Hmmmm . . . if the bold in this list means ITP, then it was April 21, 1959.

http://www.themick.com/mm-home-runs-list.htm#1954

The retrosheet for that game doesn't say ITP though, just lists a mantle homer.

There are ten bolded HRs, though; if he only his six, then bold can't mean that. I think the bold has to be grand slams.

Mantle's HR log, starting in 1957, thanks to b-r.com:

http://tinyurl.com/3745ys

Mantle DID hit an I-T-P homer vs. the Senators, on 6/30/61

http://tinyurl.com/3bzyfx

Gosh I love Retrosheet and b-r.com!

3 thanks -- my mouse is broken and the words kept zipping off the screen before I could count; hence my giving up.

4 Double thx.

I wrote my senior thesis in college on the collusion scandal. It was a lot less fun than I thought it would be.

Hmmm . . . 6/30/61 was at Yankee Stadium though. Need Griffith. Will keep looking.

4 Not on that list, so I guess pre-57. Hmmmmm . . .

I posted this in the last thread, but I just wanted to note that the Red Sox are looking to trade for Todd Helton. He's 34, he plays 1B, his OPS went down .110 in 2005, and .099 in 2006, he went from 32 Home runs in 2004, to 15 in 2006 and he makes 90 million dollars over the next five years. He is still a very good hitter (.880 OPS last year, with an OBP over .400), but he isn't worth the money now and odds are he won't be worth anything in five years. For this the Sox are trading Lowell, who plays gold glove 3B and OPS 93% of Helton (last year) and Julien Tavarez, who is pretty much worthless. Lowell had 18 Win Shares last year, Helton had 23, Tavarez shipped in 6 though, so the trade would be a wash (ignoring money ect). However, the Rockies want Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen too! Seriously, I know Helton is/was a star, but he seems to be declining rapidly. What are the Sox thinking?

Two more ITPers that weren't in Griffith, but if we find three more that also weren't, there's the answer:

5/30/1952 Yankee Stadium
8/07/1953 Yankee Stadium

9 - I liked how you revived Martin Landau's Entourage character in your last message, by the way.

9 Yes, yes, well done with the Bob Ryan line.

Still, at least for a year or two, the lineup of:
Lugo
Helton
Ortiz
Manny
Drew
Youkalis
Veritek
Crisp
Pedroia

Pretty scary, though the Yanks counter with:
Damon
Jeter
ARod
Giambi
Matsui
Abreu
Cano
Posada
Andy Phillips(?)

Well, we are sitting pretty too with Pierre and Luis Gonzales!

Looks like Spree was right all along. He needs money to feed his kids. http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6421518

Isn't Helton still owed like 90 million?

Well, they did want Matt Kemp for David Wells.

Which is to point out that they are insane--or at least bi-polar.

Is the list of "no-riskers" in order of importance?

Butch Wynegar was the very first player on top of the very first pack of baseball cards I ever opened (1977). Made him my "favorite" player for a few years, even though I thought his name rhymed with vinegar. It doesn't.

Mickey Mantle's salary history (not verified):

http://www.theswearingens.com/mick/salary.htm

11 - Gracias. When is Entourage coming back? There are still 8 episodes coming out from season 3, right? Plus, supposedly HBO renewed for a fourth season. However, I can't find out when.

19 Would that make Mantle a good value even though he's, um, dead.

20 - I think in March or so. They filmed one scene right where I sit at Variety, but unfortunately, before I got hired.

Another one at Yankee Stadium, 5/09/1958
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=1958

The last two are also in 1958 (per the link), but they aren't listed separately. So, we're close.

Last two:

5/20/1958 at Comiskey
6/05/1958 at Yankee Stadium

So, no Griffith. Oh well.

If you're in SABR you can check the entire Mantle home run log going back to 1951, but I didn't see any ITPers at Griffith.

For someone who also played in recent memory of most people and in the era of TV for some of it, Mickey Mantle's home runs are subject to exaggeration bordering on the same level as tales of Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Sasquatch, and good reviews of "Becker."

19 - Mickey Mantle's salary in 2005 Dollars:
1951: $38375.31
1952: $53348.44
1953: $121800.09
1954: $145000.11
...

It tops out about here
1963: $610802.25

So yes, 21, that's quite a bargain.

Is it me, or does Gurnick's first response in today's Dodgers.com mailbag need some editing?

29 That answer makes nonsense look good.

Apologies to Xei Frank. I never got around to watching The Shield, but was given the first season for a birthday present. I'm hooked.

31 - Happy birthday, whenever it was. (Usually, my birthday present DVDs get watched about 6-18 months after I get them.)

Thanks, it was three weeks ago, but the celebration was just last week.

28
I'd call that a bargain.

The best I ever had!

29 I think what he is answering is who the Dodgers would keep and not who they'd trade which was the actual question.

35 - I think maybe he switched in the middle of his response.

35- Maybe. I think he's answering the asked question, but not explaining why. He thinks Kemp would go because power, his long suit, is the most desirable quality; that Kemp would bring more in trade, despite Loney's being more polished offensively and defensively. I think the last sentence, though, means that Grady would disagree. The question is curiously written, too, so maybe Gurnick is from the Andy Bernard school of personality mirroring.

There should be a poll on the Dodgers.com frontpage guessing what Gurnick meant. And there should be prizes.

36 - I was thinking maybe that as well

37 - was considering that and after re-reading that mess a couple more times I tend to agree, although he's very vague.

38 - I'm not sure even Ken knows what he meant

First, the premise of the question is stupid, the Dodgers are more likely to trade pitching than Kemp or Loney for a position player. If Loney shows he can play a corner OF spot well in Spring training, than he could be a valuable trade asset though his power is questionable.

I think the answer is in some type of code, subsitute Kemp for Loney and then it makes some sense.

Frankly if LaRoche is healthy is Spring training, I'm not sure he would be the player teams would ask for.

Kemp and LaRoche are probably untradeable right now, Loney is more expendable due to Nomar but the Dodgers are lacking in position prospects right now.

I think we all know that the Dodger prospect most likely to get traded is whichever one chances to make a dirty face at Colletti ten minutes before Friedman or Hunsicker calls.

I just got to answer a question at this site:

http://www.owling.com/

It advertises itself as "The largest US website totally dedicated to owls!"

42 Corrected--It's going to be the first [prospect] to give him a dirty look in the hall. And there in lies the true essence of his charisma.

Hey - thanks for the Mantle help. I sort of wondered if it would turn out like that. Memory is a funny funny thing.

Okay, guys. After the Super Bowl, how many sports columnist will begin their columns with a variation on the follwing?

The Colts may have showed up late to the Super Bowl, but the Chicago defense didn't bother to show up at all.

or

Though the Colts decided to show up late to the Super Bowl, their defense managed to miss it entirely?

(Yes, Plaschke for sure).

Did the Colts show up late to the Super Bowl? Did the Super Bowl happen, and I missed it?

43

and thus ... Bob was able to get his Hooton ...

(groan)

29 Jon-its not you. Gurnicks response is giberish. There is no good answer to the question. If the Dodgers traded either of these guys for someone who is just a power hitter they're deranged. Loney is a rounded player, and Kemp could be a great power hitter.

47 Colts came into town later than is the norm. Peter King wrote this morning, "Smart idea by Tony Dungy, giving his team two full days off Saturday and Sunday before the mayhem that is Super Bowl Week begins. But I do think the Colts should have had more respect for the nation's media than to arrive for their first press briefing in Miami at 8:30 p.m."
No offense, but heart isn't bleeding for the media.

47 They decided to show up tonight rather than today. Apparently, this is some sort of big deal. I guess they denied sports columnists an extra day of interviews and hype.

50 And Peter King proves it. Thanks El Lay Dave.

The owl thing is nice, but otherwise you're just Joe Btfsplk, today, Bob.

47

"Manning was injured just before the start of the 3rd quarter while gyrating and singing along to halftime entertainer Prince's 'Sexy M.F.'. Backup Jim Sorgi rallied the Colts with three second-half touchdowns for the 34-28 win."

(sorry if I ruined the game for anyone)

54 - Sounds like it was exciting - sorry I missed it. Tell me more!

54 Oddly enough, that was Lucas's alternate opening for the first "Star Wars" movie.

I find it funny that people (in general, not just hear on DT) have no sympathy when it comes to the media when they complain about something like what happened today with the Colts but then still want to know what is going on with their teams.

They reason why the media does not bombard the home cities of the two teams the week before the Super Bowl is because they are all gathered at the site when Super Bowl week begins. It would not surprise me if after the game, the Colts get fined for showing up late to the site.

And its not as if the Colts make the Super Bowl every year, this their first appearance as the Indy Colts and the first Colt appearance in 35 years so it is not as if they have been here and done that.

Anybody with a Prozak scrip he isn't using is asked to send the remaining pills to:

Bob's laptop
c/o LA Public Library
630 W. 5th St.
Los Angeles, CA
90071

Thank you.

53 and he's been giving us the double whammy, I think.

Why didn't I look that up? I knew I wasn't sure about it; why did I just let it slide? Obviously Bob's laptop doesn't need Canadian import off-label Prozac. Just the real stuff. Anyway, I'm going to go sit in the corner for a while.

I'm probably a bad person that Eric Neel pretty accurately describes my rooting approach to this Superbowl: http://tinyurl.com/3xt7tc

He's a great writer.

57 I have some sympathy for the media, but I don't want to hear them complain about it. Just to pick on Peter King as an example, I read his column, but when he complains about travel or Starbuck's franchises that are below par, I find it a big turnoff.

The longer the coach can keep the team away from South Beach, the better. Of course, even a seemingly stalwart Eugene Robinson can get in trouble hours before the game!

61 I really like Eric Neel, but his argument is that if Peyton Manning wins the Super Bowl, hackie writers will lose the cliche that Manning "Can't win the big one," and they'll have to write about something else.

I see no problem with that outcome.

Yep. Because of the darn Colts arriving late the following important stories will probably go untold:

1. that this is the first Super Bowl with two, count 'em two, African-American head coaches;

2. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are close personal friends; and

3. Unless you play for the Colts, Rex Grossman is a liability (i.e. he has an arm like Juan Pierre)

Non-death related Griddle content posted!

Anybody with a Prozak scrip he isn't using is asked to send the remaining pills to

Bob doesn't accept Prozak scrips from females...?

I'm more of a Zoloft guy.

65 Good. We were getting a little depressed with death warmed over on the Griddle.

Maybe its me, but I can't remember a less interesting Super Bowl. Heck, I don't even like Prince.

How many more years before the Super Bowl halftime show is reunion of previous halftime shows?

Hah.

Did Up With People ever play halftime at the Superbowl, or is that phantom memory like Mantle's ITP in DC?

Ever since Up With People disbanded, Super Bowl halftime shows have never been the same.

Super Bowl I's haltime show featured the bands from the U of Arizona and the U of Michigan.

Up With People did four halftime shows.

For a few months now I have been thinking about switching to Direct TV. Does anyone here have a strong feeling one way or the other. If Extra Innings is a Direct TV exclusive that may seal the deal for me but I'm curious about people's thoughts as to content, picture quality and experience.

Super Bowls X, XIV, XVI, and XX to be precise.

On the original topic: I remember being unimpressed by the Gibson signing; I considered him a bit weak-armed and a bit under-powered, i.e. isn't Tiger's Stadium a hitter's park with a short porch?

Never have I tasted such exquisite crow as I did in October 1988. $4.5 million very well spent.

72 How do you feel about Rupert Murdoch?

RIP, Up With People.

But Up With People still exists!
http://www.upwithpeople.org/Media_Events.html

Glenn Close is a (the most?) famous Up With People alumnus.

75. He doesn't bother me. I have very little conviction about boycotts and the like unless we are talking about Tom Cruise.

Oh, (just got it) unless of course you are referring to the fact that for about 10 years he ruined our favorite baseball team. Hmmm, I may take issue with that. Have to give it some thought.

76
I was just being hopeful.

Twice in my life the Dodgers have done me a large favor. In 1973 Jimmy Wynn was my favorite non-Dodger and lo and behold they traded for him and he led the young kids to a pennant. Then in 1987 Gibby was my favorite non-Dodger and we know how that turned out. I thought I had a chance for the trifecta this year with Edmunds possibly becoming a free agent and with our hole in CF I thought for sure he'd be coming to DS. Alas my luck has been used up and now not only do we not have Edmunds but we have a bullethead shooting blanks in CF.

78 More famous than Bad News Johnson?

While it was tempting to sign Bob up for the Up With People e-newsletter, I recognize that using someone's generously shared email address in such a fashion would just not be right.

KidsPost interview with Bob's buddy the PrizeWinningAuthor.

http://tinyurl.com/2klna4

83
That would be a battle that you would not want to get involved in.

85
What would be the consequences?

Either Sam or I would end up in the prisoner's dock at The Hague.

I'd put my money on Bob, but in a nail-biter.

http://tinyurl.com/38q84v

72 - Other than one contentious customer service conversation that I once had, I have no complaints with DirecTV in 2 1/2 years of use.

Wow, it's been 19 years since Kirk G. got really upset because someone put shoe polish or something on his hat in spring training thereby turning the Dodgers into an anti-silliness team... Maybe the someone will pull a prank of Luis Gonzalez, he'll freak out and we'll win another world series!

Jesse Orosco is waiting by the phone.

Maybe the someone will pull a prank of Luis Gonzalez

Does "trading him before the season starts" count as a prank...?

72
Extra Innings is on both Direct and Dish Network. Dish is probably a little better if you like HD, although many of the extra HD channels are rarely watched for me. NFL would be the only reason to do with Direct as far as sports go. It is exclusive to Direct. I've had both and either is a huge improvement on cable, at least in my area.

89/93. Thanks Jons.

The results of the current ESPN poll are very interesting from a geographic standpoint. Check it out.

Surprisingly, Bob didn't headline the new post: RIP Todd Helton (to BoSox rumors)

I think I need to go watch an episode of "Six Feet Under" tonight.

97

Bob??? Julio Franco is on the phone, and wants to let you know he is not dead (yet).

97

Bob??? Julio Franco is on the phone, and wants to let you know he is not dead (yet).

Gen. Franco ... on the other hand ... is still dead.

86 I once got back at my friend by signing him up for a gay dating service on-line. I still get free KY jelly samples in the mail because of him.

I remember seeing Up With People when I was like 7 and feeling general elation. If I saw them today I'm pretty sure I would vomit.

100 KY jelly? That's so 1970s!

KY jelly? That's so 1970s!

What is the personal lubricant du jour...?

Words of wisdom from the recent past: "Never talk to D4P."

I'm just saying.

I wish to apologize in advance to D4P that I will be unable to post updated Pac-10 standings after all the games end Thursday because I will be out at a hockey game that night.

I don't wish to earn his enmity.

104
I thought you had some kind of portable internet device...

105
If you insist, but it won't be as quick because it takes a lot longer to type with that thing.

If you insist

Well, given that THE GAME is being played in LA, you'll no doubt prove eagerer to post the standings without insistence on my part...

I'll probably find out the final score faster when it's posted at Staples.

Unless they turn on the college basketball scoreboard to show EVERY score in the country. Then you spend the day trying to figure out what all the abbreviations for the MEAC schools are.

Then you spend the day trying to figure out what all the abbreviations for the MEAC schools are

No need for modesty here. We all know you know the abbreviations on sight.

Big games Thursday:

LIP at MER
MSM at CCS
ION at SIE
FDU at RMU
TRO at NTU
IPF at TPA
SLU at SJU
JSU at EIU

Sanchez101 has a fun diary up at Minor League Ball, comparing the Dodgers' and the D'backs' positional prospects.

Forgot the link:

http://tinyurl.com/yphbus

110
What the hell are all those abbreviations?

You aren't getting ready for Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Texas Pan American?

I don't know if it has been commmented on, but the NYT had a nice article today on the Molina brothers, and tantalizingly (at least for me) mentioned that they were the 19th set of at least 3 brothers who played in MLB. I can only think of a few others: Alou, Delehanty, Coveleski. Any help out there?

I'm sick of Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne.

Brothers A-Jon:
http://tinyurl.com/223p5b

Brothers Jor-Z:
http://tinyurl.com/2c9a96

116

Go Mastodons!

58 Update- Even if both Bob and his laptop spurn Prozac, your donations may not be in vain.

http://tinyurl.com/3d7pn9

115 - I second, that was a great article, even if two of them do play on arch-nemeses of the Dodgers.

110 - Ah but can you do that with the hockey scoreboard also?? Gotta be ready for Thursday Bob!

the Dimaggio brothers...

120

There are a bunch of out of town scoreboards at Staples. Usually one for the NHL, one for the NBA, and another for whatever else.

The abbreviations they use for college basketball are weird.

I didn't realize that Office Kevin's name is Kevin Malone Until I did.

123 - One of the commenters here or at SJ once mentioned that - I hadn't noticed until it was pointed out to me.

NBC has two ex-Dodgers in its prime-time lineup.

76, 77, 78 - I prefer "Hooray for Everybody!".

How many of the characters of The Office have the same real and fictional first names?

Four--Angela, Phyllis, Oscar, and Creed.

It's official, Tsao passed his physical and signed a 1 year deal.

http://tinyurl.com/2uw556

I have an off topic question (i.e. it does'nt relate to personal lube ;-)) I am hoping one of you can help me with.

On Sat. night I stupidly left my laptop on the couch. Apparently my dog thought the heat it was giving off made it a nice warm place to sleep. As such, she nosed it off the couch and onto the floor. It hit hard enough that 3/4 of the screen no longer works. Its all kinds of weird colors and lines but the screen is not cracked. It looks like the LCD connection came away from the panel. Does anyone know if a screen can be repaired/replaced (I'm guessing not) and if so any suggestions on where to go other than mailing it back to Dell. I'm guessing its toast but thought I'd ask.

I have an off topic question (i.e. it does'nt relate to personal lube ;-))

Hey, don't hijack my thread...!

I have a friend named Chloe who's really good at computers.

She's busy today.

Astroglide

If the LCD is ruined, it's probably not worth replacing, unless the laptop is under warranty (sometimes you can extend an expired one; it's worth a call to ask), or you paid a fortune for it pretty recently. It's possible, at the outside, that all that happened is the cable connecting the screen to the motherboard came loose. If that's it, you should be able to fix that for free. If you don't feel comfortable taking the thing apart, hunting down the connection, you could take it in to a computer repair shop. The ones I've been to (small, non-chain shops) would be willing to have a look, for free, and tell you whether to give up on it.

LCD problems are bad news, so I wouldn't have a lot of hope for it. But good luck.

Should have read more closely, since you'd already guessed the connection might be loose. Anyway, eBay seems to have lots of replacement LCDs for much less than I would have guessed. $150, give or take, depending on the model. That might make it worth replacing. Even if you figure to have to pay to get it installed, that's still much less than a replacement laptop.

Thanks Andrew. After an hour on the phone with someone in India or Kuala Lumpur or some such place, I was able to confirm my computer is out of warranty (expired in 2006--figures) and Dell wants about $470 for a new 17" LCD. As you point out, its probably not worth replacing but I will check Ebay just to make sure. Thanks again.

135 Coincidentally, this same issue came up on a message board I frequent. Here is what was said when this other guy inquired:

http://www.rotojunkie.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78899

Ooh. Seventeen inches. So that's more like two-fifty to three hundred dollars on eBay. Still, a new one in that range won't be less than twice that. Any excuse to buy a new laptop, though, can be a good one.

And, a decapitated laptop can be very handy. You could turn it into an entertainment center! Strip off Windows, and load Linux with MythTV (or pay extra money for SageTV, to run in Windows). Or you could plug it into a normal monitor, and have a slow, expensive desktop in the den. Or for your daughter. You could mount it under the hood of your car, and hook it into an indash LCD, for all kinds of fun. Blessing in disguise, LAT!

Well, maybe not. But not a total loss. Anyway, good luck. Oh, and if you do decide to decapitate it, make sure it's unplugged, and that the battery is popped out. There are capacitors all over the place, too, so careful where you stick your screwdriver.

I decapitated my last laptop after 18 months of the stupid thing taunting me--the hinges froze, and busted through the case, so I had to prop the screen against something to keep it from flopping around. The satisfaction I derived from disconnecting the thing and beating it with a hammer is what I expect World Series MVP David Eckstein felt with the last out of the year. Though, where this was a dog induced mishap, you might not get that kind of rush. I probably wouldn't be willing to beat a dog with a hammer, even if I knew I could recapture that feeling. But I leave that to your discretion.

79 Yup. Additional reminder - CEO of DirecTV: Chase Carey.

90 19 years ago, a pitcher pulled a prank on the new OF. This year, in an amazing reversal, the new OFs pull a continuous prank on the pitchers - AKA their throwing arms.

Before going to ebay for a new LCD remember ebay is associated with Paypal, and some at DT believe that could be a problem, a mysterious one, but one just the same.

131

probably cause she's been "Jacked up"

LAT: Two things for you.

(1) Go ahead and get DirectTV. The picture is great, my Tivo is great, and the Extra Innings package is nice, except for Saturdays when even it gets blacked out in favor of Fox.

(2) Go to Dell's web site and find the repair manual for your computer. Should be available online. Look up the repair process for the LCD screen and you can find a very clear process for taking apart the laptop to check if the cable is dislodged. If that's the case, it's an easy repair. If that doesn't work, then once you get that fair, you may find it is easy enough to replace the LCD or you can always take it to a repair shop.

136. Thanks Overkill. That poster might as well have been me. At least I know Ebay is the best path.

137. Any excuse to buy a new laptop, though, can be a good one.

Either that is a universal feeling or I am really transparent. Ebay has an LCD Buy It Now for $335 + tax + shipping. For now I have hooked it up to an external monitior. I'll probably just wait to see if one comes on Ebay for a little less. Although I'd like an excuse to buy a new laptop and I hate a 17" one (too heavy/big) I just assume not spend another $1,000 and have to transfer all my data.

As for the dog, I couldn't do anything to her. It wasn't her fault, I set it down right in her spot. Also, I like her more than most people. Not to mention, wife and daughters would take a hammer to me if I said so much as an unkind word to the dog. As an acceptable alternative, how about beating David Eckstein with a hammer? Is that permitted?

141. Thanks Daniel. I think I'm about 80% on the way to Direct TV, especially with the recent announcement that Time Warner is reshuffleing all my cable channels.

As for the laptop. Thanks, that's good advice. Without the advice of you, Andrew and Overkill, I would have opened it up poked around, electrocuted myself and caused further damage to the laptop. Repair manual is a better ideal than "duh what's this cable do? Let's yank it and find out." Of course if I break it further I have my excuse to get a new laptop.

DT has become LAT's personal help desk.

144. Think about it Marty, we have nearly every subject covered here. We rarly have to venture out into the real world. For tech assistence we have Daniel, Andrew and others. For TV, we have our host. For movies Xei is the man (ok maybe not). You are the local food authority. Icaros has personal lube covered. A few people here even follow the Dodgers. Bob has pretty much everything else. What more does anyone need?

144 145

I'm a Scrabble pro and word geek (if anyone has a need for that kind of info)

146. I could have used you on Sunday. 11 yr old daughter and friend had a mild disagreement during a scrabble game over whether "ado" was a real word. Daughter's anger was then transfered to father when he showed them it is a real word.

147 - I guess your argument was much ado about nothing.

This is one of the funniest videos I've seen on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-nKwycdJ_0

The Dodgers made a 40 man roster move today according to a few things I've read. They added the former Rockies Taiwanese pitcher Chin hui-Tsao. I can't find any info on who was dropped from the 40 in order to make room.

Did they announce this and is there a link somewhere?

His name reminds me of the beer from China. Chinese beer is quite bad. So is Thai beer. Weak, like the Italian beer. When I've been in Asia, I drank Heineken as you can get that in any country in the world. Or Japanese beer if you can get it. They know a lot more about beer than the Chinese do.

145. Whew, for a minute there I thought I was going to be labeled a movie expert. When I find something that I'm an expert in, I will let you all know. Please don't hold your breath waiting though. :) vr, Xei

147

and ADO can be pluralized ....

(geek)

150. Chinese beer!!! I'm an expert on that. Qingdao beer must be what you are talking about. Qingdao beer is ok, I wouldn't consider it a great beer, but better than most of the mainstream beer in the US. The best beer in China I had was called Yanjing beer. Great stuff! Gonna bring me back a few bottles this April, stored up in my liver. There are quite a few different types of Qingdao beer. It was overwhelming for me, since I couldn't understand what the labels said. I just knew to avoid the version that had a picture of a cow on it. Also, I was surprised that China actually made some decent tasting wine. The "Great Wall" wine was a delight and went well with my order of chicken feet. So keep that in mind the next time you order chicken feet. :)
vr, Xei

146 I'm hooked on this word game called Up-Words and recently my opponents have gotten pretty competitive, doing things like memorizing all the legal 3-letter words. The Official Scrabble Dictionary is a must! I can't believe some of the words and spellings they accept.

148 You crack me up. And slightly OT but how long would you stand for a nickname like "Big Tuna?"

150 The Dodgers had only 39 players on their 40-man before signing Tsao to his contract. I believe that only Beimel's contract is at issue before Spring Training, the other players who are not arbitration eligible (21) will have their contracts renewed at the standard scale.

153 - See, I don't understand how you can argue that it should be spelled Quingdao. The actual name of the beer is Tsingtao. They spend tons of money marketing the beer and they spell it that way.

I personally think Asian beer is uniformly terrible, but I don't really like Dutch, Australian, South American, or even Eastern European beer. Give me English, Irish or Belgian or give me death.

156 I managed a Korean restaurant once and I had to stock Korean beer, OB and Hite. Personally I like Sapporo or Asahi Draft when it comes to Asian beers, Tsingtao is the only Chinese beer I know.

156 As my Japanese friends would say....

朝日および札幌はよいビールである。

I believe that the Tsingtao (or whatever) brewery was founded and long operated by Germans living/working in China.

Indeed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsingtao_Brewery

Double fun is that both camps in The Great Transliteration Wars of 2006-07 can find support in this piece.

141- Manuals are for sissies. So are torque wrenches, by the way. If you can't get all the mismatched screws out of your laptop with one mini phillips head screwdriver, you're not pressing hard enough.

Qīngdǎo píjiǔ
156. I wasn't arguing. There are two ways of spelling it (Wade Giles vs Pinyin), just like the famous Dodger left handed pitcher that will remain nameless in this post in order to maintain world peace.

imho Taiwan píjiǔ is better than any Qīngdǎo píjiǔ I've ever tasted. To each his own though. vr, Xei

162. hmmm, the special characters didn't work out too well. Ixnay. Should read, Qingdao pijiu (beer). At ease!
vr, Xei

Not sure if anyone has brought this up before, but it seems like this baseball off-season is dragging. Seems like a long time since the Dodgers played a game.

It's definitely been a quieter offseason than recent years.

2005-06 - first year of Colletti
2004-05 - DePo's first full offseason, Beltre leaves, etc.
2003-04 - McCourt purchase.

162 - But isn't there only one translation, the one the company uses?

160 Tsingtao is 27% owned by Anheuser-Busch A-B also owns 50% of Grupo Modelo. World beer domination may be imminent.

I've heard that it was fairly common that, other than homes, the first two buildings that Europeans would build were a (Christian) church and a brewery. I guess man cannot live by every word of God alone, either.

165 Although there was the JD Drew opt-out, the big-money Schmidt signing and the Jean Pedro contract; the last of those causing no small amount of high-decibel chatter, here and elsewhere.

166. The "Ts" spelling was used before Pinyin became the standard system in mainland China. My guess is they didn't want to change the spelling, since their product was well known to westerners with the "Ts" spelling. The city's name is spelled with a "Q" and not a "Ts" and the beer is obviously named after the city, so go figure. :)
vr, Xei

169 Isn't Pinyin the standard system for using Roman alphabetic symbols to represent the sounds used in Mandarin, whether or not that symbol conveys that sound in western languages? To me, that is a different goal than a transliteration that is intended for a western audience to guide pronunciation to be somewhat in the vicinity of actual Mandarin. A western voice is going to get closer with "Tsingtao" as opposed to "Qingdao". Personally, I think the "d" is a better approximation of the sound, but the "Qi" is going to lead to a pronunciation like King-dow (dow as in Dow-Jones), rather than the sound that is somewhere between "ch", "j" and "z".

164 Long time, nice to see that you are still checking in.

And how much would you have paid for one of those warehouse blowups of Jan (from the office)?

170. I don't make the rules, I just follow them. The Tsingtao spelling was/is part of a system setup in the late Qing dynasty for postal purposes. That's where you see spellings like Peking (instead of Beijing) and Canton (instead of Guangzhou). On some of the spellings they did pretty good and on others not so good. I was educated using the Pinyin system and to some degree something called zhuyin. Niether pinyin or wade-giles is perfect for westerners. Zhuyin is better, but it isn't romanized. I only raise concerns when the Wade-Giles system is used in a way that butchers a word or name. The way wade-giles spells the Dodger lefthanded pitchers name, is a good example of the name butchering. The logic behind using the Tsingtao spelling would be the same logic as using the Peking and Canton spelling. It's probably time to move on? vr, Xei

I am using the baseball game simulator that I wrote in VB to simulate 2500 games of every pitching matchup in the NL West. Half the games at home, half on the road. I used the lineups that RotoTimes has projected for each team. I recently posted the results of the Diamondbacks vs Dodgers at the DodgerSims link. Other results posted were Padres vs Giants and Dodgers vs Rockies. vr, Xei

Did I miss this, or has it really not been posted: Jason Grabowski got a NRI to the Devil Rays' ST?

173 Looks like the sims say the Diamondbacks are a better team (slightly) than the Dodgers. Meanwhile the Dodgers pwn the Rockies and the Padres exert uber pwnage on the Giants.

174 Who cares? Grabowski is worthless on a major league roster. He's dead roster space.

164 I had to have a friend of mine bring over his Red Sox/Reds 1975 World Series box set so I could watch a game. I didn't really care who it was playing or from what time period. Had a couple beers. Felt good. Feel like I can go another 2-3 weeks before freaking out again.

171-- Thanks.
I'd definitely rather work for Jan than Michael.

175- This is like saying Schrödinger's cat was just a stupid cat, like any other. Grabowski's value isn't in his ability to play baseball, true enough, but he has great value. Great and terrible value.

177 However, you wouldn't mind being Michael in the Bahamas.

178 Indeed. Jim Tracy thought he was a pinch hitter. I remember a time when Grabowski came in to pich hit for Weaver and my reaction was "Isn't the point of a pinch hitter to bat somebody better than the guy who was going to?"

Back to Jon's original post: What sweet memories of Gibby in 1988!! I was at the game early in the season when he took out the Giant infielder breaking up a double play and sent him flying. I remember thinking, "Alright, someone to take it to all comers." I was also at the game that year that he scored from 2nd on a wild pitch to culminate a late inning comeback against the Expos. Finally, we had a player that would not back down to anybody and that seemed to infuse that year's team with that same never say die attitude. Of course, I was also at Game 1 of the WS as a promise to my young wife of 2 years at that time. In the spring, she asked me how this team would do, and I said better than last year but we'll have to wait and see. She then said "If they make it the series, promise you'll take me to a game". She had more faith than I did and it turned out to be the best live sports moment of my life. I'm still married to her by the way, 20+ years. Gibby will always be one of my personal favorites even if it was just one glorious year in Dodger Blue. Unfortunately, his going all out in '88 took it's toll on his body the following year.

Actually, Grabowski wasn't too bad when he got consistent playing time. The problem was that he's not good enough to deserve consistent playing time and he was completely useless when coming off the bench.

it's actually spelled krabowski ;)

seriously, the problem with jason grabowski was that he was jason grabowski . . .

182. = official definiton of "career minor leaguer"

183. Yes but its pronounced "Suckabowski"

You people are cold. Jason Grabowski should be a revered emblem. An emblem of what, I cannot say, but there revered bit, well, that's just not negotiable. Graboski is like one of the twelve apostles. He's like Bartholomew. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Judas get all the press, but where would we be without Bartholomew?

Can't imagine why a player who got so few opportunities would draw such ire. Most pinch hitters blow, your all just spoiled with Tomato. Every team has to have a 25th player and almost every time that player is not very good or he wouldn't be the 25th player.

Yeah, how can you really blame (to this degree) a player that isn't all that good. One would think it would make more sense to blame the people that promoted him to the major league level, kept him there, and actually used him. He's just trying to do his job and earn a nice living. vr, Xei

187 I think it's because Jason Grabowski has the record for most times off the bench in a season.

hmmm, Kobe is suspended for the Knick game. I thought the Ginobli play was just a bad and desperate attempt by Kobe to draw a foul. Seems pretty tough that they would suspend him for a game, but also wouldn't seem fair not to have any kind of penalty. I'm not sure what the different levels of penalties there are in the NBA, but would think a fine (without a suspension) would be fair (if it's allowed). vr, Xei

Say what you want about Grabowski, that guy had the prettiest strikeout swing this side of JD Drew.

Such elegant failure.

Actually, I have no real problem with Grabowski other than the ever present deer in the headlights look on called strike three. It was as classic as Jason Werth's pause, heel spin, and look back on called strike three. They both seemed completely unaware that they already had two strikes on them and strike three was a possibility.

Wasn't it Jason Repko who predicted a division title for the Dodgers last year?
http://dodger-dogs.blogspot.com/
vr, Xei

I thought that some might be interested in this email sent out by Magowan yesterday (apologies if already posted):

This evening, we will announce that Barry Bonds, the 14-year Giants veteran and seven-time National League Most Valuable Player, signed a one-year contract with the Giants.

As you've probably heard, the process of negotiating this contract was complex, lengthy and highly unconventional. This decision was not taken lightly and we spent significant time evaluating all of the elements and circumstances surrounding the negotiations before we made a final determination to move forward.

Of particular concern were the allegations against Barry in the New York Daily News on January 12th. We consider any action by one player to unfairly damage the reputation of another player to be a serious matter. Based on the information that we have at hand in this matter and in discussions with both players, all of the facts have not been accurately portrayed. After evaluating the situation and its potential impact on clubhouse chemistry, we came to the conclusion that the Giants' players will be able to function as a team committed to supporting each other and dedicated to doing everything they can to succeed on the playing field.

Additionally, we felt that with these assurances, signing Barry to a one-year contract helped us pursue a long-term strategy toward getting the club back on track. With his presence in our lineup and only a one-year contractual commitment, we were able to avoid the temptation to trade away some of our valuable young pitching talent and were able to free up long-range funds to acquire a front line pitcher. These decisions enabled us to sign Barry Zito, retain our promising and highly sought-after young pitchers and fill our need for a power hitter in the middle of our lineup. We believe that this combination of moves provides the Giants with a better chance of winning in 2007 and in the years ahead.

You may also be interested to know that even with the signing of the 42-year-old Bonds, the average age of the 2007 Giants will be 30.7 years versus 32.7 in 2006. So we have gotten younger and presumably healthier as we stated we would try to do when the 2006 season ended.

I understand that this has been a particularly controversial and difficult decision and that there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue. I received letters, emails, phone calls and had many conversations with many of our season ticket holders during our Fanfest. I truly appreciate your passion for the Giants as we work through these complex issues. At the end of the day, I believe we have put together an exciting team for the coming season.

Like you, I am pleased that we have been able to complete this process so that we can all turn our attention to the day when pitchers and catchers report to Arizona on February 14. Thank you again for your commitment to the Giants and I look forward to seeing you at Spring Training or when we open our All-Star Season at AT&T Park.

Sincerely,

Peter A. Magowan
President and Managing General Partner
San Francisco Giants

186 Mark and Luke were not among the twleve apostles.

194 I can't imagine the kind of self-delusion that goes into a letter like that.

Also, it's the worst kind of communication...The kind that presumes that everybody else is stupid. It's the way politicians and color commentators talk.

Nice work, Peter.

195- Right you are. That was careless of me.

190 -You got to be kidding me!! Kobe suspended for an inadvertent elbow while trying to get off a shot in the last second of a game!! Ginobli jumps and blocks the shot but is in the firing line for the follow through on a shot so Kobe gets suspended for that!! Anti-Kobe/LA conspiracy rings true again! NOBODY ELSE WOULD HAVE GOT SUSPENDED FOR THAT PLAY BUT A LAKER!! Now we are down 3 players for the game tonight, Luke, Kwami and Kobe. Hmmm! David Stern must be trying to pave the way to help the Knicks win a game tonight! I guess he forgot that the Lakers play hard against teams over .500 and mail it in against teams less than .500!

181 gh88 brings up the memory of Gibson coming home from second on a wild pitch. I only heard it on radio, but that has always been my favorite Gibby play.

And what about Matthias, the first and last substitute apostle? He was called up from the minors as it were to be part of the Big Twelve.

It's tough to fill the sandals of a Judas Iscariot.

Say what you want about Grabowski, that guy had the prettiest strikeout swing this side of JD Drew.

I defy you to tell me when you saw Jason Grabowski strike out swinging.

Hmmm . . . Pete Carroll at the Wizards/Pistons game tonight.

Snyder trying to buy another hot coach?

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/

Dan Snyder would fire the greatest coach in franchise history to bring in Pete Carroll?

Why in the world would Carroll want a job that:
1) a college coach who was about as successful at that level as he was failed at

and

2) the greatest coach in franchise history appears to have failed at?

Grabowski struck out 79 times in '04-'05 combined.

Needless to say, I saw him strike out swinging a couple dozen times.

203 Yeah, I'm just following the Post guy in stirring up trouble for no reason.

But the sports chatterers in town have come to rest on the cw that the game has passed Gibbs by. I really don't pay attention to the Redskins so I happily don't need to have a view on that.

Carroll would demand total control in any NFL job.

I don't believe anyone has total control if Daniel Snyder is their boss.

Needless to say, I saw him strike out swinging a couple dozen times.

I deny it. In fact, he struck out 79 times on the same inside corner fastball. You are thinking of Ja(y)son Werth.

Bynum needs to own Curry in the second half. Curry is horrible defensively.

208
Tape delay! It's on tape delay!

I know who won! It was ... uck ... gah ...

[body thuds on floor]

Continuing on a theme...

RIP, Sidney Sheldon.

Whom I already thought was dead.

If DT had signatures, Bob's would be something along the lines of...

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds...And SABR Member."

210. But when he gets to heaven will he incure the rage of angles?

(Sorry, really bad.)

I thought he was just famous for writing all those "I Dream of Jeannie" episodes.

Sidney Sheldon vs. Sidney Poitier. Discuss.

Bonus points for connecting them to Sidney Lumet or Sidney Bristow.

Bonus points for connecting them to Sidney Lumet or Sidney Bristow

They all have the same first name

202. Sam DC
Hmmm . . . Pete Carroll at the Wizards/Pistons game tonight.
Snyder trying to buy another hot coach?

I believe the Poodle is out there to convince Marvin Austin to play for SC. Austin is a top DL from washington D.C. and signing day is a week away.

215 Correct. We would have also accepted...

"They're all people who have never been in my kitchen."

How many bonus points was that worth...?

218 Negative two million.

219
Um, I hope this is golf scoring...

The good news is that it is golf scoring.

The bad news is that it's the modified Stableford system.

Dang. That's 2 million bogies! Actually, I prefer to think of it as 2,000,000 double bogies and 500,000 double eagles.

I can't believe no one did an RIP for C.K. Yang.

RIP, C.K. Yang.

For all your up to the minute death news, tune in to the Baseball Toaster.

I'm afraid that I'll log in to read about the Dodgers and find out my father has died.

I RIPed CK Yang right before the start of the UCLA-Stanford game.

We could do birth news.

BIP, Baby John Doe.

Or graduations.

GIP, Joe Valedictorian.

145 By the way, I haven't noticed any medical professionals hanging out. That could help.

Or promotions.

MIP, Mr. Manager.

225 - Oh. That was bad timing.

Dodger Thoughts...I come for the baseball analysis, I stay for the obituaries.

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/585349.html

Comment 207

230
If you want, I can make more references to "Marmaduke."

227- I consider myself a holistic healer, if that helps.

231 - Read comment 209 in that thread, then tell me why I should have believed anything being written then.

234 That hurts. And I was so giving in defeat.

Damn you Trees!

234
Sigh

If Jon didn't revel in the Cardinal victory, I would have been sorely disappointed. The nerds earned it.

223 Or is it C. G. Yang?
RIP to a great athlete. In the 1960 Olympic Decathalon, he actually outpointed Rafer Johnson in seven events, but lost by substantial margins in the other three.

Just call him 楊傳廣

Yang was a top-rated pole vaulter along with being a top decathlete.

When I was also checking the UCLA website, the press release for the UCLA-Oregon game said that the tipoff time was 7:34:30 pm.

I believe they are putting in a degree of precision for that event that does not exist.

217
My favorite episode.

I was so surprised by the comeback, gloating completely escaped me.

My Google toolbar search didn't indicate a mention here, but Josh apparently has some news at ITD about the fan rewards program.

For starters:
For anyone who was a member of the program, you will all be receiving Gameday Audio free for the 2007 regular season.

242
A $14.95 retail value!

When did SI.com change its design?

RIP SI.com's old design

243- That my friend, is the challenge of PR.

And now for something completely different.
http://tinyurl.com/2dqd3n

The one on the Patriot Act is brilliant.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/28/the-good-book-shatner-style/

and sadly it seems this is all that is left of that once-glorious full length video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_6pc4C8dmY

Random question, but does anyone know what Paul DePodesta's current job description as a "Special Assistant for Baseball Operations" actually entails?

249
He prints out the LA Times every day in a different font and then cuts out the letters and sends a crank letter to Bill Plaschke.

250
And here I am doing that for free...I guess it pays to know a guy.

What are the odds?

Earlier today at post 152 dianagramr wrote:
"and ADO can be pluralized ...."

I am sitting here doing the LA Times crossword and 16 across is a four letter word for "kerfuffles"

Watching the Alexandra Pelosi documentary about people who love Jesus, she stopped in at the Holyland Experience in Orlando! I'm not exactly sad that I passed it up (thirty bucks was more than I was willing to spend), but am happy to have a look inside. The documentary doesn't have much else to commend it.

So funny...My sister is having her second child...a girl. She and her husband picked a name, Alyssa, and asked what the family thinks of the name:

Me: I hate it
Mom and Dad: It's a terrible name
My other sister: I hate it
My Grandmother: What a terrible name
My Aunt: Wow, I don't like it at all
My Two Cousins: Sorry, I hate it.

Hey, don't ask if you don't want honest feedback, right?

I will add that the original name for the child was Lilly, which we all loved.

Picking a fight with a pregnant woman usually works out pretty well. And, anyway, women don't tend to remember these things, or hold them against people. And exact vengeance.

Lilly is a good name. But, maybe by the time she grows up, Alyssa won't still be a stripper name.

We've been very supportive about the whole thing. She's chosen a horrible name, and we respect it. We've also established that none of us are going to call the child "Alyssa" We'll go with Allie, or "Shoeless Al". It's not our fault she chose a garbage name.

There is little sympathy in the Brock family. We're not going to respect her choice.

My only option is to by a dog and name it Alyssa, so that my sister will refuse to name her child after my dog. Trust me, it will totally work.

Should I go Jack Russell Terrier, Cocker Spaniel, or Yorkshire Terrier? Yes, it's a big step, but I'm willing to buy a dog in order to prevent this naming fiasco.

Alyssa is a worse name for a dog than for a niece. I don't think it's fair to throw a poor, innocent terrier (and, by the way, really manly dog choices there, buddy) under the bus, for the sins of your sister.

254 Oh, man, the baby name arguments. Sigh.

My wife seems to think that there is nothing worse for a kid than getting into school and finding that someone else has the same name. Which means that she basically wants a name that nobody has ever heard of.

I, on the other hand, do want a name that I've at least heard of before.

Which means we compromise with Swedish names that are very common in Sweden, but unusual here. After much gnashing of teeth.

There is Alyssa Milano. What mother wouldn't want their daughter to grow up and be like her.

261
Magnus?

Please tell me you went with Magnus.

I like place name names, but foreign ones (like Milano) seem prissy. In the event that I ever sire a child, I'd call it Tooele if it was a girl, or Tremonton if it was a masculine child.

I really hope Ken did not name either of his daughters Magnus.

264 Magnus was indeed high on our list of boys names. But I don't seem to seem to have any sperm with Y chromosomes in them.

Magnus is a good dog name.

If you have a pit bull or rottweiler.

There is nothing wrong with the name Alyssa. It's all relative, bad names. Years ago, a married couple I knew in church told the story of a couple they knew who were VERY religious. They named their son "Repent Or Burn," because they wanted their child's name to be a testimony to Gospel truth. When the boy went to school not just the other kids but teachers too called the kid "Burnie," and when the parents heard about this, they went to the school quite angry and explained to the principal and teacher that they want their son's name to be a testimony, so Burnie was not acceptable. He had to be called Repent Or Burn. So I reiterate, Alyssa is not a bad name at all.

254

In the spirit of George Costanza and mindful of that this is Dodger Thoughts here are some suggestions for the new bouncing baby girl.

Three (Steve Sax, my mom's favorite player)
Five (You say Nomar, I say Mike Marshall)
Sixteen (Heart and Soul)
Twenty One (Well, that was Greg Brock's #)

269- This is one of those stories where you say it's a friend of a friend, but it's really you, right? It's okay Repent or Burn, you can tell us the truth. We accept you for you.

Also, what was with your teachers that they didn't realize the awesomeness of the nickname: The Repentor. Like a Catholic transformer.

"What are you laughing at Daddy?"

Great thread to start the day,

And, by the way, really manly dog choices there, buddy

I got a small house, man! I can't be havin' Great Danes and whatnot running into walls!

Repent or Burn.

I'll take Burn for $600 please.

271 -- Oh, I WISH I were named Repent Or Burn. I wouldn't burden a child with it, of course, but for myself it would be cool. That's a badass name to beat every other badass name ever thought of. And that would be a fantastic name for an intimidating pitcher, especially an over-powering closer like the old Gagne. Wouldn't Broxton be more scary if instead of being called "Jonathan Broxton" he were called "Repent Or Burn Broxton?"

I just want to acknowledge 252 as impressive.

And I agree -- I'd hate to face Repent or Burn Broxton in a tight spot.

The hardballtimes has an article today about position averages. Here is the link: (http://tinyurl.com/27g84b). I compared those averages to the 2007 Dodger ZIPs projections.

Russell Martin .279/.359/.432/.791 Catcher 285/.342/.435/.777 Better than Average
Nomar Garciaparra .288/.354/.469/.823 First Base 290/.374/.508/.882 Below Average
Jeff Kent .272/.352/.473/.825Second Base .284/.341/.426/.767 Way Above Average
Wilson Betemit .262/.328/.451/.779 Third Base 284/.356/.482/.838 Way Below Average
Rafael Furcal .286/.358/.431/.789 Shortstop 280/.336/.422/.758 Significantly Above Average
Luis Gonzalez .248/.342/.412/.753 Left field 284/.363/.481/.845 Catastrophically below average
Juan Pierre .299/.342/.385/.727 Center field 274/.341/.447/.788 Significantly Below Average
Andre Ethier.296/.366/.463/.829 Right field 285/.358/.469/.828 Slightly better than average (especially OPS distributions)

We are above average in 3 positions, basically average in one, and significantly below average in four places. Gonzo in particular is a problem. I think ZIPs is a little negative sometimes (Martin's OPS doesn't improve at all, Ethier gets worse, Furcal gets worse), but even if everyone outperforms their projections, Gonzales, Pierre, Betemit and Nomar are so far below their position averages that would have to hit out of their mind to reach those plateaus.

Hopefully the pitching staff makes up for that.

what would almighty ZIPs say if nomar moved to 3B, loney took over 1B, ethier moved back to LF, & kemp took over RF?

My wife thinks like Ken's. We're seven weeks from the due date for our third son, and we can't agree on a name. We've just stopped talking about it in hopes a totally unique name will appear among the scuffmarks in our floor. Or something.

I may go with "Oil Can" if we can't agree on anything.

And to prevent the sort of feedback that apparently happened in Family Brock, we don't tell anyone our baby's name until the baby is born. My mother's reaction to the name we chose for our second-born: "I hope you're kidding."

We weren't.

279 - ZIPs would be happy and so would I.
James Loney: .297/.351/.434/785
Matt Kemp: 292/.342/.478/820

Kemp is slightly below average in RF, Ethier is slightly below average in LF, Nomar is slightly below average at 3B and Loney is WAAAAY below average at 1B. However, the Dodgers would go from ~210 OPS points below average to 126 points below average. That is as quick and dirty as stats get, but it makes sense to me.

More non-fatal news on The Griddle!

278 - Be interesting to look at how many teams have eight above-average, seven above-average, etc. Not that I'm going to do the work.

Anyone ever have (or presently have) trouble with the Baseball Prospectus site not recognizing them as a subscriber?

I don't think the site is very user friendly. Any comments?

I just logged into BP without any trouble. You might have cookie troubles.

I suggest baking.

I think just the Nomar Garciapara pecota card links aren't working. Just for him. For instance if you click on his "player comments" link, it does nothing.

on the pitching side of things, i'm not sure how much credence people here give to the idea of quality starts, but we only had 81 last year (the angels had by far the most with 97):

http://tinyurl.com/2qtxxn

considering our bullpen is hardly lights-out, this is an area that simply has to improve for us to have any type of real success this year.

in other words, pitching is important!

254

My wife and I named our daughter after Anne Frank. Her full name was Anneliese Marie Frank.

We used the name Anneliese and a different middle name. It is meaningful and unique to some degree. If you like the name, perhaps you can suggest it to your sister.

We simply call our daughter Anna most of the time.

284
Very irksome for me that they don't take paypal. Seems silly to have to pull out a credit card for a monthly renewal. You'd think an above average site like that who depends upon subscription renewals would do whatever it could to make it easier for the subscriber to fork over money.

Madagascar

You could pay for the whole year and save money. 40 bucks, not bad. (Well unless you couldn't)

Welcome to Lake ZIPSbegone, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the outfielders are average.

292 I wish I was cool / dorky enough to understand that.

I like Marty for a name :)

Plus, if it's a girl, just substitute an i for the y.

But, I'm biased

You know, one of the worst things about having the intestinal flu and having to stay home from work, is watching too much TV, and one of the worst things about watching too much TV when you have the flu is having to see way too many ads for "Norbit."

Sometimes I can't tell if I still have the flu or if I feel nauseous because of all the Norbit ads.

293 You have to be as dorky as a Garrison Keillor fan. ;-)

New post up top.

I didn't like my name as a kid, and even today I mostly just accept it.