I just wanted to make the obligatory joke that the fact that Colletti, Little, et al, insist that Juan Pierre is in the lineup everyday makes it a "Con Daily". Thank you, I'll be here all week.

Much like PGA golfer Boo Weekly is a Carnac answer. (Question: what do Raider fans do?)

I don't care how the website says I should pronounce it, I say that grapple rhymes with apple. If they want the long "A" sound in there, they will need to do better than just the line over the A. Regardless of how popular grapples become, I will always stick by that pronunciation.

2 - It's just a matter of whether you think the grape is more important than the apple in this case, isn't it?

Cool story, thanks. While Con Daily is a great name, Con Lucid is even better!

I see that your link to B-R shows Daily as "Bats Left, Throws Unknown". Could he have possibly been a left-handed throwing catcher?!

3. If the grape was so important, they would have had the full word of grape in there rather than apple. It would be grapel, and pronouncing the way they want would actually conform to the rules of spelling. Who are these guys to think that they can change the rules of how to read things that all of us have been taught?

Going Gonzo

>>> But if he keeps hitting like this, he'll be in line for another one-year contract again next season. And then, who knows? <<<

### "It's just a drive inside of you that keeps you going," he said. "In the back of my mind, I feel I have a shot to get 3,000 hits."

That's lofty territory, but if he continues to play at this current level, he knows exactly what it will take.

"Three more years after this one," he said. "Got it all mapped out." ###

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/8350907.html

As previous posters have said, no doubt LuGo has done well this year, but we do not want another Nomar situation on our hands.

"Only a few Sundays ago Daily saved a girl from drowning near the same place. "

I would like Bob to find out who that girl was and if she impacted history in anyway by Daily saving her life.

I think that's a fine name. ;)

6 Gonzalez has been much better than I expected this year, but I wonder how long he can continue to play LF? He's adequate at best now, but one would expect him to continue to decline. Maybe he has to make that chase to 3000 as a DH. On the other hand, the nearly immobile Barry Bonds is still playing LF (but with a little more plate production).

Minnesota 20

CHW- 13

Bottom of the 9th

I've tried to figure out why LuGo is doing better this year than he has in recent years. Fangraphs tells me that his BABIP is up slightly from the past few years, but his GB, FB, and LD%s are all pretty much the same. His BB% is up.

So, what does that mean? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it would seem to mean that he has been getting "lucky" on BABIP. This is just conjecture, but I tentatively think his BB% might be up because pitchers view him as one of the few power threats on the team. It has been my impression that he has been pitched around "a lot" this year, and more than once has been walked to get to Martin (of all people). It's as if his perceived threat has gone up in the eyes of opposing teams because of the lack of threat from the remaining hitters in the lineup.

11 - It was 20-10. And the Sox have the bases loaded.

Tying run is now in the hole. Or in the hold, if you prefer.

12

Why can't you just believe in magic?

14
I prefer it in the hole.

Uh, never mind...

Why can't you just believe in magic?

I did, until I learned that "The Aztec Tomb" was just a box with a revolving trap door.

Good lord, look at Jon Garland's line from that game. Not... good.

Nice read, btw, Jon! I love baseball lore from that time period. When things (and franchises and leagues) were still evolving. Hard to top the name Con Daily. Sorry it had to end that way for him, though.

Well, the ChiSox couldn't get that final touchdown but they did kick a field goal before time expired, and they went down 20-14.

18
https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/720167.html

If Lugo has a good year while helping us win a pennant (maybe even having a Steve Finley moment along the way :-) ) I would not be at all surprised to see him offered another year. Remember, Ned offered him two years to begin with. I don't remember the exact figures but I think it was two years at $12 million. I believe he accepted something like $7 million for one year instead. So if after putting up good numbers he is offered one more year at, say, $8 million then he comes out about $3 million ahead of what he would have made had he signed the original two-year contract. Smart move by him.

Until he slugs 350 in Aug/Sept and can't even get a deal in 2008.

Dodgers most likely to collapse in the second half:

1. Brad Penny
(Large Gap)
2. Luis Gonzalez

Gonzalez has seen an improvement in both his walk rate, and his power numbers this year while moving to a more pitcher friendly park. Part of it is an increase in BABIP (which is about normal now, but his should be a bit lower since he hits a ton of fly balls without many home runs) and the other part just seems inexplicable. For now I'm just going to liken it to the incredibly month that Mark Hendrickson had. Gonzalez was only really great form mid May to the end of June, and sometimes, players just do that sort of thing.

Toward the end of the 1895 season, in which he batted .211 (47 OPS+) with three steals, Daily's Brooklyn tenure came to a sudden and near-tragic end. On September 24, 1985, the following item appeared in the Eagle:

great read for a friday Jon, but i can't believe you guys didn't catch the typo from Jon 1895 - 1985??

8
That little girl Daily saved went on to become ... a seamstress.

21

I really feel Neds learned from his mistakes (Nomar, Pierre) & won't sign him in '08, hopefully it's not wishful thinking of my part.

17
"The Aztec Tomb"

Comedy. Oh how I miss that show. G4 reruns do help the hurt though.

"Orwellian Dodgers" is a bit of a stretch but this is a fun read on SI.com:
http://tinyurl.com/2yh7uh

The DBacks sent Quentin back to the minors. Jeff Salazar was called up.

Film details Dodgers' move to L.A.

>>> The story of what led to the Dodgers' leaving Brooklyn is a major part of a two-hour documentary, "Brooklyn Dodgers: The Ghosts of Flatbush," that will air for the first time on HBO on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The HBO schedule-makers knew what they were doing. There is no baseball that night because of Tuesday's All-Star game.

The documentary focuses on a period from 1947, the year Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, to 1957, the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/yq9h3z

29 The labrum claims another victim.

30

I read that on The Times today, really nice.

ItD:

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Nomar, 1B (back at first for the day)
Kemp, RF
Abreu, 3B
Billingsley, P

33

I'll just be hiding in the corner ... over there .... for the next seven hours ....

A lot of great little gems on ItD, but I liked this one:

HOME GROWN DODGERS – Of the 31 players on the 25-man roster and the disabled list, 10 were drafted and/or signed by the Dodgers (Tony Abreu, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Kemp, Hong-Chih Kuo, James Loney, Russell Martin, Jason Repko, Takashi Saito and Eric Stults), while three others were drafted in another organization but reached the Majors with the Dodgers (Yhency Brazoban, Andre Ethier and D.J. Houlton). That's 42 percent (13 of 31) "homegrown" Dodgers on the current club. At this time last season, it was 25 percent (9 of 36); at this time in 2005 it was 24 percent (8 of 33) and at this time in 2004 it was 31 percent (9 of 29).

Definitely the right trend. I'm curious what this is like around baseball, though. My perception is that there seems to be a whole shift around all of MLB in player generation of late...a lot of great young rookies.

It would be nice to have another right-handed outfielder. How common is it for a team to only have one...?

question...

since Dominguez is playing in the GCL as a 16yr old and the GCL is considered professional baseball, does that mean by the time he is 21, he has to be on the 40 man roster or he will be subjected to the rule 5 draft?

24 - Thanks.

Scoring at least 14 runs and losing - many will remember that game in Colorado.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/sotd/archives/71

39 These all look more like football scores to me.

40
23-22 and 18-16 would be unusual scores for a football game.

37 -- Dominguez will have to be added to the 40-man roster at the same time as the high schoolers we drafted and signed this year. So if you are asking if Dominguez gets extra time just because he is 16, the answer is no.

42

so 21 is correct canuck? new CBA changed it to 5 years right?

Old friend/farmhand update (from Our Sports Central):
The red-hot Blake Johnson gets the ball tonight. The Rocks are 3-0 over Johnson's last three starts, with the former Dodgers farmhand sporting a 2-0 record and 0.96 ERA in that span. Last time out, Johnson fired 7.2 shutout innings for a win versus Salem on Sunday. The No. 17 overall prospect in the Royals system according to Baseball America has struggled against the Pelicans, going 1-2 with a 7.90 ERA in three games and starts, allowing the Fightin' Feathers to hit .352.

---

(PS: the "Fightin' Feathers"?)

also Canuck, have you emailed any of the BA guys inquiring about Dominguez? I saw your post over at sickels site...alot of morons over there.

43 Yes, it's five years.

Terrific post, Jon.

Sounds like Russ will be the uncontested leader in steals by a catcher long before the season end.

47 - That means a lot, coming from you. Always afraid my limitations will show on the historic stuff.

41 Okay, okay, so they don't ALL look like football scores...but unusual doesn't mean impossible.

35 After looking at that note, I wanted to see how the Twins did in that regard since they are usually regarded as a very homegrown team.

Of the 31 players on the 25-man or DL, the Twins have drafted or signed 13, and had 6 reach the majors with Minnesota. That's an astounding 61% (19 of 31).

I wonder what the league average is. Sound like a project!

I like how the ItD note about Kemp and Loney signing autographs tomorrow just says they'll be "at a store" (and the address). What store? What sort of place?

52
They are like JFC. They have come to save us and will appear wherever you are.

51 Yeah, and to make it a real project, compare that average to the past few years.

52 Looks like Loney will be at Plaza Golf, and Kemp will be at AT&T Wireless. As long as they are in the lineup Sat. night, I'm OK with it.

We need Kemp to say "See God, Ned"

Heh.

I wonder if people will start seeing visions of The Bison in their cell phones...

There's no iPhone in "team".

Totally off-topic but: Looking at the all-star rosters, there are only two catchers: Martin and McCann. Given the fact that "these games count", are we to assume Martin will catch the entire game? Or 7-8 innings? Doesn't the manager have to plan for a Fosse and have a catcher in reserve? It would be nice if Martin only had to catch a few innings, but this may be wishful thinking.

59 I'd love to see Carlos Lee catch a few innings.

I'm surprised Bonds isn't in the HR derby. It's in his home park, he's chasing the all-time HR mark; how is he not in the derby?

Adding Griffey would have been a nice touch too.

Great post! A nice link about Andrew Lambo: http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/jun/24/in-good-company/ .He was a great pick by the Dodgers.

59 It's a good question. Given that these games go into extra innings, especially. But I think Martin's probably scheduled for 5 innings and McCann 4, something like that. If McCann got hurt, the all-star rules now allow the previous catcher to come back in to replace him.

56 - LOL

61 Jordan stopped doing the slam-dunk contest; why should Bonds do the home-run derby?

I imagine the HR derby (and why is it a "derby"?) has an ooh-and-aah factor in person to make in interesting, but anytime I tried to watch it on TV I was bored out of my skull.

61 Nevermind, I just read two more participants have yet to be added to the HR derby field. My money is on Griffey and Bonds.

65 The only way the HR derby would not be better in person is if you had to sit next to Chris Berman.

Apparently Bonds is throwing a party with Jay-Z that night and that is why he will not be participating in the All-Star game. That is what they said on ESPN.

From the same article linked in 28:
[Boston's Jacoby] Ellsbury did something I've never seen before at the major league level. On Monday, Ellsbury made a mad dash from second base to home ... on a wild pitch!

Is Gennaro Filice too young to have seen the 1988 Dodger highlights? Kirk Gibson scoring from second on a WP is always in there. And wasn't his a walk-off?

52. I like how the ItD note about Kemp and Loney signing autographs tomorrow just says they'll be "at a store" (and the address). What store? What sort of place?

According to Google both those locations contain AT&T (Cingular) Cell Phone stores where you can pick up the hot selling iPhone. There are other stores there but AT&T appeared to be, as far as I was able to determine with a quick search, to be the only one at BOTH locations.

This will be the game chat thread.

69 Props to Eric Enders for remembering this as well...

"The ball gets by! Santovenia... HERE COMES GIBSON! HE'S GONNA KEEP ON COMIN'! THE THROW TO THE PLATE... HE SCORES! DODGERS WIN!"

Batters in the Angels-Yankees game are 10 for 23 so far.

72. Speaking of scoring from 2nd base on a wild pitch. I believe Willie Davis may have accomplished that feat more than once. I don't have a source other than the old gray cells seem to recall him doing it at least once and maybe twice.

Echoing 74, I believe Willie Davis did it at least twice and want to say that Lee Lacy may have also done it.

Lee Lacy could do it all:) Once while playing RF he caught a ball racing toward the corner, did a 180 and threw a strike to the catcher nailing the runner tagging on the fly ball. I only remember it because Vinny kept comparing the play to Roberto Clemente.

Does Eric Byrnes' face just look really creepy in this picture or is it just me?

http://tinyurl.com/2j2wyz

Speaking of baseball history, if any of you are in the DC area and would like to see baseball played by 1860s rules, you can come see a vintage baseball tournament on the National Mall tomorrow. The information is at the following:

http://chesapeakeandpotomac.org/

Also, we're always looking for players, so you can find information about joining the team there also.

WWSH

Angel/Yankee's looking to give the Twin/WS a run for their money.

78

I saw a hilarious Conan O'Brien piece where he visits (and plays) a vintage baseball game.

Was that your league?

The Angels busting out a Cora-Izzy type double play.

Yellow alert for the cycle for Alex Rodriguez in New York.

82 How do the alerts work?

Judging by the ARod situation, yellow = "needs triple"?

"Needs triple" i think is a correct assumption on Bob's yellow alert.

Yellow = needs triple
Orange = needs home run
Red = needs single

Needing a home run can vary depending upon the batter. For example, if Juan Pierre needed a home run, it would be yellow. If Alex Rodriguez needed a home run, it would be orange.

What about needing a double?

Wasn't it in 1901 when the catcher crouched behind homeplate and before then they would pick up the ball when it stopped moving? I thought they had an * after those steals records.

So the radio show I do is starting now...

KPFK 90.7fm....

Soul Rebel Radio..

Hope y'all check it out:)

88 - Do you do your own sound effects?

Oh yeah....it's pre-recorded skits mostly...that's why I'm here typing....

Sorry,
I erred earlier.

An orange alert = needs double.

Re: 80

You can find the Conan piece here:

http://tinyurl.com/32rqoo

For those of you who haven't seen it, it's hilarious! And those rules, 1864, are what we play by. We don't usually go as far as they do in terms of duplicating the historical setting, though.

I'm not sure what team those guys are, but one of my teammates said we had played them before. I have such a bad memory for names and faces...

We don't really have a league per se for Vintage baseball--my team, like a lot of other ones, organizes matches and tournaments through other teams directly. There was an attempt last year, I think, to organize a real league, but my team was against it, because we wanted to keep the team more amateur and "fun," as opposed to making it pseudo-professional.

WWSH

91 if orange means needing a double, what's thee color for needing a home run?

93
A home run can be orange or yellow depending upon the batter.

There is a team of experts who decide these things.

Cycle alert canceled in New York.

Stand down.

94 I'm getting a headache. Anyway, A-Rod walked so no worries I guess.

You need a keen eye and a sharp mind to be part of the Cycle Alert team.

88

you got a really nice voice.

Lol....if your actually listening, that's me doing Alex Trebec....

Buddy Carlyle is not my hero so far.

are you a chick or a dude?

I think if I stayed in Italy a whole month I still wouldn't get my sleeping patterns aligned correctly. I'm pretty sure I've been awake between the hours of 3 and 6 a.m. every night/morning of my trip so far.

On the bright side, it means I get to track the Dodger game tonight, err, this morning.

A dude....

I'll be doing an interview as myself later in the show....my name is actually Lex..

just looked at the #'s & Dontrell Willis doesn't have flattering numbers against us so hopefully that spells out good things tonight.

all along i thought you were a girl, wow i feel weird now. (jk)

that conan bit was awesome. thanks for posting it.

Jim Barr can stand down now.

105- Lol.....I must have a sensitive posting style...

What's with Chad giving up all these homers now that he's a starter?

The Twins are now four runs short of the AL record for most runs in a doubleheader.

Great read, Jon. Thx.

I loved this quote: "The Brooklyn club pays him a salary to protect the home plate and prevent the other side from making runs. We do not pay him to stand aside and allow the other fellows to march past him."

Meanwhile, todays Bravo not equal to the Bravo of 10 years ago.

Major League now showing on Bravo.

Hanley Ramirez has to be one of the more dangerous NL leadoff hitters. I was about to say that Bills looked much better since that pitch, but that was before Jacobs just hit a double. C'mon, Chad, we need you, buddy!

111
Sam, do you have a DC library card?

Not only do the Twins have 12 runs and are winning by 12, they have also played the game without a DH.

And finally, Justin Morneau will have a chance to bat in the 8th to go for his fourth home run of the game.

not the start we wanted but minimal damage hopefully he'll settle down.

Yes.

Though actually locating it at this moment would be a bit of a challenge.

Feds asking you about my reading again?

117
I need an old box score out of the Washington Post.

As in 1894.

32 runs against them in 1 day (2 games) so far, and the White Sox aren't sure they need Buehrle?

They should have been allowed to call up reinforcements between games, at least. Yeesh.

114 Mauer ends up catching both games of a DH because of Redmond's "head injury". I didn't see it, but that's almost never good.

119 I believe they refer to that as "throwing in the towel".

120
Redmond got hit in the head by the backswing of Thome. He was bleeding, so they took him out, but Redmond is OK considering that.

What game? I'll consider trying.

And how exactly do I try?

I'll send you email trying to tell you how to do it.

It's complicated.

I didn't even notice the Dodgers don't have anyone on pace for 20 bombs anymore.

115 Thankfully Morneau is on my fantasy team. :)

Anybody get a chance to see the Vin Scully thing that Time Warner has in OnDemand? It's old (1980s?) but it's very interesting.

Germano having a rough inning against the Braves, let's see if they can bust it open right here.

Re: 124

Bob, I'm going to make a research run to the Library of Congress sometime this week--ProQuest Historical Newspapers should have the boxscore, no? If you want, I can e-mail the PDF to you. I'm not sure when exactly I'll be there this week, but I will be spending at least one weekday there doing my own research. USNA also has the WaPost on microfilm, so I could do it the old fashioned way too.

WWSH

129
I'm looking for the Boston-Washington game of June 22, 1894. Washington won 26-12.

But let's see if Sam can fill his vision quest.

Our buddy Buddy knocks in the go-ahead run with a 2-out single. Braves 3, SD 2

Buddy with the big hit!

Nice to see Billingsley settled down & stroke out the Henley Ramirez the guy that took him deep.

Anybody know what happened to Haren? He was taken out after only 3.1 innings and that is never a good thing.

134 Looks like he's still in to me...I'm watching on TV...

For those watching on TV, are any of these grounders at least hit fairly hard?

Chip Caray said on the Braves broadcast that the Padres were disappointed that Khalil Greene didn't make the All-Star team.

I'm not quite sure that anybody on the Padres truly believed Greene belonged on the All-Star team.

130- If you want, I could construct a make believe box score for you.

I like helping.

i must have missed something cause Bob & Jon are very fond of Buddy Carlyle

Why is it that Kemp can play for Ethier and even LuGo, but he never plays for Pierre? ie, Pierre seems to never have a day off ever. Is it because Grady/Colletti feel that nobody else can play center?

137 I live in SD and haven't read anything close to that in the newspapers, nor have I heard anything like that on the radio or tv. So yeah, I'm not sure where he's getting that.

134
Are you following on Yahoo?

Yahoo's boxscores have been wonky all day.

139
Jon is very fond of Buddy. I'm just aiding and abetting.

Why is it that Kemp can play for Ethier and even LuGo, but he never plays for Pierre?

Pierre's a better bunter.

134 He's still in according to Gameday.

141
It was more of an example of Chip Caray's descent into madness.

Bob, you must be a glutton for punishment, to listen to Chip Caray again, two nights in a row.

136 Which grounders? The Dodgers'? A couple of them were hit pretty hard, the others were pretty meek or average. (Kemp almost beat his out though.) Russell's single even came on a ground ball, but hit right up the middle.

And here come the pretzels!

Arrrgh. Chad must feel the pressure, with the Dodgers desperately not wanting to get into their bullpen early again.

147
I was watching before the Dodgers game started.

146 He may have it confused with the still lingering ire of San Diegans over the fact that Jason Bay won ROY honors over Khalil a few years ago. My boss no longer gives any merit to post season awards.

Great piece, Jon.

This third base fellow for the Marlins is quite good. I wonder if the word is out...

150 Ah. Still, you're a braver man than I, Gunga Din.

130
Something particularly interesting about that game?

That was a good pitch and a weakly hit grounder, but unfortunately it came at the wrong time.

137 I don't think Chip Caray checks many facts. Last night he said Nomar "didn't embrace" his move to third. I don't know where he gets his information.

Caray might have a mad libs he uses when on the road: "The people out here are [state of mind] that [player] is [some activity]."

141 I am in SD as well, and I think I am one of the few who likes Matt Vasgersian.

For those not watching on TV, if Tomko gets up in the bullpen do you want us to tell you?

154
Most half innings scored in during a 9-inning game in major league history.

152 You'd be surprised.

All I know is that he gives up more runs with his glove than he creates with his bat.

159
I hear that they don't pay you for ERA titles, just wins.

Do the Padres ever come from behind to win? Seems to me that when they fall behind, you can pretty much count on them going on to lose.

Looks like the shine finally wore off on Justin Germano

154- Rufus T. Firefly hit for the cycle! At least he could have if I get the go ahead from Bob.

157 I think of I just saw on Gameday that Tomko suddenly entered the game, I'd go into shock. I'm better off getting a heads up, to soften the ground.

156 I'm okay with Vasgersian when he isn't with Grant. I can't stand Grant.

But I don't like Vasgersian when he screams with elation when a Padre pitcher strikes out the opposing pitcher.

158
Is it true Julio Franco played in that game?

It's now 5-2 Braves over Padres. Huzzah!

The Padres have come from behind 16 times to win this year.

http://tinyurl.com/2oadqv

Most of us know of at least one of those comebacks.

165
Matt Vasgersian is a USC frat boy. That usually puts him in a class of animal life slightly more evolved than coral.

167 Huzzah is a word that doesn't seem comfortable to say. Every time I think about that word, it feels out of place. Kind of like naming a child Mildred or Mabel these days.

Gamecenter has that last strike as nowhere near the strike zone. Poor Tony and his misguided bat.

ToyCannon, Dan Haren is still in there 5th inning.

171 I don't think it's ever used unironically.

171 I say huzzah in my daily life. I'm 21, but then, I'm not exactly "cool" (whatever that is).

Don't we usually knock Dontrelle around?

They look weak and meek against Dontrelle so far. This is not going according to plan. Reboot! Reboot!

the Dodgers are pretty much beating them selfs so far, not making Dontrell make more pitches & so forth. Etanislaos at bats are pretty frustrating to watch i might add.

Got it. Old newspapers really are a trip for those who don't play in them.

The Post used to run a column listing "Recent Hotel Arrivals."

And in a piece on a Senator "bringing a bride back to Washington" we learn that the bride "Miss Day is very pretty and highly accomplished." But Mr. Martin "has never been considered much of a lady's man."

Sam DC earns an honorary MLS.

Justin Germano seems to have realized that he is, in fact, Justin Germano. 7-2 Braves in the 5th.

Tony Gwynn is doing color on the Padres telecast, as he does semi-often. He is also the baseball coach at SDSU. It seems to me Gwynn is quite busy with non-coach activities what with his ESPN, TBS, and Padres gigs.

172 It was a wicked, wicked pitch but it was also way down low. Abreu would have been better off if he'd had a 9-Iron instead of a bat.

I think I say "Huzzah" only online, not in real life, but it reminds me of a couple of Mystery Science Theater episodes where they said that, voicing some goofy magician character onscreen, I think making fun of Ren Faire characters.

The Marlins are playing Dodger ball here. Except for Ramirez home run. Cut it out, Marlins.

Love it!

Who is Etanislaos?

There we go. Thank you, Amezaga.

whoa, nice play by Billingley there, he usually doses off on runners

I realize Amezaga plays infield also, but it seems strange to me that the five bench players for the Marlins are three outfielders, a 1st baseman, and a catcher.

Tony Abreu = Etanislao Abreu

185

Etanislao Abreu. (Tony is short)

Well, that was a freebie. (I guess, I didn't actually see the play)

185 Tony Abreu's real first name is Etanislao.

Or, what they said above. You snooze, you lose. Just like Amezaga.

189, 190 - Ah, thanks. Why anyone would decide to go by "Tony" instead of "Etanislao" is beyond me.

I just hope everything worked out OK for Senator Martin and Miss Day.

Apparentely they were to tour Europe after they wed.

There's nothing better than seeing multiple people answer a question within seconds of each other here at DT. It's the greatest...

Nothing sexier than drawing a walk.

I chalked the Tony abbreviation up to the old-time baseball tradition of Americanizing first names: Bobby Clemente, Pete Guerrero, Ugueth Urbina, etc.

we finally have something going!

Vin is leaving out Willis's DUI AFTER his car accident.

A powerful single by Jeff Kent there. We'll take it.

You have to appreciate a game with 38 runs and 44 hits that still only took 2 1/2 hours to play.

Sorry about the Haren question earlier. Yes, I was using Yahoo and they showed Haren and Harden but as Bob said Yahoo has been bonkers all day. I'm think the shootout in Chicago blew out their circuits.
That must have been a heck of a game to watch if you were a Twin fan.

Gonzo looked hopeless in that at bat. I really would have started Ethier today over Gonzo. But... whatever.

200 I think Vin ignores it like he does the "Best Damn Sports Show Period" ads that used to pop up on the screen. He doesn't even acknowledge them.

Reds' announcer George Grande calls the show "Best Sports Show Period" (leaving out the "Damn") during his promos.

Gagne blows a safe but old friend Jeff Weaver is going toe to toe with the best pitcher in the AL and so far it is a push. He's on a nice streak of well pitched games.

Matt Kemp with the bases juiced let's see what happens.

Wow, Nomar took a walk. Loaded for Kemp.

Kemp has quite a few bases loaded chances doesn't he?

Nothing sexier than drawing a walk.

that ball hit Kemp!

it looked like Kemp didn't wanna take the walk.

Kemp needs to put some more shine in his shoes.

Bad call based on the replay...

That's ridiculous.

Couldn't Grady at least have asked the plate umpire to ask the other umpires?

211 He swung at a ball that hit him?

It definitely hit Kemp in the right foot (the back foot), but the ump didn't believe it or see it so Kemp had to come back, and thus no run.

the umpire flat out missed that.

206 I was thiiiis close to picking up Weave in my AL-only league but couldn't talk myself into it. Of course, the next day someone else picked him up and is probably reaping the benefits right now.

Dang. Wasted opportunity.

I hate it when umpires miss calls. But you gotta fall down and sell that thing Matt!

216
Kemp checked his swing on the non-HBP.

booooooo chuck meriwether

Kemp did a lousy job of selling it also.

And the Dodgers need all the help they can get tonight, so that's a bad break. Yeah, Kemp needs to either put blue shoe polish on heavy, or get shoes that squeak when you touch 'em.

Kemp's superhuman stature cost the Dodgers a run there. A mere mortal would have shown more pain after being struck by a pitched ball. Kemp's reaction was more like a gnat landed on his foot.

It's true - the Bison needs to watch Italian soccer to learn the art of the flop and grimace.

[224] yeah, but he shouldn't have had to sell it. it hit him.

I blame myself for the groundout. I was about to type that I expected Kemp to hit a HR like Bo Jackson when he tried to call time but was denied, but didn't get it in fast enough before Kemp grounded out.

Quick. Someone come up with a "Matt Kemp" fact on why he never sells bad calls!

weaver's line may look good, but he's throwing absolute junk. and also it looked like he tweaked something an inning or so ago. anyway, the weave's been getting lucky.

Kemp wears his pants long so you can't see his shoes.

His lack of style was his undoing!

In any event, if the Dodgers fail to win tonight, it won't be because of a single run on a microscopic hit-by-pitch.

"It's the Buddy Carlyle night tonight in San Diego."

230 Matt Kemp never sells bad calls. In Soviet Russia, bad calls sell you!

Oh wait, that's Yakov Smirnov.

233 Generally true, but who knows what might have happened if Kemp was given first base...

Matt Kemp slays the dragons.

I hate those scoreboards.

Nicely done, Bison! This time he had his other hand perfectly placed to gauge distance to the wall. Whew.

It's only one run on the hbp but it would have allowed Abreu to bat with the bases loaded. So it could have meant a lot more.

236 Whenever Matt Kemp gets on base with a walk, he steals 2nd, 3rd, and home on a wild pitch.

179- His living kin would seem to dispute the "not a lady's man" charge. Unless broad-minded statesman means something else.

http://www.ronspiez.com/html/nti/nti08839.html

Vin said "That flashing Vegas ad on the rightfield scoreboard doesn't help any." Heh.

i really feel he could have sold it better, he looked puzzled.

Bengie Molina approves of Martin's effort on that passed ball.

that right field scoreboard has got to go.

239 Matt Kemp doesn't use his hand to gauge the distance to the wall. Matt Kemp uses his hand to push the wall back so would-be home runs become lazy fly balls.

but in all reality it was the umpires fault for messing up the play.

Why don't they just go all out and put spikes in the wall and quicksand patches in the power alleys?

The left field scoreboard is identical to the right field scoreboard. Why does everyone hate right field so much?

247 Using his Bison Strength™ you mean?

So if Houlton is going to pitch tonight who starts Sunday?

Today is the 19th anniversary of one of my favorite baseball memories. I went to see Dodgers-Cardinals at Dodger Stadium with my brother. The Dodgers fell behind 3-0, but rallied to tie and went ahead in the 8th on Franklin Stubbs' grand slam off Todd Worrell, capping a 7-run inning. They won the game 7-3.

http://tinyurl.com/2bumw9

Killer Tomato time?

250 It's a political statement?

No, actually it's because the right field scoreboard is a meanypants while the left field scoreboard knows how to mind its own business.

Crap, if Houlton is coming in, that means it's either Tomko on Sunday or Hendrickson on 3 days rest.

Someone tell Olmedo that Professional Hitters don't swing at the first pitch as a pinch-hitter

Bob is trying to apply rational thinking to our irrational anger.

Let's burn him!

250

See the plurality in 238.

247 Exactly. How did you make that TM sign?

Rats, they have to pinch hit for Chad, which means they have to bring in Houlton, which means they can't start Houlton Sunday, which means it'll be Tomko or Stults on Sunday, which means all hope is lost.

I like the bunt, there. Down three is a great time to make sure there's a runner in scoring position. With two outs. For Juan Pierre.

we finally score, woo! woo!

The more I doubt Pierre the more he comes through. I will continue to doubt him...

262
Hubris is a dish best served with a bernaise sauce.

Darn, my server's slower than Eric's. ;-)

260 Using HTML. You put a & first and then a trade and then a ; but all together with no spaces.

Juan Pierre, RBI machine.

Oh yeah baby! Go Russell!

GOLDEN. GOD.

Golden God! Curse that umpire, we should have the lead.

RUSSELL RUSSELL!

You can all thank me for turning on the TV right as Pierre and then Martin came up to bat.

Martin joins the 10-10 club.

I totally sensed a homer coming from Russell but didn't want to jinx it by posting it. It looks like my Spidey Sense works even when I'm thousands of miles away.

Russell Martin, Golden God.™

Test ™

What to do when it hits 102: flee to the ski areas, and take a nice hike at 9000+ feet, 75 degrees.

I prefer ©

267 You won't get too many oppurtunities to use that line. Better do it when you can.

Jeff Kent is crushing the ball tonight.

275

How do you do that? I gave up trying last year. Give me the scoop undersog.

Russell Martin, Canadian Mountee of Walks... And Heart!™

272- If you think turning on your t.v. can hold a candle to the mojo 262 generated, you're not fit to buy my children.

Kent's been showing a lot of flare today.

278 Okay how do you do the copyright thing too?

Did it work?

Billingsley FTW!

I have yet to see the Dodgers make an out tonight.

Get a win the cheap way tonight Chad!

©

& copy ;

285 I guess it didn't, let's try again™

Okay, say it loud, say it proud:

HUZZAH™

280 See 266 BB.

Or do a google search for "Webmonkey special characters."

This is the type of offense I'm used to seeing us put up against the D-Train™

Okay, I'll stop now

282 Cynicism can't masquerade as mojo. Still haven't seen an out.

Dios Mio. Nice hands.

284 Have a party: http://tinyurl.com/yrnyuz

Oh, that was embarrassing. E9.

Odds Hermida catches the next one with two hands: 100%

Holy cow. Now this is the kind of implosion I like to see (although I do feel kinda bad for Hermida, he looked like me out there.)

Catchers that have joined the 10 HR, 10 SB club:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/PZXX

Russell has now done it twice. The other multiple achievers:

Benito Santiago - 4 times
Carlton Fisk - 4
Ivan Rodriguez - 3
Jason Kendall - 3
Bob Brenly - 2
Tony Pena - 2
Johnny Bench - 2

HTML entities, they are called.

What's with all the special characters?

Did I miss a DT meeting or something?

©

286...YES!!

(to complete the Marv Albert thought)

302 I was fascinated.

How about catchers in the 20 HR 20 SB club? That's got to be even smaller.

™

Odd story. My neighbors brother got to throw out the first pitch at sunday's game for Ventura County history day. Then he went to tuesday nights game. As he was walking through the turnstiles, they asked him to step aside. He asked what the problem was, they said he was the 175,000,000th customer at a Dodger game since the team moved from Brooklyn to LA. As a prize, he was asked to throw out the first pitch at tuesday nights game also. How wierd is that! He actually threw out the first pitch two times in three games.
vr, Xei

305
If you're going to call roll in the 20-20 club for catchers, it won't take long.

302 Search for "HTML special characters".

I have also not seen Nomar play first tonight. I take credit for getting to see Loney, in addition to the 5 run inning.

I like this one ®

307
Is this guy's name Hurley?

Given Sunday looks like a lost cause now, sneaking away with this game becomes even more important.

Whew. That foul was nearly a home run.

307 I saw that on local news. Wow that he's your buddy.

Wow, reminiscent of the Cora-Izturis days!

305- I think it's just Pudge. He had 35 HR and 25 SB in 1999.

307 Now that's mojo.

All you folks experimenting with special characters, just put them in a ".html" file and then double-click on the file and load it into Firefox.

Nice double play.

Billingsley was very very lucky today, wow.

311
Hurley would have been the 4,815,162,342nd customer at Dodger Stadium.

Buddy pitching in the 8th!

I was hoping Houlton wouldn't be used here because that probably means Grady plans to give Tomko a confidence boost by starting him on Sunday.

282 I think I was foreshadowing a comeback from down 3-0 in 253.

272 is still probably unfit to purchase your offspring however.

Jeff Kent really shouldn't try to get our shortstop killed. Um, not cool.

308 Yup. That was what I was going for there. It would be fun to see Russell hit that mark this year. Definitely possible.

Since Sunday is the last game before the AS break, wouldn't it make sense to have Hendrickson go again, let him go as long as he can and then use up everyone in the bullpen after that? Anything would be better than another Tomko start.

320 Yup, see 256 and 261 for previous angst on that topic.

Maybe they can start Houlton and bring in Bills for relief, just to reverse tonight's game.

Anybody else notice this?

"Dodgers signed RHP Roberto Hernandez to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Hernandez apparently couldn't find a team willing to give him a major league spot now. Hernandez could join the Dodgers in a couple of weeks."

Does this mean the end of the Tomko era?

324,325 I would imagine Hendrickson gets the call Sunday, with a full bullpen at Grady's disposal, including Billingsley and maybe Penny for an inning or so each if needed.

Hah hah. Two hands that time for Jeremy.

326
Roberto Hernandez? Is that an improvement over Tomko?

Buddy will not get the chance for the complete game. He is the first Braves pitcher to go 8 innings since May 22.

Hmm, interesting. Hernandez was a good pitcher for years, up until this year, really. Not sure I'd have much faith in him, but more than I would in Tomko that's for sure.

Old friend Adrian Beltre is 4 for 4 with two homers and two doubles.

Career stats:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4612

Joe Borchard is my neighbors cousin. Yes, the same one with the brother who threw out the 2 first pitches.
vr, Xei

329 You're forgetting the experienced closer™ factor

Roberto Hernandez is a year older than me.

This is not a good thing if you're a baseball player.

Only 24 minutes until breakfast is served. Come on Dodgers, let's wrap this thing up!

334 Small world.

{in Superintendent Chalmers voice}: Han-leeey!

Joe Borchard is one of those two-sport stars out of Stanford like Chad Hutchinson.

336 Generally true, but Barry Bonds is 5 years old than me and he's still mashing.

Hanley is seriously good...

Ramirez is playing the part of Chipper Jones tonight. Fortunately (so far) the Dodgers are ahead in this one, barely.

338. They are also cousins with one of the starting linebackers on the New Orleans Saints, with the initials S.F. vr, Xei

340. Yes, exceptional at two sports, but not quite good enough at either one.
vr, Xei

Xeifrank knows his neighbors better than I know my sister.

326

diamond leung also crushes our dreams on Jose Dominguez.

Is it JoeyB time?

for being such a great baseball player Miguel Cabrera does a lousy job of staying in shape, i'm telling you he was borderline obese (for a baseball player) during the winter league.

344 Lots of rivalry in that family, huh?

Big Bad Jon time?

347 I would imagine Penny's blister won't allow him to pitch in relief Sunday (not that he was likely to).

All hail, King Buddy!

349 I'd still take him on our team! What do you think the Marlins would want for him? How about LaRoche, Tomko and Stults?

The Ads on this website are getting better by the second.

354 Rrrrrrrrrr....

356 Haha OK sorry no growling!

357 Sorry, you just violated about every single rule I have about hypothetical trades, and I've just seen far too many like that these days.

Rudy instead of the Bull? I'm not sure how well this one will work out.

346 That's probably because you hated your sister most of your life, since she was a kid all that time.

354

true, but it just rubs me the wrong way when such a great athlete doesn't max out his abilities.

Rudy can't fail!

I always chant Rudy when Seanez is pitching.

358 Aw bummer. OK I crawl back in my hole now.

359 What was I thinking? Of course Ruuuuudyyyyyy can't fayal!

Beltre 5-5!

361

I don't think Cabrera can be accused of not maxing out. He's maxing for sure.

253

The Dodgers fell behind 3-0, but rallied to tie and went ahead in the 8th on Franklin Stubbs' grand slam off Todd Worrell, capping a 7-run inning.

I just looked at the link you posted to the game. The pitch-by-pitch account shows Stubbs' slam on the 8th pitch of the at bat. What is really interesting is that the first pitch is recorded as "foul bunt." What would Franklin Stubbs have been doing bunting with the bases loaded and two outs?

Nice pitching there, Rudy "the-pitcher-I-continually-doubt-yet-usually- comes-through" Seanez.

It's okay, infinite, you should stay. We have more appetizers coming, and the last inning should be fun to watch. Put your feet up.

Vinny needed to add that Ricks Jr. College is now BYU-Idaho, to go along with BYU-Hawaii and BYU-Provo. Didn't know that Matt Lindstrom was born in Rexburg, ID. But then, I didn't know who Matt Lindstrom was before this.

Dang, how close was Russell's hit to going out?

I just want to point out how thoroughly awesome the "Play Index" on Baseball Reference is. It allows you to search just about any random event, game, streak or what have you.

to paraphrase Ferris Bueller, "if you have the means, I highly recommend [getting access to it]."

Bigger first-half surprise: Seanez or Gonzalez?

372 Not very, probably 10 feet in front of the track.

Further than that one, for example.

369 Hehe, thanks. I don't have many smarts when it comes to the GM stuff, but Lord knows I enjoy watching the game.

Anyone looking for a good Lakers blog needs to read forumblueandgold.com. Best possible basketball equivalent to DT.

374 Gonzalez. Nothing a middle reliever does can really be considered surprising, especially one with Seanez's arm.

368 Unfortunately I don't remember the bunt attempt by Stubbs. I was 12 years old, and not concerned with the oddities of such things. That is very odd, however. I wonder if it was just a check swing.

Gonzo's peppering the warning track.

¡Amézaga!

I love it when Vin breaks out the Mormon mission stories.

Were they working around Betemit to get to Kemp there?

Even with Sammy and the Bull waiting in the wings, an insurance run or two would be nice.

371
I was on the Matt Lindstrom story back in February.

https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/593789.html

Amezaga got a nice little workout in that inning there.

¡Amézaga!

The Bison gave that one a ride but the Amazing one ran it down just shy of the track. Okay, bring on the Bull. I feel like all the Dodgers should have animal nicknames but don't really want to go there.

I may start calling Broxton "Stay Puft". Hope no one objects. He's just so fluffy. And he looks friendly and scary at the same time.

Didn't Matt Lindstrom lose to Fedor in Russia a few months back?

379

That (i. e., a check swing) is what I was thinking.

Note the slam was hit with two outs. I remember reading Bill James somewhere, pointing out that the 1988 Dodgers hit .426 with the bases loaded and two out, by far the highest figure he had ever seen for any team (next was .380). Just part of the magic that year...

Broxton and Hermida probably faced each other tons of times in the Southern League in 2005.

388 It could be done:

Lowe - Horse (innings eater)
Tomko - Spider (because he scares the hell out of me)
Hendrickson - Giraffe (obvious reasons)
Martin - Lion (king of the jungle baby)

I could go all night!

It's been nearly a month since Broxton last gave up a run.

that was a gift pitch by the Blue Ox™

393 Heh. Works for me. Penny is The Polar Bear.

385 I freely admit I don't check the Griddle often enough.

I can't believe the Amazing One was doubting that was a strike. It was right down the middle.

Brett Tomko can be a leach because he sucks.

388,393 Nomar - White Elephant?

Oh. My. Lord. That was a fantastic play by Furcal. That should be a Web Gem for sure.

397
You probably don't even have a catcher's interference alarm plan set in place either.

393

So could we all.

How 'bout Sloth (for Grady) and Dodo (Colletti)?

Jeff Kent - Porcupine (he's prickly)
Juan Pierre - Cockroach (won't die)

396 I like Yak due to the excessive hair

Wolf - Wolf
Pierre - Gnat (pesky)
Nomar - Greyhound (impressive build, but prone to break down)
Loney - Sloth (due to foot speed)
Ethier - Zebra (good-looking, fairly athletic)
Saito - Mongoose (small, but sneaky fast and strong)

402 I keep that plan in my sock drawer with the cycle alert plan I made.

Maybe Loney doesnt have a good opening burst but his triples totals show he has to have decent speed.

Nomar can be the bird with the colorful nose, what's the cereals name?

Betemit - Chameleon (looks different every time you see him)
Abreu - Bat (erratic movements)
Gonzo - Toucan (prominent proboscus)

It's becoming more evident to me what's probably going to happen when Ramon is ready to be activated.

402

My hospital ran a catcher's interference drill this mroning.

I like these so far but not sure about the Nomar and Loney ones above. For some reason Loney reminds me of a meerkat. Nomar could be -- well, what's an animal that fidgets a lot before it settles down? A dog?

Saito - Buzzard (always circling around for the kill)
Liberthal - Crow (or Magpie?; always watches the game from his perch on the bench)
Saenz - Scarecrow (his mere presence scares opponents)

Let's go Gnat! (Just trying that one on for size.)

412 A fish out of water?

412- A condor failing to circumnavigate power lines.

ugh, we could've used the extra run.

At this point I think Elephant Seal would be a more appropriate name for Saenz but I like Crow for Lieberthal. (Makes me think he should either be scavenging on dead bodies or commenting on bad movies, though.)

Saito looks funny with facial hair.

416 Yah, and it's also an endangered species. Go with it.

Stop 'em Saito!™

Nomar could be the Hummingbird since he's always moving

413 I prefer Mongoose for Saito because it has a more positive connotation, but Buzzard is good for someone like Seanez who vultures wins from starters.

Hanley Ramirez or Josh Beckett? I would take Hanley, he's so good.

Not exactly the easiest save opportunity for Saito in his career

Saito - Mongoose (small, but sneaky fast and strong)

this one is pretty cool for Saito.

Seanez has not given up the lead in any of his five wins in 2007. Four times he came into the game trailing; the other game was tied.

Hanley "Feast or Famine" Ramirez.

I guess if Dan Uggia were a Dodger his nickname would be The Owl, since as Vin's reminded us twice tonight, uggla means owl in Swedish.

this umpire seems to be squeezing us, maybe it's just me.

426 Vulturing doesn't necessarily mean giving up the lead, it just means you come into the game with a pretty good chance of getting a win because the game's usually tied or within a run or two before the 8th inning (when you get to the setup and closer area).

I hope there's a locker room attendant befouling Meriwether's flask, right now.

428 And his wife is in Lima Territory™

crap, the fat one strikes.

I blame this on Vinny.

I bet I know what Greg Brock is thinking right now.

That's why you walk Cabrera. I don't care about winning run on this base, or walking tying run on the other base.

It's Miguel Cabrera. Walk him.

Poop. I was worried about Cabrera greatly. Darnit, Sammy!

I was also worried about it after they showed the stat about the Dodgers 99 game win streak when leading after 8 innings at home. Poof!

435
Either you were right or you had pictured Greg Brock "Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow"

There goes Chad's win

I agree, or at least pitch around him, unintentionally intentional walk him. Sigh.

437 It's not gone yet

The really bad news is if this goes longer than 9 innings, we may have a Tomko sighting.

438 If "meow, meow, meow, meow, etc." means, "DEAR LORD I WANT MIGUEL CABRERA ON THE DODGERS!"

443
Yeah, it was that one.

Let's hope Saito has done his own bit of vulturing.

Russell doesn't want to hang around too long tonight. I smell a walk-off

Well, hey, if Kemp's shoelace HBP had been called, we'd still be winning this one.

C'mon Dodgers, win it in the bottom half! So I can go to bed, without thinking of Tomko coming in.

Sammy shouldnt be so hard on himself after a blown save.

Ahh. I go play video games for an hour and I come back to this!

If Tomko comes in, I'm going to get my breakfast. It's not good to vomit on any empty stomach.

Leaving in a lefty to face Martin? Not smart.

Wait, if he's starting on Sunday, he won't pitch tonight. Oh, that means he's starting on Sunday. Darn.

art sits in the front row looking at the members of the jury.

[Skinner scowls at Bart from the jury box]
Skinner: [thinking] I know you can read my thoughts, Bart. Just a
little reminder: if I found out you cut class, your ass is
mine. Yes, you head me. I think words I would never say.
Homer: [thinking] I know you can read my thoughts, boy. [singing]
Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow
meow meow meow meow...

Sure. Now that's a strike.

This ump sucks.

447 I have it on good authority that, had Kemp's HBP been called as such, Loney would have been impaled on a beer bottle the next inning. Really, the non-HBP doesn't matter.

Russell, you're supposed to RUN to first base.

Does any team preach not trying to slide into first?

If we lose I think we can all blame the Home Plate ump

457 Did he skip? That might make me have to re-think his animal nickname.

459
If the Dodgers lose, I was going to blame Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera, and Mike Jacobs.

457 No, Bob, I distinctly remember Carl Lewis got his fourth gold medal at the 1984 Olympics be sliding across the finish line in the 100-yard dash.

Free baseball!

It's time for ...

the leach is in.

It's probably too on the nose to be fun, but I'd forgotten that Martin was already an animal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marten
Alt. spelling: "Martin" But we already have a weasel somewhere...

454,455

my thoughts confirmed.

Uh oh. Cue Jack Woltz!

In a way, I'm glad to see Tomko. I'm exhausted, and wasn't relishing the prospect of staying up too much longer.

Tomko to the rescue!

Well, Lieberthal was going to pinch hit. So, my annual question: Who is the Dodgers' emergency catcher?

461

I think the Marlin players are obvious,its when the umpire decides when to call the same pitch a ball or a strike then makes a bad call on the HBP that I can blame him

Welp, good night everyone! It's been fun.

I can think of another place to put Tomko, Vin.

I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Tomko; and homers were following after him. Authority was given to him over a fourth of the earth, to kill with hanging curves and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

uh oh®

I was just about to write "should we have reason to worry that an already spent bullpen will be put to task in extra innings?"

Then I saw Tomko

(Underdog, exits stage right, choosing to clean the cat litter box over watching Brett Tomko pitch, even though they both remind him of the same thing.)

I'm not sure how many folks are seriously looking back at the Kemp thing, but you shouldn't. Any ridiculous number of outcomes could have happened after that. Of course, you guys are probably being tongue-in-cheek.

It could be 16-1 Marlins. Or 9-7 Dodgers. One poo stained call doesn't really matter.

There is always the glimmer of hope that the Dodgers can score more runs than Tomko give up.

Pestilence

but seriously, i really hope Tomko has a good inning he really looks lost out there if only to build up his confidence.

Just got home. It's unfortunate that Saito blew the save. Now Grits is conceding the game by putting Tomko in. This isn't even worth watching.

Speaking of poo-stained...

Was there a good reason why Saito couldn't have gone another inning there?

480 The Twins couldn't score more runs than Tomko will allow.

How cool that they're letting this kid from Make-A-Wish pinch run.

479- I'm only upset that he didn't take the opportunity to charge the mound. (A) Nobody would have questioned whether he got hit and, (B) it's been a long time since the Dodgers had a bench clearing brawl.

How many times have we beem Tomko'd in the last week? It seems like every other day.

yesterday we came back tide it up & lost, i hope that isn't the case today.

The pinch runner has an OPS+ of -20.

https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/719099.html

479

Im more upset about the two pitches to Uggla in which the ump hesitated than called perfect pitches balls. than the two outside strikes to Martin

Little seems incredibly stubborn in his resolve that Tomko has something left. Is he trying to prove something to himself, to Colletti, to Tomko or to all of the above?

485 Saito was too busy commiting sepuku for blowing the save to pitch another inning. He looked like he disgraced his ancestors.

Dang you and your uneconomical pitch counts, Chad!

How long can I hold my breath? I am dying here

Tomko In=blue alert.

493 There's no one else left

492 I agree that Saito got squeezed. But I don't like blaming umpires for losses. Umpires don't strand runners or hit warning track shots or strike out.

I'm late to the scene tonight. Was any explanation given, by Vin or anyone else, as to why Tomko was dropped into Martin's slot in a tie game in extra innings? Did Martin get hurt? Or is there no answer?

Wish I wasn't watching this live. When I watch on DVR I always fast-forward through Tomko's appearances.

It's a rule I have.

The Dodgers are out of position players so they had to double switch Lieberthal in to the game.

499 It was either that or let Tomko hit in the bottom of the 10th

Come on Brett, just one scoreless inning is all I ask. If you do that and we don't come through in the bottom half then do your worst, but please just get these 3 outs.

Someone needs to come out and have a talk with Tomko like the one Lasorda had with Orosco in Game 4 of the 1988 NLCS.

499 OK...

So who pitches Sunday?

Grady goes out the hill, takes the ball from Tomko, and punches him square in the mouth.

That would be unique.

Every time I see Rick Honeycutt, I imagine him showing off his 1983 AL ERA championship ring to earn respect of his pitchers.

I'm sure they don't give out rings for ERA championships, but it's fun to imagine.

that DP would have been nice.

lol 500 me too. and Pierre Ab's. breath. breath in the air. don't be afraid to care.

499

Russell was warming up Tomko in between innings so i'm pretty sure he's o.k. Grady probably just wanted to rest Russell.

And the winning run gets bunted in.

Now, it's time to hope that Kevin Gregg doesn't have it.

506 Probably Hendrickson on 3 days rest, backed up by a beefed up bullpen (almost everyone available last day before the 4-day layoff).

Might be more Marlins fans at tonights game than their home games.

There are like 10 of them.

Henley Ramirez is a sneaky one isn't he, ugh!!!

They aren't going to need Kevin Gregg.

and THAT is why Han-Ram should be an All-Star this year!

Tomko is just an entire ecosystem comprised of suck. It's not all his fault. That bunt certainly wasn't his fault. He is just...I don't know.

DFA Tomko.

if furcal had just been a second quicker on that ground ball...

503 I knew it was too much to ask

Tomko couldn't get DFAed quick enough

I like to be wrong. Tomko is just a nightmare to watch.

these past two games have been heart breakers I don't think my little heart can take it anymore. :o)

man, the all star break can't come at a better time

518 We can't except "Han-Ram" as a nickname for Hanley Ramirez, because that would mean Manny Ramirez is "Man-Ram".

Not cool, man. Not cool.

So Armando Benitez in the 10th?

Tomko is going to earn the win. Believe it.

Brett Tomko pitches another day...

..and I say that because it's pretty clear that the bullpen has been pretty burnt out. It's interesting to note that the offense is actually still pretty good but starting pitching is now pretty weak. I suppose the injuries are now piling up

So I wasn't kidding - I really did take care of the litter box rather than watch Tomko in that inning. The AFFLAC question is, which was poopier?

Actually, I figured out what happened by your comments (then saw him get that last too-little-too-late strikeout) - so don't answer that.

Do we want the Dodgers to score one run so we can go through that again? No.

So none or two, please.

The solution to Sunday is obvious: DFA Tomko. Call up someone from Jacksonville to either start or be part of the tag team of relievers. Take the all-star break to regroup.

I admit I haven't been watching much because I get too emotional in close games, but when Grits put Tomko in to lose I saw in his eyes he knew it was the end, although I know he didn't really have anyone better to put in. He may have had a notion he was going to cause a DFA or something.

No runs is not an option. There's still a chance Tomko can drive in the winning run himself!

We need some dramatics & quick!

In general I look at this like one game out of 25 that we loose but normally win.

529 Injuries, short outings... I wasn't suprised that Saito blew the save. His arm has to be hanging by a thread at this point what with all the mop up he's been forced into because innings just need to get soaked up.

The guy has got to go. He just has to go. We could recite chapter and verse, referencing this or that, discussing the merits of this guy and the other guy.

He just has to go. Pestilence.

I'm with Nagman... its a storm, the Dodgers can weather it. I refuse to believe the Dodgers are only a .500 team

538
It was Revelations 6:8 I was quoting for those wishing to testify at home.

Apparently Gagne blew a save today.

good ab by Abreu.

Swing for the fences, Loney. We don't want an 11th.

We're three balks away from a tie game, here, people!

542 technically, a good pa :)

Really need a Loney Bomb.

540 Come on, Bob. Those of us testifying at home quote the Bhagavad Gita. We know our New Testament.

Big Game James for some real theatrics?

Tony Abreu is Mike Davis ActII?

All year long they looked to him to light the fire...

and look who's coming up.

good PA by loney :)

some 'em home happy Furcal, Let's go!!!

Regardless of the outcome, the Dodger Thought t-shirt will be rocked in Florence today. I'll try to get a picture of me wearing it in front of some old cathedral or something, Jon.

OK Furcal. Those people with your bobblehead want a walkoff homerun.

536 Unfortunately 14 of those 25 losses have seemed to come in the last 3 weeks.

Right when you all start getting sappy and dramatic....Vin busts out 'Here come the bobblehead man!".....

554
There are cathedrals in Italy?

Can Loney score from 1st on a double?

That first pitch was a flat nothing ball with hit me written all over it.

Do the Dodgers put us through this more than other teams to their fans?

559
He probably could with two outs.

I don't know why we are so tense...plenty of time this inning.

Tomko will bat.

Good god.

i think i'm having heart palpitations at the present moment.

This is too good.

The Lady or the Tiger?
Pierre or Tomko?

558 Are you being facetious because I used the wrong word or because there are a plethora of cathedrals in Italy?

Pierre just needs to punch one into the outfield grass.

Cathedrals are more of a Middle Ages thing. gpellamjr would have to give the true scoop on that. He's the boss man on all matters Middle Ages.

How often can the deuces be wild in a game? It seems like all the time when Vinnie is calling it :)

Don't swing at the first pitch, Juan. Please don't.

The Marlins have a better chance of winning by walking Furcal to get to Tomko, just so they can bat some more.

Ned, Ned, NED!

All year long they looked to him to light the fire...

All will be forgiven if you get a hit here...

just the guy opposing players don't want to face. bunt double here we come

If Pierre walks, it will be Penny.

I hate Juan Pierre.

Worth every penny.

I'm just going to hide ... over there ...

He almost got it.

How fitting.

Time to re-watch Flight of the Conchords for some comic relief.

This is why Dodgerblues exists....And thank god for it....

Where's your Moses now, NED? Where's your Messiah now?

what a disgusting swing by Pierre did you see it!? it was like slow motion in my head, popped it straight up. ugh!!!

Yay, Slappy McPopup!

I want those 3+ hours of my life back, Dodgers.

Now we'll never know if Tomko would have batted!

What a frustrating game to track, I'm actually kind of glad I didn't watch it.

Time to finally eat some breakfast and soak in the history!

Wow! We sure have had a number of gut-wrenching losses lately.

... Hope the GM enjoyed that at-bat.

That pitch was as hittable as it gets...this guy had nothing....

588 Penny was only filling the Dave Anderson on-deck role.

OMG!!!!! 2-1 right down the middle , you had to pop it up , he would have had a better chance in that at bat if he took every pitch

Lyons needs to fir the guy who gave him this die-job....

just an inexcusable swing, o.k. i'm done ranting.

Well this homestand has certainly been a disaster.

And to top it off, Dane Cook is on Comedy Central...

I'm goin' out....

With a 12-man pitching staff and with four days off starting on Monday, this game seemed mismanaged by Little. He had no fallback position when Saito faltered, and that's a failure to plan for all possibilites, which is the role of the manager. He had no position players remaining. I could understand if this had been a 13-inning game, but not a 10-inning affair.

Pierre must have contemplated laying one down with 2 outs to match Hanley. Was Fat Miggy playing regular depth?

All I can say is, with Lowe going tomorrow and {fill in the blank} going Sunday, the Dodgers absolutely have to win tomorrow. HAVE to.

Okay, I'm gonna hit the hay. Or maybe punch the hay, much as Grady Little wants to punch something.

Night!

600
Cabrera was playing for a bunt.

600- He was playing in on the grass. So was the 1B.

599 Seriously? I'd blame the players for not executing over Grady Little. Maybe he could have left Beimel in there longer but Houlton was getting hit pretty well and I don't know what other options he had. Saito blew the save. Pierre had a bad at bat. What of these are Little's fault? That's just mho. Okay, night, for real.

Okay, on to other things. I just learned they allow 10 personal fouls in the Las Vegas Summer League. Greg Oden used all of them tonight in his first game.

kevin kennedy just slamming us for having our 3b so far back and yes 600 he moved in to take away the bunt.

The all-star break can not come soon enough. Lowe alomost needs to go complete game tomorrow. Who isn't fatigued right now? Beimel?

604- I'm really tired of how often Little get's blamed...I can't think of a manager who doesn't guess wrong sometimes.....

Saito almost never blows it....you manage to win in 9....

And this ump was a real reactionary....

I wanted JP to walk sooo bad not just bc it ties the game but, Penny bats .... I would bet he gets a hit too.

are the dodgers last in the league in hitting with the bases loaded?

i'm checking in with my self (mind,body & soul) & i'm pretty mad at Ned for bring this Pierre fellow over for 5 years 44 mill. that's all. I gotta go meditate longer now, thanks to Ned!.

And this ump was a real reactionary....

especially in the 9th of all innings

level out that swing Pierre that's all i ask of you & i wouldn't have been to upset.

Why I am critical of Little:
1. Acknowledging that the decision is not his to make, has Litttle told Colletti he doesn't want Tomko on the team? In public, he continues to voice support.
2. In a tie game, you don't do a double-switch with Martin.
3. Was Saito capable of going another inning? Perhaps not, because Little used him wantonly a couple of nights ago, If Saito had remained in, he could have been pinch-hit for leading off the bottom of the 10th, and Martin still would have been in the game, although I'll concede he wouldn't have batted.
4. Using seven pitchers in this game leaves us in bad shape for the weekend. I think we should call someone up to pitch on Sunday.
I am not wowed by how Little uses pitchers.
That's how this frustrated fan sees things at this moment.
And tomorrow is another day.
Cheers...

The Dodgers aren't a very good defensive team. Granted. Kevin Kennedy asserting that the Dodgers main problem is defense is, pretty much, the dumbest thing I've heard this week.

Hey Kev, we don't have power and our rotation is now in trouble. I'd say power and pitching are a tad more important that outfield arms. Just a thought.

615- I always get the feeling that Kennedy is still jockeying for that gig he lost to Davey Johnson....

1. Acknowledging that the decision is not his to make, has Litttle told Colletti he doesn't want Tomko on the team? In public, he continues to voice support.

Grady said, publicly, that he has zero confidence in Tomko. It's not like Grady gets to DFA Tomko. That's up to The Mustache. Saying that a manager has no confidence in a pitcher is about as damning as it gets.

What ticks me off most is that Tomko and Pierre did exactly what I expected they would do.

What's great about a game like this there are so many people to blame. But my question, why in the 8th inning when you are nursing a one run lead don't you have Pierre drag a bunt and if successful you have the bases loades or runners on 2nd and 3rd with Martin coming up.

Saito was coming off a 28 pitch game and still comming back from an injury so any extra runs he could get were essential. In my mind it is time to DFA Tomko and bring up one of the kids nd let them mop up and pitch. Also in the case of the Dodgers waiting until th 31st, I think is a mistake. Bring up a kid now and see what happens and if you can make a great deal by the 31st great, but given what is out there the Dodgers are probably better off using their farm players

617 But didn't Little say tht he would keep using Tomko and thought he might come around?

619 I agree.

Major League is on Bravo right now, and there is no greater dub in movie history than Roger Dorn telling Rick Vaughn to "strike this [guy] out."

Lou totally reminds me of Grady

620 Well, he has to use Tomko. Broxton, Saito, Beimel and Tsao can only pitch so often. The Staff isn't getting very deep into games. The bullpen is getting stretched quite a bit lately.

Grady can't MF Tomko publicly. And he has to use him to save the other arms. But let's read between the lines. I'm pretty sure Grady wants Tomko off the squad.

We are just going to have to ride out this tough stretch. I am not that worried about the offense. I think we will be solid there. I would prefer Kemp in center and Betemit at third, but I know that is not going to happen.

The Major League - Dodger parallel really works if you imagine Mia Hamm sleeping with Jonathan Broxton* to get even with Nomar.

*I picked Broxton instead of Saito since he was a converted starter, like Rick Vaughn.

Betemit or LaRoche at third.

Per L.A. Times, we have signed Roberto Hernandez to a minor league deal.....

Does Jose Mesa have a job?

anyone seen this moron craig ferguson that comes on after letterman? he just dances around and makes noises not making any sense.

604 My only beef was going to Seanez in the 7th with 2 out instead of Broxton. If I had written the script, it would have been Broxton for 1 1/3, then Sammy to close it out. Then, when Sammy faltered, you would have Seanez for 2 innings instead of Bombko.

I questioned the call at the time, but was of course relieved when Seanez got out of the inning. Who knows, maybe Seanez was already warming up and Broxton wasn't an option, but as it was I would've rather gone to the better reliever immediately and saved Seanez for later.

622 -- That is NOT the greatest dub in movie history. The best one is in the TV version of Caddyshack. There is a scene in the movie in which Chevy Chase is walking along the golf course with his caddy, and Chevy asks his caddy, who is basically a kid, "Do you take drugs?" In the original movie, the kid says something like "Oh yeah, every day," and Chevy replies "Good." When I saw the movie on an American TV channel, during the War On Drugs era, the kid's response to the question, "Oh, yeah, every day," was blanked out and a voice that didn't even come close to resembling the voice of the young man says, "Oh, no, of course not!"

307 - He was not the 175,000,000th fan since the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn. Nor was he the 175,000,000th fan since the Dodgers joined the NL, as one of the commentators said on TV last night.

He was the 175,000,000th fan since 1901. I don't know if they use 1901 because that's when they started keeping records, or because that's when the AL started and they think that makes a level playing field for AL teams. It seems rather arbitrary to me: the Dodgers have existed (under one name or another) since 1883, and in the NL since 1890. Perhaps they have no idea how many fans came to see them before 1901.

The same TV commentator that said "since joining the NL" also said that the Dodgers were "one of the original NL teams" - completely false. (The NL was formed in 1876, Dodgers joined it in 1890, leaving the American Association to do so.)

632 I dunno, "do you know what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps" is pretty damn cool

How come when I look in the pitching section of the box score in the morning, there's never a "0" in Tomko's "ER" column...?

{{634]] ding ding ding! the lebowski dub is the best/worst dub ever.

Pierre's game-ending pop-up made him the MLB leader in outs.

Jon, The story was well told. Thanks. He sounds like a good bloke.

633
Polite applause.

I think the Dodgers have a really good chance of winning the series this year--unless they go against the Angels. Unfortunatley, they're no match to the Angels (that is, if the Angels make it, and they also have a pretty good chance).