Grady is right, and that is why he is a vast improvement over Jim Tracy. Well, that and he's not a total idiot.

The only thing Josh R got wrong in that response at all was that he was too nice when called Bill Plaschke one of the best sportswriters in the country. I know he's probably saying that because he has to be diplomatic and give his vinegar with a little sugar added or whatever, but I doubt he believes it. At any rate, pretty on the nose as a response otherwise.

He also mentions that there's a roundtable with Little, Ned and McCourt tonight on KFWB? Don't think I can listen to it out of the area but if anyone does and hears something worth noting, feel free to pass it along.

Yeah, if Rawitch thinks Plaschke is one of the best sportswriters in the country, he really needs to get out more.

If diplomacy is defined as the ability to lie for one's country (or employer, in this case), I suppose he's got it down.

Ethier for LaRouche dosn't sound that bad to me (don't trash me for saying that please I'm just a dumb fan) Soriano is 30 years old how many more "good years" dose he have? 4-5? I wouldn't be that bumed about that trade, but then again Ethier is playing great, & LaRouche's sealing is high, I don't know I guess I wouldn't make a good G.M.

2 - Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Being tactful and diplomatic is part of a PR director's job description.

3 Someone once defined diplomacy as the ability to say the most awful things in the nicest possible way. In that sense, I think Rawitch went a little overboard in his "but I respect him, really" disclaimer. Should have said something like "he truly is one of the very best columnists whose name begins with a P in Los Angeles."

"But to leave out one of the main things Ned said because it contradicted his opinion doesn't make sense to me."

This is the crux of what Plaschke will never be invited to dinner at my house. People who argue using incomplete information and ignore the possible counter-arguments are the worst kind of advocates in the world. In fact, it reminds me of extremism.

What a fool I've been! Rawitch isn't being diplomatic, he's setting off proxy wars. Every time he says something idiotically respectful of Plaschke, morons like me head over and bash him, doing Rawitch's work for him, but allowing him plausible deniability. Gee Bill, I'm sorry they called you names, no controlling those internet people, har har. It's so clear, now.

Proxy wars in the defense of logic are no vice!

4 Andre Ethier for...Lyndon LaRouche?

That deal would never get by the Trilateral Commmission.

The only thing I'd add is that I think that the ability of many Dodger fans' to handle a rebuilding year, as long as it has been spelled out to them, has always been greately underestimated.

Definitely. I mean, better to rebuild than try to sling a bunch of mud together and hope it dries and becomes a beautiful sculpture. I think as the organization is doing so much to celebrate the 1981 team, they're really thinking that raising your own farm system is the best way to try to win a championship, and I don't think that will be hard for fans to recognize.

I think we'll just have to accept that the Dodgers only had one truly great (or even good) free agent signing, and that was Kirk Gibson.

10 Not to mention: LaRouche's mobility has been called into question -- though it's better now than it was in the early '90s.

10 Our CPUSA meetings used to get raided regularly by the LaRouche people. We didn't have to go into hiding from the government, but from the "Roosevelt" wing of the demorcats. Have you ever seen him speak? The man's literally insane, you can see it in his eyes.

Tostitos salsa is very weak.

4 - I don't see Atlanta doing it. I think there's a better chance of them sending Jeff Francoeur to Oakland for a year to teach him to take a pitch. The Braves' outfield isn't bad, and while it would be nice to have Laroches at the corners, I wouldn't put more than a nickel on it.

Atlanta would probably much rather have Broxton anyway, and the answer to that one is NO.

I don't see LA doing it either.

Frankly, I might be more excited about the prospect of re-building that trudging through the rest of a disappointing season.

Afternoon Becomes Eclectic?

The idea of Vin Scully going to ball games as a kid is a really pleasant one for me. I'm going to be pretty devastated when he's no longer with the team.

I hope the good Peavy dons't show up today.

Someone wrote that the best definition of diplomacy was saying "Nice Doggie" while you try to find a big stick.

14

I'm more of a home made salsa guy.

Me, too. But I don't know how to make it. I can't wait till my wife gets home.

20 - I believe that's a Churchillism.

Cubs and Mets 0-0, top of the 10th. And no, I haven't been drinking. Doctor's orders, you know.

13 - We always get the LaRouche people handing out literature, etc on campus, and they're a bunch of nuts. They're a combination of conspiracy theorists and bad economists. Their stuff is like the Weekly World News, except not as interesting and in color.

Bradford with a perfecto thru 1.

Now would be a good time to try to "sell" the fans on a rebuilding year, as the rookies this year have easily been the brightest aspect of this year (Nomar too, but we'll see how his season wraps up).

Problem with rebuilding next year, is that it could conceivably be 3 90-loss seasons in a row (though they are straight-lining for "only" 86 losses this year, but that number is rising with a bullet). That might be tough to swallow, even if the 3rd one (next year) could be the most intriguing.

Also, the division stinks, which is almost certainly temporary. LA, SD, and AZ all look to be on the rise through the rest of the decade. Passing on a division title through this stretch might end up coming back to haunt.

4/15 - Did I miss something?

I thought it was a tie (Furcal sliding to 2nd)

How about, the Dodgers will still spend $100 million a year, but will divert money from payroll to get Vin Scully his own fountain of youth? I think we can all agree on that.

Then we just have to get Dodger games broadcasted nationally like TBS . . .

24 One time a LaRouche recruiter and I were talking over lunch and we were talking about my politics. He said, "Oh, you're a Communist? LaRouche is just like Lenin. Actually, Lenin wanted to be just like LaRouche." Then we began to talk about my field of study, which is classics. He said, "You know, LaRouche is just like Sokrates. Attaining the pinnacle of Sokrates' philosophy leads one to be just like LaRouche."

nice AB slugger. ::rolls eyes::

What, Penny got through the first innng on 9 pitches?

That combined with not running on Lofton last night convinces me of one thing: the Padres aren't very smart.

And the Tomato hammered out a double.

And Peavy has thrown more pitches than Penny in the first.

Good signs all around.

Aside from the win against AZ, have the Dodgers ever led by more than 2 runs in any game since the break?

JAWFE

26 What gives you any indication that San Diego will be on an upswing, their team is very old, and their minor league system is barren, they looked poised for a crash to me.

Was Tomko activated? If so who got sent out?

Bob. Dodgers led 2-0 in the 1st game after the break on a Nomar 2 run home run.

35 - It doesn't appear he was activated for today's game.

Tomko not listed on Gameday

I would say San Diego would be on an upswing if Peavy were pitching better.

And they had a left side of the infield.

Vinnie just mentioned that Repko is in fact hurt I don't know but sometimes there healthy departement makes some quiestionable disitions.JMO.

Any news on Baez? I heard he was hurt last night.

But my question was:

have the Dodgers ever led by more than 2 runs?

And I believe the answer is no.

Bad reading comprehension on my part.

41 - he saw how bad he was pitching and got sick to his stomach? Got me.

Dang nabbit Russ. We are SO in need a big inning.

29- Plaschke and LaRouche have that in common. Lenin wished he was half the writer Plascke, or, as I like to call him, American Shakespeare, is. Also, you could study all the Socrates (I don't care if it's wrong, but I wouldn't be opposed to hearing you explain why it is) you liked, but you'd never reach Plaschke's level of nirvanic philosophical completeness.

Plaschke is proof of human perfectibility.

Any word on Tomko? He was suppose to be activated today, but it doesn't appear that he was activated.

46 Arw you trying to start a proxy proxy war?

26 - SF is quietly gaining ground in their farm system, too, and they've produced one possible star-level pitcher in Matt Cain.

34 - The Padres have Alderson and Depodesta in the front office, two good young starters to build on (Peavy, Chris Young), and some nice young players in Gonzalez, Barfield, and Greene.

They've also got zero payroll commitments outside of Giles, Peavy, and Hoffman for next year.

The Giants - now there's an old team with a barren system due for a crash.

49 - Do the Giants have anything in their farm system of note? Not anything at AA or above?

I just see a whole lot of Lance Niekro's and Merkin Valdez's.

Has anyone been able to pinpoint Jake Peavy's problems this year? The guy was a stud last season. This season he's a mule.

48- I'm not, necessarily, not doing that.

Speaking of farm systems, poor Edwin Jackson had a rough outing today, coming in for Casey Fossum, who also had a rough outing:
0.1 5 5 4 1

The Giants farm system is getting better but is still considered fairly shallow at the moment. Sanchez, the reliever they called up, is good, and there's Cain, a few hitters here and there, most of their other talent lies in low minors...

53 Effectively using a double negative to make a non-negative! And I was afraid you would lose your edge when you quit smoking!

I was doing some wishful thinking about the Perez trade. The royals are paying the remainder of his salary this year correct? Maybe Colletti wanted to free up some money for Logan White to sign the two late round awesome talents in Alex White and Nick Akins. I think you can get both for a combined 1.75million or so. If that is what they had in mind (doubt it), then the trade becomes better in my eyes.

52 - The K/9 and K/BB rates are still solid as ever.

He's just getting hit too often. His BAA is .261 this year, up from .217 last year.

Aybar's OPS has dropped 70 points on this 7 game losing streak.

When your team is looking forward to the return of Tomko, its future is not too bright.

50 Don't think much of Gonzalez, Barfield, and Greene, they all seem like solid players, but I don't see a single difference maker there. Greene has really come back to earth after his rookie season, Gonzalez looks to be a punch and judy firstbaseman, and Barfield has talent, but isn't going to be a dominant second baseman. Other than that they have nothing.

As for Alderson and Depo, they are impressive baseball minds, but don't have many pieces work with imo, and San Diego looks to struggle in the next 4-5 years, by my read of it.

58 Whose hasn't?

I was thinking about intro songs for players when they go to bat. I've changed my pick to that song, whose title I don't know, which is on one of the great episodes of I Love Lucy that goes "I tipppy-tippy-toe through my garden/ where all the pretty flowers dwell..."

61 Ethier's.

54

The giants have Tim Lincecum now. He'll move fast.

Josh Bard has been a nice find for SD

52 Peavy has durability issues. He throws a lot of sliders and doesn't weigh very much (listed at 180). His shoulder is a concern and will likely be going forward. He's had some arm trouble this season, as well.

54 It'll be tough for the Giants to improve their farm system when they, seemingly as a matter of strategy, forfeit first-round draft picks. Their first pick in 2005 was #132. In 2006, it was Lincecum at #10, a pick protected from free-agent signing compensation.

64 He will move fast, I agree. As I said, most of their talent lies in the low minors. (But he may not be there for long.)

61. Actually, Aybar's plummett is the largest on the team in the past 7 days. Probably because of overall lack of PA's. Drew's has only gone down 4 points.

If the Padres are not to stink in the upcoming years they are going to have to sign a lot of free agents. They should also deal some of their veterans, the problem is that they still want to make the playoffs. I think the Pads and Giants will have a few years of growing pains as the Dodgers, D-Backs, and Rockies rule the NL West.

13 Just became my all time favorite funny post.

I love how Plaschke equates a big trade with us going to the World Series. We probably wouldn't even make the playoffs.

66 But Peavy can hit :)

Here's a sick thought I had yesterday.

If San Diego and Arizona both make the postseason these former Dodgers that were on the 2004 squad will be playing in the postseason of 2006 FOR A NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAM. UGH!!!

Paul LoDuca - Mets
Duaner Sanchez - Mets

Dave Roberts - Padres

Juan Encarnacion - Cardinals

Shawn Green - Diamondbacks

Great, give up a double to the opposing pitcher. Well done. Sigh. In a game where there may not be much room for error, especially given the Dodgers offense... that doesn't help.

The Padres also have some serious financial issues. They are at MLB's debt limit and have some additional private debt that makes meeting their cash outflows pretty tight sometimes. They won't be able to go above the total current annual player payroll of $70,000,000,000m (that's in millidollars).

JESUS H CHRIST.

trade Brad Penny too. Another 5 inning start for our horse? :::rolls eyes again:::

I believe that's the game, gentlemen.

The Colletti World Dominance Tour 2006 continues unabated.

At least Cameron didn't hit a double.

Vin: "So Brad Penny right now isn't worth a farthing"

76. Please dont blaspheme on this site. I find it personally offensive.

Get Dessens in the game!!

Grady needs to let him go 5 so he can get the win.

I'm going back & forth from the Dodger game & 40y'ol virgin.

Penny is just getting unlucky. I mean, what are the odds that all these balls put in play would turn into hits...?

6 straight hits? That's better than the Atlanta game.

Way to step up Brad when we really need an ace like performance.

Gonzalez looks to be a punch and judy firstbaseman,

He's already hit 18Hrs.

His pitch count isn't all that bad...

how dose Penny do in the 2nd half, anybody know?

Won't they never win again?

75 - OK, if that's true then I take back the nice things I said about SD. The fact that only Peavy and Giles are under contract in 2008 I felt gave them a tremendous amount of financial flexibility. I would trust Alderson and Depodesta to spend that money wisely.

But if that money isn't there, and the minor league system is ashes-to-ashes, dust-to-dust, then I'm in agreement with the consensus here.

Penny is yelling at Lofton....How many Kelories is that?

anyways, this much closer to David Price!!

Fur-kel with the form that makes him a perennial all star.

88 - Looks very similar to Palmeiro. Hmm...

I was watching on Gameday, and wondering exactly how Roberts "doubled on a ground ball to CF Kenny Lofton"

90. Were Dodger fans. How would we know? He didn't pitch for us in the 2nd half of 2004 and I think most have deleted the events in the memory bank of 2005.

93 OK, Nate, if the Dodgers lose all of their remaining games and finish with the #1 pick in the 2007 draft, who do you take? Other than David Price?

I';m not watching the game, why was Penny yelling at Lofton? Did he Loftonize a play that inning?

OK, Nate, if the Dodgers lose all of their remaining games and finish with the #1 pick in the 2007 draft, who do you take? Other than David Price?

David Price.

If Lofton makes out look for Drew to come through with a Shawn Green-esque single .....(base empty 2 outs single)

99

Roberts got to 2b on a groundball to shallow cf lol.

100 Who should round out the top 5?

There's something metaphysical about this Dodger collapse. It must be all the blaspheming on this site.

JD pops out to 3rd. WOOHOO. Ned needs to dump all of Depo's high priced garbage....Penny, Lowe, Drew........and start anew. Trade these bums for prospects and bring in Zito, Schmidt, and Soriano for 2007.

This is sickening.

to expand on 100. I would probably go the top College player If we are in the top 5. Someone that could come up in a yr or two and supplement our young core.

See Joey, no anti college bias here!

We have "killer Bs", too, Vin.

If this team doesn't make you blaspheme, nothing will.

108 Yeah, Yahweh has definitely made a bet with somebody.

107 Baez. Beimel. Bizturis.

Isn't next year's draft thin as well?

Just turn on the computer and what pops up on the front page of yahoo? The singer of n'sync announces that he's gay. Surprise, surprise.

I'm glad that one of our pitchers has finally called out Lofton. Lofton just waited for the ball to roll to him.

H-E double hockey sticks. Barfield doubles on a fly ball thats in the air for 14 seconds to shallow center in extra innings which leads to another loss.

I don't know why we just didn't keep Dan Evans. The only thing keeping us out of the playoffs in the last years of Evans were...
1) Johnson and Schilling
2) Super Juiced Bonds

oh for pete's sake.

Time to start drinking...

Perennial all star Geoff Blum with a single and double. Keep up the great work ace.

Wonder what the old "Round Table Discussion" tonight is gonna be like in the wake of this fiasco?

When does Penny start to pretend he's hurt?

Peavy is going for the cycle.

Jake Peavy.

All you can do is laugh.

Not that anyone cares but I'm postponing my trip to Cincy.

Not only has the plane crashed into the mountain, the mountain just slid into a village of Girl Scouts. This is ridiculous, and I can't stop laughing.

This has transcended into high comedy. For those who can actually follow the games with some audio or video device, is the crowd booing yet? I mean, really, a homer to Peavy? As 104 insinuates, it must be all the blaspheming.

112.
Lofton waited because he limps everywhere. He looked hurt last time I saw him.

113 Add:

(3) The worst offense in baseball history.

Evans? Eh. Not the best judge of talent.

On a positive note if Brad can make it through 1 more inning his innings per start for the year shouldn't go down any.

121 I nearly did a spit-take.

Kenny Lofton is chuckling inside

Peavy is going for the cycle.

That was Peavy's 2nd HR of the season.
Carlos Zambrano has I think 5HRs.

If Peavy can get up to Kenny speed, he can get a triple.

Penny is angry. That last pitch to Roberts was 132mph on the radar gun.

Sell, sell, sell...

I thought Tahoe said yesterday he wasnt going to follow the Dodgers as often.

Those were quieter times.

How did this HAPPEN? My God.

Who should round out the top 5?

I haven't really done a ton of research on the draft yet. I usually dont start with that until later.

In 2 years Depo led us to the playoffs once. In the 8 or 9 years previous we went 0 times and it looks like we will go 0-1 since Depo was fired (cant wait to see who they fire this offseason).

Can we just let the Depo mistake (if you feel that way) go?

134 Precisely.

Anybody wanna take bets on how many days it is before Frank has another employee purge?

133. I haven't been. I went to bed last night rather than watch some of the crud that the blue is fielding. If it's an afternoon game I'm going to watch............no matter how CRAPPY Drew is.

Penny is not garage bluetahoe.

And yes, sell, sell, sell. Get Kenny and Izzy out of here. Useless to us.

134 - shh, you're blaspheming again! Can't you tell that this is the result of an angry God?

Martin has a hit, I hope that sparks the club.

Jason Grabowski wasn't THAT influential. LOL....

I would rather watch the 51s than this. If they're going to lose, let's watch the kids get used to major league pitching.

I don't know if that's actually a good idea for their development, but it would be fun to root for them.

NPB. Quit blasphemmeeming. It offends me. LOL.....

thinkingblue. It's just a case of the hateful harry's. I still say trade Penny, Lowe, and Drew, and bring in some REAL aces (Schmidt/Zito) and a REAL offensive threat (Soriano) in 2007.

138 Rob, I was wondering the same thing. Who takes the fall for this collapse? I can't believe that Ned would. Does Grady have more than a one-year contract?

Aybar actually gets on base....with some help. Here comes Izzy as Peavy begins to tremble.

I guess after today Aybar's OPS will have dipped 80 points during the streak.

138 He can't fire anyone. That's why this is so depressing. He's used all of that "firing people is good for the club" capital up already.

If he fires someone, he becomes the center of a story framed by "lousy owner keeps blaming other for his mistakes." If he stays quiet, the focus stays more or less on the field where Plaschke can make DePodesta holdovers like Drew and Penny out to be scapegoats while Colletti and McCourt are largely ignored.

147 My Magic 8 Ball predicts Josh Rawitch. Hey, if they could let Gary Miereanu go because the team was losing, why not Josh?

Josh, if you're reading this, please know I'm on your side.

147 - I can't tell. Looking back at the press releases in AP and on dodgers.com, there doesn't seem to be any mention of his contract's duration. Maybe he's month-to-month. :-)

Some of you are having fun, which is good. Some of you are baiting other commenters, which is bad. Please understand the distinction.

Penny's going out for the 5th. What a battler!

152
Some of you are having fun baiting other commenters, which is both good and bad.

Such a game deserves such a thread.

Changing the subject, anyone experience a hotter summer than this year? My air conditioner is running at max and it's still over 85 degrees most days.

I think it will be a HOT and LONG summer following our dodgers this year.

155 - I have to admit a growing fascination with how bad this stretch of games (let alone this particular game) can get.

149

I agree, to some degree.

Bring in Repko! The team needs a spark!

I'm trying to think of something positive and I've come up with something. Thank the high heavens we didn't outbid San Diego and offer Brian Giles a 4th year. That would have been DISASTOROUS!! Then again nobody in their right mind would have given Giles 4 years. Maybe more money over 3 years, but not over 4.

Daniel Moskos, lhp from Clemson is could be the second ranked prospect for next year's draft. 93-93 fastball with sink, slider, and split and he throws all his pitches down in the zone. I have heard some other names, but I do not know much about them. None of their stuff jumped out at me.

Penny's only thrown 74 pitches.
Wonder if he'll bat in the bottom of the 5th?

147

I was wondering that my self, anybody?

Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Jose CruzJr. replaces Brad Penny

That IS an offensive substitution.

I had actually come to Dodger Thoughts this morning planning to make a crack about whether team leadership will cook up a reason to fire Grady Little, but Jon's post sort of preempted that. 149 makes sense on this subject, but I wonder.

157 - It's the final countdown [cue GOB music]

Thank the high heavens we didn't outbid San Diego and offer Brian Giles a 4th year

If Rafael Furcal was the consolation prize, is there really anything to be celebrating?

*92-93

No spark from Jose Cruz.

bluetahoe, Penny has been our most reliable pitcher, and is not making a lot of money for a pitcher that has done as good as Penny has, so why would you trade him?

And Jose Cruz makes out batting left handed. Couldn't see that one coming. LOL...

157
I'm picturing Jon tampering with the traffic signals near his home too just to see what would happen.

170. He's just baiting. Leave him be.

170. Because he could bring back a lot and he is no Zito/Schmidt. And I think he may be making in the neigborhood of 20 mill over the next 2 seasons. Matter of fact I'm going to look it up right now.

Hey, Furry with the long ball.

I'm glad the Furcal homered. I was tired of losing 6-1.

I'm afraid Zito and Schmidt are no Zito/Schmidt. I really don't want to hang the team-savior tag on them.

156 - there was a story in the Times yesterday about how hot the temperatures are at night. It's so warm that it's not giving the power distribution equipment enough time to cool down, thus inducing even more failures.

http://tinyurl.com/rrmfq

Time for Odal, wait, nevermind.

I think the team should hold tryouts in the community. In these distressing times of global climate change, never-ending war, and previously unimaginable losing streaks, we need one of us, possibly a bartender, to step up and become a hero. Or maybe I've just been working in Hollywood too long.

Bottom line regarding "heat": much of Southern California is not fit for habitation, and really never has been.

Why not just keep the best players the team has, and replace the worse ones?

Penny will cost 18 mill over the next 2 season assuming a 2 mill buyout.

How fitting. Not only does Lofton have as many homers as Drew the past 2 months so does Furcal.

Sele!

183. Maybe Midas will turn Penny into Mark Hendrickson or Elmer Dessens?

We can be so lucky.

Why not just keep the best players the team has, and replace the worse ones?

Yeah, but who gets to decide which is which?

Actually, I'd rather keep Lowe over Penny. Lowe can pitch on 3 days rest and he can frequently pitch 7+ innings.

And while I'm venting I say give Tomko a shot at the closers role when he returns.

186 Pick me! Pick me!

Cue "Merry Go Round Broke Down".

So, is Sele not starting on Thursday? And if not, who is?

I want prospects for Penny. I'd trade Penny for Milledge straight up, right here, right now.

Furcal has only 1 less homer, and his slugging isn't much lower than Giles.

I no longer consider Adrian Gonzalez/James Loney comparisons to to be a slam on Loney's ability.

And while I'm venting I say give Tomko a shot at the closers role when he returns.

I doubt Tomko would get much work in that role. So I'd endorse it. The less of Tomko, the better.

Did the Padres rip off the Rangers or what?
Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez..

This is truly taking on an air of unreality.
What else can go wrong? NO please don't speculate.

That Texas-San Diego trade in the past offseason is looking awfully good for SD.

190.

theres no game on thursday

This team has a winning record when Tomko is on the active 25 man roster.

They took Lofton out. That means Penny and Lofton can continue their conversation.

195

As a trained pessimist, I can tell you about a million things that could possibly go wrong.

Some of them involve having Dodger Stadium hit by an errant Taepodong 2 missile.

197 At least we won't lose.

The team has a winning record when Jon attends too.

182 - D4P wants to sell on Southern California's chances for livability in 2006. Others think we have a chance to make it livable. The debate is on!

187 - Now you really are searching for things to complain about. Assuming we get the opportunity to use a closer again this year, Saito doesn't deserve a demotion.

190 - Aren't we off Thursday?

I missed most of the conversation, but Steinday were just talking about some anger in the dugout between Penny and Lofton.

What happened to all the Chemistry™ Ned brought in...?

200 Or an accurate Taepo-Dong II? Or perhaps an errant Shahab-III?

Don't forget Scuds. There's Scuds everywhere.

Time for Peavy to hit a triple.

so I guess we're looking at

Wash Fri - Billz
Wash Sat - Lowe
Wash Sun - Hendrickson

at Cin Tue - Penny
at Cin Wed - Billz

I hope I'm right. I really want to see Billz pitch in person. And if I'm really really lucky I'll get to see Brad Penny pitch 6 innings......in person.

This game reminds of the late April game when the struggling Padres were on the verge of getting swept by LA in San Diego only to come back with 5 runs in the 9th inning to tie the game and eventually win it in the 10th. SD went on to win 9 in a row and 14 out of 15.

Izzy with the error. Bench him!

207 Not likely. Lofton's on the bench.

Penny is an excuse maker when he picthes crappy. He did it in Atlanta and it looks like he may be doing it again today. It's not Lofton's fault you can't get Geoff Blum out or a freakin pitcher takes you yard.

Is Sele out of the rotation now?

When will Hendrickson win his 1st for odgers?

When will Lowe win again?

Stay turned.

212.

He doesn't pitch crappy much

"Crappily"

I demand we use adverbs!

Ah, that reminds me of the sign that used to greet visitors to my hometown in upstate NY:

WELCOME TO GLENVILLE
Please Drive Friendly

I'd probably put Izturis on the bench for a bit over the next two weeks. My guess is that he's playing tired.

215 - sorry, Dodger fans can only afford replacement-level grammar these days to go along with the team.

Well, the suns over the yard arm back east.
But things aren't lookin up as Ethier goe down.

Russell Martin looked liked Hack Wilson in the slomo shot.

1-12 since Kemp was demoted.

Clearly, it was Matt Kemp holding the team together. Why cant Placschke write an article mentioning the demotion of Matt Kemp destroying team chemistry?

Tomorrow's an off-day, right?

223 Evidently, so is today.

And the previous day, and the day before that...

9 times this season Derek Lowe has pitched more than 6.0 innings.

9 times this season Mark Hendrickson has pitched more than 6.0 innings.

Our supposed ace has accomplished the feat 6 whole times in 21 starts.

We need an ace or 2 and the answers are Zito/Schmidt. Case closed.

222 - so is today, apparently.

213.

will the dodgers win again?

can we have a taker for Lofton?

can we find a taker for Izzy?

Can we call up LaRoche already?

bwahaha

have a nice fall?!

217 - Izturis is 1-18 since his daughter was born. Now, I'm no expert, and I don't have kids, but I'm willing to he's not that well rested with an 8-day-old baby girl at home.

Adande had a point about paternity leave.

224.

But who has prevented more runs?

Schmidt has been the best at that. Followed by Penny, then Zito, then Lowe.

You need to get you're head cleared.

how to get izturis out-

throw the ball to the catcher

It looks like the only way we will win again is if one of our starters throw a shutout.

213

Hendrickson will never win again, Dave Stewart said so.

Nomar to the Angels for prospects sounds so good to me. Nomar stays home, we get to watch Nomar in the playoffs, they need a bat and if prospects aren't good enough we can get Kevin Gregg, Brendan Donnelly or Estaban Yan.

233 - you can get Yan for free. The Reds DFA'd him last week or this.

231 - think negative runs allowed.

226 - what was his excuse when he went into a tailspin last year?

231 - that will just get the game into extra innings and you know how the Dodgers do in extra inning games.

Steiner just noted that the Dodgers are 2-38 when trailing after 6 innings.

228 - have other players had dips in performances due to newborn children?

I looked up Griffey Jr and Bonds, but Barry was born 4 years before Bobby hit the majors, and Ken Griffey Jr was born in the off season. Dave Laroche was not playing or in the offseason when Andy and Adam were born.

Hillenbrand's hit 3-15 so far with SF

238 They keep giving stats like that, but I'd imagine that most teams' records aren't very good when trailing after 6. What's the league average?

236 - er, make that in reference to 228.

238 - so you're saying we still have a chance?

Furcal heating up. Another double. Yes, we overpaid, but he's not that far behind what he's been in his career, or even last year.

235 Isturis saves 2 runs with a great defensive play and we win 0 to -2.

I was grasping for any ex-tampa bay closer I could find. I was being sarcastic again. I do think trading Nomar is the way to go. If we want him so much for next year, then sign him after the season.

Peavy's threw 129 pitches in those 7 innings of work.

Smile, they said, life could be worse. So I did. And it was.

Am I the only person who's just gone completely numb watching this tailspin? Granted, it could be the mescaline, but I don't think so.

244 -- That was the thread equivalent of a Big Papi grand slam in the eighth inning...of a 10-0 game; nevertheless, I, yes, LOLed.

246 the slomo of his arm looked really cool.

I've been trying to amuse myself determining when the Dodgers last turned 5 DPs in a game.

244 When people write about how Izturis saves runs with his glove, or hits .350 with his glove, I wonder: are they talking about his defensive play or the actual leather fielding glove itself?

If the glove indeed contains some kind of magical power, maybe we should trade Izturis and keep the glove. Then we could give it to Aybar and he can start hitting .350 with his glove AND his bat.

Time for DP #6!

238 FWIW, the Dodgers are 11th in baseball in runs scored, innings 7+.

They have scored 156. The leader is Philadelphia, with 178. Bringing up the rear is St. Louis, with 114. Haven't yet found all teams' records when trailing after six, but it doesn't seem like the Dodgers are especially poor.

Methinks Bellhorn is much more likely to strike out than hit a ground ball against Broxton.

254

Just throw me a bone here, Bellhorn!

Bellhorn, I'm displeased!

I agree Jon. If Paul DePosdesta had been honest that there was a 3 year rebuilding process I think LA fans would have accepted that. I mean, they accept anything (as the attendance figures bare out). The Dodgers have basically stunk since the mid 1980s andI think every die hard fan would take three straight years of no play offs to a return to the years when we are going to the World Series frequently on the backs of multiple Rookies of the Year. Every old fogey they sign makes me cringe. There is no substitute for a good farm system.

p.s. Plashcke is the reason I cancelled my LA Times subscription

We have Franklin Stubbs AND Greg Brock in the house.

All we need now are Mike Marshall and Billy Ashley!

250 - based on Retrosheet, it appears May 28, 1998 against the Cubs.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B05280LAN1998.htm

259 - er, against the Reds.

See, I'm so glad I didn't chose Franklin Stubbs as my handle. I knew some wonderful fella would.

Personally, I'm still waiting for Tracy Woodson and Dave Anderson to show up.

We may be a little self absorbed here but the biggest story right now has to be the collapse of the White Sox, they have gone 2-10 since the break and the Twins and Yankess are now all tied for the Wild Card with the Blue Jays only 3 games back.

And for Nate - Sal's Pals move to NYC

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The New York Yankees acquired catcher Sal Fasano from the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday for minor league second baseman Hector Made.

262
Sigh, no one ever looks at the Griddle unless Harold Reynolds or an international Korean sporting event is taking place.

The Dodgers move within grand slam range!

One swing of the bat could tie this game up.

265
Provided that three other things happen before that one swing of the bat.

265 So could zero swings, assuming the Dodgers get seven walks in the ninth inning.

Cruz, Furcal, and the pitcher's spot will set the table in the 9th for Drew!

263 There a few Griddle loyalists out there, Bob.

i was run off this site about a year ago...I attribute it partially to my hatred of JD Drew, but mostly to the handle. be careful franklin.

The Dodgers are going to have decide soon what to do with Nomar and I mean, should they just DL him until they come back from the road trip. I think so, call up Loney to play 1B and don't run the risk of bringing back Nomar too soon. Also, they are going to wear out Saenz if he has to play everyday.

Actually, if the table were set for Drew right now, he would most likely stab himself with a dessert fork.

263 We call ourselves "Little Timmermann Urban Achievers."

272
Or gag on his silver spoon.

263 Sorry Bob, will you be providing a transcript of the mighty roundtable tonight.
The only thing that surprises me is that Tommy is not involved. But then I guess they do want some other people to talk.

C'mon Roberts, I want DP #6!

Question: Who will be fired first, Grady or Ozzie?

275

Sorry no transcipt will appear on the Griddle. If you would like a transcipt, please send $10 and an SASE to "McCourt/Colletti roundtable, PO Box 44000, Ansonia Station, New York, NY 10023"

No money orders please.

The Pads do not want DP #6. How petty.

"Power on the corners, speed and defense up the middle, consistent starting pitching and power arms in the bullpen," Moore says. This is the direction. It isn't ground-breaking. But those 19 words have been a pretty good blueprint for baseball teams. Those 19 words are what Dayton Moore wants for the Royals.

Thats what I want for the Dodgers.

This is Saito's 6th straight appearance in a non save situation.

Is this a longest stretch for a closer.

How much longer before Saito is used in a save situation?

277 - I am of the opinion that Ozzie will eventually talk his way out of the job, and missing the playoffs this year will not help his cause.

I have no beef with Little. And if he doesn't get to the playoffs, the media can't micro-analyze every pitching change he makes (or doesn't make).

281- as soon as the Dodgers get him one

Keep hope alive, Dave!

Will Russell Martin get blamed for not being able to throw out base stealers?

I can't believe how horrible the Times sports section has become; I now get home delivery of USA Today. Anyway, Plashke's article today was completely inane and pushed me into writing my first ever letter/email to a writer. If his and Simers crap passes for sports journalism and commentary in this city, it is no wonder that many sports fans here in LA just don't seem to get it (of course, I exclude the readers of this great Dodger Thoughts blog-site):

"Dear Bill,

Do you really think that all, most, or even a majority of Dodger fans are so short-sighted and in need of instant gratification that they would rather have a few playoff games this year, most likely a first-round loss, and in return see an undermining of the next few seasons? Perhaps the beachball throwing and drunken fans might be behind this plan, but I have to believe there are many of us that would support seeing young guys play, and know (or at least hope) that a strong foundation is being built.

Hope - that is what sports is all about. In Pittsburgh and Kansas City, there is no hope. None, Zero, Zilch. Here, as soon as the confetti got swept up, there would be much less hope for the next few years should strong minor league prospects be dealt for two months of Greg Maddux, et al in a probably vain attempt to become first-round playoff exiters. In any case, how can you expect to get Soriano, Abreu, Lee, etc for non-Kemp/Ethier/Broxton-type players?

There is little logic to your argument, and it insults many fans who are more than willing to take a medium to long term look at the team. I grew up in Philly and have had pretty much nothing but misery for the last 23 years as a sports fan. But hope - not quick fixes - keeps me coming back every season. Living in LA and becoming a Dodger fan for the past 8 years, I've seen the New York mentality of "never rebuild/always compete" and this approach has been not much better than a sham. Its nice in theory, but other than the Yankees, it just doesn't work. If the team would be honest and admit to a rebuilding effort and then stick to it, I think the fans would enthusiastically support it over the alternate of an unending morass of mediocrity. The real fans would understand, perhaps the beachball throwers would still go to games (or better yet, they would stay home), and all could enjoy some seasons of hopeful prosperity.

Granted, nothing is ever certain, but you can't build a bridge to the future if the foundation and footings ahead of you are not solidly built."

278 Bob, is this your version of Soupy Sales pitch.

Bruce Bochy appealed Jae Seo's non-save as well. He's just that kind of guy.

282 - and so, Go Tigers!

285 Nope, not when you are on the cover of Baseball America.

282. I dont think so. Ozzie won a World Series ring, for a team that hadnt won since like 1918. I think he'll live off that for quite awhile.

C'mon Josh. DP #6. Right now.

You're dead to me Josh.

But my list is full.

If I had Saito on my fantasy team, I would be pretty upset.

Dodger fans now have to go to Hooters and buy the house wings.

Does everyone have to kill their trade value all at once?

Even Saito has been affected!

259 - those are ridiculous double plays

Martinez-Vizcaino-Karros-Martinez-Bonilla

That's a 1-6-3-1-5

Vizcaino-Young-Eisenreich-Bonilla-Vizcaino

That's a 6-4-3-5-6

It's amazing what terrible baserunning will get you.

I'm bored.

It's better that Saito have a bad game now rather than in one that is meaningful.

I typed that with a straight face!

Today's Dodger Thoughts pop quiz. How closely were you paying attention to this thread?
---
"Have you ever seen him speak? The man's literally insane, you can see it in his eyes."

This statement refers to:

A) Grady Little
B) Jim Tracy
C) Ned Colletti
D) Bill Plaschke
E) Lyndon LaRouche

296 - wasn't that affected when Ned twice made trades with the Devil Rays? I mean, there's an ex-Cub factor, why shouldn't there be an ex-Ray factor?

291 - Not if he keeps calling sportswriters derogatory names. I think he can't help himself when he shoots his mouth off, especially when he thinks he's bulletproof.

289 - The Tigers are pulling away. I'm saying "Go Twins" or, gulp, "Go Yankees?".

At least tonight we can be spared another agonizing game unless you want to torture yourself with replay.

So.

Um...

Yeah.

Any day now. A win will surely come our way. Yep. Any day now. Yepper. Uh huh.

SIGH

Saito's thrown 37 pitches in this meaningless 9th inning.

298 No comment on the Yankees pick up today.

A story comes to mind today...

Back when I worked for Disney, there was one particular day when the stock took a particularly bad dive -- a major investor sold his shares. We started talking about the terrible price and I got frustrated, asking my boss -- mostly rhetorically -- "How low can it possibly go?"

He responded, "Zero."

I think of that when things get bad. How many games can the Dodgers possibly lose? All of them.

300 E. What do I win?

300 The answer is E) but credit will also be given for D).

305 He threw everyday in Japan, he's fine.

I have nothing against Grady Little either, some moves maybe but that's about it.

296- Saito can't go scoreless forever. Let him get his runs when it doesn't matter.

There's no game tomorrow so what would the Dodgers be saving him for?

Ned's Midas/Medusa ratio is decreasing rapidly.

307 That's why shorting is so risky. There is no theoretical limit to the potential loss.

Play all the kids. Every day. Martin, Kemp, Ethier, Aybar, put Billingsley at third, bring up Greg Miller, start Loney.

Beware 2B -
Kent is hurt, he plays 2B
Drew slumping - got banged up on a slide into 2B in Colorado
Nomar gets hurt covering 2B as a firstbasemen on a strange play.

302 - but you have to love the Kittycats. They haven't been good since Kirk Gibson was an active player. It would be good for Detroit to have a title after so long, and besides,

1) I hate Ozzie Guillen, a loudmouth and a jerk
2) The Twins remind me too much of the Braves: seriously flawed teams making it into the postseason because there are too many even stupider GMs in their division (at least this was the case from 2001-2004), getting an automatic 'bye in the playoffs because there's always an obviously better team in some other division.

------
And thus the beatdown ends.

309

I got that too, I was just so un motivated at the moment.

307. What was your title at Disney? I've always wanted to be in the investor relations wing of a firm, but those positions are quite difficult to be placed into if you have little experience.

Any advice?

Anyone think any changes are afoot - in the form of trading or releasing more veterans and replacing with less jaded/more eager youngsters from Vegas? Or will they just keep trying to ride this dark wave until the skies clear again?

Giovanni calmed us all down.

We'll call him Giovanni Curare from now on.

294 - I've got Saito on my fantasy team...and Penny!

Saito had a bit of the 'Baez' today.

322
I'm still partial to Done Giovanni...

320 I was a publicist. Now I work as a publicist for a different studio... nothing to do with investor relations.

307 Can't trust Gary Wilson anywhere. ;)

I've been a defender of Cruz in the past because he has a good bat but he's so erratic and getting tiresome that I really am on the "call Kemp back up/DFA Cruz" bandwagon that a few of you were already on. Enough's enough. Especially if Repko isn't ready to contribute.

The Twins remind me too much of the Braves: seriously flawed teams making it into the postseason

When you have Liriano/Santana, along with a young core like Hunter, Stewart, Mauer, Morneau, and Cuddyer..You dont really need much else to contend. The first two are even hurt.

I used to think that the ideal way to build a baseball team was to have above average players at every position. I now think the best way to ensure winning is to just have 4-5 great players, and then just fill in the rest of the roster with guys that are average. 2-3 great pitchers is sometimes all a team really needs.