wait, I was under the impression that Furcal would definitely be ready for opening day.

Why do these players wait so long to have surgery?

I'm watching the korea game on espn2 right now. japan v. china is on at 1:30am pacific...trying to stay awake.

Well, now I know not to check DT while I'm watching a taped WBC game...

I've been so baseball deprived that ill take anything at this point. Just caught the Dodger highlights...the Nomar dive and flip to Sele looked good.

From Plashke:
"During Garciaparra's pre-workout speech, Colletti was standing in a corner wearing a 2002 San Francisco Giant league championship ring. 'Let's win our own championship so we can make him take off that stupid ring,' Garciaparra shouted."

Indeed.

It's only March 3rd and I'm starting to really like this team. I would never have guessed this when Depo was let go. I'm a total sucker.

3

Joe, you should thank him for letting you know. that game has 5 minutes worth of action.

This should go under the other post but from today's L.A. Daily News (3/3/2006)..."The Dodgers decided not to bring former pitcher Al Downing back as a radio analyst on the 40-odd road games when Steiner moves over to TV and Rick Monday slides over to play-by-play. The plan, for now, is to have Monday work alone on those games, although several analyst candidates could surface."

9 innings of Monday, that could force me to listen to opposition's broadcast team on XM or MLB.com.

TicketMaster just sent me an email that say "Don't miss Depeche Mode."

I can't go because I have tickets to Berlin that night.

About Nomar: Were his "outstanding defensive plays" really good, or did they just look good like Jeter? I'm referring to Jon's article in SI awhile back about defense. Just curious.

I'm going to Flock of Seagulls.

i wish the seagulls would come through mpls...the alarm, too.

i have tickets to see the cult in a couple of weeks.

in the last few months i have seen the violent femmes and echo and the bunnymen. both great shows, esp echo. their new material is just as good as the classic ocean rain stuff.

from the last thread:

It's "league." (period within the quotation marks, of course)

there's no good reason putting the period within the quotation marks. it's irrational.

The WBC games won't be in the wee hours of the morning after early Sunday.

10 I was kidding. I picked the 80's band I hated the most

9 - I saw the highlights on FSN2 last night. Nomar's plays were outstanding.

Unabomber chatting at Washingtonpost.com. In much more reasonable form this week:

Reston, Va.: Jim Bowden, great general manager or greatest general manager?

Tom Boswell: If the Nats end up trading Soriano for David Wells before Opening Day, thus, in effect, losing Wilkerson who had two more years on his contract, for a 75-year-old 400-pound lefthander with a bad back, then Bowden is going to give plenty of fuel to his critics.

Bowden likes to gamble. "He's not afraid to pull the trigger," is the cliche. However, if the Sorianoi deal has a grim ending, then he'll have shot himself in the foot when he pulled the trigger this time.

Much of Bowden's appeal is that he's a colorful baseball-to-the-core character at a time when Washington needed a live wire to run the team and create interest."

www.washingtonpost.com -- scroll down and look for the baseball chat.

[16] hahahah jim bowden lives in reston, va??

The Boswell chats do nothing for me, I'll wait another hour for the TV chat, that woman is the best writer on the TV business right now.

14 Marty - Flock of Seagulls worse than Culture Club????

my vote goes to Kajagoogoo but I am "Too Shy" to talk about it any further.

Starting lineup for today's televised game v. the Braves (from Inside the Dodgers blog):

Today's lineup is Oscar Robles, 2B...Russell Martin, C...J.D. Drew, RF...Andre Ethier, LF...Bill Mueller, 3B...Jason Repko, CF...James Loney, 1B...Ramon Martinez, SS...Brett Tomko, P.

Re: The Plaschke column

AUGGHH!! MY EYES!!!

After waiting 35 years I finally saw Carlos Santana last night. He's a clutch guitar player.

Is Drew going to underhand the ball to Robles?

I have officially stopped reading Plaschke. There was a time when I enjoyed getting irate reading him, but now, I know it's just not worth it.

Maybe Randy Harvey will fire him and replace him with somebody who can write... or at least, somebody who likes and knows about sports.

So, I made a little joke in the comments of the Bad Altitude Nationals preview, and someone else made a further comment, that I think is also a joke, but that has me rather totally perplexed. Anyone get what I'm missing?

Regarding the Plaschke column.

There's nothing wrong with a friendly clubhouse. There's nothing wrong with reporting about a friendly clubhouse. Who doesn't like a nicer place to work?

Plaschke, although I only read it once, doesn't go as far as to say that the friendly clubhouse will lead to more victories - although he implies it. But only there is where the problem would be - that friendliness will mean more victories. That's unproven.

I don't know why Kent signed with the Dodgers. He seems to have disliked DePodesta from Moment 1. I guess it must have been from Moment 2 - after he got promised his money.

I have no idea what that joke meant. It's even more obscure than me comparing my cat to Wally Cox last night at the Griddle.

Reading Plaschke is not a recognized form of masochism.

I don't know why Kent signed with the Dodgers.

I always wondered that too. I also wondered the same thing about Drew. I guess it's all about the money.

Working from home today because of family illnesses ... Steve Phillips is doing color commentary on the Dodger game - that can't be a good sign.

30 - Drew isn't complaining, so I don't see the confusion there.

The game is not on the radio?

Russell Martin chops a one-hop, first-pitch single to left field.

27, 30- I think when you find a fool who is throwing away money, you might be inclined to keep him close by, no matter how much you may dislike the neighborhood. Especially if he is throwing that money in your direction.

32
This is completely unsubstantiated, but I have never seen Drew as an "LA" kind of guy. He seems like he'd be much more comfortable in a smaller-town, rural southern setting than in all that LA represents (e.g. glam, fake, image, etc.).

But that's strictly my opinion, and one that I can't verify.

Steve - you're here just in time to see the Dodgers hit-and-run on a 3-1 pitch to Drew. Foul ball.

3-2 pitch was also hit-and-run, taken for ball four.

27 He really wanted to play with Shawn Green.

35 - You have to have a pretty low opinion of yourself to think that money spent on you is being thrown away, don't you?

Texan accent aside, Kent is from Bellflower and I believe his parents still live in Southern California. I seem to remember at the time of his signing that playing for the Dodgers had been a boyhood dream of his. Also I could be wrong, but didn't he take a slightly below market salary at the time?

But the game is not on the radio. I blame McCourt.

Looks like Ethier is still doing that Oakland thing.

Running with one out on ball three again, and another walk .. to Ethier. They are pronouncing the first E in Ethier as if it rhymes with "see" - surprising to me.

I believe Steve Phillips just said that Mueller is a "Grinder, a dirt player".

39 - If you were Mr. Drew during the previous offseason, would you have viewed Depodesta as a prudent man?

I think Bill Mueller's batting helmet may be from the future.

41 Rumor has it only weekend spring games will be aired on the radio. Bummer.

Is it just me, or do Martin and Repko look a lot alike?

44-

listening to phillips, reynolds, and kruk always cracks me up. They say the most inane things, and half of what they say makes me go "whaaaaaat?" i.e. harold reynolds saying "OBP isn't important for a lead off hitter."

44
Perhaps Mueller can come by my house today and fix my coffee grinder that started shooting out large chunks of coffee beans at me rather painfully.

It was quite slapstickish.

BROTheR with a 2-run single.

Repko with a scrappy two run single!

Mueller singled in one run on a fat 2-2 pitch. Repko went down to hit a looping, two-RBI single to make it 3-0.

No BROtheR!

You know, because KFWB's regular programming is so compelling, unless you are in far away, like in Ontario, where you can't hear it.

Martin-Drew-Ethier-Mueller might be the most patient four consecutive Dodger hitters in my lifetime. For a second I thought I was watching NESN here.

45 - Uh, sure.

Uh oh - Ramon Martinez singled in a run.

RM:Jon :: JR:Steve

46 - The guy who writes Uni Watch on ESPN.com's Page 2 loves those helmets.

48 - Is my tv acting weird or does this entire Dodger lineup look like the same person??

Roger McDowell just might be the most brilliant hiring since the ChiSox brought Ozzie back...and Andruw Jones must be busy thinking about his Netherlands games instead of this one...

Is it wrong of me to be rooting against Ramon Martinez?

An annual rite of spring, the first Grabowski Principle sighting

Sam, Bob I think that commenter was refering to this story:
Bucharest, Romania (AHN) – According to a Romanian newspaper, a local second division soccer club has sold one of its players for a lump of meat.

59 "The guy who writes Uni Watch on ESPN.com's Page 2 loves those helmets."

I was thinking that maybe they were designed as a sneaky way to get Manny Mota to wear a bicycle helmet.

I like the new helmets.

Didn't Kent get all weepy at the press conference introducing him?

65 Yeah, he did. But that's OK because I cried when I heard we'd signed Tomko.

why are we taking pitches. this isnt oakland here guys!

tomko is throwing hard and its the 2nd game of ST. hitting 94 on the gun.

Drew leaves game after singling.

Dare I say Ethier resembles Mark Teixeira at the plate??

how about hollandsworth? would i be punished if i said that?

loneyy!!! defense wooo.

72
Choi could have made that play...Well, maybe not...

mueller should save these hits for the real games. im afraid hes going to run out in august :(

BROTheR lines a single off the pitcher.

loney lazers it, but right to the right fielder. oh well, loneys looking good though.

Who's the field interviewing doofus? He's posing for an 8x10 after each spot. "Thank you very much. (pivot, mug)"

Inside the quotation mark. Yeah.

if he was 1-2 cm more under the ball, it would have been 50 feet over the fence.

Ramon II lines a single off the pitcher.

Guzman is a scary kid.

Dare I say it but JtD looks kind of like Clemente at the plate....except for the K just now...

Pinch-hitter JtD strikes out Beltre-style w/bases loaded :(

guzman needs to stop doing the beltre.

Slightly off topic question here:
Does anyone have a list of career Plate Appearance leaders?

"We swing at pitches low and away here"

who is pitching for us?

86
I was just gonna ask the same thing.

-84

At Bats Rank Player AB PA
1. Zack Wheat 8859 9720
2. Pee Wee Reese 8058 9470
3. Willie Davis 7495 8035
4. Bill Russell 7318 8020
5. Jim Gilliam 7119 8321
6. Gil Hodges 6881 7937
7. Duke Snider 6640 7633
8. Steve Garvey 6543 7027
9. Carl Furillo 6378 7022
10. Maury Wills 6156 6744

ew its meadows.

84 http://tinyurl.com/henus

oops I thought you might meant all-time.

91 That is all time, yours appears to be the Dodgers all time list.

90- I don't know why, but even though it seems to be counting total PA over a career, the numbers aren't right in collected single season mode. Pete Rose had 15861 and should be at the top of the list, which he suddenly is, here:

http://tinyurl.com/nkhyj

Thanks, I got the same thing. Just checking my work.

wohoo meadows just gave up a homerun.

Would'nt Wu-Whoo represent wohoo better?

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48
I was just going to post the same thing when I saw yours so we can't both be wrong.

Yes, I am rooting against Ramon Martinez because I like Robles. Not much difference between the players but Ramon has made his money and Oscar could use a decent payday.

I don't think Jose Cruz has much to worry about.

Makeup Makeup Makeup

jon just siezured

That was my son's first post.

97- Just cuz it doesnt say it I can understand what your saying and its rather explicit for this site.

100 How on earth did he get the degree symbol in there?

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Keep having him that keyboard at random and one of these days BAM, he'll write "Hamlet".

The degree symbol is easy. How'd he get the "Ô" in there?

Repko legs one out.

if someone doesnt go to vero and stop him (steve), repko is going to make this team!

I think Jon's son is an early nominee for post of the year.

Regarding the actual game at hand: perhaps the '06 Dodgers will be first-inning wonders and then dead for the rest of the game. Hopefully not the start of a trend. :)

gradys going to get made, loney didnt swing at 3-0.

107- I believe they are getting an early lead and then testing the bullpen to see if they can hold it.

Hamlet has already been written, though. He needs to write the buddy comedy/thriller sequel "Hamlet 2: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's Revenge."

gradys going to get made...

Lets just hope he doesn't see a crow in the window during the ceremony.

104 - He does things to my computer I couldn't poissibly replicate. It's scary.

100 I think I should let my cat write a post. She's named after a Dodger.

Wow: this team is scraptastic! Bloopers, bleeders, choppers, you name it.

110 - Didn't Tom Stoppard kinda do that?

111

it only matters if it's in the house and flapping around...at least according to adrianna

113
Jamie...?

113
fernanda?

laroche waited nicely on that change up.

Geez, I think LaRoche uses an entire container of "black stuff under the eyes".

this is unfair, remlinger is throwing BP. he should retire.

113 Nah, her name is Sandy. She was just cat for a couple of weeks, but I had a little bit of liquid inspiration on the night of my best friend's rehearsal dinner.

Brad Penny pitched and won that night and she was Penny for a couple of minutes. Then I noticed my Sandy Koufax action statue and also noticed that she was a southpaw and it was a natural fit.

122. I think I like Fernanda better.

I don't think that I am ever letting my 2 year old touch the computer again. I'm convinced he crashed the PBSkids site two weeks ago, lord knows what he would do here.

My dog's name is Gibson. We just call him Gibby.

My cat is named for a former Dodger also, I just went back farther in time.

Casey came out of hiding last night and I was faced with the traditional cat owner's issue of figuring out how to get to sleep with a cat going nose to nose with you.

"This is what we've been waiting for boys. Feline warfare. Nose to nose with the cats!"

Didn't Jon post yesterday in jest that Ramon went 3 for 3?

This is cool, actually seeing what these guys look like that I've read about for so long...kind of surprising to see Matt Kemp though, maybe because I had been picturing Kent for so long...

kemp looks like derek lee.

110 - Perhaps. I wouldn't really call that revenge. Hamlet still pull a switch with their orders and they end up dead. It could be something with a cousin seeking revenge with flashbacks to bring in R&G (seeing as they're not around). Only set it in post-modern ruined LA. With lots of engery weapons and ray guns.

128
when i think of matt kemp, i think of steve kemp, who kind of resembled lou ferrigno.

Interesting how they skipped right by Mondesi and went to Winefield when talking about outfield guns. Anyone remember the 26 hopper Dave threw when we trashed the Yankee's? Good arms don't last long. My namesake was named after his arm not his power but by the time he was our CF he had a popgun.
At one time he played SS which meant that the Astro's for a brief moment in 1963 had a double play combo of Wynn/Morgan which would have had to be the best power/patient infield combo in history if they had stayed together.

If Ramon II does make the team does anyone still have a Ramon I shirt they can break out of the closet?

Have we never discussed favorite plays here (as in theater)? I think mine is "Arcadia."

Aren't plays those movies where the actors are actually standing in front of you and talking instead of being projected on a screen?

125 Our cat, when he was a kitten, purred so loudly that we had to kick him out of our room in order to get some sleep. He was a loner until he realized that kids don't bite, and he now sleeps with my son, who dutifully carries him to bed each night.

Just another walk for Aybar...

I haven't said that in a while

131
what about dave parker? he threw some repko-esque bbs in an allstar game, if i recall correctly. they used to show his throw to gary carter nailing brian downing at the plate in slow motion at the end of twib broadcasts.

Put me down for "The Shape of Things," "Dinner with Friends," and "Death of a Salesman."

Haven't seen "Arcadia" yet. Favorite Stoppard is "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead."

133 I enjoyed Le Mis, partly for the play itself, and partly because when I got out of the theater San Francisco was bedlam, since the 49ers had just won the Super Bowl.

Usually, my favorite is whatever is playing at the Utah Shakespeare festival (which also includes some non-Shakespeare plays). I don't know how one could be happy and not live near Ashland, OR; Cedar City, UT; or some other fine city with a top-notch festival.

Steve Phillips just predicted that the Giants will win the NL West. This is excellent news, as Steve Phillips is ALWAYS wrong.

I recall that in a Baseball Tonight pre-season special last year, he declared that the very best signing of the offseason was the Angels' contract with Steve Finley.

Sam DC -

In reference to the seemingly bizarre response to your comment in the Bad Altitude thread, it was a reference to this story that was on Deadspin a couple of days ago -

http://tinyurl.com/lqjzs

130 I played little league with Steve Kemp

I have never been to a play.

I like "Bell Book and Candle." I saw "There's a Girl in my Soup" on Broadway (only time I've ever been there). "1776" is really funny.

(Wracking brain for other plays...I'm excluding Andrew Lloyd Webber vehicles.)

143 Assuming you live in or near LA, there are numerous opportunities to fix this.

I intend to drive to Las Vegas sometime to see Spamalot.

my fave play that i have read is probably "who's afraid of virginia woolf?", but my fave production i have seen was an adaptation of "the turn of the screw" by henry james. creepy.

139. You went to a play during the Super Bowl?
As for my favorite play, that would be Oedipus Rex, but only with the original cast.

Does "Masterpiece Theater (the Early Years)" count?

I was the unfortunate projectionist for 3 straight nights of Maximilian Schell's Hamlet once. As good as he is, and as good as the play is, once would have been sufficient.

142 My dad played American Legion ball with Kemp. I think I remember from previous stuff that you grew up in the same area that my dad did.

Abreu with a walk- that's pretty rare

listening to steve phillips talk about "moneyball" is like nails to a chalkboard.

Steve Phillips is an idiot. I hate that term, but does he really believe what he says?

"Arsenic and Old Lace" is my favorite play, and "Much Ado About Nothing" is a close second.

Steve Phillips..Colletti is bringing back baseball players, as opposed to guys that put up numbers

LOL...

Ned Colletti is sure Lance Carter is going to make the team too apparently.

I'd love to hear Phillips and Gary Thorne do an Oakland A's broadcast. After Phillips was made to look like an idiot in Moneyball, I guess its reasonable why he's so bitter.

It's obvious that dirt players are better than robots who put up numbers, DUH! lol

I know I saw a quote from Steve Phillips extolling the virtues of on base percentage. Maybe its some sort of contractual obligation with ESPN that you think Chone Figgins was the real AL MVP last year.

138. My favorite play is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Into the Woods deserves a mention.

I don't know if "12 Angry Men" is actually a play, but it feels like it when you watch the old Fonda black and white version.

Gary Thorne is getting on my nerves. He should just stick to hockey.

Matt Kemp looks like Derek Lee to me.

And the White Sox won with "smart ball"... I guess it had nothing to do with hitting home runs or pitching.

One good thing out of Grady Little. No sac bunt attempts yet.

I can live with a few hit n runs if the guy running has a good chance at stealing 2nd. Its when Robles, and Izturis try to execute hit n runs, and they combine for 8-24 on SB attempts.

162 I've got some bad news for you. Little's past teams were full of guys like Chris Stynes going 3 for 7 on steals.

I never get sick of reading No Exit. Best play I ever saw live was Julius Caesar in Ashland. It get's no love, but Sondheim's Assassins was pretty awesome. Pretty much every musical would be better if Charlie Guiteau were a character.

161- I agree with that. We now have some guys who have good speed and are pretty good baserunners. I hope Little figures out soon that Robles is one of the slowest runners on the team. Tracy didn't figure it out until about September.

Laroche just ran to 2nd with 1 out on an infield fly. A dirt player wouldn't have made the same mistake.

Shouldnt true "baseball players" know how many outs there are?

That was ugly.

Pat Borders vs Sandy Alomar for the aging, useless once a week catching spot is really heating up.

Sadly, all media seem destined to cater to the lowest common denominator when they seek after large numbers of watchers/readers.

Come on bull.

Come on Bull.

Broxton's crash and burn must have crashed DT as well.

That was ugly. No velocity. And the Braves minor leaguers just hammered him.

Broxton's game was disturbing.
I also hope the Dodgers arent ruining Russ Martin. He looked very impatient at the plate today.

No velocity.

Every pitch was clocked at 80 mph.

Yep. He was tossing batting practice. And you cant blame the gun bc the same one had Tomko at 92,93.

Something is wrong if he's trying to throw fastballs and only hitting 80mph.

Maybe the Dodgers told him to throw nothing but change ups today. I hope thats the case. Who knows?

Steve Phillips is the square root of the lowest common demoninator.

So Steve Phillips is about 1.414?

170 is right, every pitch (fastball or change-up) was coming up as 80 mph, but every ball hit into play came up as 91 mph. I have no idea what that means, but it can't be correct. The same thing was happening when the japanese guy was pitching.

Regardless, Broxton didn't have his usual zip today, I'm assuming he's just a little rusty.

If every pitch was clocked at 80mp he mustve been working on some off speed pitch.

172 Ha! Lowest common denominator is a negative number, too.

Dilbert quote: "I found some numbers that support your strategic plan (to pointy hair)... I had to take the square root of a negative to do it... The time line is on this Mobius Strip." Pointy Hair says "Good work."

broxtons fb was in the low 90s. didnt have the zip of last year.

im not too worried really. just first ST game, rusty.

So Steve Phillips equals i?

Salty crushed that pitch to the opposite field. I wonder if he has a chance to beat out McCann?

Jason Repko : Spring Training ::

(c) Billy Ashley : AAA

Jason Repko is an ST god...

Salty crushed that pitch to the opposite field. I wonder if he has a chance to beat out McCann?

salty hasnt even played AA yet. hes not going to break camp with the big club. but his power is really awesome.

180. He's on my Spring Training fantasy squad. Our league is all screwed up because of the WBC.

I think Furcal made the Braves out of Single A.

Which was more impressive when everybody thought Furcal was younger than he is today. He did play 3 games at AA Greenville.

Regarding Broxton's 80 mph pitches: the gun had to be malfunctioning. I don't think it's humanly possible to throw every single pitch at the exact same speed.

184. Did Furcal's underage drinking charge actually stick?

Bc he really wasnt under 21 when he was cited. Isnt it against US law to have a falsified birth certificate or identification?

Regarding Broxton's 80 mph pitches: the gun had to be malfunctioning. I don't think it's humanly possible to throw every single pitch at the exact same speed.

it was. it only registered the right velocity when the batter swung. broxton was sitting in the low 90s- not his normal velocity.

he threw one change up and a couple sliders.

Ironically, the 4 earned runs that Broxton gave up today had no impact on his ERA.

And guess which 2 DT favorites had the exact same line in the box score:

3 1 3 2

Ramon Repko

What a name.

ramon and repko?

I didn't realize until the 9th I could see this game on TV. Did the announcers not know who the Dodgers batted in their half? I somehow missed all their names. Then the bottom half... well it's not TOO disturbing, since Broxton was consistently bad. Just a bad day.

I've seen a lot of plays, but the greatest production I ever saw was the Irish National Theater doing "Playboy of the Western World" at the Kennedy Center in DC in about 1991. There is something to be said for seeing a fantastic production of a classic play. "Raisin in the Sun" with Esther Rolle in LA about 10 years ago was another stellar experience, and around the same time I saw August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson" with Charles S. Dutton playing the lead role. You can barely guess from his TV work what an unbelievable actor he is. Also: "Glengarry Glenn Ross" with Peter Falk and Joseph Mantegna, and, way back "Moon for the Misbegotten" with Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst.

I'm mightly disappointed by the poor showing by the Taiwanese team.

I've seen a lot of plays, but the greatest production I ever saw was the Irish National Theater doing "Playboy of the Western World" at the Kennedy Center in DC in about 1991

I took a drama class in college and I think the best play we read/discussed IMO was a little known play called "Night Mother". It sort of had a Poe-esque tone. It was off-broadway production in real life and Kathy Bates played the lead character in I think 1981 or so.

I found "Death of a Salesman" overrated.

Just watched "The Remains of the Day" this week on AMC. First time seeing it. One of the best acted movies I've ever seen. Probably one of the saddest too.

192

Taiwan seemed to be hurt by a lack of guys who could hit. But Korea's pitchers looked pretty good too.

Taiwan has to beat Japan or else they are going to regard their time in the WBC like UCLA baseball fans treat trips to Omaha.

193

So for oldbear, "Death of a Salesman" was liked, but not well-liked?

So long as Taiwan beats China, I'm happy. China was looking pretty dangerous through four, this morning. They ran in to, um, difficulties.

After four innings, Jim Lefebvre and Bruce Hurst ran out of magic dust.

197- Right, but the China/Taiwan game comes after both are, probably, eliminated from contention. So the Taiwanese team might not have chemistry enough to play like it matters. And where is Plaschke to tell me if they've had dinner together?

194Taiwan has to beat Japan or else they are going to regard their time in the WBC like UCLA baseball fans treat trips to Omaha

Has UCLA baseball ever made it to Omaha? If so, more than once? maybe you meant the "road to omaha" regional or super regional?

jims brother, Tip Lefebvre, was my varsity HS baseball coach.

then he got fired because he would ditch class to go water and work on the field.

150 Man does that make me feel old.

instead of coach, i should say manager.

UCLA has been to Omaha twice and each time they went "0 and 2 and barbecue" as they say out there.

Once with Chris Chambliss as the star, the other time with Troy Glaus.

Despite pretty much every other program in Southern California being above average (USC, Fullerton, Long Beach, Pepperdine, LMU), UCLA always is a tailender.

The Bruins are off to a 6-9 start.

193 Saw "Remains of the Day" when it first came out and loved it. I should see it again. One of the benefits of a bad movie-memory is that I can watch movies several times and enjoy them just as much each time, with just a faint feeling of deja vu.

202

Your high school team had a manager instead of a coach? Was the guy the equipment manager or did the high school use the term "manager"?

203

Of course I shoudl have looked it up. thanks. I thought it was going to be in the 1970's but I must have missed the Glaus time.

Bob, does UCLA have the lead in most major league players produced?

208 There have been 96 Major Leaguers from USC, and only 62 from UCLA.

Favorite play bar none: West Side Story

Secon favorite is more contempory: Wicked. I didn't even want to go but my daughter really wanted to see it. I was blown away at how good the production was and how clever the story was. I would recommend it to anyone with kids or otherwise.

Saw Billy Crystal's 700 Sunday's last week. It was pretty good, but too long 3+ hours of one man. The most interesting part is his telling stories of how he hung out with Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington as a kid. His father and uncle were independent record producers.

22.

Believe it or not, chemistry is important. You can't just type it into a stat data base, but it helps. It's not the difference between last place and the WS, but it is important to have it.

Look, what's so bad about an article on the human nature of the game? What is so bad about not reading a black and white spreadsheet? Didn't that article at least get you just a bit excited? It sure convinced me that this is going to be a good year barring healthy problems.

210.

EDIT. I meant that article convined me that any communication issues, or chemistry concerns, are eliminated, which should help us to a good year.

i figured out why we lost today...

its because our batters let pitches go by and drew walks.

211 Every team has good chemistry right now. Bad chemistry only happens when teams start to lose.

212.
No, we lost because we had no bullpen. Gagne and Baez would have taked care of this game.

Did you read Bill's article? He said that withing 5 hours of his arrival last year, 5 people told him they were concerned about chemistry.

Did you read Bill's article? He said that withing 5 hours of his arrival last year, 5 people told him they were concerned about chemistry.

that article convined me that any communication issues, or chemistry concerns, are eliminated

Was Jeff Kent part of the "chemistry concerns" last year?

bill!?! bill!??!!

plaschke is now referred to by the first name? lol, he has reached "Paul" level.

This is like the 4th time my comment was posted twice. Jon, please delete one of them.

215 Last year, Plaschke had already decided that the Dodgers had no chemistry, because Depo was a "computer geek". The media likes Colletti, and didn't like DePo from the start.

195. Maybe my expectations were too much. "Death of a Salesman" and even "Raisin in the Sun"....I think most probably consider these plays classics, but I wasnt awed by either after having read them.

"Remains of the Day"...I think its one script where it must have great actors in the lead roles, in order to be considered great. I usually believe that a good script can make any movie good regardless of actors, but not in this case.

Since the character of Stevens never really reveals himself in dialogue, its up to Anthony Hopkins to let the viewer know about his conflicted, repressed, and somewhat resigned feelings. It takes an ultra talented actor to pull it off.

But it is true that communication between Tracy and DePo was a problem last year. I think a new manager this year would have improved things quite a bit.

I'm not sure which is worse, that Gagne and Baez would have "taked" care of the game, or that this guy continues to play you guys like a violin.

222
I think a new manager last year would have improved things quite a bit. Depo made a big mistake (IMO) by waiting until the end of the season to part ways with Tracy.

"As old as I am [37 next week], I had the jitters," said Kent, who will bat cleanup. "I'm excited to be here and I'm trying to make friends and make a good impression. I want them to know, even though I've got a locker stuck in the corner, it doesn't mean I shouldn't be talked to."

Jeff Kent March 2006. (oops, I mean 2005.)

222-

agreed. I'd also like to point out the hypocricy going around with guys like plaschke: They all said Depo wasn't a communicator yada yada....then Ned is a man's man baseball guy and he's a good communicator. Yet, when Bradley was traded he was quoted as saying that when Flanders called to inform him about the trade was the FIRST time he had even spoken to him.

If Depo had done that, we would have had about 7 Plaschke articles. I mean seriously, can someone explain to me how probably the worst sports writer around has a job at one of the biggest newspapers in the world?

Jon can't remove double comments on his own. Or if he can, it's a power I don't have on my blog.

Jon's superpowers are limited.

226. If it makes you feel any better, Ned Colletti is an ex-sportswriter. So Plaschke has one of his own, so to speak, in power. THe media is GM'ing the Dodgers, certainly a comforting thought...

Inside the Actors Studio vs Dinner for Five?

Can one enjoy both programs?

213
"Every team has good chemistry right now. Bad chemistry only happens when teams start to lose. "

I doubt that statement.

228- The best "inside the actors studio" is when Will Ferrel does the Inside the Actors Studio skit on SNl.

230
the tobey maguire snl skit as screech on "inside the actor's studio" is an all time classic

228
doesn't every conversation thread on dinner for five seem to somehow come back to jon favreau talking about swingers? maybe it's just me.

232 Maybe Mr. Favreau should switch to jockey shorts.

I find both those shows unwatchable

221 Most plays are much better seen than read. What seems cliched in reading "Raisin in the Sun" is emotionally very powerful on stage.

In my suddenly increased spare time, I took a series of screenwriting classes at UCLA. To understand the craft, I read a lot of screenplays. Isn't it curious that screenplays to popular movies are rarely published for mass market audiences to buy? It's no mystery if you start reading a lot of them. They are dull reading.

Theatrical plays are a little better, just because the nature of the genre is more focused on the power of words rather than images to tell the story. But what actors, directors and set designers bring to plays is at least half, if not more, of the artistic experience. A good play (ditto a good screenplay) should be written to make room for those artists to do their work.

Um, that was all off-topic I guess.

213
I think the Nats have had bad chemistry since the Soriano trade.

235 You're right. I've read a few screenplays and they are not fun to read.

agreed. I'd also like to point out the hypocricy going around with guys like plaschke: They all said Depo wasn't a communicator yada yada....then Ned is a man's man baseball guy and he's a good communicator. Yet, when Bradley was traded he was quoted as saying that when Flanders called to inform him about the trade was the FIRST time he had even spoken to him.

If Depo had done that, we would have had about 7 Plaschke articles. I mean seriously, can someone explain to me how probably the worst sports writer around has a job at one of the biggest newspapers in the world?<<

Actually, if you read Plaschke's article about Bradley leaving, he questioned why Colleti lied about trying to keep Milton.

The bottom line is, as Plaschke pointed out, the clubhouse is much looser, and there is more communication this year. He said even Jeff Kent spoke for about 20 minutes.

Last year, Plaschke had already decided that the Dodgers had no chemistry, because Depo was a "computer geek". The media likes Colletti, and didn't like DePo from the start. <<

No really, he meant that dodger officials told him chemistry was an issue.The players agreed, saying that last year, there was a lot of guessing going on. This year, those guesses are answers.

223.

Geez, sorry, sometimes I type too fast. I meant taken of course.

Was Jeff Kent part of the "chemistry concerns" last year? <<

Somewhat. But not this year according to Plaschke.

The 3rd oldest man on the Marlins's 40 man roster has literally disappeared. While I hope nothing has happened to him, I don't think the Marlins will miss his bat

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5378932

In other news, Matt Treanor turned 30 today, becoming the 4th member of the Marlins 40 man roster to do so. Wes Helms and Nate Bump will also reach the milestone this year, bringing their total to 6. The Dodgers will have 15 by the end of the year; the Yankees will have 22

242 Bob beat me, by 19 minutes. Took me longer than I thought to count the number of guys over 30 on the Dodgers and Yankees...

TB- If you stop double clicking the submit button, you won't double post so often. Also, if you'd like to combat your deja vu problem holistically, consider replying to previous comments by addressing the number, not reproducing the whole post.

232. I dont like Favreau either. But if you can manage to ignore him, and listen to the other guests, I think its a good show. IFC has since cancelled it I think. "Swingers" I thought was good but I think almost tried to be 'too cool'...

Dave Chappelle had a 2 hr ITAS just this past month. It was really good.

227 - It's true. You break it, you bought it.

Much Ado and Twelfth Night are my favorite Shakespeare plays and rank high for me overall. I've only seen 12 Angry Men as the great movie that it is (at least the original) - but obviously that looks like a play.

Screenplays are very hard to read, except my own.

I think 12 Angry Men began life as a teleplay in the early days of television.

On movies that look like plays: Big Kahuna is one of my favorite movies. Definitely top ten. Stupid name, great movie.

Ya gotta love Lee J. Cobb.

Says the all-knowing Wiki:

"Directed by Sidney Lumet and adapted by Reginald Rose from his 1954 teleplay which was originally broadcast on CBS, the film was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium."

Imagine that something like 12 Angry Men was on television.

Is Big Kahuna the one about salesmen with Spacey and Devito? That was a good movie.

It would have been better with Lee J. Cobb.

250

The "Golden Age" of TV had a lot of good stuff on it. It also had a lot of dopey sitcoms and westerns that weren't any good too.

If you've ever tried to sit through an episode of "I Married Joan", I wish you well.

DJ Houlton is starting tomorrow's game, and happens to be the oldest pitcher scheduled to pitch. He beats out Eric Stults by a few months. Billingsley, Orenduff, Miller, and Diaz will also pitch

and tomorrows game wont be on mlb.tv :(

why couldnt that group pitch today? we got to see sweet vets like saito, meadows and biemal!

248 On the long list of movies that, unaccountably, garnered no major Oscar nominations, my second-favorite of '06 was "Proof." That film was based on a play, and it showed, but after the first couple of scenes it got more of a "movie" feel.

My favorite was "40-Year-Old Virgin."

I got to watch most of the game this morning. A couple of impressions: LaRoche kills the ball. I didn't know who he was in his first PA - just saw a not-so-tall RHB. But when he mashed it, I asked noone in particular, "who the heck was that?" Glad to find out it was he. Guzman got fooled badly, Beltre/Mondesi-style to strike out, but that's OK.

My other first impression was of Loney. Good looking all around, but jeez, if people don't like Choi's big, supposedly slow, swing, Loney he has nothing on Loney. LOOPY!

That said, all I care about is production, not visual appeal. You know, the stuff you can measure with statistics. Don't tell Steve Phillips.

Speaking of whom, while I agree that he made is usual quota of inane, self-serving bloviations, he did point out that the Dodgers' main problem last year was all the time due to injuries. He said it over and over early in the game.

Choi alert:

He's batting cleanup tonight (today) for Korea and playing first base.

er, uh, "...Choi has nothing on Loney...""

is the korea game working for anyone on mlb.tv?

What was the old Betty White sitcom called? Life with Elizabeth?

Choi is now 2-5 in the WBC after a 1st inning single

Hey Jon- thanks for the Ramon Martinez 3-3 prediction. :)

LAT- were you the one who plays the ABC Nightly News Person of the Week guessing game? After one clue, I want to get my guess in: Kenneth Feinberg.

264- So, after clue two, I know I'm wrong. Rats.

lee with a huge 2 run blast. MAMMOTH POWER!

choi K's on a pretty good splitty.

266 Korea has 4 Lees in the starting lineup, so "Lee" is not sufficient. It was Seung Yeop for those interested

yea i know. i said only lee because i forgot the rest of his name.

we will just call him the lion king.

choi cant hit split fingers.

Another strike out for Choi. He sure isn't helping his status on the team, especially as he has 2 of Korea's 3 strike outs in the game, so it's not like the Chinese pitchers are fooling everyone

The Chinese team is horrible. They lost yesterday 18-2 to Japan. There down 5-0 midway through this game.

Korea vs Japan should be a good game. Korea might win if Japan is starting Ishii.

Kaz Ishii is not on the Japanese team. Hirotoshi Ishii is.

Japan is supposed to be starting Shunsuke Watanabe against Korea. He has difficult arm angles.

271
I think we need to acknowledge and accept the fact that Choi doesn't really have a "status" on the team.

i really want to watch the japan game tonight and see the gyro ball in action but its kind of late.

276

Ahh, the fabled gyro ball. I think you're more likely to see Matsuzaka just throw really hard fastballs. He can get up to 95 mph although I don't know if he will be at that level tonight. I doubt that any of the Taiwanese hitters will be able to catch up to him.

matsuzaka needs to come overseas before his arm falls off.

China has an interesting lineup. Their SS is batting cleanup, and their DH is batting 9th.

256-
You know how I know your Gay?

You liked "Proof".

The period goes in the quotation marks, how many times must we go over this?

280.

you know how i know you're gay?

you enjoy calling a grown man "peanut" :)

In a logical scenario, this should be the easiest team for Choi to make. Its filled with oft-injured players that even when healthy, has very little power and no natural first basemen.

However, logic flew out the window sometime last October.

The "peanut" guy is Curtis Lowe? I thought it was another poster. Yeah that guy was annoying.

281- Hmmmmm"."

282- I... I... you got me.. you got me good.

284- I always thought "Peanut." Was Odalis Paireds.

ahh 40 yr old virgins so funny. im going to pop that dvd in now.

287- When I saw it in the theatre I laughed all the way to the liquor store(for drink) then back to the ticket line to watch it again.

The original Odalis=Peanut poster was yakface.

Choi singles in a run to Korea up 7-0

What has happened to Kobe Bryant's defense?

Golden State- 27
LA Lakers- 25

Still in the 1st quarter.

Jason Richardson has 13 points already... With Rich, and Fish in the backcourt, I'm assuming Kobe is guarding Richardson.

If the Lakers lose this one, they are done. They've got a brutal stretch of games coming up.

The ESPN clip shows 92 mph on the home-run pitch Broxton served "Salty."

OK, it's a ridiculously small sample size but:

I've seen Broxton face about 6-8 hitters as a Dodger and he's missed his target more often than not. Lots of pitches outside the strikezone or down the middle.

OK, it's a ridiculously small sample size but:

I saw him strike out Albert Pujols twice.

293-
And since Brad Lidge served up a playoff loss to pujols that makes Broxton better in my book"."

293

I'll take my small sample size over your smaller sample size, and raise you two.

I saw Jonathan Broxton shoot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.

Unfortunately for the soon-to-be dead man, Broxton was aiming at someone else.

Is Jim Tracy managing the Korean team?

Being in a locker room with that many Koreans might unnerve him. I vote no.

296- Are you watching the Johnny Cash tribute on KVCR, too? I've never understood the concept of this. I write some songs that people like, so, in tribute to me, people who aren't as good come and sing my songs at me? I don't get it, and I don't like it.

298 Seeing as the Koreans already lost one of their best hitters, I don't think they want to take chances when its 10-1.

299
Well, somebody just sent out a pinch-hitter for Choi. If it wasn't JT, who was it?

I have Walk the Line sitting right in front of me waiting to be seen, and HGTV is on. I'm the Lord of my Castle, the Sovereign, the Liege.

You'd think with a population as large as China, that they could find some better baseball players.

China's been outscored in two games 28-3.

303
HGTV

Home and Garden Television...?

China might be able to find some better baseball players, but they've only been playing for a few years. They're doing a pretty good job to be as close as they are.

303- That's worse, actually. At least with the phony tribute (which I just discovered is seven years old) it's musicians (among them, Emmylou Harris, who is the only part of this that hasn't sucked, so far) doing the covering. I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I pay money to see River Phoenix pretend to be Johnny Cash.

I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I pay money to see River Phoenix pretend to be Johnny Cash

I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I pay money to see Lou Diamond Phillips pretend to be Ritchie Valens ;)

Now we're not talking about River Phoenix, we're talking about Moon Unit Phoenix. River Phoenix was just arrested for drug possession at the Pershing Square subway station.

Yes, D4P, Home and Garden Television. I treat my subjects: servants, children, wife with a firm but gentle hand. Noblesse oblige.

I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I pay to see George Arliss play Benjamin Disraeli.

Joaquin Phoenix. I knew that; don't know why I screwed it up.

Actors playing historical figures is fine, I don't mean to start the whole bio-pic fight (mostly because I think I'd be lonely in that one). But playing musicians, and singing their songs? That irritates me. If you want to make a movie about a musician, use his music. Not sort of his music, not cover tunes inspired by his music. His music is why you want to make the movie. Unless it isn't, in which case, just ignore it.

Kevin Spacey was just too old to play Bobby Darin. Yes, he looked a lot like Bobby Darin. But he was just too old. End of story.

296-
The Boy named Hu.

My name is Hu how do you do you do? now you gonna DIE!

Last post till monday I swear.

Favorite biopic

"Well that's another Thanksgiving you've ruined Jim Morrison!"

I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I pay to see Nomar Garciaparra pretend to be Hee Seop Choi.

309: Regarding HGTV - Which programs dost Your Highness observe?

I'm not watching HGTV! My wife is. I am considering Enemies List petitions and pretending to be interested.

316
I can only assume that means you're reconsidering my Steiner request...

I still think Steiner would be better just working alone. But most everyone would, so maybe that doesn't mean much.

Well then, which petitions are you considering? Are they new, or reconsiderations?

I'm actually trying to work my way around some of that stuff I was doing last night with the batting averages, but I'm not very good at it, and nothing will likely come of it.

One thing I did realize at the macro level though, is that not only would you have to show first that it exists, but then you would have to show that it had value and then you would have to show how much value. The Jose Valentin example tells us that much. Sort of like middle relievers -- even if it did exist, it still might be limited in value by its own scope.

I'm trying to conceptualize what it would actually mean for a hitter to be "clutch," not in terms of stats, but in terms of approach to hitting. What would it be about a hitter that would make them hit better in "clutch" situations (however those are defined) than in "non-clutch" situations?

Would they concentrate more? Would they swing at different types of pitches? Would they try harder? If the answer really is one of these, then why wouldn't they just do that all the time?

It's hard to get over the, "This is stupid," hill with that, isn't it? I played around with some RISP numbers, and actually got an 80 player spreadsheet going, before I decided that, if my goal was to prove that it didn't mean anything, that really wasn't enough of a rooting interest to keep doing it. I don't understand why ESPN's free sortable stats can't be more configurable. Sure, I'm not paying for it (I even have adblock set to keep me from having to look at their ads), but it would be hardly any skin off their nose. And it would be more useful, to me, their non-paying, non-customer. Can't figure it out.

That said, Frank Catalanotto was hella clutch last year. His BA rose 108 points, and his OPS was 253 higher, with RISP.

Well, it ends up being both obvious and repetitive, which doesn't make for good copy.

Least clutch (in my sample) was Miguel Cabrera, whose OPS dropped off fifty-one points w/RISP.

324 -- That's the sense that I'm getting, which is that even if these weird data points meant anything (take say Valentin's career, or Catalanotto's or Phillips's 2005), they would merely be proof of the valuelessness of the skill.

So it got me thinking, who would play some famous musicians?

Carlos Santana-Benicio Del Toro

Jerry Garcia-Phillip Seymore Hoffman

Bob Dylan- Robert Downey Jr.

If you haven't seen the Retrosheet article on clutch hitting, I recommend it.

http://tinyurl.com/lzw72

327
Would the claim that "clutchness" is "valueless" mean that we would be indifferent between (1) a player who hits well w/RISP and (2) a player who hits poorly w/RISP, ceteris peribus?

327- It was much more rewarding, going back through the last few days' threads counting TB's double posts (six, seven if you count the triple post twice).

264. Sorry Andrew, wasn't me.

330 -- Yes and No. No, because you always want a player to hit better, and in all situations. So it's always better to hit better than hit worse. But yes, because the split is, in some sense, illegitimate in the first place. A good hitter who hits "poorly w/RISP" is still a good hitter (stipulating that these terms are self-defining); a poor hitter who hits "well w/RISP" would still be a poor hitter.

That was a hard question by the way. I'm not sure how I did on it.

Well, it's too late in the evening for me to evalute your response. I'm going to bed.

332- That's okay. If I had the power, I'd delete both of those comments. Turned out to be some priest who gave 50 people a hundred bucks each (out of the church till, I took it) to do good work, however they defined it. One woman gave the hundred bucks to a Walmart cashier. Another offerred the money to the city for a $400,000 building, promising to start a battered women's shelter. Which was sort of a DePo move. The city hasn't gotten back to her, yet. Anyway, I was wrong on two counts.

320 et. al. - Steve (and everyone else), don't feel bad for not finding the Grand Unified Theory of Clutchiness. I spent all day today messing around with set theory and probablility to try to either: 1) prove the Anti-Clutch (Choker Factor) exists or.. 2) prove something else. Because all I'm doing this week is babysit a half dozen servers, I had a lot of time today. Eventually, I got fed up with it, and went out for the evening. I've some beginnings of proofs, but I don't know what the theorem will be. I feel that, because of the orders of magnitude involved, there would be no perceptible non-noise difference with the clutch in or out.

Um...guys, wasn't that original SI article about clutchness an April Fools joke?

326 - Tell that Clemens guy that Miggy is not clutch...

"Clutchness" is simply the ability to perform well under pressure, right? This is true in all walks of life. Some people thrive when speaking to room full of people, some freeze up. Some writers need a deadiine to produce their best work, others get blocked. Etc. etc. Pressure helps some people focus, and causes others to panic. Why should it be different in baseball?

How one uses stats to quantify it is best left to those of you smarter than me, but the argument that I occasionally hear that "clutchness" does not even exist, seems silly to me. Of course it exists - in baseball as in everything.

It really doesn't matter if "clutchness" "exists". The statistical fact of the matter is that the overall effect is small enough as to be indistinguishable from the inherent noise in the system. Thus, it's certainly not worth making any decisions based on, and in the end it's likely just what Steve believes it to be, a crutch for people arguing positions that have no true statistical backing.

One reason people believe this is true in baseball is that by the time any player makes it to the majors, they have already played baseball for 6+ years, thus the players who are truly "unclutch" have been weeded about by the process. Is hitting a 90+ mph fastball in front of 40,000 fans with the bases empty really that different from doing it with the bases full?

Is hitting a 90+ mph fastball in front of 40,000 fans with the bases empty really that different from doing it with the bases full?

Right. (Hi, FB! The cavalry arrives!)

Hi Steve. How's life as a Los Angeles lawyer? Since my whole family came down with the stomach flu, I've had some time to keep up with Dodger Thoughts these last few days and even watch the Spring Training game yesterday. Silver lining and all that...

I had to get up and do my taxes this morning. So I'm not feeling terrible clutchified.

So I'm not feeling terrible clutchified.

As you can tell

I had to get up and do my taxes this morning.

FYI - They're not due until the ides of April.

341 - Is hitting in the 3rd, down 8-0, with nobody on different than being up in the 9th with two out and the tying run on ... in a pennant race? I think it is. You've got people counting on you in a different way in that situation. There is obviously more at stake.

I'm sure you are right about the statistical insignifigance - it's hard to measure defense, too, but that doesn't mean that all players are defensively identical. It just means it's hard to quantify.

I'm not clutch enough to wait until April 14th

346 -- It doesn't mean that it is hard to quantify -- it means that it is statistically insignificant

I think the the larger point that "If a player's unclutchness rendered him of relatively little value, he wouldn't have made it to the majors in the first place" is reasonable.

However, the presence of players such as Ramon II, Scott Erickson, etc. suggests that it is possible to be a bad player and still get major league contracts.

That's because they are "proven veterans". (Please note the intential placement of the period outside the quotes.)

Or intentional even... try to irritate a few people and forget how to spell in the process.

Dateline, Washington DC:

The best way for the Nationals to persuade second baseman Alfonso Soriano to move to the outfield is not to say, "Jose Guillen might be out for three months. We need you more than ever." No, the best way would be to demonstrate that such a shift would be in Soriano's best financial interests.

The Nats could make that case that rather easily if they were under new ownership, easing Soriano's pain with say, a five-year, $60 million contract. But the team is still owned by Major League Baseball, and MLB has yet to complete a ballpark lease agreement with Washington, D.C. officials, much less choose a new owner.

352
That's a lot of money for a player who's "unclutch".

Soriano 2005:

None on: .292/.340/.547/.887
Runners on: .240/.273/.469/.742
Scoring position: .235/.275/.458/.733
Scoring position, 2 outs: .181/.214/.383/.597

Is anyone else getting a "Server Certificate Expired" popup message about PayPal?

Soriano is a good case study in people who put agendas over credibility. (See Boswell, Tom)

A long and interesting interview with J.Tracy is over at CBS Sportsline. You'll find the article here: http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9276687

An excerpt:
"Let me be very clear," Tracy says. "When the decision was made that
there would be no type of extension offer, I felt very strongly that it
was time to move on. In the midst of (a conference call with
reporters), the phone at the other end of my house rang and a message
was left. Please call."

The timing was extraordinary, for McCourt to have phoned at the exact
time that Tracy was in the midst of that particular conference call.
Why, gee, it was almost as if the owner knew, and timed it so that he
could avoid Tracy ...

"If the call had taken place two days before that call and I don't pick
it up, then shame on me," says Tracy, who did not return McCourt's
call.

Meanwhile, in what might be a staggering surprise to those who followed
the Dodger wreckage to the end, Tracy has spoken with DePodesta a few
times since. And not only that, the deposed DePodesta sent Tracy a note
to the Pirates' spring headquarters here.

"A very wonderful note, I might add," Tracy says. "A very
professionally done thing."

That's nice, I say.

"It's better than nice," Tracy replies. "Better than nice. That says a
lot. The mere suggestion of it says a lot."

A moment later, Tracy continues: "I think a big misnomer is that Paul
and I don't get along with one another. Let me make that clear, that's
not the case. By any stretch of the imagination, that's not the case.
Not even close.

"We may not see things in the same way. We may not agree on things, but
it is completely inaccurate to think that we don't like one another."

Today's lineup: Aybar 2B, Young LF, Nomar 1B, Guzman DH, Kemp CF, Navarro C, Repko RF, Truby 3B, Abreu SS, with Houlton starting on the mound

354 Yeah, I've gotten that one once (so far).

311If you missed Ray and Walk the Line because of your predjudice against having actors play musicians, you've missed two of the best movies and performances in the last 3 years. Johnny Cash is one of my top artists and I loved watching him portrayed and hearing his music played by Phoenix. I also like hearing cover/tribute songs because each musician can interperate a song differently and still make it enjoyable. Some detract from the original but some can even add to the original. All you have to do is listen to his American Recording and realize that he nailed some covers and failed on some just like other artists do with his work. I've heard plenty of better versions of Ring of Fire then his starting with Social Distortion.JMO

His daughter Rosanne is one of the most underappreciated artists of the last 25 years.

If your a Cash fan don't bother with the documentary that Netflix is touting about him. It is one of the worst documentary's I ever watched. Complete piece of crap.

357
I wish this lineup had been on TV yesterday instead of yesterdays lineup. Except for Truby, why are we wasting at bats with him? Can't believe they aren't even televising the 1st Sunday ST game. No football to compete against just college basketball.

Is today's game on MLB audio? I'm not hearing anything...

361 Cant't hear anything here either.

361 You could try KFWB, as it's broadcasting the game today. As far as the first half an inning, Aybar, Young, and Nomar all grounded out to the SS

KFWB.com appears to be broadcasting news.

364 Try using a radio, they can't stream it over the internet or something

365
I'm in North Carolina...

366 That causes a significant problem. I guess you better keep trying MLB audio. All you missed was Houlton looking terrible (according to Steiner)

MLB.com just came through for me.

Oh well, I'll live. I don't care much for Steiner and Monday anyway.

MLB.com just started working!!

368
It just started for me too.

"Not only winning the division championship, but we were holding onto something that looked like it was going to be good for six or seven years because of our youth..."

so THATS how you spell delusional

He thinks Mike Edwards is youth.

354
I got a certificate expired message too for PayPal, but I plunged ahead because I'm a wreckless individual. I hope I still get my Kent Hrbek bobblehead.

374
I too threw caution to the wind.

Why is everyone going to Paypal today?

i just woke up and the game isnt on mlb.tv but mlb gameday. and i dont have gameday. so updates on our prospects would be nice while i go make scrambled eggs.

at 3 ET, the dbacks play white sox and thats on mlb.tv.

im probably going to watch that since drew, upton, quentin and jackson will be playing and they scare me a ton.

377- Billingsly is pitching

2 hits 1walk 2 Strike outs so far.

JtD doubled and kemp drove him in.

Im not very good at this.

However I am pretty good at making multiple posts very quickly.

376
The PayPal popup occurs on this site, not at PayPal. It has popped up on my screen twice or thrice.

Billingsly Threw 2 scoreless innings. Stults is due to pitch next inning.

JtD's double bounced off the wall mid air with the Wind blowing in SO I'd presume it was crushed.

wow JtD actually made contact?

ha, remember when we first got cruz and he struck out in his first 8 abs and everyone was like wahhh wahhhh. and then he proceeded to be our best hitter down the stretch. i still find that funny.

I haven't had the PayPal glitch today, but I got it yesterday somewhere. I wasn't trying to send or receive money, either. That's why it was startling.

385 Steiner said it was a guarunteed homer without the wind.

And the ChiSox/DBacks game is on WGN right now for those without MLB.tv

Repko doubles after walking in his last AB. If only he could do this during the regular season...

Abreu knocks in Repko.

Has it been revealed here who "Player TBA" for 3/7's dodgers.com chat is? It's Lowe, so we can ask him exciting questions, like "How were you affected by the negative press last year?"

Abreu singles in Repko

Every hit Repko gets, I feel a little piece of the season slipping away.

Hee-Seop Choi, large man:

http://tinyurl.com/lgnjy

Delwyn Young just made an amazing throw, according to Steiner. Of course, Navarro dropped it so the run scored (Steiner said he was playing it unusually), not to mention that Steiner gets excited by meaningless plays (I've heard him describe more than a few infield pop ups as guarunteed homers)

But I'm going to assume it was an excellent play, and it is good news for Young and his conversion to the OF

391
The runner on first is listed at 5'11", 180.

Did I hear Steiner correctly? Is Ivan DeJesus playing SS? I guess this really is a prospect day

i guess dewitts in at 2b and dejesus is at ss.

man i wish this game was on tv :(

For those interested, there are still Opening Day tickets available. They would be in the pavilions.

upton just stroked a double, one hop off the centerfield wall :(

Dewitt with the RBI single. Hopefully he keeps it up and does well this year, we need a 2B prospect that can actually hit

Nobody else watching the Atlantic Sun conference championship game between Belmont and Lipscomb? It's an all-Nashville battle.

This is for spot #2 in the NCAA tournament. Penn won the Ivy League regular season last night.

Miller in to pitch. He wasn't wild, but wasn't dominating. The former is good news considering how he pitched last year

why are they throwing out all the good pitchers on non mlb.tv days? save them for tomorrow!

Thanks Bob

For any Kenley Jansen or Giuseppe Norrito fans out there, neither of them managed to make their respective WBC rosters (the Netherlands and Italy respectively). Albenis Castillo did make the Panama team

Jumbo in to pitch. I really wanted to see him pitch

402
Thanks for the Opening Day advice or thanks for alerting you to the Lipscomb-Belmont game?

404
See what kind of chaos ensues from failing to use the reference numbers?

Opening Day -- I think the last one I went to was 1981 -- if I can talk myself into sitting in the pavillion, which is not a guarantee.

I'm glad I just paid $15 to listen to the game, only to realize that my new Powerbook doesn't seem to be able to play Microsoft Windows media.

Good to hear that there was in fact, a car alarm going off during the duration of the game. I thought I was going nuts.

398 -- I think Tony Abreu qualifies as a 2B prospect "who can actually hit," as a 20-year-old who wins the Florida State League batting championship (.327) really would HAVE to be able to hit. Strangely, and happily, the switching-hitting Abreu hit .327 from BOTH the right side and the left. That is pretty amazing. As for the lefty-hitting DeWitt, he has a lot of work to do if he wants to avoid being a platoon player. In low A, he hit .301 against righty pitching, but only .218 against southpaws.

Anyone else watch Charles Haeger pitch to Justin Upton? Why did Upton swing at that after Haeger was throwing WP after WP? Even with that big double nate referenced earlier, Upton still has a ways to go

The best comment of the basketball game I'm watching is:

Play-by-play guy: If Belmont wins, they get to buy some new shoes because they are going to the Big Dance
Color guy: Actually Belmont is a Southern Baptist school that prohibits dancing.

409

Abreu is also a better fielder than DeWitt and he's faster.
Don't forget about Aybar. He's 23.

409 If Abreu can keep it up, great. He just reminds me too much of Izzy. Switch hitter with almost no power (although can manage some doubles due to speed), not much patience, although doesn't strike out that much, and can't steal despite his speed. I see him far more valuable as a SS, but Hu is blocking him

Abreu is also a better fielder than DeWitt and he's faster.

abreu is batting average dependent for his OBP and slg. his low walk rates and eagerness to swing at everything will probably hurt him greatly in the upper levels.

buttt for all the fans of teams out that that need an elite 2b prospect, yes abreu is amazing, trade us your #1 for him.

Also, as of rigt now, I do not view Dewitt as a better prospect than Abreu. Abreu has accomplished more, at a higher level, plus he is a better defender. I just see Abreu as a future Izzy, and I'm not really sure what to expect from Dewitt

414 In that case...Abreu is a future all star. He provides a high average and great defense, and is completely worth a future (or current) ace

The White Sox are looking to go 0-5 in exhibition. After Monday they will have played 7 games, but only 2 teams. While it really doesn't matter, that seems like an unusual way to schedule an exhibition season

this is a good quote by adam on brother andy laroche.

"He's ahead of where I was at his age. I was there mentally, but physically, my body wasn't ready to play 162 games. But he's fortunate to have more of a mixture of both, so I think it won't be a problem for him. He's not scared of a whole lot. He knows he's ready to go."

359- I saw Ray. Didn't like it as much as everybody else does. I have two problems with the biopic. Problem one is the Emperor's New Clothes quotient. There's a compulsion to like these movies, outside of what one might actually think of them, out of solidarity with the subject. If somebody makes a movie about my mom, even if it's bad, I've got to say I like it.

My second problem is that I don't much care about the non-musical parts of Ray Charles's, or Johnny Cah's, life. So, the part about the old guy in the general store teaching Ray to play is of some value, but his heroin shooting, whore mongering, and little league banquet ditching isn't, to me. It's not a moral objection, it's that I don't care. Good art is correlated (so far as I can tell) not at all with personal decency. So, I also miss out on the, "How could such great music come from such a horrible man?!" effect.

On cover tunes, there has to be some point to covering somebody else's song. If you have a new theory, go on ahead. Most of the music I listen to is Jazz, much of which is covering standards. There's a difference between John Coltrane's My Funny Valentine, and Jerry Mulligan's. I'm cool with it. But the difference between the Carter and Cash version of Jackson, and the Phoenix and Witherspoon one is that the latter are trying to impersonate the former (and that they're twenty beats per minutes slow, at least). It's like a gallery exhibit of Van Gogh knockoffs. There's some value in seeing a reproduction of Starry Night, I guess, but not much.

419

That's another Thanksgiving dinner you've ruined Andrew Shimmin.

420- I kinda ruined the last Thanksgiving dinner fighting with a relative's boyfriend over whether there was any such thing as clutch hitting. The subject was changed (punitively, I took it) to public education. I was all ready to mount an, "It's the parents' fault!" offensive, but decided to go outside and smoke, instead. So I kind of saved Thanksgiving dinner (from myself), too.

421
Smoking is bad for you.

"For the first time in quite a while, you can see where his butt ends and his thighs start"

Scout or Jeans salesman?

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5378632

422- I have great faith that nanotechnology will change that. I'm not sure how, but, still.

424
Well, good luck with that.

I am a big Blake DeWitt fan and I think he may end up being our best hitter, just lacking the power of Guzman, Kemp, and Laroche.

Another UFC PPV tonight guys. USA vs CANADA!

I prefer Stanford's halftime PR commercial to UCLA's.

What's Casey up to today?

New grabbag post up top.

Is there any reason to guess UCLA is going to lose players to the NBA draft, this year? Bozeman is a senior, but the rest aren't, right? Some of these guys look like they could be good, in a year or two, but none of them look like an Earl Watson. Actually, I don't think Watson looked so good that I figured he'd leave early. Which shows what I know.

The only UCLA player of consequence that's leaving is Bozeman. The other seniors (Hollins, Fey) are terrible players.

Hollins plays the game like he was 6' tall until he got to college, then suddenly grew a foot and doesn't know what to do with his size. Fey can't catch the ball and doesn't seem to be in particularly good shape.

Watch Farmar when Hollins sets a high screen on offense, then rolls down the lane. Even if he's open, Farmar will find someone else to pass to because he has no confidence in Hollins' ability to do ANYTHING.

There are no juniors on the UCLA squad this season. When they made one of their first half runs, there were 4 freshman and 1 sophomore on the floor.

Wow.

Reese Witherspoon has gone from Legally Blonde 2...

To

Reese Witherspoon...Oscar Winner.