I can remember when The Price is Right came on the air and the smart people knew to guess 2 as the first digit in the four-digit price of a car.

I also like the game where the little guy yodelled while climbing a mountain.

May 18, 1945

Despite playing in a season where offense was down due to World War II personnel shortages and in a stadium where the lighting would have been considered primitive by today's standards, a crowd of 31,334 at Ebbets Field saw the Dodgers run their record to 17-7 with a 15-12 night game win over the Cubs. Dodgers left fielder Luis Olmo drove in seven runs with a grand slam and a bases-loaded triple. Goody Rosen and Bill Hart also contributed home runs for the Dodgers.

Dodgers starter Roy Pfund gave up four runs in the first, but Olmo tied the game up with his grand slam in the bottom of the inning. Cubs starter Paul Erickson allowed the first Dodgers to reach and was relieved by Ray Prim, whom Olmo greeted with a home run. Olmo would bat against Prim again in the sixth with the bases loaded and tripled in three to give the Dodgers a 9-6 lead for reliever Ben Chapman, who held on for the win with some help from Vic Lombardi in the ninth inning.

After suffering through a poor 1944 season when the team was decimated by losses to the military, the 1945 Dodgers were able to piece together a respectable team from some rising stars and some veterans who got an unexpected chance to shine with the stars off serving Uncle Sam.

The Dodgers had an impressive offense despite hitting just 57 home runs. Second baseman Eddie Stanky led the league in walks with 148 and runs scored with 128. Olmo led the league in triples with 13. Right fielder Dixie Walker led in RBIs with 124. Olmo drove in 110. Four Dodgers scored over 100 runs. Besides Stanky, center fielder Rosen scored 126 runs, first baseman Augie Galan scored 114 and Walker scored 102 times.

Indicative of the times, many of the starters lost their jobs once the regulars came back from the war. Rosen, who failed in a tryout in the late 1930s with the Dodgers, was out of baseball after a handful of games in 1946. Olmo would not return to the Dodgers until 1949 and only as a reserve. Shortstop Eddie Basinski played one more year in 1947 for Pittsburgh. Backup shortstop Tommy Brown was just 17 years old and in his SECOND year with the team. The Dodgers used seven different catchers for the year. The team committed an astonishing 230 errors, 60 by shortstops and 50 by third basemen.

Winning pitcher Chapman would be traded to Philadelphia on June 15. Chapman eventually became the manager of the Phillies and would later earn scorn from Dodger fans for his vicious race-baiting of Jackie Robinson in the 1947 season.

While the Cubs had a bad day on May 18, 1945, they turned in a 26-6 August and won the National League pennant with a 98-56 record. The Dodgers finished 87-67, 11 games out and in third place.

Thanks to the NY Times, Chicago Tribune, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

I would also root against any contestant who I found particularly annoying.

He probably refuses to have his pet spayed or neutered as well.

Actually, I got her from a shelter and she came without all the original factory equipment. They wouldn't have let me take her home if she did.

When I was in Kindergaten, I missed most of a week of school because my mother took me out so we could watch a friend of hers on Password. She stayed on the show for five days. The lost school time has no doubt kept me from major success, but it was worth it.

Felix Unger: Aristophanes!

http://tinyurl.com/8fby5

You mean, where the Dodger manager reminisces about his favorite game show memories? There are hundreds of great questions you could ask.

I'll take famous Dodger pitchers for a thousand Alex.

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Xei

Alex: He made famous the knuckle curve.

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Xei

To this day, my former co-worker has an irrational, and unreasonable jealousy toward Ken Jennings that is truly frightening.

The teams have combined to put 10 runners on base.

.250
.247
.225
.309
.203
.236
.218
.180
.227

My conclusion is that the Angels have a team full of Grabowskis. Vlady sure needs some help! No surprise they are being shutout through 8 innings. Colon pitched well for three days rest.

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Xei

http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?Region=Greater+Los+Angeles

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Xei

Other guys on the list include:
Kirk Rueter
Craig Counsell
Quentin McCracken
Andy Pettite (facing Ortiz today)

Emeritus members:
Tom Goodwin
Shawon Dunston

Too afraid to ask, although he prefaced every reference to Jennings by asking for the category "Lucky,greedy b*st*rd who ruined it for everyone."

Alex Cora's OPS -- .531

Source: http://baseballtonight.blogspot.com/

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Xei

ps - someone tell that to Jim Tracy during his online chat. :)

And I don't like his chin.

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Xei

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Xei

Please try to get an early lead against the Angels. Bullpen won't cough up lead easily.

Pretty insulting to a small goat to be compared to Eric Wedge, or Clint Hurdle.

1. Izzy
2. Choi
3. Drew
4. Bradley
5. Kent
6. Ledee
7. Perez
8. Phillips
9. Waiver

?????

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Xei

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Xei

JT -- www.mlb.com's gameday is the best and quickest

And Xei, that list is on Gameday

Final line: 3 batters faced, 2 hits, 0 left on base.

#75: Frontier Airlines has cheap flights to Utah.. I'm on my way.

JT -- mlb.com's gameday has a lot of info and detail. Whether the pitches actually were thrown where the little map plots them, I don't know. But it's fun to watch. (I do know that everytime a batter swings and misses or fouls or hits, the ball is plotted in the strike zone so clearly the total picture is something short of reality, but not sure exactly how much.)

You wouldn't?

Good to hear that they kept Repko instead.

Pinch hitting stats for 2004:

PLAYER----- AB R H 2B HR RBI BB BA OBP SLG OPS
Jas Grabowski 69 5 12 5 01 05 10 .174 .278 .290 .568
Robin Ventura 48 7 13 0 03 14 08 .271 .368 .458 .827
Olmedo Saenz 48 6 15 1 03 13 04 .313 .345 .521 .866

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Xei

Vinny claims Grabowski sent down due to a "nerve inpinchment", not general suckitude.

Sad to say, but Grabowski could be productive if he could play regularly somewhere, but he's totally miscast as a pinchhitter.

So what does he do 0-2? Well he tries to bunt again - foul ball and strikeout. No run scores.

Great to get out of the 1st without damage.

WOOOOHOOOOOOO

What a convenient little nerve impingement.

Is DL'ing Grabowski what your most recent FJT post is about? Cuz usually I'm right there with ya on these odd, non-sequitor posts. But this one - I'm stumped.

That can not feel good.

there's a lesson to be learned, kids.

And that's the last reference to Joe McDonnell you will ever hear from me.

That's the dead parrot sketch from Monty Python -- with Grabowski in the role of the parrot.

Nice AB by Choi, regardless of result.

I really despise Jim Tracy.

Padres up already. Somebody cool them off please.

Choi is going to walk on a lot of full counts. He's going to K on a lot of full counts -- neither of which really necessitates starting the runner except for kicks.

"Florida Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell left the game due to an injured head."

Re H&R - WTF, Choi has hit into one DP all year!

Was he hit by a falling anvil?

No - by a Plinko chip.

And we've come full circle, everyone!

Tracy must've confused Choi with last year's first baseman. It happens when you reach his age.

Vinny says that Lowell has a "facial laceration"

Not watching the game. Please explain why I shouldn't be cursing Milton right now.

Ridiculous...

74% isn't too shabby.

That being said, if Drew is heating up, the runs should eventually come.

WWSH

I'd like to know what each manager's baserunner/runs ratio is. This seems like something over which managers have a marginal level of control - i.e., pinch-hitters, third-base coaching, basic running fundamentals, running decisions.

WWSH

That's what I thought when I first saw it. I replayed it a couple of times on DVR, and it looks like he stepped on the bag and moved his foot off as he caught the ball and pivoted to throw to 1st. It looks like he was off the bag, but I couldn't be sure.

WWSH

WWSH

WWSH

Wow, what a terrible throw by Ledee - it looked like he had plenty of time to at least make it close. Good thing he's hitting, because he stinks out there.

ARGGHHHH!!!!!!!

I'll shut up now.

WWSH

How lucky can Jeff Weaver be? He's pitched almost 5 innings and has 0 strikeouts.

Beckett has 81 pitches through 4 IP. If we have a good 5th inning, we'll win this game. Gotta make him work.

7 pitch walk. Beckett is closin in on 90 pitches.

Sometimes it's just fun to say.

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Xei

Beckett is laboring.

arrghh... 0-2

GO KENT!! Officially out of his mini slump !!

Plus, Kent just bailed his ass out! Whoo hoo!

2-1 Dodgers!

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Xei

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Xei

Beckett is just raring back and firing -- he knows he's gone.

What's this - Beckett gets better after 96 pitches?!

[Of course, I'd feel bad if he actually was legitimately injured, but the whole thing is fishy].

I'll say 9-4.

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Xei

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Xei

Then again, they did score 14 runs last night.

Hey Jon, here's another anecdote for you.

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Xei

Man I hate Weaver.. Who doesnt see these things coming?

When a pitcher goes the entire game without striking out one batter, you know he aint fooling anyone.

I hate Weaver and Tracy.

It was the hit he allowed to Beckett.

"Hey Weaves, yeah, sorry I'm late, I was in the john and Tracy was questioning himself in his sleep..."

That fastball was 84.

But then again, Jeff Weaver is a #5 caliber starter.

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Xei

GRABOWSKI PRINCIPLE!

Thanks. Tracy. Now the game really is out of reach.

I would cancel that chat with the fans. Idiot.

Sincerely,

FJT

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Xei

What's the point of having a great bullpen if you don't use it?

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Xei

What troubles me is when I read quotes from DePodesta about not watching the pitchers work. I really hope he doesn't miss how hopelessly lost his manager is.

Anyone confirm that?

Too funny if true.

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Xei

A) A new manager
B) A laptop computer
C) A pile of rocks
D) The Hilton sisters
E) Who is Jim Tracy

Will this inning never end?

When you go almost 6 IP with 0 K's, you aint fooling anyone.

I've come to the realization we will not win a pennant with Jim Tracy as the skipper.

He's awful. Simply truly terrible.

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Xei