I like the idea of a team full of young Dodgers that will play together for a long time so I want to keep Hu and Abreu and play them as soon as next year. A team of Martin, Loney, Kemp, Abreu, Hu, Ethier could use a Tiexiera in the lineup along with another veteran not named Peirre, Nomar, Kent, Gonzo in 2008. I still can't get behind LaRoche.

The Houston announcers last night, who were pretty good, said Gonzo was a line drive gap hitter until he learned to pull the ball or decided to pull the ball which led to many more homeruns.

Doesn't Saito talk like he's a 100-year-old wise man from Mt. Fuji? Also, a little bit like Vito Corleone as portrayed by Marlon Brando.

Should he walk less, or hit less home runs?

Do you remember watchin "Iron Chef" when every intro started "If memory serves me right ..."

If we have to trade someone my vote is to make it Abreu, not Hu. Abreu and Delwyn Young for Gagne?

Kemp must unlearn what he has learned.

Loney should trust in his feelings.

LaRoche? Always away he looked. Never his mind on where he was. What he was doing. Excitement? Hmm. Adventure? Hmm. A major league third baseman crave not these things.

It was just kind of satisfying to see, for one game, the three Old Guys all do something great. Since the start of the season, I can't remember a time when all three were on the upswing. The Dodgers could pull away from the rest of the division if this keeps up. Eventually, the lack of run support is going to wear out San Diego's pitching. There's some evidence that's already happening.

>>> Little swings a leg over his Yamaha Stratoliner, a gift from Juan Pierre in exchange for his No. 9 jersey, and begins a drive in which he almost always winds up lost. And that's just the way he likes it. <<<

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_6447771

.338/.427/.577 - 1.04 OPS

If he's not busting down the door, he's at least pushing it ajar.

>>> Craig Grebeck and Steve Yeager know they are in the line of fire when they step on a baseball field. But the field coaches don't think additional safety measures are needed, even after a minor league peer was struck and killed by a foul ball during a game Sunday. <<<

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/8676917.html

[ 29 ] (without the spaces)

But I won't pity another base coach when it happens.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/multimedia/audio.jsp

And oh, cycling is a mess.

When he was signed, I was stoked that we would have someone who could still be an excellent starting catcher as our back up. I love Martin, but I think Lieberthal is still good enough that the team wouldn't take too big a hit if he starts.

Just off the top of my head, Salty, Barrett or Bard, are two examples and there may be a few others. In terms of quality of play, Lieberthal doesn't hurt you but because Martin is such an integral part of the lineup, I think there is recognizable differecne when Martin doesn't play than almost any other catcher in the Majors except for maybe Posada.

39 I guess participating in a chat session really takes a lot out of you.

Probably Martin should be given 3 days or so off in a row to get himself together. He never really got an all star break and has been going all out since spring training in March. On the other hand, Kemp could do with being played 3 days in a row. Continually alternating Kemp and Ethier almost every day doesn't let either of them really get into a groove, and Kemp needs the experience of playing every day, recouping errors (getting things right the second time), and so on. But that will only happen if Pierre is given the occasional day off - they can't sit Gonzales down every second day. I suppose it's a good sort of problem when you have too many players playing well for the same few positions.

While I agree in general with the idea that catchers need rest, people have to remember that slumps are going to come no matter how much you rest a player.

http://www.philliesflow.com/#072407

The Dallas newswriters sure do seem like they are doing everything possibile to get rid of Texeria.

Oh and greetings from Baghdad...I am a Marine Captain living the dream here in beautiful Iraq....Go Dodgers!

Please, stay safe!

And what a great thing this technology is, to allow us to talk to you, and you to talk to us, in real time.

So how's the surge going? Is Petraeus a better manager than Grady Little?

http://tinyurl.com/6pk26

One consistently good source tells me that he thinks the Dodgers are "close" on a deal. Most think that the Dodgers have the inside track on Octavio Dotel, but that's not as close as the deal this source thinks is about to happen. "I don't know names or even positions, so take that for what it's worth, but the guys I talk to over there [in the L.A. front office] know that when Ned [Colletti] shuts them out, it's close," he says.

I am off to bed, but I wish everyone well and hope that our offense continues to be as potent as it has been and that Brett Tomko keeps stringing up goose eggs.

65 Good luck to you, Captain.

51 Take care, Captain.

I have some degree of hope that Ned won't do anything silly.

Some guys that might be on the moving list.
Pitchers
Mike MeGrew (40 man)
Zach Hammes (40 man)
Greg Miller (yes, his value still high if healthy) (40 man)
Justin Orenduff (last year before need to be added to 40 man)
Corey Wade (intriguing prospect, I think)

Position Players
Delwyn Young (last year with options)
Blake DeWitt (last year before needing to go on 40 man)
Cory Dunlap (last year before needing to go on 40 man)
Xavier Paul (last year before needing to go on 40 man)

Players and Pitchers that should be on the no-trade list:
Andy LaRoche
Tony Abreu
Jonathan Meloan
Chin-Lung Hu
James McDonald
Scott Elbert

Anyone in High A or below (Kershaw, Josh Bell, etc.) are not even in the discussion phase and outside of a Marlon Anderson type deal, players in Rookie leagues who were signed last year or before, are usually not dealt.

There. I've said it. Now I'll wait for the symbolic puffs and smokes that announce this or the Snell deal. Or maybe I'll wait for the stork to deliver us a bouncing baby pitcher.

72/73 - Too bad we don't still have Cesar Izturis (and Mike Edwards) to toss into a trade with Tracy's Bucs.

Why do I get the feeling we are going to be getting Shields from the D-Rays?

[65] i'd also like to send my thanks and good luck to the captain.

quite the blog you've developed, eh jon? a spot where dodger fans worldwide can congregate.

"You can be quick as a cat, and you'll have no chance. Helmets won't help. It's a helpless feeling down there."

Courtesy ESPN.com: http://tinyurl.com/2fsh9j

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that the Devil Rays are not involved. Snell would be great...

Or am I reading something into that?

TV-star Alyssa Milano is looking to catch an all-star: Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin.

Hu is especially untradeable. No GM wants to read the headline the next day: "Moron GM trades [star] for Hu?"

http://perezhilton.com/?p=1946

The Cards have a lot of the same needs, I wonder if they would ever give up Adam Wainright for say Ethier and Xavier Paul?....or subsitute Ethier for Betimit who could replace Rolen.....

Besides, he could become the Derek Jeter of the Dodgers.

Russell, a piece of advice, do not buy your girlfriend her engagement ring at the mall.