Intersting article Jon. Clark comes off as a dope to me. For people who didn't like the TRADE and moving Green, Clark is your guy. He thinks Kent is selfish for still playing second.

The best part of the article is him saying "take that, bitches" when he hits the homer off of Niedenfeuer. That was funny.

I'm headed to the game today knowing there isn't a chance Navarro is behind the dish. Maybe JT will put him at first. Hopefully I can see the Bull at least and maybe some Choi.

Now that Broxton's in LA, can we call him El Toro?

3

Nice, Yes we can.

Jack Clark and The Dodgers. Oil and Water, Cats and Dogs, Up is Down, Day is Night. Bad luck just seeing something like that.

if righty-lefty isn't an issue with Tracy, then why not have Kent at 1B and APerez at 2B?

Phillips is not a 1Bman, hence him wandering over and knocking the pop out of Kent glove...if he is the backup C, then let him be the backup...

Choi isn't going to play anymore unless there is another rash of injuries...or rarely to rest someone...

I really liked the way Navarro took charge out there running the defense, reminding the pitchers there were runners on base...haven't seen that from any of our catchers all season...

someone must have spoken with Duaner Sanchez...the last couple of times out, he is really going after the hitters instead of nibbling around, and he is looking really good again...with him, Broxton, Schmoll, Wunsch when healthy, and Gagne next year...looking like a pretty good bullpen all of a sudden...where does that leave Brazoban...or Carrera...or Alvarez...

#5 Howard, hopefully that leaves Alvarez and Carrara as organization pitching coaches after they announce their retirements.

I'd still rather try to have Brazoban as the main set up man next year, at his young age, then any of the alternatives.

Agreed, having new blood like Navarro and Broxton up, along with an effective Schmoll is a breath of fresh air for a stagnant ball club. Hopefully DePo will be able to further invigorate the club this weekend.

Jason Phillips is batting just .210 over the last two months. So yeah Howard your idea works for me when I think to myself, Choi will never play, so just get over it.

Random Dodger game callback

July 30, 1917

Rube Marquard went the distance and Brooklyn pounded out 13 hits at Crosley Field as they won easily over the Reds, 7-3. But the win did little to salvage a disappointing season for the defending National League champions, who were 43-46 and 14 games behind the first place Giants and in sixth place.

The Reds scored first in the game in the bottom of the second when Tommy Griffith tripled and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Jim Thorpe. But that lead soon disappeared.

In the top of the third, catcher Chief Meyers doubled and then went to third on a single by Marquard. Shortstop Ivy Olson singled in Meyers to tie the game. First baseman Jake Daubert grounded into a force play to put runners on first and third. Hi Myers singled to right to score Marquard and Jimmy Johnston singled home Daubert to make the score 3-1 Brooklyn.

Brooklyn added a pair of runs in the 8th and 9th innings to seal the win. Marquard had a 2-run double in the 9th off of Cincinnati rookie Herman Pillette, making his major league debut. He would not return to the majors until 1922 with the Tigers.

1917 was a long season in Brooklyn. Coming off the excitement of a pennant in 1916, Brooklyn fell all the way to seventh place at 70-81, 26 ½ games behind the Giants. Only the woeful Pirates at 51-103 were worse.

Brooklyn's biggest problem was that star outfielder Zack Wheat was able to play in only 109 games. He batted .312, but without him, the offense suffered. The team batted just .247 and no other regular batted higher than .261.

The pitching staff was still good and had an ERA of 2.78, but the lack of runs led to some bad W-L records. Jeff Pfeffer was 11-15 despite a 2.23 ERA. Marquard managed to win 19 games and lose only 12 with a 2.55 ERA.

After a slow start, Brooklyn made some efforts to get over the .500 mark and did so twice, the last time after winning the first game of a doubleheader on August 5 to be 48-47. But Brooklyn would go 22-34 the rest of the way, including a 9-18 September, in which they played just 4 games at home, losing 3 and tying the other.

Improving the team would be hard over the next two years, as World War I would make the seasons shorter and personnel harder to keep on the field.

Thanks to New York Times, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

In hopes of inspiring DePo, I just made a trade in my Tolkien baseball league (http://solonor.com/baseball/) where I got three starters and two draft picks for a couple of aging players.

First time in five seasons I'm over .500 this late in the year.

My goodness, it's even better than I thought! The Dol Guldur Dragons are tied for first in their division! :)

RDGCs will be on hiatus from July 31 until August 9. My hotel is supposed to have free internet access, but I will be busy with other things.

Good thing the Dodgers are on the East Coast, most of my trip. I won't have to stay up until the wee hours of the morning.

I long ago acknowledged that Choi is Tracy's backup. In fact, he's now fourth string, behind Saenz, Phillips and Kent.

Short notice, but I have two tickets for today's game I suddenly can't use and am happy to give them to someone here. Asile 135 (orange level-inside 3B) third row. You have to come to West LA to pick them up.

Call me pathetic, but I'm more in denial about Choi and playing time than I am about the Dodgers and playoff hopes.

13 No charge, of course.

12 - and DePo appears okay with it...

14 - I think the Dodgers will win the west, in a close race with the Padres and Giants...the Giants are only 1 1/2 back of us

13. I'd be interested, but google maps says I am 2,229 mi (about 1 day 14 hours) away.

#13,
You should require that whoever gets your tickets brings a sign to the game saying "Jim Tracy, play Hee Seop Choi NOW!!!!" or something like that.

18 - you are kidding, right? while I believe Phillips should not be at first, he did make a terrific play on the Edmonds shot down the line in the 9th...Choi can't filed a slow roller right at him...

#19,
Nope.

LAT hates Hee Seop Choi with a red hot passion. :)

=(

But for Choi I would not have those tickets available today. Daughter abandon me for playdate. If SG were still there she would go and no free tickets. So if someone takes the tickets they have Choi to thank. :-)

I've reached the point that I would rather see Choi than Phillips at 1B.

#19,
Did you just say you'd rather see Phillips at 1B than Choi? And you're not kidding?

Chicon strikes out Vlad. Apparently the Yanks should be taking every lousy available pitcher in baseball, give them one start while they are all jacked up and then not let them have a second start when they will fall back to earth.

Can Cashman spell E-R-I-C-K-S-O-N. Would love to see him get a shot in NY. They would eat him alive.

A-Rod just plunked on the wrist ala JD Drew but staying in the game for now. (But then Drew stayed in too)

Rodriguez got hit higher up on the arm it looked like.

The problem with getting on the wrist is that there are a lot of tiny bones there, so it's not too hard to break one if you take a direct hit.

Did Drew have a break that could be reset or was it the kind where they just take the bone out unded the theory of "Well, you've got about 30 others there to do the work"?

The headline on the ESPN.com preview for the Padres-Reds game is:
Reeling Padres turn to Astacio vs. Reds

Pedro Astacio is 2-9 with a 5.84 ERA.

Life in the NL West!

The Rockies are starting Aaron Cook today. He's been out a year after suffering a pulmonary embolism. That's good for him since most people end up dead after one of those. The story says he had a few embolisms, but they were removed surgically before they blew .

How did Juan Apodoca go from catching at rookie league Ogden to AAA yesterday? Quite the jump.

Navarro threw out 34% of base stealers in AAA Vegas. Mike Rose threw out 29% in AAA Vegas.

Delwyn Young was promoted to AAA to replace the traded Thurston.

Apodoca has had quite the year, Columbus-Ogden-Vegas. On Thursday Nixon left the game, which meant Theodrou had to catch. Apodoca was closer to Vegas than any other catcher, so he rushed over there until Rose got there. He'll probably be back in Ogden soon

Has Penny served or appealed his suspension?

Penny's appeal is still pending. But with the off day coming up, I don't see why he doesn't serve it now.

Fri - Penny
Sat - Lowe
Sun - OPerez
Mon - OFF
Tue - Weaver
Wed - Houlton
Thu - Lowe
Fri - OPerez
Sat - Penny

Would changing the order of the rotation make much of a difference now?

I've reached the point that I would rather see Choi than Phillips at 1B.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that saying I want someone other than Jason Phillips to play first base is not saying much at all. One could say that of the witch's wing-ed monkeys, Eddie Gaedel, Billy Ashley, and very likely Scott Erickson. Where Choi slots in amongst the virtually billions of possibilities at first base that would be an improvement on Jason Phillips is for each man to decide individually.

Looking at the minor league rosters and following the trade of Joey "Ballgame" Thurston... Young was promoted to AAA (as previously mentioned), Tony Abreu was promoted to AA and Travis Denker was promoted to Hi-A Vero... I am excited to get to see what Denker can do with the 35 games left on the Vero schedule.

At this rate shouldn't the Dodgers do a little more of maneuvering with the minor league roster, I mean the 51' are full of dead weight (other than Aybar), why not give some "organization" guys like Donovan and Tydus Meadows (one guy I am rooting for a sept callup)a chance. You could then move up Kemp to AA where the outfield has no prospects. Also, how about Billingsly to AAA prior to a Sept callup?

Who did we get for Joey Ballgame anyway?

In fact, I would probably even prefer Shawn Green over Jason Phillips. :)

35,

We'll tell you later.

Does anyone know if today's game, televised on Channel 13, is a FOX national broadcast, or is it a Dodgers broadcast.

I know the Angels are on Channel 11, but I was wondering if this was some weird doubleheader day.

I believe it's a weird doubleheader day, as the telecast was promoted during last week's Fox Dodgers-Mets telecast.

The schedule on MLB.com says FOX, so I have no idea what's happening. My TV does agree that it's being televised on UPN

FOX owns both Channels 11 and 13. Which is why Rick Garcia does the sports on Channel 11 news and then wanders over to do the Channel 13 news as the "serious" guy who actually dresses like an adult rather than the women who like they are headed for a night of clubhopping.

#34 There can't be much thought to clearing the "dead wood" from the Las Vegas roster if the Dodgers offered Erickson a starting job there, with the possibility of a September callup.

#33 For a guy who played 1B in the majors on a semi regular basis in the past, Phillips makes LoDuca look like a Wes Parker gold glover by comparison at first.

Despite his 40+ RBI, the more Phillips plays, the less he has in trade value. Unfortunately, because the way he's been handled by Tracy, Choi probably has NO trade value.

re:34 I think Depo isn't too fond of sending top pitching prospects to the thin air of AAA Vegas. Probably does nothing else but hurt their confidence.

lol, fanerman, because sarcasm is as hard to pick up here as a Broxton breaking ball, we can't tell you who the Dodgers received for Thurston because it was a "player to be named later." I'm going with Kevin Brown...

(/sarcasm)

Sorry,
I hope I didn't sound too smart-a-- like. (Because you know we'd never guess what the -- stands for.)

I read in a Rob Neyer piece that the only requirement for a player to be named later is that the guy can't be from the same league that the other player was from. Since the Yankees AAA team is in the IL, it could be just about anybody.

Wasn't there a guy on the Mets in the 60's who was traded "for a player to be named later," ended up being so bad, that he was the player they sent back?

#44,
Yeah I figured. I don't even know what team we traded him to.

Re: TV
It's being shown on fox in the bay area, if that makes a difference.

#47,
Okay. The Yankees.

Conor Jackson making his major league debut today in Chicago, playing first base for the DBacks. Green is in RF today with Terrero in CF.

Some of the DBacks fan forums talk about Green being unhappy in Arizona and wanting to be traded, but that could be wishful thinking on their part. A lot of DBack fans don't seem to care much for Green.

I think it's happened several times where the player to be named later is the same guy. It's sort of like the Lend-Lease Program before the US got into World War II.

49. Bob where are you reading that about SG I would like to see it too.

It was in some of the Baseball Primer threads about the Nevin-Park deal.

52. Thanks

#42 My guess about Erickson is that Dodger management told him about the "possibility" of a Sept callup so that he would go quietly... If he threw a fuss on his way out it would definitely make the LA times. But, if he goes down to AAA stinks it up and they never offer that Sept callup then nobody will listen to his gripes at that point.

Erickson even made the concilliatory statement "I'm surprised it took this long" to the LA times, showing the ability to restrain his mouth that wasn't there ealier this year.

#43
As far as Billingsly in the thin air of AAA, I think a short 1 month stint before Sept 1 would really help management see if he can contribute (to a playoff run), and how much damage could 1 month do to Billingsly's confidence?

Good news, Dodgers MVP Jason Phillips is yet again starting at first (same lineup as yesterday, but Navarro in 7 and Repko behind him)

Currently fourth string
Our best option at first base
Fire Jim Tracy.

Phillips... not Choi!!!! Ugh this is ridiculous...

you know Tracy used to do these screwy lineups only once or twice a week, but since the injuries he does it EVERY GAME... this guy is an idiot who should be coaching in little league

The weird thing is that Choi is 3 for 4 in his career against Suppan.

Phillips is 2 for 5.

Neither sample means much of course.

Does anyone know Phillips/Choi splits against Suppan? That may be the reason.

56) Coming around slowly to the same conclusion.

Is a good player a good player if he is not allowed to play?

Let us meditate on that Zen-like "koan."

Freakin' tracy! You're killin' me here!

coachbean, one month really messed Jackson up. I'm not saying Billingsl(e)y - I've seen it spelled both ways, not sure which it is - wouldn't succeed at AAA, but from the looks of things, Depo seems to want his top pitching prospects in the normal atmosphere of AA. THis could just be a coincidence though and we'll see guys like Kuo, Bill, etc moved to AAA soon.

Depo certainly wishes he could let Tracy go. But they're still in the hunt and with no replacement obvious to any of us, there probably isn't a better candidate to make the backlash and distraction worthwhile.

Re: Choi/Phillips
Isn't it funny how irrational some people can be and yet still maintain their positions of authority and the respect of their colleagues...

I don't understand how Choi and Saenz are both sitting. I thought that the Perez Kent was insulting to our platoon at 1B, but to sit three superior hitters in favor of someone who as an OPS in the Dave Ross range is absurd. Tracy is addicted and Depo needs to have an intervention!

David Ross' OPS is almost 100 points higher than last year.

However, it's just 642.

Man, I hate this Fox announcer. I'm sure we'll also get Lyons

And Scooter...

lol, "perhaps his best start of the season"? he one hit cincy through 8. did I miss a no hitter? =)

This Steve Lyons bit from the blimp is lame. Gee what a surprise

Has anyone ever seen the Goodyear blimp land? It uses the complex method of lowering its altitude until it can drop a bunch of cables from its nose and then whole bunch of guys on the ground pull on it until they tie it down.

but to sit three superior hitters in favor of someone who as an OPS in the Dave Ross range is absurd.

We could debate the definition of "superior hitters" endlessly, but Tracy has been hinting/saying for weeks now that defense is the key and, while it's not saying much, Phillips does appear to be the best defender of the four (Choi, Saenz, Perez, Phillips). I've also read (reported? rumored?) that teammates are not happy about either Choi or Perez in the field.

#63
Yeah Jackson screwed up in Las Vegas, but he spent TWO months there, and to be quite honest, he wasn't that impressive last season when he spent the entire year with the 51s... My point is that promotion should be based on merit and performance, and Billingsley has earned it. Also a little adversity (LV) may help someone realize their full potential later on.

Who is injured? Not Lowe please god.

Eckstein fouled a ball off of his leg.

Eckstein feels better apparently.

Gotta love D.Lo going right back inside to Erckstien

crazy, doesn't any manager just allow a LH hitter to try and pull a groundball and allow the possibility of a hit anymore?

why didn't we walk him?

Good thing the Cardinals bunted there. Because, it's so unlikely for Pujols to ever get a hit.

Lyons just said "secondary MVP"... apparently he doesn't understand the definition of the word most

Well, this is starting out fine.

all his pitches are breaking back over the plate. sad day after last night's excitement =(

I blame it all on Choi not starting.

Carolyn Hughes has her work cut out for her tonight in cheering up Lowe.

Ah this is just what I was expecting. Lowe needs to rally and not start throwing BP. While this was unfortunate, Pujols and Edmonds are you know, good to great players and they will occasionally take you deep. Get your game face on Derek.

Maybe Derek was served papers this morning.

Guess I'll watch the Cub game

Lyons in refering to Tracy's lineups used the phrases "fipping a coin" and "picking names out of a hat" but doesn't sound even the least bit critical of Tracy!!! Fox announcers are useles!!!

The FOX lineup had two catchers in the Dodgers lineup and no first basemen.

Brennaman was implying that Phillips was now the regular first baseman.

I felt a chill when I heard that.

The Conor Jackson Era in Arizona starts with a single. Similar to the start of the Dioner Navarro Era last night.

Daughter was smart to not want to go to game today. Glad i didn't go without her.

I gave away my tickets to this game. I'm supposed to be packing for my trip. Which will likely take me about 20 minutes.

Phillips, Navarro, and Repko better have the best game of their career, I'm not going to rely on everyone losing yet again

Re 86 -- Funny, but probably also true.

Lowe is an emotional guy. This season started flying off the rails the day game in St. Louis when Lowe melted down after a couple of errors led to some runs. Let's just say Lowe's no Mariano Rivera. He's probably embarassed and pissed and worried that this soap opera is going to cost him a lot of McCourt's money.

Also, Carolyn Hughes might've logically decided that this affair was a career-ender for her. She doesn't have a four-year, guaranteed contract worth millions, but probably gets paid barely enough to cover her LA rent and can be fired at will. She might be backing away, breaking poor Derek's heart.

Lowe should have told Tracy he had a blister and taken a powder for the day.

73- No chance is Phillips the best defender at 1B. Not any.

Typical trashy Derek Lowe start. Send him to the Yankees for Derek Jeter's Gold Glove trophy.

A Tale of Two Firstbasemen
Starring Albert Pujols and Jason Phillips,
Tony Larussa and Jim Tracy,
Cardinals' fans and readers of Dodger Thoughts

"It was the best of hitters, it was the slowest of runners, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…"

A little too much scrap for Repko on that one... he didn't need to dive into the concrete wall on that one (he could've just played the ricochet).

If that weren't Suppan running, we'd be in a lot more trouble

Cubs up 1-0 on the DBacks in the second on an RBI double from Neifi.

72 - I watched a GY blimp take over 2 1/2 hours to berth on a windy day in Houston years ago.

I'm fairly certain restroom facilities were limited to empty bottles...

Brennaman and Lyons sticking up for Southern California fans.

Of course, few people outside of Southern California are watching. I suppose the St. Louis market gets this game, but there is no way that the people of St. Louis will change their mind about L.A. fans.

The Cardinals have the self-proclaimed "Best Fans in Baseball" (TM).

Good job scrappy

Way to stop at second, Phillips.

Edmonds actually had a play at 2nd I'm sure

At least Suppan looked hittable. He better not go Claussen on us though

This was the teaser on the home page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch today about yesterday's game:
" Friday night, the late-arriving Dodgers faithful found early reason to cheer at the expense of Cardinals starter Matt Morris"

Lowe looks like he's turned it around. This isn't so out of reach after all

that's a good story.

wow

Day games... sigh

108 - I think we just witnessed a reverse Krueter. I hope the the Kreuter princlple doesn't eventually force us to speak in double talk and say the opposite of what we mean. "Break a leg" Jason Phillips, no really, I mean it.

One crappy game followed by one brilliant game followed by one crappy game.

Is there really any difference between Lowe and Kaz Ishii? - besides the salary, I mean.

Gas can Derek is up to his old tricks.

No, Lowe had two straight good games. They were preceded by five bad ones. It's a different pattern and not often found in nature.

Anyone on base? Of course not.

Jason Phillips has a .619 OPS vs. RHP. Nice work, JT.

LAT,

Your comment makes more sense after I fast-forwarded the DV-R. I was doing the picture in picture thing to watch the end of the Angels-Yankees game and when I do that both feeds get slowed down by about 10 seconds.

It's sad when you go to your mailbox the day before you leave on a trip and the only thing you get is a reminder from the dentist.

When did Suppan sign with the Dodgers?

115 - Ahh, the very rare and thought extinct Homo Runien Lowus.

Another solo shot. can anyone say 2003

#115 Bob
Hmm...sounds like a reverse Fibonacci sequence skipping every other element. If so, Lowe's due for a single bad start before reaching the "end" of the sequence.

So, does that mean that he's going to be traded at the break?

Ah yes, after I whined and moaned and did everything but sackcloth and ashes over Phillips in the lineup he goes deep. The Kreuter principle strikes again. In this case though it manages to also doom us to Phillips in the lineup for the rest of the year as a 1B.

I guess we know why Tracy manages the Dodgers and we all dont.

Its winning time people. Jason Phillips is not good, but Hee-Seop Choi is worse and ready for a pennant race.

not ready

By the way Phillips now has a 666 OPS, coincidence or a sign?

125. Stubbs, you're wrong. Again. Period. But sometimes it IS better to be lucky than good.

Has there been anny official word on Werth? Isn't this three straight days without him?

Yes, the official word on Werth is he sucks.

Dodger fans disagreements about Choi = Martin Luther and the Catholic Church disagreement on transsubstantiation or consubstantiation.

No, no, no. One home run does not make Phillips better than Choi, and it sure doesn't make him better than Saenz. And it doesn't mean Tracy was right to start him. It means weird, freaky things sometimes happen. What does, "not ready for a pennant race," even mean?

who's throwing out the first Hughes joke on that "blister"?

125 - Just out of curiosity Stubbs, in what way is Choi worse? Getting on base (Phillips is below the sabermetric mendoza line of a 300 OBP), hitting for power (Choi has 5 more HR in 70 less ABs), defense (Phillips made one nice play but also fouled one up earlier and it seems a little premature so annoit him a defensive savior at 1B after only 2 games)? What could possibly explain Phillips being better than Choi?

if one HR does that to you stubbs, what did Choi's HR binge vs Minny do to ya?

131- Well, even though I think that simile makes me a Lutheran, I'd still like to get in to the indulgence selling business. Anybody in need of absolution? stubbs?

#134: And Choi has the platoon advantage against a RHP. It's just nonsense.

A horrible defensive first baseman that the pitchers have complained to tracy about that is VASTLY overrated by you guys on offense. He should never start over Saenz and I have no problem with Phillips playing over him if Tracy's "instinct" tells him so.

When games start become "must-win" I dont want a Wilton Guerrero type mind botching basic defensive bunt plays that I could perform as 11 yr old littl leaguer.

Cubs lead 2-1 in the fifth after a Cintron error lets a run in.

pitchers have complained to tracy
Proof of this, stubbs?

I think we will let Steve go to Dodger Stadium and hammer a list of 95 theses to the door of Jim Tracy's office.

138- Did Tracy tell you the pitchers have been complaining? One of your other secret sources? I will say that you seem to have an intimate knowledge of the mind of an 11 year old little leaguers, so I wouldn't question your judgement in that regard.

I understand, you trust Tracy's instincts. That is why Phillips is better, because of Tracy "bat Repko 2nd, arm angles, lefty righty split, play by the book" supposedly gets a good feeling from Phillips playing first. Well, why didn't you say so!

140-Daily News about a week or two ago, game article in which Choi made a nice play to end the game. Article states he has been working on his defense with Glenn Hoffman cause pitchers had been complaining. Hoffman also saying he is the most raw major leaguer he had ever worked with.

140 There have been rumblings to this effect. Someone (I think Bob) even referenced it above or yesterday. Fo anyone who wants to go through 700+ posts

check out that raw hit.
whoa, a double. Phillips would have had a bang bang play at 1st on that.

Who knew Choi was scrappy?

142-That was funny, you should venture out of your panarama city apartment and hit up the comedy clubs.

With that double, I now feel comfortable declaring Hee Seop Choi the best damn firstbaseman of all time. Didn't you see it? He hit a double!

Whew it will be hard for Robles or Izzy to GIDP with Choi on 2B instead of third. Come on wonder twins!

Glaus HR 2-2

146-raw on defensive, we all can witness what a monster he is with the bat. as long as the pitcher doesnt exceed 90, he is the man.

stubbs, just curious, how do you measure offensive success to deem someone underrated or overrated? What do you base it on? Someone showed you the stats are heavily in favor of Choi over Phillips, so really curious.

hey bob, did you check out the primer LA times article? see what i mean, diamondbacks fan(s) pounce on depo every chance they get. i dont like that guy one bit!

148- Maybe your daddy will let you borrow the car to come see me, when I do.

what the heck was that????? How does Choi leg out a double then get held up on a single to right center? Freaking Hoffman.

as long as the pitcher doesnt exceed 90, he is the man.
Ah. The "slow bat" accusations.

It's a hot day and Hoffman probably still has a headache.

155-strike 2, lets try one more.

153-i dont love jason phillips, just dont get the Hee-Seop Choi lovefest. He is basically a side show at Dodger stadium.

Re: 145

I remember the article, but it gave no specifics. Just mysterious and unnamed sources, who have neither confirmed nor denied Jackson's characterization.

Hoffman's Tracy's man--why should we take his judgment as fact? Choi isn't a great defensive 1B by any measure, but is Phillips all that better? And why should we think that he would be a markedly better one? The Mets tried him at 1B years ago, and it's not like they thought the powers of his glove was so great to make up for his bat.

Phillips is a decent hitter for a catcher. He has no business playing 1B against righties. This is just nonsense from Jimbo--another example of his absurd prejudice against Choi.

WWSH

There is no facet of the game where Jason Phillips is better than Hee Seop Choi. None. Any assertion to the contrary is a willful act of ignorance. I have actually seen, on occasion, Hee Seop Choi hit home runs. The fact that Jason Phillips hit one is meaningless.

dang it, two hard hit fouls, now comes the K =(

"Vastly overrated on offense"? Any empirical evidence in support of this? The problem with many Choi-critics is that they perceive Choi-supporters as thinking he is a superstar. He's not Pujols, he's simply average or a little above average, but what's important is that most people are exactly like you underrate him.

And you believe that a single HR by Phillips proves your argument? The point we're making is not that Phillips will not help the Dodgers score any runs, the point is that had Choi been playing more games at first, he would have helped the Dodgers score considerably more runs.

If you believe that Phillips would have over the long run helped to score more runs than Choi, or that the gap between them would be more than made up by runs that Phillips prevents on defense, that's fine as long as you support it with something more empirical than JT's "instincts", which is really just a nicer word for falling back on preconceptions, isn't it?

stubbs, 159 didn't answer the question. Do you not feel like it?

161-i dont disagree with you, i wish saenz could play everday, but Choi should not play either.

159 - I don't think it is a love fest. No one here is claiming that Choi is Pujols redux, but the man obviously has a ton of power potential and Tracy treats him like he is... the offensive counter part to Erickson. He is a young cheap player with potential and I wouldn't mind him getting swings over older guys with very little potential (Saenz and Phillips).

No, it's not an "unintentional intentional walk." That would mean the pitcher gave Kent four wide ones by accident. That was an intentional unintentional walk.

The few DBacks fans at Baseball Primer are a little testy because:
1) the Yankee fans gave them grief over the 2001 World Series
2) then the DBacks had their collapse last season and everybody got on their case
3) they had Bob Brenly managing them for a while
4) once the Dodgers hired DePodesta, the sabermetric crowd gravitated toward the Dodgers as being superior to the DBacks and ridiculed the DBacks acquisition of guys like Ortiz, Green, and Glaus.

The DBacks are 50-55 now, so they obviously be a lot better than last year's squad that won 51 games, but they still need to get rid of a lot of dead wood on their team.

And I'm looking at you Shawn Green.

161 I am not Choi lover but Steve is right. There is no facet of the game where Jason Phillips is better than Hee Seop Choi. Given 10 minutes of practice behind the plate, I bet Choi could throw out more runners.

i dont think bradley has struck out since he came back.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that saying I want someone other than Jason Phillips to play first base is not saying much at all. One could say that of the witch's wing-ed monkeys, Eddie Gaedel, Billy Ashley, and very likely Scott Erickson. Where Choi slots in amongst the virtually billions of possibilities at first base that would be an improvement on Jason Phillips is for each man to decide individually.

Hee Seop Choi at first base is only the issue for some. It doesn't have to be. Why isn't Saenz playing first? Why isn't Kent playing first? Why isn't Perez playing first? How much defense does it take to play first? Virtually none. Our crappy pitching staff has complained about Choi only because they allow nothing but stinging line drives.

Just as I never understood why the pro-Tracy faction would hang their hat on Hideo Nomo, and the anti-DePo faction would hang their hat on Alex Cora, I do not understand why the anti-Choi faction would want to hang their hat on Jason Phillips. Jason Phillips is a backup catcher starting at first base when there are at least three better options available, one of which just happens to be Hee Seop Choi. If you don't want to be treated like you are ridiculous, stop saying ridiculous things.

Re: 165

???

But if you "don't disagree" that "There is no facet of the game where Jason Phillips is better than Hee Seop Choi," then shouldn't Choi start?

WWSH

170,
Bradley has struck out at least once.

Remember when he snapped the bat over his leg?

Nice we cut the lead to one and put in Carrera. Put in Schmoll, Broxton or even Sanchez, anyone but Gio!

i dont think bradley has struck out since he came back.
3 Ks in 23 ABs.

ahhh yea i remember that bob. good times. well, okay, just one time then.

174 - Though I guess it does use a far less valuable reliever against the bottom of the order and saves the big (relative to Gio anyway) guns for later.

Reggie Sanders has been in three World Series, not four. He never made it to the World Series with the Reds. He came up in 1991.

i dont think jbro will be coming in today. day after night game? i think tracy will save the "premium prospect" for national tv tomorrow.

The Cubs have had a runner reach on a 2-base error, a single and a double and haven't scored yet in the 6th inning.

A 1-out sacrifice? This must make Ozzie Guillen happy.

Why bunt with one out and the pitchers spot coming up? Going on past performance this year Luna has a 25% chance of getting a hit so you wasted on an out on a crapshoot that this is that one time in four.

Carrara doesn't exactly ooze confidence. He zaps the energy out of the game.

From the notes:

"The Dodgers have no immediate plans to promote Taiwanese left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo from Double-A, despite his current dominance.

Kuo has 26 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings and a 1.26 ERA at Jacksonville. But he's also returning from two Tommy John elbow reconstructions and has fewer than 100 professional innings over the past five years. "

WWSH

gio is such a gas can. he is the definition of gascan.

that's embarrassing.

Good thing the Cardinals bunted.
Kept that from being a grand slam.

Aw, krep.

Choi may in fact be better than Phillips, which is hard to gauge cause of the unknown Phillips defense factor.

Tracy is making a point to Depodesta.

wow carrara is bad.

Unbelievable, that was the Grabowski principle to end all GP! That should end Carrera's career.

168. Bob, Green is ahead of Glaus in opb/slg/obp. Granted Glaus has more HR and RBIs but Green has higher avg. and Glaus is a marginal 3B. Why does Green incure the wrath of D'Back fans and Glaus gets a pass. Moreover, green's numbers are right in line with his career numbers, so what was anyone expecting.

So a bad outing by Carrara and not starting Choi can kill this site I see.

193,

Don't ask me. I'm not a DBacks fan. Does Green have more years left on his contract than Glaus?

Tracy is making a point to Depodesta.

the point that he wants to get fired?

I don't understand how Tracy uses Gio in that situation. He is the absolute worst reliever left on the team, so why not go to either Alverez or Dessens for long relief. The fact that Eckstien hit a home run... wow.

Is it my computer or is Gio so bad he broke the DT server.

Carrarra begged for release waivers with that outing. A homer to Eckstein is just shameful

gascan broke it. he needs to get his DFA slip right after the game. call back osoria.

198-While it may have been Carrarra, it's not your computer. I'm having the same problems

So I wished over to checking out David Eckstein's fiancee's website.

She looks petite, so she must find Eckstein the perfect match. She has pictures of herself at Cardinals games and she was one of the "stars" in the 2004 Hollywood Stars Game at Dodger Stadium.

In Mark Langill's photo book on the LA Dodgers, he has a picture from a Hollywood Stars Game in 1960 and Danny Thomas and Edward G. Robinson were participating.

I have no idea why I typed "wished" instead of "switched".

fans remember HRs (Glaus). They don't remember walks or even doubles.

Over the course of his career Eckstien hits a homerun every 130 ABs, but it didn't take Gio long to bring out the best in him.

"we were told he [Navarro] had his first big league hit today"

Yeah, that's why he had a .333 average coming into the game

202. I was at that game, and I have never heard of her still. Did she go deep off of Carrara?

206. They were talking about Conor Jackson of the D'Backs.

125. stubbs
... Jason Phillips is not good, but Hee-Seop Choi is worse and [not] ready for a pennant race.
---
191. stubbs
Choi may in fact be better than Phillips...

Ashley Drane is on the cover of the current issue of "I Do" magazine and shares her wedding plans, but you have to buy the issue to read them.

Or maybe I'll just make a dental appointment. It's the sort of magazine you can find sitting around a waiting room isn't it?

Alex I think you are right. That was even the case when he was here. In 2003 he hit something like 42 doubles but everyone wants to see the long ball.

stubbs just hates depo. choi is a depo guy. phillips is scrappy and has a lot of RBIs.

duh

Isn't it beautiful when somebody finds Jesus?

Does DePo have what it takes to fire Jim Tracy?

Phillips at first? Bringing in Gio and giving up a homerun to Eckstein? Gio is the new Scott Erickson on the team. Time to bring up Kuo, fire Tracy so that we can have a lineup as follows

C-Navarro
1B-Choi/Saenz
2B-Kent
SS-Izturis
3B-Perez
RF-Valentin/Repko
CF-Bradley
LF-Werth/Repko

I'm very pro-Choi, but Tracy putting Phillips at 1B over Kent and Saenz is pretty baffling. DePo obviously traded away some talent in Mota and LoDuca partly on the assumption that Choi would get a fair shot at playing first base. Last year, it was hard to argue for Choi starting over Shawn Green, but this year? 13 HRs... second only to Kent on the team? I wonder if Tracy is too stubborn about his unwillingness to play Choi that that actually helps justify his not playing the South Korean.

My toaster broke. So I jammed a fork in it and I feel much better.

Looks like with all the recent publicity the site has received lately, some of the Dodgers.com forum crowd has dispersed over to DT.

Bob your dentist is going to think you made an appointment becasue you got his highly effective "time for your next appointment" card. When in fact you came in just to see Ashley Drane's wedding ideas. Now your dentist is going to spend more $$$ on marketing when all he really had to do was announce he gets "I Do" magazine.

216- I'm an idiot for sniping at stubbs personally, but I didn't come from dodgers.com. I'm a DT homegrown idiot.

Glaus just hit a double (but no one will remember):)

IBB to Green to get to Connor Jackson. No one will remember that either.

Bob, you may be right that that sort of magazine will be in the dentist's office, but not until it's a year or so old. So you'd have to postpone for a while.

When I went to the dentist earlier in the year, it was my first trip in about 8 years.

My teeth, which I thought were impervious to decay, finally had a cavity in one of them. So I guess I'll try to make some time to go.

I will do a scouting expedition to see what kind of magazines he has.

Connor Jackson 2B. 3-2 Az

Out of disgust with Carrara I went to the Drane website, clicked on the biography link, and learned that her management company's e-mail address is at AOL.

AOL? If I were an up-and-coming actor/actress, I think I'd be doubtful of a management firm which used AOL as its primary mail address.

The management company probably has an AOL address so they can sort out the creepier emails that a young actress would get from their legitimate emails.

bull might be coming in.

This kid's an ox!

Broxton is a Pujols specialist.

El Toro is unreal

He must be the best pitcher in baseball cause he owns the best hitter in baseball

The Ox makes Pujols look bad!

What's that 85 mph pitch he's throwing with the late downward bite? Nasty.

Geez that strike out was nasty. It hit 96 on the slow fox gun. Wouldn't be surprised if it was really 98-99

230 -Slider

He puts the "ox" in "Broxton."

232
Really? The other pitches they're calling sliders in the booth seemed to be coming up higher on the gun and have a more gradual break. I'll have to back up the TiVo.

He is going to be scary when the nerves have been worked out and he can hit his spots.

234 -I should have added "I think" to my post. The only other thing could be his change? but they said he doesn't use it out of the pen really. Let me know the results of the tivo when you get a chance.

that inning was almost dejavu of last nights innings.

Scouting report says his "sharp" slider is low to mid 80's, and a much slower curve.

his slider is absolute filth though. that first pitch slider to edmonds was wow.

If La Russa manages every game like it's Game 7 of the World Series, why did he leave Marquis in for 130 pitches against San Diego earlier in the week?

DBacks win 3-2.

They could move to within a game of San Diego tonight.

jaxsuns game is the game of the week on mlb.
http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050608&content_id=1081598&vkey=news_mlb_nd&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

better video quality than the regular feed.

cesar carillo, padres first round pick is pitching against the suns in his AA debut

Suns unis are awesome.

bright orange.. hmm

236 - JSN
OK, here's the results of going back on TiVo for Broxton.
Eckstein
#1 - 93 mph fastball down
#2 - 94 mph fastball in - pop up
Nunez
#1 - 93 mph fastball outside
#2 - no register, fastball down
#3 - 94 mph, fastball swing
#4 - 93 mph fastball outside
#5 - 93 mph fastball up - BB
Pujols
#1 - 85 mph ?? late bite
#2 - 94 mph fastball up and in
#3 - 85 mph ?? late bite
#4 - 96 mph fastball up, K
Edmonds
#1 - no register, slider, gradual break
#2 - 94 mph fastball in
#3 - 94 mph fastball up
#4 - 93 mph fastball down
#5 - 94 mph fastball up and away, BB
Rodriguez
#1 - 93 mph fastball away
#2 - 83 mph ??, late bite, base hit
Grudz
#1 - 87 mph ??, late bite, in dirt, swing
#2 - 84 mph ??, late bite
#3 - 96 mph fastball up and in
#4 - 85 mph ??
#5 - 96 mph fastball, K

The fastball that he throws up seem to have a bit of downward movement but the ones that he's throwing down look to be straight, I don't know if that's a 2-seam/4-seam thing or if it's just an illusion.

He only threw one pitch that was definitely a slider (#1 to Edmonds), and it didn't register on the gun. I'm far far from an expert, but I thought that the mystery pitch was a hard, tight curve on further look. Whatever it was, it was nasty.

#238 JSN
Must be a slider, then. As others have said, filthy.

its his filthy slider. probably one of the best sliders ive seen from any of our pitchers this year.

funny thing is, his slider isnt even the best in our system. BA rated billingsleys slider as the best in our org.

Giants can move to within a 1/2 game of the Dodgers with a win tonight in Milwaukee. They lead 1-0 in the first.

laroche flies out to the wall in right field. man this kid is very unlucky in his home stadium.

Tracy is making a point to Depodesta.

That's an extraordinarily lame way of saying that "Jim Tracy is an idiot and shouldn't have brought in Carrara to save his life."

Wow, the Fox announcers were noticeably terrible today. I was tempted to fix my radio and tune in to Charlie and Rick, but then Gio blew the game open.

Supposedly, Brox has a changeup also. Maybe he'll surprise someone with it this upcoming week.

Grand slam for Mobile =(

Juarez not on his game, gave up a grand slam to a team that seems to be batting a collective .200. Does have 6 Ks in 3 IP though

I guess the Dodgers loss took the wind out of the STC (Sun Thoughts Crew). Hmm...Blindside playing at the glasshouse...looks like I'm going to a show tonight =)

not really a fan of blindside. who all is on the bill?

carrillo doesnt look bad. hes pretty polished, not top rotation stuff, but a good pitcher to fall behind peavy.

Choi is 3 for his last 4.

Juarez gives up another

Brewers just tied the game 1-1

wow laroche! great play!

almost made another. since his first couple of games where he committed 4 errors, he has looked excellent ever since.

I do not know the other two bands on the bill. Snowbread and Showdown ::shrugs::. I'm guessing those other two bands are Christian bands as well.

LaRoche looks solid defensively.

I love listening to the announcers between innings....

blindside still calls themselves a christian band? wow news to me.

I literally haven't checked up on this band til today. I just bought some tickets. I only assumed they are still considered a Christian band. If something changed since their last album (About a Burning Fire) then I would have missed it.

i think laroche really hates jax's home stadium.

Here is the article stubbs was talking about. It was a positive aricle about Choi's improvement with the glove.

http://tinyurl.com/dcjwm

It's too bad that whenever he improves, he gets benched.

these announcer like making missile sounds with thier mouths.

Martin just got a hit....second hit for the Suns tonight.

crap, carrillo just hit guzman on the fingers...

JtD just got hit by a pitch. The pitch hit him on his fingers but it looks like he is ok.

Donovan with 2-run RBI single.

woo-hoo. 2 run single by Donovan scores Martin and Guzman. Mobile 5 Jax 2

Denker's in the line up for Vero Beach. I wonder why Abreu's not playing, he didn't play yesterday and it's not that far to travel between Vero and Jacksonville. Trade?

Also, Will Carroll's Rumor Mill says there are talks for a Marquis/Giles swap. I saw the rumor before but put nothing into it, still don't, but you never know. If it were true, the Padres sure want to cripple their offense.

Steve Baker (the guy who hit the GS) just made a great diving catch to rob Jon Weber of a extra base hit.

268 -- What is it about the Daily News and out-and-out untruth? It's one thing to have stupid opinions, like the Plaschkers. It's another thing to be like Dilbeck and objectively misrepresent the Dodgers' minor league system, or Tony Jackson in that article (which I missed), who is completely lying about those Cardinal games in May. The Cardinals were pounding the ball against our lame, contempuous pitching staff, and there was only really one ball that Choi could have gotten, and even that one was a 50/50 proposition.

This pitching staff is one of the worst in the majors, and should not be casting stones. When the anti-DePo people finally pick up on the former fact, they might actually start to make a little bit of sense. Until then, they'll hitch the crazy wagon to Jason Phillips.

I was just wondering about Abreu. I'm surprised he wasn't in the starting line up.

I wish Weber was younger....

why on earth would the padres do a marquis for giles swap? giles is their best hitter!

Although Weber is already 27 he's only been playing proffesionally(sp?) 3 years.

LaRoche just struck out....

I wonder if Giles not being with the pads for the rest of the season helps our chances of signing him for a short deal in the off-season.

laroche doesnt like carrillo.

Brewers up 4-1 over the Giants, and still threeatening. Schmidt looked better than Sheets but has fallen apart in the 6th

The Fat Old Men Tour.....lol

Guzman doubles

that was a very squiby double. i hope his hand is alright from being HBP earlier.

Denker started his Vero career in the Denker way--a walk

hahah the announcers are talking about the plate ump behind his back.

"he is just awful"
"wow what a lousy ump"

those are some ugly girls on camera.

Abreu has a hamstring problem apparently

If Langill goes to play for team Canada, Apodoca can play for Jacksonville. He's halfway from being a member of every Dodger farm team this year

Miller's given up a run in an inning for Vero.

Kengshill Pujols, Apodaca's backup at Ogden, just hit a grand slam. He was an impressive .107/.138/.107 before the hit

any minor leaguers pulled from games today that would give a hint towards trades in the works?

Mariners just sent Randy Winn to the Giants. Didn't catch who the Mariners got in return - they announced it on ESPN just now.

No. Tony Abreu didn't play, but the announcers insisted it was a hamstring problem. I'll believe them for now. Can't say about pitchers. Eric Stults is starting, and he's the best bet for an emergency start. So either a starter won't be traded, or most likely, we won't need a minor league starter to replace anyone traded

giants make a trade. foppert and torrealba for randy winn.

Randy Winn was rumored earlier. Prospects are Yorvit Torrealba and Jesse Foppert. In other words, the Gianst are giving away a top pitcher and their best young catcher. When Matheny is injured during his current contract, they'll have problems

They have been waiting on Torrealba for two years. They gave him lots of opportunity when they knew they were not going to resign Benito and he just has not developed. I have a frien who is a huge Giant fan and he will be pissed they are giving away Foppert after dumping Jerome Williams and thier 1 pitching prospect. Can't imagine why they seem to think they are contenders this year. Oh well just keep making those stupit trades Brian. Letroy is working out great. . .not.

I'm still waiting for Sabean's final deal, has to be something along the lines of Matt Cain for Joe Mays. Sabean contiues his neverending quest to get rid of every single prospect the Giants might have, or could have had (with his "ingenius" FA signings to give away his picks)

I do not think Choi is the whole answer and I think JT's problem with Choi is that he is too inconsistant. What I don't get is this. We all see Choi is hitting the ball at this moment. So let's ride the wave. Play the kid while he is hitting and sit him when he cools off. I like Tracy (although he is making it more difficult these days) but this is painfully obvious.

BTW, tomorrow he should definitly not play Phillips. Phillips has never had two good games in a row. After today he is sure to go 0fer tomorrow.

Delwyn Young singled to begin his Vegas career, followed by a Valentin double.

300.

It seems as if Torrealba's offense is more developed than the stiff they signed for a ton of money. I don't know much about Torrealba's defense, but his worst OPS+ (last year) was 79. Matheny's best OPS+ is 80.

Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun; rumors, chatter, meaningless talking heads, and an occasional actual trade. One of the best baseball days of the year.

Right on cue. My buddy who is the Giant fan just called yelling against the proposed deal. His point, what do you do with Winn next year when Barry is back cause you aren't sitting Bonds or Alou. He says the Giants are also trying to move Scott Eyre, their only dependable reliever.

They're shopping Eyre? Unless they get Clemens for Eyre straight up, that has little chance to be a good move.

Quantrall comes in for Pedro. It an all Dodger alumni pitching affair.