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.