But are there Mike Ramsey photos? I need my Mike Ramsey fix!

Juan Marichal's laugh, looks just like my fathers.(just an observation)

Bob, what are the odds of us winning against Webb?

Roger Angell has a quote from a Giants fan during spring training the year that Marichal came over to the Dodgers; when told of his putting on the Dodgers uniform, she said something like "Well, he can't have enjoyed it."

Kinda the way I'd imagine a lot of Dodgers fans felt about Snider going to SF.

North Carolina fornicators: rejoice!!!

http://tinyurl.com/e67ll

I'm sure this has already been discussed....but if all it took was a low A baller to get Wickman I wonder why we didn't get in on that.

It's not like I'm a huge Wickman fan, but he could have helped sure up the pen for the stretch run without any cost as far as prospects go.

You must have a quirky definition of "help."

I just saw the transformers trailer, & I'm stoked.

6 My opinion (as repeated from previous thread): The Braves bullpen's been far worse than the Dodgers (by relative comparison) and Wickman's really fallen off. I just don't see how he would have helped the Dodgers any, even if it was just for a tossed in minor leaguer. I wish him the best, but wouldn't expect it. I'd rather the Dodgers take a stab at someone like Gonzalez of the Pirates or the Twins' Kyle Lohse (who, as I mentioned earlier, has a bad ERA this year but really good stuff, higher ceiling than someone close to retiring like Wickman). In short, I'm fine with it.

There is not a third baseman available worth trading 1 prospect for. We have several prospects we can try. Aaron Boone---please--if we gave up a prospect for him I would contemplate suicide.

1 - Mike Ramsey the center fielder does not exist. Mike Ramsey the infielder also does not exist.

6 I really think that we cannot compare what one team trades to get another player and assume that we could do the same thing.

The Braves system did have a lot of promotions so a lot of their talent is going to be at lower levels but then Cleveland is not exactly looking for MLB ready players anyways.

But the Indians did get a player who they can play in the minors for 2 more years (counting this year) and then have 3 more before they need to bring him up.

I guess a similar player could be Corey Wade, Russ Mitchell but I am guessing the Indians would want someone like Josh Bell, who has 2 more years of development time until they have to decide to do something.

3 as far as I can see it makes no diff. what pitcher we face. This would seem a negative, but who knows. Our offense has followed no rational pattern.

12 I am not comparing GMs as much as I am saying that the Dodger system has a lot of talent and a lot of it is going to have moved around at some point and everyone knows it.

10. cough Miguel Cabrera cough

Beltre to SD? I hope not.

Well, I'm off to Arizona.

Go BJ!

Did the Dbax finally DL Luis Gonzales?

Carlos Quentin is in their lineup tonite.

17 The Arizona Diamondbacks promoted outfielder Carlos Quentin from Triple-A Tucson on Thursday. Quentin was called up one day after the team optioned right-hander Edgar Gonzalez to Tucson.

I'm sure Gonzo is just out due to lefty/lefty situation.

16
Well, I'm off to Arizona

When's the trip to Oregon?

Though 5 innings, Elbert has allowed 5 runs, 2 walks, 2 homers, and struck out 4.

Quentin for Gonzalez tonight is a big story in the valley. Gonzo is healthy and hot. Are the D-Backs showcasing Quentin? That's the question on sports radio.

20 Trade him.

Listened to most of that game, he got his fastball up, also had a ball got at the wall or else he would have given up another home run.

Rare game for the Suns, shut down by the opposing pitcher.

Trade him! He's 20 and
this i prob. his first slip in AA.
Ok if you can get D-train for him, think about it.

21 I am sure they would rather get rid of Gonzo and his big salary plus the little snide attack by the owner did not help.

24 -- Of course they want to get rid of Gonzo, everyone is aware of that down there. The question is why Quentin -- tonight.

I'm thinking nothing will happen at the trade deadline.

I do hope they bring back Kemp & play him everyday! like somebody said it's just more exiting watching the rooks.

21 My guess is they're showcasing him for their own interests, trying to figure out if he's ready, making Green/Gonzo expendable.

25 Why isn't just as simple as righthanded batter vs. left handed pitcher?

12 -- Maximiliano Ramirez -- a defensively-sound catcher with an OBA over .400 and decent power, who wasn't young for low A but unlike Sergio Pedroza wasn't old for low A either -- is a far better prospect than Cory Wade and Russell Mitchell, who aren't prospects of any kind. And he is a better prospect than Josh Bell. Wickman isn't worth giving up anything to get him, let alone what the Braves gave up, but with McCann in place and other catcher options in the minors, the loss of Ramirez is a loss that the Braves no doubt think is painless.

28 Gonzo in the last year of his deal, Shawn Green deal is through 2007 plus a team option or buyout in 2008.

I see Green as pretty unmovable due to his salary and age.

31 Never underestimate Brian Cashman.

30 My point wasn't that those guys are equal prospects (though they were all-stars and Mr. Do No Wrong, Logan White also pegged Corey Wade as someone too watch), my point was at first glance some would think that why would the Indians only get a Class A catcher for their closer, can't we make the same kind of deal, and our problem (maybe a good problem) is most of our best prospects are in AA or higher, so they are much closer to the MLB so anything we give up is going to seem better than a Class A guy.

D-Backs pregame -- "The hotest D-Back Gonzo on the bench batting .417 this homestand."

Look, you're Bobby Grich, so I'll stop now ...

yeah Nomar pull the ball that's the way you hit Webb.

Brandon Webb's hat looks like mine, & I've owned mine for 10 to 12 years.

34 Gonzo's splits against LH pitching this year. .227/.315/.364, he is 2 for 7 against Hendrickson lifetime.

Look, I don't know why Gonzo is sitting except for my belief you don't bring up guys to sit on the bench.

But the DBacks have only been around since 1998.

Drew's fire has been lit.

If Drew's fire hasn't been lit, then the pilot light is out.

I guess I'm the only one who thinks Gonzalez & Green look a little a like.

41

I think that Gonzalez and Green look alike to Stevie Wonder.

Gameday doesn't really do a very good job describing plays. "Byrnes singles on ground ball to third baseman Willie Aybar."

Huh? Slow roller, ball between Aybar and line, what?

Aybar knocked a hard grounder down at third, but when he got up to throw, he opted not to as Byrnes would have easily beaten the throw.

I move that Bob take over Gameday's function. How hard was that to describe?

Thanks, Bob.

42

the stance?

44

good call from Aybar.

The Gameday guys aren't typing anything though. They just hit a button with a scripted phrase or word attached to it.

the San Fernando Valley is well reprisented in the major leagues.

48

I think I'd do a better job Bob, I have passion & mad love for the game.

If you go into Retrosheet, you can see the games with play by play described in some bizzare code with lots of numbers and parenthesis. That's what the Gameday operator enters.

30- See, this is what I don't understand. You like this guy, but think it's okay to cash him in for garbage just because the Braves have a different catcher. So it wasn't just that you didn't like Navarro. You genuinely think it's an okay idea to cash in redundant parts, no matter how good, for garbage. Because they're redundant. Or am I missing something?

Conor Jackson, representing the S.F.V.!

The "S.F.V." will be the less successful spinoff to the "O.C." A kid from Palmdale will end up moving into a house in Lake View Terrace. There will be culture clashes over who has better Subway shops.

What would you listen to?

A. "Creep" by Radiohead
B. "Creep" by Stone Temple Pilots
C. "Creep" by TLC

we've tide it up! woo!!!

Let's not get into too much hyperbole about Repko, Grady/Vin.

plunk Quentin!!

56 - what'd he say?

That was a mistake to Drew with the pitcher on deck.

56-

"Repko is a HUGE loss."

"Losing Eric Gagne was a major blow, but you know, losing Jason Repko was a major blow too."

Sorry, it was "huge loss"

57

Think about it, from what Vinnie said he's been plunked alot in the minors.

Most consecutive extra base hits is 7 by Elmer Smith of Cleveland in 1921 and Earl Sheely of the White Sox in 1926.

Larry Walker holds the NL record with 6. He did it in 1996.

63-

I wonder if HBP is a "skill" that can be replicated in the majors?

Vernon Wells walk off v. Rivera to beat NY in the 11th.

This right after the leadoff man hit a single and then got thrown out trying to steal second.

53 As someone who lives fairly close to both Lake View Terrace and Palmdale, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Care to explain? Subway shops?

Look at it this way. When you consider hendrickson against other NBA forwards who might have been acquired from the laughingstock of the American League in the middle of a pseudo pennant race, he's really not that bad.

The dog days are upon us.

The D'Backs have seen our rookies, and raised us some ROOKIES.

Potent observations like these have made me a real favorite in these forums.

Okay, but Repko for whatever reason was doing this at the time .304/.392/.522, with 3 HRs and 8 out of 9 stolen bases.

He really is the only right handed option they had AT THE TIME who could play CF.

Remember he had a pretty good spring and he continued that during the opening month.

Just wondering, if this was anyone else but Repko, would people be wondering why Grady would be looking forward to having him back.

66

it's a good day.

Looks like I get Prior v. DT Hero Pedro Astacio tomorrow night.

And they now have brisket sandwiches, fish and chips, and chicken wings at RFK.

I think the Dbax should have been playing their rookies back in June when they lost all those games. They caught a break when Counsell got hurt (pun intended), but Gonzo/Green still put a drag on what they can do for the rest of the year with Quentin.

67
The ubiquitous presence of Subway sandwich shops in these parts.

69 Well the Dodgers could tank it for a couple of years and get some number one picks, though the D-Backs got Drew because San Diego did not want to deal with Boras.

52 -- (1) Actually, I DON'T think it was okay for the Braves to cash in Ramirez for garbage. If I were a Braves' fan I would be angry. But I did make an effort to reason through surrendering Ramirez from the Braves' point of view. You will recall that I have criticized people here for not making an effort to even try to UNDERSTAND Dodger moves, from the Dodgers' execs' perspective, that they disagree with. (2) I never agreed with the DT consensus that Hendrickson is garbage. He has been that in the past, but he is having a pretty nice year, is a couple years short of free agency, and I believe he can help us. If we had given up Navarro for garbage, be it Wickman or some other species of garbage, I would have been ticked. It is not like I didn't think Navarro had SOME trade value, even if that value was only sufficient to get us Hendrickson.

70 Well, most people didn't manage a .278 on base percentage over an entire season.

I have three feelings about players: like, neutral, and sucks. They start at neutral then it works from there. If it gets set one way or the other, it takes way more than 86 at bats to change it back. Case in point, Ethier is still in "neutral mode".

Yes, I realize I've made my sample size rant several times.

For get the fire being lit, J.D. es en fuego! (There should also be an upside down exclimation point there too.)

70-

I think people are just skeptical of Repko. His minor league numbers are not impressive, and his numbers from last year are terrible. One month of a season is not a great sample size. Remember, he put up similar numbers his first month of playing time last year.

I'll be disappointed if Hendrickson is in the Dodger rotation next year. However, its not likely Ned will non-tender him.

Bad situation all around, given his likely arbitration increase.

The play on Raffy was similar to some of the plays that Drew made at short during the series, hard shot deflects right to a fielder, anywhere else it is a hit.

I never agreed with the DT consensus that Hendrickson is garbage.

Ah yes, a singular badge of honor.

1) just when you thought furcal was coming out of his slump, wrong.
2) i've always wondered why minor league teams don't put the top prospects at the top of the lineup to get them more at bats, for example today in vegas valdez is batting 2nd and young (whom i'm not high on at all) is batting 3rd while loney laroche guzman are all batting behind them, and this happens all the time.

79 The great thing about sports is that you can't assume that because someone did something earlier in their career, it won't change.

As much as I like Baseball Prospectus, you can bet that when they write their forecast for the following year, the chapter for the World Series winner will begin something like this, "Well we never saw this coming, etc."

83 That's because not only do you have players vying for big league careers, you have managers trying to get there too and their job is not only to get the players ready, they have to win, and you don't win by putting together a slow-pitch soft ball lineup.

76-

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not sure that it's wrong to dismiss the Dodgers understanding of moves related to this team if they make no sense based on the available evidence.

And I'm tired of people saying that Navarro was a throwaway talent. He was a valuable offensive player at the postiion. His OBP, is, I believe, higher than Russell Martin's at this point. And he's young still.

Looking on the field, I can't see anyone on the D's I'd want back next year except rookies(if Aybar still qualifies), and Furcal. Nes Pa? Possibly Drew if he is healthy enough to play every day.

76 I really don't like that you assume I don't like Hendrickson just because Ned did it/he stunk before.

I don't want to start a Hendrickson argument, so I'll leave it at that.

74 Are they really that common? I guess I haven't been to Lake View Terrace too often, but I go to Palmdale all the time and have never noticed them to any extreme.

89

I was in a hurry and needed a metaphor.

I guess I did not choose wisely.

84-

No one's saying it's impossible he isn't better, but that it's unlikely.

"Creep" by Radiohead

One of my all-time faves.

take that Tracy!!

89

Nobody needs to go to Palmdale all the time unless you live there.

83 The difference having the prospects hit second or third is an at bat every week and a half or so.

take that Tracy!!

The all-purpose Dodger Thoughts phrase.

96

I should have said it's the Swiss Army Knife of Dodger Thoughts phrases.

The difference having the prospects hit second or third is an at bat every week and a half or so.

Is it that little of an effect?
Even when laroche is batting 7th like today?

Tim Kurkjian on BB Tonight just observed that Juan Pierre is starting to hit a little and suggested that the Cubs consider moving him to a contender.

Anyone need a Juan Pierre?

[At this point, I picture Jim Bowden's arm shoot, and his other grab it and try and pull it back down, but he can't really do it . . .]

94 I have family that lives there, and my mother works there (although she commutes there from here in the "SCV"). I don't go there willingly, I can assure you of that.

Canuck, every deal here is evaluated based on statistics and logic. Even though most on this board hate Jim Bowden and think he's an idiot over, most everyone here said he made a great deal with the Reds.

If Ned Colletti makes some logical moves backed with sound evidence, I think he'll get credit. Until he does, I think its fair to question everything the Dodgers do that doesnt make sense.

75 we are tanking it for a couple of years.
Counting last.

98 It's 20 at bats a season every spot you move them up, so one every 8.1 games.

100

For a minute there, I thought you were a crack dealer or gang member.

Again, Vin, with the Repko's absence is HUGE, thing. Vin is great, but he develops these weird attachments to certain players, although I suppose it's impossible not to if you're involved with baseball in a more than casual state.

86 Nope, Navarro OBP for the season and for his career is lower than Russ's, here are his numbers since the trade.
.211/.268/.237 with 3 walks and 9 strikeouts.

Look, he's young and could turn out to be a good everyday catcher but lets not get carried away.

Hummer has great ads.

I love ads; I often find them more creative than the shows surrounding them.

This is one of the things about me that my wife finds most irritating. Especially when we are watching something on tivo and I resist zapping the ads.

94

Palmdale has a great real estate commitity no?

But he has thrown out 7 of 14 base runners.
Wasnt the knock on him before from everyone, was that he could hit but couldnt field very well?

From the NY Times story about the Michael Strahan divorce case:

" As for spending $27,000 on clothes for the twins, Mrs. Strahan testified that her daughters "like to be accessorized."

"Isabella doesn't like to leave the house without a purse," said Mrs. Strahan, who will have custody of the girls."

The twins are 20 months old.

I have a feeling Graham Chapman is getting into costume tonight.

87 Matt Kemp, Joel Guzman and James Loney are the players that have come up this year and remain "rookies." If or more like Kemp comes back, he will lose that status but it is unlikely for now that the others will get enough at bats to go over the limit.

106-

If we're going to cherry pick numbers from a small sample, his Dodger numbers this year are-

.280/ .372/ .387

Obviously he's struggling right now, but his numbers are pretty good for a bad offensive position.

Heres Ramon Martinez.

I would not mind having Orlando Hudson on my team.

Orlando Hudson is a really good defensive second basemen.

107
You and I would not have made good life partners. Not even in Vermont.

107

I despise all the ads for Hummers. Mainly because I don't like the product they're selling. You might as well market something more socially acceptable. Like napalm.

I wouldnt mind having Brandon Webb. Of course, he was an 8th round draft pick out of the University of Kentucky, so its not likely we'll be drafting those 'types'.

112 I was considering Aybar,Martin,and Ethier rookies. I think they are. Are they elegible for ROY.(Possible exception Aybar.

{110}

if my parents had 2 meals a day they were very very happy! guess what I'm thinking of that story!????????

They all are. 140 at bats, 40 innings, or 40 non-September days on the active roster are the cutoffs.

It's just a lefty-on-lefty thing ...

From the AP ...

"I'm excited for Quentin to be here," Gonzalez said. "I hope he gets four hits tonight, five hits. But as a veteran that's been around, I want to be on the field."

The timing of the move mystified Gonzalez, who said the club needs veteran leadership as it contends for the NL West title. Arizona came into Thursday's game in third place, three games behind San Diego. Gonzalez hinted that the Diamondbacks' front office pushed Melvin to play Quentin.

"It's kind of weird because we're in the middle of a pennant race, but I understand that it's not (Melvin's) decision," Gonzalez said. "I think there's a lot more to it, maybe not from down here (in the clubhouse)."

118 whats with this ad where a woman is rudely cut in line, and rather than be assertive, she starts singing about her car---is that Hummer?

It takes a fine work of commercial art to sell Napalm, thank you very much.

113 First, my comments were based on his entire season and he also did not exactly light it up during his rehab assignment.

120 Well any player with less than 130 ABs or 50 IP is eligible for ROY. I mentioned those 3 in the previous post because they remain eligible for next year at this moment. So, all three of those, including Aybar are eligible.

122 I think we were thinking about the BA prospect definition.

Just so.

What's the big deal about Eric Byrnes knowing the names of all the presidents by heart?

It's not a long list. And if you took a U.S. history class at some point in your life, you would have learned about them.

If Eric Byrnes could recite the New Testament in Greek, then I would be impressed.

If he could name all the incorporated cities in L.A. County from memory, I would be extremely impressed.

123 My comments were solely based on statistical evidence and the fact they called up the kid today but I guess it was lot bigger deal than I thought it could be.

131 Obviously anyone who calls a press conference when one of the owners hypothesizes about his 51 home run season is going to be around for a quote. Don't suppose he could just ask someone.

I would love to see one of our guys get ROY.
Martin batting .284 and catching an ML team to perfection must be close.

The Angels have walked 8 Royals, made 4 errors, and have allowed a passed ball.

Yes, they are losing.

Just FYI: Furcal is OPSing .565 on the road this season.

129

very true

I was almost resigned to loosing this game in good grace and a good mood, but the smug emanations of these D-back announcers have finally managed to ruin that.

For those who want to be critical of Nomar, remember he has swung at the first pitch almost every at bat, it has been is MO all year.

The timing of the move mystified Gonzalez, who said the club needs veteran leadership as it contends for the NL West title.

Gonzo, I dont think Josh Byrnes really cares about "veteran leadership"

Hendrickson certainly looks like an upgrade from Seo. That may turn out an even trade Hend. for Navarro. The rest is detritus.

139

UNDO
UNDO
UNDO
UNDO

Plunk this guy!! quiten

When underperforming veterans get defensive about why they should still be playing, and cite reasons like "veteran leadership", I'm reminded of that great flick Office Space:

"What exactly do you do here?"

"I have people skills!!!!"

Hendrickson certainly looks like an upgrade from Seo. That may turn out an even trade Hend. for Navarro. The rest is detritus.

119 -- If we are talking about draft picks around the 8th Round area, most of the guys we draft there are college guys. Of course the odds of an 8th Round draftee, HS or college, ever making the majors, let alone turning out as well as Brandon Webb, are not good.

Quentin's first home run. Gonzalez may be pretty angry for the rest of the season.

Umm...Thats what I think Josh Byrnes cares about.

142
"What the hell is wrong with you people?"

Well, it's a Red Badge of Courage, anyway...

Let's plunk, there "guy" see how it feels (after plunking our guy Martin)

147 - You can say that again. How about you go ahead and say that again.

Forget 143. We are humiliated again and provide the D-backs announcers a chance to rapsodize about how the D-backs org. and their decade long dynasty.

149-

I think we should worry more about not giving up any more runs.

I take it back. For an NBA forward acquired from the laughingstock of the American League in the middle of a pseudo pennant race, Mark Hendrickson pretty much sucks. But duh, and all that.

With the way furcal has been playing (including defense), i would have liked to see guzman playing ss for the team.
I remember a lot of people saying guzman shouldn't play ss because of his poor defense, but think about it, how many games has furcal's defense cost us this season?, i can't think of any.
Someone brought up the subject about moving prospects from certain positions to another and therefore decreasing the prospects value, and i agree with that person, i think guzman's value has decreased a lot because he's no longer a ss.

I love Office Space bc my first real job out of college was exactly like that. Our cubicles looked identical to the ones in the movie. If you ever get a cushy office job, that requires minimal work and all the free time you want to browse the internet, enjoy it. I never realized how easy I had it.

Of course, if you want more money and decide to go for a masters degree, thats cool too. Thats the step i'm about to embark on.

Ugh. I get home just in time to see Gio coming in? This is really not my week.

Its really hard to blame the pitching on this trip when the team only scores 4 runs once and has been shut out twice. Not excusing Hendrickson but there was no question that in the first half this team won with it's offense and even if they get better pitching, they will need the offense to win.

151

guess what!!!?? they don't have Vinnie!!

I feel better already!

thank you for remining me of the tresure we have in Vinnie.

Maybe Guzman will be a SS again when he and Elbert are traded to the Nationals for Soriano.

Maybe Guzman will be a SS again when he and Elbert are traded to the Nationals for Soriano.

Please NO.

159

Just how many Guzmans do the Nationals need?

On one hand, I'm opposed to trading for SWAGGER because I don't want him as a rental. On the other hand, I'm opposed to trading for SWAGGER because I don't want to sign him long-term.

SWAGGER could give the team a couple 1st round draft picks though.

If Carlos Quentin is following in the footsteps of Travis Lee and Alex Cabrera, he can look forward to a long career as either a poor hitting first baseman or a guy who will be worshipped as an idol in Japan.

When was the last time a player with 30 HRs was traded before the deadline?

154 Guzman has done nothing in AAA to show that he has the abiltiy to play at this level yet.

And no one has shown me a comparable player at 6'6", 250 lbs, that has played shortstop. And again I think the only "value" he lost was to Fantasy baseball players who wanted him at shortstop, most reports I have read always rated his hitting ability and ability to hit for power as his big skills and if he did that and improved his pitch recognition, his value would be as high as anyone.

Two other shortstops, Drew and Wood are a little shorter and about 60 lbs lighter and even Wood may be moved to 3rd.

JAWFWA

we have something brewing!! 2 on nobody out!!

Aybar sure does have good ABs.

Old friend Elmer Dessens just pitched 3 scoreless innings against the Angels.

as soon as Cruz Jr. is out of here the better!!

as soon as Cruz Jr. is out of here the better!!

as soon as Cruz Jr. is out of here the better!!

Cruz stays out of the triple play.

174

looking at the bright side?

The only good thing is that we are in the NL West, where you could go 1-7 on a road trip and only lose 1 1/2 games.

Going from 2nd place to 4th isnt too cool though.

Trading for players with the hope of getting draft picks when they walk doesn't seem to me to be an effective way to run a team.

Seriously, its getting to the point in this division that whomever wins in September is going to win this thing.

I would not be surprised if Colorade still gets a turn at the top this year.

LAT's daughter has a new least-favorite player.

177 That could change in a game or two.

if that was going out what would Perez blame it at!!

Its Odalis Perez time!

180 Could she root for him in pinstripes?

Infielder Bill Mueller said doctors have ruled out all known procedures to repair the deteriorating condition in his right knee. "We don't know what's left," said Muller, who is done for the season and quite possibly his career. Mueller will continue rehabilitation in hopes of a miraculous recovery or some yet-to-be-discovered solution. He is signed through 2007.

Remind me again: wasn't Mueller's knee problem a pre-existing condition prior to when he signed with the Dodgers?

166

What i'm getting at is the way guzman's performance has been going, he's looking like a barely over 300 obp maybe 20 hr's a season and with those kind of numbers he'd be a below average to maybe average outfielder/3b/1b, but an above average ss or even 2b.
Now i'm not saying that he can't improve or that he's done, just that his performance so far translates to what i said in the 1st paragraph.

177-Just like in Kentucky, it's all relative.

109 -- Throwing out baserunners is only one part of a catcher's defensive responsibilities; Navarro was deficient in other areas as well. When I hear that Navarro has thrown out 7 of 14 baserunners since the trade, I have to ask, who is running? One of the biggest differences between having Navarro as our catcher and Martin is that now it's not every Tom, Dick, and Harry on other teams that tries to steal a base. A catcher doesn't just stop the running game by catching base-stealers; he intimidates men on base into not even bothering to run. Martin does that. So if Navarro is gunning down legitimate base-stealers, great. If he has been gunning down David Ortiz or similar individuals, color me unimpressed.

When you put Cruz and Ledee with the rest of the Devil Rays, the trendline becomes definitive.

184- I meant Ethier, for robbing Green, there. Her love for Green seems to be team-color blind.

I love hearing the D-backs announcers ex-pounding on the tradgedy the Dodgers have become, and the strange case of Odalis Perez. They sound as though they have no problems, and can't understand the D's collapse.

188. You are right. But Navarro's Rate2 as a D-ray is 119. He's obviously doing something better there, than he was doing as a Dodger.

191 -- I'm sure they can't, given their GM's proclivity for hanging up the phone when Andrew Friedman calls.

If a catcher could throw out 50% of all baserunners, wouldn't you be rooting for every player who reached to try running on him?

Vin actually recognizes Led Zeppelin music?

Julian Bond on the Colbert Report is confusing and disorienting.

The commercials are relatively straightforward, however.

Not to mention when Andrew Shimmin calls. That lunatic.

I don't care what Steve says, I thought that was cool. Didn't work out, but still cool.

Remember that the DBacks hold their players up to a higher standard than the rest of baseball. They have moral superiority over everyone else.

It's like they all drive Priuses!

186 I still believe if he ever just stopped worrying about where he played and who was being promoted, his talent would allow him to produce and would do far better than those numbers.

BTW while Elbert had his first rough outing in AA, Bryan Morris rebounded after giving 3 runs and a homer in the first 2 innings to pitch 6 innings, allowing 8 hits, 1 walk, 6 Ks and 8/4 gb/fb ratio. And he has a chance for the win.

I was reading a music review today and the author of this review called Stone Temple Pilots the "Led Zeppelin of the early 1990's"...I like STP, but comparing them to LZ just isnt right.

Grady's grandson must be very proud that he was named after Braden Looper.

Now it's the Rockies who hold their players up to a higher standard. At least in their clouded brains.

Good thing the DBacks had a tall first baseman!

198 -- Best to just ignore me when assorted Dodger Rays are playing. They are the manifestation of the perpetuation of mediocrity, and they annoy me.

188 I do know that in two of his caught stealing, one was a broken squeeze play and the other was when Vlad Guerrero overslid the bag after he was safe.

I thought Toronto was the moral compass of Major League Baseball.

205- I meant the Russ Martin bunt. But now I'm not so sure it was a bunt, since nobody cried out in agony. The one where the pitcher and 3B let it roll foul? I only looked up after contact, so I didn't see if it was a swinging bunt, or intentional trickery.

207

Colorado is God's team, but Arizona has the highest standards.

This game will be over soon. That makes me happy.

LOL...Drew makes an error on a grounder to Drew.

I think Ned got confused: you're supposed to get groundball pitchers, not hitters.

208 -- After Cy Hendrickson gave up the homerun, I turned it to Earl and the Office.

I think you should always send the runner when Nomar is up, because he is going to swing, I will repeat this until someone listens to me.

212 Actually, Hendrickson had an 11/3 ration of groundballs to flyballs (excluding extra base hits).

207-At least they have dibs on Canada.

212 -- You're supposed to get good pitchers, not bad pitchers.

217
Yes, another point of confusion for Nedusa.

That poll equalled 102%. There must be some rounding errors.

You think 11/3 is good..

Look at Brandon Webb's: 18/2
I dont think I've ever seen a ratio that high ever. Of course, he gets helped out bc the Dbax turned 4DP's.

But with Julio, all things are possible.

Why must Byrnes do that every throw? Did he really think Ethier was going to try to take second? Heck, I'd probably run because he did it, considering the lack of any ability to aim when you're three feet in the air and parallel to the ground.

Eric Byrnes is a nut case.

I finally got around to watching the BBC Office. I didn't like it better than the American version, and I'm not sure I liked it much at all. It was much more cruel; in the NBC version, Michael and Dwight at least sometimes get to win; their Brit counterparts were the perpetual butt of every indignity. American Pam is much better looking, and the Pam/Jim relationship makes any sense. British Pam/Jim don't seem to like each other that much, and there doesn't seem to be any reason for them to.

Get your Sele v. Weaver tickets now. Don't crowd.

Why do the Diamondbacks seem to have a mascot that looks like a bobcat?

Sandy Alomar Jr is still on the team apparently. I forgot about him.

Is this when Alomar stages the destruction of his knees? He brought out the lineup card today, so he's clearly practicing to become a coach...

Alomar alert.
I thought he got lost somewhere. LOL!

July 20, 1987
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07200MIN1987.htm

This had a lot of groundouts.

Just Another Non-Walk for Alomar

If everyone was so upset the other night when Chad won his first game, can't imagine what people will write tonight.

Nothing Bobby.
Apathy is settling in.

225 Because he is a bobcat? Apparently diamondbacks are too poisonous for kids to idolize them or something.

I'm really getting impatient with furcal.
That's why i brought up guzman and the shortstop position.
13 million furcal vs league minimum guzman with at least the same production if not better than furcal.

"Bobcat" ... they used to play in the "BOB." (BankOne Ballpark)

223
did you watch both seasons and the christmas special of the bbc version? i thought that it was better than the one season of the nbc version that i have seen. i also thought that the bbc pam/jim (dawn/tim) relationship was believable. the characters did have more of an edge, perhaps due to more lenient standards on the bbc. anyway, the bbc version offered something that the nbc version will not have until the show has been milked dry and overstayed it's welcome: closure.
by the way, i think gareth's website is just as good as dwight's.

234 Give it up, as Jon pointed out the other day, Raffy has actually been doing his thing offensively since May (coincidentally when the team had its little run).

Now is he worth 13 million, no but then who is in today's market but I just think once you start trying to equate value to salary, you will always be disappointed.

David Wright makes less than $400,000 this year, A-Rod makes 25 million, Francisco Liriano is making the minimum, Randy Johnson making 40-50 times that.

But then Albert Pujols is worth his this year, Jim Thome, Vlad Guerrero, but due to injuries, guys like Gary Sheffeld, Hideki Matsui or Derrick Lee are not.

In sports players are paid for either potential or past performance rarely for the job they are doing at the time.

Seriously, if Furcal was batting .330 with 12 home runs and a .999 fielding percentage would he be worth 13 million, no he wouldn't, he never will be. I think he got in trouble trying to be something he wasn't and now he pretty much is the player he was in Atlanta and I am sure we have a winning record when he scores a run.

The Giants just went back to back to back, Bonds, Durham and Felz, does anyone else think that they will hand down an indictment while the Giants are on the road.

Once a rather new King, sensing discontent in his kingdom, summoned an high councilor from a neighboring kingdom and offered him power and office beyond his experience, to help make his kingdom a mighty and happy one. But Ohh, said the councilor, while you have many fine young knaves who could be great Knights, they are young and not ready.But fear not Sir, for I will send for old 'prentises and proteges,who will prop up your kingdom until it's own may rise and stand. They will shine as no realm has before. The King, who really was a rather dim bulb, was entranced, and said make it so!
And so it was done, and things went well, until late in the year trouble arose in the far northern reaches of the kingdom. Although they tried, the older warriors couldn't answer the call.
At this point our coucilor, wise indeed, did panic. For Kings had thrown many of his kind into the dungeon, or exiled them never to return.
And that is how we came to have Sir Barry at the expense of most of our young and ambitious nights.
A fractured tale of days of old.

But that's like the Marlins having a fisherman for a mascot.

240
The Giants mascot is a seal.

241 I give up.

The seventh seal?

9th inning 2 outs and laroche homers.
Other than that not much offense from vegas.

If there is something to look forward too, the Dodgers have a chance to win 2 of the games this weekend against the Cardinals.

Suppan vs Penny---Seems favorable to the Dodgers
Weaver vs Sele--Seems favorable to the Dodgers

Utah is experiencing sort of the public health and welfare equivalent of a trade with the Devil Rays. After all that beer, it's no surprise.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=370573

Jon Heyman, SI's equivalent of Rosenthal, added this to his latest article:

• Hard-throwing Jonathan Broxton is another reliever being eyed by the White Sox. But one Dodgers person said, "He might be our closer next year."

224 - The great rematch. While Sele doesn't get to face the Angels this time, he is a much better pitcher at home. I mean, this guy should just start every home game he can.

Aaron Sele
Home games (6-0):
K/BB: 4.57, K/9: 6.59, WHIP: 0.98, ERA: 1.65, INN/GS: 6.17

Away games (0-3):
K/BB: 0.71, K/9: 0.38, WHIP: 1.94, ERA: 6.15, INN/GS: 5.2

How do you explain the Dodger Stadium effect on Sele's K Rate?

He doesn't get into it like Jose Lima, either. Here are Lima's 2004 Home/Away splits (only looking at overall totals; Retrosheet doesn't take the other stuff into account):

Home (9-1):
K/BB: 3.93, K/9: 4.84, WHIP: 1.09, ERA: 3.08

Away (4-4):
K/BB: 1.9, K/9: 5.03, WHIP: 1.47, ERA: 5.56

249 -- The pitcher's mound at Dodger Stadium is higher than regulation and more steeply sloped. Some non-Dodger pitchers have always loved pitching at Dodger Stadium for that reason. The mound makes their stuff better. Sele pitched at Dodger Stadium both as a Mariner and as an Angel. Both times I saw him do so he was dominant.

245 - Dodgers.com lists Reyes as the probable starter against Sele. Billingsley gets to face Weaver.

I'll be bold and predict Billingsley gets win #2.

So am I suppose to laugh when Emily Rose jumps out the window during her exorcisim attempt? Because I did.

Did Odalis Perez really just pitch two perfect innings in relief in this game?

Without throwing many pitches too.

If Bob is still here, he may be interested to know I an just back from Cheney Stadium. Saw three of the four games between Vegas and Tacoma.

Guzman was dh in two of the three games. If the Dodgers are trying to find a defensive position for him, I fail to see what good it does to have him dh. He hit a couple of balls hard; most impressive to me was a double against the fence in right center yesterday. It is 385 out there and I have not seen too many righthanded hitters hit the ball off the wall out there in the 20+ years I have been going to see games at Cheney. He also hit a homerun in the series to left and lashed a single to left today.

Loney did not hit anything hard in the three games I saw. He had a couple of basehits, including a bloop double to left. I imagine he must be hitting the ball better than what I saw to have a 380 batting average.

All of the outfielders made poor throws in the series. Repko threw one over the catcher today in a play at the plate; D. Young made two terrible throws, one tonight from left and one the other night from right. Kemp failed to hit the cutoff man the first night and a runner advanced a base.

The starter yesterday threw a complete game. Lefthander, I think his name is Eric Stoltz or something like that. The guy did not bring a good record into the game. Right now Tacoma does not have a particularly good hitting team and most of their hitters are leftys. Eric Hull pitched in relief tonight and he was throwing the ball very hard. Bellorin was the catcher in two of the three games and he looked very good behind the plate.

LaRoche played at third in all three games I saw. He didn't have any tough defensive plays. He did hit a couple of homeruns and hit one ball tonight very hard into the leftcenter gap that was flagged down by the centerfielder. He is not as tall as Guzman, Kemp and Loney. He doesn't run like a penguin, but when I saw him I thought of Ron Cey.

If I was Ned/Grady, my starting lineup would be Nomar at first, Aybar at second, Izzy at short and LaRoche at third. Martin behind the plate, with Guzman in left, Ethier in center and Drew in right. Hull would be part of the bullpen. Kent, Furcal, Baez and Lofton would be sent to whoever wanted to pay their salaries. I don't know if that lineup would win the NL West, but it would go a long way towards making me a Dodger fan again.

Stan from Tacoma

Scoring I would see
Or should I say, that once fooled me

Kemp showed me home runs, weren't they good? Major leauge wood.

I thought they could play and hit that baseball anywhere.

So I looked around and there wasn't power over there.

They fell on a rug, wasting their time, drawing the line.

They scored only 2, and then they said, it's time for bed.

They told they'd win in the morning then started to laugh

I knew that they wouldn't then took out my wrath

And when I awoke, I was alone, that team had flown

Then Ken lit a fire, isn't it good? Major league wood.

Seems favorable to the Dodgers

A little leauge pitcher wouldn't favor the dodgers.

257 Yes, I've already played that on my guitar. It sounds great. Coming to a website near you. I once had a prospect, or should I say, he once had me. Beautiful, thinkingblue, beautiful.

Bob Wickman makes an appearance in today's fun RGC, which also hits the 1994 strike. One error, though - it claims that, at some point, Tim Salmon was a young baseball player, which I simply find hard to believe.

252

very edgy

I hope there aren't any Ruggiano fans here. He was the PTBNL in the Seo/Navarro/ Hendrickson/ Hall trade.

Ruggiano, 24, was hitting .260 with nine homers and 45 RBIs for Double-A Jacksonville.

262

it's a sad day for me.

262 Yup. We debated this in the previous day's thread. The consensus seemed to be that Ruggiano wasn't a top prospect and it wasn't a big loss, but some people liked him and it seemed a little much to have to give him up, too. He may end up with a decent career with a change of scenery. You never know. Expectations are pretty low, however.

Meanwhile, I had this bad dream last night, guys, in which the Dodgers had lost 7 out of 8 games and were slumping badly. You were there, and you, and you, and you. Thankfully it was just a dream.

There's no place like home, there's no place like home...

{{click heels together twice}}

From Tom Boswell's chat at washingtonpost.com:

Boswell: I sometimes wear a "Japan" WBC hat just to remind myself that almost none of the MLB teams that I cover have a sound idea of how the game should be played. Our teams are exceptionally talented physically and have first-rate teaching techniques for pitching and hitting. But the need for more discipline, more accountability, more team play, is enormous.

Reports that he's been lurking at The Griddle could not be independently verified.

I wear a Team South Africa WBC cap because it's better looking.

266

I only have My Dodger hat.

266

I only have My Dodger hat.

that double thing wasn't my fault (for the record)

Funny, I happen to be wearing an Australia WBC cap right now.

Thanks for the update, Stan!

I'm wearing a Togo hat in memory of what might have been.

Stan spelling of the pitcher's name as Eric Stoltz (it's Stults) proves to me that Cheney Stadium has America's worst PA sound system.

Everytime they announce a batter, I want to say, "No, I wanted a large coke. And where are my fries?"

273

you're eating habbits are very bad. :o)

Bob, the Tacoma triple A team has been sold to some guy from Texas. I am glad you were able to see a game at Cheney Stadium; I just hope I will continue to be able to do so in the years ahead.

And Jon, you are welcome. Vegas will be back in town next month. I hope that Loney has a better series next time around.

Stan from Tacoma

273- Try RFK. If you aren't in just the right spots, you can't hear anything at all. Just echoes off the concrete.