love the judge reinhold reference, jon. are you simply suggesting that these are fast times? or is there another connection i'm missing?

It means you are welcome here even without your Ghame Over T-shirt.

I would buy the t-shirt but it seems too oddly self-referential.

"If I'm here, and you're here, doesn't that make it OUR time?"

I see Tracy has Nakamura in for Choi today.

The game is on Extra Innings. Whew.

Are there any Dish Network folks out there that can confirm that the Dodgers will be on and what channel they will be on?

Is Time Warner cable going to show this game?

The game tonight is on Channel 3 for Cox Digital Cable users in the Newport Beach area (I don't know how far that extends in the surrounding OC area). At least that's what the on-screen guide told me.

booooo! we want choi!

actually, i just looked at the ESPN player profile link jon posted, and it appears choi is 0 for 11 against williams. that's probably why he's not starting.

Below is the broadcast info for tonight's game:
http://www.forums.mlb.com/ml-dodgers/messages?msg=44976.8

LOCAL OPERATOR** CITY CHANNEL #
ADELPHIA (April 20 only) LOS ANGELES METRO 10
ADELPHIA (April 20 only) BEVERLY HILLS/WEST HOLLYWOOD 20
ADELPHIA (April 20 only) AGOURA/CAMARILLO/FILLMORE/MOORPARK/
NEWBURY PARK/OAK PARK/OJAI/OXNARD/PORT HEUNEME/SANTA PAULA/SIMI VALLEY/THOUSAND OAKS/WESTLAKE VILLAGE 12
ADELPHIA (April 20 only) EAST VENTURA 10
ADELPHIA (April 20 only) INLAND EMPIRE 10
ADELPHIA (April 20 only) EAST SAN FERNANDO VALLEY 10
ADELPHIA SAN BERNARDINO 10
ADELPHIA HEMET/TEMECULA/PERRIS 10
BRIGHTHOUSE BAKERSFIELD/TEHACHAPI 21
CHARTER SAN GABRIEL VALLEY 101
CHARTER MALIBU 101
CHARTER GLENDALE 101/117
COX PALOS VERDES/SAN PEDRO 12
COX SOUTH & CENTRAL ORANGE COUNTY 3
COX SANTA BARBARA/GOLETA 4
DIRECTV* SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA/LAS VEGAS/HAWAII 650
DISH (April 18 only)* SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 451
TIME WARNER WEST SAN FERNANDO VALLEY 698
TIME WARNER SOUTH PASADENA 698
TIME WARNER GARDEN GROVE/ORANGE COUNTY/SOUTH BAY 698
TIME WARNER PALM DESERT 10

I was wondering about Charter, Thanks Blue.

It's a little curious that DirecTV will show it
but not Dish. Does Dish have any RSNA channels, Steve?

Thank you Blue

I can't believe Tracy is doing something this stupid. Can't DePodesta wear a uniform and sit in the dugout to check up on him?

Well, Nomar is toast. Hammy or groin.

I don't know what RSNA is.

"I can't believe Tracy is doing something this stupid."

You mean benching Choi? He's doing it for his own good-- Hee Seop has been eating nothing but vegetables for the past few days. With all that fiber in him, who knows what pants-filling adventures we'll see if Choi sees an errant Woody Williams fastball headed right at him.

On DirecTv it's a Regional Sports Network Alternative...still part of the Fox Network. The broadcast the other day was identical to what it would be on FSW2.

Jim,
I had to look that one up. It looks like it should be spelled RSNa.

Some systems have them.

Either that or someone wanted to join the Radiological Society of North America.

This is Choi's death knell, in my opinion. I have suspected for some time that he was in trouble for two reasons

a) if Choi struggled, there were any number of options at first base for Tracy and

b) Tracy is far from convinced of Choi's ability, as evidenced by his comments that Choi perhaps shouldn't be playing against guys who happen to throw hard.

And I'm not sure he's wrong, folks. Yes, I am the self-proclaimed biggest fan of Choi, largely because I thought he would be the media whipping boy and I thought Choi would be exhibit A of the Depodesta model. But I honestly have to say that Choi has looked horrific at the plate. Nakamura is, what, a ten-time Gold Glove? He may not be smashing the ball but no one has looked worse at the plate than Choi. Not since DeShields went horribly south have I seen a semi-regular look so lost. We may as well see that NOri can do before folks start getting healthy and other folks start getting sent down.

Sure it hurts. Researching Choi was fun. But the Dodgers have the best record in baseball. That's more fun. Because they have such a record, the Depodesta model will hardly be suffering in the eyes of the ignorant or incisive fan if Choi falls by the wayside.

--------------------------------------------

TODAY'S FACT OF CHOI, SB'S FAVORITE PLAYER, 2005:

If you've ever been to a minor league baseball game, you know that some things happen that you just don't see in the big league ballparks: crazy promotions, crazy sound effects, crazy music... it's all there. The idea is, let's have a fun time, win or lose. At times, such a philosophy goes too far, like it did in August of 2000.

The Iowa Cubs were visiting the Nashville Sounds. Brian Kirsch was the sound man for the Sounds and he saw it as his job to do what he could to throw off the other team. He had apparently been warned to watch himself and he apparently did not take the warning to heart. So before one of Choi's plate appearances, he was treated to the Carl Douglas classic, "Kung Fu Fighting". Another time Choi came up, he played David Bowie's "China Girl."

Choi wasn't the only one subjected to, ah, racially questionable music. Shortstop Pee Wee Lopez was treated to the song "Tequila" and another song that referenced burritos (can't find the title, sorry).

After the Cubs not so subtly brought the incident to the attention of the Nashville front office, Kirsch was fired.

"I don't know that that was any more offensive to (Choi) than anything else I've played for any of the other guys," Kirsch said to The (Nashville) Tennessean. "My wife is from Thailand. My job was to push the envelope, unbalance the other team and entertain the crowd. I don't regret anything I did."

It is not clear if Choi or the Cubs players were bothered by what happened according to this quote I found: "I have not spoken to [Choi] about it, nor has he or anyone else in the locker room come to me or said anything to me about it," said Cubs General Manager Sam Bernabe.

FWIW, Choi at the time was rated the 22nd best prospect in the minor leagues by Baseball America.

It is RSNa. I call an overuse of caps penalty on myself...10 yards.

I'm surprized Choi didn't eat him whole. He should have.

The only player on the Dodgers who seems less likely to catch up with hard fastballs than Choi is Nakamura.

Can't DePodesta wear a uniform and sit in the dugout to check up on him?

If they have an old Shawn Green jersey laying around, DePo could wear that. Maybe the Pads will forget he was traded to Arizona.

Have to remove the name, though.

A friend of mine in Japan insists that Nakamura's bat speed is much greater than it appears. He just has one of those funky swings that Japanese players favor.

But we shall see.

I only saw him play in person once in Japan and he left that game early after getting drilled in the arm by a pitcher who was struggling. I got to see a bench-clearing brawl, Japan-style.

Nori didn't get involved in the fight except for dropping his bat and screaming in pain. Tuffy Rhodes went out to the pitcher and administered some justice.

i don't think choi not starting today is such a big deal. he'll probably get in the game later, especially if we beat up on woody williams early. since choi's struggling, why put him up against a guy he's never been able to hit? i don't like the idea of him sitting against adam eaton, but woody williams i understand a little more.

Have to remove the name, though.

Not a problem this year, everyone's names are gone.

TEAM DEPO UPDATE
Last call on the t-shirts. I tossed up a webpage to compete with Eric. The response has been great so I'll look for them next month at the yard. (Ignore this if you emailed already.)

http://tinyurl.com/8ez6z

Whether or not the a is capitalized, I don't think I have it.

I like Choi and his history and his stats. At this point, however, we have lots of other options that might work as well as a guy hitting .140. Also, if Perez hadn't been hurt, it would have probably been Perez at 2B and Kent at 1B.

I don't want the decision to play Choi to become as political as the anti-Moneyball people are. It's not like he's a productive .140. DePo has built a team where if Choi doesn't work, we have other ways to go, and he gets credit for that anyway.

Is this me writing this, or has an alien taken my brain over? I cannot say.

I agree with Icaros though. That swing does not look made for the high heat.

Bob, you were in Japan why? Vacation, biz trip, or expat? I lived there for two years while in the Navy. I saw the Tokyo Giants (as they were called then) once at Korakuen Stadium.

bigcpa, that's great. How much?

ME IDIOT. I see the price is right there.

Don't be so hard on yourself, Dr Love...put the
me idiot in small caps :)

*Don't be so hard on yourself, Dr Love...put the
me idiot in small caps :)*

My bad. Me Idiot is an anagram for Tie Domi, it's habit to write it in all caps.

I've been to Japan three times on trips. Just like it. I'm going again at the end of June.

No, I don't speak or read Japanese.

Thanks Dish Network...for nothing.

It's a fascinating place, I think. As long as you can read enough Kanji to figure out your destination on the wonderful trains.

The game seems to be on channel 10 on Adelphia, West LA.

Thank God.

Camouflage for the Padres tonight.

These are the worst uniforms in sports (currently).

Re Update #2 -- preferably any system changes will not coincide with game winning homeruns. It can be very stressful. (Though better, I suppose, synched up with game winners rather than game losers . . .)

Congratulations, Vinny!

I agree. I dont care who they are honoring, those jerseys are horrific. Whoever made them up deserves to be sent to the brig.

I think these jerseys should be at the forefront of Worst Uniforms of All Time discussions. They might not be the worst, but they're up there. The intentions are good, I applaud that, but they're not even the Padres colors.

I'll try to do the switch, if I do it during the game, during an inning break.

I'm just kinda sitting and monitoring it to see if the CPU load goes bonkers like it did during yesterday's game. So far, it hasn't, but we don't have several hundred comments yet, either.

So will Vin refer to Klesko today as "the Whiz from Westminster"? And if so, will it be during his first trip to the plate?

Dish Network taketh away, but it also gives me several options to watch other than Rex Hudler, so that's a positive.

Hi this is Bobby from Cars for Causes...

It's the new "Eastern corn-fed pork."

As a defensive matter, is it obviously correct that Valentin play third and Nori plays first, as opposed to the reverse or as opposed to Nori (3rd), Valentin (2d), Kent (first)? Am I overimagining Valentin's flexibiity?

couldn't they just honor the military by slapping some epaulets on?

Your basically talking three players out of their normal position there, Sam.

on the webcast the padres look like floating heads with no torsos.

Good call by the ump.

choi woud have made that play

or would

Al Oliver would have made that play!

Bill Matlock would have made that play

Jim -- leaving aside the silly three-fer, I was more wondering if Gold Glove Nori at third with Valentin at first was an option. Don't know enough about Valentin at first to really have a view, but one of those guys is going to be out of his normal position, so I was wondering why it's Nori, esp. given Valentin's minor throwing issues. (Honestly was thinking that although the post was up before the error.)

Do you think Billy would trade us Barry Zito for Hee Seop Choi at this point?

Given how Barry Zito is pitching tonight (no command whatsoever, grand slam to Bret Boone), you can probably get him for free.

Vin did not call Klesko "The Whiz" his first time up.

No thanks.

Would somebody provide a brief summary of Valentin's error? Another bounce in the dirt?

Would the A's be willing to trade Zito to either the Giants or the Padres?

Valentin's throw pulled Nakamura off the bag and Nakamura, for some reason, decided not to tag Loretta as he ran past him.

It should be Nakamura's error.

He through on the first base side. Nakamura came off the bag but must have thought he was on it because he pulled his glove away from the runner allowing him to make it safe.

Thanks. I think the Nakamura at first experiment goes as long as Perez is on the DL and no longer.

It's not that Nori's swing is so slow as much as it's long. It's difficult to imagine he could do much with anything hard cutting in on his hands.

Yeah, really don't know how Valentin would be at first...but he sure is rushing his throws. Think he'll get used to it...sooner rather than later.

I wish I could catch the Dodger games on TV out here in Japan like I used to when Ishii and Nomo were on the team. Not saying they were all that but the Japanese would watch.

I wonder if even with 2 outs, Phillips could score from second on a single.

I can't see any justification for playing Nori at 1B over Choi.

Lowe was impressively fast on that play. I think Depo has realized the value of a fast running pitching staff before others. He is truly a genius.

Adrian Beltre just misplayed a ground ball like he'd never seen one before. Oakland scores a run on the play.

OMG what was that. Terrible base running.

The answer to my query is:

No.

And Beltre gets the home cooking "base hit." These guys really do scratch each other's backs, don't they?

How cool is that the pitcher gets a basehit to the 3rd baseman?

At least it was a hugely entertaining play.

Your basically talking three players out of their normal position there, Sam.

No, two, which is what you have now. The question is, which is better, having Kent at his natural position or Nakamura? I'd go with the former, as does Tracy.

The worst part about that inning was that Vin Scully said the Dodgers' luck might be running out.

Please tell me this wasn't another Glenn Hoffman special...

The defense is terrible!

That wasn't as much a Glenn Hoffman special as much as it was a Jason Phillips glacial retreat.

Nice play by Valentin. This guy is a master of redemption.

hmmmm . . . another potential product for GHAME OVER (TM). Bob, you better get your licensing people cranked up.

http://tinyurl.com/cztbq

You're right, Dr Love. Me idiot.

Vin's call of the play at the plate: "The tag is missed and gotten." It may have made sense on TV but, for those of us listening on the radio, it was a very confusing call. Missed and gotten?

Vin also seems eager for the Dodgers' "luck" to run out.

apparently the padre straw-tee-ga-re is to take the first pitch and work lowe deep into counts and to hit every ball over to Valentin and take their chances

Did Woody Williams just swing at the first pitch and ground into a double play when Derek Lowe had thrown 32 pitches and just hit a guy? That's tremendous. Restores my faith in humanity, if not Bruce Bochy. More aggressive play no doubt.

Giles throw home easily had Phillips, but he ran around Hernandez. But he ran so far away that he couldn't get back to the plate and he got tagged out.

See the lady behind home plate talking on the cellphone? Just wanted to tell you, lady...Not Cool.

Vin's call of the play at the plate: "The tag is missed and gotten." It may have made sense on TV but, for those of us listening on the radio, it was a very confusing call. Missed and gotten?

Hernandez played the tag well but just missed Phillips, who, in trying to get out of the way of the tag, got himself about as far away from the plate as you can get while still being in the dirt around the plate. His second effort failed and he was tagged out. You might see it on the highlights, but it won't be pretty.

Wow Drew is 2-2 hopefully he is breaking out of his slump.

We don't seem to be catching many breaks tonight.

Dodgers 5 hits, 0 runs. Padres 1 hit, 1 run.

everything seems to be going against the dodgers tonight. they're gonna have to make some luck of their own in this game.

Vin's question about the names of Geoff Blum's triplets is a good one.

How can you tell which one is which that soon? Can you pick out identical twins right away? Won't they all look the same more or less?

I have no children, so fill me in here people.

Does anybody else hear Jaime Jarrin in the background of the TV broadcast?

How can you tell which one is which that soon? Can you pick out identical twins right away? Won't they all look the same more or less?

Athletes don't think things through very often.

It's probably too early to be talking trades, but I can't help myself.

Bonderman makes 400k with Detroit, who have no real shot at contending.

We have a need for a legit 5th starter (sorry Scott, but I just can't bank on ya)

Would Detroit be interested in either a Bonderman for Choi or Edwin Jackson type deal?
Hell, throw them both in.

The way I see it, we'd have a VERY deep starting rotation and won't take on any large salaries.

I feel like we could also find a first baseman without too much trouble (one that is at least as good as Choi anyways).

RE: #103

You're assuming Detroit doesn't think very highly of Bonderman.

Bonderman is perceived as the franchise pitcher in Detroit. If he got traded, the fans in Detroit (those who are left) would be rather upset.

Why is Choi sitting? Aside from the fact that Jim Tracy doesn't like him. Williams is a RHP.

Choi .167/.265/.300
Nakamura .214/214/.286
Grabowski .250/.333/.500

None have anywhere near enough at bats to have a decent sample size, but if if Tracy really insists on benching Choi and playing someone out of position, why not Grabowski?

Re: #100: Different colored magic markers work well.

yeah, there's no reason detroit would get rid of bonderman. young, cheap aces don't grow on trees.

Can someone explain this to me:

A manager has two players - one is hitting .170 with a HR and a couple doubles and some walks, and the other is hitting .200 only singles. Both have ugly swings. One is a first baseman, one is a third baseman. One is young with some perceived upside, one is an older player from Japan. One bats lefty, the other righty.

So, please tell me why this manager would start the righty-hitting third baseman with no power or patience at first base against a righty pitcher? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

It's not the keeping track of the babies after they're born. But Blum has names assigned to each baby. And they're not done yet. They're still cooking in the oven as it were.

I would assume that if you're having triplets, that the doctors go and get them out for you, so maybe they can all be sorted out better that way.

Sorry, childbirth is quite foreign to me. Multiple childbirth seems really scary.

Remember the last young flamethrower they locked into a big deal because he was supposed to carry the Detroit franchise? Yep, that Jeff Weaver.

And the Tigers got Bonderman in the three-way trade with Oakland and New York that involved Weaver.

A cheap #5 starter will be readily available in July. There's always some stiff on the last year of his contract that a team will unload.

The defense is terrible!

Does anyone know if the game is on Comcast Wast LA? Thanks

Sorry, childbirth is quite foreign to me.

Hopefully it will remain a spectator sport for you.

Anyone here go to USC? Can't find the game on the campus housing cable system....

Considering that Penny and Weaver are going to be free agents after this year, I think DePo is going to make a move for a reliable and cheap starter through trade for next year. Unless injuries affect our starting pitching this year, he can afford to wait until the offseason. However, he might think a step ahead and make the move at the end of this season and might get a better deal in doing so considering some borderline contending teams (like the Marlins last year) wanting to get somebody to help them right away. It all depends if we have players we are willing to trade that fill other teams needs. Essentially, I think if we get that pitcher this year it will be from a contending team and we will give up a major league player to get it, which is contradictory to what Saul said.

Hopefully it will remain a spectator sport for you.

There's something where being a "practice player" is a positive thing.

Great, Lowe is nicked up. Thankfully he's staying in.

106 & 109 -- In normal circumstances, this wouldn't go in the "Jim Tracy gets the most out of his players" scrapbook at the end of the year. But as I have discovered over the past year, that side of the ledger has no debits, only credits.

"yeah, there's no reason detroit would get rid of bonderman. young, cheap aces don't grow on trees"

Yeah, I know, I'm dreaming.

Still, its good to dream!

Its also way too early to be thinking of trades, but I just was thinking what possibilities are out there, July will be here before you know it!

When you're having multiple kids, I'm sure you get lots and lots of ultrasound photos. (First time I saw an ultrasound of my first kid was one of the most awesome moments of my life. Can't imagine what three would be like.)

With the ultrasound, you can probably differentiate the kids by where they are in the womb. I don't know how you can tell that the kids are identical or fraternal, though.

No way Bonderman becomes available;

and

Even if he was,Moneyball discusses how po'd Beane was that his scouting director drafted him in the first round, which is why he got rid of him. Bet DePo feels the same way about Bonderman.

Id say we still got some luck.

Re Choi:

1) Tracey is allowed to hate him because he has not produced. Some of you act like he hasn't been given a chance at all.

2) Choi has 30 AB; Nak has 14. Nak may not be doing any better but let's give him a chance and see if he is better than Choi. At least judge them on a semi-equal sample size. To do otherwise is very un-moneyball of you.

Adelphia is showing the game in Hemet and San Bernadino but not behind the Orange Curtain. Nuts! And I can't stand Angel telecasts. Hearing Hudler gives me the munchies. Has there been any word on when Penny's first start will be? I'm wondering if they will let him pitch in Colorado or wait until they get home.

Even if he was,Moneyball discusses how po'd Beane was that his scouting director drafted him in the first round, which is why he got rid of him. Bet DePo feels the same way about Bonderman.

He got pissed because he was a HSer. Now that he's got 3 years of pro ball behind him, their opinion has most likely shifted. The walks and HR could come down but he's got a good K rate.

The way Moneyball describes it Beane didn't hate Bonderman, he hated the idea of drafting a high school pitcher in the first round. High school pitchers were the most likely to flame out and not make it to the majors and Beane doesn't like to gamble with his early draft picks. He probably traded Bonderman before he could get hurt (which he hasn't so far).

Bonderman's availability is a hypothetical anyway.

If you're Detroit, playing in a new park no one wants to come to, and rebuilding since 1987, no way you give him up, flaws and all.

Besides, if you're DePo and have young arms a year or so away on the farm, Bonderman isn't worth the price to get him.

Vin said that Penny would likely start in Colorado Sunday unless the weather was bad (i.e. really cold).

Wow is Lowe going to turn EVERY single and walk into a double?

And since Billy Beane got upset that the Athletics drafted Bonderman to begin with and DePodesta was working there at the time, I think that the Dodgers acquiring Bonderman would be pretty strange.

If you want to harp on the Dodger defense, you can talk about 3B, but stop it on 2B.

The last 3 games the Padres have played have gone 2:21, 2:14, and 2:11.

This could be another one in that ilk.

And since Billy Beane got upset that the Athletics drafted Bonderman to begin with and DePodesta was working there at the time, I think that the Dodgers acquiring Bonderman would be pretty strange.

I don't think that would have anything to do with it. Beane wasn't pissed they drafted Bonderman, he was pissed they drafted a HS pitcher. For all we know, Beane and DePo might be favorable towards Bonderman by now. But at the time, they hated it, because the odds were heavily against Bonderman succeeding.

Evidently, Woody Williams has as much faith in Nakamura as I do...

nakamura looks like a guy who should be called "spanky"

Why isn't Phillips batting seventh?

Charlie Stiener
"The Cubs beat the Pirates 6-4... Did I say they were in Chicago? The Cubs were in St. Louis and beat the Reds 3-1."

How about when Werth comes back we give him a crash course on playing 1B?

On the other hand, since that mistake at the beginning of the game Nakamura has made several nice catches over at first.

CPU load is climbing now. I'll probably push the changes live during the 7th inning stretch.

Why is Lowe hitting? Did all our relief pitchers quit?

Yeah. As well as he's pitching, it seems like you have to hit for Lowe in the top of the seventh, down a run.

Anybody got an inning-by-inning pitch count for D-Lo?

OK, the new version is up.

Anybody got an inning-by-inning pitch count for D-Lo?

Vin just said he's at 105.

#132

what do you mean about lowe turning singles and walks into doubles? what's he doing? i can't watch the game right now.

Well, quetly lost in Gentleman Jim's madness is the fact that Lowe's only allowed ont hit.

spoke too soon.

Well, quetly lost in Gentleman Jim's madness is the fact that Lowe's only allowed ont hit.

Yeah, but it's the 7th in a one run game, you gotta pinch hit.

well, three. I'll shut up now.

Who's warming up, TV people?

The bullen is pretty spent after the last two games. I don't have a problem letting him hit with no one on.

I do have a problem with him staying in if he's about to get shelled. That Blum shot was very close.

Wunsch

HAAAA Milton Shushing everyone is classic. He's awesome.

Lowe gives up a lot of stolen bases. Always has. Goes with the territory.

Greg Maddux gives up a lot of them too.

I hope that means Milt's hitting another one out today.

i smell a big inning coming up

Otsuka in for Woody. Good or bad?

oh wait, otsuka's in. maybe next inning.

now that looks even worse, not pinch hitting for Lowe then he only faces two more hitters the next inning. Tracy forget his pitch count or what? Not like you're afraid to let someone else pitch to Nady and hernandez.

i should trust my first instincts :)

Yes!

Sounds like there are at least 10,000 Dodger fans in San Diego tonight by the cheers for Drew's HR...

JD DREW!

DREEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

JD has arrived (finally)!!

Milton shushing who?

Ken -- For what it's worth, I like the comment bars. Were the comment numbers always bolded or am I imagining things? Also, while we've got you, can you tell me if there's an archive search feature if we want to rustle up a past post or comment? (And apologies if I'm just missing something obvious.) Thx.

AND JD DO!

Milt shushed the crowd through the chain-link fence in CF after making a running catch on a deep ball for the 3rd out of the 7th inning.

WHAT SLUMP???

Time for Milt to deliver on that promise...

hahahah

i like saying the whole thing: "who do?? jd drew!"

Milton was shushing the fans chanting "Beat L.A."

How much you wanna bet Valentin walks so they can pitch to fatty/spanky/slappy?

That wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

pinch hitter

aw, i was expecting grabowski.

Time to PH CHOI!!! (Just kiding)

A bunt? With Bradley? Oh lord no. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Thx 170, 174.

Are we going to try Ledee at first now? :-)

Yeah, I just changed the numbers to bold.

There is no search yet; if you want to archive search, just go to google and enter site:baseballtoaster.com along with your search term.

guessing we'll see Choi at 1B now? Or do you stick Ledee in left and hit Saenz for Repko?

Bradley was bunting for a base hit, Steve. It wasn't Tracy. Just FYI.

I agree with Steve. Bunt your hottest hitter?? Is Lasorda guest coaching?

I would assume with Ledee making the last out, the pitcher goes in that slot and Choi comes in to bat 9th?

Or will there be more Lowe?

That was ridiculous. We have our second Tracy-ism of the year, and it's worse than the first. Milton Bradley or Ricky Ledee? Gee, I don't know.

It would have been ridiculous if Bradley had been sacrificing, but he wasn't. He was hoping to catch the third baseman too far deep. He didn't.

108 pitches to start the inning. Makes me uneasy.

I don't know how you could know that. He may have been trying to reach first base, but I do not under any circumstances believe he was bunting on his own. If he was, then someone needs to take him out even if it we read about it in the paper in the morning. Nonsense.

More Lowe, after having already made 109 pitches and giving up two near-homers in the last frame?

wouldn't a double switch have been more appropiate, does tracy not want choi to bat that badly in the ninth?

Bradley didn't square up. And he has mentioned before that he thinks he is a pretty good bunter.

That fly outlooked pretty far on MLB.com. Was it?

Is there not a bunt sign?

And now Lowe's still out there on his 110th pitch against the middle of the order? Just nonsense.

Another long fly. Pray he gets this last out before he does anymore damage.

He's up to over 120 pitches if you count pick-off throws.

Lowe's gassed, this is not fair to him.

You're right about that, Bob. Bradley drives me insane every time he even hints at bunting. But, to the extent that this behavior is encouraged, it needs to be stopped.

Lowe needs to be done now, regardless of who comes in or the result.

I think the best evidence that Bradley wasn't sacrificing and was bunting on his own is that no manager, even Ozzie Guillen or Dusty Baker, would have his #5 hitter sacrifice with one out.

Out...of...gas...

121 pitches now.

isn't this one of those spots were one batter too soon is better than one batter too late?

tracy gets away with it.

phew

all this time I thought Wunsch came in last inning, dang internet. Choi won't be hitting any time soon, will have Grabowski likely hitting second next inning. 123 pitches, anyone remember his approximate pitch count last time out?

the trolley dodgers become the bullet dodgers.

phew

Bob, I so want that to be true.

Good greef has San Diego turned into the 80's Cardnals? 4 SB don't see that often anymore.

How bad are the Pads that they couldn't score on D-Lo when he obviously had nothing left in the tank. I can smell SD from here.

Has anyone else gotten a grey screen with just the timestamps when they tried to refresh comments? Has happened to me a couple of times, then comes back.

I think Tracey has a tendencey to leave a pitcher in a little bit too long if the game is close trying to get him the win. Of course that could just be me.

Stuck with Gamecast now! The local Adelphia switched to some Angels baseball show at 9pm. I hate Adelphia so much.

Shawn Green against the Giants tonight - 0-4, 3K

Yes on the grey screen. Usually goes away with scrolling or expanding your window if you have narrowed it.

No offense, guys, but I think you give D-Lowe the benefit of the doubt, considering he's now pitched back-to-back outings of 1 earned run in 17 innings. Considering our bullpen isn't particularly strong at the moment, I'll take a fairly tired Lowe over a rested Carlyle or Houlton any day of the week.

No offense, guys, but I think you give D-Lowe the benefit of the doubt, considering he's now pitched back-to-back outings of 1 earned run in 17 innings. Considering our bullpen isn't particularly strong at the moment, I'll take a fairly tired Lowe over a rested Carlyle or Houlton any day of the week.

I'll take a drunken Ishii over Carlyle at the moment, but that's just me...

Scott Linebrink seems like a nice guy.

Judging by his Gameday photo.

I wonder if with Phillips (at least) faking that bunt if they might think SD is playing too deep. Not that I think Milton should be bunting in that situation, or that Phillips should (ever) be leadoff bunting. In fact, now I'm just more worried.

He'd be nicer if he gave up a hit.

I was wrong about Scott Linebrink.

I was wrong about Scott Linebrink.

Tracy doing his best Lasorda imitation leaving Lowe in there for 200 pitches.

I think I will call this pitcher Renaud. Sounds classier than Duaner.

just wanna get to our middle hitters again... come on duaner

The DBacks have just two hits tonight in San Francisco, but lead 2-0. They do have six walks.

Vazquez pitched pretty well. Now it's up to the crack DBack bullpen.

GAMER OVER ?

ATTACHOI!

Duaner Sanchez is starting to remind me of Paul Quantrill a couple of years ago, with one big exception--Duaner throws harder. My point is that Quantrill would pitch just about every other day, get lots of groundballs, and was very reliable.

choi, baby!

now it's time to save us with the bat.

Renaud Rules!

Not much scoring in Southern California tonight. The Angels beat Cleveland 2-0.

Conventional wisdom question here: why not come with Brazoban in the ninth? It's now sudden death for the Dodgers. Seems like you should lead with your best guy. If the Dodgers score next inning, even if Yhenzy can't go for another round, at least your second best guy would have a margin of error to work with. Bottom line--you don't want to lose with your best pitcher in the pen.

Actually, Duaner scares me a little. He tends to get wild and his K rates are down from last year - if we have to package a reliever to get an impact player at the dealine, I'd prefer it was him.

Nightmare scenario: bases loaded for Choi!

And Adelphia brings back the game at 9:30. I'm glad it's back on, but I still hate them.

Bonus coverage right now on ESPN2. WIth Vinny! Sweet.

How often do you get to hear Vinny in the Deep South? I ask you.

Anyway, turn to ESPN2, non-So Cal people!

Lots of weak groundballs for us tonight. I'll take that error, but would another HR be too much to ask? I need to go to bed. These games are killers for us East Coast people.

Beltre's batting in the A's-M's game - he looks to have lost a lot of weight since last season.

Thanx, Flax. Boy, those unis are disgusting.

thanks so much Flax. awesome. I realize this comment is not up to the moment, but man, those uniforms really are atrocious.

Thank you Flax... do you know how/why ESPN2 is showing an FSN2 feed though?

awww yeah, either Kent or Bradley, gotta feel good about a possible hero here.

flax, thx for the tip. thank god for vinny

jeez those padres uniforms are putrid

well said 241

Know this has been covered, but these Padres unis' rival the Astros' rainbow uniforms and the White Sox shorts... these are absolutely awful.

Presumably ESPN2 was showing the Angels game and it finished really fast and they need to fill the time until 10.

Come on Milt, the pizza man. He delivers!!

and 245. pretty funny.

All together now people:

DON'T BUNT THIS TIME, MILTON!

Man, how big does Dennys Reyes look in the camo uni? He looks like a bunker under heavy coverage.

Speaking of ESPN2, Beltre just struck out on that low outside off the plate sucker pitch he said he learned to avoid.

i'm watching on gamecast, are the padres wearing those camo jerseys?

aww, milt.

think they'll walk valentin to get to choi?

C'mon Jose... need ya here man.

You realize if Valentin walks, my scenario of bases loaded with Choi up comes true...

milt just said 'choke' to himself on the way back to the dugout - i think

hahah, guess maybe they should've :)

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Joseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

YEAH BABBBBBBYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! UNREAL!!!!

Do you believe?

holy moly, that boy was due!!!! didn't know he could run well enough for a triple

Yeah baby!! Saved our @sses!!!

And Choi will get a chance to bat now with the game not particularly on the line.

Look how fired up Valentin and Milton are... so much for this team not having "chemistry", whatever the hell that means. Go big blue!!!!!

no way JOSE!!!

"back to the studio?"

Gracias, ESPN2, for letting me see that beautiful hit by Jose V. AND that great celebration in the dugout from this no-chemistry team and that clubhouse cancer Milton Bradley.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe this team! If I am dreaming I don't want to wake up!!!!

re: 267 -- nothing like your team-mate getting your back to keep the meltdowns away

Tracy calls for the straight steal of home...

productive at bat.

baby steps..
baby steps..

ESPN2 giveth/taketh away - stuck with Giants now.

man, that's a clutch hit from Valentin

I can't WAIT for Gagne to get back!

Time for some of Brazoban's 98 mph fastballs!

Way to keep things interesting, Phillips.

are they chanting "let's go dodgers" at petco??

8-1 vs. division rivals. 14 gamesin, 10 games over .500.

My, oh my.

Come on, every one at once

GHAME OVER!

(course i waited for gameday 1st)

5 steals, 1 run. ghame ovah

This team is awesome.

And Adelphia takes the game away again. Did I mention that I hate Adelphia?

Dodgers win Giants lose!!!!

I'll let everybody else say it. I officially cede dominion over the phrase.

Best start in LA history. Chills...

CHEMISTRY (Noun) -- The result of the combination of success on the field along with a comfort level with teammates, allowing players to perform better than expected because of said comfort level. (SEE: 2005 Los Angeles Dodgers).

giants just lost (hehe)

are they chanting "let's go dodgers" at petco??
Sure sounds like it to me.

FSN's Player of the Game - "The LA Dodgers, 12-2"

No kidding.

Giants lose, Dodgers win!!

bonus coverage on ESPN was the Giants/D'backs-why?

Any cool quotes by Vinnie?

was this enough pitching for plaschke?

Cool quote by Steiner:

"Who are these guys?"

Just got back from the Angels game. heard the the 10th inning of the dodgers

The indians are in big trouble. Their catcher and Hafner are the only decent hitters on that team. corA is starting ss and sees 10 pitches at bat. Can't tell about colon but they sut the MPH off after he threw 87 fastballs for the first two innings.

We deserve this Dodger start.

Cheer up everyone, Larry Bowa just said the Dodgers have a 'chance' to be a very good ballclub.

A 12-2 team, I shouldn't care if they do a line dance in between innings along the first base line. What's wrong with me?

I gotta say, after all the changes and the harping on DePo, the LAST thing I expected to see was the Blue at 12-2. But I'll take it. It's great to proudly strut the colors here in the Midwest. Planning to to see the boys in St. Louis in May (hope the streak is still alive). Be nice to see some payback.

Anyone know a way to find out what the Pads' record is when they wear those ridiculous unis?

If there were any justice in this world, MLB would disqualify them when they took the field in those things.

10 games over .500 ans have'nt even played Rockies yet.

12-2 w/o Penny & Gagne...

Looks like ESPN is going to have a piece on the 1988 Dodgers.

It was military night at Petco...so it's a once ayear thing.

They do seem to have a prediliction for uniforms that remind me of tacos...

Fox did a Beyond the Glory about the 88 Dodgers. I noticed that there was this thing that Kirk Gibson would yell after big wins and I think it's appropriate here. WHAT A F#$%ING TEAM!!!!!!

that's what i've been saying to myself after every win. what a team, indeed!!

234 -- Normally I would agree with you on that point re: Brazoban, but in this situation, the bottom of the Padres' order was coming up in the ninth, and the heart in the tenth. So you use Sanchez in the ninth and Brazoban in the tenth. Had we not scored, and Tracy had come out with Steve Schmoll (not unlikely)...

12-2 with Repko, Nakamura, Wunsch, Schmoll, Erickson, Dessens, Buddy, and Houlton.

If anyone has ESPN Insider (total ripoff, imo), I'd be curious to say what Morgan has to say in this column. I'm sure it's craptastic, and totally wrong, but here's the link

http://tinyurl.com/9oxvw

"They do seem to have a prediliction for uniforms that remind me of tacos... "

Brown road unis. Enough said.

So who stole the Padres' offense? They won't be this bad all year will they?

Fair enough, Steve. Suprised to hear you give this charitable interpretation of Tracy's move, though. :)

Great win tonight. Derek Lowe was true to form with all his groundball outs. Drew and Valentin had the big clutch hits tonight. DePodesta hit the trifecta tonight.

Sure wish the Dodgers would put their names on the back of their uniforms.

vr

Xeifrank

Fair enough, Steve. Surprised to hear you give this charitable interpretation of Tracy's move though. :)

Morgan, as usual, says basically nothing with a lot of words. I imagine he was gritting his teeth when he wrote it:

The Dodgers are another team that has been boosted by offseason acquisitions, specifically former Giants second baseman Jeff Kent. The Dodgers are still waiting for J.D. Drew to get hot, but Kent leads the team in RBI and is tied for the team lead in home runs. He is batting .354 and has spurred the Dodgers' early success.

Holdovers like Cesar Izturis and Milton Bradley have also contributed, and the offensive success is a little bit of a surprise when you consider guys like Adrian Beltre, Steve Finley and Shawn Green left town during the offseason.

Who would have thought the Dodgers would lead the National League in runs at this point considering all those losses. But Los Angeles fans are pleasantly surprised and the fan support at Dodger Stadium shows that.

Wow, that ESPN Insider url in #309 was what tinyurl was made for.

The Padres wear the camo a few times a year including their home opener and the 4th of July if they're at home. It doesn't help, we can still see them.

No more looking for weird channels for Dodgers games for a while as the NBA season ended.

For the morbidly curious, the Clippers won at New Orleans in their last game. The Lakers lost at Portland. The Lakers finished tied for last place in their division with Golden State.

So, when do the Stanley Cup Playoffs start?

I've had a few beers but was there an actual discussion about how you name multiple kids in the womb and then keeo their names straight after they are born? Maybe I am insane but you wait until they are born or if you do pick the names early you don't really care which triplet is named eduardo junior(speaking as a twin in a two sets of twin family)

I have to get up early. This has been a great couple of weeks boys. WHAT A TEAM!!!

KEEO= KEEP

I was holding back when Bradley bunted. 11-2 has turned me into a big softy. 12-2 has me turning pirouettes. I knew these guys had a lot of potential (and an attendant amount of downside), and that they are playing up to it while morons like Plaschke are eating it makes this really very sweet. When DePodesta was hired, I remember thinking that finally we had a chance to win something. And so we do.

Penny will start saturdy against the Rockies. Just announced on FSN.

saturday, damn

FSN misspoke. He's slated for Sunday.

Penny is starting on Sunday

Anybody else pinching themself? I know it's early, and theres a lot of baseball to go, but this team is playing ball the way it should... good pitching, CLUTCH hitting, and good defense. I've suffered through watching a lot of Sheffield/Mondesi/Green type teams that had "talent" and "potential", and never did anything that mattered. Nice to see them overachieving for a change, considering they've been the most underachieving team imaginable through the late 90's.

Ride the wave, boys. Ride the wave. -- J. Weaver

so his first start after an extended rehab will be in colorado's air? ok...

(I'm getting paranoid too, must go to sleep)

Dodger website says Penny to pitch on Sunday

Keeping with the theme, does that make Weaver Spicoli?

"All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz and I'm fine."

yeah, hot chick(hughes) said saturday. I'm sure it's sunday

Penny's record at Coors:

1-1
4.00 ERA
18 ip

Day game Sunday?

Just got back from my softball game and read through 300 posts. For a manager who has his team at 12-2 you all might want to stop 2nd guessing him. His use of his bench this year has been a thing of beauty as far as I'm concerned.

I just got back from sbc park, cold only three hits by the snakes green and glaus booed loudly. Gfans showed up late and left early, nothing but seagulls flying around at the end. I kept watching the scoreboard. 3 to 1 dodgers. Nice.

Re: 309 and Morgan

He said little with a lot of words, but at least he wasn't condescending or offering any backhanded compliments. At least nothing blatantly bad.