http://tinyurl.com/35olnc

Lowe will struggle in April, but be our best pitcher for the year.

Kuo and Billingsley both make more than 15 starts.

Loney and Kemp get more than 350 ABs (400?).

Loney gets R.O.Y. votes.

MLB has gone from 4 to 5 pitchers in the rotation. I wonder if the Dodgers could make good use of a 6 man rotation. It would protect the young arms and give the old arms more rest.

Bobby Murcer
Dick Howser
John Vukovich
Dan Quisenberry
Johnny Oates
Tug McGraw

Maybe it was a good thing for our boys in blue that they lost that playoff game against the Astro's.

There was no consensus.

I can see it now ... YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE AT THE 710 FREEWAY!

I'll go back and nag him too after another day or two to give him time (just in case he lready is looking into it), but the more the merrier. There's no email address for Josh, you have to post in the blog - just like you did here. But do it there.

And then of course there's Miller and Meloan. I, too, wouldn't be surprised to see at least one of them with the team within a couple of months.

Okay, which ML team is desperate for pitching? Hmm..

Jim Lampley followed the same career path.

Or since you work at the Times Marty, you can probably just find it yourself!

Make the one person left in the editorial library find it for you!

I also asked here because someone in a previous thread said they were going to e-mail Josh and I hoped that they had an answer. Also, I make every attempt to avoid the boards at dodgers.com.

The Mega-Millions lottery consists of five randomly selected balls drawn from a bin of the numbers 1 to 56, plus one gold ball drawn from another bin of balls numbered 1 to 46. To win the grand prize, you have to match all 6 balls.

I calculate the odds of this happening as (1/56 X 1/55 X 1/54 x 1/53 x 1/52 x 1/46 = 1:21,085,384,320). However, the official odds are 1:175,711,536, which is 120 times less than what I think the odds really are. This may seem silly, but the last jackpot was 390 million, which is more than 3 times than the official odds of winning. In other words, if those odds are are correct than (arguably, not taking into account taxation, lump sums settlements ect) buying a lottery ticket last week was actually a good investment.

Could someone clue me in to why I am wrong.

Is it appropriate to ask in lieu of Jon's musings, "To be or not to be" if we had let Nomar and Juan go to other teams.

My circadian rhythms are DST non-compliant. The degree of my non-compliance increases with my age. (Translation: I feel crummy today.)

--
Matt Kemp just hit a rocket shot for a basehit.
And then stole 2nd on Paul Bako - on a pitchout.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers have scored two, including an RBI single (not a bunt single!) from Pierre.

The odds you calculated are the odds of a certain number combination coming up. Maybe the official odds are the odds that someone actually holds a ticket with those numbers, which vary based on the number of tickets sold.

Is that a valid concern?

If the given odds are merely those that anyone wins... then wow, it is more rigged than I though.

The number of combinations (order doesn't matter) of n objects chosen from a pool of m objects is:

m!
------------
n! (m - n)!

Or let Dr. Math explain it:
http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/56106.html

But having Tomko and Hendrickson pitch well this spring is not a bad thing because that is the only way there will be any interest in them.

BA: .375
OBP: .375
IsoD: .000

Management is taking a good look at him. He's been impressive lately, with his velocity back. However, having missed all of last year with injury, he needs to pitch. He's never established himself on the Major League level, and with his injuries, he has been limited to only 58 innings over the past three seasons. He has some catching up to do. Besides, it's not like the Dodgers are short of pitchers. They have the luxury of letting Tsao gain his experience in the Minor Leagues. He will probably start the season at Triple-A.

There is no room on the roster for Mays

53 - Ignoring all of the other things (taxes, lump sum, possibility of splitting the pot) buying a lottery ticket wasn't a bad investment that week because for one week only the amount of money given out by the lottery was more than the amount brought in. Each ticket was actually more valuable than its face price, and even though only two people won, everyone (me included) who bought a ticket actually got a good deal. I tell myself as I slink home poor.

Room on the roster for Mays is independent of how many other players are on the roster

A Martinez is just so useless. Why doesn't he just wear a skirt and pom-poms?

GM1 ∩ GM2 = {Ø} ?

Martinez is useless - his defense of Baez (pitching now) was kind of nauseating. "He had a stomach ailment, which no one knew about it until after the fact. Including Baez." How can you NOT know you have a stomach ailment?

Yeah, I guess El Lay Dave clarified what the official odds represent.

Except for Hendrickson, apparently.

http://tinyurl.com/39do34

http://www.uniwatchblog.com/?p=176

---

Hm, when is the next round of cuts? Next weekend?

While A Martinez is getting the wraith of DT today (c'mon, his any worse than the Rickster?) I do like Russ Langer, I hope they keep him mind when Vin retires and Steiner goes to the TV side.

The Matt White billionaire story kinda reminds me of "Brewster's Millions". White could theoretically buy a Major League baseball team just so he could pitch.

I know Wood is playing 3B, Weaver hasn't pitch in a game and no one quite knows what Colon's status for the first month is going to be but the Matthews story is overshadowing all of that from what I can tell.

5 keepers in 2008
e-mail me dbartholomew@gmail.com

All that being said, they will probably make more moves toward the end of the week.

BTW - Dessens is out of the 5th starter race, Diamond Leung reported over the weekend that he and Honeycutt talked and he agreed to be a middle reliver.

hit off old friend Danys Baez

Jon Meloan is now in pitching, btw, and strikes out his first batter.

Hard to know what MLB would do, they might have to do something though a 50 game suspension would seem severe.

Oh well!

But in all seriousness, I get a real happy buzz from buying a $1 lottery ticket and imagining what my life would be like if I suddenly had hundreds of millions of dollars. It isn't all that socially beneficial, but it is a pretty economical good time.

Anyway, I still can't get the introduction to work (Josh said he'd look into it) but do have players S-Y available for anyone who might want it.

Send me an e-mail at johno@gohrs.com and I'll reply with the attachment. Please note I only have access to e-mail between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (EST).

Hendrickson has posted very good numbers this spring except for getting lit up big time first time out...whatever spring numbers are worth.

He had very good relief numbers at the end of last year. But small sample size.

His history isn't too inspring. But if his sports pyschologist or whatever has helped him improve, he might have some value if he's seen as able to start and/or relieve--especially as a lefty. Might even turn out the value would be to the Dodgers, however unlikely it seems.

BTW, Any DT golfers locally in the SF valley interested in golfing in a fun little tournament, only $41.50, please contact me at my email sportnut19882003@yahoo.com. It's the 10th annual that I started soon after my dad passed in 1998. It's not a fundraiser, it is just a fellowship-get together type of thing. Just seeing if anyone interested!

Nate, don't look at the front page of BaseballAmerica.com unless you want to see what might have been.

This whole thing shouldn't even be news...

108 I'm guess Luke Hochavar?

2004: david price 2006: alex white

*sighh*

i honestly dont know why we just dont offer this kids 1mil as a take it or leave it to sign because in 3 years, they are going to become top 10 draft picks anyways.

But not in Anaheim.

>>> Scioscia said Brandon Wood, the Angels' top position prospect, would play third base at triple-A Salt Lake this season. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/2xkhkt <<<

if you go back and look through logan white's draft history, you will see plenty of lost opportunities.

I think White tends to gamble from around 12th or so round, dependent on the talent available. I believe he has said that with the new universal signing date in place, he thinks the draft can be cut down in half.

Why is it that I'll feel a twinge of pain every time there's something about Gagne doing well this year? Not that I'm rooting for him to get hurt, mind you.

>>> But the China Times reported Monday that Kuo had tested positive for a banned stimulant, believed to be ephedra.

http://tinyurl.com/239haf <<<

More to the point, with Gagne, his saying that he's pain free doesn't mean much. Or maybe that's exactly what you meant.

I'll get the pictures up as soon as possible, but I'm apologizing in advance for their quality - I was using my parents' old crappy digital camera.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_drug_policy

>>> Last hurrah
Hunter knows clock is ticking on tenure with Twins <<<

http://tinyurl.com/ysamsv

Nothing too direct, just one of those "we'll see" deals. But it implied that if Vandy makes it to the CWS or is very fortunate and wins it, could be he'd want to go out on top...

the majority of top 4 year college players leave after their junior season.

Said a lot about the quality of the education when he signed with Vandy instead of inking a pro contract.

But maybe best to watch what he does, not what he says.

Im not sure if this has been fully answered yet but the way you would do it is ask how many possible 5-number combinations there are from a pool of 56 if they are all chosen at random. on a graphic/scientific calculator this operation could look like nCr (C standing for combinations), and the answer is 3,819,816. This would be your chance of correctly picking the 5 numbers. Then you would have to match the golden number, so multiple 3,819,816 by 46 and you get the magic 175,711,536.

"I also realize that an in-depth analysis of NIT selection policies is quite possibly the biggest waste of time I could undertake as a sportswriter."

>>> Tomko has his eye on prize: a rotation spot

By Kevin Baxter, Times Staff Writer
March 12, 2007

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Brett Tomko moved a big step closer to grabbing the final spot in the Dodgers rotation Monday, cruising through an efficient three-inning outing in a 4-2 Grapefruit League win over the Baltimore Orioles. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/27tgv3

There is no excuse for Tomko being named fifth starter.

Not saying it should be done but that is going to be a factor.

Class of '06: Bryan Morris, one of last year's two first-round picks, is back on the mound taking bullpen sessions on the comeback from Tommy John elbow surgery, which he underwent after making 14 starts with Rookie-level Ogden. The compensation pick for losing Jeff Weaver had 40 walks in 59 2/3 innings. Despite the surgery, he was ranked by Baseball America as the organization's 12th-best prospect.

153. I imagine they're thinking of it the other way around: They hope Tomko does well enough to earn the spot, even if Billingsley does better. CB has options, and can be saved for later. Tomko is now or never. That's how I imagine the team is thinking about it. Like you, and most people here, I have different (Dodger) thoughts.

You might say, go ahead and start both Chad and Kuo, and maybe you are right, we'll see but I think if Tomko shows he can pitch, they are going to ride that for a while.

I think unitl the first month is over, it is going to take a lot for the Dodgers to start getting rid of any of their starters.

But it does Gary no good to do either if the local DA is not going to press charges.

I think the fact that a few media and statistical analysis folks disliked the Matthews' signing plays any role in why Arte wants a resolution now.

http://tinyurl.com/2vduzq

>>> MESA, Ariz. -- Gary Matthews Jr. had the misfortune to be linked to HGH as a member of Arte Moreno's Angels. If his circumstance occurred while he was under the employ of many other organizations, or perhaps even any other organization, the consequences -- should the allegation be proven correct -- would likely be less severe. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/2ggt8h

DT head to head league has its draft tonight at 8:45.

As requested, I did keep an eye on BJ Upton (actually started at 2B today and handled himself well, there was a tricky DP ball in the first inning that he played smoothly and a couple other semi-routine grounders he had no trouble with. At the plate he hit the ball hard all three times, just at outfielders; my scorecard reads "Upton, 2B F-8, F-9, F-9) and it was he whom Longoria came in for to ground into that DP later on.

Elijah Dukes also had a relatively uneventful game, with a solid single to left sandwiched between two swinging strikeouts. In the field he had a couple of flyouts he played in right, no big deal, but one thinks the Rays have a slightly better long-term solution for there...but sadly neither Delmon nor Edwin Jackson got any playing time today.

Pix will hopefully be posted tomorrow, there just might be a Joel Guzman sighting in there too...