Repeat 3 times holding a blue candle in one hand and a blue baseball glove in the other while spinning in a sphere no larger then 3 feet drawn on the floor in the room where you watch the Blue and your hopes will be true.

When Calm Brad turns into Angry Brad, bad things happen. Most notibly, Angry Brad wants to throw 100 mph fastballs right by hitters, instead of mixing it up more and keeping them off balance.

Ironically, Derek Lowe could teach Brad a little something about composure on the mound.

That said, just because you don't have that player does not mean you can't win but then it just takes everyone being good at the same time which of course leads to streaky play.

Pip (STL): For those of us losers who have yet to purchase your and Pete Palmer's Encyclopedia, could you please tell us if Isringhausen set the Cardinals' franchise mark for blown saves yesterday? FYI, if the season ended today, he would have set the new franchise record for Losses per Inning Pitched (L/IP).

Gary Gillette: (2:13 PM ET ) Pip, I never call people who haven't bought our book "losers". It's a great book and a great bargain, but I understand why baseball fans would feel they can get what they need from the Internet.

http://www.baseballrace.com/main_racePlayer.asp

On a side note, I didnt catch some of last nights game, where did Kemp hit his triple? I dont think I have ever seen him take a pitch towards right or center. Proving he can hit pitches on the outer half the other way seems to me to be the biggest obstacle he needs to overcome before being a regular position player.

http://tinyurl.com/o9adg

or use vectors; curves and low sliders.

I've seen switch hitters bat left handed against Glavine before. Is that an option for Betemit?

Furcal, SS
Lugo, 3B
Garciaparra, 1B
Drew, RF
Kent, 2B
Ethier, LF
Kemp, CF
Hall, C
Penny, P

Hall?

Dodgers should call up every single guy they can. You go for every advantage on the margin that the rules allow. I don't enjoy the aesthetics of September baseball. It's too specialized. It's virtually a different sport. But it's prudent to exploit the rules to the hilt.

The Padres are doing an excellent job of this. They have given Bochy a ton of options. And he is availing himself, pursuing as many favorable matchups as possible.

Someone here asked ecently how the Padres are winning so many games. One reason is they are more efficient on the margins than many other clubs.

Guys like Branyan and McAnulty and Sledge and Alexander have serious flaws, but they all have one differentiating tool, and Bochy's management plus a deep roster is bringing those tools into play.

Little probably would do the same. Give him every option the roster allows.

40-man roster construction is another factor. It appears the SD roster on the edges offers more depth and difference0-making tools (I think LA has better "everyday" starting talent).

Conversely, the Rockies and Reds are quite poor on the margins, carrying way too many ciphers, and employing managers who are pretty poor chess players.

Furcal
Drew
Nomar
Saenz/Betemit
Kent
Ethier
Kemp
Martin
Pitcher

That pretty much ignores Lofton, though. Which bothers me. And ignores Lugo, which doesn't bother me.

Of course, the best answer is Saenz but for reasons unknown, he's not allowed to start more than 1 game per month.

Repko had the same problem last year, i'm sure Kemp will fix that little "hick up" (he's to darn good not too) i love seeing the progess of rookies year in & year out.

I'm still trying to figure out what the other six players would be doing to help the Dodgers.

It hugged the stands instead, and made it down to the corner past the leftfielder. Kemp just kept running, making it standing up.

I wasn't watching the game THAT closely, but I think his go-ahead single was hit harder.

42 - It's not, considering the context. Why would it matter anyway?

It's simple thermodynamics, Bob.

This is all predicated on Bill James' groundbreaking research that conclusively proves the behavior of MLB players exactly follow the laws of fluid dynamics.

That's the third time today!

oops i really am sorry, i thought it didn't go thrue the 1st time.

In reality, Jeff Kent is a liquid. When cooled by attaching ice packs to his sore obliques, Kent transforms into a solid. When angered in the liquid state, he gets heated and transforms into a gas. When is solid phase, Kent is capable of sublimating directly into gas state. When angered by Barry Bonds, he superheats into plasma.

The Dodgers magic number to clinch a playoff spot, according to the RIOT number site, is 20.

Isn't the situation that the magic number will not change unless the Dodgers win?

1. Mets
2. Cardinals
3. Dodgers
4. Padres
5. Astros

The Astros would have to win EVERY game down the stretch however. The Astros have seven games left with the Cardinals and four with the Phillies.

What I meant was...

The Dodgers magic number today will go down only if one scenario happens today: The Dodgers win

There is no other event that can happen today that would cause it to go down.

Date,Dodgers,Padres,Advantage,LA Gain
9/7,@NYM,BYE,SD,-0.5
9/8,@NYM,@SF,E,0
9/9,@NYM,@SF,E,0
9/10,@NYM,@SF,E,0
9/11,BYE,BYE,E,0
9/12,@CHC,@CIN,LA,1
9/13,@CHC,@CIN,LA,1
9/14,@CHC,@CIN,LA,1
9/15,SD,@LA,LA,1
9/16,SD,@LA,LA,1
9/17,SD,@LA,LA,1
9/18,SD,@LA,LA,1
9/19,PIT,ARZ,E,0
9/20,PIT,ARZ,E,0
9/21,PIT,ARZ,E,0
9/22,ARI,PIT,SD,-1
9/23,ARI,PIT,SD,-1
9/24,ARI,PIT,SD,-1
9/25,BYE,@STL,LA,0.5
9/26,@COL,@STL,LA,1
9/27,@COL,@STL,LA,1
9/28,@COL,@ARZ,E,0
9/29,@SF,@ARZ,E,0
9/30,@SF,@ARZ,E,0
10/1,@SF,@ARZ,E,0

Sure, picking the advantage is subjective and I am just doing this for kicks and giggles. Well, more kicks than giggles if you pin me down on it. I have the Dodgers with a +6. I think the Dodgers have the easier remaining schedule and are lucky the Padres will be playing at SF while the Dodgers are playing at New York. vr, Xei

We would match up with the Mets (unless we finish above St. Louis). And I'd rather match up with the Mets in a short series than in a long one. Ride Penny and Lowe and cross our fingers.

Actually, I couldn't find anything that rhymes with Billingsley...

I'll take my chances against StL in any length series. They've got Carpenter and...um...well, I know they have other throwers of the ball, I'm just drawing a blank right now. It'll come to me.

i'll be s good soldier Jon, scouts honer.

Hmmmmm . . . Now I'm thirsty.

Lowe & Maddux aren't to shaby ethier.when there right.

Stan from Tacoma

And tonight is Matt Cain vs. Jake Peavy (maybe the two hottest pitchers in the NL right now?). If SF can take this one, they look setup to take the series.

Then repeat.

exactly Bob.

Padres lost? Sweet. But those Giants scare me.

Padres won? Not again. But at least those Giants are falling back.

It's a personality test, disguised as September baseball.

Padres lost? Sweet. But those Giants scare me.

Padres won? Not again. But at least those Giants are falling back.

It's a personality test, disguised as September baseball.

Stan from Tacoma

BTW, to the poster with the name Crain, the book is True Blue by Steve Delsohn that through interviews with people connected to O'Malley and the Dodgers front office lays out the factors that led to O'Malley's decision to sell the Dodgers. Chapter 32, pages 243-247 lays it all on the line. True evil doers to O'Malley, Bud Selig and his small market cronies including Reinsdorf, {Selig's bed partner ;)}, and the LA politicians, Mark Ridley Thomas and then Mayor Riordan.

are you sure you're nick ins't "stand up double?"

over at the dodgers scout.com board, two posters- bluetahoe and oldbear post. The mods over there ran IP searches and the two posters had the exact same IP address.

So i fear that its one person, impersonating two people at multiple dodger blogs/message boards.

It's not always the case. Sometimes you may end up with a situation like the US and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II.

Or even the American Revolution and the US-France relationship.

Or Japan and Italy, who were on the Allies side in WWI and on the other side in WWII.

I don't trust the Padres. I like to keep my friends close. And my enemies closer.

The scout.com dodger board is actually really good. There is a prospects thread dating back 3-4 years that have contributions by myself, canuck and others.

Its probably the best thread in the world.

that's when i love smart people interpoling the blogs/message boards.

Joeyp notice the little tongue sticking out on the p

The exception to the rule is the Yankees. They must always lose. :-)

When they last played in San Franisco, the Giants won the first three games of the series and pulled into first place. Then they lost the last game, which turned into an 8-game losing streak. Then they beat Washington, lost 2 of 3 to the Rockies, 2 of 3 to the DBacks, 3 straight to the Dodgers and then headed to San Diego.

Where they won four straight.

i understand the Lugo "thing" good speed, but Hall over Martin? what!

I want to feel special!

that's when you know you've arrived as a blogger/message board guru.

Like a funicular?

Lugo also hits very well against Darrell Kile.

I think I'll go over to ITD and be Bob's imposter. I'll be very nice and avuncular and know everything.

The way he's going, his lifetime BA against everyone else will drop steadily.