Now, I'm thinking of putting up the same clock I see every week on Studio 60.

"What's that, teacher?"

"It's a countdown clock."

"What's it for?"

(long, wistful smile...) "You'll find out in June."

My high temp was 28 degrees yesterday. I went to a hockey game and the ice was warmer than the outside air.

And does anybody else think the new hats make Grady Little look like he is wearing a bathing cap?

He took some Flaxseed Oil out of LuGo's locker

What is it about this team that makes players so reluctant to fess up when they're injured?

Great game by the Clippers and Elton Brand (31 points, 12 rebounds, 8 blocks).

UCLA won't lose and Stanford won't win...don't want to jinx it for UCLA this time :)

I wish someone would hand Grady a more stylish pair of sunglasses this season. He looks like he just stepped off a Peterbilt with those big blue glasses. So formless. I mean, we're in LA, SOMEONE out here should pass him a note.

You will always be special to Bruin fans.

I can hardly wait for June first to get here so the Dodgers can field their real team for 2007.

Making the Dodgers play the Angels in games that count makes those games more exciting than the pre-season freeway series, but it's not as exciting as playing the Giants. Or a team the Dodgers might be contending with for a playoff slot. The novelty of watching them play the Blue Jays may outexcite watching another series against the Reds, but, to me, that marginal excitement boost is less important than the (if inexact, because playing the Reds in May is different from playing them in August, so it can never be perfectly fair) fairness of playing the same teams the same number of times with equally, or near equally, split home field advantage.

But, then, I don't really like baseball, just the pretty, pretty numbers. And balanced schedules make the numbers a tiny little bit prettier. So, you know, I'm biased.

Now if you finish fourth, you get matched up in a formula against other divisions. But it may just be your division's turn to play another good division where all four teams are pretty good. Or you could draw the NFC West.

"As for the decision to bat Furcal at the top, it should have been a no-brainer considering that Pierre gets on base about once a game. Fourty-five million is a lot to pay a guy to lay down a sac bunt (or, in Pierre's case, a sac dribbler), but that's essentially what the Dodgers will be doing... well, that is, when they're not paying him to throw a 12-hopper to the plate. With his wheels, Pierre would be better off running the ball in to the infield.

What's that you say? It's Spring Training, a time for hope? Fine, I hope Juan Pierre gets hurt and Matt Kemp gets a chance in center. I hope that Luis Gonzalez's old legs can carry him to second base after he hits one in the gap. I hope that someone dresses up Mark Hendrickson like a palm tree and he just blends into the back of the bullpen, never to be used. I hope that Charlie Steiner grows his beard back to hide his bizarre face. And I hope that Scott Boras gets a tapeworm. Wow, I kind of like this hope thing."

To join, go to http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b2 click the "Sign Up Now" or "Get Another Team" button and follow the links to "Join a Custom League". When prompted, enter the League ID# (1625) and password (scully).

"Besides the veterans, Tommy Lasorda is still giving advice. I watched him during batting practice yesterday giving tips to not only Ellis, but Andre Ethier and Jason Repko. The former manager emphasized hitting the ball at the optimal point of contact in order to generate the maximum amount of power. Almost on cue, Ethier began hitting moonshots, Repko was raking balls down the left-field line. And Ellis, who has hit only five home runs in four minor league seasons, followed with the most improved session of the day."

Who knew?

I used to think this was a load of cockamany (?), but I have seen too much to believe that anymore.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN199405270.shtml

PIT N 000 000 004 1 - 5 10 2
LA N 010 201 000 2 - 6 13 0

I was at that game, and 13 years later I remember it as one of the best I've ever seen. The game itself was a thriller, but it was also memorable for other reasons. I was sitting in the bleachers right next to the Dodger bullpen. Throughout the entire second half of the game, I remember Dreifort was standing near the field level seats talking to two incredibly hot girls. My buddies and I are were heckling him for trying to pick up on girls while the game was going on (we were snotnosed, bratty kids, give us a break). He ignored us, obviously.

After putting in his due diligence with the ladies, Darren disappeared when the game went to extra innings, only to re-appear in the dugout as a pinch-hitter in the 10th. Dreifort singled, the winning run scored, and then I'm sure he eventually did too (wink, wink). Truly an epic game.

That game was vintage Lasorda, btw. He left an out-of-gas Martinez in the game for the ninth inning, and still failed to pull him even after he gave up a 1-out homer to Andy Van Slyke. Is it any wonder Ramon ended up wrecking his arm?

http://www.myspace.com/andreethier

Er, except it's not "our" Andre and this one claims to have musical talent.

R.I.P. Damien Nash.

UCLA would clinch first place with a win over Washington State Thursday or Washington Saturday. If UCLA loses both games in Washington and Washington State beats both UCLA and USC, then the Cougars would get the #1 spot because of a better record against Washington.

Cal and Washington could climb up to the #6 spot, but it would take some doing. And likely involve Arizona State beating Arizona Sunday.

I'm so proud...

That said, I think UCLA is just beginning a long winning streak, where it will end, remains to be seen.

How'd Cal end up ahead of U-Dub? All we've done since last week is lose two games in spectacularly ugly fashion.

Hmm. So Cal and U-Dub are tied in the pac-10. Since they split the season series, what determines their seeding for the pac-10 tourney?

Was at the Spirit Awards today, not sure if you were there. Sarah Silverman rocks. Gift bags were much much worse. Always a good time when there's free alcohol, though.

The tiebreakers when a season series is split is record against the top team and then on down.

UCLA - both Cal and Washington have lost to UCLA (Washington has one more game with UCLA)
WSU - both are 0-2
USC - no wins (Washington still plays USC)
Oregon - each team split
Arizona - no wins (Cal plays Arizona later)
Oregon State - Washington went 1-1 against the Beavers and Cal went 2-0.

Sorry about that....

Since he gave up 7 hits, walked 4 and struck out 7, he probably threw, oh 120-140 pitches, but then who counted pitches back then.

http://tinyurl.com/36jquk

I believe the Herald Examiner had just started a contest to give Fernando a nickname, Vinny was in fine form that evening and I was able to see the last out and still get home before the post game show was over.

The box score play by play says that Fernando went 1st to 3rd on a single, but again that was now 26 years ago.

I actually just joined a Fantasy League that has 26 keepers year-by-year (you heard that right, 26), so there are a teams with a mess of prospects in the league. I actually got Miller back in a trade as a bit of a low-cost gamble, so there are all sorts of reasons I'd love to see him return to form.

WWSH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgrL21We3W0

It has a higher OPS than Juan Pierre. As of now, Pierre still has more heart and hustle, but they're working on that.

It even got The Griddle a link at Deadspin!
http://deadspin.com/sports/baseball/the-logical-extension-of-moneyball-221859.php