Really nice throw.

Penny admitted earlier in spring training the split-finger pitch he used last season as his offspeed offering took its toll on his pitching arm. We've already heard reports that Penny had a twinge in the front of his pitching shoulder this spring but supposedly it's gone at the moment. According to one baseball observer with whom I discussed Penny's poor spring (7 IP, 17 H, 10R 6 BB 2 SO), he looks like a pitcher who is throwing with a bum shoulder.

We normally don't rely on spring training numbers because the sample size is so small, but in Penny's case they do support the suggestion he's pitched hurt all spring. Or at the very least, he has some shoulder weakness that is an issue at the moment. Factor in a history of not coming forward with injury issues as soon as they happen and it's easy to believe his shoulder isn't close to 100% right now. Until this all plays out, avoid Penny on Draft Day.

-----------------------------
Anybody heard anything about that as well?

"Thus, it appears Repko will be out at least half the season."

Enjoy Vegas, guys.

at least nowe we have a viable SS option after furcals contract is up.

Abreu also rising

Penny sinking?

Valdez won't go away.

Brazabon rising.

Figgins out one or two months. Angels need a utility player/third baseman?

Which I didn't.

LaRoche hit balls down very hard and missed balls up and away by a mile.

So, whither Repko?

Welp, in your It's Only Spring Training so Please Just Relax moment of the day, Tim Hamulack in for the save...

As opposed to me, "Lonely, father of none", who can mete out punishment.

Wrong thread though, right?

Sounds like something you'd find in Adam Dunn's sweatsocks.

This is really fish in a barrel. I'd better stop now.

Who the heck would attack Sam? That's random.

Kidding obviously.

More likely kids don't have to be in school on Saturdays and someone was looking to have some fun.

/Nerd

See 3

Was it his defense, or the fact that the O's were losing such a crucial game? Who knows.

Penny and Hendrickson for Milledge and Heilman. Or just Milledge, I really do not care.

IIRC, this differs from what Penny said in a Dodgers.com story. There he said he quit throwing the splitter in the second half because he was afraid it was going to hurt his arm--not because it had.

In that story he also said that when his curve didn't work in the second half--apparently pretty often--he was left with just a FB. Which pretty much explains his second half of '06.

Abandon one effective pitch, struggle with another, let hitters sit on the FB. Good recipe for working your way down the ladder of success.

And I spent the afternoon cleaning out my storage space - let me tell you all about it.

Alex, I'll take "Things Paris Hilton Should Have Done" for $200.

I know, euphoria has got the best of me.

LaRoche: Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Quentin, Brendan Harris, Garrett Atkins
Kemp: Juan Encarnacion, Michael Coleman, Sammy Sosa, Ruben Mateo
Ethier: Bruce Boisclair, Chris Chambliss, Mike Darr, Bruce Bochte
Martin: Ben Petrick, Ramon Hernandez, Bill Freehan, Butch Wynegar
Abreu: Luis Gonzalez (doesn't say which, I'm assuming it's not ours), Jerry Hairston (doesn't say which, I'm assuming it's the son), Jack Wilson, Dan Cey.

Billingsley: Rich Dotson, Ben Sheets, Alex Fernandez, Dave Morehead
Broxton: Andrew Sisco, Dennys Reyes, Scott Elarton, Edwin Nunez (ouch)
Elbert: Wilfredo Rodriguez, Travis Blackley, Carlos Hernandez, Rob Burger
Kershaw: Yusmeiro Petit, Alan Webb, Craig Anderson, Joel Zumaya
Kuo: Tug MgGraw, Arthur Lee Rhodes, Erik Bedard, Dick Stigman
Meloan: Francisco Liriano, Mike Meyers, Don Cardwell, Franklyn German
Miller: Jimmy Anderson, Ben Hendrickson, Adam Harben, Tommie Sisk

I was just going to say Ed Kranepool, Adrian Gonzalez, and Justin Morneau.

{Hangs head}

"When someone is called a "pure hitter" over and over again, it usually means something, and in Loney's case it means the young slugger can't field worth a lick."

I'm sorry, I just can't let that one go - that has to be one of the most clueless write-ups ever.

Speaking of obsessions, an object of an old obsession of my own, Edwin Jackson, had a nice outing on Saturday against the Red Sox, giving up one run over 4.2 innings, walking two and striking out six. His ERA for the spring stands at 1.84, and he is looking good to win the Rays' fifth starter job. Aren't we happy that Tomko and Hendrickson are battling it out for OUR fifth starter job, with no Edwin Jackson around to kick around any more? Ah, but Lance Carter made the loss of Jackson all worth it.

Sigh, the thought of what we've given the Devil rays vs. what we've received is too depressing to even obsess about.

Meanwhile, the Sporting News baseball preview I picked up had Nomar on the cover. Which is odd because I live in SF and usually they go regional with these covers. No Giant or A on the cover this year, and a Dodger to boot!

It's a fair question to ask -- what the heck is with Loney's defense right now, anyway? So far this spring, he's misplayed three fly balls in one game. He made an error today. He made two errors in a game I attended the other day, although he was only charged with one of them. I know, small sample size, yada yada, but it's still been a glaring weakness in his game this month.

Is there reason to worry? Should we now hail the prescience of ScoutingBook? Or am I being silly by attributing any meaning at all to spring training games?

But I stopped obsessing.

So this spring, Penny looks more fit than he ever has. He says an enhanced exercise routine has been his best defense against a bulging disk that haunted him during the second half of last season.

"My back hurt all the time, but I tried not to say anything because you have to learn to pitch with pain," Penny says. "It got so bad, I would flinch even before I threw the ball because I knew it would hurt when I did."

The pain, he says, caused him to give up his split-finger pitch after the All-Star break, which helps explain the fractured numbers.

"I like to fly under the radar," he says, grinning, knowing that this spring, he is the radar.

Of course, "is" is in italics. Say the second half of that sentence in the voice of the movie-trailer-announcer guy, and try not to laugh.