aldrin and his wife who was a little upset that I didn't recognize her husband. I'll stop throwing names out now.

By the way, is there a sporcle for "Name the Newspaper for each major U.S. City?"

For example, SF is "SF Chronicle", Boston is the "Boston Globe" or "Boston Herald", and so on...

Buzz Aldrin's wife scares me.

I know I am over thinking here, but why is the evil boy in "Unborn" not the same ages as his twin, or at least a fetus?

135 I was wondering why a fraternal twin would affect the other twin's genetic makeup. (i.e. the whole two colored eyes thing in the trailer) They're not from the same egg!

135 I wondered that, too. Either a fetus or the same age. Why is he like 10 years younger? Maybe spectral beings age differently.

135 136 137 Reminds me of a story.

My wife, before becoming the glamorous Astronomy Ph.D. that she is, was once a lowly graduate student in the Astronomy Department at UCLA.

It is these lowly peons that sometimes are forced to answer the telephone when writers are researching their ideas for Hollywood motion pictures.

Once, there was a call with the following conversation:

Hollywood Hack: "Hi, question for you. What if you made the earth stop spinning? Would everybody go flying off?"

Lowly Grad Student: "What?"

HH: (Repeats question)

LGS: You can't make the earth stop spinning.

HH: But if you could.

LGS: But you can't.

HH: Well, how can you make all the people on earth go flying off the planet?

LGS: You can't just turn off gravity.

HH: All right, thanksalot.

At the end of this coversation, the lowly grad student thought that Hollywood writers were, by and large, idiots, and the Hollywood Hack, I'm sure, thought that graduate students in science were closed-minded, inside-the-box, uncreative thinkers.

I will leave the final judgement up to the readers of Dodger Thoughts.

The Dodgers announced they have signed 15 players to minor league contracts and invited them to spring training, including Yhency Brazoban, who was recently non-tendered and removed from the 40-man roster.

YHENCY BRAZOBAN LIVES AGAIN.
http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/mlb/dodgers/

139 Ghame On!

139 The Ghame Isn't Over!

138 Hollywood hack should have asked why the earth keeps on spinning, and made a movie about that.

139 - Luis Maza and Mitch Jones live again, too, apparently!

143 Oh, the hilarity that will ensue when Mitch is assigned #25 in Spring Training.

138
Just another day on the job for me.

132 Bet you would have recognized Aldrin if he was in his ark :)

145 But you're no fun.

147
Somebody called me up yesterday and yelled at me wanting to know the answer to her question:

She wanted to know what the time of day was.

138 Wow, Bride of Kavula is an Astronomy PHD?
That is so cool!

Some of my best classroom time was spent in the observatory at El Camino (and, no, it's no UCLA). And, come to think of it, some of my best non classroom time was spent at Griffith Park. Laserium for $2.00 was an all time great deal.

I'm rooting for Mitch Jones, but it seems like the Dodgers aren't a good fit for him at all. Even assuming that the Dodgers do not sign an outfielder and do jettison His Airship, the Dodgers are still an injury away from Jones MAYBE getting called up (Ethier, Kemp, Pierre, Young, Repko all ahead of him). And I gotta say that I think that the Dodgers WILL sign an outfielder, Ramirez or Dunn or Abreu, which means that M. Jones would be two simultaneous injuries away from getting his shot in Chavez Ravine.

Is there any team out there that needs a fifth outfielder -- one who won't hit well enough to stick in the lineup but who has a ton of pop? Where's a good fit for the guy?

148 And you didn't know? I'm shocked, shocked I tell ya!

149 Indeed she is. I should note that she has abandoned the Ivory Tower in favor of the Military-Industrial Complex, though she is working exclusively on civil space programs.

Trainwreck -- were you regretting the demise of Melissa or Eugene.

For me, it was Eugene. Yes he wasn't the greatest cook. And he wasn't too good at seeing his own faults. But ever since the episode where they had to cook Thanksgiving in toaster ovens, and he made a smoker out of a hotel pan, he's been my fave.

Well, that and the tats, of course.

148
Sounds like the kinda person I wouldn't even give the time of day.

Mitch Jones just needs a September callup, and a plate appearance with the Dodgers 10 games up in the standings with 3 days left in the season.

Bill Simmons took 37 minutes on his podcast before he started talking about the Celtics. He spent more time on Atlanta Hawk trade talks.

Mayor Bloomberg's office reportedly cut a deal with the Yankees allowing 250 more parking spaces and three additional billboards at their new stadium in exchange for a luxury suite, complete with free food and access to post-season games

Heh.

152 If that doesn't work out, there's always Virgin Galactic!

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

John Lindsey Watch: With the Mazatlan team, in 156 AB .256/.371/.481; 8 dingers and 34 whiffs.

161 It's Where Are They Now: Unlikely Outfielder Edition on DT!

153
Eugene was my favorite on the show, but I knew he would lose soon.

Now Leah is my favorite left.

LA Observed reports Steve Dilbeck, among others, laid off at Daily News.

I hope Tony Jackson put a lot of money down on that house in Camelback Ranch.

Parking Space Talk: sign of a REALLY slow MLB offseason.

[meant to say "Parking Space Thoughts"]

This is a hungery group, which made a small snack out of Trevor yesterday.

People are downplaying the Dodgers signing of Val Pascucci to a minor league deal.

Vin loved to say his full name Valentino Martin Pascucci

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3819409

Any chance Ned looks at Glavine?

If you all watched Top Chef we could be talking about that instead.

Bill Simmons spent 5 minutes arguing about the Andrew Bynum extension today on his podcast. While I agree with the idea of paying someone $58M who has not yet played even half a season of consistent basketball, in a league where the average salary is somewhere between 6-7 million a year, I can't argue with the Lakers getting a good deal.

169 Can you save me the time it takes for me to look at my watch and tell me what time is it?

173
Or you could just look at the time stamp after you comment.

But does anybody really know what time it is?

Does anybody really care?

If so, I can't imagine why.

Good luck getting that song out of your head.

169 That can't be good news to the John Lindsey marching and chowder society.

136 137

I was also trying to figure out why he looked like he belongs in the 1800's or in some old timer photo from Knotts Berry Farm

I am really tempted to call the library now to ask for the time

I didn't know what time it was
then I met you...
Oh, what a lovely time it was
how sublime it was, too...

I have a friend that does not believe in time.

177
I have a YouTube video cued up and ready.

I have a friend that does not believe in time

Is his name Hootie...?

180

Loud n Clear?

I watch Top Chef and yes, was also disappointed he was "knifed." I liked his interesting takes and attempts to integrate asian and islander methods and tastes into his creations. some worked, others not.

In the future?
In the past?
Aren't we always here and now?
That's what time it is baby.

I found it funny how many times Eugene used the word creative to try to save himself.

Eenteresting...

From ESPN, via MLBTR:

>>According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, Dodgers assistant GM Logan White watched free agent starter Kris Benson long-toss today. Benson will work out for other clubs soon. Benson had rotator cuff surgery in March of 2007, and was not able to pitch effectively for the Phillies in '08.<<

Benson could be a bargain if he came back to form, or he could be much worse than Jason Schmidt.

Woo hoo!! Anna Benson.

Anna Benson doesn't do it for me anymore. I feart she's might have taken a Britney Spears turn.

Has anybody even seen her in the last two years?

135 et al - time is different in other dimensions, that's what every movie I've ever seen dealing with that issue says, so the dead kid aged more slowly. The different colored eyes thing messes me up though, that's just sloppy writing, unless there is some sort of unknown exchange of genetic material.

138 - don't knock hack writing. it has produced some of the best movies in the last 30 years.

Is she still playing poker? This is just goofy...

http://www.annabenson.net/gold_digger.htm

but apparently she had some success in that world.

179 - of all the crazy things I have heard people believe about time (and even some of the crazy things I believe about time), I have to say that not believing in time might be the craziest thing I've heard in quite a time.

188 Yeah, but with Alyssa Milano getting engaged, we're suddenly in need of depth in the team sexpot department. I think Anna Benson would fill that role nicely.

Too bad she comes in a package deal with her husband.

193 - but Anna Benson is already married. plus, there's still time to derail Alyssa's wedding and have her ride off into the sunset on the back of my motorcycle, right?

I don't like the typical sexy baseball wives as much. I wish someone on the Dodgers would marry Sarah Polley or Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Oops, Jon is making us all speak up boldly again. Bringing this conversation back full circle.

193 Can we vote on this? If our starting celebrity rotation includes 97 year old Mary Hart, we may be forced to accept that package deal.

190

Did the preview mention him being in another dimension with a different time? And why is he wearing antiquated clothing?

Everyone in the Dark Knight talking about how beautiful Maggie Gyllenhaal's character was, was the least believable part of that movie.

171- I watched and cant believe they didnt kick off Carla. She's my most least favorite.

At this point, I'll be shocked if Fabio doesnt win. He has the best charisma on the show, and generally reality show winners need that more than actual skills.

If it was just skills, Stefan would probably win but they've painted him as the villain.

200 Previous Top Chef winners who were villains, Ilan, and Hung.

The Indians looked at Benson and Pavano and choose Pavano. Do we need any more information?

Anna and Kris Benson are not currently together. They may still be married but are definitely separated.

I thought Tom made an excellent point about what Eugene did to that fish, which looked beautiful when he bought it. I wanted to like him, but he was cooking on a very low technical level and seemingly without a lot of spice/heat, which could have been his saving grace.

201- I'm just glad Lisa didnt win last year. Her getting all the way to the finals almost ruined the show for me.

I believe the producers make them not kick of Carla just because of all the randomly ridciulous yet tv-genic things she says.

I am not so psyched she is my civic representative.

If I could plan a challenge, I would have Richard from last season come back and they would all have to cook stuff using his chemistry gear and whatnot.

Anna Benson Thoughts is so much nicer than Parking Spot Thoughts.

201
Ilan was not really a villain, unless of course, you actually liked Marcel.

I think Marcel was more of the villain that season.

kick off Carla

207 Leading an assault, and getting another contestant kicked off the show is pretty villainous. Claiming another contestant he was gay, trying to disparage another contestant's food in front of the judges, trying to start a fight, and then trying to lead a call of sabotage is pretty damn villainous.

Of course this happened to Marcel, but I'm not even a Marcel fan, I thought Sam should have won, and got jobbed by Tom because of some innane notion of cooking/non-cooking.

Ilan did not really lead the Marcel head-shaving incident. That was Cliff and Sam.

I do think Elia or Sam should have won. Ilan just cooked the same thing over and over.

I read today that Macy's is closing 11 stores, including one in Los Angeles. Which one? I wondered.

It is the one in Ernst & Young Plaza.

I have no idea where that is.

Ah! Seventh and Figueroa. I know where that is. Didn't know it was called Ernst & Young Plaza.

165 I hope Tony Jackson put a lot of money down on that house in Camelback Ranch.

Tony Jackson is due back from vacation tomorrow. So I guess we'll have to start a Tony Jackson Column Watch.

211

And they just remodeled the one in Pasadena (on Lake)

214 The Los Angeles location has 136 employees -- the most of any closing location.

Two closing locations have three employees -- a Macy's at Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and one at Century III Furniture and Clearance in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

Which makes me wonder: how do you have a Macy's with just three employees?

215 Sounds like a Best Buy.

From MLB.com's Hot Stove report:

Dodgers reaffirm interest in Manny

>>Despite reports claiming that Manny Ramirez may prove to be too costly for the Dodgers, general manager Ned Colletti said Thursday that the club still has interest in the free-agent slugger.
"We want Manny, and Manny knows it," Colletti told the Los Angeles Times. "We'll just keep talking and see if something can't be worked out."

Colletti and Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, have reportedly been talking since Friday about the 36-year-old left fielder.<<

So, uhhh, why don't we attempt to sign Lowe now?

I know it's a colloquialism, but Colletti means "see if something can be worked out".

We should have a pool: Guess the contract Manny ends up with. Win... what, I don't know. A poster of Anna Benson.

My prediction:
He signs with LA for 3 years, 70 mil.

Maybe with a club option though I'm not predicting that.

217 That just sounds like weaseling,IMO.

218 Dodgers paid under 10 million a year for Lowe's services. Something tells me that they don't want to pay more than they did for Lowe the last time.

I'm Galadriel! Cool.

Perhaps a little late, but everything you need to know about Anna Benson...

http://www.annabensonworld.com/

everything you need to know

I assume you mean "to know" in a Biblical sense.

50 They don't clean the same street daily and how many cars were otherwise owned to be abandoned in 1950? Proof once again that the love of money makes truth its first casualty.

225 Of course

OK, UCLA-speaking peoples, you have set me off!

Yep, Daniel, I parked for free for 3 terns at the Mormon Institute of Religion on Hilgard across from campus... don't know if that is the church you mentioned, of course, it was conditional on taking a course there. I think my 3rd course ended not long after Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults started coming with me to class (no offense). I've parked in just about every lot before and since then, including the dorm lots when I used to buy the meal plan but commute. Definitely I was on the Bob Hope memorial Lot 32 graduation timeline.

Sure, French Dip sandwiches in the Co-Op or Treehouse maybe, but #1 favorite was the Walter Wheat Bunny from North Campus (where I worked when it was only a trailer and before Walter was born) - gnarly wheat bread, peanut butter, banana, honey and walnuts. A real gobstopper!

I'm sure working in parking or CTO was more lucrative, but working in the Chem department was vastly more exciting during certain incidents, er, times.

On a visiting L.A. note:
The downtown library is well worth seeing for its nifty architectural bits and/or you catch it as part of a downtown L.A. walking tour that covers a lot of architectural coolness including Disney Hall, the new cathedral, etc.

228 3 quarters, not 3 seabirds

219 - Well, he'll see either way, won't he.

It's not as bad as if he had said, "We'll try and sign Manny" instead of "We'll try to sign Manny." Or the infamous "I could care less."

I'm as guilty as the next guy or gal of dropping a racy comment here or there as the case may warrant, but I think Dodger Thoughts After Dark is going to lose its guilty pleasure appeal, and more importantly the comments here will become a good deal less universally welcoming, if the hot chix references keep up at quite the pace they've been running the last few days.

Just one old guy's opinion.

Delete ten friends from your Facebook, get a free Whopper.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10136679-36.html

Fantasy baseball question.

I'm thinking about ranking all players based on position compared to league average. For example, if the league average 2B hits 10 HR's and Marcel projects DeWitt to hit 15, than he would score 150 in the HR category (15/10*100, kind of like how OPS+/ERA+ is calculated.) It seems logical to me to see how players rank when looking at all categories combined. My concern is some of our pitching catergories include, CG and SHO (which are very rare.) Of the 55 SP I ranked I came to the average SP getting 1.1 CG and 0.4 SHO. If you take a player like CC who is likely to get 2 SHO's that would score him at 500 for SHO's and basically make him and other pitchers who get lots of CG and SHO's far and away the most valuable players in the league. Is there a flaw in this line of thinking? The "vets" in our league always say the good SP's don't go the 2nd round.

The real elite pitchers go in the first round usually, like Santana and Randy Johnson used to.

232 The whopper is not your friend.

Does it make any sense that just because CC will get you 2 CG SHO's over the course of an entire season that would make him the most valuble player in the league because it's 5x better than league average?

Among the newsroom cuts at the Daily News are the editorial cartoonist Patrick O'Connor and sports columnist Steve Dilbeck, both fixtures in L.A. media.

I'm not the biggest Daily News fan(L.A. Times just covers so much more area.) But this still sucks.

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/01/daily_news_layoffs_oconno.php

Not unless CGs are worth a ton of points in your league. Your league seems very high scoring.

232

I already deleted about 40 people that I added in the first week of Facebook. I called it the "Great Purge" of friends.

The best part is when I was at my high school reunion and some guy cussed at me for not accepting his friend request.

239
lol

239
So you not only missed the Dodgers' first playoff series win in 20 years, but you had to get yelled at as well? You, sir, are a trooper!

241

No, that was for my wife's college reunion...I am sad I missed that game, since I went to the one against the Phillies.

We were supposed to have a 5-year high school reunion in the fall or summer, but the people in charge were too lazy to arrange it.

Fits our class well.

243 My 5 year reunion could have been held at site of the old Picwood Theater/Bowling Lanes.

233 Almost every year there is one pitcher (usually Santana over the last few years) who is taken in the first round, and over the last three years Santana has only been worth a first round pick once. The thing is that you can stretch to take a great pitcher like CC who may be worthy of the first round, but relative to other starters that you can get in the fourth and fifth round there is not that big of a difference. Its sort of like why you shouldnt take a QB in the first round of fantasy football.

This was my 10 year and it was at a club in Redondo Beach. The music was so loud that you could only have surface conversations which required you to scream in the person's ear. I would be talking to someone, mention my wife, say something about her, look at my wife who was right next to us, and she would just nod and smile, not hearing any part of the conversation. Good times!

245 One year in a mixed league draft, my team got in no particular order, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens, I think I also picked up Manny Rivera. This was all in the first 6 picks.

My team lead for most of the year but then lost my 1 point in a batting average battle won on the last day of the season.

247 Sorry Mariano Rivera, see too much Manny on my mind.

Five year high school reunion... {mutter} {cry quietly to self}

--

But if you do go to your reunion, be the heppest cat at the dance with these new totally ludicrous iPod accessories, video glasses:
http://www.myvu.com/Gallery.aspx

Look like Geordy LaForge in a flash!

(Man, even Snoop Dog looks uncool with those.)

247 That was a hell of a staff! I've often seen guys in my leagues try to pick up all pitchers in the first few rounds, but I have yet to see it work, although I guess you proved it could work that year.

Darn, I'm going to miss the end of the BCS game tonight due to soccer.

Oh wait, I don't really care that much, never mind.

233. Points, Roto or H2H league?
vr, Xei

251 Where do you play?

249
Oh yeah, I did not wish you happy birthday.

Happy 40th, underdog. : )

Hehehe

Not a good week for Boston College. First they fire their football coach, and now their basketball team has lost to Harvard.

Harvard's first ever win against a ranked opponent.

254 = :-P But thanks!

253 - I'd like to say at the Home Depot Center, but in actuality it's here in San Fran, at a big new turf field on Geneva. Sometimes at USF. Good fields. Co-ed leagues. Nothing crazy. Fun. Even at my advanced age.

256 That's cool. I've been looking to get into some sort of league on weeknights, but I have not been able to find anything. I live in Santa Monica and know there are leagues here, but the teams always seem to be full by the time I inquire. Guess I will have to stick to baseball, softball and bball for now, but I really miss playing soccer

I should join a league, because I hate doing cardio.

I am looking forward to the GPS bowl. Come on Oklahoma!

You could try Craigslist down there? That's where I've found quite a few of my teammates. Either search there or post an ad. Or see if there are message boards on the web sites for the various leagues. I bet you can find something that way. Good luck!

First chance to comment for a while. Since this seems to be Random Thoughts, the name of the star tailback for the TN high school 5A state football champs may be good for a chuckle===

Precious Valentine

Growing up, life for Precious probably was kinda like the Johnny Cash song about the boy named Sue. Precious probably had to "get tough or die." Get tough he did.

Wasn't there mention on DT a while back of great sports names? One that comes to me is former Ole Miss tailback Duo (pronounced Due) Innocent.

Also, there's been quite a bit of talk about trading Hu after Furcal re-upped.

Given Ned's proven desires to have backups for backups for backups, why would he be likely to trade Hu at all?

Also, there's been quite a bit of talk about trading Hu after Furcal re-upped.

There has been?

Oh, and what's a Facebook?

Facebook is a social utility that has let me know that Ivan Maisel bought a new snow shovel.

Facebook is where I can let people know I still have ant problems, and am procrastinating at work. And pretend to be friends with Matt Kemp.

223 We have something in common!

Kovacevic, however, goes on to say that there is "little cause to expect a deal involving either coming to Pittsburgh," noting that Swisher is due $22 million over the next three years and hit just .219 last season. A Nady deal is even liss likely because the Yankees will demand top young talent and the Pirates are in full rebuilding mode. -via mlbtraderumors

...You mean like the Pirates did with the Yankees?

I do not get how people are on their facebook so much. What the heck are people doing?

Actually, I know what FB is, and have no interest. One of my colleagues told me the other day that she is on FB because her pre-teen son wanted to be, so she OK'd it on the condition that he "friend" her (is that right?) first, presumably because that let's her pay attention to what he's doing online (right again?). Anyway, the reason she told me was that many of our grad students then linked with her, and she now is depressed by knowing how much time they waste on FB instead of, y'know, working on their research. Like people needed ANOTHER way to procrastinate (says the guy commenting on a baseball blog).

On the other hand, a delay in the production of several dissertations is probably a public good. The statement that people "waste time" necessarily implies that there really is something more productive they could be doing instead. That's unclear.

in comparison to facebook, how much time do each of us spend on DT, especially when we are at work?

with both DT and FB, I'm not so sure it's about procrastination and productivity, they're just additional outlets for creativity and communication.

The Manny article that Jon linked to on BP is no longer behind the iron wall.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=8403

My bias does not allow me to answer this question properly, but I ask my fellow college football fans: Is the national lovefest for Tim Tebow more or less insufferable than any Matt Leinart praise that happened during his USC tenure?

The only thing worse than hearing constant Tim Tebow praise is hearing it from Thom Brennaman.

Tebow's attention is worse. They spread it around a little with USC, while they only talk about Tebow with Florida.

271 272 With Tebow, there's the expectation that his NFL career will be no well as good as his college career. Its like a less annoying push for the loves ESPN has for Tyler Hansbourgh. Nothing can beat the annoying factor ESPN has for Tyler Hansbourgh for some reason.

The Matt Leinart praise was because people seem to have thought that Leinart was going to be the next Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning all rolled into one. Instead he's the next Ryan Leaf without trying to start a fight with T.J. Simers yet.

Anyway, my point is that I hate Tyler Hansbourgh.

273
The reporter Ryan Leaf told to "knock it off, don't talk to me, alright!" was Jay Posner, who still writes for the San Diego U-T.

Unless of course Leaf had a separate run in with Simers. And, if so, can you blame him? :)

The good news for Trevor Hoffman, besides getting at least $6 million to play next year, is that he won't have to worry about getting Tony Gwynn, Jr. out to get to the playoffs.

It's funny this discussion is happening because I actually was planning a DT-related Facebook post for Friday.

I am a converted Facebook resistor. It has its flaws but I have found it to be pretty rewarding, mainly for helping me reunite and keep in touch with old friends. Anyway, not to subvert my own post, but Dodger Thoughts has a page there if anyone's interested.

274 I thought Simers claimed that he had a run in with Ryan Leaf, but I could be wrong. Come to think of it, why would Simers be at a Chargers game unless it was important, and those Ryan Leaf years were so not important.

So is Facebook just the new MySpace? Are they basically the same thing?

278. Sorry, MyWhat?

278
Facebook used to be for college students, but they changed all that and it is basically like a Myspace.

Isn't Tim Tebow a bit more of a straight arrow than Matt Leinart? Or perhaps just under less media scrutiny with his private life? Unless he's dating the next Erin Andrews.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/01/chipper-jones-a.html

Bill Shakin speculates that the Dodgers or Angels should trade for Chipper Jones when the trade deadline hits.

280. Oh, maybe I got FB and MS mixed up in my story. I really am out of it.

Oh joy--Maza again. From the update above.
Not that I really have anthing against him.

281 Judging by the amount of photos of Tim Tebow's girlfriend on the internet, she has her own fans.

A Myspace that doesn't make you hate your friends more making an unreadable page.

Is Andy Reid coaching the Sooners?

285
Most of those pics are not even the same woman. I think the one pic they are in together is the only pic with her.

288 The other woman is Lucy Pinder. But I seen pics of Tebow's girlfriend. She's very cute.

Facebook does some of the same things as MySpace, but I find MS generally unreadable and unusable, with all the ugly wallpapers and music files and everything. Facebook is clean. It's also, as Jon said, for many of us more of a place to reconnect with old friends (I've found, and been found by, everyone from college friends, HS friends and even one JHS friend!) and stay in touch with them in an easy way. To share some links and photos and so forth. And again, the interface is pretty clean. Like Jon, I was a resistor at first, and signed up because work wanted me to use it as a way to network and promote, but now I've used it even more to find friends and stay connected with them. I don't really use it for much else, though there are a lot of games and silly applications.

So yeah, it's not like MySpace in my opinion. But people can use them both for some similar things.

So is Sam Bradford a top 3 pick in the draft? He seems like he will be to me.

I certainly like him more as a pro prospect than Tebow.

291 Todd McShay has him being picked first by the Detroit Lions. But I still hold out hope that their fetish for wide receivers holds out and they pick Micheal Crabtree!

290 - Agree.

...is wondering if we will eventually start typing all DT comments in FB status style?

I am not on Myspace or Facebook. That is not usual for people my age.

Facebook is very popular among librarians. I can find you a lot of cat photos if you want.

I am surprised no one is talking about the BCS game.

If we talk about the BCS Championship Game, xeifrank will get angry at all of us. So we're afraid. Very afraid.

So we'll just discuss television series.

297
For a diversion, Jim Gaffigan "Beyond the Pale" is on Comedy Central now...if you have DirecTV. It's on at 10pm for us without the east coast feed.

I would like it if there was a national championship game where I did not hate both teams.

297 I think the Thursday night timeslot is dumb, but what do I know about network television programming? Nothing.

300
Wouldn't that have to be a national championship game that involved a team from the Pac-10 that isn't on Figueroa across the street from The Sizzler?

302
My hate for college teams is very random.

I rooted for Miami and Virginia Tech when they were in it.

303
Rooting for Miami is like rooting for an inmate uprising at Pelican Bay.

Wow, they just obliterated the punter.

304
And dorky Ken Dorsey leading the charge.

Hot pockets.

173 etc. I found Eugene very annoying - partly the over-the-top tattoo coverage, partly the perpetual pout, partly the feeble excuses and general unawareness of what's going on. (I'm not too keen on people who think they're perfect, or say they think they're perfect, when they screw up.) I also didn't care for the weepy one, whose name I can't even remember, who was also eliminated. She just didn't seem very good (without being able to taste, of course) But I agree that they probably kept Carla on for telegenic reasons, not because she was much better than the others on this occasion - seemed to have flubbed it, which she knew. This probably happens a lot when there's not much difference between the 3 worst, and when there's no agreement among the judges.

I thought it was cool and funny to see a Top Chef candidate covered in tattoos.

I hate the University of Florida.

I am so happy that Joakim Noah is so insignificant in the NBA.

Back to the Tebow girl - she wasn't/isn't his girlfriend. She was a UF med student who took a picture with him.

We would beat both of these teams.

310
I thought it was just me who disliked Noah.

The ground is shaking.

Preliminary report of a 4.9 earthquake near San Berdoo.

311
If he was smart, he would have made her his gf.

http://www.data.scec.org/recenteqs/Quakes/ci10370141.html

315

I was thinking it was more like 3.5 or 4.0.

318
You would have thought differently if you were in the Inland Empire.

I felt some rolling here in South Pasadena. But it didn't upset the cat, which is how I judge if an earthquake is really bad.

316 - agreed, but I doubt he struggling. Gary Danielson also said Tebow is the QB you'd most want to date your daughter.

The Richter is now up .1. It's now at 5.0.

Your Mercalli Intensity may vary.

Anyone from San Bernardino posting?

Looking for some players (infield or outfield) for my Men's Softball team in Simi Valley . We play on Wednesdays. If you are interested please email me at jawood01 at hotmail.com

322
I just moved to Fontana from Pasadena recently (nice timing).

My flat screen teetered on the brink before finally settling back on the stand. It's the biggest one that I have felt in CA so far (8 years). No real damage to the house...

322
I just moved to Fontana from Pasadena recently (nice timing).

My flat screen teetered on the brink before finally settling back on the stand. It's the biggest one that I have felt in CA so far (8 years). No real damage to the house...

324 , 325
Cell service out here is interrupted or just really busy. The internet is doing funny things too.

From my admittedly biased point of view, I'm confident that USC could beat either one of these teams.

I forgot to mention - Dodger Thoughts readers on Facebook should just join the Dodger Thoughts page, rather than sending a personal friend request.

327 Utah would be competitive.

326
Cell service gets overloaded after earthquakes because people all call each other and ask "are you OK?"

You should have a landline and arrange to have a contact person who is out of state for you to check in with. Long distance lines usually are back on line faster than any other.

330 I use smoke signals. Didn't work as well during the recent fires though.

It's over. Stupid Florida. Stop winning.

332
It's all part of Erin Andrews plan of world domination.

Tim Tebow lived in a leper colony? What did he do, take a vacation to Molokai?

Who calls them "leper colonies" anymore? Does Tim Tebow also cast out demons in his spare time?

Was getting embarrassed by Rey Maualuga part of that plan?

335
He thought she was Patrick Cowan.

I think every player on the Florida team could run faster than UCLA's quickest player.

Thom, on Tebow: "That might be the first thing he's ever done wrong in his life."

Just marry him already, Thom.

I seem to be a mile away from the quake but while there was strong current for a few seconds there was no damage to report. I guess we're built on solid ground. It's the kids' real first earthquake though -- at age 4 and 3 they were really excited. Of course now they're asleep -- damn I'm good!

339
Tim McCarver would say that Tim Tebow has calm eyes. Dick Vitale would compare him to Bobby Hurley.

This may come as a shock, but it appears Oklahoma will lose a bowl game. Who would have thunk it?

Ah, more fun just felt ... barely, though.

Oh the worst part of college football season for me -- the USC fan's regret of two bad quarters played all year while beatable teams play for the mythical championship

I didn't feel the earthquake

I will gladly take the thugs of Miami over hearing the sainthood of Tim Tebow.

Based on the eye-black sticker, my guess is Tebow is very religious.

Or he is trying to remember an appointment he has tomorrow.

Raiders interim coach Tom Cable is expected to be officially hired as the head coach "any day" now.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/08/SP5Q156366.DTL&feed=rss.raiders

349
Seems pretty obvious since we are not interviewing anyone.

How does Tebow win when he throws 2 picks?

Percy Harvin should have definitely won.

351
Because Tim Tebow is the kindest, gentlest, warmest human being I've ever known.

It's easier to win 2 BCS titles in three years when you are invited to the party.

352
I now fully understand your hate for Thom.

Wow, I just watched parts of the 2nd half on tape and all I can say is... feh.

And Thom Brenneman makes me yearn for Joe Buck.

And Tim Tebow will hopefully enjoy his amazing college career. Next stop: Rex Grossman's NFL career.

30 Rock, here I come!

I cannot believe it, but Thom managed to out do Gary Danielson on Tebow Talk.

Funny people are talking about Facebook. I just joined this week after a friend invited me. I'm a teacher so I'm trying to stay as anonymous as possible online. So far I've done nothing with it. But now I've joined a group!

As for Tebow, I heard a little of the talk and it was truly nauseating. The best line was something like, "If you just spend five minutes with the guy, you realize . . ."

Well, good job Slikk & CalifCajun - get through 'em in one piece.

357
I have a few friends that are teachers, and I'm surprised any of them are on Facebook. Teachers, as you say and rightfully so, try to usually stay anonymous, but one of my teacher friends has a rather unflattering (and rather whorish) picture of herself as her profile photo.

358
Does everyone have a separate policy for earthquake insurance on their house. I called around, and for the coverage we need it would be about $180 per month to add an earthquake and personal possession rider to our policy.

Does everyone have one of these? It seems really expensive, but I guess the alternative is pretty scary.

359
I now want to see Eric's friend.

360
I'm just a renter, but I do co-own my dad's house. We don't have earthquake insurance on it I believe.

And it's been through the 1971 Sylmar quake and the 1994 Northridge quake.

Tim Tebow haters are evil, empty people.

359 That's why I've opted for no photo and a fake hometown! I was advised that wall talk is public and messages are private, so I'm sticking to those. If I use it, it will essentially be as a glorified email account. It's really not for me, but I can see its appeal.

363
I don't think people hate Tim Tebow. It's more the deification of him by TV announcers like Brennaman and Danielson.

I'm likely evil and empty though.

Tim Tebow sounds like a relative of Bob Loblaw.

Both ESPN and Fox Sports have used a headline with the word "Chompions." Ugh.

Is it true Tebow in Hebrew means "everlasting light"?

I guess now I am going to have to hate Tebow.

The earthquake tonight has been downgraded to a 4.5.

370 You mean a Delwyn Young?

The folks at Caltech wouldn't agree to that nickname.

Or Caltech could just say we had a Pee Wee Earthquake, which would confuse all but a select few of Dodger Thoughtists*.

*Is that a identification for us? I almost went with Dodger Thinkers or Dodger Thoughtans.

I always thought it was DTers.

374
You'll never see that picture with an attitude like that, mister! :)

Nooooooooo!!!!

I must say in the previews for Taken, I am liking Maggie Grace with brown hair.

366- No relation, I'm just his agent...har,har,har

Former AL Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa has agreed to a minor league contract with the New York Yankees.

The shortstop, bidding to make the team as a backup infielder, is guaranteed $66,000 under his deal. He would get an $800,000, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster and could earn an additional $300,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances from 100-375.

http://tinyurl.com/6vm777

So the Red Sox signed Mark Kotsay tonight for 1.5MM. I'm sorry, do the BoSox have a 55 man roster, or is that just how it feels?

380
I sense there will be a creative use of the 60-man DL this season in Beantown.

360 There are a whole bunch of factors that you might want to consider. For starters, when was your house built? and how many stories is it? If the house did fall down, would the city allow you to build the same structure? (has it been grandfathered in) As an engineer explained to me, the brand new LA Building Code dictates how strong a building must be built by considering its exact location and earthquake data over the years. You can probably find out exactly how "shaky" your location is and that may affect your decision too.

The AP poll voted Florida #1. The Gators got 48 first place votes. Utah got 16 and was second. USC got one first place vote and was third. Texas was fourth.

TCU was 7th, one spot ahead of Penn State.

373 - "Dodger Thoughtans" sounds like it came from L. Ron Hubbard.

I haven't posted at 12 midnight in a while but it feels pretty good I guess.

you guys think the Dodger PR machine is doing this on purpos [http://tinyurl.com/9hzee8] i'm thinking in the end were not gonna sign Manny Ramirez but that's just me...

I was watching "eyewitness news" yesterday & i kind of don't like it when they say at the end of a segment "& we have news on a huge free agent the Dodgers are interested in, coming up next"

Nothing on the huge free agent that we are getting rid of?

388

nah man (that's how they reel you in) it was the Hoffman to Milwaukee thing.

those shinanigans should be outlawed.

Speaking of huge FAs, Dennys Reyes is no tinkerbelle.

362 Weird, I was talking to a guy yesterday from Northridge...his home was destroyed in the earthquake of the same name. Fortunately, he happened to be in Hollywood at the time.

Maualuga is pretty funny.

SFW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdDGYsYXHKc

All right, I'll bite. Why does a teacher need to be anonymous online?

392 - Considering the history of how female sports reporters have been treated, I found it pretty distasteful. But maybe I'm overreacting.

New FanGraphs piece on how Blake/Furcal/Loretta affect DeWitt/Hu/Abreu:

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/dodgers-veteran-commitment-leaves-youngsters-out-in-the-cold

In this instance, I think the writer overstates the negative impact of the signings. Ned has certainly "blocked" youngsters before, but I don't currently see it in the infield.

As much as I like the SEC doing well (4 championships in 5 years; 2 for my beloved Tigers in case anyone forgot after their miserable year this year:), I think USC and Utah have a legitimate beef. This whole plus one playoff thing would not work either as USC would have been left in the cold.

We need a playoff please...

393 I teach 8th grade, and I sure don't want any students trying to be my friend online. My wife is a teacher too and we're very private by nature. It might just be me :)

252 It's a head to head league with the following categories; R,H,HR,RBI,BB,TB,SB,K,AVG,W,L,K,ERA,WHIP,CG,SHO,SV. At the end of the week if you have more runs than the other team you're 1-0, more hits than you're 2-0, etc.

I am inspired to start an Amy K. Marching and Chowder Society.

398 For example the league average catcher is projected as the following; .280, 57.5 runs, 121.2 hits, 14.0 HR's, 64.5 RBI's, 3.5 SB's, 43.3 BB's, 74.8 K's 192.2 TB's. If you take Martin's projections compared to league average you come out with the following.

(.286/.280)+(80/57.5)+(145/121.2)+(14/14)+(73/64.5)+(16/3.5)+(70/43.3)+ (74.8/80)+ (219/192.2)/9*100= 155

It makes sense in my head but when I actually compute the numbers it just doesn't seem right that the top 3 offensive players come out as; 1. Martin 2. Wright 3. Reyes

Oregon is ranked one spot ahead of Boise St. in the AP Poll, despite having a record that is two games worse and having lost to Boise St. at home.

Speaking of FB and cats, I know a couple with four cats that post on a daily basis. This is how they communicate with each other and their friends, through the cats (though I don't think non-humans are allowed to be on FB).

401 Top ten, baby!

396 I watched a TON of college football this year. Not enough to call myself an expert, but more than enough to offer a well-informed opinion on the subject.

In my opinion, Florida was the best team in college football this year, and totally deserving of being called champion. The other contenders all have flaws that eliminate them to some degree: Texas has the best case, but they lost to an overrated Texas Tech team, and then had an unimpressive bowl win over Ohio State. USC looked pretty good, but their one loss was worse than either Texas's or Florida's, they had some unimpressive wins in a weak Pac-10, and ran over the two best teams from the dismal Big 10. As for Utah... well, it sucks and it really is unfair, but I watched them play numerous times this year, and I simply think Florida (and Oklahoma and Texas) really were the better teams.

Except for Utah, every one of those teams could have settled the argument with a perfect regular season, but they all blew it at one point or another. Save the best regular season in sports: No college football playoffs.

Sorry, Utes.

397 So just deny the requests from students, and tell them up front that you don't want them to do this if it becomes a problem. I doubt many will actively go looking for you.

Since I teach college, I don't mind having my students as friends because it is a good way to stay in touch with them after they graduate.

404 Sorry, but I don't find the argument convincing. Oregon State was a pretty good team this year, so I don't find the USC loss as bad as you make it out to be. And Utah beat a team ranked #1 much of the year.

The argument that college football has the best regular season because "every game counts" is particularly meaningless this year since Utah won all its games and yet this still wasn't enough. If every game counted, Florida's loss would have put them behind Utah in the rankings. When a bunch of good teams have one loss, the regular season didn't do enough to distinguish them.

The crux of the problem is that there is lots of in-conference play but very little out-of-conference play, so it is inherently difficult to rank the teams other than a very coarse ranking of "top ten" or "top 20". The precise rankings of teams are too influenced by the last game or by the reputation of the school. The only feasible way to truly determine the best team is to have a playoff, which is why every other sport does it, including lower-division football schools.

404

I beg to differ with respect to USC's "one loss was worse than the others".

It's easy to say Ole Miss looks good now, because of one good showing in the Cotton Bowl, but the fact remains, the Gators laid a big egg at HOME against Mississippi.

Meanwhile, the Trojans went out to Oregon State, a place where they've always struggled, even in the salad days, not to mention a venue where very few people can win, and almost beat the Beavers with a furious second half comeback.

Oregon State also won a bowl game and nearly won the Pac-10. One good showing against the Ducks and we'd be talking about how USC manhandled Texas in the Fiesta Bowl and how Oregon State held its own against PSU.

There's no doubt USC should have won that game in the end... there's no excuse for their lack of focus in Corvallis, but I'd say this was still a "better loss" than what Florida had at home.

Oregon State is a tough home field. Although Oregon would disagree.

Hope you're not eating cereal, because this might make you spit it out in laughter.

http://tinyurl.com/95eaqg

(Not that the distaste for Joe Buck isn't something we can all get behind, but this is amusing:)

"It started with Joe's love for the Dodgers in the NLCS and no matter how many strikeouts, home runs or wins Philadelphia would accumulate, Joe couldn't fathom how Manny Ramirez couldn't lead Los Angeles to a comeback.

Well Joe he couldn't.

Apparently the World Series script didn't go as planned either because from Game 1 Buck had it out for Philly."

404 I don't think the Pac-10 is as weak as it is made out to be. The conference was definitely top heavy this year but you could say the same for the Big 12 and the SEC. I just don't see how the SEC and Big 12 are that much better.

402 - "I know a couple with four cats that post on a daily basis. This is how they communicate with each other and their friends, through the cats (though I don't think non-humans are allowed to be on FB)."

How many WPM can the cats type?

Meanwhile, here is Dogbook.

http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2388926799

359 It's not necessarily bad that teachers and other more "public" figures have FB accounts. FB has a setting that gives you a private account so only your friends can view it. It's really who you add, specifically whether or not you add students or people you work with. I'm surprised at the number of my teacher friends who do add their students. I believe there's a line that needs to be preserved.

I used to operate a non-profit youth program and did not add any youth that were currently in the program. I would tell my staff that you can be friendly and supportive to the students, but to be effective in the end you are not their friend. I now work in philanthropy and have had some professional contacts and grantees try to add me. I'll decline those too. There's a line there too - that's what linkedin is for.

btw, I think I saw the profile of your friend. I've seen worse, but yeah, I hope none of her students see her profile pic.

405 Daniel, I think this just shows that your students are not typical students. It's a jungle out here. I agree with JJ42 and kinbote. Students do not know how to draw the line that is necessary, or even revel in stepping over in it. So it's up to the authority figures (ahem) to draw it for them.

These arguments about postseason CFB rankings are, in the end, part of why we enjoy college football. For a long time, I thought that a playoff was the only way to go, but I recognize the flaws in that idea (more games and STILL controversy over who gets in - think about the Big Dance to the 4th power, since it'd be 16 instead of 64).

In the end the arguments are fun. Who cares if there's a national champion, or if everyone agrees on one? I think I'd actually return to the days of conference-bowl linkups, and embrace the "exhibition season." I know I used to watch many more bowl games when that was the case. This year, I watched 2 bowls, and one only because I was at my mother-in-law's house with nothing better to do for the Rose Bowl. By the time last night's game came around, I'd lost interest and forgotten about it.

...er, "stepping over it."

394
Presumably if Maulugua attempts that some stunt as an NFL player with Pam Oliver or Andrea Kremer, he will have to pay a visit to Roger Goodell's office and be told to bring a checkbook.

411 There's also Catbook, which my cat is an infrequent "contributor" to. I think he's "friends" with a few dogs, too. All very silly, though it's cute to see what some people's pets look like, for people I don't know that well.

406 I can't argue any of the points you make on merits. I disagree with you on Oregon State, they were really not that good. USC just looked like a completely different team that night in Corvallis, which goes to my point: don't fall asleep against any team at any point in the season if you don't want pollsters and computers deciding your fate at the end. As for Florida vs. Utah, I think going through the SEC with 1 loss is more impressive than going through the Mountain West undefeated.

407 Ole Miss was a terrific team that beat Florida by only one point. I think they were far better than Oregon State. I don't know why you think the Beav would "hold their own" against Penn State: the Nitties pounded them back in September.

410 The Pac-10 was indeed as weak as everyone thought, and not anywhere in the class of the Big 12 or SEC. A little too much is being made of the 5-0 bowl record. Only Arizona's and maybe Oregon's wins were really impressive. USC was expected to thump PSU, and they did. Cal played a home game against Miami, and OSU won a bingo game against Pitt.

My sister and her b/f are both h.s. teachers and both have Facebook profiles. Don't know how public they make them; as far as I can tell they are friends with some ex-students, and no current ones. That's probably for the best. But they do keep in touch with some favorite former students that way.

--

Man, the Griddle's newest headline freaked me out for a second. Not that it's not still very sad news, but...

413 That's kind of sad. I guess you can just always reject student friend-requests, but I don't see why that would keep you off FB altogether or make you need to be anonymous.

I think no one would have a right to complain if they couldn't crack the top 16. Top 8 would be more difficult.

417 As for Florida vs. Utah, I think going through the SEC with 1 loss is more impressive than going through the Mountain West undefeated.

See, reputation trumps everything. The MWC had three teams in the top 15 at one point late in the season and was no slouch compared to the SEC this year. There is no reliable way to calibrate whether Florida was actually better than Utah, or vice versa, without a playoff.

Any system that says a one-loss season in conference X is equivalent to an unbeaten season in conference Y is bogus.

421 Why is that bogus? If there's a big difference in the quality of the competition, then it's perfectly valid.

The Dodgers had 84 wins in the NL West, the Yankees had 89 wins in the AL East. Would you have ranked the Dodgers ahead of the Yankees in a poll at the end of the regular season?

I think in my time here, I've proven that I know nothing about baseball, so consider that when I say this: I know even less about football.

So answer this question: why, every year, do we read about the huge BCS controversy/no playoff system? It seems to me -- a guy who doesn't know anything -- that the powers that be don't want to have a playoff system and that one isn't coming any time soon. What's more, it doesn't seem like a lack of playoff system is dampening enthusiasm for the game -- if anything, it's heightened, because people are talking and arguing about it.

So why all the fuss? It seems like you might as well argue with the tide.

Jonathan Broxton is expected to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, as he was named to Team USA's list of interested players.

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

I'd enjoy a playoff system because it would give us an opportunity to see matchups we normally wouldn't see. I don't think, however, it would be any more effective than the current system in choosing a champion.

Is there some sort of preseason ranking for the conferences, ie. the conference that had the best bowl record the previous year is ranked #1?

417 I never mentioned the 5-0 bowl record for the Pac-10.

In the last 5 years outside of Vince Young's Longhorns, USC's only losses have come against Pac-10 teams. Any time they go out of conference they win and usually in a convincing fashion.

I just do not see how the SEC or Big 12 are that much better. I think it all comes down to perception.

Kuroda is still fine over on Tony Jackson. Maybe until tomorrow.

Oregon State is a tough home field. Although Oregon would disagree.

Oregon hadn't won in Corvallis in 12 years.

Re: USC Chatter

I went to the Rose Bowl game :)

Pete showed so much respect to "JOE PA"

Based on the play in the second quarter of the game - where USC scored 24 points - it's not a stretch to say that the final score could have been 70 to 7 had Carroll wanted to keep the pedal to the metal.

But Carroll eased off.

It was an awsome offense display.
USC Defense OUCH!
Those guys on the USC defense run real fast and HIT - and they enjoy it.

Just one fan's opinion.

Broxton vs. Hoffman

Broxton - The ball travels 90 mph when he is tossing one back to the pitcher.
Just stands there - takes an easy step towrd the target and lets it go - 90 mph - no effort.

Hoffman - Would he pull a groin tryin to get it up to 89?

I think Pre-Season rankings need to go away. There would still be debate, but we know by week 5 or so who is pretty good.

It would at least alleviate this mess of losing early and working your way back up, or being unranked but actually pretty good and fighting your way up. The fact that late season losses are much worse than early season losses kills me.

422 Apples and oranges, but that's the great thing about the MLB system -- the Dodgers got into the playoffs because they won their division. The Yankees weren't able to qualify for the playoffs because there was someone better in their division. Despite the small amount of inter-league play, there was no way to calibrate whether the Dodgers were better than the Yankees, or vice versa, because they didn't play each other. Absent direct play, the only way to tell is to take conference/division champions and have them play in a playoff. Even then, you are not determining the "best team" but the "champion", which is very different.

The end goal is not to rank teams from 1 to X, saying that one is better than two, two is better than three, and so on. The end result is a champion. You get a champion by having a playoff, not by arbitrarily deciding that two teams are the best, absent any significant evidence to distinguish them from the other top teams, and have them play each other.

So in a roundabout way of answering your question, I would say I don't care whether the Dodgers or Yankees would "rank" higher, but the Dodgers deserved to be in the playoffs and the Yankees did not.

I think someone pointed out that despite all the flaws, the best team is champion in college football way more often than in any other sport.

431
I like that idea. I have long been an advocate of no polls until at least October.

432
Great Post.

423 I have some enthusiasm for the game, but my enthusiasm would be much higher with a playoff system. That said, I recognize we'll not have one ever, or at least in a long time, because money is king and the conferences and university presidents do not want to share with a larger pool of schools.

OK, 407 used the phrase "the salad days". I always took this to mean "when times were tough" but I see it used (not necessarily here) when the writer means "in the good days". Anyone have an official answer?

434
This however, being the United States, and with the pesky First Amendment and such, there will always be preseason polls.

I doubt the Supreme Court will agree to a prior restraint on the publication of college football polls.

423 . I guess I'm an anomaly, but I didn't watch any bowl games because I consider the BCS system to be completely bogus. I didn't make a particular POINT not to watch any bowl games. It's just that the chaotic system for choosing the college football champion fails to interest me. Those games mean nothing to me so I don't schedule time for them.

437
I always associated it with a positive connotation. Per our good friends at Wikipedia:

Salad days" is an idiomatic expression, referring to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion that one associates with a young person. More modern use, especially in the United States, refers to a person's heyday when somebody was at the peak of his/her abilities—not necessarily in that person's youth.

433 I strongly disagree. We have no way of telling whether Florida, Texas, USC, or Utah is the champion or best team this year. And this is not very different from past years.

438
I think we should have a poll on it.

431
434
I enjoy all of the banter and the byplay that these crazy polls create. It's fun - somewhat meaningless - and alot of ink and paper gets sold because of it.

To me the polls are like Saturday morning cartoons. Just fun.

We can see with our eyes (and our hearts) where people and teams stack up in the pecking order.

Unless they actually get on the field and play and compete - who's to say?

438 Of course the networks need to sell that #vs.# matchup in September.

434 - I agree, but it wouldn't have changed anything this year, as Texas, Tech, and Okie State all played pansies and would have been undefeated.

That's the main problem, the Big 12 ducked everyone and was perceived as some mega conference when in fact they weren't. Maybe conference should be forced to play conference games in September like the Pac 10 does (I'm of the opinion that the Pac 10 needs to cut this out, ASAP).

If we wrap up the offseason with Manny, Wolf, and Dennys Reyes, Ned would have done a spectacular job.

Pac-10 also needs to cut out August games.

445
Since the Pac-10 plays nine conference games (which I believe is more than any other conference) it has to play conference games in September or else everybody would have to play in December. Everybody would start off with its three nonconference games and then finish with nine conference games.

The USC-Notre Dame game dates would be very hard to move.

Maybe conference should be forced to play conference games in September like the Pac 10 does (I'm of the opinion that the Pac 10 needs to cut this out, ASAP)

USC's 1st conference game (the loss to OSU) was September 25, one week before the Big XII started conference play. It's not a huge difference.

Besides, the difference is that the Pac-10 plays 9 games instead of 8. I really like the fact that every team plays one another each season now.

btw -
This is the finest site on the planet.

Maybe we should cut out all the non-conference games, since the big schools schedule easy games anyway, and then have the regular season end sooner. This will leave time for the conference champions to play each other in a playoff tournament, culminating in a championship game on Jan 1st. The rest of the teams can do the regular bowls as usual.

446
Here! Here!

I'll vote for that!

446
I'm not the biggest Wolf fan in the world but I could be talked into it, especially if Manny comes back. :)

441 champion or best team

This gets at something that I find great about sports.

We absolutely know who the champion of college football is. That is Florida. We also know who the champion of MLB is. That is Philadelphia.

That is a completely separate thing from determining which team is the best team. We decide that we want to name a champion, and we set up a system to determine that. Those systems are almost always flawed for one reason or another; the BCS seems to be most flawed of all.

If all you want to determine is which team is best, that's easy. Set up one league, put all of the teams in that league, have each team play all the other teams an equal number of times, play as many games as possible, and in the end, whichever team has the most wins is clearly the best.

That, I think, would be highly unsatisfying.

We enjoy watching flawed systems, in which certain teams get to play one (or some small number) of games with the title on the line. It's incredibly fun. I don't want to give it up for anything.

Call Philly or Florida champs. They won their championships fair and square and they'll get rings and flags to fly. But you can't call them best.

This is the finest site on the planet

Thanks.

It is simply so annoying as a Pac-10 fan to hear the nonstop stroking of the Big 12 and SEC. When Oregon State beat USC, the columnists use it as evidence that the conference is weak. When Ole Miss beats Florida, the columnists use it as evidence that the conference is strong.

455
When the Top 5 D4P comments of all-time are released (Random House, next fall), that one will be on it.

451
That is a great idea!

You'd think that someone could find a way to make real good money with a plan like that.

The focus of the competeition would create a more intense atmosphere surrounding the games at the end of the season.

I didn't watch the game last night.

One thing college football has over the other big-time sports is that after the "National Championship" game, fans still talk about the sport and debate on and on about who is the true champion.

I love March Madness but after Kansas won, no one was talking about it the next day. Pro sports are different, baseball, basketball and hockey have long playoff series that while they might not always determine who is the best team, it is fair because it is not a winner take all scenario.

The NFL has its own issues, schedule favors home teams and the week break between Conference Championships to Super Bowl often leads to dull games. But again, at least there is a playoff.

Call Philly or Florida champs. They won their championships fair and square and they'll get rings and flags to fly.

There is a huge difference between the 2. Every single MLB team had the chance to be the 2008 champion, and Philadelphia earned it. The same luxury was not afforded to every team (notably Utah) in college football.

432 Saying there's no way to calibrate whether the Dodgers were better than the Yankees is a cop-out. There's a season's worth of evidence to look at, both empirical and subjective. Anyone who was paying close attention to baseball in 2008 can make that call. And FWIW, there are plenty of Yankee fans bitter than they got shafted out of the postseason because they play in a tough division, even though lesser teams got in. Patriot fans, too.

Since you can't have all 120 Div. 1-A teams conclusively play each other in a single season, and without a playoff system that eliminates much of the drama of the regular season, the best way for college football to determine a champion is to get a lot of highly knowledgeable observers of the game together, have them crunch the evidence (with computers, if necessary), and make a call as to who plays for the title. It's not a perfect system, and of course that leaves room for biases and snubbings and hurt feelings, but oh well.

So I guess I'll take the same roundabout way of addressing the point and say I don't care that Utah got screwed, because they play in an inferior conference and Florida does not. That was easy.

451 Following up on that, if the Pac-10 has a 9 game conference schedule, out of 12 games total, that leaves 3 games for a playoff, plus one for the championship, making room for a 16-team tournament. Some conferences play 8 games, and then have a conference championship, making 9 again. Seems like this would work fine. Top 16 teams would get a guaranteed 10-game schedule. Wouldn't you trade 2 games against bad teams for a chance to advance in the playoffs?

Of course, the main objection will be money, as usual, because schools would lose out on 2 or 3 games, making a dent in their budget.

In as much sincerity that I can muster at this time of the morning, to all USC fans, your team should never lose a nationally televised game that your school added to its schedule for its own PR purposes.

And especially to any school with the word "State" attached to it.

461 So you support a system in which a bunch of experts sit down, with computers if necessary, and determine that the Yankees get into the playoffs instead of the Dodgers because based on their judgment the Yankees are a better team, even though they finished 3rd in the NL East. Are you going to campaign for the BCS to run the MLB playoffs too? :-)

446
If we wrap up the offseason with Manny, Wolf, and Dennys Reyes, Ned would have done a spectacular job."

Of course, if he had wrapped it up with Manny, Pettitte, and Hoffman, he would have done a much better job. But I digress. ;)

463
Sadly hilarious for me - and so true.

465
*The first line should be in quotes.

I highly agree with 454 . The debate about best team vs. champion team is one I've had often. This is right on the money.

Playoffs determine a champion. Fine.

The BCS attempts to determine the "best" team. It doesn't always succeed, but it at least puts a premium on regular season performance, which I appreciate.

437 I believe the term "salad days" is used during the brilliant prologue to "Raising Arizona." And I also believe the last word of that movie is "Utah."

461
What about Gibson and his miracle homer?
Dodgers were'nt supposed to have a chance in that series on paper.

Jus' say'in

hey, that's 18th-ranked Oregon State to you! No pushover there.

I find the college football thing absurd. A sport where the champion is decided off the field is not a sport, it's an awards show. The BCS is like the Golden Globes.

How fun would it be to get to see, once and for all, how the best teams match up from different conferences with something real on the line?

Well, the balance of power in the AL has shifted again. Willie Bloomquist just signed with the Royals.

That Royals team is going to be a really bad team with a $90 million payroll.

474 Maybe they should change their name to the Devil Royals.

From MLB Trade Rumors: *The third year of Milton Bradley's contract turns into a club option if he has serious health problems this year."

Couldn't the Dodgers use this with Sheets? Imagine if they had used it with Schmidt.

464 You gotta admit, the baseball postseason would've looked a lot different if we left it up to rankings to determine the participants. I doubt the Dodgers would've got in, and thinking about it heuristically, I'm not so sure that would've been a crime. The Dodgers were, by all measures, a weaker team than the Yankees. Why exactly should they get a postseason reward because of their geography?

Jon Heyman says (and thus, add several grains of salt and try to withhold giggling):

(filtered via MLBTR) The Giants "look like a major threat" to the Dodgers for Manny Ramirez and are "making a serious run at him." Former teammate J.T. Snow apparently raved about him. Nonetheless Heyman says the Dodgers are "probably still considered the favorite." Heyman lists the Rangers as "intrigued." He believes Ramirez will get three guaranteed years somewhere.

Just sign him already LA!

According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, the Mets are close to signing Tim Redding to a one-year deal for $2.25MM plus incentives. Ken Davidoff of Newsday also has it, suggesting the deal is for about $2.5MM.

I find it amusing that Tim Redding is going to screw over either Derek Lowe or Oliver Perez out of a whole lot of money. Boras is not playing this up well at all.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

Bradley and Black doing the tango at first.
What an image.
Hilarious.

463
Just like Florida shouldn't have lost a home game to a school that hasn't won it's conference championship since 1963. :)

JT Snow raves about Manny and thus they're making a major play for him? I love how Heyman's rumor-milling works.

482
Heyman raking under the table from Boras?

I know we've had this discussion regarding the ink stained rumor mongers in the past.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! We've got the latest scoop!

482
I for one can't wait to hear what former Dodger Mike Blowers thinks.

478
Just sign him already LA!

That's referring to LA Dodgers Arte.

Do It Now!

Is anyone familiar with an article/website, etc that compares the statistical significance used to crown champions in each sport?
I guess it applies more to the regular season crowning of champs and the actual schedule/sample size used in each season and/or playoff series.
We all know that baseball is more likely to have an upset winner then football but is there a number on the factor that describes that difference?

I find it very funny, though not quite ironic that I was given a Raising Arizona reference in response to my question.

486
The heart that beats within certain individuals?

487 - Me too. The Irony Committee is even going to issue a one-time approval for that one.

486 I would imagine that any individual baseball game is more likely to have an upset winner than any individual football game, but I don't know for sure that it follows that MLB is more likely to have an upset champion than the NFL is. So many fewer teams make the playoffs in baseball that its likelier that the better teams will be crowned. Maybe. Or maybe not. It would be interesting to see.

477 OK, we've clearly defined our differences if you prefer playoff entrants determined by rankings, whereas I prefer division or conference winners. Yes, the Dodgers should get a reward, not for geography but for winning their division. That's what the whole regular season is about. They proved they were the best of the NL West. Now it is up to the playoffs to determine if they are better than the other division winners. Same thing with college football -- take the conference winners and have them play in a tournament. There is no other good way to get a champion from among them, in my opinion.

BORAS (on phone with Heyman)
Hey Jon, got a hot scoop for you!

HEYMAN
Awesome, lay it on me.

BORAS
Well, the Giants are making a major play for Manny Ramirez supposedly.

HEYMAN
Really? Where'd you hear that?

BORAS
JT Snow was telling me they're in like flynn. So we're expecting an offer any day now.

HEYMAN
Great, hey slow down, I'm writing this all down.

BORAS
Gotta go -- gotta call Sherman and Rosenthal now.

491 But why define conferences based on geography? They could be defined by, say, 2008 finish, or payroll, or any number of factors.

His point is that MLB has chosen geography, and that has led to an imbalance of power, and he implies that the imbalance of power has led to poorer playoff pools.

Clayton Kershaw was considered by most to be the top pitching prospect in baseball going into 2008, and he didn't disappoint. In 107.2 innings pitched, he struck out 100 batters and walked 52, while maintaining a 48% groundball rate. That's already a very adequate pitcher (very similar to a pre-2008 Carlos Zambrano), and with Kershaw being only 20 years old, the sky is the limit. Factoring in his favorable home park, only makes him that much more of a prospect for sustained success. If he can improve his control (which I think is likely) and remain healthy, then Kershaw has a shot at becoming one of the elite pitchers in baseball in 2009 and beyond.

http://waiverwire.blogspot.com/2009/01/clayton-kershaw-2009.html

482
Mike Blowers is as good a broadcaster as he was a thirdbasemen (Does the M's). I refrained from using his name to describe his performance. OK I guess I didn't.

I am not a USC fan, but I felt like USC would have beaten either one of those teams last night.

491 Well, to be clear, I don't prefer playoff entrants based on rankings. That was just a thought experiment. I'm just defending the system that college football has in determining a "best" team, as opposed to a champion team.

Every other sport uses playoffs to determine a champion. That's great. Elimination tournaments are exciting. But the college football regular season is pretty exciting, too. That's really my only point here.

Time Warner allows me to see "Becker" in HD.

493 I don't think there is any perfect system for defining conferences so that we get just the "right" set of conference winners for a playoff series, because we can't predict the future. Geography is as good as any other system because it increases fan interest, provides natural rivalries, and reduces travel costs.

495 - But, but...he coined "Rally Fries"! {groan}

Are you canceling your season tickets now that Willie Bloomquist is gone? :)

498 I can't believe Bob went to the "Becker" card. It must be a veiled shot at his television content provider.

497 I think the college football regular season is exciting too. I don't think it will be diminished in any way if a playoff system is added after the regular season is over. I think the playoff season would add far more excitement for fans than the current BCS system.

I never did catch whether Becker was considered television grata or non grata.

494
Clayton Kershaw

Yes he has extra special talent.

He is a freak above and beyong the ordinary freaks in the show.

"Hey man, you think you want to be in the bigs?
Just being the best in this league ain't enough. You got to be so good that you're a freak, so that people will pay just to see you on the field - just to watch you walk around.
They will pay the same way they pay to see someone in the circus - like that my man - you think you can be a freak? - you better keep work'in on that swing buddy." - Mike Edwards

484 - Nothing definitive, but there are strong rumblings that a certain safety will be back in Cardinal and Gold next fall.

Is it me, or is Heyman the one writer really pushing this Manny to SF stuff? It's as if he broke it, so he's going to push it.

503 I believe "Becker" to this site's author is like San Francisco is to Bob Timmermann.

Jayson Stark lists the pitching leaders from 2000-2008, I would never had guessed the leader in innings pitched if you had given me 10 guesses.

505
Nothing definitive, but there are strong rumblings that a certain safety will be back in Cardinal and Gold next fall

That would be incredible. Because he not only runs like Mays, but he "hits" like him too! :)

506
Without looking, Livan?

I don't know why, but "Taken" looks like a fun thriller that I will enjoy. It's been awhile since I have wanted to see a movie like that

I would never had guessed the leader in innings pitched if you had given me 10 guesses

As muh Grandpappy always used to say: "'Leventh time's a charm".

If Clayton Kershaw was on the Yankees, or Red Sox, would have he brought in much slower than the Dodgers did?

506
With looking, Livan?

508 510 Wow, I am impressed.

511 Probably not, remember he was already pitching in AA in his first full professional baseball season and he certainly would have had a shot at the big leagues by this spring training.

511
Just wait till the growth plates in his elbow close and harden.
Then we get to see the slider!

506 - I'm agnostic on Becker, actually. It did nothing for me but didn't offend me.

But the oft-fed notion that I was the world's biggest Becker fan did offend me.

509 - the Mrs. saw a preview last night during the game and demanded we go see it, I agree, looks intriguing.

509
I saw the preview last night, and pretty much decided I needed to see that opening weekend.

Broxton's being considered for the US WBC team roster, btw. List of finalists, as it were:

http://tinyurl.com/83tj8d

516 Bob is not agnostic on San Francisco but perhaps Cleveland has usurped "The City" on Bob's list.

509
Is it because of Maggie Grace in brown hair? I would have liked Shannon on Lost better if she had brown hair.

...you are not determining the "best team" but the "champion", which is very different. The end goal is not to rank teams from 1 to X, saying that one is better than two, two is better than three, and so on...

Exactly. I've tried to say something like this a few times, but this really nails it.

The problem with NCAA/BCS is that it pretends simultaneously to crown a champion and determine the top-ranked team using the same methodology. That methodology is strikingly flawed. But given all the variables, finding a more acceptable alternative would be elusive.

I would just go back to ranking the teams. Let the different polls use different methodologies and assume there will always be disagreements.

I would like to see all the major conferences have championship games. And then I would use the major bowl games to pit conference winners against each other. If you don't win your conference, you don't get to play on New Year's Day. You wouldn't get a champion that way, but you'd have a lot of good football games, and the ranking systems would have more relevant information to process.

518

That is what I thought too. It has been a long time for me to want to go see a big market movie in the theaters.

521 Big recruiting weekend. Will we see another USC recruit decommit?

524
Yes, but will he choose UCLA is the question.

Taken could indeed be fun.

I do remember listening to the BBC's film reviewer Mark Kermode go off about that movie, though, when it was released in the UK a few months ago. Kermode is hilarious even when he's a bit sniffy. I'm paraphrasing, but he basically said it's full of coincidences, and how "Europe is full of horrible foreigners/everyone who isn't American is very bad, do weird stuff" and then becomes a sort of Death Wish except with Liam Neeson, or with Neeson as Jason Statham.

But I still may see it.

524, 525 - rumors he got his schollie yanked last night. I've heard two totally different schools of thought of where he's headed b/t UCLA and Cal. If he goes to UCLA, I'm hearing another trade may be in the works b/t SC and UCLA.

520 I should hope. But I guess logic may go out the window when it comes to the bitter obelisk. Do not question it!

527
Only way Hasiak goes anywhere is because of grades.

500
Losing Willie (WFB) is a big hit in the "grit" department but I will keep the seats. Seems the M's are going in the right direction.
I was actually going to email you soon and see if you are interested in buying any. We got a slight upgrade to row 17, just past the third base dugout. Have a few games left. I don't think any of our fellow season ticket package members are Bloomquist family members so we should hold steady in interest.

I don't hate San Francisco.

I just hate its residents.

531
What about the rest of the Bay Area?

529 - I've heard some good things for him with us in the past week, we'll see. Cal's OL coach bolting to UW certainly helped you guys. If we could get XSF to pull the trigger I hope you guys keep Hasiak.

Cal fans are really confident with Carroll right now, but I bet he ends up at UCLA.

531 Present company excluded.

532
If you live in San Francisco now, I would suggest moving to Colma.

Or I may speed up the process of moving there.

533
I have heard Carroll likes UCLA more, but his coaches are pulling him to Cal.

The only good thing about Colma is that Buckethead used it for an album title.

Hah hah. I really hate the idea of moving to Colma. Creeps me out. But for Bob, anything!

Btw, I recommend Colma: The Musical, cute little indie movie about living there (which believe it or not some people do. Though most residents don't. Live, that is.)

Charles Barkley to take a leave of absence from TNT... just reported on USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-01-09-barkley-results_N.htm

538
What about Berkeley?

Peter Gammons on Manny, and Brad Penny:

http://tinyurl.com/6vukru

(LA Times Blog, reporting on Boston Globe) (In your face, Heyman!)

>> Where Manny Ramirez will end up: "The Giants have already said they are not in on them. The winter of disinformation from the agents has been astounding. The Mets have told Scott Boras [Ramirez's agent] they are not interested in Manny. The fact that the Wilpon family [who own the Mets] lost $500 m[illion] in the Madoff scandal makes Manny's plight seem pretty ridiculous. The question that the Dodgers have right now, if they go back to two years at $45 m[illion], will Manny be very unhappy? There was a report this week that the Dodgers have discussed going into the [free agent] market and signing a discounted OF like Bobby Abreu for one year, then going into the market for Matt Holliday next winter."<<

540 I like Berkeley enough (I'll be there tomorrow for a play at Berkeley Rep), but not sure about living there. I really like North Berkeley area. My g/f doesn't like much about it. But you know what, I'm gonna stay in San Fran for now, just to spite Bob.

I'm going to stay here, donating money to Time Warner, reading books about the history of Cleveland, while watching Becker reruns.

531 But underdog seems a fine fellow!

543 ...and Louis and Icaros and quite a few others would all have to be banished to Colma if Bob had his way. {sniff}

I was told there is a street in Oakland that has a Yoda bar and various other Yoda stores.

I must find this street before it gets shut down.

538 They need to make a movie about living in Ukiah. Or Lodi, for that matter. The music's already written!

542 Isn't Berkeley an very expensive place to live?

I love San Francisco. I'm even willing to stay with underdog next time I visit.

Yes, but so is San Francisco. And they both suck to drive through.

547 Not too many places within a 50 miles of San Francisco that fall into the affordable category.

550
There is Oakland and Richmond and various other cruddy cities I would advise against living in.

547 - Not any more so than SF, whatever that's saying.

548 - You got it! You have to stay with the cats, though.

One could also live in Contra Costa County, but then they run the risk of running into me.

There was a report this week that the Dodgers have discussed going into the [free agent] market and signing a discounted OF like Bobby Abreu for one year, then going into the market for Matt Holliday next winter.

I would love to get Holliday. I think he's a perfect fit for our organization. But unless you're the Yankees (thinking of CC here), this type of backwards-mapping is tough to make happen.

552 Cats are not a problem, provided there are not 100 or so.

If the Dodgers thought they wanted Holliday instead of Manny, they should have traded for him. It didn't take much.

551 But the party never stops in Oakland!

Wow, that was incredibly tasteless ...

Holliday will be a Yankee in 2010, I'm pretty sure of that.

The Red Sox "seem focused" on Arizona catcher Miguel Montero, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia remaining a possibility. The Red Sox so far will not give up Michael Bowden for Montero. Gammons notes the Sox made failed runs at Russell Martin and Mike Napoli.

What, they didn't want Jeff Mathis?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

Also, Gammons doesn't mention that he was part of that push to acquire Russell Martin.

I am considering rewriting the Toaster code to change any sentence that bashes the Bay Area to say the exact opposite. And throw in a few "hecka"s here and there, for good measure.

Hecka? Don't you mean hella?

562 Yeah, but I wouldn't want to violate Rule 1.

Anyone have reviews of Tommy's Joynt in Pacific Heights? I am going there tomorrow.

560 Well, they completely ignored the fact that Florida trading away Hanley made less than zero sense probably like -3 sense, and they went with the story that Boston would like to trade for Hanley. Really? You want to trade for a cheap superstar? I never would've guesses.

Q: How many East Bay teens does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Hella.

--

My sister lives in Oakland but luckily just outside the officially sanctioned Riot Zones.

564 - Haven't been there in years, but remember enjoying it more for the old timey atmosphere than the food, but I guess the food is still decent.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/tommys-joynt-san-francisco

Not really Pac Heights though is it? I guess it's close. I just call that area "Ugly ol' Van Ness."

--

It's kind of sad when we go to Peter Gammons for rational discourse on Manny Ramirez, but that's what Jon Heyman does to you.

562 The former is a fouler word than the latter. In fact, I would say the former is possibly the worst word in colloquial English speaking you can possibly. FAR, FAR worse than the more famous ones. People should be forced to eat a 12-pack of soap bars for saying it just once.

568 The latter is also a bad word. Ugh.

Perhaps fodder for the anti-salary cap position: The bizarre Darius Miles / Portland Trailblazers saga.

If Miles plays in 10 games this season (he is currently unemployed after playing a total of 8 games) his contract becomes guaranteed and somehow Portland takes an $18 million cap hit.

Portland sent an email to the other teams in the league threatening legal action if anyone signed Miles! Amazing.

http://tinyurl.com/9bf67w

561 Well, it was me who brought this up so lets call an end to it now.

Who would want Darius Miles anyways?

564 - My in-laws place is across the street from there, I basically live there twice a year when up in SF. Love the pastrami, but its very different.

572
I would, just to stick the cap hit on Portland.

570 Portland is saying just sue me to Darius Miles.

564 - great place, love it. Probably got 2-3 times in a 3 day span whenever I'm in SF.

Already canceled plans to go to Tommy's. Now going to a bar called Yancey's.

Clippers would need all the warm bodies they can get.

I guess Tommy's does not have TVs so people did not want to go.

Any team who has the cap space for next summer should sign Darius Miles, play him for 2 games and then cut him. Portland wants to go after Shawn Marion next summer, if Darius Miles is signed by another team, that won't be possible.

So basically any team interested in signing Shawn Marion, should sign Darius Miles then cut him.

579

Yanncy's is a great bar in the Inner Sunset. There is no food in the bar, but you can bring in plenty of food from any of the places in the area. Many good ones and a great Bakery nearby called Arezmendi. Also near Golden Gate Park, so parking in that area can be very difficult...

581
Yeah, my friend lives there. Parking is such a pain. Especially with all the stupid street sweep times.

563 That is my personal Rule 1.

Dennys Reyes' numbers look good. What am I missing?

The Braves pulled out the stops, from what I hear, preparing a video presentation for Lowe and Atlanta-would-love-to-have-you messages from several country music stars (he's a big country fan) including Alan Jackson.

Funny how the Braves anti-Boras stance dispersers when they need a player.

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/braves/entries/2009/01/09/t_hanson_on_way.html?cxntfid=blogs_braves

584 Ring in a box?

Tony Jackson is back. Wouldn't you know it, a mention of JUAN CASTRO in his first post!

The Joy Luck Club is still a ridiculous movie 15 years after it was made.

580

Miles should pay another team to sign him

588
lol what made you think of that? And why is it ridiculous?

Not much, just some people don't want to pay anything for a LOOGY.

When Lowe said "he'd rather play on the East Coast," do you suppose that extends down to the south? Hahahahahahahaha. I don't know why, but I feel like the Tigers would be smart to go after him. Not sure if he'd be worth the money but for Detroit, why not?

---

This is going to sound really goofy, but...

I feel like there is a huge NBA game on tonight with the Celtics and Cavs. It really seems like a big matchup with the C's struggling of late and Cleveland having a dream season (also undefeated at home).

That game is getting zero coverage anywhere. I had to search the himalayas for a single preview from the AP.

Even ESPN isn't bringing it up from what I can tell, and they're broadcasting the thing.

I don't have a real problem with this, since the BCS Championship was last night and the NFL Divisional Round is tomorrow. I just thought it was interesting to note how little press the game is getting, because I think this could be a very very good basketball game.

LOL, James Loney is on ESPN radio 710 and they just asked him if the team will miss Jeff Kent. He replied with, "I don't know about that but he's a great player."

589
Unless Miles wants to take revenge on Portland I don't think that makes much sense. My understanding is that he is receiving the full dollar value of his contract - the only effect of Miles playing two more games this season would be to revoke Portland's medical waiver, returning his salary to their salary cap and luxury tax calculations for this year and next.

590 Had to watch the movie for a class. And the ridiculous part comes from how self adsorbed the daughters were.

I had a stroke of luck last night and I figured out the perfect angle on my rabbit ears antenna to receive Fox with a strong signal.

595
Yeah, I had to watch it in middle school, high school, and college.

594 But if he is cleared to play, why should he be punished for a mistake the Blazers made when they signed him.

Also, this impacts his ability to play next year.

Kinda slow baseball day . . .

593 - Awesome. Honest but relatively tactful comment from Crazy Eyes.

592 - I'm continually surprised the Tigers didn't make a major play for Lowe. Hometown guy, maybe even would've given them a slight discount? They always need pitching. Maybe they didn't want to commit much money this offseason after the last one, but seems odd to me.

Tigers are going to be a big expensive pile of bad again next season.

598 - I believe Portland already has about $27M coming off the books via LaFrentz and Francis. They're setup quite nicely for next year, although keeping Miles' $9M off would be even better. Ultimately, they've no one to blame but themselves if it ends up coming back to haunt them though.

600 - Smoltz to DET also seemed logical. Does Detroit think it was their offense that was the problem last year, since it didn't score 1000 runs as advertised?

How the heck is any team going to score 6.17 runs a game?

The Tigers must think Edwin Jackson is Pedro Martinez or something.

NPUT

BTW, Jon & Marty might get a kick out of the story of the downward spiral of the L.A. Weekly over at marccooper.com.

To say the least, it really brought some disgruntled(and justifiably so) journalists out of the woodwork.