That's a great writeup, Jon. Do the dodgers publish anything journalistic or literary anymore? Seems like many of these inside-the-dugout stories never make it out of the clubhouse anymore.

Crap! Navarro just got hurt!

Crap! Navarro just got hurt!
Please tell me you're kidding. Maybe Grits wasn't lying when he said Martin would get a chance to make the team. What happened?

Maybe Grits wasn't lying when he said Martin would get a chance to make the team

No its gonna be a Pat Borders/Sandy Alomar platoon.

I didn't hear the call, but I heard the announcer recap the day's high (Furcal stealing second) and the low (Navarro hurting his hamstring). I'm not sure of the severity of the injury, but the Dodgers were batting at the time.

Great write up Jon. I'd love to see Dusty back in the organization, but probably not as a manager. I think he'd be an upgrade over Grits, but his poor handling of young pitchers and questionable lineups (Neifi Perez batting 2nd, Corey Patterson batting leadoff), probably don't make him a good fit. He is a good in game manager (besides the fact the he wears down his young pitchers). I think the thing with his pitchers might have to do with his pitching coach though.

5 - Too many negatives with Dusty, I think.

6- please go into detail. Are you talking about the sour breakup between Dusty and the Dodgers? I don't think that it would be a problem with a new ownership in place.

7 - No, I mean, as Uncle Miltie put it, his handling of pitchers and questionable lineups.

That is - as you put it :)

Where's Steve today? He has missed out on Repko's solo HR and RBI-single.

This LAPD commerical on MLB audio is really annoying.

3. -No its gonna be a Pat Borders/Sandy Alomar platoon.

Martin for sure in Vegas then?

If so, is that because he can't handle the position still?

cr

3 is a joke - barely.

Did I just read "Glenn Burke........his unique clubhouse manner."

Holy speaking in code Batman!

Oh BROTheR! I can just imagine the opening day lineup. Batting 3rd, center fielder Jason Repko!

3 oldbear

Worry is even in oldbear's humor. (A good line none the less.)

Old friend Reggie Abercombie is lighting up spring training. From BA
"The biggest surprise in Marlins camp so far has been outfielder Reggie Abercrombie. A 23rd-round pick of the Dodgers out of Lake City (Fla.) Community College in 1999, Abercrombie always has enticed scouts with his tools, but has never been able to put it all together. In six minor league seasons, Abercrombie has nearly an 8-1 strikeout-walk ratio (793-to-121) in 2,582 at-bats and has never played above Double-A.

But the 25-year-old outfielder has figured some things out through a stint in the AFL and now in big league camp, working both times with roving hitting instructor John Mallee. "As much of a surprise as it might seem, Reggie has been working his tail off," Mallee said. "He's getting consistent extension through the zone, working to his strength and not giving pitchers that out pitch--not chasing a lot like he'd done previously. He's having a breakthrough spring and everyone should be taking notice."

Through 26 at-bats in big league camp, Abercrombie is hitting .500/.519/.885 with a pair of homers. But perhaps more importantly, he's being much more selective. Though he has yet to draw a walk, Abercrombie has whiffed just three times."

Oh my goodness. Let's nip this Baker talk in the bud.

17- I hope he makes their team. He's an incredible defender

17 - now, now we don't want everyone to start thinking like the A's. :-)

17 So his strikeout to walk ratio is infinity, which is larger than 8-1.

Edwin Jackson made his third start, had two scoreless innings before struggling.
3.1 IP, 5 Hs,6 ERs, 3 BBs, 2 Ks

I have a On topic Question: I thought the 'first' high-five came when Dusty Baker joined the other 30 HR guys in the last game of 77. Making it: http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B10020LAN1977.htm

Does anyone else recall that? Or am I just wrong.

22 Oh good, now we can all stop panicking about that trade for a few days.

22- I guess Ned's prayers were answered

Furcal went 0-1 with a walk and SB in his first game of his ST

Good news:
Ramon Martinez went 0-1
Aybar walked again (in his only PA)
Kuo pitched well in his one inning
Bad news:
Repko 2-3 HR 2 RBI (off Smoltz)
Brazoban and Baez got hammered
All star Lance Carter pitched 2 scoreless innings

I have a question on the MLB.tv package. Does it only allow you to be logged in at one time/one location? Or can you be logged in at numerous locations?

If its the latter, do people usually pool their money and buy it, and then share the login/pw?

Surely thats not allowed. Is it?

i let my friends use my mlb.tv account sometimes.

only when they are really nice to me though.

Can you be logged in also at the same time from a different computer though?

navarro and his hammy sounds pretty bad. this might catapult martin to starting LA catcher.

Can you be logged in also at the same time from a different computer though?

i dont remember. sorry.

Nothing new about Navarro in today's notes, other than it will take 24 hours to determine the extent of the problem, Martin would start in his absense, and Little refers to him as Navvy.

As far as Penny: "I was working on breaking balls and throwing pitches in situations I wouldn't throw them in real games"

So my boy martin might see some playing time right off the bat.

If so, i hope he tears it up and make ned wonder why he sign old man alomar.

Catchers need more days off than any other position, i see no problem carrying both navarro and martin.

But then again i can't get too excited knowing ned is in charge.

Aaron Small looks like he'll start the season on the DL which means Erickson has a chance to make the Yankees. I dislike the Yankees, but I can't wish that kind of pain onto any team

I've been a big fan of Martin's since last spring training, but it's too bad this may be the way for him to make the team.

"When you're playing like that, it's hard to ignore," Little said of Repko. "He's done an excellent job. He plays the game the right way."

Youch

He plays the game the right way.

If this means he plays the game "good," then it is useful information. Otherwise, it is merely conceit.

26
I doubt that it will allow you to use the same login at the same time. I've tried to use the MLB audio package at the same time from different parts of my house and it has refused me and has even refused me when I've closed one game, went to another system and tried to log in. From a program point of view it is very easy to block a login from using multiple logins and MLB would have to be very shortsited to allow it to happen for the very reason you mentioned.

32 - I never thought the Navarro/Martin combo would be a good idea because economically, a veteran catcher is not going to cost you that much and since you never use the second catcher unless you are out of pinch hitters or there is some need for a double switch, whoever doesn't play is not going to have many chances.

The Braves will face a similar situation with their catchers and there is already talk of moving their prospect to first base because McCann is their man.

I would say an ideal amount of games for a catcher to start is around 120-130, which is about a day off a week excluding any platoon factors. I'm sure that is what Ned was thinking with the Alomar signing.

lol gurnick called repko jayson repko. lol

Gurnick decided to write yet another Izturis/Furcal article, adding something that may or may not be known:

In and around the Dodgers ballclub, there is minimal support for the most popular fan scenario -- move Nomar Garciaparra to left field, Jeff Kent to first base and Izturis to second base.

Ballplayers on moving from the infield to the outfield:

Nomar Garciaparra:

"Learning first base, at least it's the infield. The outfield is totally different than the infield. I knew [first base] would take a lot of work and not be easy. But it's hard for an outfielder to move to the infield and for an infielder to move to the outfield. Everything is different. It's not as easy as it sounds."

Joel Guzman:

"I'm liking it. I'm not loving it, like McDonalds."

I mean like, this part of the field's in, and the other's out. You can see the differences right there.

Noticed that we had 122 or so entries in the DT NCAA pool. Some healthy competition.

42. King of the Hobos
In and around the Dodgers ballclub, there is minimal support for the most popular fan scenario -- move Nomar Garciaparra to left field, Jeff Kent to first base and Izturis to second base.

Is that surprising to anyone?

not surprising to me. kent doesnt want to move to 1b. izzy thinks he is still a shortstop. nomars going to tear his groin if he has to play the outfield and run.

most of these "established" players in reality only care about themselves.

Yeah, and I still haven't started my picks.

Its only one game---but in spring training that could get magnified attention. Todays winners: Martin,Repko, and Carter. I like the first and I'm neutral on the next two. You have to credit performance, then find out if it is only the ability to start quickly !

46 - No. It has seemed clear from the start that Garciaparra doesn't want to play outfield, and Kent (for good reason) thinks he should stay at second base.

BTW just saw this old item but since it has been a week and he hasn't pitched in a game, Mike Megrew, the lefthanded pitcher who was a Rule 5 draft pick by the Marlins from the Dodgers last year pitched briefly (he walked 4 batters) and right now it does appear unlikely that he would stay on their 25 man roster.

Is there a secret word ("DUCK?")* to find the DT NCAA pool at ESPN?

* = Only useful if you remember "You Bet Your Life."

No, just search for "Dodger Thoughts" when choosing a group for your entry.

The other Dodger that was a Rule 5 pick, Luis Gonzalez (no, not that Luis Gonzalez), was drafted by the Rockies and then traded to the Mariners, he has pitched a little bit so I guess he is in the running for their specialty lefty role.

53 Ah, you have to register with ESPN, then. I wondered if there was a DodgerThoughts password. Ok, thanks.

I don't know why you guys are so hard on Repko.

If not us, who? How many other .215 hitters with questionable defensive skills get as much undeserved favorable publicity as Repko?

Lest anyone get too excited about Repko, these were his spring stats last year:

.325/.349/.525

He's currently at

.346/.452/.577

While he's at least on pace to beat his isolated patience (no surprise, we know he has at least average patience) his average and power numbers could easily end up the same by the end of Spring. In other words, Repko proably hasn't figured it all out yet.

i dont think repko is going to be as horrible as last year, he will definately improve. I just question how much will he improve. we will see though. he will make the roster as a 5th outfielder and might get some starts early on.

How could he get worse? He's already the next Willie Mays, and if he somehow hit .250, he'd probably be Babe Ruth.

Did anyone ever suggest, after Nomar was signed, that it might be a better infield with Nomar at 2nd Kent at 1b? Nomar is pretty good defensively and it might have been easier to move him to 2nd than to 1st. while Kent does have experience at 1st and altho he has been quite good since becoming a Dodger, 1b might have been a better fit for the team.

All this speculation before Ceasar was feeling better. Now it seems as if there is no room for Izzy. But Nomar is having a horrible spring. Do you revisit the idea of Kent at 1st & Furcal & Izzy in the middle. OR you trade Izzy and let Aybar mature for another year, then replace Kent with Aybar. (and Nomar with Looney?)

According to Gammons, Depo offered Nomar $27m to play 2B. When Nomar said no, Depo signed Kent.
Scouts say Nomar's arm action isn't suitable for 2B. A couple of clubs backed off him there for that reason. Further, there's reason to believe he'd be more likely to get hurt there.

In Dewan's The Fielding Bible, he has this to say about Nomar's shortstop skills:

"Injuries have limited his range and he's been horrible on the double plays in recent years."

Not a good recipe for a late-career shift to 2B.

thanks for the insight dsfan

If Repko follows up his hot spring and gives us his 2005 April OPS of 849 I'll be more then happy to see him play CF against LHP for one month. Then if Ned is on the ball he'll flip him when Werth is healthy enough to take his spot as the RH platoon CF for Lofton. Of course the odds of Werth being healthy enough seem to be fading everyday.

Just finished reading the Brewer portion of BP 2006 and I knew that Melvin was doing a great job as the Brewer GM but I didn't realize how good he was doing. That is a team in desperate need of a young catcher as D Miller is now 36 but I don't think Ned would be able to win a trade with him. So far he's outfoxed Beane, Schuerholz, and Williams.

Nice to see Grittle gave Aybar one whole PA today.
Aybar has a good approach at the plate, but that's so unusual for a player who came up the LA farm system that I suspect the Dodger do not appreciate him. I wouldn't mind seeing Aybar get a shot with Oakland or Boston -- it would be a better environment for him.

Then if Ned is on the ball

Like on the last trade

neds batting .333 on trade steve! if he keeps it up, thats HOF worthy right there!

63

Yes, Repko can help if put in the right position. You describe a realistic scenario.

I agree with you on Melvin. He's done a terrific job. However, he may have gambled and lost on Ben Sheets. They owe Sheets $40 million and he's ailing.

the sheets gamble shouldnt be a negative for melvin.

at the time, sheets was coming off a breakout year with no significant injury history. just sucks that this is happening to sheets. hes one of my favorite pitchers.

Three trades? The third one must have been so bad that I repressed it.

OT: Did anyone watch, or is anyone planning on watching, HBO's new series "Big Love"?

1st trade- bradley+perez for ethier

2nd trade- sanchez+schmoll for seo+hamulack

3rd trade- jackson+tiffany for baez+carter

I was not so disturbed by the first trade. Though there is no reason to send Ethier down after trading so much to get him.

I can understand Nomar not wanting to move. As for Kent, well he's selfish and wants to put up the numbers at second base to make his hall of fame credentials look better.

If only Nomar wasn't such a clubhouse cancer, this team might go places.

OT, but Nate Silver has a nice little piece at BP on plate discipline.

And I just got my copy of The Book, by Tango, Lichtman and someone (not in front of me at the moment). It's really good. If you have any friends who are "old school" fans because they see th SABR learning curve a little too steep for their time, but who are open-minded, this book (THE BOOK) is a great intro.

Kent is a better 2nd baseman than 1st baseman. In that case he is a lot more valuable at 2nd.

It would be interesting to see a history on all the players with 5 or more seasons that compares their rookie seasons to their 2nd yr.

Nate,

I like Sheets too and hope he comes back. I rate Melvin among the best GMs. And I know he had good reasons for signing Sheets. Still, guaranteeing $40 million (four years) to a pitcher can be thought imprudent, especially when your payroll projects at about $60 milion. No question, Melvin had a tough decision to make. On top of everything else, his boss, a new owner, wanted to make a splash and the season-ticket base was dwindling by the day.

I get very little joy out of anything like I get out of telling my friend the Cardinals fan to enjoy 2006 (if applicable), since they are going to get routed by Milwaukee for the next decade and a half.

79- yup with Rickie Weeks leading the way.

Steve, I guess you liked my Willie Mays-Repko comparison :)

It turned out to be handy.

I just went on Amazon and bought the book "Fantasyland." My one experience last year with fantasy baseball, which I had avoided for years, was a gigantic disaster -- I couldn't co-exist with statistics like batting average, runs scored, RBI, and stolen bases.

Now I realize it'd be hard to write a column every couple of days, and I'm sure I'd say plenty of ridiculous stuff. (Heck, I do 100 words of comments a day and manage to squeeze in plenty of dopiness just there.) But Jason Stark has written a serious column proposing that the WBC be split into two parts, with the tournament played down to four teams during a week of Spring training than finished four months later during the All-Star break.

Um, huh?

I had a teacher once who used wonderful phrase "that stinks of the lamp" to describe an idea that has been laboriously and sort of academically worked out, and that is just trying to hard. To me, Stark's idea stinks of the lamp.

"too" hard.

We can throw out that Stanford-BYU matchup in the NIT, as BYU lost to Houston tonight. The matchup is still alive in the Women's NCAA tournament.

83. Sam DC

Stay off the Lavitra. :)

84
Not a good day for Project BROTheR and its primary sponsor...

That is a team in desperate need of a young catcher as D Miller is now 36 but I don't think Ned would be able to win a trade with him. So far he's outfoxed Beane, Schuerholz, and Williams

Refresh my memory. What trades have the Brewers made with the A's, White Sox, and Braves?

Podsednik for Carlos Lee was a salary dump right? Of course I'd rather have Carlos Lee.

What trades did he do with the Braves? Dan Kolb? I thought the Braves signed him as a FA. Maybe not.

A's-Brewers trades? I'm drawin a blank. The only player I can think of that played for the Brewers and then played for the A's was Keith Ginter. I dont recall what the A's gave up for Ginter though.

I would rather see Repko beat Project BROTheR the honest way then have his "fans" continue to insult their own intelligence, much less ours, by insisting a .220 hitting Dr. Strangeglove has any purpose on a major league roster.

cold comfort, I know, Steve, but Gigantor is getting some love from the league internet news guy: "Right-hander Jon Rauch had his best outing of the spring, giving up one run in five innings. He struck out six batters and walked one."

What trades did he do with the Braves? Dan Kolb? I thought the Braves signed him as a FA. Maybe not.

Kolb for some closer prospect. A silly trade.

I like Gigantor -- I think they should get him off of wasting his life in middle relief and let him pitch -- it's not like they have a super deep rotation.

IIRC, the Brewers got Corey Hart and another player for Ginter.

IIRC, the Brewers got Capellan for Kolb.

I didn't write the Brewers post, just trying to help out. I would rate both of those trades as pro-Brewer, especially if you factor in the dollars.

Lee-for-Podsednik was good for both clubs.

I will get down on my knees and thank the Lord that Kolb blew up before Ned Colletti got on the case.

I get very little joy out of anything like I get out of telling my friend the Cardinals fan to enjoy 2006 (if applicable), since they are going to get routed by Milwaukee for the next decade and a half

Where's the Brewer love coming from? Trading Podsednik for Carlos Lee definitely a good trade for the Brewers. Trading Sexson for some spare parts, eh... not so good. Capuano is a serviceable starter but did they get anything else? Weeks and Prince Fielder are just prospects at the moment. Do they have any dominant pitching? Sheets is ok but way overrated by some IMO. His stats dont back up his hype. I had a debate with some guy like 3 yrs ago who was saying it was a bad move for the A's to draft Zito ahead of Sheets. That has yet to be proven even currently, and probably will never be.

Whats the difference between the Brewers stock piling some young players and the Marlins? They're both small market clubs but the young talent the Marlins I see as much greater than what the Brewers have accumulated. And the Marlins star shined for like 1yr before they sold everyone off.

Who else am I supposed to love in that division? The St. Louis Encarnacions? The Chicago Pierres? The Pittsburgh Olneys? If they stop signing the Ricky Bottalicos of the world, they'll be fine.

IIRC, the Brewers got Capellan for Kolb

Ok you're right. I've heard the name Capellan and knew he was a prospect. Interesting that the Brewers resigned Kolb this off-season.

They've won some trades for sure. How big of 'win' I'm not really sure? I think dealing Sexson and getting back what they got back was a loss, considering how good Sexson was at the time they traded him.

It did work out bad for the dbax bc Sexson got hurt, but I didnt think they gave up too much. Just a bunch of spare parts for a legit power hitter. I'd make that same trade again if I were the Dbax. Cant blame a guy for getting hurt. THats bad luck.

91 I agree. Don't even get me started on the aimless meandering wasteful offseason of the Nationals. So much money squandered on contracts for non-roster players -- if they'd made some tougher decisions this offseason and come to camp with 55 players instead of 75, they'd have had money to sign Jeff Weaver, who would be valuable to the Nationals, given where they're at pitchingwise.

But who's to say Pedro Astacio and Ramon Ortiz and Ryan Drese won't all have career years and carry the Nationals to the pennant.

0-0 through 6 in the Japan Korea game. HSC - like all the Korean batters (five of whom are named Lee) is having a poor night at the plate. In fact, only one hit for Korea so far.

97 -- If only they had an owner. That's what fixed the Dodgers.

Choi is being pinch-hit for in the 7th inning.

94 The trade was Sexson and garbage for Spivey, Counsell, Overbay, Moeller, Capuano, and Jorge De La Rosa.

This has been turned into Capuano, Tomo Ohka, Zach Jackson, Gabe Gross, Dave Bush, and Moeller.

So, for a player that was gone in a year, they got 60 percent of their startng rotation, a backup catcher, a pitching prospect and an outfield prospect. That's a pretty good haul.

Ouch. Japan pulls their 1 hitter pitcher due to pitch counts and brings in a lefty. And Korea pinch hits for our own Hee-Seop Choi.

The St. Louis Encarnacions

As long as the Cards have Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen, they can stick any out machine around those 3 and score runs. Pujols is just about the perfect hitter. He doesnt have the Bonds effect yet, but its close. The Giants put Bonds with 8 stiffs and the Giants still were in the upper echelon of runs scored even after Kent left.

Granted, the Brewers do probably have the most high upside young players. But they dont have the mega star to build around like the Cards do with Pujols. And they dont have the payroll to match the Cards either. The Cards have gotten lucky over the years with the Mark McGwire giveaway by the A's (worst trade Alderson ever made, perhaps the worst trade of the last 20yrs when you look at what McGwire did in STL and what the A's got back), Jim Edmonds for Bottenfield/Kennedy, and developing Pujols in their system. They also got Renteria for basically nothing. Maybe their luck will run out.

You gotta give Jocketty a mulligan for the Encarnacion/Bigbie deals, after his Renteria, Edmonds, McGwire steals.

they got 60 percent of their startng rotation, a backup catcher, a pitching prospect and an outfield prospect. That's a pretty good haul.

I forgot about Overbay. He was decent. Overbay/Capuano arent bad but I sort of prefer keeping superstar caliber players (like Sexson was), and using the farm system to develop depth. Now if Sexson was gone either way, then sure let him go. But considering they took on Carlos Lee, why was it a foregone conclusion that Sexson was leaving?

Walt Jocketty runs a very high risk strategy: be willing to give up the world for superstar players. When it works, the team is really good, if he makes one mistake in identifying who a superstar is (Mulder for example), he's screwed.

After this year, the Cardinals lose Edmonds, leaving them with two bats in the lineup, and no farm system. They're one Pujols or Edmonds injury away from second place already, without Edmonds and a suddenly gimpy Rolen, it's hard to see this team doing anything any time soon.

People who ought to know better don't get mulligans. But you'll get no argument from me about Pujols, other than to say the Bonds Effect is something resembling Glow-in-the-Dark.

104 Lee is currently signed to a two year, 15 million dollar deal. The Mariners committed four years, 50 million dollars to Sexson. The deals can't be compared.

Is Norihiro Nakamura playing for Japan?

No.

Walt Jocketty runs a very high risk strategy: be willing to give up the world for superstar players.

That would be my strategy if I ran a large market club like the Dodgers or Cards. If you make a mistake, there's usually should be enough money there to overcome it.

My preference of a roster would be filled with cheap rookies and superstars. No in between. Some others differ.

I also forgot Jocketty's Scott Rolen giveaway too. Bud Smith/Placido Polanco for Rolen. I was so disappointed that Evans didnt give up Beltre for Rolen in 2002. At least the Dodgers got that 2004 season out of Beltre, so its not a complete mess up.

Jocketty really has made some good deals.

110 I'm not saying he hasn't made really good deals, but you can see the problem: he's made one bad deal, and it pretty much has tanked the team.

The Richie Sexson trade was a Brewers heist, no matter how you slice it.

Sexson was on the verge of free agency, lowering his trade value.

Melvin played off the Dodgers against Arizona and got an extreme bargain in Capuano, plus good bargain in Overbay and others parts of help.

Capuano is a LHP who chewed up 219 innings and went 18-12 with a 3.99 ERA. His salary: $340,000.

Overbay, a good fielder, gave Milwaukee OPS-plus of 127 and 113 for salaries of about $340k and $440k -- and then brought them a decent starting pitcher (Bush) and a LHP in the Toronto trade.

There were other benefits, but that's the gist.

Bruins win 4-0 in 10.

Meanwhile, Korean baserunners on 2nd and 3rd one out, with the indominatble Jong-Beom Lee at the plate. Top of the 8th, still no score.

The DBacks also got Matt Torra and Micah Owings with Sexson's draft picks, although Milwaukee still got the better end of that deal

I'm waiting for all of you Choi-philes to jab the Korean manager for pulling your guy. Bonus points if you know the man's name.

116 Fire In-Sik Kim. It's one to pinch hit for Choi when he's the fourth or fifth best hitter on your team, this is like pinch hitting for J.D. Drew.

Choi is not doing much to help his case. Despite his HR the other day, Hee's only OPSing .632.

115 --

Excellent tidbit on Arizona's two comp picks for Sexson. I hope Torra and Owings pan out. Sounds like they can pitch a little.

In the same vein, Evans' trade for Izturis and Quantrill, IIRC, is even better than commonly thought.

I'm pretty sure that the Dodgers later got two compensatory picks for Quantrill.

IIRC, those picks were used on Orenduff and DeWitt -- two guys who now have a trade value and interesting upside if you keep them.

117

Impressive.

Maybe the Korean media will demand his dismissal.

120 Not really, I had to go look it up.

Speaking of impressive, Chan Ho Park in the WBC:

10 innings, 0 runs, 0 walks.

Maybe the Korean media will demand his dismissal.

It would be a welcome change from the fools that make up the Los Angeles media.

Korea wins; US advances if it can beat Vinny Castilla's team tomorrow.

That Choi may not be hitting well, but Hee does whatever it takes to help his team win. Hee plays the game right.

Man there were 2 great games tonite, a lot of drama. Congrats to Cuba and Korea!

I'm buying a Hyundai.

Korea 5-0. Chan Ho unscored upon. Last I check, no errors by the whole team.

what's the latest on navarro's injury?

Nothing new that I can determine. Keep an eye on the major LA papers, they may have some useful information and the Dodgers stories will be posted online soo enough

127- I'm totally holding you to that. In the future, when we disagree, I will say, "Well, of course. You own a Hyundai."

Happy Birthday Hee Seop Choi! And a merry Choimas to us all.

Hey, I have the same birthday as Choi.

That is halfway awesome.

When you were growing up, did people always give you just one present for both your birthday and Choimas?

the draft picks from sexson, matt torra and micah ownings probably wont become big leaguers.

torra was the most talented but due to being overworked at umass, tore his labrum and had massive shoulder surgery last summer. the dbacks kept it very hush hush and the news leaked around january. Ownings is promising but im just not a fan.

the richie sexson trade was REALLY bad for the dbacks.

Anyone notice the comment by LA Times automobile writer Dan Neil the other day about Hyundai? "If we've learned anything from companies like Hyundai, Asian carmakers mature quickly." Maybe he should have contrasted that with Asian ballplayers? http://tinyurl.com/lnmmw

Finally put my bracket in -- there's a lot of folks on that group. I gather many are not DT folks, but just accesing the contest through espn?

Jon -- have you picked a new tagline?

I own a Hyundai.

137
Some guys have all the luck.

137
In the early 1990s, Hyundai made a car that could go 120 mph and elude Highway Patrol cars in the Sunland-Tujunga area.

Say this for Hyundai, a 10-year warranty is pretty strong. On the manufacturing end, they must be pretty confident.

I'm just sayin'.

Does anyone know which radio station (if any) in the LA area is carrying the NCAA Tournament? I don't have the patience to be #2,317,240 in the queue to watch it on the internet. (Dumbest...idea...ever...even...more...than...Baez)

This from the LA Times:

Garciaparra made his second error at his new position, a wild throw to the plate in the third inning

142 Must not have the arm for first base.

Seriously, this would be the same from any other infield position, so I don't see this as a big problem.

Completely meaningless: Choi had two errors all of last year. How awkward does that make Nomar?

Does anyone know which radio station (if any) in the LA area is carrying the NCAA Tournament?

None of the stations serve Ontario.

Its the Dodgers "A" team versus the Marlins "B" team today. Sele lucks out again as he gets to pitch to the other team's scrubs.

94
1. Traded Kolb a "closer" to the Braves for their number one pitching prospect "Capellan". Even if Capellan doesn't pan out, they got rid of someone at the top of their game which doesn't happen often.
2. Traded Ginter to the A's for Justin Lehr and
Nelson Cruz (December 16, 2004). While Ginter became useless, Lehr gave some decent relief but Nelson Cruz is the key player. Come 2007 he will replace Lee as the starting LF and when you can get a starting LF for a AAAA infielder you've done a fine job. He's 26 but were looking at a someone who should post a 780-840 OPS in his prime. Nothing great but projects to just about the same as Nick Swisher.
3. Podboy for Carlos Lee. Again trading a player at the height of his career for a slugger. Lee is no superstar but he is in the upper echelon of leftfielders while Podboy is barely adequate as a CF and less so as a LF.
4. The Sexson trade was hardly spare parts.
Sexson was traded for
Capuano - 219 innings, 3.99 ERA, Number 2 starter
Spivey - Started at 2nd and kept the place warm for Weeks and when Weeks was ready was flipped for Tomo Ohka was is now their 4th starter. Last year he gave them 126 inning of 4.35 baseball and in 846 innings has a career ERA of 3.95
Counsel - Started at SS and kept the place warm while JJ Hardy was getting ready and then was allowed to leave as a FA.
Lyle Overbay - Starting 1st baseman for 2 years, and then was flipped again the height of his career for David Bush who will be the 5th starter and Zach Jackson who projects to be a 3/4 starter.
Chad Moeller - now that is uselss
DeLaRosa - LH relief pitcher who so far has not been much.
So the final haul for a FA to be was 3 current starting pitchers(Capuano, Bush, Ohka), and one solid pitching prospect(Zach Jackson).
5. Picked up Doug Davis on waiver from his old team and he is now a solid number 3 wiht over 200 innings in the last two years while also posting a sub 4.00 ERA.
Now that is what you call filling out your rotation.

Player Management:
In the 1st half of 2006, JJ Hardy hit 187/293/267 which is as horrible as you can hit. Did the Brewers panic and send him back to AAA like 25 other franchises would have done and install Bill Hall as the SS. No, they let him play and they were rewarded with the best SS in the NL when he posted a 308/363/503 line. This is an all-star SS. Prince Fielder will be an all-star 1st baseman. Weeks will be fighting Utley for the right to start in the all-star classic over the next 10 years. Their number one pick in 2005 was Braun a 3b who only posted a 1041 OPS in his 1st taste of ML ball and BP projects him to be a stud, so it is very possible that by 2008 the Brewer infield could be the best in baseball.
That is why the Brewers are getting so much love these days, because they earned it.

140 I've got a Hyundai Elantra GT with 80,000 miles on it and I'm very happy with it (so far).

146
It is to the Dodger benefit that Sele continue to pitch well. If the Cubs were to actually lose Prior I could see a team like them panicking and making a minor deal for Sele. Sele has no chance of being the 5th starter for us unless one of our 5 go down so anything he can do to increase his value is good not bad.

Anyone watching the games? Wichita State is really taking it to Seton Hall. Are they that good or is Seton Hall that bad? Think Wichita State could beat Tennessee?

157

Lots of good stuff on Melvin's track record. As for the Lee trade, yes, a good one for Milwaukee, but also a good one for the CWS.

Podsednik was an excellent fit for the CWS, a factor in winning their first WS since 1917. No small thing obviously. Their run suppression skills were strong, and he certainly was a factor there.

John Dewan's The Fielding Bibles seems to affirm what scouting personnel said about Podsednik's defensive work in LF. I quote:

"Our plus/minus system shows what a defensive asset it is to have a center fielder in left. Podsednik, Coco Crisp and Reed Johnson are all natural CFs playing left. Based on their performances in 2005 a rule of thumb might be that a CF will gain you about 15-20 enhanced plays over the course of a season playing LF."

(In the same vein, the LAD should look at Lofton in LF with Drew in CF, but I digress)

I had doubts about Pod. Still do. But that was certainly a win-win trade. Kudos to Kenny Williams.

151 No way anyone could beat you in a debate. You're able to refute comments that will occur in the future!

*Traded Ginter to the A's for Justin Lehr and
Nelson Cruz (December 16, 2004). While Ginter became useless, Lehr gave some decent relief but Nelson Cruz is the key player. Come 2007 he will replace Lee as the starting LF and when you can get a starting LF for a AAAA infielder you've done a fine job. He's 26 but were looking at a someone who should post a 780-840 OPS in his prime.*

How can you refer to Keith Ginter as a AAAA infielder, but in the same vain assert Nelson Cruz is a 'key' player, when by your own admission Cruz wont make his debut for the Brewers until 2007, when he'll be 27yrs old.

Ginter at age 27, put up 14HR's- .779OPS for the Brewers in 2003.

In 2004 at age 28, he hit 19HR's with an .812 OPS.

I'll be surprised if Nelson Cruz ever puts up those numbers. Even if he did, he's still playing OF while Ginter was a 2nd basemen.

Granted Ginter did tank for the A's, but at the time getting a 2nd basemen with some pop didnt seem like a bad idea. I'm not sure I'd categorize Ginter as a AAAA player, nor would I say that Cruz is a 'key' player. They look similar to me except Ginter had actually produced at the MLB level.

Does Cruz really have more upside than Ginter, considering Ginter played middle infield and got to the majors a year earlier?

Even if Capellan doesn't pan out, they got rid of someone at the top of their game which doesn't happen often

Wouldnt ideally you'd get rid of someone 'at the top of their game', for a major league ready player. Trading one closer, for another closing prospect, doesnt seem like its a benefit either way. I credit teams with trading peak value big leaguers, for other big leaguers. Trading peak value mlb'ers, for prospects seems the lesser of the two. If its a case of "At least they got something before Kolb tanked", I'd agree. But there's a lot to be said about the 'something' they acquiried. Trading a closer for a prospect doesnt seem like a case of 'working the other GM' over.

I agree with most of your other points though. If Sexson was for sure gone, they didnt do bad at flipping him for some useful parts. I'd hold off proclaiming Weeks and Fielder as future All Stars until they at least produce somethign at the MLB level.

There is a suspicious package at COX Arena, so the building has been evacuated.

Someone is trying to stop UCLA's run to the final four... my money is on Steve Lavin.

154 Wow. Let's hope it turns out to be nothing.

Apparently there is something in a hot dog stand. If the terrorists have gotten to Oscar Meyer, then none of us our safe.

Cody Ross with HR #4 on the spring, in like 16 AB's. If he'd only done this 2yrs ago, coming off his terrific 2003 Int'll league season, this would be news.

Now its just meh.

157 - If he had only done this last May.

153
Time will tell, I expect Nelson Cruz to be at the least a valuable 4th outfielder and at the most a starting LF during his cheap and peak years, a nice combo. BP and HQ like him and expect him to be a starter and he was the 8th best prospect according to BA in a loaded Brewer system. Here is what BA said when asked about the trade:
" Jason from Castro Valley, CA asks:
Can my Oakland A's void the Kieth Ginter for Nelson Cruz trade of last year? We got fleeced!!! How good will Cruz be?
A:

John Manuel: It's over and done with. I've never been a Ginter guy, though it's hard to dismiss what he did in 2004. Cruz looks like a solid corner outfielder, a right fielder with power tools (arm and bat) who will have to make consistent enough contact to be a regular. I think he is good enough to be a regular, just not a star, and right now, there's no opening in Milwakee and I think Corey Hart is more ready, better and more versatile. Cruz may have to be patient."

but I'm sure your much better at projecting prospects then they are. His MLE's look very promising but then what does Bill James know.

http://tinyurl.com/lq54x

Link to the COX story.

Boy Pacific is on the edge of shredding a lot of brackets . . . 2 point game with 3 minutes left against BC.

Aiyah! I have Seton winning today and BC going to the elite 8. Man, I'm good.

I need BC to win this game, so I remain perfect. In addition there is that whole issue of losing one of my final four teams on the first day.

One would like to say that it is rare to see somebody write something this stupid, but in reality, it happens every day:

http://tinyurl.com/hd54h

FWIW at this point--Dodger Spring Leaders

HR C. Roth 4
RBI LaRoche,Repko 9
H Guz,Loney,Repko 9

Is this right?

So, looks like overtime for BC

They are letting people back into the COX Arena. I guess hot dogs smell like bombs, which is not surprising really.

FWIW at this point--Dodger Spring Leaders

HR C. Roth 4
RBI LaRoche, 9
H Guz,Loney,Repko 9

Is this right?
Repko has 8 rbi

This is bull, teams are in OT, they are both gassed and then the officials take forever to check the camera's and both teams get a break from the action for much to long. Part of game is having the legs to handle OT.

I think I made a mistake with BC...uggghhh

Milk was a bad choice!

JtD with the HR! According to the Marlins announcers, it was a huge bomb....

161

Bob Thomason is a great coach, an outstanding teacher of the game. Nobody should ever be surprised by Pacific playing well in this tournament.

Wow, how did they get someone that open near the basket.

Clutch, free throws by Smith. What a way to start of the tournament.

Second OT?

Clutch free throws. Double OT.

?
*off

What a great start to the tournament. Come on Pacific.

168
LaRoche got 6 of his in one inning. Everyone roots against Repko but he's doing what he needs to do to make the team. In fact everyone in the outfield race is doing a job from Ross to Repko to Guzman. To bad ST stats aren't very usefull for Major League production. Rudy Law anyone:)

I wonder how a school like UOP stays on the Division I level. It's a fairly large school for its type, but it's managed to keep its tuition down compared to other school of its type. But it's still not cheap. I would wonder why someone decides to go there.

It's in Stockton! Not exactly California's Finest City.

(Bob ducks as UOP grads and people from Stockton throw things at him.)

I know a person who goes to Pacific. I forgot what majors are good for that school.

BC finally helping me out.

To bad, it took 2 overtimes before they turned into pumpkins. Great game and as Oldbear said those were clutch free throws from a 65% shooter to take into the 2nd OT.

Well, I thought Pacific was going to lift me to 2-1. Instead, I'm falling to 1-2. I feel like Team Japan in the WBC.

Stockton not exactly on the Pacific, either.

UOP is a fairly small private school where you can still get a lot of individual attention which is attractive to a lot of people. Although they gave up trying to field a football program several years ago, Bob Thomason does a great job of getting solid players to come there and they have a good facility (Spanos Center)for a school of this type.

If I remember right, Pacific has great schools for pharmacists and optomologists... not real sure though.

But Stockton is a port city.

My favorite Ram from the 60's Dick Bass was from Pacific.

186 - Mmm, that's terrific Bass.

186 You're showing your age.

Yeah, I was thinking it was their pharmaceutical program.

Thankfully my bracket was not busted in the last game.

BC got me to 1-2. It was not looking good.

Stockton has a Sonics. I do not know what else it is good for.

ophthamologists

As you drive north on I-5 you will eventually see the seemingly out of place sign "Port of Stockton". I don't know if Stockton is the easternmost Pacific Ocean port in the U.S. The twin ports of Duluth, MN and Superior, WI are the westernmost Atlantic ports.

And where would Farmer John fit into this scheme?

I think I got kicked out of the DT bracket group on ESPN when I joined another group.

I've driven through Stockton more times than I care to admit. It always seems weird to see a large ship in the river there.

South Alabama is my upset special. I have them winning two. I have no rational explanation for it though.

I simply do not see how someone could write there were going to be "no upsets" knowing that Tennessee was going to be playing Winthrop.

Someone needs to introduce Greg Doyel to Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

great billingsley article on dodgers.com

http://tinyurl.com/fbm7y

some notes i found interesting

dave stewart is his agent

billingsley weighs 244lbs and its all in his legs/trunk area and he is only like 6"1.

his dad molded him into a nolan ryan clone with delivery and mechanics when he was 8

Someone needs to introduce Greg Doyel to Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Or Planet Earth.

Montana is only winning by nine.

Ah, well. 2-1 so far. Freakin' Oklahoma.

Montana ain't gonna last.

Glad to see that Jon picked the right team to win the whole shebang. And that Bob at least sent them to the championship game.

197 I won't fall for your ploy to get on my list!

Actually, I don't know a single VOL fan that thought they should have been a 2 seed. That said, Tennessee is very weak inside, but if Lofton and anyone else gets hot, they can make up for that in a hurry.

I spent about 1-2 minutes filling out my brackets. I think the amount of time spent filling them out and my success rate are inversely proportional.

205 Yeah, that's about the time I spent too. I didn't watch as much college ball as I usually do this winter, so I'm relying on gut instinct, family connections to colleges, and name recognition.

I have Tennessee losing to Texas in the championship game.

Don't ask me why, because I don't know. Just a gut feeling.

Fawning article in Pittsburg Post-Gazette on ....Mike Edwards! Money quote:
"He's a baseball player," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "He knows how to play the game."

http://postgazette.com/pg/06075/671133.stm

Actually, it just occurs to me that 207 would ordinarily be a much better pick for the women's championship game. Maybe that's what I was thinking of.

Is anyone else tired of spring training and wishing the season would start now.

203 - I based my pick on the fact that Vince Young is unstoppable.

208
A lot of people know how to play the game. But only a few know how to play it right...

If Tennessee loses I'm toast. For some reason I picked a lot of Southern teams. Another reason to hate the south.

Another reason to hate the south.

The list is endless, really...

211
Well, Vince Young and Texas SG Daniel Gibson were high school classmates. So, close enough.

204 -- Nothing personal. It's just that that is a 5-12 game masquerading as a 2-15.

As for Montana, I was just impressed that they bothered to show up, given the alacrity with which they were supposed to be dispatched.

It's actually more like a 5-9 game.

Nevada split with UH this year, winning at home and losing on the road. They're a pretty good team, so Montana leading them at the half might say something about Montana's skill.

So, just another walk for Aybar. He is third in baseball in walks (tied with a bunch of other players). Not that Grits will care.

No strikeouts for Gagne, ouch.

Guzman is having a solid ST, but probably won't make the team.

Will Cody Ross make the team? He's not a dirt player like Repko.

Why do I have to watch the Montana vs Nevada game when there is a 15 seed beating a 2 seed?

how is cody ross not a "dirt" player like repko?

even though aybar got another walk, hes still batting below .200 and his OBP is still less then .350

anyways, blue jays are spending money, they extend halladay through 2010.

in a press conference on Thursday at Knology Park, the Blue Jays announced that they had agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract extension with their prize pitcher through the 2010 season. Halladay, who had been signed through 2007, will make $10 million in 2008, $14.25 million in 2009 and $15.75 million in 2010.

221- he's not a scrappy player, who can put down sac bunts, hit and run, and dive headfirst into 1B. He's a solid defender with an above average arm. He has good gap power and decent eye at the plate. I'm sure he'd be more productive than Repko.

Don't like the Halladay extension. He's a great pitcher, when healthy, but this is a huge risk. They should have waited to see how he performed this year.

I think Halladay will win AL Cy Young this year.

I like that it's only a 3 year deal and if healthy, Halladay is one of the top 3 pitchers in the AL. Still risky, but I guess it makes sense because he's their franchise player.

Winthrop keeps rushing their shots.

Alabama folding in the second half. Another potential loss for me. I may go 1-15 today.

That sucks.

wow

Winthrop that is. Not Marty.

oh my god that could have been ridiculous.

That was a great shot. I really needed Tennessee to win for my brackets.

Marquette and Nevada need to turn it on so I can stay perfect.

I rather have UCLA face Alabama actually, so Marquette can lose.

In the words of a great coach:
"Roll, Tide! It's rolling, baby!"

I think UCLA would have had a tougher regional draw in the NIT.

Looking better. If Montana and Alabama hold on, I'll be 4-3

I guess Montana hung in there. I wonder how many points Krystowiak scored.

MSNBC shows only 4(!) Nevada players scoring.

237 - There was an NBA game last night that had only 12 players score for the two teams combined. That seemed unusual.

I don't really get too excited about ST, but at the same time it's just nice knowing Opening Day is almost here. People don't seem to get that most pitchers are working on certain pitches (that's usually an advantage to the hitters).

I can't believe that I was worried that I couldn't seem to switch my UCLA v Belmont pick back to UCLA, becuase I've already missed Oklahoma, Marquette and Nevada.

Is the UCLA-Belmont game that weird one on CBS that falls in a timeslot that usually nobody put the people interested in get to see?

There's usually one game that CBS misses because they have to give some time back to the affiliates to show local news.

Should I be grateful that Tennessee almost lost a 2-15 game? There can't be two close games of that type in one year can there? Or is the same theory employed by people who pack in a bomb in their suitcase knowing that the odds of two people on one flight with a bomb are astronomical.

Yahoo's boxscore has five Nevada players scoring.

240 - It was to be that, but it was going to be shown in Los Angeles. (Stanford used to get the slot every year - only it wouldn't be shown here.) But with the bomb scare, I don't know what the plan is. I assume in Los Angeles they'll show it whenever.

Whenever being now.

Instead of the game, I'm getting a local "Action News" piece on National Quilting Day.

Seriously.

UCLA looks too excited. They need to calm down and just play their game.

Wow Eric, that really sucks.

221

C'mon, Nate, give Willy some love.

Grittle/Ned sure ain't. The kid got to bat leadoff two days ago and responded with a big game. The next two games, he gets one whole PA each time out. That he managed to draw a walk each time speaks well of him.
I'm no fan of spring stats, but since you mentioned his OBP being under .350, a .342 OBP ain't awful, especially after he started out like a dead man. The bigger thing is, do the Dodgers know how to develop hitters? Recent history say no. This kid has a good approach at the plate. He works the count. Pretty good W and K ratios in his five years and just turned 23. Those ndicators aren't guarantees of success, but they tend to bode well. I just get the feeling the Dodgers don't care about that stuff and to some extent, Willy himself.

UCLA responding to actual competition in typical fashion.

Are there any UCLA fans in the arena? It sounds like Belmont has home court advantage.

Does typical fashion have something to do with all those banners hanging at Pauley Pavillion?

244 That's even worse than what I'm getting out here: "Frazier" reruns.

I miss the old ESPN days when the first two rounds were solely on its single channel, and I could watch from 7:00am till 10:00pm both Thursday and Friday. I think that was back in the late 1980s.

I have to go to class now. Hopefully, UCLA will be winning when I come back. UCLA needs to stop settling for outside shots.

Belmont thinks its Loyola Marymount circa 1991.

Steve is still hung up on Danny Ainge going nuts against UCLA in Providence.

New post up top.

When you make teams like Nevada (!) a 5 seed, you are just asking for an upset. I wonder if the selection committee sits around thinking ... hmm, who can we make a 5 seed that will seem plausible but will lose ... so we can keep having exciting "upsets" in our tournament.

Belmont now thinks it is Stanford circa 2006.

I found a proxy server that would permit me to watch the CBS webcast of the game. Only took an hour. I don't understand why networks bother blacking out webcasts. Especially CBS, since they're blacking out themselves. Happy to know that by the time I got around it, the game is virtually over. Although, if anybody could come back from 18 down, it'd be Belmont. Right? Otherwise I wasted my time. . .

258 When Belmont got in the other day I wrote a post about the early teams which had won their conference titles/tournaments. About Belmont I said "I thought Belmont was a horse race; who knew it was also a college?"

Well, they cut the lead to 30. So, anybody's game, really. Used to be, I'd just be happy for having beaten the system. I wonder if there's some specific age where moral victories tend to lose their sweetness.

Iona and Xavier threatening two more non-upsets in this obviously top-heavy tournament.