6 for 34, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR 3 rbi, 5BB, 15K .481 OPS

Think good thoughts.

Actually, I think my team would have a better chance of winning if it was me pitching and Randy Johnson hitting.

Gonzalez said Johnson will most likely be on a pitch count i really really hope the Dodger make Johnson throw a lot of pitches.

Best Single-Season Batting Average in Baseball History:
(1871-present, minimum 30 PA)

Cnt Player BA PA Year Age
+----+-----------------+-----+---+----+---+
1 Tripp Sigman .517 32 1929 30
2 Rudy Pemberton .512 45 1996 26
3 James Loney .500 39 2007 23
4 Gil Coan .500 47 1947 25
5 Eddie Murphy .486 42 1919 27
6 Bennie Tate .481 30 1925 23
7 Craig Wilson .468 53 1998 27
8 Dick Hall .464 30 1963 32
9 Freddy Leach .464 31 1924 26
10 Gary Ward .463 46 1980 26

Best Single-Season Slugging Percentage in Baseball History:
(1871-present, minimum 30 PA)

Cnt Player SLG PA Year Age
+----+-----------------+-----+---+----+---+
1 J.D. Drew .972 41 1998 22
2 James Loney .947 39 2007 23
3 Shane Spencer .910 73 1998 26
4 Ted Williams .901 110 1953 34
5 Barry Bonds .863 664 2001 36
6 Babe Ruth .849 615 1920 25
7 Sam Horn .848 36 1993 29
8 Babe Ruth .846 693 1921 26
9 Jeff Baker .825 58 2006 25
10 Freddy Leach .821 31 1924 26

Best Single-Season OPS in Baseball History
(1871-present, minimum 30 PA)

Cnt Player OPS PA Year Age
+----+-----------------+-----+---+----+---+
1 James Loney 1.460 39 2007 23
2 J.D. Drew 1.435 41 1998 22
3 Barry Bonds 1.421 617 2004 39
4 Ted Williams 1.410 110 1953 34
5 Babe Ruth 1.382 615 1920 25
6 Barry Bonds 1.381 612 2002 37
7 Barry Bonds 1.378 664 2001 36
8 Babe Ruth 1.358 693 1921 26
9 Rudy Pemberton 1.336 45 1996 26
10 Tripp Sigman 1.322 32 1929 30

I'm sure during Joe Dimaggio's first few games you had people saying, yeah, looks pretty good, but, you know, small sample size.

you've left the door ajar for comments but i rather not go in.

"James Loney has been so spectacular since his latest call-up (.471 BA, .971 SLG), he has effectively ended the Dodgers' efforts to trade for a first baseman. In fact, now that Los Angeles has seven position players hitting over .300 since the firing of hitting coach Eddie Murray, clubs that have spoken with the Dodgers say they're not aggressively pursuing any kind of bat at the moment. They could still make a deal eventually for an impact third baseman, corner outfielder or starting pitcher."

On the other hand, a Dallas Morning News blogger has put up a post titled "Bring Kershaw Home."
http://rangers.beloblog.com/archives/2007/06/bring_kershaw_home.html

"I am a fan of TWO teams in MLB...Dodgers & Rangers

GREAT trade for the Rangers but you're NUTS if you think this is OK by the Dodger Nation. LAD fans would KILL COLLETTI if he pulled the trigger here...shoot him dead."

I loved that game. The responses to outlandish trades were always great (though they got old after a while)..."I've seen better deals at your Mom's house."

Huzzah Russell!

But that's OK.

Or just a nice hit?

RJ's 0-2 pitches are really iffy so far today. Or should I say, sucky.

Now, let's see if our Randy can have a rare solid first inning.

There's no reason to boo Finley at all. Maybe the boo-ers are transplanted Angels fans.

He really hated playing for the Dodgers, mainly Daly and Malone.

Guess they weren't too enamored with the choices after the first two blue-chippers in the draft.

Earlier in the year, he was getting a lot more groundballs and of course, strikeouts.

Could have been two on that play maybe.

Sheffield isn't big on admitting fault on his part though.

Rumors that the Lakers are trying to sign that guard from Greece considered the best guard in Europe. Which sounds unexciting, but he's actually a really good player.

...AT MAKING OUTS!

/triumph

Meanwhile, Vin loves saying "O-Dog."

I'd pay about $1,000 to hear Vin say "Fo shizzle my nizzle."

I was watching last night's game at a bar with closed captioning and the person doing the transcription kept putting "Old Dog". It was especially funny during the 8th inning when he hit a triple and the text said "Old Dog can still get around" or something to that effect.

Kudos.

Mouth-touching ball. Hee!

That said, I don't agree that he's taking too much abuse. We have to repeat, and repeat, and repeat that he isn't any good, because the message clearly isn't getting through yet. Someday, part of the message will get through, and Pierre will sit for a day. And then a little more will get through, and the Dodgers will start a four-man rotation in the outfield.

And so the tiniest trickle will become a mighty river.

Now, I'll admit that DT may not be the forum for this. We are all here at the pleasure of the Philosopher King, and if he calls on us to knock it off, then knock it off we must. But that doesn't mean that the emotion or thought behind the complaint is wrong -- just that it doesn't belong here.

This is, I'll admit, a self-serving argument, but I don't care. Pierre is terrible, the Dodgers should bench him, and when they start taking steps in that direction, I'll be happy, happy, happy.

I had to go to Phoenix to work an exhibition space a couple of Julys ago. Just walking from the convention center (which is right next to the ballpark) across the street to get something to eat was brutal. Seriously, I couldn't do it, so I asked my local rep how he did it and he said "you get used to it". And then it actually said "and it's a dry heat". He grew up in Alabama and said he's take 110 degrees and dry over 80 and muggy every day of the week.

Matty, all you do is get basehits, when are you going to start overthrowing cut-off men and swinging at pitches in opposite batter's box.

Loney 1-2, how boring can you be.

20 for 40!

All Kemp has to do is go 6 for his next 6 to get to the Loney Line. So he should get that 6th AB sometime next Friday.

it was an absolute rocket shot!

164 I'm starting to agree with you. And it's depressing to keep talking about him, too.

I actually predict that Pierre will be much more of a contributor in the 2nd half of this season than he has been - which is the "Not Saying Much" statement of the day.

Wow, Seattle took Durant. Another shocker!

None of that makes it okay to keep playing Pierre.

Regardless, Ojeda is the first Augie in the majors since Augie Galan retired in 1949.

Meanwhile, Coltrane strikes again!

Horford was best player available in my opinion.

i haven't heard anything about it, does he wanna play for the Dodgers?

probably half a foot, it was a line drive type shot.

Okay, I gotta go. Good luck!

No real comment, just an observation.

Jeff Weaver, DFA'd July 2006, due 8.325m for the year

Shea Hillenbrand, DFA'd yesterday, $6.5m deal

The left one got a football thrown right at it.

Probably right after a Stu Scott broadcast.

I remember that Brewer was projected to go around the Lakers pick last year. Sigh.

On April 3, Scott saw his life as a sportscaster flash before his eye.

One minute he was working out with some New York Jets. The next he was dazed, frightened and hearing the team ophthalmologist say that he needed emergency surgery.

Scott was preparing a three-part series on what it would be like to go through an NFL minicamp.

"It was no joke, not a George Plimpton thing," he said, referring to the writer who authored a daffy first-person account of playing quarterback with the Detroit Lions in the mid-'60s.

Scott, 36, is no pancaked pretty boy. He's a former prep football star and semi-pro player. He caught passes, ran a 4.6 40 and performed agility drills with the Jets. He then lined up with Laveranues Coles, Curtis Martin and other players in front of a high- powered machine that flings footballs.

Scott doesn't remember how it happened. But the point of a launched football struck him in the left eye, splitting his cornea and lens. "I couldn't see out of it. I knew it was bad. I thought, 'I just want to be able to see my wife and kids,' " said Scott, who has two young daughters.

Because our pitchers can flat out hit.

Do they want to see how fast they can drive through the desert in the middle of the night?

This is a yellow alert.

Matt Kemp, show us why you should be in everyday.

240 I did that drive last year, about this time of year.

It is a nice smooth road, stopped off in San Bernardino or Indio and ate some In N' Out.

i have relatives in Porterville & i love the drive over there/the sceneries

Kemp with bases loaded is similar to a teenage kid on prom nite, way to excited.

Even though Kemp struck out, he has gone from striking out1 out of 3 to 1 out of 4 at bats.

Plus, Mother Kavula chaperoned my prom.

Ah, memories. (Slams head into monitor.)

Clearly, you haven't been to Oklahoma.

Or, you know, we could always call Tomko in to mop this one up.

Haven't been to Tokyo. I guess my theory needs more work.

no, lakers! I think the lakers are getting that euro guard with the MLE.

"boy hat have they dont in front of homeplate"

anyone think the dodgers should bring back gonzo next year?

there's plenty of historical sites driving up there you just gonna know were to look, really enjoyable.

That said, Luis has been a pleasure to watch this year.

yeah, i would'nt be so upset about the nomar thing if it wasnt 2 years though.

i like that team.

he's been great for us but i wouldn't sign him & i'm pretty sure Ned is in the same boat.

How can I follow the draft from work?

Nice

Other NL catchers to hit for the cycle are:
Randy Hundley, 1966
Bill Salked, 1945
Chief Meyers, 1912

In the AL, the last catcher to do it was Rich Gedman in 1985. Carlton Fisk did it in 1984. Mickey Cochrane did it twice in 1932 and 1933.

There could be more because the list I'm using doesn't have positions listed and I'm guessing at some.

Betimit, while often looking bad, is proving to be a big threat...

It's looking like I was wrong...Betimit is probably the best option at third....my bad...

It's not like Tomko's been knocked around from pillar to post today.

Too bad Tomko's contract is what it is.

BTW, Vin Scully O-Dog-Meter stands at 86.

However, if Drew reaches, then it would be time for the hook.

Small chance of the Spurs doing it.

you jinxed Dena.

That was all the way back on April 9, 2004, although Jae Seo was cheated out of one last year.

I'll stay quiet with what I hope Saito does here....

In 1974, Mike Marshall had 10 3 IP (or more) saves. He had 17 of them overall with the Dodgers.

Farewell, Brett, we hardly knew ye. (Actually, we knew ye a lot longer than we cared to, but whatever.)

Thats all that matters.

... and what in the world happens when Ramon Martinez comes back. I'll hate to see Abreu go do down.

Cory Schwartz of fantasy411 considers those true saves

Frank Lankford is not my savior.

14 singles + 1 double + 1HR + 4 bbs + 4 Dbax errors = 9 runs

D.J Houlton, and Meloan deserve to be on the Dodgers more than Tomdrickson.....

Now can someone answer my question about iTunes in comment #283, when we were leading 9-1 and it didn't look so off topic? ;)

Has that ever happened to anyone else when they hit #3k?

Ugh. Don't turn it on.

But, Tomko is also due a $1m buyout for his 2008 option ($4.5m if exercised).

So the bottom line is cut Tomko, and eat roughly $3.05m. Cut Hendrickson, and eat $1.45m.

The money is spent either way, so I have no problem with letting Tomko go. They probably would keep Hendrickson around as the long man though.

I can find Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt with no problems.

"Well, Gail, by this time the hostages will be going through the early stages of the Helsinki Syndrome."

"As in Helsinki, Sweden."

"Finland"

Kevin Towers is really starting to get on my nerves.

http://tinyurl.com/3d4mck

Well this could make up for the Pads getting Maddox differential from us.
We were really looking down, but this helps.

I'll give someone three gold stars if they know where my favorite Helsinki quote comes from:

"I say Helsinki and you hear Geneva?"

It also speaks to Kevin Towers willingness to change from his old school approach.

Bringing in two 'cancers' in Barrett/Bradley goes against conventional baseball wisdom. And thats good.

huh?

They are stashing away foreign players too, like the Spurs.

.... any tips?

Still waiting for someone to guess which crappy movie I quoted.

Sun Yue?

433 Part of the statistical analysis that lends itself to baseball is that there are a series of mostly individual matchups, whereas in basketball only one person can have the ball at a time, and so many aspects are intertwined that it's hard to filter out individual performance. Kind of like how it's hard to evaluate individual defense in baseball because of all the elements involved.

Draft Projection: Second round to undrafted

Notes: Played in the ABA averaging 13.5 ppg, 10.5 apg and 6 rpg for Beijing Aoshen. Early entry to the 2006 NBA Draft but withdrew when he didn't get interest from NBA teams.

Positives: Smooth point forward with excellent handle and court vision. Good slashing to the basket. Good midrange game.

Negatives: Needs to add strength. Not a consistent perimeter shooter, especially from deep range. Lacks experience.

Summary: Impressed scouts at the Orlando pre-draft camp. He'll intrigue someone in the second round.

www.kenpom.com

It does not nearly as compelling as a good catcher's interference call.

But I think Crittendon was still a really good pick considering what was there.

There are X number of good basketball players in the world. All of them will be drafted and play in the NBA sooner or later. Thus, the number of good players in the average NBA draft stays constant. Unless there is some serial killer hunting down and killing college freshman basketball players, I don't see how the one year in college changes things.

No. Because Oden, Durant, Conley, etc., would have been drafted last year and the other players would move up accordingly.

Which would have pushed down some of the other good talent to a team like the Lakers whom seemingly are stuck in the abyss of drafting 19th-23rd every year. Thats how you get Farmar, Cook, Rush, etc. Of course, when HS players were available the Lakers still ended up with those guys, so maybe it wouldnt have helped much.

I think it still lowers the overall talent pool bc before--when all hs players were available--quite a few would get drafted based on potential. Players that, if they had played a year in college and done poorly--wouldnt have gone out for the draft the next year.

Basically, you are correct there is a finite amount of talented basketball players on the planet. And teams drafting in the low 20s have to rely on teams above them making mistakes, in order for the better players to fall to them. If you are able to draft whomever you want---more than likely there will be mistakes made--and thus the better players will drop.

One of the reasons the Spurs were able to get Parker, Ginobilli was bc those players were passed over by teams that drafted HS'ers. Or a Josh Howard another example.

I think not having HS'ers helps the lottery teams not make as many mistakes---but it doesnt help the teams in the lower half of the draft.

But man, their depth is insane. Their backups could probably beat the TWolves.

In the long run it will kill you...

looks like Home Depo is running the show over there.

Thank you man... I'm throwing this trip together and am pretty geeked about it. Anything else worth seeing? Where'd you stay?

(you can email me at jairodelatorre@mac.com if it's more appropriate.)

Thank you man... I'm throwing this trip together and am pretty geeked about it. Anything else worth seeing? Where'd you stay?

(you can email me at jairodelatorre@mac.com if it's more appropriate.)

The Lakers had a good draft I thought. Not sure about the Chinese player but Gasol is a steal and Crittendon is worth a gamble, because he could pay off big time. They obviously still need to bring in a good veteran, but it's a start. Portland had about 28 picks it seems. They should be, uh, better.

Hasta la vista J-Rich.

Glad the Dodgers held on to win - when I left it was 6-0 but I knew not to count my chickens before they hatched - or before Tomko comes in. But great to see the bats come alive. I'm quite happy with 3 out of 4.

It'll be interesting to see Milton Bradley so soon, and a little nervewracking, too. Nothing he'd like better than to show up the Dodgers. I'd love to see Ethier have a good series.

Also: My Thursday soccer team sucks.

Night!

"When you're in the seventh inning and you've got a 9-1 lead you're not looking forward to using your closer," Little said. "But we had to and he did a great job and got us off the field."

Kobe is pretty much gone.

I liked it when Jerry West ran the show and Dr. Buss just sat back. The Buss family having an opinion is the worst thing ever. Be quiet, hire good people, and cash the checks.

Lakers should just tank and collect lottery picks. Might as well let Kobe sit for two years, since we won't get a deal that makes us any closer to be a championship team.

Jerry Buss died five years ago and is a zombie?

And given that his rating would be based on his work in the last 2 years, I don't know if he makes the top 46 anyway, he barely made it last year.

2. He could accept arbitration.

The Padres will know what pick, if any, they could get before it comes time for arbitration but again that period is pretty short, you wouldn't expect Bradley to sign a deal prior to the arbitration period so it will be interesting game to play.

Then again, they could just keep him.

Anyone else think that Justin Upton injects steroids straight into his forearms?

Now that you mention it, that's not a half bad idea.

http://tinyurl.com/3x7cc8

and is anybody else worried that this incredible season by one Jimmy Rollins may have caused irreparable damage to Steve?

I'd still trade Billingsley and LaRoche for him. Fatty or not.

The Lakers did pretty well in the draft, but still have the Kobe issue looming over their head. Javaris Crittenton has excellent potential, but will take 2-3 years to develop (by then, Kobe will be out the door). He's not a true point guard so he might be able to play alongside Jordan Farmar. In the 2nd round, the Lakers took two reaches. Neither will make the Lakers roster and it's anybody's guess whether they will ever make the NBA. The Lakers took Pau Gasol's brother, Mark who is known more for his relation to the NBA all star than his actual skillset.

I don't wanna talk about it. It just hurts. A lot.

The upper echelon point guards
OJ Mayo- USC
Darren Collison- UCLA
Ty Lawson- UNC
Jerryd Bayless- UA

Still solid, but not top tier
Chris Lofton- UT-K
Kyle Weaver- WSU
Sean Singletary- UVA
Dominic James- WF (big time breakout candidate)

Collison is my personal favorite and I'm not just saying that because he's a local kid.

He could easily accept arbitration, given the way he's poisoned the market for his services. It must say something that nobody between the Royals and the Padres made a claim. Or did he not go through waivers?

525, 527- Augustin completely slipped my mind. He will definitely be a top tier pg in the NBA. He'd be a great fit for the Clippers.

529- Bayless is definitely coming out next year as is Chase Budinger. sorry :)

I'm kind of surprised that Marcus Williams fell so far in the steal. A real steal for San Antonio. Mustafa Shakur and Ivan Radenovic weren't even drafted.

I was pleased to see Arron Afflalo and Aaron Brooks get drafted in the first round. These guys deserved to get guaranteed contracts.

Shakur I wasn't really surprised about since he doesn't really do any one thing well, but I was still sad that he didn't get drafted. He seems like a great guy.

I wonder if they'll realize that this one works for a lot of other starting pitchers, like, nearly any starting pitcher.

Well, not really, but still.

You broke my heart.

What heart? I thought you were a SABR member...

Ugh. Not Marty as well.

Say, can't one like both Godfather I and Godfather II equally? I mean, I love 'em the way I would love two children if I had two children - different but equal. Godfather III, on the other hand, I'd sell for scientific experiments.