This is the game I picked to see because of the huge advantage in the matchup with Wolf against Wells. As I get ready to go I'm very nervous that Pujols/Rolen will decide to make hay of the advantageous matchup since they are both so due to explode.

DodgerSims has the Dodger win probability tonight at 57.06% vr, Xei

From LA Observed I just found out that Vin Scully makes 3.5 million. Not bad.

Hmmm... if Jason Giambi could get a day like that this year, he'd be a first-ballot HOFer...

3 Still a bargain compared to some of the guys on the team. ;-)

5
$13,000,000 Rafael Furcal
$12,500,000 Jason Schmidt
$11,000,000 Jeff Kent
$9,500,000 Derek Lowe
$8,000,000 Brad Penny
$8,000,000 Randy Wolf
$7,500,000 Nomar Garciaparra
$7,500,000 Juan Pierre
$7,350,000 Luis Gonzalez
$4,100,000 Brett Tomko
*Also Paying ...
*$7,750,000 Odalis Perez
$4,500,000 Bill Mueller

Scully's VORA is like 900.

I was at last Friday's game and since I was not keeping score, I didn't really notice, up 2-0 with Griffey and Dunn coming up all time time made me nervous enough.

Wolf is certainly a strikeout/flyball pitcher, I would guess that he has the least amount of double plays per 9 innings as a Dodger starter on the team.

Dodgers have played 40 games:

First 10: 7-3
Second 10: 6-4
Third 10: 5-5
Fourth 10: 6-4

You know, if we had a replacement level announcer, we could afford Scott Rolen.

KIDDING!

Question for you guys. Let's say theoretically Gonzo was not around for some reason and we were able to bring in a significant CF that could move Pierre to either LF or RF. Which field would he be better suited for?

LF. He has no arm. But he's not moving. We'd be better off getting a good LF than paying the CF premium and moving Pierre.

11 - left. The throw from right field to third base would never be made. Ever.

9 2006 first forty games:
10 - 5-5
20 - 5-5
30 - 3-7
40 - 7-3

2005 first forty games:
10 - 8-2
20 - 5-5
30 - 6-4
40 - 3-7

2004 first forty games:
10 - 7-3
20 - 6-4
30 - 7-3
40 - 2-8

Has Pierre done anything particularly stupid in CF over the last week? I can't remember his having, so, maybe he's getting back into his groove.

11 "Which field would he be better suited for?"

How about this one?
http://tinyurl.com/25h8hb

15 I only watched the last 3 innings of play last night, and Pierre seemed a lot less flummoxed out there than usual. He got to some balls easily that were over his head and in the gap. Whether it was due to good jumps or good positioning, I don't know.

11 "...theoretically Gonzo was not around for some reason..."

Are you considering putting a contract out on Gonzo, or something? ;)

Yeah, the Dodger OF has issues. But the situation's not THAT bad...is it?

I mean, what would become of the triplets? Think this over, man...

16 I was going to suggest the cornfield. And it would be a good thing. A very good thing.

19 That is a pretty freaky episode when you are 10 years old watching the Zone.

On the other hand, no going to bed without supper for that youngster.

You gotta love Josh R.'s shoutouts to DT.

17 "Less flummoxed" is a perfect way to describe his fielding lately. Seems like he's getting good jumps and taking good routes.

Now all he needs to work on is a flea-flicker play with Ethier to get the ball back to the infield and we're set.

16 Here's two verses. Third verse coming later.

In Flanders' fields, Pier Juan's throw
Is off the line? Say 'taint so.
He has but speed; his rag-doll arm
Always does the home team harm.
His sal'ry is way too much dough.

Is he the Dead? I think not, no;
He lives, though one cannot know
If he has really bought the farm
In Flanders' fields.

OK, third verse

Life would be better if he'd mow
The fields he plays to and fro
He may have wit; he may have charm
But my emotion's all alarm
I cannot sleep while Pier Juan blows
In Fladers' fields.

I think Josh does a truly bang-up job, on ItD, but I really didn't get the teacher analogy.

If I'm a teacher (which, uh, I is), I have no problem with thousands of people looking over my lesson plan. If I've prepared well, know my subject, and feel good about what I'm doing, go ahead, fire away. I'm ready to deal with the criticism.

If Grady doesn't read blogs or newspapers, that doesn't make me respect him as a man who is confident in his choices. We can all learn something from the tons of info that is out there.

I know Beane reads blogs. So does Epstein. Gathering as much knowledge as possible, even if you disregard it later, is never a bad thing.

People on ItD are bringing up Peter Gammons' mention of Glaus to LA rumors... Which, if it's Gammons, probably means it's not gonna happen.

25
An unwillingness to gather and consider additional information usually stems from a fear of being wrong.

It doesn't bother me if Grady doesn't read blogs or newspapers but I would hope that other folks, besides Josh, in the Dodger organization take a look now and then.

I would say stadium operations, ticketing, communications, public relations and finally baseball operations, would be the folks that I think would be interested to hear what really passionate fans think about their product.

Rob from 6-4-2 apparently had a really nasty exchange about parking with Josh R, but Josh refused to let him release the conversation. The conversation evidentially was bad enough that Rob has lost a lot of his interest in the Dodgers in general.

29 Rob is here all the time. I must have missed that entire thing.

Paging scareduck.

http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/2007/05/comebacks-sweeps-and-end-of-dodger.html#links

http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/2007/04/more-on-dodger-parking.html

Here he mentions the email exchange, but it was never posted.

http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/2007/04/time-to-end-silence-penultimate-word-on.html#links

Here he mentions that Josh didn't let him post whatever went on between them.

The Nomar factoid is fascinating, thanks for passing it on Jon!

That said, I don't have a problem with Josh or the ITD blog. I work for a small magazine, and my editor is extremely, extremely image conscious. It is Josh's job to make sure that the Dodgers look good and I am sure he is just doing whatever he can to accomplish that. The I.T.D. blog will never be a source of anything like analysis as a result, but we have D.T., TrueBlueLA, 6-4-2, ect for that.

31 I read Rob's stuff all the time. I don't know how I missed that.

That's a real shame.

The 8th spot has done wonders for La Roche's OBP, and I wonder if it could do the same for Pierre. If he could raise his walk rate such that his OBP is around .350 or above, then his speed could become a real factor. It's useless unless he's on base. He seems to have no patience. He must know that taking a pitch or two at the beginning of the at-bat would be a good idea, but he seems to swing reflexively, as if he can't help it. Maybe batting 8th would help him get into that mode.

36 I should, of course, say that I think the 8th spot has done wonders for La Roche. It could be that he will OBP over .500 for the rest of his career and be intentionally walked at Bonds-like rates no matter where he's batting in the lineup.

I doubt hitters change for the better depending on where they bat. If anything it would make them press more if they were moved to a power spot.

I think most players are who they are after a certain age. Except for rare cases like David Delucci, who spent a lot of time trying to work on his discipline.

36 I see where you're going. If The Player batted eighth, he might get tons of two-out walks. Even though the pitcher is up, he's got a pretty good chance of swiping a bag. It's not the smart move, but against a truly bad catcher, he could really do some damage. If the pitcher can get one hit in ten at-bats, it might be a real asset to have The Player in the eight hole.

Or, we're begging. Completely rationalizing. That's the safer bet.

12 13 Thanks y'all, that's what I figured.

18 Ha, no. Whatever his playing shortcomings, I like Gonzo. :) This exercise was for a potential Dodger lineup in a video-gaming context.

29 30

Here is what he did say about the incident.

http://tinyurl.com/yvt2l8

http://tinyurl.com/36956v

Of course he can chime in himself if I misdirect folks to the wrong entries.

I would expect the Player may see a small increase in his OBP, but it would not be enough to matter. It seems he rarely sees 4 pitches in an at bat anymore.

39- that's assuming he wouldn't swing. I'm convinced you could throw the resin bag toward the plate and Pierre would take a hack.

43 Well yea, there's that.

36. The 8th spot has done wonders for La Roche's OBP, and I wonder if it could do the same for Pierre.

While I would bat Pierre 8th if I managed the team, I really don't think where he bats will have any affect on his walk rate. The problem is it makes no sense to walk him. The only thing he has in his favor is his speed and walking him would be doing him a favor. He has no power so why not just challenge him? He is only going to pop up, ground out or hit a single. If I managed the other team I'd fine any of my pitcher who walked Juan Pierre.

pitchers

Scareduck was always an Angels' fan first, as far as I could tell, and now he claims that since he bought Angels' season's tickets he doesn't have much time to dwell on the Dodgers. I only check out his blog once in a blue moon these days, but I really started losing interest the more he dumped on the Dodgers' farm system as "over-rated," always complaining that if Logan White's draftee were as good as they were represented to be, they would be in the majors by now. Myself, Jon, and many others tried to argue with him that White's prospects were on schedule, he was being impatient, and he was way off the mark in foretelling doom for our prospects, but he just dug in his heels. Then Dodger farm products arrived in L.A. in an avalanche and Martin and Broxton quickly became elite players in their respective jobs, but there wasn't so much as an, "Oh, maybe I was wrong" from Scareduck. I hope he enjoys the Angels.

41 - You have been scooped. See: 31 and 32

im the scouting director for the dodgers over at minorleagueball.com for their mock draft. im probably going to need help so canuck dodger and everyone else, please help out with suggestions.

Seeing Eddie Murray on Dodgers Live just now prompted me to look up the 3000-500 club, of which there are only four members.

Trivia question #1 (easier): Name the other three members of the club.

Trivia question #2 (harder): What two aspects of Eddie Murray's membership make it different from the other guys?

In case you don't wanna guess: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3000-500_Club

48 See what happens when I take time to TinyURL the links. :)

49 Kevin Goldstein said the Dodgers should take the Main man, Michael Main, HS pitcher from Florida, I think, and convert him to a centerfielder. Mock drafts show him around the 19th pick or so, what do you think.

47 - I read everything on 6-4-2 and Rob started the blog with a heavy focus on the Dodgers. It is a great blog and I think Rob has been very consistent with his viewpoint (which is very cautious to the point of pessimism about prospects, both Angels and Dodgers). If Rob is overly pessimistic of Dodger prospects then you are certainly the extreme opposite. Rob doesn't owe anyone an apology anymore than Nate does for liking Travis Denker.

50 Willie, Hank, and I am drawing a blank on the other guy.

Question 2, Murray was the only switch hitter and never won an MVP award.

53- ha! probably for the best. It's Palmeiro

52 The years of Jose Offerman, Kiki Jones, and Dan Opperman make me cautious too.

Oh, and then there is Billy Ashley, Glenn Davis, etc., etc.

I can appreciate his viewpoints, he speaks his mind and I can certainly chime in and speak mine.

36 -- LaRoche is getting tons of walks because relative to the pitchers batting 9th, opposing pitchers are afraid of LaRoche. It doesn't matter that LaRoche isn't MLB "proven." As a top hitting prospect, LaRoche is a guy every organization in baseball has an extensive scouting report on, and when LaRoche was called up, NL organization scouting departments forwarded those reports to their MLB teams' coaching staffs. Nobody if afraid of Pierre at the plate. Afraid of him on the base paths, yes, but not at the plate. So Pierre would not be pitched around much, if at all.

Rob doesn't owe anyone an apology anymore than Nate does for liking Travis Denker.

wheres my praise for pumping the matt kemp bandwagon 3 years ago!?!? :)

you win some, you lose some.

54 Prior to Raffy's inclusion, I was right.

53 54 Good and good. There's one other thing Eddie Murray did differently to get into the club.

51

michael main

to be honest, i have not looked at him as a potential outfielder. i have always viewed him as a pitcher, and not a first round caliber pitcher due to disliking his mechanics and arm actions and his lack of consistent secondary offerings.

59- I would have said he did it while sporting a sweet mustache, but, well, Palmeiro did that as well.

Well, Rob also always has had issues with the McCourts, which is certainly understandable. His prophecies of doom on the payroll haven't come true YET, but the McCourts have proven to be problematic in all sorts of other ways--DePo's sacking, the parking issue, etc. I actually think there have been good things under the McCourt tenure--my recent experiment with the all-you-can-eat pavilion was AWESOME, but I can see where he's coming from. He also still covers the Dodgers in his minor league scorebook.

For me, at least, the Dodgers represent a big part of my identity as someone who grew up on LA, but is in virtual exile on the east coast. I don't need a perfect owner, and I've followed the kids coming up that I have a lot invested in guys like Martin and LaRoche and Billingsley making the big league club. To each their own, I guess.

I just hope we obliterate the Angels in the upcoming series. =)

WWSH

Raffy never won MVP either.
Murray never hit 40 HR in a season.

Interesting event in Philadelphia rife with an opportunity to have a long pointless abstract argument.

Murray also is the only one of the three who got his 3000th hit before his 500th homer.

Will McGeary still be there when we pick?

60 Did you see my notes from Logan White's interview on BP Radio, nothing earth-shattering but I think you should focus on high ceiling high school guys, probably another pitcher.

Is the goal to guess who White's going to pick, or to pick the best player available?

67

yea im probably not going to stray away from whites philosophy.

Wow, Vin's pronunciation of "Encarnacion" is as bad as Steiner's.

Unlike Wolf's last start, Nomar gets the first PO.

51 -- Like Nate, I want no part of Michael Main as a pitcher. Maximum effort delivery and no chance of being a starting pitcher in the majors. But if he is a first round talent as a center fielder and hitter, I would be interested. If we had been doing a better job of cultivating center fielders, and avoiding losing them in the Rule 5 draft (Victorino), we may never have signed Pierre.

57 - You understand my point. You don't owe any apologies, judging prospects is a really tough game, even for people who do it for a living.

61 Hard to deny the power of a good mustache.

im going to go with who i think is BPA and will provide the greatest MLB impact. closer ETA will be factored in but it isnt a huge priority.

64
The abstract argument about the game in Philadelphia no longer exists although it is still "an unusual event."

I liked Corey Brown (college CF), but he has seemed to drop a bit.

If Nate drafts a college player in the first five rounds, he's dead to me.:) I have always been Dodger scouting director for Sickels' mock drafts, and I am happy to let Nate take the baton, but we've got a streak of HS school players going from the beginning that I want continued.

I am concerned that Furcal isn't walking enough.

Rob is here all the time. I must have missed that entire thing.

That's really weird i always found Rob/Scareduck to be quite a gentleman like wise with Josh, i hope they worked it out.

Beyond hot; simply ridiculous.

The game in Philadelphia is neither interesting nor unusual anymore.

78

although im not going to specifically aim for college players...it could happen :)

i mean, if wieters somehow drops, im going to pick matt wieters.

that said, i do like two college pitchers...travis banwart from witchita ST. and Jordan Zimmermann from U of Wisconsin Stevens Point. but those are more 3rd round guys for me.

Kip sounds like an athlete's name, but Robert doesn't? I guess there is the cage fighter Kip.

Furcal is so good right now that it scares me.

Marcus Giles's hot streak in 2003 was stopped by Houston pitchers Ron Villone, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner.

ah, but if eckstein had been of normal height . . . .

So, who is this JJ Hardy fella anyway?

And does Nomar ever not single when runners are in scoring position?

My two shirts were waiting for me when I got home. I'm happily wearing the blue short-sleeve.

84 MLB's Kips:
Kip Gross
Kip Selbach
Kip Wells
Kip Young

Not much of a precedent.

A perfect game and 4/4 would have been quite a thing.

Brett Butler's hot streak in 1995 with the Mets was stopped in Colorado although the Mets won the game 12-1 and got 18 hits. Butler had zero.

Tim Salmon's hot streak in 1994 ended in Seattle when he could get just one hit off of the quartet of Greg Hibbard, Rich Gossage, Bill Risley, and Bobby Ayala.

89
I'm wearing the white long-sleeve shirt. I like to keep a long-sleeve t-shirt around in case there's a draft.

73 -- Apologies' aren't owed for being wrong about a player or two. But when you slam an entire farm system and repeatedly make false statements that everybody and his dog corrects you on, and you just get more belligerent in insisting you are right, you really look bad when you are PROVEN wrong. An "I'm sorry" may not be necessary, but at least a "Hey, I goofed" would be in order.

88 2007 Nomar w/ RISP (before tonight):
.472 .523 .583 1.106
(13 singles, 4 doubles)

I wish baseball were a little more like Rollerball and it was legal for the base runners to slug the basemen in the kidney before a pitch then take off. Stuff like that.

My second shirt is the white long-sleeve. I'll wear that tomorrow morning when I walk the dogs.

93 - Nate's in charge of the draft, apparently.

94- I didn't have a list, yesterday, but I at least have number five, now.

5. Calls other people belligerent.

wow, where did that range come from.

I will say it again, for a defensive liability, jeff kent plays a pretty decent second base.

jeez, Kent went from looking really young in making that play, to really old in picking himself up off the field.

My two shirts were waiting for me when I got home. I'm happily wearing the blue short-sleeve.

i refuse to wear my blue one until i play this up coming sunday, i'll be wearing it underneath my uni.

The Cardinals' lineup is shockingly anemic.

that was dandy...andy.

Turn on your funk motor, get down, and praise the lord!

104 - well, there have been three pretty great defensive plays by the dodger infield that could have gone for hits.

Tommy Herr lives!

Russ Martin is on pace to collect 101 RBIs and 8 HR this year.

94 Canuck, I'm with you and Nate with respect to the Dodgers farm system, and my desire to see the young kids play. I'm a huge Kemp, Loney, LaRoche, and Billingsley fan. I've complained about Loney in the minors so often it's probably pretty annoying. I complain about Billingsley sitting in the bullpen every five minutes.

Now, with that said, let's look at the Dodgers.

Martin: Proven commodity.
That's it. That's the list.

You have to forgive people if they are leery. Dodger fans have been tantilized by prospects before. Most often, it hasn't worked out. It's understandible, and certainly nothing to criticize.

106- the stadium music would seem to agree with you.

If you haven't got the game on, check out the web gems segment of tonight's SportsCenter to see our current and future 3B.

hahaha! Andy LaRoche's song is "You're the Best Around," which was the song during the fight montage at the end of Karate Kid.

109 From my perspective, the heart of the debate I had with Rob over prospects was that Rob kept saying that Dodger prospects were rated high year after year, then disappointed. The fact was, outside perhaps the Dodger PR department, no one rated the prospects of a few years back highly. Baseball America frequently had the system ranked in the bottom third of baseball. So while it's one thing to be leery in a fatalistic way, it was another thing to say that this was the same old, same old. There was a new scouting director and a much higher-caliber group of prospects, and they no more deserved to be judged by the sins of the past than anyone else.

JAWFL

New post at Screen Jam with some bad news, courtesy of Benaiah.

Anyone else catch that? "You're the Best Around" is LaRoche's song...it's from "Karate Kid, the greatest feel good 80s movie ever. I love LaRoche even more now.

102 "Kent went from looking really young in making that play, to really old in picking himself up off the field."

Funny. So true, I was thinking the same thing. Cuz I think so true stuff.

112
LaRoche is even greater than I thought.

118
He's not just "greater", he's "the best".

113 That's a very fair distinction. I just don't begrudge anybody's skepticism at the D's farm system. I may not agree with it (and, in this case, I don't), but I understand.

Suffering Bruin needs to talk with LaRoche about his music.

SWEEP THE LEG!

I always thought the hype over the dodger farm system in the late 90s and beyond was a product of the 5 straight ROYs. which itself could have been a product of the dodger PR department.

thus endeth thy 4 hit streak.

Furcal seems a wee bit anxious the way he's wiggling the bat, sure enough he strikes out.

120
I can hear LaRoche hollering into the Cardinals dugout, "You're all right LaRussa!"

122-he could still go 4 for 5

125
Or 5 for 6.

124- that was excellent

I wonder if anyone on the D's is charged with knowing Wells has thrown 43 pitches. Do they change their approach?

Stan Kasten reads the blogs.

Sometimes, I see Sam in SC's comments and I think I said something and forgot what it was.

swinging strike. So the squeeze is not on?

130
There was no squeeze attempt. Wells is a pretty good hitter.

125

aside from the K he looks pretty much locked in. It's doable

did I just hear booing?

127- Thanks. My "Karate Kid" knowledge knows no bounds.

Boo-urns.

131 - True. He does have the highest average of anyone in the Cards lineup

Go Dodgers!

That is all.

I'm hoping to see a "great Lost episode" post from Benaiah soon

I'm really waiting for Benaiah to say "Great episode of 'Bones' tonight!"

129. - my first night on DT, I actually answered a question for you.

I'm waiting for Benaiah to say "Great win by the Dodgers in the ninth!"

They see the end of games ahead of us, right?

Boo-urns.

ugh, Russell Martin should have kept it in his pocket.

grumble grumble grumble

Eesh, that was a bad decision by Russ.

Alright, Bob, defend yourself: how was that not two errors?

Oh, they're calling it a wild pitch? Huh. Looked like a passed ball to me.

140: I have no doubt you did so with grace and class.

146
There weren't two errors. It was a wild pitch and an error. I have no beef against that.

99 -- Andrew, I think there is a distinction between calling Scareduck himself "belligerent" -- as if that were his normal personality -- and using that word to describe the way he was in trying to defend a particularly untenable position. And I admit that I too can be belligerent in an argument, but that is FAR from my normal personality, and I will say that if I am proven wrong after insisting I am right about something, I acknowledge it, not least because I think someone looks like a huge jerk if they don't do that.

Well I was saying Boo-urns.

I'm changing my screen name to Son of Sam.

The 3 runs scored by the Cardinals were very Dodger-esque.

Shats kind of frustrating. Those 2 cheap runs are on Martin. But they should be partially on Grady b/c I think Russ might play that ball a little better if he han't started 8,9,10 what ever number of games in a row with out a day off. Thats actually something ive never heard of till this year. I don't get it. It's bad news.

I have learned never to criticize Russ Martin.

Hey Phil Pfister brought the Worlds Strongest Man Competition back to America, let's give the man some credit.

I also highly doubt anyone from Europe would drink Coors Lite.

Or, the even more mysterious Sun of Sam.

148. and a certain amount of confusion as well.

Ryan Ludwick sounds like a guy who ought to strike out in a big spot.

Damon Runyon would certainly write it that way.

152. what wee need is a Sam in North Carolina, and a Sam in British Columbia.

Thankfully I haven't seen a Doug Mientkiewicz fan post as StolenMinky86

The Cardinals had scored 110 runs in 35 games before coming to Dodger Stadium. The have scored 18 runs in 2 games plus 3 innings, nearly twice as many as they average.

BTW, I am sick of facing catchers named Molina and we are probably going to see Jose at least once this weekend.

I didn't think Randy would put us in a hole after he made it through the first couple innings. But that darn reggresion to the mean butts in, in regard to both the Cards offense and Kip Wells fortune.

I almost became Sam MD recently.

And it did not involve medical school or dissecting anything.

And no vivisection.

160

How about Sam from BC?

He's a lawyer who was frozen in ice. When he gets a fax he thinks there are little demons in the machine making the words come out.

A more naturally talented shortstop would have thrown Kent out.

You'd think he could get to balls on the ground since he's so close to it.

(Realizing that this couldn't really get less interesting . . .)

I actually use this handle because when I first commented here, I did so just as Sam, but then the second or third time, there was another Sam, so I had to pick something else.

That guy was in NY. And he didn't stick around.

But by then it seemed to late to change back.

Eckstein needs to play a position where you don't have to throw. Or hit.

make up for that Error Russell!

I'll say it again: why do pitchers walk LuGo so often with Martin hitting behind him? It just doesn't make any sense.

Who in the world has any sort of innate natural ability to play shortstop or any other position in baseball?

It's not like australopithicenes in the Olduvai Gorge were able to escape predators by being able to field grounders to their backhand side.

164 - just a beltway transversal, I assume? I hear that is outpatient surgery these days.

150- Are you saying you'd like to step outside?

8^)

172 Lucy to left side of the diamond?

171 Gonzalez does have 2 HR in 14 at bats against Wells.

168 But you're an icon now. Like those paintings of Chairman Mao, or those statues of Lenin.

Make of that what you will...

172: You've not read the Throwing Madonna I see.

177: And this from a guy who once played a whole game at first base and did not record a single putout.

138 - Great American Idol tonight. Well, great last two minutes which is all I watch.

This was the Lost I have been waiting for, yet I am completely disappointed. Next week's should be a doozy though.

So Taguchi's stare in his Gameday pic is frightening.

180
Oh it will be ; )

168 - I was just trying to keep it simple. "name and location, what can go wrong?"

And now that I think about it, I have run into more Sams on DT in the short time I have commented here than in the city I have lived in for 15 years.

I wonder why?

182 I know of which you speak. Though I will not spoil.

Toaster.lostseasonfinaleohmygodwhatashow.tv, please.

vr, Brock.

180

when ever i read stuff about "American Idol" i feel like i'm missing out, but knowing my self i really feel like i wouldn't be into it.

If you are so interested, there is a contest on the Griddle to win tickets to Monday's Dodgers game.

Free ones.

I notice that Furcal has been wearing his socks up like Pierre lately. Is this an homage to his fellow speedster? Is this a throw back to true Dodger heroes like Jacky R? Like Samson, is this the source of his strength? Inquiring mind wants to know.

"Other Guy's Goat" > Aflac duck.
nah nah nah

181

Looks like he'd just drank a cup of coffee before they took the pic.

187 Furcal wore high leggings last year.

How do they get their socks to stay up? What's going on there? Garters? Are they like panty hose? I've never worn a baseball uniform. It's so mysterious.

go Andre.

185 - I enjoy watching "AI" less than anything else I watch, but I get more mileage out of it than any other show. It works really well as a (near) universal experience. If you work in an office (besides Jon's office anyway) only a scattered group watches any one show, but everyone watches "AI."

191- when I played, I had really skinny legs. What I did was to pull up my socks with my pants around my ankles, and position the bottom of the pants where I wanted them (jest below the knees). Then I rolled the socks down over the pant cuffs to make them stay. Then the pants came up and I was good to go.

191
The socks stay up just like any other pair of socks. They have elastic in them.

191 Pull the stirrups up, put tape around the top, pull the top over the tape, and put your pants on. Pull the pant legs up.

It's pretty standard.

Odalis Perez has decided to blame Shawn Green for the demise of his no-hitter attempt in Oakland just for old time's sake.

194 Pants cheater.

195. My socks don't stay up when I'm walking (when I happen to wear them). I can't imagine playing baseball in them. But then they're girl socks.

199

I usually found the need to pull up my stirrups and socks every few innings.

This became less of an issue when hightop cleats and long pants became available to regular citizens.

190 - I remember him often wearing his pants down and loose, like Barry Bonds does.

We need an offensive explosion to get Furcal the necessary ABs.

Stirrups, tape, skinny legs - I'm getting a mental picture though I'd like to have it demonstrated on Dodgers Live (not by Steve Lyons). Probably it never will be.

198- I had to. Glendora South Hills Little League didn't issue shorter pants, and the elastic cuffs would slide right down my complete lack of calves. After than, I just got used to it.

200 That's why taping up worked so well. Tape above the calf, pull the top over, and you're golden. It's the same thing soccer players do.

200. Ah - I thought so. Gravity is inevitable.

I've always had pretty good calves.

Furcal 2006, socks down:

http://tinyurl.com/2jylf2

Furcal 2006, socks up:
http://tinyurl.com/3czwrw

Of course, it's the same thing as people who used generic eye-black, versus those that used burnt cork. Burnt cork people just respected the game more.

But it messed your face up somethin' fierce.

Of course they could just wear bobby socks. With little pom poms.

208

What about black stickers?

206 - could it be the influence of juan pierre? he has always been a high socks guy.

Somebody from Shanana just caught a foul ball

Sha Na Na? Spelling?

Yay!

Best AB of The Player's career? Wow.

nice AB by Pierre

208. burnt cork? sounds like a rash waiting to happen

Juan "In play, run(s)" Pierre

208- I coached a little league team where half the kids used pre-made sticky strip things for eye black. They were like little band aids. I spent 3 years trying to convince them how unacceptable that was, futilely.

Strange how it's only the bottom of the fourth. Time doesn't fly when you're not having fun.

Yeah, credit where credit is due to Pierre for once - that was an excellent at bat. Added a ton of pitches to Wells pitch count and then lined a single for an RBI. Well done, Slappy!

Go Low Rider

Kip Wells doesn't belong in an MLB starting rotation.

Again - yay

Tony LaRussa's glasses make him look like the bad guy in the first Indiana Jones movie. Or Thomas Dolby.

I think JP just about wore Kip out then broke his heart.

why is tony larussa wearing sunglasses at night?

210 Black stickers are so, um, let's say "not cool." In the parlance of the diamond, we'd use anther term.

Black stickers are not cool.

I like to see LaRussa getting cranky. It's one of the best sights in baseball.

That's right, Tony: leave Wells in there.

Reading Kevin Goldstein's chat, it looks like he made a mistake. I don't believe Cust is going to hit .281/.439/.875 for the whole year, either, but his BABIP going into today's game was .250, not .500. It was .500 last year, in his three ABs with the Padres.

227
He got the idea from an outfielder in his division.

It's all that facial hair he's sporting lately. Interferes with his swing. Shave, Jeff.

Filth flarn filth.

I expect more of you, Jeff Kent.

172 An interesting topic, because somewhere between Australopithicenes and Home Erectus, a school of thought contends, the ability to throw may have shaped the human ability to defend and to hunt. Imagine if your tribe had a guy who could throw stones like Roger Clemens. Guys like Scott Boras came slightly later.

227 He's famous. He doesn't want to be recognized in LA. Otherwise, he won't be able to get a bite to eat with out being haggled for autographs.

"Were you the retarded quarterback?"

Ugh. One of the best clutch hitters in baseball just looked like a little leaguer. Weird. Oh well.

I love the Nomar van commercial

100 pitches now for Wells tonight.

263 Garden State reference for the win.

It's like that guy wrote in "Brave New World"...Aldus Huxtable...

La Russa wears sunglasses all the time because he doesn't want the other team to see his eyes in case and possibly give away a sign.

233 I disagree. I think he needs to grow back the full-on pornstache to get his mojo working again. Whatever that means.

227 - to keep track of the visions in his eyes?

He scares me without the glasses.

238 You, and zero other people.

We are not fans of that particular advert here. It's kind of creepy.

235: See 178.

244 - Really?

I'm sure the commercial's producer's mother thought it was lovely.

I've never seen it.

La Roche just wanted to impress i don't blame him for trying to make that play.

Pooh-Jols.

241 The sign that he's hung over?

242. yeah, you may have something there. But a Mormon with a pornostache? What a bad boy.

I don't understand why the Cards rock the black helmets on the road. The Mets do the same thing. They have two of the best unis in baseball, and wear black helmets instead of their great team colors.

I know a Mets fansite has petitioned to eliminate the black hats/helmets. I hope the Cards fans do the same thing.

on my 247 but like Vinnie said Furcal probably had a better play on it.

You know, I used to always say he wore sunglasses because his eyes were bloodshot. But that was a throw-away bad joke line. Now at the thought that it's a plausible explanation, I hesitate to use such a remark.

244. Admit it...you too want to be a little Asian lady and kiss a spray painted likeness of Nomar...

For those interested, Shawn Marion stepping it up a few notches. Suns lead at the half. Good defense.

254 - What, that's what the commercial is?

Well, it's still better than the Burger King and Chevy ads.

240. Aldous Huxley? Or did Cliff Huxtable have a brother? I don't recall him on the Cosby Show.

Do you stay hung over the whole day after drinking too much?

The Cardinals helmets are blue.

254 Once...But that was a long time ago.

249. You may be onto something

254 She represents pretty much everything I hate about being a baseball fan. She would almost certainly be one of those people that randomly e-mail me asking why I hate the Dodgers, and every post she makes would have to end in "GO DODGERS!!!".

257 - His Fordship demands that you try this Jello Pudding Pop.

258 - I don't know from personal experience, but I have been told that there is such a thing as a "three day hangover".

Oh, and plus it plays into my inability to figure out why people hate J.D. Drew but love Nomar.

257 Yes, the correct answer is Aldous Huxley. The Garden State quote is funny because it's so incorrect.

258. After? Perhaps during is more accurate...

The Cardinals helmets are the same shade of blue as the caps.

Come hell or high water La Russa wants Wells in there.

This is the inning we send Wells to the showers.

251
The Mets helmets aren't even all black. They're a strange color-fade from blue to black.

Is there that much of a difference between this guy:
http://tinyurl.com/28vczl

And this guy:
http://tinyurl.com/2fmsh8

258 Yes, depending on the level of activity the night before.

268 Is that dark blue? It looks black to me.

Of course, when it comes to people, I don't see color...

266. Oh, it's a quote...I never saw Garden State. I am out of that loop.

264

i can testify to that D.C. i despise Sauza Hornitos to this day because of it.

(272 in response to 265)

271 They were until the helmets turned into some kind of "Pimp My Helmet" thing.

I'm talking about the last four years. Not just this year.

Here's a closeup photo of a souvenir stand version of the Cardinals road helmet:

http://tinyurl.com/2dqsda

If the Cardinals were to start wearing black caps, the Mississippi River would overflow with my tears.

Wow, I thought he was out.

279 That looks like a Cylon helmet. I can't see the color...I just see that we must stop the humans from getting to earth.

Nice Russell Martin steels a base on a great catcher.

Can the D's get to Wells after 110 pitches?
Unfortunately, when I was young, that was when pitchers started to get warm and tough.

intentionally walk Ethier to get to LaRoche? This is different.

Especially if he then intentionally walks LaRoche.

Yeah they finally have to pitch to LaRoache.

Don't think I'm going to make it through this one. Two hours into the game, we're only in the 5th, and LaRussa hasn't even started playing the percentages yet.

265 - speaking of drew, he took himself out of the game last night after he ran into the wall at fenway. he was questionable tonight, but the game was rained out.

And he catching some bad press in boston:
http://tinyurl.com/2k5j3b

The Cardinals shade of blue looks to be even lighter than the Yankees shade of blue.

It looks like the Cardinals first started to use blue as a big part of the uniform in 1940:
http://tinyurl.com/yvv9wk

was that Led Zeppelin? Did they just change Andy's song? unacceptable.

Well at least we know that LaRoche is unlikely to get an IBB here.

Or not.

Two Dodgers on a base - Daffy

I think this photo is from 1946:
http://tinyurl.com/yq6l8u

The caps are blue in the photo, but you have to take my word for it.

287(General question, not aimed at you) Did we start calling Matt Kemp a wuss when he instantly had to come out? Drew made it until the game was out of reach.

Has Kip Wells reached the billion pitch mark yet?

276: But, but . . .

289 Was it Immigrant Song? If so, I approve.

If not, I still approve [/Zep Rocks]

278
They actually started using those last year as soon as the Cool-Flo design began to be used widely.

They started doing the black thing in the 90's along with the Reds to make the unis trendier.

What the...??

Well, I don't know what the Cards were arguing about there. Ethier was standing there on the bag. What did they want, double jeopardy?

Errrr.... Come on Andy... At least a sac fly !

293 Fine. It's blue. Whatever.

Still looks garbage. You're the Cardinals! Red Hats only!

I knew it

Boom.

WOW, Betemit

Has Kip Wells reached the billion pitch mark yet?

I think LaRussa is drunk again.

Holy tarter sauce, Betemit does it again.

the Dodgers clearly kept the right wilson.

BOOM GOES THE BETEMIT!!!

BOOM!

Meat!!!

298
Eckstein was trying to get a call where Ethier would be called out for occupying the same base as the preceding runner and then Martin getting called out for wandering off the bag.

That IBB was a great move.

Heee!

Meat! Our best pinch hitter. Who is this guy?

Wilson - YOU confuse me.

OMG! Betemit is white hot.

Wilson Betemit
Superpower: hitting homeruns as a pinch hitter

Boom goes the Betemit!

Wilson Betemit
Superpower: homeruns in a pinch

I was going to ask why we are taking Wolf out already, but I guess it no longer matters.

LaRussa is the new Grittle. He left last night's crappy starter in way too long, and did it again tonight. It's as if he doesn't even care.

I'm glad the Cards have so much faith in their tired bullpen, too. Good to see Kip Wells working towards 300 pitches here.

I was going to ask why we are taking Wolf out already, but I guess it no longer matters.

Hopefully this saves Betemit from being traded with Billingsley for Craig Monroe.

Grady Little smiles.

TLR must hate Kip Wells

i think Jon mentioned that Grady hadn't given up on Betemit maybe he'll start him a few more times, He's got great pop in his bat, nice little soap opera going on at 3rd base.

I'm late to the party, but I'm just so happy he's hitting home runs. Rock on!

310 Bob - technically, isn't that correct? Doesn't Martin have the right to go back to 3rd and if they don't tag him before he reaches the base, he is safe and Ethier is out for also being on 3rd?

I was going to ask why we are taking Wolf out already, but I guess it no longer matters.

296 I checked it again (and watched Betemit again), and it sounded like "Whole Lotta Love" to me, but I am no Zep historian to be sure.

The Cardinals wore red hats both at home and on the road from 1965 through 1991. Then in 1992, they went with a fairly light blue cap. In 1993 the Cardinals went for a darker shade of blue on the road.

Give credit to Grady for pulling Wolf after 5 even though he was pitching pretty well. You can't give away chances like that.

313

that was a good one.

Wilson Betemit
Superpower: homeruns in a pinch

New nickname for Betemit: "Dave Hansen"

Sorry, tried to refresh my page and it just kept posting.

I think Betimit is making his case that he should become the permanent pinch-hitter supreme. :)

Kip Wells may very well do what hasn't been done since Phil Niekro in 1979 at this rate.

Betemit's OPS is now almost identical to Furcals (.739 vs .740).

Betemit is soon going to have more pinch hit homeruns this year than any other member of the Dodger has in regular at bats. It's gotta be close!?
vr, Xei

298, 310
I believe the umpire was telling Eck that they weren't both tagged while occupying the same base. Martin was tagged first, left the bag, and then Ethier was tagged.

I assume that is the right call unless Ethier is automatically out for being on 3rd at the same time as Martin at any point.

my computer is posting things for me now...stop! Sorry.

327
That would be true except Martin was off third when he was tagged. I should say it's not an automatic out if two runners occupy the same base. It's just that the trail runner is declared out if tagged on the base.

If you ever get the chance to listen to the Cardinals broadcasters on EI, in particular Dan McLaughlin and Al Hrabosky, they will tell you on the air how bad Kip Wells is.

Last year, they hated Jason Marquis.

336 - Please don't say that. The lesson of these five at bats is that Betemit can be an awesome hitter, period, not that he can only succeed as a pinch hitter.

Betemit seems to be our only homer hitter.
The fact that he can only do it left handed off the bench is OK. I would rather be playing someone like LaRoche. If we stop stupid talk of 12 pitchers, we can have Betemit and Sienz. What a Bench!

343
They've got a lot to hate this year.

Steiner: "That'll bring up Little David Eckstein"

330 We've discussed this before. It's on your Dead to Me/ On Notice list.

Home Whites, Road Grays. That's it. No different hats, no alternate uniforms, no silly nonsense with the uniforms. Home whites, road grays. No hat/helmet changes on the road. It's dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.

The Royals can wear the road powders, because they are so awesome. But that's it.

Good news: Betemit has 3 pinch-hit HRs
Bad news: 3 HRs is tied for 3rd on the team for most HRs

It's amazing how much of a treat a 3-run homerun is when you've been deprived of them all season long.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was the Dodgers' first 3-run shot of the year, right?

345. yeah

343 I've become obsessed with the Pirates radio announcers on mlb.com. They only rarely talk about anything to do with the game, which is probably a good thing, since otherwise they'd have to talk about the Pirates.

336

that would be nice, the air apparent to Saenz.

347 That little man has a big ol' heart.

nomar just threw a little like a girl, didn't he?

350 Let's not forget Martin's grand slam.

I really miss the Royals road powders. Those are the main reason I was a big George Brett fan.

Furcal was probably within three feet of second base when he caught the throw.

Gonzo has a 3 run HR.

That wasn't a slide. Martin would have sumo-jacked him into left field.

342 So if he had tagged Ethier first and then Martin when he has left 3rd, they both would have been out?

That was a filthy pitch. Tsao ya later.

how bout you guys just pinch hit for Nomah once a game with Betemit? solves your 1b and your power problems all at once--

That Nomar lady is Asian?

Our old friend Odalis Perez had a nice game tonight:

6 IP
1 H
0 ER

okay, this "inner fan" guy is wearing a Red Sox hat. unacceptable.

345 - Betemit is establishing that he is a baller, I like this platoon in platoon's clothing (named "not a platoon"). Betemit can hit home runs, he can do it as a starter or as a pinch hitter, but it stands to reason that given more at bats he will hit more home runs. Lets start the guy with power and good defense, not make him a specialist pinch hitter.

348
But the Cardinals are wearing gray on the road. They are just using a different cap on the road and they have a fairly long tradition of that.

The blue caps are a throwback to their best years of the 1940s.

But what about the Cardinals wearing Gashouse Gang uniforms?
http://tinyurl.com/2xozrl

So what are the odds that one of these people on the Coors Light fan focus says something accurate?

363 That Asian lady would be crushed.

357 How awesome were those unis?

Pretty awesome. Best road unis ever.

I remember Martin's slam, but I can't recall Gonzo's 3-run HR.

Which is all going to prove my point. When you can practically recall each multi-run homerun a team has hit...

364 I think she's half ostrich

361
Yes. The third base coach is supposed to be telling the runners what to do in that situation.

Ethier did the right thing by staying right where he was. Martin was the guy playing with fire.

Wow playing deep does work against Pierre.

367 I'm actually torn on this. Betemit can be a decently productive player, but I figured he'd take over the Ramon Martinez role by the mid point of the season. I'd personally use him as a utility player while LaRoche is up.

Pierre should be forced to wear his hat straight for a game each time he hits a fly ball.

So I was check the vegas team stats. we have a dude named Spike Lundberg on the roster...that's a great Baseball name!!

Phoenix is up by 10 in the 3rd in I can play small ball if I have to game.

370

I always loved them. The powders are what made Kansas City's uniform something more than a total Dodgers rip-off. Those grey things they wear now look like old cat vomit.

376 That last one qualified as a line drive. It's alright by me if he wants to hit those all day long.

The Cardinals wore powder blue road unis from 1976 through 1984. The Royals still had powder blue road unis in 1985, which is why they won the World Series that year.

369. One of them said the other night that Wolf has "potential" - so I guess we should keep the kid.

Big strikeout by Tsao.

372. LOL

Walk off walk, Padres win.
vr, Xei

366 I thought it was a Brooklyn cap, but I wasn't paying too close attention -- his facial hair was reminding me of Jason Schmidt for some reason, then he starting talking about Schmidt getting healthy, and I got muddled. ;)

Bronson Arroyo pitched a 129 pitch complete game loss.

381 Those Cards powder unis are actually really nice. Great point. They have my permission to wear them.

But no silly hats. Red hats. RED HATS.

For some reason the Cardinals and Phillies ones didn't work as well. The red made it too much. The two shades of blue (with white trim, I think) were perfect. The players looked like walking Utah skies.

I think Furcal had to contact SoCal Approach to get a read on where that one was.

I get the feeling the Reds don't trust their bullpen.

386 I was going to say that I don't think I've ever seen a Red Sox hat that's blue on blue. Pink, yes. Green, yes... Also, the "B" didn't look right.

Bob, where would I best be able to look up who the third outfielder was for the Orix team with Ichiro and So Taguchi?

How tough is it for San Diego to score runs, Kevin Kouzmanoff was a factor in all three Padre runs, he drove in one with a single, he hit a single with a runner on first and when Dunn made a misplay on that hit, that runner scored and now he walks with the bases loaded to "drive" in the winning run.

The Reds scored 5 total runs against the Padres and perhaps without that misplay by Dunn, could have won 2 games.

392 I thought it was black on black, which is made for (at least) the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers. I've watched the segment three times now, and I still think it's Red Sox.

The white Brooklyn hat with the blue pinnies is off the charts. I've bought that hat three times, for each of my increasing hat sizes.

396 I should buy one of those hats again.

396 Are you buying Balco brand shampoo?

396 Flaxseed oil?

The Cardinals have the 3rd lowest bullpen ERA in the MLB.

http://tinyurl.com/2c5gx9

396. Maybe it's just an ego thing

388
The Cardinals won the World Series in 1964 with a color scheme similar to this year's.

This is Ken Boyer's 1964 Topps card:
http://tinyurl.com/2a2ho5

"...Spezio, with that sooouull patch..."

Scully lives in a wonderful world.

That hair on his chin is just stupid - in any color

Did Pierre actually jump up and down as the ball bounced to time the catch?

so is his soul actually contained in the hair ?

That hair on his chin is just stupid - in any color

You're not impressed by the hair on his chinny-chin-chin?

Too much creative facial hair these days. Is it a beard? Is it a hair mole? Who knows.

Too much creative facial hair these days. Is it a beard? Is it a hairy mole? Who knows.

a pair of runs right now wouldn't hurt.

398 399 Ha!

I got the first hat as a midget 12 year old. I bought it again in high school, and bought the last one at a hat shop in Boston.

That white Brooklyn hat with the blue pinnies is so awesome. Best...Dodger...Hat...Ever.

403. I am just very happy that Vin allows us to share his world with him for three and a half hours every night (or whenever EI carries the dodgers broadcast, for those of us out of state)

"Big Bad John"? Really? I think we can do better than that, Vin.

Would be nice to get a run or two.

{411}

you're making me curious, is there a way i can google a picture of it?

Greg and I could just agree to disagree about the Cardinals blue caps, but that means that I would have to acknowledge that he could be right.

I REFUSE! I am drawing a line in the sand.

413. I think it fits.

"Every mornning at the mine, you could see him arrive.
He stood 6 foot 6, weighed 245.
Kind of broad at the shoulders, narrow at the hip.
And everybody knew you didn't give no lip to Big John."

Except for the narrow at the hip part, of course.

411 I sported the regular blue and white Brooklyn hat through high school, until my mom literally threw it away because it was so disgusting. I still resent her for it.

416 what's that from? Croce?

Yadier Molina looks like a totem pole.

413

i think he came up with "the baby faced assassin" to Biggio, I thought that was pretty neat.

418
Think pork sausage.

Or singers who appeared in James Bond films.

418. Johnny Cash

http://www.lyrics007.com/Johnny%20Cash%20Lyrics/Big%20Bad%20John%20Lyrics.html

Ethier is so good at making that play

421 yeah, I just googled Bad Bad Leroy Brown. He was only 6'4"

I gotcha now

420. Baby faced assassin with a slight sneer

Vin is clearly running out of things to say about eckstein . . . .

Seriously, other teams get Eckstein out all the time don't they?

"Big John" is Jimmy Dean's signature song.

I'd rather face Bonds than Eckstein in this situation.

418. Jimmy Dean wrote it though I think

google results for Big Bad John got me this:

"Due to legal threats from the MPA and the NMPA (National Music Publishers Association), we currently can not show you this Big Bad John tab/lyric"

420

Yeah, I always liked that one. I've always been a Craig Biggio fan though, for whatever reason.

431. LOL. I typed in "Big Bad John Audio"

432. Biggio is cool

"Big Bad John" was a #1 hit for Jimmy Dean on the pop and country charts and he won a Grammy for it. Dean cowrote the song with Roy Acuff.

it would be a nice time for La Roche to hit one out

Do you think he has one?

www.bigjohntoiletseat.com

God willing, someday announcers will get tired of talking about how big Broxton is. Everyone can see he's big. Time to put it to rest. (Vin, I'm looking at you).

It's pretty amazing how the Cardinals were able to win the World Series last year. This lineup is aging and/or mediocre at almost every position except first and third, and their pitching is unremarkable. I see a San Francisco Giant-esque future in store for them, minus the good young pitching. With Eckstein being Bonds in this analogy, obviously.

438
But no one will ever get tired of talking about Lil' Davie Eckstein.

435 It must have been on the Acuff/Rose label.

San Antonio and Phoenix tied w/ 90 seconds left

439. Yes, but last year they had the Dreamweaver

436 He really is not getting many pitches to hit.

(436)

would have been nice.

442 Music on her mind.

414- I think this is the one.

http://www.distant-replays.com/17dodgers.html

443 Oops, this is where I meant to say Music on her mind.

437 "Rated over 1200lbs." wow

Does Brady Clark always do the Bret Boone bat-flip?

444

that's true, plus he seems like a pull hitter the times i've seen him hit i'd go with the pitch a little more, He's still very young so i don't even stress about that.

351,367 I think I'm with both of you, though I'm not sure if that works.
Would it be too much to ask for us to score an insurance run or two. I know we like to show off our bull-pen, but Brox and Saito can't be expected to be perfect all the time, can they?

449. How many Broxtons is that? Two?

449. How many Broxtons is that? Two?

447

I don't know, it doesn't do it for me, maybe it looks nicer when you put it on or something.

So, LaRussa leaves Wells in after he'd walked a million guys and thrown a billion pitches, but he takes Springer out after 9 pitches and giving up a (gasp!) single?

456

He's a strategerial genius!

This team stresses me

456 Kip Wells deserved a win, dang it!

[458]

this team stresses me when we play the Red Birds ;o)

So many ugly Dodger hats. How can there be any money in the designing the 149th ugly, bizarre re-imagining of a Dodger hat?

http://www.lids.com/did/151?recs=64

JP's at bat (and I do mean singular- it's the same one every time) is getting extremely tiresome

460. it's like they give the Dodgers low self-esteem or something.

462. reminds me of Shawn Green. Whom I hate.

461

The red puzzle-themed one is BALLIN'! Have to rock that one with a proper lean.

And then burn it.

as tiresome as 1 HR in the last 27 games and 3 RBI's in the last 19 games for gonzo?

It would be cool if Saito had a Hello Kitty mitt

461 here's my favorite http://www.lids.com/pid/20075374

argh.

This seems like it will end poorly.

Nomar can jump!

466 yes- I was a Rockies season ticket holder when√ Pierre came up. I've seen this far too many times for my taste, and I can't seem to shake the guy

471 I'd rather he were 4 inches taller.

Sammysammysammysammy please save us from ourselves...

Stop 'em Saito!!

Has anyone other than me leveled unsubstantiated steroid-use allegations at Pujols?

476. I will.

Sit down Pujols!!

when√ Pierre

What is the square root of Juan Pierre?

That was f'ing masterful.

pujols picked a good pitch to nullify with a timeout, but K'ed anyway.

good concentration by sammy!

476

Not that I know of. It's good that you've found a niche.

Saito Ks Pujols.

Jeez, the guy has a great at-bat and a two out RBi and we are still being critical.

476 Yes.

476
One of Pujols's personal trainers was leaked as having been named in obtaining a search warrant used to search Jason Grimsley's house for steroids.

479. Kenny Lofton?

yeah i am no huge pierre fan, i am just saying...he is what he is and thats not cool (for some, me included), but gonzo sucks and he is actually suppossed to drive in runs

479 Eckstein is the square root of Juan Pierre. And my wireless keyboard is janky

485
I knew it!

Darn you Rolen & you're basketball background!!

479 1/sqrt(5)

487 I think there is better chance of seeing Gonzo sitting and Kemp playing than Pierre this season.

Two outs, time to bring Guo in! :)
vr, Xei

what a stud

489
However, Ryan Howard is completely clean.

Mainly because most people like him. Pujols isn't beloved by the media like Howard.

why has the world turned it's back on wires, anyway?

I want to see a picture of Robert Horry wearing a Giants cap so I can despise him that much more. He's the MVP of that game.

Little slider here would be nice cause Spizeo will be expecting a fastball

we win

doesn't laroche have the square root of Pierre's OBP?

Saito makes living through Game Over and seeing the glory end easier

did anyone else just yell "two hands, andy!" at their television set?

Saito looked like he was at a heavy metal concert for moment there.

You know, as fun as Saito is, I can see how him doing his gigantic celebration after every game would be annoying to the other team.

499 You beat Greg Brock

fastball & Spizeo poped it up, nice. we take the series. HA!

I know I shouldn't compare them simply because they're both Japanese, but Saito is so different than Nomo I can't help it. Did Nomo EVER smile???

Great win, with the added bonus of the Giants and D-Backs (and Webb) losing. The only blemish of the night is that the Reds couldn't pull it out against Peavy.

504 See K-Rod, Gagne, Eck.

The other should be annoyed that they lost not by whatever gestures the other team's closer makes.

504
At least it's not like Carlos Perez after every strikeout. Though to be fair, those were few and far between.

507 He smiled after both of his no-hitters.

504 I think it's acceptable to celebrate a win with a smile and a fist-pump. It's not like he's doing that after every strikeout.

What's the Dodger record for pinch hit HR in a season? Is it Dave Hanson?

Ah, nice to see that the boys in blue won. Two out of three ain't bad. Checking the box score, Betemit had another PH homerun. Looks like the Dodgers have found their pinch hitting specialist.

I actually watched it. I often can't watch, when its this close, and with the D's its almost always close. But I guess I sort of trust Saito. So what a team, they finally take a series from the Cards, thanks partly to Sammies smile.

487

Gonzo's OPS is .785, that's probably going to be around his range this year. It's just a matter of the management realizing that there is no point to continue running him out there. We'll see how long it takes.

504. The more emotion the better. Except for crying.

511. So - twice?

Why do post game announcers yell? Isn't that what their microphones are for? So they don't have to yell.

512. That would be funny, though.

513 I think so. But for some reason Don Drysdale comes to mind as well. But I think it is Hansen with 9.

Nice recovery albeit against not so great teams but after the 1-6 streak, the Dodgers win 7 out of 10 and go 8-5 during a 13 consecutive game run.

Now they have 3 days off in the next 12 days so they should be able to get the bullpen back in stride.

504

At least it's not the Jose Lima moonwalk, or whatever that weird thing he did at the end of a strikeout was.

516 785's not too bad. The average ML leftfielder this year is 769.

Actually, my man Johnny Frederick had 6 PH HR in 1932. Wilson is halfway there.

So...Gonzo is like Shawn Green was his last couple years in LA.....no excitement whatsoever when he steps to the plate....he will be a double play machine this year....Too bad Grady respects the vets because Andre should be batting 5th....

kadycee seems like a really nice gal. We could use the feminine perspective around here. Good stuff. And she's a learned gal. Very nice. We do, however, have a problem.

"We win!" is mine. I do that. That's my thing.

We win!

kadycee seems like a really nice gal

I don't buy it.

Ohhhhhh...I was wondering what that comment meant earlier. My dear sir, I am sorry. I'll just have to come up with my own I guess. How about...

We didn't lose!

527 Why do men always need to have the last word?

524

Yeah, but just because other teams are running mediocrity out there, doesn't mean we should too.

D4P - what kind of name is that? Are you related to R2D2?

I tease! Really, I'm nice I'm nice!

527 Where were you, out getting a street taco?

There is great taco truck on Arroyo that parks in auto repair shop lot.

532
Until I receive indisputable evidence to the contrary, you're neither nice nor female. You're a mean, mean man who just wants to hurt my feelings and stuff.

523. carlos perez had an especially obnoxious strike out celebration. fortunately, he didn't get to use it very often.

Yesterday Little said Tomko would take his regular turn against the Angels on Sunday. Tonight Prime Ticket said Lowe is pitching Sunday. So, it appears we're going to take advantage of the off day tomorrow and skip Tomko. Great news.

Grady could get work calling horse races. he never takes a breath.

527 I am not sure that is a good thing that I know that "We win" is Greg Brock's thing.

the angels on sunday. interleague play is obnoxious enough all by itself without it getting here earlier and earlier every season. or so it seems.

529 No worries. It's just...Well... There are clearly defined jobs around here.

I say "We win!" when we win.
D4P alienates women.
Bob answers every question
Andrew insults D4P

And on and on. There are dozens of people here, who each play an important role. Now that Oswald has gone AWOL, you're the girl.

534. Okay, you're right. I'm actually Gary Sheffield.

533. that sounds kind of unsafe.

Counting the playoffs, Wilson Betemit has hit 14 home runs in 254 at-bats for the Dodgers. That's a pretty juicy HR ratio, especially for one so young.

536. Yaaaaaay...infinity.

536 Tomko or Hendrickson, Tomko could pitch on regular rest on Saturday.

Actually, it doesn't matter because one of them would have to pitch on Tuesday with Penny pitching on Wednesday.

Then over the weekend against the Cubs, the Dodgers will send out Lowe, Wolf and Tomko/Hendrickson with Penny opening up the road trip in Washington.

Steve used to play a huge role around here. Unfortunately, Steve is persona non grata.

May the road rise up to meet you, Ninja.

538. You're just a caring soul.

I think James McDonald needs to be promoted to AA.

over in riverside tonight, McDonald tossed another gem of a game..

7IP 3H 0ER 0BB 9K

his last 6 starts consist of..

36IP 16H 9bb 41K 1.25ERA

This is probably the best hitters league in the minors as well. He needs a new challenge.

543 That was a shot to centerfield on a not so warm night by Wilson.

and

ps IVE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN YOU WILSON!

Dave Hansen hit 7 pinch hit homers in 2000 for the Dodger and MLB record, later tied by Craig Wilson.

548 At least that team is beginning to play better. But for a hitting league, Blake, the clock is ticking.

540. I always appreciate clarification. I know how important constancy is to sensitive people (as all baseball fans are).

Now tell me, what the heck kind of name is Oswald for a girl? Not to be catty or anything.

Tomko/Hendrickson - now that would be a scary hybrid.

524

Here are the Left Fielders Gonzo is out OPSing higher than in the Majors with 75 at-bats or more.

Cliff Floyd
Manny Ramirez
Matt Murton
Matt Diaz
Craig Monroe
Terrmel Sledge
Chris Snelling
Jason Michaels
Scott Hairston
Jason Kubel
Raul Ibanez
Shannon Stewart
Adam Lind
David Delucci
Garret Anderson
Jay Gibbons
Jay Payton
Melky Cabrera
Rob Mackowiak
Emil Brown
Ryan Langerhans

Source: ESPN.com

In that order. Some of these guys are locks to improve, (Ramirez, Raul Ibanez), the rest are part-time players at best.

552

I agree, it seems that Blake is going the way of most first round draft picks...not going to make it.

Wolf is such a swell guy. I like him and want him to do well. Plus, he's local. That's cool - he's a Dodger fan.

I put together a "Dodger Thoughts: The Movie" cast a few months ago. It was a really useful guide.

Most posters did not like my casting. Except for Sam DC. He liked being David Strathairn.

Bob did NOT like being played by Mort Saul.

558. Ha ha. Mort Saul. Does this guide still exist? Does it have a link? Are there artist's renderings?

Interesting comments by Schmidt and Conte via tonight's notes on Schmidt's progress.

Schmidt's extensive long-tossing exercise on Tuesday was a positive indicator. When it was suggested to Schmidt that he couldn't have thrown a ball 275 feet a month ago, he said: "I couldn't have done that last year."

Conte, Schmidt's trainer with the Giants last year, agreed.

"At the end of last year, that's probably true, and this spring, I never saw him do that," he said. "In the bullpen in the spring, it looked like he was always working on pitches. He wasn't letting it go; it didn't have the pop it does now. That's encouraging. I still hold my breath each day."

558 I believe this was the fine actor to portray me. http://imdb.com/name/nm0000687/

I have summed up tonight's Lost and American Idol in four combined sentences at Screen Jam.

561. wow, he spoke fluent German.

561 Yeah, I cast you as JT Walsh. I tried to explain the total awesomness of JT Walsh, but It don't think you bought in.

BH, you're JT Walsh...JT WALSH. Hello! JT WALSH!

Is this it?

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/605836.html#36

My friend John said I reminded him of Sissy Spacek in Crimes of the Heart. That's the one where she kills her husband and then makes lemonade. I think he just meant there was a physical resemblance...anyway, I'm not sure I agree. And of course she's about 20 years older than I am.

564 On the contrary, I accept it happily. I remembered didn't I.

565 That was such a fun thread. Except for the part where everybody hated my casting choices.

But it was still a really fun thread.

565. Thanks, I found it! That's quite a collection of fellas...not sure who some of them are...

besides telling me anything else, was tonights lost good or bad?

558. Paul Giamatti...that's kind of mean, though

BTW - I sent an e-mail to Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus' Under the Knife fame and asked him what he thoought about Stan Conte and all he said was that he [Conte] was one of the best.

I like Brian Posehn, except I was a little sad Brock would assume I look like Brian Posehn.

573 That was more about personality and style than visuals. You have geek street cred, so I went with a geek. Plus, the red hair thing seemed to work. BP was also on Mr. Show...Which is nice.

I noticed that Marty didn't complain about being played by Jack Nicholson. Obviously.

Marty got the nicest casting.

who was i?

570
It is kind of a throw away episode.

Ahh, the fairness of interleague play.

This weekend, the Dodgers at the first place L.A. Angels of Anaheim.

The San Diego Padres play their natural rival (maybe in attracting more Naval contracts), the Seattle Mariners at Safeco, good matchup on Sunday, Maddux vs. King Felix.

The Diamondbacks go to Pittsburgh as they play the sole NL matchup this weekend.

The Giants make an even shorter trip than the Dodgers as to across the Bay Bridge (they can can't they?) and play the A's of Oakland.

And finally, the Rockies get to stay home and play their natural AL rival, the Kansas City Royals.

573. OMG - I just realized who that is. LOL. There's got to be only one of him in the world. Really.

BH, Marty, and Sam got the best casting.

JT Walsh, Jack Nicholson, and David Strathairn...What a cast.

574 You knew it would come to this:

"Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

577. The only good thing about playing the Angels is getting to see Mike Scioscia (my favorite Dodger of all time). Otherwise, it's just boring. The Angels are such a "special" team - they can't even figure out what city they play in. They might as well call themselves the Las Vegas Angels - what's the difference.

I like David Strathairn

580 I think I cast Bill Murray as Bob.

He was not amused...At all. Then I went with Mort Sahl...He didn't like it.

I went with Tom Lehrer, and he still didn't like it. I gave him comedy titans, and he was not amused.

Couldn't wait to get home and fire the cannon.
Boom Boom

583. Bill Murray is awesome. And Lost in Translation only proves the point.

Bob likes SCTV and Bob has glasses, therefore, Bob is Harold Ramis.

I loved Harold Ramis in Ghostbusters! That was a truly great film.

Plus, Ramis played Egon in Ghostbusters and Egon is really smart.

587
Beat me to it.

583
I was bummed when I found out I was never cast.

Am I getting in the way here?

The only thing great about Lost in Translation was my first exposure to Scarlett Johansson.

Pitching matchups from Dodger Talk (Not the same without Ross asking the caller, would you like to play Dodger trivia?)

Penny vs. the good Santana
Hendrickson vs. the good Weaver
Lowe vs. the only Kelvin in Anaheim

590 Greg, do your thing.

590. I thought the faux Cameron Diaz character was great.

590 If by first exposure you mean the first shot of her in the movie, yes, that was quite interesting.

I don't remember this casting thread either. Where was I? And more importantly, who was I?

590 Are you kidding? You were among the first people I cast. Go back and look at the thread. I would never ignore you.

The role of ToyCannon was played by Josh Lucas. Smart, funny, handsome guy who is the total antagonist. Since we almost never agree on anything, I cast you as the handsome rogue...The dramatic foil...The charming enemy.

Go back and look at that thread. I cast you proper...The Elegant enemy!!

593 The fake Spike Jonze character was pretty interesting too.

"Lost in Translation" was one of those works, like "Tunnel of Love," in which the creator spelled out "I AM GETTING DIVORCED SOON" in big, bold, unsubtle strokes.

Post #61 from the DT: The Movie thread...

Because ToyCannon hates me, I cast him as Josh Lucas. Smart, charismatic, but certainly the protagonist's foil. The guy irks you, but you can't hate because he's really smart and likeable. That's ToyCannon. He hates you, but you really like him.

Come on, ToyCannon...I told you you were cast. You were cast early on.

596. LOL

595. Josh Lucas? Is he here? Where? Where's Josh Lucas? Josh? Hello?

;)

JoeyP is played by Bradley Whitford...The Billy Madison version of Bradley Whitford.

BUSINES...ETHICS...

Okay, I scanned the old thread and I don't think I was cast anywhere. I want to be Sydney Greenstreet.

So JoeyP has weird looking...

Well you know.

Eric has to be Erik Estrada.

601 Actually, I've always considered you a Dustin Hoffman type.

No shame in being Dustin Hoffman.

595
Once I read this

"I know what ToyCannon, Jon, Bob, Vishal, and Rob look like, so it kills the drill."

I lost interest in the thread since I wasn't going to be involved. I'm self-involved that way.

Yeah, that sounds good. I could have little conversations with myself.

"Hey, I'm walkin' here!"
"But I'm an excellent driver."

605 But I still cast you. And I cast you as a handsome guy! And a charismatic foil!

597
Josh Lucas is to good looking and to tall.

Ed Harris would work. I've got the blue eyes and hairline down pat.

608 That is brilliant. ToyCannon is Ed Harris. That really works.

I think he's the Ed Harris from The Truman Show.

A few notes from attending tonight's game...

- How did no one comment on LaRussa having the infield in IN THE FIRST INNING with Nomar up. Of course, Nomar strokes a line drive that probably would have been a one-hopper to Eckstein, though since no more runs were scored, it didn't matter in the long run. The funniest thing about it was how the infield kept acting like they would play back and then rushed in when the pitcher went into his motion.

- LaRoche's 2nd at-bat song was "Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin

- Gonzo's 2nd at-bat song was "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin

- I love Led Zeppelin

- Wore my new Dodger Thoughts t-shirt tonight and got stopped by someone who posts infrequently (screen name started with a B).

- Sat in the all-you-can-eat pavillion for the first time and the experience was good in general. Unfortunately, I'm not a big eater, so I pretty much broke even foodwise (2 Dodger Dogs, a nacho, and 2 sodas).

Do me, Greg!

okay, that came out wrong...

Harold Ramis is acceptable to play the part of me.

611
Yeah, in total respect of Jon I just finished reading all the posts and no mention was made of that bonehead move. I did win the quick admiration of my group when I pointed it out and said LaRussa would pay for that and Nomar was nice enough to make me look smart for a brief moment.

I also said Boom Boom when Betemit came up but I wasn't expecting or predicting a Boom Boom so when the Boom Boom happened all hell broke loose around me.

Some sweet defensive plays by Kent(Twice), La Roche, and Ethier.

Oh and best of all when I got home tonight my Dodger Thought T-Shirt was waiting for me. My wife was less then impressed until I explained what Dodgers Thoughts was.

Yeah, Bob definitely has to be Spangler. That's good casting right there.

Dodger Thoughts: The Movie is really starting to come together. We've got the entire cast set up. I imagine a very Robert Altman, collaborative effort going on. Very "Nashville" meets "The Player" vibe happening.

Jon can handle the PR stuff, being a Variety reporter and all. I'll focus on the overseas funding. Bob can do the historical research.

Robert Towne has got to be available. We'll hammer out a screenplay over the summer.

I have high hopes for this movie.

616 I'm an electrical engineer, I'll handle the lighting or something

612 You are young and edgy. Smart, yet fragile. I'm going to go with Lucas Haas.

614 I'm not sure if it's because the game started late or what, but none of the fine defensive plays were in the top 10 plays of the day on Sportscenter tonight. I'd say Aaron Hill's diving stop was the only play better than LaRoche's snare, Ethier's sliding catch, or even Kent's "running in sand but still make the full-extension grab and get the guy by a half-step" play.

For what it's worth, Betemit's HR tonight was my favorite moment of the season so far. I'm really pulling for him.

One of us should knock off JoeyP and when they investigate they find out that everyone has a motive. It's been done before but what hasn't. If we only had some ladies to mix it up with. Do we have any Christines in waiting?

D4P could turn out to be a woman. That would be a nice twist.

618 Hmmm, while I enjoy the association with the high school mob boss from Brick, I can't get the vision of the little twerp from Witness out of my head.

I thought I had a major size advantage on the guy, but he seems to be about my height. Who knew he was 6'1"?

621 Or it could be like Murder on the Orient Express where not only does everyone have a motive, but everyone actually was the culprit. I call dibs on having the ridiculous accent.

I think we've all been duped by D4P. He/She is probably a student of one of our multitude of teacher posters.

Having fun but I need my sleep. Hopefully when I come back we will have a producer for Mr. Brock.

623 I was thinking of the boss from Brick.

621 That would totally work. It's not what my screenplay focuses on, but I can certainly change it around. If JoeyP's death becomes a larger story, we could have a trilogy. Sort of a James Elroy trilogy thing.

If we start off with a small movie, investigating JoeyP's death, it could be a very nice noir film. From there, if the box office is good, we can come out with DT: The Movie.

I just want to make sure that the integrity of DT: The Movie is preseverved. With so many great cast members, from ToyCannon to Sam DC, from trainwreck to D4P, I just don't want to cheapen the screenplay.

This is gold. GOLD.

627 Fair enough, I'll take it. The only real-life celebrity I've been compared to recently is Harry Connick Jr. Back in the day when I was about 40 pounds lighter and had more defined cheekbones I got a couple Jean-Claude Van Damme comparisons. Talk about your polar opposites.

Jean-Claude Van Damme or The Pin?

Either way you are involved with heroin.

Wow, the guy who a friend of mine turned down (Jerry O'Connell) is now engaged to Rebecca Romijn. Not sure what that says about Rebecca since my friend is attractive but not gorgeous.

I bet everyone reads how I'm 40 pounds heavier now and probably assumes I'm fat. Actually, I went from 6'1" 140 lbs to 6'2" 180 lbs. Yeah, I used to be pretty damn skinny.

630 John Stamos is available I believe.

Well, said friend ended up marrying an unimpressive dude who was 26 while she was 19, so her taste in men has a lot to be desired, but even so it's still an interesting turn of events for ole Jerry.

I can attest to #631... I was also at the game last night and also sat in the Kirstie Alley section and ate a few hot dogs, a nachos, and a bunch of little cokes. Got my money's worth. ps: I've now been to three games in a row started by Randy Wolf... that's just weird.