Anyhow, new day today, game on TV back East, Go Blue!

OT Aside -- In what I consider a backhanded swipe at my grumbling about missing the Springsteen show last week, my wife has stated a desire to buy a Springsteen concert DVD so we can properly educate our children. Are there any good ones out there? Or must I just take an obnoxious "it's not the same as being there live" hardline, which would be sadly typical. (Note that my favorite album is Nebraska, so I really am pretty snobbish about the whole thing.)

Brett Tomko's career is somewhat mystifying.

Among official releases, the Live in NYC DVD is pretty good.

I caught the recent show in Cleveland and it goes on the short list of best Springsteen shows I've seen. I like the solo acoustic shows without the band. He played six different instruments: acoustic guitar, harmonica, piano, electric piano, banjo, and pump organ. Definitely catch a show on the second leg of the U.S. tour if you can.

Baseball trivia question for the day: What do the following players have in common?

Mike Lowell, J.T. Snow, Rafael Palmeiro, Matt Williams, Ray Durham, Robin Ventura, Eric Karros, Vinny Castilla, Matt Williams, and Delino DeShields.

(Yes, I know Williams is listed twice.)

This is the 1st I've heard of Drew having wrist problems. Could someone elaborate?

Gee, I've never heard that type of diagnosis about a Dodger right fielder before. ;)

I think it's long since time for Steve Henson or somebody to do a long, in-depth article on the incompetence/untruthfulness (it's gotta be one or the other) of the Dodger medical staff.

"Updating previous items, Janie McCauley, of the Associated Press, reports Los Angeles Dodgers OF J.D. Drew (wrist) received a precautionary MRI on his right wrist Monday, May 23. Fluid was observed in the area, but Drew remained cleared to play. "

I emailed Will Carroll at BP to ask if he thought the Dodgers' med staff was sketchy, forgetting that he explicitly refuses to answer such questions in the negative. He's about the closest thing to an expert on baseball med staffs as anyone I've found on the Internet.

Mr. Carroll said the staff was qualified.

It could be true that the trainers and med staff are just fine, or even excellent. But if they are a problem and Will Carroll thinks so, he won't tell you.

Drew put up his best season last year with the Jones boys (Chipper and Andrew) in the lineup. While they are good players, they are hardly Edmonds, Pujols, and Rolen.

I think the wrist has more to do with his production than the rest of the lineup.

None of these players ever allowed home runs on 0-2 counts to opposing pitchers.

In all seriousness, even if he does have a sore wrist it is painfully obvious that there are bigger problems at play. His selectiveness at the plate has been getting him a lot of backwards K's, and when he does swing at a pitch early in the count he isn't doing any damage. It's great to look at what Beltre is doing and feel that Depo was brilliant with that non-committal, and then we have to deal with Mr. Drew. Let's just blame it all on Boras.

By the way, your name always makes me think you have strikeout problems of your own. :)

But I think Kent is a big mystery. After campaigning to anyone that would listen that he should be an all-star, I am starting to have my doubts unless he turns this around soon.

I think that Izturis, Bradley, Kent, and Phillips should be in.

So if this was been going on since the start of the year, why the hell hasn't it been mentioned until now?

If no one else is on the All-Star team, Izturis will be...he became known by winning the Gold Glove last year.

I like both of those Tigers and would love to have them on the Dodgers. Giving up Gagne at this point thought I think may be a little premature. I would like to see a little more from Brazoban before we give up the bset closer.

I like the idea, but maybe not just yet.

BC

The only thing I am really worried about is the pitching. Everbody knows I've been repeating Werth will make a difference, and I think replacing Drew short term is fine. Kent will return to form, and I expect more from Bradley and Phillips. I am still worried about Choi... and now with Nakamura doing solidly well in LasVegas, I wonder when one decides to stop the Merry-Go-Round (if you even do)?

Platooning Saenz/Choi might make some sense, but when you are doing that AND Peres/Robles/Edwards you won't have time to concentrate on when to pull your mercurial starters.

And is Nakamura free for the pickings if another team wants him? For some reason, I was thinking he was, but I am not sure on that. I'd be willing to give up alot to get someone like Oswalt, but then he'd get SARS or something.

So I'm all for tweaking and tuning in April and May, but at some point I think you need to firm up your lineup/rotation and if there is any chance for trading Weaver and change + CASH, now seems a good time to try.

How many at-bats in the season till you decide on a position player? 30, 50, 100, or just keep switchin' 'em around?

It's not quite as bad as when Sharperson made the team that one year.

Yeah, I could see that happening.

(Robinson also bunted his number two hitter in the first inning after Wilkerson opened the game with a double.)

The Nationals are facing contracted Go Go Matt Belisle, who is pitching well.

vs RHP - 111 ab
.270/.381/.459 (6 doubles, 5 HR)

vs. LHP - 38 ab
.184/.354/.211 (1 double, 0 HR)

Last year he pummeled lefties:
.287/.408/.521 (23 xbh in 167 ab)

Big - also interesting ... thanks. That's a huge decline against lefties. You'd think he'd be due to improve unless there's a physical problem. I always blindly wonder about eyesight in these situations (pun intended).

PTI for those of you who heard this, but we may have a new all-time bizarre sports injury:

Twins left-hander Terry Mulholland suffered a scratch on his right eye from the end of a feather sticking out of his pillow when he rolled over in bed at the team hotel Sunday night, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The feather scratched the white of his eye and caused excessive watering and irritation all day Monday. He was to have it examined by a doctor and could miss several games.

Mulholland is the third Twin to be injured in his hotel room this season, joining infielders Jason Bartlett, who tore a fingernail adjusting the TV in his room in Detroit last month, and Juan Castro, who woke up with a stiff neck in Detroit.

Carry on with your previous discussion.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4065

Somebody mentioned Phillips, and I don't see -- assuming he keeps his current pace of production, why that's a terrible idea. You have Piazza who will get the fan vote, then...?

Oh yeah. Matheny. La Russa. Never mind.

Clemens Hou
Willis Fla
Hudson Atl
Martinez NYM
Mulder StL
Gagne LAD
Hoffman SD
Isringhausen StL
Lidge Hou
Wagner Phi
Piazza NYM
LoDuca Fla
Pujols StL
Delgado Fla
Lee ChC
Biggio Hou
(Counsell Ari? Kent LAD?)
Alfonzo SF
Castilla Was
Garciaparra ChC
Barmes Col
Beltran NYM
Gonzalez Ari
Klesko SD
Griffey Cin
Floyd NYM
Abreu Phi
Bay Pit
Clark Mil

I am on a campaign to get Jason Grabowski on the team as a write in candidate. Please visit mlb.com and vote (up to 25 times) for Grabowski as a write in candidate. As a DT group effort, we can get our hero onto the team.

vr

Xei

vr

Xei

vr

Xei

Izturis currently has a higher average and OBP than Barmes, a better glove, and doesn't play at Coors Field. Izturis deserves the selection, and there is room on the team for Helton, since Thome isn't going to make it this year.

Trivia answer: Who are 10 baseball players who've never been in my kitchen.
:)

vr

Xei

But if the Dodgers keep losing, then it would hard to find more than I or two guys selected. Winning breeds all stars.

is any of this relevant?

the fact that williams is on there twice makes me think that each of them led the league among infielders in a particular category between, say, 1995 and 2004.

okay, here's my guess:

who are 10 guys who have never been in xeifrank's kitchen?

Which Bush judicial appointees were confirmed by the Senate?

Name 10 people who will not be slapped by Burt Reynolds?

each of those guys' last names either are or contain a noun!

(that is, if we count kar, as in "baby you can drive my...")

eric? did i nail it? i nailed it, didn't i?

Hide the kids.

In 11 years he only has 66 starts and never more then 7 in the last 10 years with a lifetime ERA of 5.47. Not that Buddy Carlyle is a better answer.

From Dodgers.com
Manager Jim Tracy said Carlyle becomes a logical candidate to start Saturday in Arizona. That's the spot previously filled by Scott Erickson, who is now in the bullpen. Rule 5 Draft pick D.J. Houlton is another candidate.

"We'll have to see how the next couple [of] days go," said Tracy, who said he will decide by Thursday. "That will give the pitcher ample time to prepare, and doesn't infringe on our running of the game."

And why not Pat Mahomes as stated in #87

WTF?

Of the nine players they caught (Durham and Ventura teamed up for theirs), three played for the Dodgers at the time: Brian Schneider, Carlos Perez, Rickey Henderson, Jed Hansen, Jose Cruz Jr., Glenn Murray, Darren L