Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
For those who follow such things closely, the 2007 Dodger draft had suspense and intrigue - if not a little bit of horror. But will there be a happy ending? To put last week's draft into perspective, I asked two of the most astute draft commenters on Dodger Thoughts, CanuckDodger and Nate Purcell, to give us their thoughts.
By CanuckDodger
"I'm Baseball America's worst nightmare." If you had to make a guess who said that, Baseball America darling Logan White might be the last name that comes to mind. But White did say it - in an interview, just before the 2004 amateur baseball draft - and, really, he might have been on to something. Every year, running up to the June draft, Baseball America presents its readers with the baseball scouting community's consensus opinion on the top amateur players eligible for the draft, and it tries to predict when, approximately, certain players will be selected in the draft, with the publication especially keen to predict who will be chosen in the first round. But Logan White has been defying the scouting consensus since he ran his first draft as the Dodgers' scouting director, in (what seems like an eternity ago) 2002. That said, 2007 might be the year in which White, after years of sailing by his own star, finally raised the Jolly Roger and, with a black patch covering one eye and a parrot on his shoulder, set his sword and cannon against the broader scouting community, and against the magazine that conveys the scouts' judgments to the ordinary baseball fan.
This year, with their first five picks, the Dodgers managed to take every player - Chris Withrow, James Adkins, Michael Watt, Austin Gallagher, and Andrew Lambo - earlier (sometimes much earlier) in the draft than where each of those players ranked on Baseball America's Top 200 Draft Prospects list (the three out of the five players who actually made the list at all, that is), and that list reflects the scouting community's collective wisdom, supposedly. RHP Chris Withrow - following in the footsteps of James Loney and Chad Billingsley - is a first rounder whom Baseball America did not rank in his draft class's top 40 available players. LHP James Adkins is a first supplemental rounder for a team committed to drafting "high-ceiling players" (White's phrase) despite Baseball America painting Adkins as a decidedly low-ceiling talent. In LHP Michael Watt, the Dodgers secured the signing rights to a player whom every scout Baseball America's John Manuel talked to about him did not like. Third baseman Austin Gallagher is noted by Baseball America to be a player scouts believe is unprepared to face pitchers in pro ball. And OF/1B Andrew Lambo has been drafted by an organization that when it comes to player makeup, or character, borders on obsessive, yet Baseball America reports that scouts consider Lambo's makeup to be questionable (he stole a car) and have found Lambo himself to be immature. For Logan White to be out of sync with his scouting brethren on one or two of the players above, well, that might be par for the course with White, but on every one of them? All of the Dodgers' first five picks?
White's record in the first five drafts that preceded his latest effort suggests that he might be entitled to a fair bit of trust, as it is easy to point out instances in which he has been proven right, and the scouting consensus he went against, wrong. But what White's past record really screams out is that the true measure of the Dodgers' 2007 draft class cannot even begin to be taken until we see which players White took after the first five players -- that is, which players taken after fourth-rounder Andrew Lambo - actually sign with the Dodgers. Whether it be 2002 39th-rounder Luke Hochevar, 2002 32nd-rounder Richie Robnett, or 2003 19th-rounder Matt Antonelli; whether it be 2004 15th-rounder Joe Savery, or 2004 19th-rounder David Price, Logan White is collecting an impressive list of names of non-college players whom the Dodgers did not sign because of money issues who later make themselves not only elite college players, but first-round draftees who command signing bonuses that exceed (in some cases, far exceed) the money it would have taken to sign them as high school or junior college players. Identifying players like these - whose stocks are on the rise but are not as high as they will get - and then failing to take advantage of the prices they can be bought for that are cheap relative to what their prices will be at a later date, represents a failure to exploit a market inefficiency that discounts younger amateur players as a riskier investment than more "proven" college players of equal, or sometimes inferior, talent.
Right now, what happens with this year's fifth-round pick, RHP Kyle Blair, in the weeks ahead will play a pivotal role in making the Dodgers' 2007 draft either an initial success or an initial disappointment. Blair's price to turn pro and stay out of college is rumored to be as high as $1 million. During the Logan White era, the Dodgers have given a seven-figure bonus to just one player in a slot lower than the second round, 2003 39th-rounder Andy LaRoche. Last year, large market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs all gave players drafted later than the 5th round $1 million or more to sign with them, for no better reason than to bring more talent into their farm systems than they would have been able to if they obeyed MLB's slotting guidelines for bonuses, and in recent years the Angels, under Arte Moreno's ownership, have engaged in similar practices. Neither a scouting director nor a GM can exceed the slotting guidelines at his own will. Ownership has to sign off on paying over slot for a player, because it is ownership that has to deal with an angry Bud Selig, as well as come up with the extra money. In the three drafts under Frank McCourt's ownership (prior to this year's draft, of course), the Dodgers have not loosened the purse strings to sign a seven-figure or even a high-six-figure talent outside of the top couple rounds. Because of this, premium players like Price, Savery, and RHP Alex White have been lost to college ball when they could have been brought into the Dodger fold. Arguably, this amounts to a refusal to make full use of Logan White's ability as an evaluator of young baseball talent. This has to change. It has to change now, beginning with Kyle Blair.
* * *
By Nate Purcell
The first look at the first day of the Dodgers' 2007 Major League Draft will probably leave plenty of devoted Dodger fans to scratch their heads and second-guess Logan White and Tim Hallgren. I too was one of many who didn't follow what the Dodgers were trying to accomplish. Looking deeper, there might be a method to their madness.
The Dodgers plucked their first pick for the second straight year out of a Texas high school. Chris Withrow is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-handed pitcher who is acclaimed for having an extremely clean delivery with a loose repeatable arm action. Withrow first made some noise last summer at a couple of Texas showcase events and this spring continued to turn heads with consistent performances with velocity in the low 90s. "Check back in three years" was the quote that stuck out to me the most when reading various scouting reports on Withrow. Presently, Withrow's fastball touches 94 and sits 90-91 with good command. His curveball is also an above-average pitch to go along with an average change up. In three years, this is what the Dodgers are banking on what will happen:
Withrow wasn't the sexy pick compared to maybe a Mike Main, who has the present electric heat, but Withrow offers up enough projection and current polish to make him a worthwhile pick at No. 20.
A 6-5, 220-pound left-handed pitcher who is battle-tested through SEC competition with a career K rate over 9 to go along with a plus plus slider would excite fans of most teams. Well, that is exactly who the Dodgers picked with their supplemental choice - and the groans were heard throughout various Dodger internet sites. The reason? Present velocity. James Adkins' fastball only sits between 88-92 mph with scouts not projecting much velocity increase. Watching his scouting video, I can see why the Dodgers liked him enough to nab him at No. 39. He looks the part of a reliable innings-eater, and his delivery is clean, loose and low-effort. It seems he is barely throwing and he is still sitting at 88, which leads me to believe he could possibly gain some ticks. Scouting reports state that Adkins pitches backwards and as he makes his transition into pro ball, he will need to learn to pitch off his fastball. To elaborate, if the Dodgers could get Adkins to start consistently throw his fastball, arm speed and velocity could increase. This is just one theory on why the Dodgers picked him and a more interesting one then Colletti making White take a fast-moving LOOGY.
In the second round, the Dodgers went local for the first time selecting Capo Valley product Michael Watt. Watt is an extremely athletic 6-1, 185 baseball player. He played outfield and pitcher for the Cougars and will become a full time pitcher at the professional level. My immediate comp when watching Watt's scouting video is a left-handed Scott Shields. Present velocity on his fastball is between 87-92 with excellent movement and ability to pitch up in the zone because of a deceptive delivery. He compliments it with a curveball that when he gets over the top of it becomes a hard downer and grades out as a plus pitch. His left arm is lightning quick and he gets great extension with his lower half. He overstrides sometimes which leads to jerking his body over to the third base side but that is a correctable flaw. Interestingly, there have been mixed thoughts by scouts on Watt. At one point in the season, Watt received the highest grade for players in California from the Major League Scouting Bureau. That said, he was not rated among the top 200 players in the draft by Baseball America. Like with Withrow, "check back in three years" stood out for me. He has a heavy commitment to Long Beach St., and it seems Logan White believed it was worth paying a bit more now then to see a local product becoming a first-round selection for some other team in three years.
Where are the power bats? Why haven't we addressed the one huge need in the system? Dodger fans, Glen Gallagher; Glenn Gallagher, Dodger fans. A 6-5, 220 behemoth of a kid, Gallagher starred in baseball and football and last week in a workout at Dodger Stadium, wowed Dodger officials with his light tower power. This third-round pick is also a test for the Dodgers' player development. Gallagher is a raw baseball player. By being a two-sport star and being from a cold state, he has not had the chance to put in the extra baseball experience you want from a player that was drafted in the third round. Analyzing the scouting reports, Gallagher is another player who after three years in college focusing on just baseball, could bust out on the scene and earn a bonus of a million or more then what he will receive with the Dodgers (between 300-500k). If Gallagher is ever going to make the majors, it will take some time. The Dodgers plan to let him stay at third base to begin his professional career but I see him as a future left fielder or first baseman - preferably left field so he can utilize that quarterback-throwing arm. You put Gallagher in that group of left-handed power hitters of Josh Bell and Kyle Orr and you hope down the line, one turns out.
Again, the Dodgers went local with their fourth-round pick in Andrew Lambo. Character counts, but sometimes talent matters more. This is the case with Lambo. His off-the-field past garners questions but his on-thefield production does not. With a commitment to Arizona State, I see many similarities in Lambo's game to Travis Buck. Right field is Lambo's most likely destination with a sweet swinging left-handed stroke. How well he commands the strike zone will determine how good Lambo becomes. Power will never become prodigious for Lambo but he has a good chance of becoming a high quality all around player if he keeps his head on straight.
Going over slot has not been the game plan under the McCourt regime when it comes to the draft. When the Dodgers drafted a supplemental first-round talent in Kyle Blair with their fifth-round choice, it raised some eyebrows. Kyle Blair is very comparable to Chris Withrow: a little bit more filled out, a little bit better present stuff and universally lauded for his competitiveness and makeup. When teams draft players in the fifth round, the majority of the time, it is with the intent to sign the player. A fifth-round choice is too early to gamble on a signability player and that is what Blair is. His price tag is reported to be high and to round out this first day, Blair has to be signed. If allowed to attend the University of San Diego, Kyle Blair will end up in that David Price, Joe Savery, Alex White group of Dodger draftees that go one to become the jewels of another team's system.
One thing you cannot fault the Dodgers for doing is following the crowd. They do their own thing; even it means being heavily criticized before the results prove them right. With his past drafts (especially 2002 and 2003), Logan White has earned our patience and trust. Moreover, with his past drafts, I think Logan has become increasingly frustrated when his late-round signability picks become top two round picks in the following years. That conviction and frustration gave way to what is now the 2007 Dodgers first day draft; a collection of players selected by White because of a gut instinct that they have not maxed out their abilities and valuing them at a higher position (and price) now will save them millions later. We'll see if this type of philosophy works, but right now with his given history, a proclamation against White would likely end up with egg on your face and large ration of crow. If I were to give an ultimatum though, Blair needs to be signed to give this draft the type of impact potential comparable with 2002 or 2003. Just like with past draft classes, we will all have a blast following their trials and tribulations on their quest to become the next great Dodger star.
Man, to think about what our farm system would look like if we had gone over-slot and signed some of those guys like Hochevar, Savery and Price.... Frank McCourt has done a decent job keeping the Dodgers' payroll in a tier appropriate for a large market like LA. Now he needs to start opening the checkbook for the premium draft talent. Sign Blair, Mr. McCourt!
WWSH
What do you know about or have you seen on James Adkins' curveball? When Logan White had a very brief interview the other day on the Dodgers pregame show, he compared it to Barry Zito's. He seemed to have a genuine glint in his eye when talking about him; one that had me very relieved after reading the initial uncertainty about his high selection.
He also compared (with qualification, of course) Withrow to John Smoltz. I found that interesting because that was the first player in the threads Nate compared him to as well, well before the interview.
I guess my only disagreement is in the area of any discord in the front office when it comes to the budget. I have read Logan White say that in the past, he has used the later rounds (after 10) to go after higher ceiling guys who may be difficult to sign due to strong commitments to school. Take Alex White, while BA had him as a supplemental round/2nd round pick, he was not taken until the 14th round, due to his signability, if the Dodgers thought so highly of him, why not take him with the Morris or Mattingly pick.
I think it was because they thought that there was no guarantee even if they offered a 7 figure bonus, he was going to sign. As I stated last week, in rounds 1-10, in the past 5 drafts (2002-2006), White has only failed to sign 2 high school players, so I think he has a pretty good idea if he is going to use a high pick whether or not he has a chance to sign that guy.
I think the philosophy changed this year as they drafted mostly college guys in 11th and higher rounds and right now have signed or agreed to sign 7-8 of those players already.
I believe only Blair and Cole fall into the signability area and we will probably get a read on how that plays out in the next few weeks, though Hallgren's comments in yesterday's notes were the first positive things I saw about Blair since he was drafted.
Again, great job as always, and hopefully next year, the Dodgers have even a latter pick than No. 20.
i just had to share this quote from Russell Martin, The Times.
Baking is precise, you can't really subsitute ingredients and you can easily burn something if the timing is off. If you are like me, you can get to a point where you know without looking at the clock, when something is done.
Now back for more DodgerTalk.
I hope they sign Blair, too. Though some of the other picks could be great ones - hard to know either way at this point but I trust their scouts and their instructor/coaches.
Perfect timing for this, too, what with Logan White's chat on Dodgers.com today at 2pm. Get your questions together!
Because, at the end of the day, who really cares? Don't we give enough money through revenue sharing? I'd rather sign guys like Blair over slot and tell the Commissioner to go fly a kite.
The topics that drive comments to 600+ here... You guys are awesome.
Excellent write-up also. You two really know your stuff. I was shocked when I read Withrow's name, especially given the players available at the time (Smoker, Alderson, Brackman and Porcello, to name a few). But, hey, it's Logan White, so what do I know?
Everyone takes a risk during the draft, I saw where the Dodgers' 2006 10th round pick, who was a junior at Clemson, decided not to sign (probably at slot) and he was picked in the 17th round this year with no leverage and will have no choice but to take whatever is offered.
The other night I made a first foray into homemade bbq sauces. It was basic (ketchup, red wine vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, cayenne, and salt) but I was extremely pleased with the results. I put the chicken on the grill with just salt and pepper and brushed the sauce on during cooking. I'm normally just a dry rub guy.
We needed you for the brief foray into urban planning after the Mets announcers derided Downtown Los Angeles!
Urban planning smack talk!
Live on the NPR version of Jim Rome!
How is Kyle Orr doing?
If you're feeling experimental, there is an Asian BBQ sauce recipe that is off the charts.
Actually, I've won friends with my salads... but it's not as sexy as ribs.
I'll be making a trip later this summer to both UC-Berkeley and downtown San Francisco, flying into SF Intl Airport. Can you recommend the best way to:
1. Get from the airport to UC-Berkeley
2. Get from UC-Berkeley to downtown San Francisco
3. (Somewhat less urgent) Get from downtown San Francisco to Redding
I can help you w/ number 2. Just take the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) or what you could call the subway, and there's a station in Downtown Berkeley. You can take it to various places in SF. I recommend Bart.gov, it should help you find the stops. You may also be able to take it from the SF airport to Downtown Berkeley.
There aren't many options for getting from SFO to Berkeley via car. You go out the airport, get on the freeway heading into San Francisco. Follow the traffic to the Bay Bridge and once you get off, go north on I-80. Get off at University Avenue. Drive east until you hit the University.
If you're taking public transportation, you can take the BART now from SFO all the way to Berkeley and will likely have fewer headaches.
Fine. epicurious.com is great: my wife gets all of our holiday and veggie recipes from there. Yummy!
34
Public transpo.
35
Thanks. I had been to Bart.gov, and it looks like you might be able to get from the airport to Berkeley with transfers, but I wasn't sure about that...
As my sports editor, Jeff Parenti, always asks me: What questions do you have? So I'm asking you the fan (or sports writer stalker) what questions you might have for me or anyone in the Dodgers organization.
I'm sure a lot of you are lurking out there so make yourselves heard and send along your question in the comments or at dleung@pe.com. I'll do my best to get it answered and post the response on the blog.
http://www.berkeley.edu/map/
The printable map on that site should give you a good idea of the campus and how its situated relative to the BART station.
What year are you? I just graduated a month ago.
I scoff at it, as it reflects the attitude that the other 9 UC campuses are somehow satellites of Berkeley, which hasn't been the case since about, oh, 1930.
I guess what I am saying is that you have been around for a while when you can remember the DH being a newfangled idea.
The lines are called by their destination points at the BART stations, not the colors, so from SFO to Berkeley you'd want to take Dublin/Pleasanton train and at Balboa Park transfer to the Richmond train and take that one to Downtown Berkeley.
Interleague play and the World Series make that impossible, but I still sort of feel that way.
Interesting story (to me at least): I found out this past year that my paternal grandfather (who's still alive) was (1) a student at Berkeley, and (2) on his way to becoming a dentist, when (3) WWII broke out and he left school to go drop bombs on Europe.
This was shocking to me for a number of reasons, not the least of which that my grandparents routinely bash Berkeley for being a liberal haven.
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, otherwise known as EECS.
If you're lucky, you will run into many characters at Berkeley, including one who is fondly known as the "happy happy guy".
I ran into my share of characters in Eugene, though Berkeley's might be even more charactery. Should be fun.
Jerry Siefield was sitting a few rows in front of us wearing a Mets cap and people were all over him. Chants of J-E-R-R-Y went up every time the Dodgers scored. At first he laughed and smiled at the crowd but then seemed to get annoyed as it went on and on.
I cought my first foul ball in since I got one from Willie Crawford 20+ years ago. Kent hit a towering pop-up that took a big bounce off the top of the Mets dugout and came down just behind the Dugout Club.
We got there early so my daughter could get autographs. Players just don't sign much anymore. Pedro Feliciano stayed a long time and signed for virtually everyone. Franco signed for a few and Green signed for a few. Loduca, Delgado, Wright, Mota, Beltran all ignored the legion of kids in Mets jerseys. I started heckeling LoDuca for not signing. I may be wrong, but I think where you have a fan base you should take the time to sign. No one in Atlanta or such cares about LoDuca but there are a lot of kids here that grew up with him and he should take 10 mins and sign for some of them.
All in all a really fun game. I am going back tonight. Hopefully the result will be just as good.
Thanks. Good luck with getting done with school yourself. Take advantage of your extra year or semester to get the student tickets to the football games. The young alumni seats are a ripoff.
Mmmm...Nellie Bluth...She blows me - away...
The average liberal today is too conservative for the tastes of the average Berkeley resident
The average conservative today is a socialist-community-marxist-leftist-extremist-wacko compared to my grandparents.
70 Michael J. Fox told me a fantasy he had about Justine Bateman which could be considered strange though I recall reading that Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey (brother and sister in "Ferris Bueller") dated during/after that movie.
I was watching Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Finals on ESPN Classic on Saturday. It was the Lakers at the Celtics.
A few things I noticed:
1. The Lakers were constantly bringing the ball up and shooting within 10-12 seconds, not a lot of ball movement in the sets.
2. 3-pointers were definitely not a first option (aside from Danny Ainge).
3. One instance of foul call where players on Celtic bench came onto the floor, a double technical was called but no ejections and certainly no suspensions.
4. The Star power of Magic, Bird, Kareem, McHale, DJ, Worthy, Coop, etc.
It was just a reminder of how expansion has diluted talent and how defense has taken over the game.
To get to Redding? Well, either drive - 80 to the 5 I believe - or you can take a train from Emeryville, though I think to get to Redding there's only one every day that you can take. There are more frequent trains to and from Sacramento. (www.amtrak.com)
Have fun in Bezerkely.
Larry Bigbie is now a member of the Braves.
The Richmond Braves. (Atlanta's AAA affiliate.)
http://tinyurl.com/yuhjgv
Will you be wearing your Juan Pierre jersey...?
Did you guys read this quote from the Daily News. Wha??
He's 4-24 with 1bb over the last week.
.167/.192/.167---> along with some poor defense.
One blessing, if Martin doenst make the All-Star team, would be him getting those three days to rest.
Finally, the lies come to an end. Good for Nomar. These days, when Nomar gives the impression that he will hit one single per game and make outs in his other PAs, pitcher's can take him at his word. That's nice to see.
A) He's delusional
B) He thinks we're stupid and he's lying
The Dodgers play a day game at home on the Sunday before the ASB and they don't play again until Friday night in San Francsico.
Martin may fly up Monday morning for the workout that afternoon and then all the All-Star media stuff, play the game on Tuesday night, fly back to LA that night, have all of Wednesday off, probably fly back up to SF Thursday afternoon and still have 24 hours before game time on Friday.
I think it was more along the lines of this pre-all star performance
358 .426 .578 1.004
which seems to have been erased from DT poster's memory.
Your all telling me that on July 1st, 2006 Nomar became a bad hitter and has no chance of rebounding? Just seems a little sudden.
1. Nomar is hurt, and/or
2. Nomar's diet changed, and/or
3. Nomar is distracted by his twins and such
I shall add to the discussion this piece of information: no matter where you're going on the UC Berkeley campus, the walk from the BART station to your destination is uphill. So pack lightly, or consider taking a shuttle:
pt.berkeley.edu/transportation_alternatives/beartransit/
I'm perfectly happy with that plan.
Is he talking about Coletti?
What if D4P is just going to Evans Diamond? That's not uphill or if it is, it's just marginally so.
Thanks, Ken. It looks like my walking trip involves trekking from the downtown Berkeley BART stop to Stern Hall, in the northeast corner of campus. Since I'll probably be on the west coast for nearly 2 weeks, I might have a bit of luggage with me.
Nomar has had a larger sample of AB's if you include this year and post all-star game last year than his sample of AB's from pre-all star game. Wouldn't you agree that the statistics seem to indicate that his pre-all star game performance was the exception rather than the rule?
You should probably try to get on one of the buses then. That walk with 2 weeks worth of luggage is going to be painful. You're pretty much going to be going uphill all the way to Stern.
You're living in Stern Hall?
Is there something you'd like to share with us?
http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/livingatcal/stern.html
A) He's delusional
B) He thinks we're stupid and he's lying
I'm offended by your B proposal
Did NOT see that one coming.
I was going to mention that...but knowing that Berkeley seems to hold a lot of conferences over the summer, I figured that they probably don't adhere to the gender restrictions over the summer.
And no, the last time I checked (which was quite recent), I'm not a dame. Apparently, Stern hall is used for non-gender-specific housing for conferences and such. You can read about it here:
http://conferenceservices.berkeley.edu/summer_visitor_rates_direction.html
And yet D4P has mentioned a "wife."
Like I believe that now...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=G__Y5X2obVY
Josh R thinks it's one of the reasons he got an all-star vote bump.
There are campus buses and AC (Alameda Country) Transit buses that should be running on a Saturday. If you could jump on the 52 or 52L bus from the BART station that should get you near Stern, or right down the hill from Stern. Honestly, I never really liked taking buses because they were never there when I needed them, so I just walked everywhere.
"I'm looking at it as, am I knocking in runs? That's something you have to do in the middle of the order."
I just wish he'd ask himself, though, "Am I allowing those behind me to knock in runs? By, you know, being on base?" That's also something you have to do, Nomar.
That should say Alameda County, not Country.
I'm ashamed of myself, I guess the C stands for Contra Costa County, not just County as I originally thought.
I am willing to serve as Los Angeles County's first minister plenipotentiary to the new country of Alameda.
I believe there will be an embassy constructed in Oakland under the "Stop Casting Porosity" sign.
So D4P is coming to my neck of the woods.
I keep preaching patience. Everyone around here's all like "When are you coming to my town" and "When will I finally get to meet you" and "Why haven't you visited here yet".
I'm only one man! I'll get there eventually!
If you want to take the wife for a good cheap dinner, just stop by Chez Panisse on Shattuck.
You don't need reservations. Just walk in.
I'll be traveling alone (a source of some contention, BTW). With the exception of the day I arrive, I'll be eating at a dining hall while on campus. After that, I'll be in San Francisco and free to eat where I want.
The Alameda County $1 - Jerry Brown
The Alameda County $5 - Samuel Merritt
The Alameda County $10 - William Knowland
The Alameda County $20 - Gertrude Stein
The Alameda County $50 - Mario Savio
Just ask for "Alice."
D4P, you could eat your way through SF for years, but if you need advice on some good cheap places let me know, remind me in a couple of months.
All right. I'll ask again when I know for certain where I'll be staying in SF. It will be somewhere near Mission Bay, a redevelopment project I'll be studying.
It's a workshop on journal article writing. It's planning related, but more academic than practice.
Maybe a better way to frame your question would be to ask: "if you are looking for a good dinner at a practical price...."
1. Piperade (Battery & Green)
2. Suppenkuche (Hayes & Laguna)
3. Sushi Zone (Pearl & Market)
4. Joe's Cable Car (Mission & Silver)
5. Vik's Chaat House (4th & Allston in Berkeley)
These are also 5 of the reasons I am sad to be leaving San Francisco in less than a week. I've lived here for almost 6 years now, and a total of 10 years in Northern California. But I'm excited to be moving back to LA. That means more Dodger games!
And I've heard LA has some great food too...
That might work, if they really want to get rid of you...
Don't let it get to your head though bro!
132 Sadly, Andrew Martinez fulfills the "No longer breathing" requirement.
Are you Indian or just really like Indian food?
He has a straight change, but doesn't use it much. I think he had a hard time repeating mechanically, so they got him working the same way and he hardly threw it. Plus sometimes when you mess with different pitches you can have a hard time locating, in his case keeping it down in the zone.
And I walked a lot.
I got down to 170 lbs on my 6'5" frame then.
It helped to be 22.
I have no idea what that means lol.
Did you even think of drafting Porcello?
>>> "It was tough because I was so comfortable at third base, so confident that I could have played there at a big-league level. <<<
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10222369
If the Dodgers continue to have problems at 3rd base the solution may already be here. :-)
He is having exploratory shoulder surgery. Out for the year.
ABCD means American-Born Confused Desi.
Therefore, ABCHD is... you can fill in the blank.
Know anything about the prospects he mentioned that we signed from Latin America?
Awwww.
nope. if they arent big bonus babies, they are not going to get any pub until they start playing in the states.
My Hero, Frank Robinson, came from Oakland. So did Curt Flood and Vada Pinson.
They all came from the same high school, McLymonds (sp?).
Willie Stargell and Dontrelle Willis are notable players from the city of Alameda. Alameda is also the home of Ken Arneson, who as far as Baseball Toaster is concerned, is our Founding Father and Supreme Potentate.
Me: I've noticed Andy LaRoche hasn't been hitting with a lot of power lately, do you think he is still lingering from his labrum injuries or do you believe this is something he'll be able to work out of?
Logan: Good question, I think it is a little of both, but Andy has always been a slow starter, and I expect him to really heat up the second half.
Logan: I think you'll see his power numbers go up once he becomes a major leaguer.
no that was me. one thing though, Martin was drafted in the 17th round or something, they made Watt a second round choice. theres a difference.
I'm relatively used to seeing homeless people, as both Eugene and Durham have their share. What makes Durham so special is that people (some of whom are presumably homeless) actually knock on the door of your residence asking for money, either as a gift or in exchange for washing your car, mowing your lawn, etc.
Haven't had it, but isn't it a chain?
Is "SF's Civic Center" near "Civic Center Plaza"...? I see the latter on Mapquest, as it's very near a few spots I'll be visiting.
Very close. That stretch of Market Street can be very interesting sometimes. Where are visiting?
I will be visiting a spot on Van Ness, and a spot on Market, which Mapquest tells me are roughly .5 miles away from each other by car, though it looks closer as the crow flies. I also need to visit Mission Bay, which is over 2 miles from there.
So, is it possible to stay in a hotel in that area and get to all 3 spots without having a car?
Back to baseball... sort of. Since one of you mentioned you'd seen Jerry Seinfeld at the game last night, check this out:
http://www.jossip.com/jerry-seinfeld/reading-jerry-seinfelds-mind-20070612/
Thanks, Dog.
---
The funny thing about that Seinfeld piece is I can't tell if it's him or a satire of him.
Gabe Gross of Milwaukee who is batting 9th and batting .200 or Geoff Blum of the Padres batting 8th and also batting .200.
And he's hitting cleanup for some reason.
Granted, in fewer plate appearances.
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Martin, C
Betemit, 3B
Kemp, RF
Kuo, P
I think St. Louis is where washed up outfielders go to die.
Ned- Congrats on your acquisition of Cliff Floyd! What ultimately led to the decision to part with Billingsley?
Darn, no Loney, but I'm glad to see Kemp. But darn, he's at the bottom of the line-up where he'll see nothing to hit. Yeah, Martin needs to stay #3 but... whatever. I'll take it one small victory at a time.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Chicago White Sox third baseman Joe Crede had back surgery Tuesday and could miss the rest of the season.
In addition to courage, there's also the fact that Loney and Kemp are opposite-handed batters, meaning that there is a certain logic to Kemp/Nomar and Ethier/Loney combos.
I wonder how poorly he'd have to hit to be sent back down. The problem is he's about the only backup SS and 2B left on the team.
But why is Nomar still batting third?
Given those eight starters, I want to see:
Furcal
Abreu
Martin
Kent
Gonzalez
Kemp
Garciaparra
Pierre
Is that a 30 person maximum, a 30 person minimum, or both?
oh and for anyone interested (did i post this already? i honestly don't remember), plenty of pix from last night's game here, including quite a few of a certain flyin' Hawaiian...
http://community.webshots.com/user/das411phils07
Shopkeeper: Take this object, but beware it carries a terrible curse!
Homer: Ooh, that's bad.
Shopkeeper: But it comes with a free frogurt!
Homer: That's good.
Shopkeeper: The frogurt is also cursed.
Homer: That's bad.
Shopkeeper: But you get your choice of toppings.
Homer: That's good!
Shopkeeper: The toppings contain potassium benzoate.
[Homer looks puzzled]
Shopkeeper: ...That's bad.
Homer: Can I go now?
While that does mean that he may have great plate discipline, and without examination, I cannot say for sure that he ever had a ball to hit, are we saying that everytime he never got a pitch to hit.
But even when you look at LaRoche after he got ahead (1-0, 2-0), sure he walked but he also was never able to take those opportunities and drive the ball.
Again, it is only a small sample but Andy needs to start slugging in Vegas, so next time, the pitchers actually have a reason to be so careful with him.
Back off, pronoun police.
"I hate every ape I see. From chimpan-AAA to chimpan-Zee"
--
How about Kemp, Loney and Ethier - tell me that won't take 5 years. Please!!
or
Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals...except the weasel.
A little Simpson quotage in a soon-to-be dead thread never killed anybody.
and I'm hopin' that they'll ratify me
There's a lot of flag burners who have got too much freedom
I wanna tell police it's okay to beat 'em
'Cause there's limits to our liberty
At least I hope and pray that there are
'Cause this freedom thing's gone too far
Michael: I don't understand. We have a day honoring Martin Luther King, but he didn't even work here.
My personal favorite is the Sherry Bobbins episode. Around the house I never lift a finger / As a husband and a father, I'm subpar / I'd rather drink a beer than win father of the year / I'm happy with things the way they are."
Michael: Yeah. Must really have you thinking.
Creed: About what?
Michael: The older you get, the bigger the chances you're going to die. You knew that.
Creed: Ed was decapitated.
Michael: What?
Dwight: Really?
Creed: He was drunk as a skunk, he was flying down Route 6, he slides under an 18-wheeler, pop, it snaps right off.
Michael: Oh my god.
Dwight: That is the way to go. Instant death. Very smart.
Creed: You know a human can go on living for several hours after being decapitated.
Dwight: You're thinking of a chicken.
Creed: What did I say?
As long as you use a different computer it works.
Other interesting Indian/South Asian places in SF to try:
Taste of the Himalayas on Lombard and Divisadero, claims to serve "Himalayan cuisine," as if there is such a thing. Whatever, the Saag Paneer is legendary.
Dosa opened a year ago on well-traveled Valencia St, based on South Indian cuisine, but they are not authentic. It's still really good. And it's overrun with beautiful women. In addition to the Dosas, try the marvelous Chennai Chicken.
Burma Super Star On hellish-to-find-parking Clement St. While you're looking for a spot, send one of your party out to put your name down. Then be prepared to wait an hour or two to get seated. It's worth it. The pea shoots are a must. I loved the egg curry with okra.
I'd stay away from Aslam's Rasoi, Maharani, and any place that claims to serve "Indian Pizza."
"Which one's Pam?"
"Michael said what?"
http://tinyurl.com/2ynnmb
Might be perversely entertaining to see him pitch in the Houston Bandbox, or whatever corporate entity name their stadium carries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFDVBXzfoaY
Berkeley makes Eugene look semi-normal.
The average liberal today is too conservative for the tastes of the average Berkeley resident.
Haha, seriously.
Well, if you were a homeless person, where better place to panhandle than a well-to-do community with a liberal population that feels empathy for you?
It's a little known fact that the Dodgers' nickname was originally going to be "Dem hippies".
282 Isn't Berkeley north of Oakland?
I don't think it takes much more courage to play Kemp+Loney than it takes to play Ethier+Loney at all
I don't think it takes much more courage to play Kemp+Loney than it takes to play Pierre+Betemit.
I am a big Abreu fan but sitting him tonight may help to reinforce that he swings at just about every pitch and the pitchers seem to now realize this.
Little seems to be crying wolf and soon his threats will be ignored. Big changes! Big changes! But only a one day line-up shuffle is the end result of that threat.
Yeah, I guess.
I learned it by watching you.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200609080.shtml
Anything walkable from campus is relatively safe.
Watch for the patchouli smelling punks from Marin posing as homeless kids on Telegraph, if only cause they smell bad.
Agreed, I never really had a problem with safety in Berkeley. Just make sure you're not walking around by yourself at odd hours of the night.
Sorry if this is a repeat.
The Alameda is listed in map indexes in the Ts I learned. There is also a street in Berkeley called "The Shortcut."
The Alameda eventually becomes a smaller street and then you end up in Contra Costa County. I would like to walk up the street until I hit the county line, just because it made it seemed like I walked a long way.
Back in 1988, there were signs coming into Berkeley at the city limits telling you that you were entering a nuclear-free zone. So I would leave all of my plutonium in Kensington.
If anyone is going by there, could you mail it back to me?
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