And as I wrote in the previous thread, the Dodgers have lost 8 in a row to Arizona (all last season). Let's hope they snap out of that, too.

Jon would have been more awake if he hadn't run the beer serving experiment over and over.

So do you prefer the cold, newly poured beer or do you prefer one that's been sitting for 10 minutes?

Stephen Colbert interviewed the Valley's congressman the other day and it was hilarious. One of the things he mentioned when questioning him about the porn industry was that to get your "porn" name, you take the name of your first pet and the name of the street you initially grew up on.

So, my porn name would be Pixie El Sur.

What are my chances of getting home before 11:00 pm tonight? Keeping in mind that I only live 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium.

I just don't think there will be a big demand to see a film starring Pumpkin Gothic.

You grew up on Gothic Street? That's pretty cool, actually. If a little spooky.

As for me, Muffin Montague is a good porn name. But for a woman, not a guy. (Actually we lived in a ton of places growing up but few street names that work...)

2 - I don't know. I'm still in line to get to the kitchen.

3- How would you define "initially grew up on?" I lived on one street until age 4, but on another until I was an adult.

In the past, I've heard it just as "grew up on" and therefore would go with street #2.

I grew up at intersection of Gothic and Celtic. (It was an Avenue, not a Street.)

In my life I lived on an Avenue (childhood home), then a Drive (UCLA dorm), then back to an Avenue (UCLA apartment), then to another Avenue (second UCLA apartment), then to a "The -----" (fancy named street in Berkeley, I'll let others take a guess at that one), then back to the ancestral Avenue, before finally living on a "street".

Which we pronounced like the Boston basketball team instead of pronouncing it correctly since we didn't know any better.

8 Sure, get picky. For me, I lived on the same street until I moved out of the house, so it was easy.

Somehow I don't think "Zoe Road 138" would work too well as a porn name.

My dogs name was Chief
I was born on Monte Mar Place.

That makes me Big Chief Monte. Now all I need is my spear and war paint.

I'm thinking that this methodology would not work well for people who grew up in Salt Lake City.

Buffy 6 West 4 North

What do you think of todays game fellow Dodger fans? I think we godda win this one just to shake of the loss of Wed.

Ugh! I can't see a guy named Bodger Glengarry getting a whole lot of action.

Now if you want to count when I was just a wee baby I could be Snooks Fairford, most likely another lonely man.

13 Or in Manhattan: "Smokey East 52nd Street"

10 - Well, take your pick:

Truly Ballina or Truly Queen Florence

They both work in certain odd respects.

14 - Wednesday is history. We don't need an extra reason to win tonight.

Duke Naylor

"Duke Naylor" should be a film noir character.

19. We have a winner.

Teddy Cabin

Although, when I make that serious drama with Neil Patrick Harris I'll go by the name of Theodore Cabin.

Duke Naylor is perfect.

Shawn Green will at least pinch hit tonight

Smiley Warnall.

It ain't Duke Naylor, but it sounds perfectly plausible as a porn director maybe.

Somebody will be happy if Shawn Green pinch hits....

Guess I better get it trademarked. ;>)

Me for instance

24 It looks like Green has never faced OP. I would have thought it happened at least once last year but I guess not with OP's injuries.

One of my favorite all time stats is Green v. Hampton.

26. Are line-ups out yet? Given the following quote from Melvin on Wed. she is expecting him to play even though OP is a lefty.

"He's got good numbers and he always wants to play and is going to play in L.A., so this was kind of the day," Melvin said. "He's strung some good at-bats together."

30. Her's too, Steve.

Anyone besides Bob and his clones going tonight? (Don't mean to insult you Bob and make you sound like Jim Rome)

If Green doesn't start, then Byrnes would start.

The DBacks have just four outfielders on the roster: Green, Gonzalez, Byrnes, DaVanon.

Any suspicion that the shoulder is a problem?

Man I wish I could go to the game today! Friday crowd & all!!

34 - "What was that?" asks Cody Ross.

Dan Uggla stole home just now against the Phillies. Is that the first time it has happened this season?

The Angels had someone steal home this year.

Andy Green can play the OF but isn't listed as one.

The Dodger lineup is out, but it's nothing new.

My pron name would be Zezal Saffron. It would have neen Weasel Saffron, but my mom felt weasel was a bad name for a dog

Cindy Natoma

Our dog's name was actually Cinderella of Woodland Hills; Cindy for short.

40 There's at least two glaring typos in that. I really need to proofread better when I preview (how many times have I said this now?)

My favorite AAA pitcher just got recalled by the A's. I still think the A's stole him from the Jay's and that he will end up having a solid career.

Cesear Opeechee

31 I'd like more power too but we've already had some discussions here about how power is sometimes overrated if offensive output in general is pretty solid. No one was complaining the first week when they lead the lg in hitting, then they went down the tubes, and I'm pretty sure they'll pick it up again.

as for this:
"Choi/Saenz replaced by Nomar/Loney (drastic drop in power)"
Not really the right comparison - Loney is only a temp replacement for Nomar, then it will be Nomar and Saenz which I like better than last year's overall.

"Bradley replaced by Lofton- (drastic drop in power)"

Definitely a drop in power though a little early to determine whether this is a drop overall. Certainly a plus in team chemistry.

"Valentin/AP/Aybar replaced by Mueller- (drop in power)"
Valentin + AP + Aybar still don't = one Mueller if you ask me. Sorry. And it has nothing to do with power. How much power did Valentin show last year?

"And then not signing Brian Giles."
I would've liked Giles, too. But at what cost?

At any rate, it's a little early in the season to be judgemental of all of this, methinks. Just my two cents.

My kid's first pet - which we don't have yet- will be either Zidane (Zizou for short) or Zubizaretta, both names come from famous footballers.

43

You mean:

Cesar O All-Season Portfolio

Hobos, where are you finding the line-up?

Guys can I ask you a cuation about our coaching staff down in Vegas?

How would you greade the coaching staff in terms of developing a quality player?

I ask this because of Martin.

47

it's in the dodger blog in the front page of Dodgers.com.

49. Thanks

44 you are responding to a post that could only be described in a very charitable mood as being in good faith:

3 - My porn name would be Shaggy Castor. I dabble in Spanish. And if anyone knows what "castor" means, they'd realize that my Porn name is not pretty.

O.T. What dose Baker see in Williams? the guy get's rocked all the time! (I'm watching the cubs right now)

48 Steve Yeager is at Vegas, although he's listed as the hitting coach. That don't make a lot of sense if you look at his career hitting records. But he could really help Martin a lot in defense and he probably is.

51 - Moreover, I take issue with part of that response in 44. I don't think power is overrated, certainly not in Dodgerland 2006.

How can the offensive output be solid without power? No team hits enough singles or steals enough bases - certainly not the Dodgers - to generate good offense if the team is not hitting for power as well.

52

I speak spanish but I have no clue what you're saying?

We would have been fine if we'd just kept up that obscene .450 team OBP, or whatever it was.

Mueller can hit .420 the rest of the way, right?

My porn name would be Ranger Ramos.

Hmm...

As for 55 - But Jon, remember, this team was built for "defense and speed" - how can we not have several thousand steals by the end of the season? =P

In all seriousness, I think part of 44 at least is well taken: "No one was complaining the first week when they lead the lg in hitting, then they went down the tubes, and I'm pretty sure they'll pick it up again."

Now true, most of that first week happened to be singles, but I expect Kent to provide more offensive power than he has to date (anybody else remember how JD Drew started off last season?), and the rest of the team should pick things up somewhat from the last couple weeks.

I do believe this team is somewhat power-starved, but I think it does happen to have a couple of weapons that are at the moment misfiring. Let's see if they can't get things going a bit.

Dakota Peck (I'm not entirely sure what to think of that)

I'm excited to have Nomar back tomorrow. If he indeed contributes 20+ HR, the power output does not seem so terrible. Agreed that Kent will improve (once he's not seeing double).

Over/Under for Barry Bombs in Colorado this weekend?

59 - After reading that, I'm thinking 20+ may be hoping for too much. I haven't read the projections... (assuming of course he's at least MOSTLY healthy)

56 - el castor? Its a type of semi-aquatic rodent. At least thats what my Spanish teacher taught us.

Sherman Union here.
Was reading USA Today this morn (it was free) and the Azul have nothing in the way of batting leaders - in ANY category.
Penny is listed in the top 4 for strike-outs and ERA.
That's it.
Question-mark. Where is Grady from? I find his accent fascinating.

62 Somewhere in south Mumbleton.

58 no doubt that's true, since 44 was almost certainly written by someone else

I've co-had six pets in my lifetime but have never gotten to name one.

62

He's from Texas from what I've read, I don't know though his accent is very unique.

eddie harding. it's no "buck naked"...

Herbie Woodhaven.

62 Grady's from Abiline, Texas.

http://tinyurl.com/pmay8

68 LOL! Woodhaven is nearly perfect!

Charrua Stonybrook.

Barry still seems to be having warning track power only. If he can't get over the fence at Coors, then the Bambino probably has nothing to fear.

[70] My porn name is the pride of Scotia, New York.

Oh, man. I lived in so many places as a Navy kid there's no way I could pick one.

Recap:

http://tinyurl.com/o2drx

Bring up the babies!

73 Cherry Avenue seems a good candidate.

55 58 Good points back, too. Thanks. And I got a little lazy in my response - I meant more that we'd discussed this, not that we'd all agreed that power is overrated or underrated. And not that people can't re-raise topics again. It's true that if they're not generating offense at the level they were in the first week, over the whole season, then the lack of power will become particularly glaring. My main point was more as I'd said, that these things will fluctuate and it's a little early to judge one way or the other. As I said in the beginning of that post, too - I wish they had more power too!

Just that I have a little bit of faith that a) more power will come (especially since Kent hasn't been knocking it out at all and I expect that to change) and b) more offense in general will come and c) if not, I'll expect some changes. Oh and option d) is always, re-sign Cody Ross for immediate power output increase. [g]

Signed,
Muffin Montague

The 3rd base umpire in Colorado is Tim Timmons. What cruel parents. How can you name your son Timothy Timmons?

Is anyone else upset that all the NBA playoff games are all being broadcast on Major networks (TNT, ESPN, ABC)? I was kind of looking forward to Ralph Lawler have apoplexy during the playoffs. Bad news for the Clips, They broke Lawler's Law twice this season, the second time against none other than the Denver Nuggets.

Has anyone been to the Barona Casino near San Diego?

78 I've only been to Morongo and will probably not return.

75 Yeah, maybe. But I was a college student by then, so I don't think it fits the criteria. natepurcell would recognize that street.

Yes, yes I have.

Hmm, I just realized my other childhood porn name is "George Campobello" which is a much better soap opera name.

{he says, purposely forgetting that their other - the third - cat when growing up was nicknamed "Tuna Fish." Would rather not go there...}

69.
Jee-mo jelly! Abilene!

68.
Woodhaven is a classic name. Use it well.

Has anyone been to the Barona Casino near San Diego?

ive been there recently. nice poker room.

77

My father went by Tim Timmermann. He preferred that to his real name.

There are bunch of other people in my family who have gone by Tim.

By the way, speaking of the Dodgers and power... does anyone see any of the minor leaguers as being close to being able to help in that department, if the case arose? (i.e., Guzman, Ethier, etc.)

I don't quite see any of those guys as quite being ready to hit for power in the majors, though it's a nice thought I suppose...

Is Ethier the closest to major league ready? (Besides Aybar, whose power in the minors I would suspect would be quite higher than what we could expect when/if he returned to the majors.) Just wonderin' aloud.

84. Was the Gambler there? He looked terrible on American Idol a couple of weeks ago.

Alright, I have to post now with the porn name.

Dodger Thoughts is a daily read for me, but I don't post anything here. The level of intelligent discourse here is slightly intimidating for me. (that's why I stick to the "official" board)

Here's my porn story. When I was young (4 or 5), my brother went to Vietnam. We took care of his dog while he was gone. One Sunday morning, the dog got been hit by a car. The pastor who lived down the street and who was apparently so late to church that he couldn't stop, had ran over the dog. Before my parents could stop me, I ran outside. My first thought was the dog was okay because he was running around. Then he ran over to me and fell over and had blood coming out of his mouth.

My parents, fearing I was traumatized, decided to let me get a dog of my own. I picked an Australian Shepard mix from the pound and borrowed my sister's baby name book. (I have much older siblings). At the time I like the song "Second Hand Rose" by Barbara Streisand (remember I was very young, so don't laugh), so I named the dog Rosie.

All these events happened at my childhood home on Palm Ave.

So I'm Rosie Palm.

See, how nervous I am here. "dog got been hit"!

The story looked a little long, so I edited it. Rather poorly.

88 Whether that's actually true or not, it still makes a great story.

88 Easily wins the Palme D'Or for best story behind porn name. ;)

My first dog was run over by an ice cream truck, but she lived another few years with the use of three legs.

88 again. By the way, welcome to you.

77
i knew a jeff jeffries growing up. and there was the nhl goalkeeper pete peeters.

#76: I just ran some numbers to see where we're at vs. the preseason projections. Currently, the team's OBP is .354 and SLG is .402. Using everyone's 50% PECOTA projections against the same number of plate appearances gives a prediction of a .323 OBP and a .397 SLG. Averaged out, the team's probably playing a little over its head, but the current pace is certainly maintainable. We shouldn't expect to see anything like the first week over an extended period of time, but hopefully it won't continue to be as bad as the last week.

Also, as a somewhat related aside, I've never been a huge Repko fan, but I am particularly pleased with his peripheral statistics. He's walked in about 13% of his plate appearances and only struck out in 17% of his plate appearances (vs. 8% and 27% last year). If that signifies true improvement, I'd still expect his AVG to drop to about .275, his ISOd to drop to about .80, and his ISOp to drop to about .180, but that would make him an extremely valuable 4th outfielder with a .275/.355/.455 batting line. Of course, I'm going to avoid any discussion of his theatrical defensive abilities.

88. No reason to be nervous here. Just jump in.

88 -- DT -- come for the porn, stay for Jeff Kent's pornstache.

Crisis averted: S. Green is in the line up.

By the way, I can't even imagine what the google ads on this post will be for.

97 -- You're not going tonight?

97 - He's posting from a Blackberry while stuck in traffic on the 110.

#94: My porn name would be either Taz Freshwater or Honky Freshwater. I'm not sure how my mom convinced my grandmother to name her little white dog Honky. It was supposedly because he liked chasing cars -wink-wink-.

I had a friend as a kid whose gerbil's name was "Happy" and he lived on Woodcrest Dr.

Next reunion, Im calling him Happy Wood.

I don't want anyone here to worry about posting for the first time. As long as you're polite, you have nothing to fear.

this game can't start soon enough - i am stuck watching "high school musical" with my kid until extra innings kicks in.

9 Bob: no one took a guess that in Berkeley, you lived on The Alameda? I guess few DT readers have spent time up North.

I just want the Dodgers to get hot and the Jints to stop winning games well beyond their pythagorean projections before May 12, when I'll be braving the Jint natives up here who will beat me silly for cheering so loudly for the Dodgers. (Really, the crowd is more docile when the Dodgers win.)

I remember my first time. Someday, you too can be compared to Cher.

Thanks Jon and the rest of you guys! Don't worry, I worry about everything. I just think you have one of the classier blogs and if I don't have anything to contribute, I'm happy just to read. It's like some guy told me once, "You know what I like about you? You don't have much to say and even when you do, you don't say much." Still can't figure if that was a compliment or an insult.

Anyway, I'm a huge Dodger fan, and love this site. Jon, you have some of the best analysis, and the best commentors. Timmermann (see I spelled it right-copy and paste) has endeared himself to me with his struggles with the old cat and the pictures of the new. Casey?. Link has great commentary (and a cool blog). Steve cracks me up and I love his sense of humor. LAT is usually spot on. Nate and King of the Hobos are the go-to guys on prospects. Old bear, good to see the real one here instead of all the imposters. I agree with him more than I would like. Except for LoDuca, Old Bear! He was my favorite Dodger! Of course the Penny trade was good, but can't get rid of my Paulie! very respectfully Frank has great comments, even if he hates the movie talk. coachjpark and his ticket offer. Would have taken him up on it, but I live a ways away. And all the others here. Don't mean to leave you'all out but post is getting long

Keep up the good work Jon.

great pitch sequence by OP.

107

compliments are a great way to have people like you :)

I could not remember the name of my first pet to save my life. The earliest pet's name I remember is my tortoise Tortie.

Tortie Caravelle

I was reading through old letters the other day and, in the thank you note I wrote to my uncle (he'd sent me copy of Moneyball), I wrote that while I was disposed to liking DePo, I was also reluctant to forgive him for shipping off Lo Duca.

Paul Lo Duca is a great reminder to never let one's opinion of a player go on auto-pilot.

Oops, forgot to sign that Kirby Longwood.

My porn name sucks.

Nate are you getting the Dodgers feed or Arizonas?

Kirk Whittier or Panda Marimba whichever you prefer.

Nicole Danbrook

um.. dodgers need more power.

my porn name sucks too.

Tucker Wakonda

Angel Hernandez calling a balk on Odalis Perez? What's new. I'm pretty sure he did the same thing in San Francisco 2 years ago.

I guess I could go with Annie Spruance. Maybe she's Ray's granddaughter, although an Admiral would not approve of her occupation.

Thanks for the compliment, bonnie.

Nate are you getting the Dodgers feed or Arizonas?

i am in arizona so its blacked out on mlb.tv

its on the tv though and sadly, its the stupid arizona guys.

Balk! For SuperOdalis! Balk!

(obscure Cartoon references are easier to take when the pitcher gets out of the inning anyway.)

I've got the AZ feed.

118

Did you see the little dance Angel Hernandez did when he called the balk

My porn name is Jumper Ocean

122

whos announcing? Brenneman?

118 But that balk was pretty obvious. Even I called it.

He waggled his leg to home and back while leaning towards third before he went to first.

123- He was explaining the call. OP's right leg came across the rubber, before he went to first.

Fire lighting time!!

Lofton got a huge jump

See, just hit the ball, Kenny.

Well, even if I'm wrong about how the balk happened, the dance was an explanation. Interprative dance is not a strong suit of mine.

why the HELL is Drew bunting?

Lofton taught JD how to do that!

Lofton is faster than me.

If Drew does that again, he will be dead to me.

OK!!! Why is JD Drew trying to bunt?

Angel Hernandez is a horrible umpire!

Vin stop standing up for him!

...

!!!

Hopefully they won't use the firstbase gopher cam much when the dodgers are up.

That was a strike to Drew. It was a good pitch.

140- lol.
))

I don't like Angel Herenandez

I didn't know we could stack the deck with lefties like this.
Amazing how the old guy can make stealing look so easy.

141

agreed

What is going on with Rich Harden?

I hate the Angels announcers.

"That's Halo baseball....we'll see if Big Daddy Vladdy does what he's paid to do."

I guess he's being paid to strike out.

Nate, what's Arizona's gun have Perez's fastball at?

Kenny Lofton looks even older than he really is when he's running.

Repko, that dope...

Oh wait, you mean that's not Repko?

Nate, what's Arizona's gun have Perez's fastball at?

no gun.

way to go Drew, you're better then that.

Angel Herenadez is a good ump for Perez, though. A big zone with generous edges works well for a nibbler like OP.

Green up. Drew plays it into a triple. Should be a single and an error.

It should be a single and an error, not a triple.

Drew is not like a million bucks tonight. 2 consecutive days of rest did not do good.

Is Drew dead to you yet, Steve?

150- bad for our offense though. The Dodgers' offense relies on walking.

ugh.

Repko can, literally, do that for 338,000 a year.

Come on Billy! He should have had a play on that. Not only was Green running, but he actually stopped for some reason.

Wow the runner to the plate stopped momentarily --weird

Inside the park hr for aybar.

157 - He stopped to get in a rundown.

160- he was 2/3 of the way there. You stop if you are about half way.

159- nice he needs those RBIs to reach 100.

Repko can, literally, do that for 338,000 a year.

So can I. Literally.

And yet we toil away for little renumeration and relative obscurity, outside of our Cher-like monikers.

So I guess Orlando doesn't rake like his half brother... If Olmedo wasn't here, we might ask about Livan as a right-handed PH.

2/3 or 1/2 of the way there, that's the only reason he would have stopped. It probably wasn't the right play, but it's probably why he did it.

Eric Byrnes is going to kill someone.

Loney can thank Eric Byrnes for that hit. Byrnes is a horrible fielder.

Repko is playing every outfield position for both teams tonight. Bob needs to get his hands on the cloning equipment he uses.

Loney keeps on droping that left shoulder, & he'll keep on popping them up! CHOP WOOD LONEY!!!!!

The D-Backs CF doesn't seem to be very good.

These bloopers are reminding me of the Cubs hits from Wednesday night.

Good job Navarro, that would have been a homerun in little league.

little doinker down the line.

AZ announcers, just said Perez handles the bat well.
Clueless.

Scrappy

ugh.

Is there a more exciting play in baseball than the squeeze bunt?

If Repko is playing all the OF positions, who's running all the bases?

At least AZ announcersa aren't as bad as that guy for St Louis that calls evything "Baby"

Loney is an idiot. He waited until the bunt was caught before he even thought about running back to third. Then he started jogging to third, and finally he decided to run back. Let's just hope that he's a little bit hung over from partying last night.

Why did loney stare at the ball when it was popped up? He stood and watched until it was caught when he should have been tearing back to the bag. He's making a ton of mental errors...

176

Vinny said the game was "scratchy". Can that be counted as a Repko reference?

Lonely should've been hustling back to 3rd on that play.

I hope Kent chews him out.

180 Loney was a slow getting back to the bag as I was in posting to complain about it.

183- Kent wont know what to say that's why they got Lofton.

183- Racist.

And for those of us following the game via GameDay on Yahoo... this bizarreness to describe the play:

"O. Perez unknown into double play pitcher to third, J. Loney out at third"

Perez leads the league in unknowns.

If Loney would have just stayed at third, Perez could have struck out in peace, and our $13 million banjo-hitting shortstop might have had a chance to do what is allegedly his job, leaving Perez to do his.

"Loney is an idiot" is a little harsh. It was a mental error. Everyone has one of those.

186- haha, I was thinking the same thing. Let's hope that Kent doesn't get near Loney. Let Kenny Lofton or Brett Tomko do it.

189 I bet a dozen doughnuts that the 3rd base coach was screaming at him to get back.

Guzman is 0-3 with 3ks tonight. Awesome!

189- but Repko would have gotten on all fours and slid into third base head first.

188 Fortunately, Furcal always stinks in April with a .677 OPS, while he ranges from .759-.779 in every other month.

192- Why is he doing that"?

I said allegedly

The good news is that Guzman did go to 3-2 before King in that last AB.

Furcal has a lower OPS than Jason Kendall. Ouch.

Why is he doing that"?

Because he's dominican.

now thats racist!......(and joking)

That should have been a balk.

199- I thought he was takning the nickname JtD to the extreme and decided to destroy his BA.

This game is going to make up for that sub-2:00 game. Is it OP? Seems like it...

200- he was stepping towards 1st. Have you seen Andy Pettitte's pickoff move?

Tonight's seventh bunt off the 45 year old with the 7 ERA.

If Odalis re-balks, I'm switching sides.

5 of first 10 batters have attempted a bunt.

Why would Furcal bunt towards the best fielder in tonight's game?

That homerun swing by Furcal was hilarious.

Odalis bores me to death.

My porn name would be Buddy Buckeye

209
Now that one works!

Where statistics can break down: The run is Drew's, not Perez's.

Chasing the Beltre

...in 1977.

that was cool.

A little help. Im watching the game on mlb.tv and want to get the LA feed. Is that possible? This arizona guy is annoyingly dumb.

215- I am experiencing the same thing. Usualy I just reconnect a few times and then Vinny comes on but tonight that has not worked. Sorry.

Can we trade Kent for Orlando Hudson straight up? Then we can get rid of all of our flyball pitchers (Tomko, Carter) and lead the league in ERA.

Somebody take care of Rex Hudler….now!

Man, its not even like their just dumb too. They flat out dont do a competent job. Did they just do a report on a minor league game and not even know where the game was? How basic is that?

Nice at bat Jiffy.

"They called him old Hawpe but old was not his name" hehe.

217 Considering our only true groundball pitcher is Lowe, and Kent is one of the few reasonable power sources we have, this seems like a bad idea.

Wow, 4 k's for guzman in todays game so far.

222- Maybe he's hungover.

Can't we just get rid of Tomko and Carter anyway?

Soriano just hit his 3rd jack of the game.

224 This is a much better plan.

224- Tomko and Carter traded for Dollar beer night?

And Loney redeems himself.

Nice at bat.

Loney choped wood on that one!

Rockies designated RHP Zach Day for assignment.
There are enough teams looking for pitching that Day shouldn't make it through waivers, even if he has struggled right from the start of the spring. He went 1-2 with a 10.80 ERA in three starts for Colorado.

Pick him up Ned!

I thought Loney had a home run there.

Yay Loney!

Good AB by Loney. That makes up for his baserunning brain-fart earlier.

Can we trade Carter and Baez for Duaner?

Big Game James comes through in the clutch.

221- Lowe, Osoria, Perez

ble

Rockies are coming back. Down by 2 and bases are loaded with nobody out. The left handed version of Repko, Cory Sullivan is batting.

Rockies-Giants game - Ninth inning bases loaded no outs, Rockies down by 2.

I got my rally cap on.

5 friggin seconds!

On one hand JtD's prospect value disappears when he leaves SS.
On the other hand, he's very young and has had no time to grow into this huge body.
This may be a good thing, because it may keep him from getting traded before he reaches his potential.

Go ROCKIES!!!!

235 At least last year, Penny was more groundball prone than OP. (1.39 to 1.25) neither is defined as a ground ball pitcher.

Osoria is a groundball pitcher. I wasn't thinking about relievers.

The other side of this coin is--maybe we missed the time to trade Guz.

Steve Kline?

Benitez is in. One out.

Wow

Shoot me.

Lofton was trying to get cute.

243 It's early.

I can't believe Ned found somebody more useless than Repko to play centerfield.

Did that just come out of his glove or was he trying to toss it to Drew?

Drew is not ready for the amount of intensity that Lofton brings to the park.

I think Lofton was trying to flip it to Drew with the better momentum to make the throw.

Colorado is down 1, 2 outs. Holliday is up.

The Energy Duque used right there is the equivelent to throwing 40 pitches.

242- besides last year, Perez has been more of a groundball pitcher than Penny

I love Felipe Alou. He's bringing in Benitez and I'm confident that he's going to blow it.

Not a scrappy play by Lofton.

Drew didn't get it.

Holliday ties it with a single.

Steve is prescient.

Go Rockies Go Rockies.

AZ Announcers:

"It will have to be a deep fly ball to score, I don't think a gb to anyone will score el dooke, but he runs well so...."

wha?

1st and 3rd, Atkins is batting.

I love Felipe

259- For gameday followers, Byrnes let go of his bat, and nearly brained some of his teammates.

Base hit, game over.

Wow.

256 Okay, I was wrong there. Still not worth trading Kent for Hudson though.

Taste the Rockies.

Giants win. Thank you Felipe.

259 - And it did hit a cameraman.

That was not a ball.

So the Rockies have tied up the lead of the NL West. Good thing the Rockies play in Coors (and the Giants pen is terrible), no way their Helton-less offense can score close to 9 runs outside of there

Am I the only one who thinks that Odalis is getting squeezed compared to the zone that Hernandez is getting?

This somehow relates to Jon's opening statement. 7 quality starts in a row for the Doddgers.

Why does the ball clank when Furcal hits it?

Isn't a quality start at most 3 runs in at least 6 innings pitched?

Its calling for Izturis.

Once J.D. Drew goes down for the season, and the Dodgers settle in to their eight-games-back-fighting-the-Padres-for-fourth-place groove, I'm going to start rooting for the Rockies to win the West.

Could be. I really didn't mean the technical definition. Actually its been 7 great starts in a row.

Tomko's start would stretch the word "quality" to its breaking point.

272- Angel Hernandez hates Odalis Perez because of some things that have happened in the past.

271- didn't the Rockies score 9+ runs in San Diego 2 consecutive days?

Mike Maroth has now pitched 18.1 innings and has given up a run, thus giving him an ERA of 0.49. I'm farily certain that leads the league. The run was a homer by Michael Young, the second batter he faced, giving him 18 straight scoreless innings, so only 42 more innings until he passes Orel

Is Vin Scully the only announcer who pronounces Osoria's first name Frank-Ellis?

280- They scored 32 in the three game series at Petco. Plus, Coors seems to have calmed down, with the humidor job they're doing on the balls. This could be their year!

280 I'm pretty sure they had Helton though, and Jason Smith decided to start a run for the MVP title during that series

The D-Backs still have Shawn Green, so don't count them out.

284- did not see the thing about Helton. Any reason why he didn't play today?

That was meat on a stick.

David Jonathon!

Wooooooooo!

Every HR Drew hits brings him one closer to the cripling injury that's surely just around the bend.

Did Vin just say the Giants beat Colorado?

Drew did a nice job of making up for his misplay earlier in the game

281 - Go Tigers! Leyland is a baseball God. I'd like to have a cup a joe with that guy.
Wha wha what?!?! Did we just hit for POWER? Go JD.

BOOYAAH!
Drew hr.

I take back what I said.

Nice stroke; Could Kent stand farther from the plate?

290- chill.

Booyyah indeed!

Steiner just said that 'when JD is healthy he's a TERRIFIC talent.'
Just let that sit for a moment.

Bradley is 0 for 2 with 2 walks and a stolen base. I'm still wondering why Macha hasn't switched Bradley and Crosby in the batting order. Does Frank Thomas really need protection?

The D-Backs still have Shawn Green, so don't count them out.

Not to mention the fact that the Dodgers still have Lance Carter.

Are we choosing to ignore Duaner's performance so far this season. He's looked great.

296- Perhaps you can direct me to emoticon which most closely means: that homerun by Drew makes my last post look a little silly, so, I'm going to say something over the top, demonstrating that I realize it did.

301
I guess Jae Seo's performance thus far has made us forget about Duaner.

Are we choosing to ignore Duaner's performance so far this season. He's looked great.

Seo what? 8-P

Duaner Sanchez looks totally different this year in his Gameday photo. Among other things, he's not wearing his goggles.

Hey, look, it's Tim Hamulack! Grady doesn't want a reputation of being a good manager, and two straight games would put him perilously on track.

Dodgers D is anemic.

I know Andy Green's brother or cousin or something like that.

307 Like puppies chasing superballs.

309- great analogy.

Hi Grady!

Speaking of Hamulack....How does he have a 0 ERA after giving up a HR to Bobby Abreu? Well theres his first ER in any event.

Eric Byrnes vs. a lefty seems like a bad idea.

301- I was against that trade!

Hamulack isn't very good.

Is Saito finally going to implode?

312 Furcal's error would have been the third out. Whatever happens after that, if I understand the rules, is unearned.

314- no.

312 There was an error on what should have been the 3rd out before the HR.

Saito is gunna be dominant for a few months until they figure him out. It's a japanese relief pitcher thing...Shingo Takatsu, Akinori Otsuka, Shigatoshi Hasagawa, even Kazuhiro Sasaki.

316- nope, but there's always next inning.

Time to get some insurance runs.

Ahoy thanks for the clarification.

Saaaiiiiittttt down.

Ahh... 24 seconds slow.

Let's get some insurance!!

318- that's what I'm thinking. He reminds me of the Japanese guy who pitched for the White Sox. He was good for 1 year and then stunk in his 2nd year.

319- I am going to be the first member of the Saito mania manic depressives.

In Saito we trust!!!

Pepsi Dunleer here. Welcome Rosie.

Nate -- Tucker Wakonda is nothing short of excellent; how can you not love that?

2-hour rain delays are challenging for five-year olds, but had a fun time at the Nationals Braves game anyhow. Was really a nice night (though a little cool) once the rain cleared. Left after 7 so missed Soriano's third homer (he also had a double). Had a fun moment when, during a promo thing they do where they shoot T-Shirts into the stands, the first base ump walked over the college kids who work for the team and asked for a shirt, then walked straight over to us (we'd moved down to the front row of the sparsely filled stadium by then) and handed it to my kid. I have no idea why. My son also had the fun of calling Soriano's second short -- when Alfonso came up the second time, my boy said "I hope he hits another one" and lo and behold he did. When youre five, that's all yours. Think the ump was Bruce Froemming; need to double check.

Ryan Zimmerman made an unbelievable diving grab of a low popfly a third of the way out to left field. Hope they espn it. Really amazing catch.

Thank the gods for the Arizona announcers! If it weren't from them, I wouldn't know that the Dodgers have three left handers in the 'pen, including Saito.

Speaking of Little's questionable moves, what is Macha doing? Is Street hurt? Kennedy came in acting as a LOOGY in the 9th (and gave up a triple to Erstad), and now Calero is in to pitch up 5-3

After every K by Saito the Announcer should say "Saaaaiitttt your @$% down!"

Like I said: Shingo Takatsu. Otsuka had his dominant year in his rookie year, and then last year he wasn't as deceptive as he was before. Hasagawa was getting lit up in the twilight of his career, Kazuhiro Sasaki, the former closer for the Mariners, was starting to get lit up at the end of his MLB career, which lived like 3 years or so (off the top of my head).

Bradley turned a single into a triple- kind of like what JD Drew did.

Yeah, actually I heard Huston Street is hurt, my fantasy team cries.

327- That was a neat story about your kid calling that 2nd homer. That will stay with him for the rest of his life.

Street is hurt. Yesterday, the question was why Duckman pitched 109 pitches and was allowed to walk in the game-winning run.

Hmm.. 4 beach ball delays. That's fewer than the mean, right?

331 I don't think you can include Hasegawa and Sasaki in that 1-year wonder group. They were successful for a few years until they went into the eventual decline with age. Sasaki especially, once he lost a few MPH on his pitches, he was no longer effective. It's not like he was good because of some quirk or some herky jerky windup.

330

LOL!!!!
Saito your @$% down.

I`ll give you Sasaki, maybe Hasegawa, yeah probably Hasegawa. Point taken.

LOL Repko's catch into the wall last yr is classic.

The Angels lost on a double play strike out - catchers interenfce call.

Please steal here. I know that Snyder is a good catcher, but I really can't see Furcal getting an extra base hit.

Ouch guzman 5 k's tonight.

I still can't stop laughing about saito your @$% down.

Holy crap whats going on with Ty Wiggington, the bro hit his 7th homer today...My Fantasy team salivates for his offense, on the other hand...Impulse moves tend to never work out.

Monday talking about how Repko is "not afraid to make mistakes."

Steiner talking about Repko's "defensive prowess."

Oh yea, scrappy dog! He matches his stolen base total from last year.

Eckert, Simmons, and Hull have successfully allowed Fresno to score 8 runs in 2 innings, thereby tying the game. Bottom of the 8th currently, Hull still pitching, tied 8-8

Beware Devil Rays bearing gifts. Travis Lee has four.

The SLG goes over the .250 mark!

That was a nice AB by Furcal

Furcal sure banged that one.
hehe.

It's official. Rafael is my favorite DUI baseball man, way more than Jim Bowden.

352 -- lol

I take that back, I've always had a thing for Guillermo Mota. I sure miss Mr. Catfish.

DREW DREW DREW

And that should do, if Baez can hold on, and Shawn Green doesn't hit a five run home run.

Fans chanting the name of J.D. Drew!
Probably the first time in his career that's happened.

Did you see Byrnes throw himself into a full front flip? hahahaha

Im starting to wonder if this whole resting Drew theory has any legitimacy to it---Did Jeff Kent just slam his helmet?

Kent was POed about that one.

Wigginton won't continue to hit homers at this rate, but he's not really that bad of a hitter. His biggest problems are the Ks and Huff/Burroughs/Branyan/Maddon. The Pirates probably shouldn't have released him, as he could easily outhit Joe Randa (Randa hit .276/.337/.452 last year, Wigginton .258/.325/.465 in a far smaller sample)

356

Nothing to worry about, Whens the last time Shawn Green was clutch?

I just had a 10 minute fight with some piece-o-@#$% piece of hardware or software and by the time I fought my way back to Dodger thoughts all brilliant insight is gone and all I can say is BOOYAH- 6-2.

When showing Gagne's stats FSNAZ shows wins.

Thats some deep insight yourself.

BOOYAAH!!!!

Last night, I told some East Coasters (i.e. don't follow the Dodgers closely) about Green's Odalis Perez no-hitter travesty. They reacted like I said Green likes to spend his off days beheading kittens.

364 - Wasn't that the overall bullpen's stats?

364 Yes.

Otherwise, I would like to know how Gange is earning wins and losses while on the DL.

367 -- Shawn Green gets to go to Barry Bonds' house?

A check swing ground out by Kent and FSN goes straight to a commercial for Cialis. It made me laugh.

Bad relay, but Loney should dig that out.

369368 - thank you for clearing that up.

370 - No, it's Kevin Mitchell's house.

FSNAZ announcers are roasting Furcal. "Style over substance."

The Mets and Padres are currently tied in the 12th inning. The Mets' remaining pitchers are Chad Bradford, Pedro Feliciano, and Jorge Julio. Billy Wagner has made 27 pitches and is probably done. Who do you use if you want to have some chance at winning? Let Franco pitch?

Why are these airheads talking about style over substance? There was no style in Furcal's play. He just screwed up.

Brian Sweeny is pitching the 12th for the Padres. His birthday would indicate that he is 32, but his gameday photo makes clear he is 14. Hmmmm.

That was a heck of a good pitch Hudson popped up.

Repko with scrappy style and some savvy substance for the final out.

Bradford

375 -- Given that the Diamondbacks have neither, who are they to talk?

380 - There's no way that was scrappy enough. You can't crash into a wall in short left field.

As bad as FSN AZ are, I prefer them to WGN, St Louis, Pittsburgh, WhiteSox and many many others.

I prefer hemlock to cyanide.

Juan Cruz became 2 years older a few years ago, but I swear he's even older than he supposedly is now (28). If I had to choose between Lofton and Cruz, I'd swear Cruz was the older of the two

Can we replace Paul Shuey's hip and coax him out of retirement? And promise to make Tom Martin the bullpen coach.

When the Dodgers were playing the Giants I thought I finally figured out why Lucille II is Ramons monicker. The Giants seal mascot Lucille looks just like Ramon but I was wrong.

387 Tom Martin is busy. The Rockies are actually paying him to pitch out of their bullpen

I hear that carter is warming up to pitch the 9th, i guess grady wants to make the game interesting.
No, just messin, i like grady alot.

My god, When we play the Rockies, I pray to god Clint Hurdle brings in Tom Martin to face JD Drew (and not Ray King).

Nomar went 2-5 with a double before he was replaced by a PH. The PH, Nick Alvarez, hit a go-ahead double in the 10th

And the Mets went with Pedro Feliciano in the bottom of the 12th. Franco was used as a PH, but Chris Woodward is still available, should Randolph be forced to choose between Julio and a hitter to pitch

My god. I pray to god Hurdle brings in Martin to face Drew when the Dodgers play the Rockies.

Evening. I don't understand all of this ill will toward Shawn Green. The guy was nothing but class when he was here, and he performed incredibly until the final season. Why must Dodger fans boo him every at-bat? I went to Vero Beach in 2004 and he signed anything for anybody, even during pregame stretching. It's not like he left as a free agent. Heck, he wanted to stay.

If you must boo, boo Sheffield or Beltre. Cheer this Old Friend.

390 - Four-run leads are almost always safe no matter who is pitching.
So, has Carter fallen to mopup man status?

Oops..I thought my 1st comment didn't go thru, eh sorry.

Guzman is at the late for 6th time. Can he strike out for the 6th time tonight?

394

I was thinking the same thing. I may not like Green just because...well I never liked him. But he was a generally good guy and did alot of charity work out here in CA. The fans are just retarded and boo anyone that left the team. Hell I heard them boo LoDuca last year. When Gagne is traded to the Giants I`m sure they`ll boo him.

You go L-Cart!

So Carter and Hamulack are better than Schmoll and Tiffany?

395 -- You were saying?

395 - Almost always.

So, has Carter fallen to mopup man status?

Lets hope so.
Is it possible to have 2 mopup men?
Because hamulack would be another good mopup candidate.

...

Hi Grady!

Clark vs Baez? Anyone here religious?

Carter really is trying his best to lose this thing

Feliciano didn't last long, two batters. Bradford in now. Apparently Randolph thinks he has plenty of bullpen arms left

OMG Carter is awful.

Carter is awful. Is Ned still patting himself on the back for trading for the All Star? He makes Giovanni Carrara look like a good pitcher.

409- At least Giovanni had a cool name.

I said Bradford before dammit, although I remember reading Moneyball...He gets nervous and self-concious in pressure situations. OH THE DERISION OF PITCHING IN FRONT OF SAN DIEGO FANS

at the end of ST, someone was trying to tell me Lance Carter is a great reliever. I want you to show yourself and amend! Amend I say!

Do you think Carter has a chance at another all-star game?

For those curious about Guzman, apparently Duncan had replaced him and Gameday forgot to tell me. Duncan did K though, meaning Vegas' 4th hitter went 0-6 with 6 Ks

407 - As we speak, warming up is Neil Allen.

411 -- lol again

413 -- American Legion, maybe.

I thought Tomko was going to be the mop up man when Billingsley is called up. Ned is really good at finding mop up men.

What's the over-under for J-Brox to get the call? I start the line at May 7.

Your all wrong. Why do you think Oscar was brought up? I saw him mopping up some spilled soda in the pavilions in the 4th inning.

If Danys gets the save, free grand slams for everyone.

413 Sure, if he joins the Royals and replicates Mike William's 2003 Pittsburgh All Star campaign (6.27 ERA, more walks than strike outs, 25 saves)

Whew.

That's probably a home run in almost any other stadium.

413- It depends on whether the Royals want him. Since they don't seem to want Matt Stairs, maybe something could be arranged.

Is it that we're to use to GAME OVER GAGNE OR SOMETHING? These games I tell you!! :)

YAY!!!

Carter's job is to come in in a non-save situation and make it a save situation. Carter did his job well. I'm sure Baez will give him a nice tip.

If JD Drew opts out his contract, Repko or Cruz may be our #3 hitter.

Apparently, Furcals nickname is "Fookie"

417 Late May, let's say May 25. Not that it means anything, but he failed to appear in a 9-8 game tonight, as Joe Beimel received the honor of saving his own win

427 - A true set-up man!

429 That would be 418, not 417

Haha i love all star selections- I an already picture Phil Garner trying to pick an All Star for Pittsburgh:
"Bay's on the DL, Whos left?"
"Their closer has 15 saves---8.25 ERA"
"Oh come on, those idiots watching the Fox broadcast see the 15 saves and think im a genius...Especially when I put him in to face David Ortiz"

429

The Bull pitched a 2 inning save last night.

Well-played. Hamulack and Carter need to go.

no ones said it yet... GAEMEZ OVER!

429 - That's impossible.
Worse, if you save your own win too much, you'll go blind.

Ha. Watch 2.5 hours of news and still see the final inning. Obviously neither Perez nor El Duque went to the same school Maddox did.

Well-played. Hamulack and Carter need to go.

Their replacements will hopefully be billingsley and broxton, with tomko moving to the pen.

437 - Watch 2.5 hours of news...
For the love of God, why?

432 To be fair, Mike Gonzalez is actually a pretty good pitcher and could be Pittsburgh's best candidate for the game if Wilson and Bay land on the DL and the starters continue to be mediocre

AT least grits was fairly quick to realize he wouldn't get away with casting Carter as mop up man. That hopefully scared him.
Good observation by some analyst(sitting left of Kennedy) D's kept the pressure by scoring runs in th 6th and 7th.
In the games Jon reffered to up top, I noticed they scored early and tried to coast. Doesn't work.

428 Also, apparently "Six runs is an offensive explosion" and [the Dodgers] "of all nights didn't need to score all these runs." Love that Lindsay Soto. That was one impressive post-game interview.

So does our season hinge on the health of JD Drew?

Bradford has now made 21 pitches for five outs. Randolph has a tough choice in the 14th, Bradford, Julio, or the 1st base coach

Chad Bradford has 4 strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings? I didn't know that he was still pitching. I can't believe that the game is still going on.

In all fairness Hamulack did K 2 batters.

boy, it's a good thing I saw the score before reading the last batches of comments here or I'd-a thunk the Dodgers had lost? Whew!

Seems like James Loney said bon voyage to himself in a decent fashion.

443

Unless Furcal, Mueller, and especially Kent start hitting, yes.

The Padres TV broadcast plays Pearl Jam when going to commercial.
Why can't the Dodgers be that cool?

What's a Pearl Jam?

Btw, Tim Worrell of the Giants.

6 saves.
8.31 ERA.
got his first loss tonight to go 2 and 1.

Bradford couldn't handle Giles, who doubled in the winnign run. The Mets pen had gone 21.2 innings without giving up a run

Blum might've been out there.

99. Steve, I was there. Left right after my earlier posts. It was very nice of Drew to give my daughter a triple.

Great night traffic wise. I'm not sure why but the in and out was very fast. The announces crowd was 44K but I don't think it was near that.

I thought he missed the plate, too, but the umpire was screened.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here. I think the next Dodger minor leaguer to be called up is going to be this Nomar Garciaparra kid. He's got what it takes.

Just a guess.

Hey, nobody threw anything at me in the loge.

But I don't believe they stock Grey Poupon. Anyway, I ate at home before I left.

105

Going way back, yes in Berkeley I lived on "The Alameda". It was listed in map indexes under "T".

456 He's no prospect. He's too old.

On TV, did they show Eric Byrnes throw his bat after a sharp line drive out to Furcal? He is lucky he didn't kill one of his teammates.

They did. Eric Byrnes is more than slightly unhinged.

439 20 years of habit. 2 half-hour local news, 1 half-hour national news, 1 hour of The News Hour.

That's why they call him "Kookie" Byrnes.

(The Obscure Reference Dating Back Before My Birth Award of the Evening)

If I was one of his teammates I owuld not have been very happy about that. I bet his house is a mess. Lots of walls with holes.

463 Did he have a comb in his back pocket?

(I watched that show during its original run.)

Byrnes should stick to radio commentary.

Did JtD really strike out 5 times tonite? Thats hard to do.

It's not hard for Preston Wilson.

Touche.

I'd still take Preston Wilson at SS.

I am starting to lose my love for Guzman. A k/bb ratio that bad can be tolerable for a power hitting shortstop, but not a right fielder.

So if we make Izzy a reluctant outfielder will he hit three HRs in one game?

(Only Sam's son knows for sure.)

Just got back and just a few observances:
Lofton is still very fast even at 39. I'm not talking stealing bases, I'm talking running the bases.
JD Drew is the new chant and hopefully he continues to hit and play so we hear the chant all year.
Mueller is everything I hoped he'd be.
You have to love a group of fans that stand up while your team is about to score some insurance runs so they can cheer someone chugging a beer instead of watching the game. 10 year olds, grandma's, 3 legged dogs, you name it, they were standing and chearing. Yes, of course I sit in the corner Loge section but I saw idiots in the field section cheering with their backs turned to the action. If only a screaming foul line drive had ripped one of the fools head off so I could have had a mirthy ride home.
Was glad to see Loney actually hit the ball hard and fair before his departure to AAA.

Lots of walls with holes.

That's where he keeps the nuts.

463 When Byrnes was at UCLA, he spent a year living in my friend's frat house. An odd cat, certainly.

When I say "odd cat", I am not referring to Casey.

is Nomar coming back to the team tomorrow, or Sunday?

Nomar should be back today.

http://tinyurl.com/l4cp4

Casey is not an odd cat. He's pretty much a normal cat. He's certainly not as weird as Eric Byrnes.

Although Eric Byrnes hasn't tried to bite my hand and I'm pretty sure he uses a toilet instead of a litter box.

I don't know exactly how they chant it, but "J. D. Drew" seems to have the same meter as "Hee Seop Choi".

(watches blog comments explode into flames . . .)

"Lance" "Car" "Ter"

"Lance" "Car" "Ter"

"Sam" "D" "C".

The lack of having a three syllable name killed Mark Grudzielanek's chances of staying in L.A.

"Tim" "Mer" "Mann"
"Tim" "Mer" "Mann"

"Lu" "Cille" "II"
"Lu" "Cille" "II"

"Ham" "You" "Lack"
"Ham" "You" "Lack"

"Da" "Vid" "Bell"
"Da" "Vid" "Bell"

"Ne" "i" "fi"
"Ne" "i" "fi"

Hey, Bob, if you find yourself back on the market, I think I may have found someone for you (other than her being a married nationals fan, that is). From a nationals blog comments: "So I tried my hand at scoring last night for the first time since my softball days as a kid . . . . The only hard part was finding enough room to write in which batter Stanton came in on (I kinda scribbled it in the batters line box for the previous inning and drew an arrow), and how to indicate Church came home on a wild pitch while LeCroy was batting (again, scribbled 'WP 18'). I think maybe the pen I used has too thick of a point. . . . I'm thinking multicolored pencils might actually be the way to go . . . That way I can color code the lines around the bases to match the batter who hit someone around. — [Miss X]"

"Keep" "Ing" "Score"
"Keep" "Ing" "Score"

487
I briefly experimented with going out with a female version of myself.

Very briefly.

What you do to mark events that happen to baserunners during at bat (steals, wild pitches, etc.) is to just mark the event with the batting order number of who was up.

So if there was a wild pitch with the #4 hitter up, you write "WP4". It's always easier to track events by the batting order since you usually don't know which number which player wears.

Last night, I looked at my scorebook and realized that in 2005, Dioner Navarro wore 41. Now he's 30. Apparently, he's the reincarnation to Maury Wills.

489
I briefly experimented with going out with a female version of myself.

A clone?

"I briefly experimented with going out with a female version of myself.

A clone?"

That explains the hooves.

"Wood" "Hay" "Ven"
"Wood" "Hay" "Ven"

Having played one more game this year than the Giants, the Dodgers have scored 8 more runs and have given up 16 fewer. Yet the Giants are 9-7, while the Dodgers are 8-9.

I guess the Giants just know how to win.

Armando Benitez -- winner.

Steve Finley -- also winner.

Mike Matheny - Winner Supreme w/ Olives

Randy Winn -- Need I say more?

In the Arizona Republic:

View from the press box
Considering there was no rational explanation for it last year, perhaps it should be no surprise that Shawn Green continues to get booed by Dodgers fans at Chavez Ravine. Green has always been a classy individual. And it's not as if he left LA as a free agent - he was traded to Arizona.
- Nick Piecoro

498
I attended the game between the Dodgers and DBacks last year that included The Catch, and found myself confused as to why Green was treated so poorly by the fans. Sure, the guy made more money than he should have, but I didn't consider that sufficient reason to boo him.

The guy here yesterday got it right. If you boo Shawn Green, the boos lose their meaning. Save them for when they count, like when Russ Ortiz or Brett Tomko are pitching.

Lo Duca doesn't get booed does he? And Piazza still gets relatively warm welcomes.

But Finley gets booed a lot, which doesn't make much sense since it's a good thing if the Giants are playing him.

How about Beltre when the Mariners come to L.A. in July? What about Jeff Weaver?

Jeff Weaver gets booed on general principles.

How about when Jose Valentin makes his triumphant return?

503
I don't think people care enough about Valentin to bother booing.

Bob - What kinda "boost" do you get in your Protein Berry Pizzazz? I normally get a protein boost, and then pay extra for an additional protein boost as well.

I normally get a protein boost

That's what they all say.

I believe I had an immunity boost.

I believe they all are the same and they just label them differently.

507
Do you think it's just flour?

I don't think it's flour. Then the drinks would taste funny. I just think it's ... powder ...

Baltimore bunts (with their #3 hitter, no less) their way out of a big (or any kind of) inning. Baltimore managers are like Mets GMs. They are so dumb and turnover so quickly that I can't keep track of them.

But the Yankees used the bunt to manufacture a run. I bet Michael Kay is ecstatic.

What kind of reception would Choi get if he came back here with another team? I'll bet he was such a fan favorite that he'd still get cheers and the same old chant. I hope so. How can you hate the guy? Anybody hates Choi, (Tracey, Colletti, McCourt), has something wrong upstairs.

I think Choi would get a warm welcome because it seems that the Dodgers have a not insubtantial number of Korean fans now.

Also if he came back playing for Boston, there would be a huge crowd anyway.

Good news, Russ Ortiz is confirmed as the starter for Sunday's game.

The only Dodger I can remember booing is Jose Offerman. The only Ex-Dodger I boo is Gary Sheffield but I have to go to an Angel game to do that. Kid next to me was booing Green and calling him a traitor. I told him that he was traded and hated to leave the team. Then the guy behind said he stunk the whole time he was on the Dodgers, oblivious to the fact that Green has the all time Dodger home run record and hit 91 home runs in two years. But hey why let reality get in the way of a good boo.

He Who Shall Not Be Named pitching in the daytime! Woo hoo! Get ready fans in the pavilions. There will be souvenirs!

Choi is banging in AAA. Hit his 3rd home run yesterday. Doesn't Chicago need a 1st baseman? Youklis is doing great so Boston doesn't need him. Chicago doesn't think it can compete with an infield of Walker/Hairston/Cedeno or Mabry/Walker/Cedeno does it?

"Russ" "Or" "Teez"

I'm going to be off to my 1st Clipper playoff game in a few hours since Larry Brown was our coach. I missed the lone Fitch year. Hope everyone wishes my Clippers good luck in the quest for an awesome city championship showdown in the 2nd round.

"El" "Ton" "Brand"

"Boniface" "N" "Dong

No, that won't work.

"Sam" "I" "Am"

How do you use the tiny URL function? I have an entertaining interview I want to link.

Choi's stats in AAA, per Choi Central:
267/405/567 with 7 BB, 6 K, 3 HR

"U" "R" "L"

Graham Chapman is going to end this sketch. It's much too silly.

Nomar's stats in AAA:
500/500/750 with 0 BB, 0 K, 0 HR

Now, I've noticed a tendency for this program to get rather silly. Now I do my best to keep things moving along, but I'm not having things getting silly. Those last two sketches I did got very silly indeed, and that last one about the bed was even sillier. Now, nobody likes a good laugh more than I do. Except perhaps my wife. And some of her friends.

514. Cannon, I had nearly the same experience last night. Some guy booing so aggressively, yelling at Green "You didn't do nothing the whole time you were here." Then he starts telling his girlfriend how much Green sucked. I asked him if he had any idea how many HRs Green hit while he was here or how many doubles he had. Whether he knew Green offered to restructure his contract in order to stay. Whether he knew Green played through injuries that last season. But its not about Green.

Unfortunately its symptomatic of a larger problem: ignorant fans who somehow think their admission ticket gives them the right to be an aggressive jerk. Say what you will about Green. There is room for criticism just don't be an ignorant ass. It doesn't matter who the player is either, it could be Bonds. During the Giant series people on the field level ran up to the on deck circle to abuse him, threaten him and hurl obsenitited at him. Come on people, its only a baseball game. Its not OJ were talking about here.

[Of course, Tom Cruise is the exception to this rule]

522 Go to http://tinyurl.com/ and paste the URL you want to make smaller into the box. If you're a time-efficiency sort (who was that? MacGregor?), drag the tinyurl site to your toolbar.

"You didn't do nothing the whole time you were here."

The Milwaukee Brewer pitching staff begs to differ.

LAT: agreed, I didn't understand that at all. It used to be that the fans reaction was favorable to those who were traded away and only booed those who left for money. I expected to see Green at least get some golf applause and not that kind of reception.

http://www.oregonlive.com/weblogs/blazersblog/

Everyone go to that page and click on the Darius Miles interview. I'd link directly but the URL is too long.

Miles discusses Cardinal baseball, being liqoured up at practice, who the Blazers should have drafted instead of who they actually drafted, and the lack of a Darius Miles bobblehead nite. NBA, its fantastic!

529
I suppose that depends on how the Brewer pitching staff interprets the double negative.

The Brewers started off the 4th inning alternating between homers and singles for five batters, but Hardy had to ruin it, hitting a homer directly after Clark's homer instead of a single. The Brewers managed five homers in the inning

As King Kaufman wrote in Salon.com yesterday:

"Actually, people in L.A. don't brag. They disparage everyone else. Same net effect, more fun. Ever notice how I talk so much about what dopes the rest of the commentariat are? You can take the boy out of the smog ... "

http://tinyurl.com/fhq62

That works!

Last NL team with 5 homers in an inning was the Giants against ... THE REDS ... August 23, 1961 Messrs Cepeda, F. Alou, Davenport, Mays, and Orsino against Messrs. Jay, Brosnan and Henry.

All those homers messed up Bush's concentration and he gave up a hit.
I wish the Dodgers were the Brewers. I really like that team and now with Sheets pitching like he did yesterday they will be ready to make a wild card run.

I wish the Dodgers were the Brewers.

And with that, we have officially witnessed the lowest point in Dodger history.

Slightly off topic, but I noticed last night that the out of town scoreboard finally recognizes the Angels as "LAA".

But they're aren't any scores of NBA or NHL playoff games on the boards although they do appear in the concourses.

We'll see how you feel about that in 2007.

If you ask Gagne, the Brewers are one of the worst teams in the league

The Brewers and Indians have done a great job in the last few years rebuilding and are poised for long successful runs. If teams like the Royals and Pirates could emulate them, instead of signing decrepit veterans, baseball would be a lot more interesting

When the Cardinals signed Juan Encarnacion, they officially ceded rights to the NL Central to the Brewers.

Joel Guzman has a 21/1 ratio.
Dont ask what the ratio is.

Is Mark Alexander a prospect? He has really good numbers.

There are probably 20+ teams in the majors that wish they were the Brewers. They understand that sometimes you have to experience some loosing seasons in order to develop a championship core. McCourt should take notice.

I wish i knew more about Alexander, but I do know he's a polished college reliever that scouts dont expect to survive in the majors. He's definitly a Depodesta guy.

I guess the main thing working against Alexander is his age. He's 25yrs old and is in AA.
Career:
K/9- 11.62
BB/9- 2.81
HR/9- .91

This year:
IP-7.2
K- 13
HR- 0
WHIP- 0.52

I still wish they'd move Broxton back to the rotation, and if the Dodgers need relief pitching then pull a guy like Alexander/Kuo from the minors.

My guess is that Alexander is more of a Lance Carter type. Im not sure how much that would help the Dodgers.

Carter had a 7.74 K/9 in the minors, Alexander 11.86, although Carter's career is far more likely for Alexander than Rivera. Alexander missed out on Scout.com's top 54 prospects, so they clearly don't view him as much of a prospect

What do you think guys, do you think its time for management to promote ethier and give him the starting job for awhile over lofton and repko and if over time he doesn't hit good enough vs lefties, then platoon him with repko.

i missed the porn star name thing, but mine is a great porn-sounding name: Tiger Tunstall.

it's even alliterative.

were you playing a porn star name game or something?

[551] from post [3] - the game is, first pet's name and the name of the street you first grew up on.

518- I'll be watching that game on TV tonight. A Clippers playoff game takes priority over a regular season Dodgers game. Elton Brand and Chris Kaveman need to have big games. Hopefully, Maggette can get Carmelo Anthony in foul trouble. Make sure to boo Andre Miller. I hated that little rat!

I don't boo Green, but I don't cheer for him either. Even in his good years, he seemed to hit a lot of homeruns when the Dodgers were winning or losing by a lot of runs. Kind of like Eric Chavez. I boo Piazza because he turned a ton of money and didn't get much more from the Mets. I boo Sheffield because he demanded a four year extension when he had three years left on his contract. I boo Jeff Kent, no explanation needed. I will cheer for Jeff Weaver when the Dodgers face him because he will help contribute to a Dodgers victory.

Does Milton Bradley look like he's favoring something? Or is he just slow? I know he is slow, but is it just that?

552 vishal

what if you never had a pet?

555 - Then use the name "Repko"

Jeff Weaver: Slumpbuster.

Witness: Dan Johnson. He's 2 for 2!

I boo Jeff Kent, no explanation needed.

Steve might need one.

I love Jeff Weaver, when he's on the opposing team. I'd still take him over Tomko though.

It's 2:30. Do you know where your fifth starter is?

556 steve

o.k. then My porn name would be REPKO WINTER

I kinda like it.

But what do you use if you grew up on an unnamed street?

[561] "repko winter" sounds like a dire forecast.

562 -- Then you use Grabowski.

562

I woulnd't know how to answer that.

562 >>>Then you use Grabowski.<<<

oh man!! lol!!! I think a chick might wanna use that name!!

are they gonna have a game thread today?

567 - "They?"