What a glorious morning in LA. Life does go on, and your absolutly right about the kids still being here. Lets see if management can also keep thier eyes focus on the future which is already here. A little tinkering is all it should take to right the ship.

Regarding Hillebrand--Little added: "At this point, we're not looking for a good presence in the clubhouse. We're looking for production on the field."

Hilarious

The Dodgers AA assistant GM smoking doobs at work?

Crazy kids these days.

Simmers was funny from beginning to end this morning. If he can slip out of his slump so can the Dodgers.

From the last thread:

*469. Greg Brock
Shea Hillenbrand is a veteran. He is also a gigantic turd.*

I will not read anything better than this all day! Too funny!
I feel your frustrations about not playing the best players and all this "veteran" poop. I have resigned myself to not watching another game until we can win at least two in a row. I will not sit through another night of nothingness and cursing at the TV. I will however be checking the score (or lack thereof) from time to time.

Trend analysis = Hernandez, Sweeney, Hillebrand, ...Wells

Offensively, we need Ethier, Loney and Kemp to become our "big three" next year. LaRoche will (hopefully) play the role of struggling rookie. Kent, Furcal, and Martin will play complementing roles. This team can succeed offensively, even with Pierre playing regularly, if the young players rise to prominence like we want them to.

The pitching is a bit murkier, with Schmidt's future uncertain and Wolf's return to health and form also questionable. This offseason I'd expect the Dodgers to pursue a starter and possibly a more proven OF bat.

In the meantime, I'm hoping for a strong showing from Ethier, Loney and Kemp to close out this season, as they prepare to step it up next year.

Even with the injuries, this team shouldn't be crashing towards a sub-.500 record.

Scattered boos for Grady last night during the lineup announcement. Good. He should be politely asked to retire at season's end, because he's the worst manager I've ever seen in Dodger Blue.

7--I'm not sold on whether Ethier/Loney can be above average at their positions.

1) Go to previous thread.
2) Without expanding any of the Show/Hide links, go to comment #452.
3) Click the link to comment #359.
4) Thank Ken for installing the fix.

No longer will your link to an obscure old post be lost to future readers. Even in a time of Dodger losses, the world is being made a better place.

10
I don't like to use the word "hero" too often ...

5
I plan on buying no food or drink at any Dodger game until they win when I'm there. It's a symbolic sacrifice in which I don't really give up anything.

some of us are jumping ship already, if I survived '05 I can definitley survive '07 plus the crop of kids this year makes me happier than the '05 campaign, we just need some momentum on our side & then hopefully we can get the ball rolling.

ps Jon & a few others (I wasn't one of them) predicted the Zona thing this year, there looking like genious right about now. I thought they'd be good next year.

Wasn't it Grady that said: I have to grab pen and paper and write down the URL and then type it into my browser and it is just easier to keep Pierre's name on my pre-written lineup card.

13 - Rule 7?

9 -- When? Next year? Ethier and Loney may not be above average at their positions next year, but they will both be making six-figure salaries, so their production relative to cost will probably be excellent. Not until their arbitration years are we likely to get a better sense of their ceilings.

8
he's the worst manager I've ever seen in Dodger Blue.

Do you not remember Davey Johnson?

Kinda early for a Rule 11 violation.

What's the status on Laroche/LaRoche/La Roche? MiLB.com says he's disabled for 7 days, and he hasn't played since the 6th, but I'm not sure when he's eligible to be activated or what the extent of his injuries are.

The 51s are coming through Portland this weekend and I'll be catching all four games. I'd like to see him at least once. Anyone know of his availability?

It'll be cool to see Delwyn, but I was really looking forward to yelling, "SINKING SHIP!" all weekend. :(

Seriously, Grady's the worst manager I've ever seen in Dodger Blue? I mean... really. I've said this over and again this past week, 'til I'm, er, blue in the face, but Grady's been trying to mix it up because nothing's working. He plays with the cards he's been dealt. We can criticize some of those cards, but seriously - he's also put Martin, who was our Golden God most of the season, up near the top of the order as we'd all desired - and Martin's now completely struggling, which I'm sure is all Grady's fault, too - and Loney in the 3 hole, which many of us also wanted to see happen, moved Pierre down in the order (and yes, he should be in the 8 slot, but then he also had a better game than most of the team last night), yeah Kemp instead of Gonzo would be nice, though Kemp's been struggling. Kent's been struggling. Seriously, if Grady's the worst manager you've ever seen, then you apparently haven't seen the last 5 Dodger managers. Sigh. When the team's losing, it brings out the worst in hyperbole.

The main problem with the team right now, and possibly going forward, is that they do not have a dominating position player, an AROD, Pujols-type. They have a lot of complimentary players--Furcal, Kent (at this point in his career), even Martin, but lack that one big player that impacts the entire line-up.

The same goes for the pitching. Penny is a great #2, Lowe is a perfect #3, and Bills is fine as a #4. But, there is no ace (though I know Schmidt was signed for that.)

Going forward, we need to either develop or acquire a #1 starter and a #1 offensive player. Loney, Ethier, Martin, et. al, are all good-very good complimentary players, but we need that number one stud to be the focal point. The only one of the current group that has that potential is Kemp, and it is ridiculous that they continue to play LuGo everyday over him.

Btw, Marty, you forgot about Harold and Maude in your assessment of Hal Ashby in the last thread.

Just to add on to my 19 The one difference in the line-up I would've made last night, okay, two, is having Kemp in there instead (although I feel like Oswalt would've eaten him alive, but just for the experience, and he couldn't have been worse than Gonzo), and Pierre #8 instead of 7. Though, again, Pierre got on base last night, at least. That's about it. Heck, maybe start Sweeney at third over Nomar today, though he's better as a PH. There are some other things I'd do if I were Colletti, but that's a different subject. I guarantee you Little is as frustrated as any of us. His comments about the team meeting he called yesterday seemed pretty telling to me.

21 I saw that you mentioned that last thread. Way to pick up the slack, underdog!

Marty dissing Ashby was...Unexpected.

21 I thought it was interesting when it came out, but it certainly doesn't age well. Plus, I really don't like Ruth Gordon.

20 -- Come, now. Who is the "dominating player" in the Diamondbacks line-up? The Cardinals not only have "a Pujols," they have Pujols, and they have a worse record than we do. And if Brad Penny has not become an "ace" this year, no pitcher in baseball is an ace.

Ken's fix on clicking links is awesome.

23 Nothing personal, I don't dislike Ashby, just don't get the love.

Yeah Grady's not perfect and he does silly things that make you wonder what's going on in his head from time to time. But honestly, for the love of Choi, do you fire-Grady-advocates not remember Jim Tracy?

25. The Dbacks haven't won anything yet.

While having a stud doesn't guarantee a great team, of course, I think this this Dodger team, going forward, will need one both on offense and on the mound. For example, the reason we have had had good bullpens the past few years is that we had a dominating closer--Gagne, then Saito.

I look at the Dodgers over the next few years, and I don't see them becoming much better than a 90-win, lose in the playoffs team unless they get or develop a big bat and a big arm. Right now, they have a lot of young players that are projected to be good, but they need a few "greats" sprinkled in there.

A perfect example of this is Andre Ethier. I really like Ethier, but a team of Ethier's is not going to win you the World Series.

McDonald officially pitching for Jax today. There goes that idea.

25-I doubt I'd hold the Diamondbacks up as a lesson in ideal construction either. They're hot, but also flawed, albeit less flawed than this team. It's tough to argue in any case that we do not desperately need at least one player who can hit 30 homeruns, and at least one more front-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

What we really need, though, is a management that doesn't believe the answer is to be found in tottering veterans, and who won't continue to mistake established mediocrity for strength. My fear is that Colletti will either trade the players, like Kemp, who appear to be struggling and/or make additional defensive moves like Gonzo/Nomar/Tomko/Pierre after we fail to sign Zambrano and Jeff Kent retires. The dude doesn't seem to understand that competence is not quality, and that depth is not an end in itself.

This is one of those times where I think the wild card can hurt a team. The Dodgers are still in it even though the wheels are coming off. Our GM is either still trying, or making it look like he is trying to improve our chances at the expense of the future...Kemp,Betemit,Meloan,(Areu?), and even some fringe Starters.

15--They are definitely valuable. I'd want them apart of the roster for sure, especially for depth.

But if the chance comes to bring in a better 1b or better LF, no matter the cost--the Dodgers should do it. Improve the team.

19, 21 - My thoughts about Martin is that a rested Martin is good in the second or third hole and an unrested Martin should be in the 8 hole. Grady needs to make up his mind if Martin is first and foremost a defensive player that should play everyday or a top of the lineup hitter that due to his position needs rest to produce like a 3 hitter needs to produce.

The Dodgers would have been better now as well as next year if Kemp, Loney, and Ethier had been getting a minimum of two-thirds of playing time each beginning at the start of the season. If this is true, the Dodgers are compounding their mistakes by adding more of the likes of Hillebrand and Hernandez, and Wells if they add him.

32 Yes, but Ned's version of "trying" includes Roberto Hernandez and Shea Hillenbrand.

So, if it makes you feel better, it's not really trying, in the real sense of the word.

Well, I tried Greg. I think Harold and Maude is definitely dated, but less so than I feared it would be when I saw it again recently. I still delights me, and makes me all teary eyed at the end. Plus I dig the 70s SF locations. I think The Last Detail is great, too. I'm not as big a fan of Shampoo as some critics are - that one's definitely dated - but I like the guy's work. Btw, the director of Rocket Science said Ashby was his biggest filmmaker influence.

Meanwhile...

AK over on Blue Notes is being rational again, darn him! This was the end of his latest comments:
"Kemp is going to be a very good player, I think. But right now, he's a wildly inconsistent one who isn't hitting the ball all that well. Ethier, for all that everyone complains, is essentially an everyday player now. I'd argue they should sit Gonzo more if working Kemp into the lineup is a priority.

In the end, this is one of those stretches that seem almost impossibly bad, and I get why fans are so frustrated. It's frustrating just to watch them (sad and uncomfortable, too) from the press box. But the notion that it's one guy who is holding them back, and all the Blue have to do is stick Player B in there and things will take off is kind of silly. The entire team, save Ethier, has shut down at the plate."

36 "It still delights," not "I" - darnit, I need coffee! Where's my coffee!?

I cling to the hope that this season teaches Colletti the lack of value in mediocre veterans. He's tried them all this year, no? Brady Clark, Pierre, Gonzalez, Tomko, Hendrickson, Nomar, Hillenbrand, Hernandez...
not a single veteran acquisition from this list that Ned has brought in the last two seasons has panned out. The only guys that worked out were Maddux (high talent) and Marlon (lightning in a bottle).

Just saying, if this year doesn't teach him the low value of these type of players, nothing will.

From the sound bites Grady gives, he does seem to understand the lack of importance in "veteran" status and "leadership".

33 If Loney can be, at the very least, a slightly above league-average first baseman, why mess with it? Why not pay $500,000 for an above league-average first baseman and allocate resources elsewhere?

Like Miguel Cabrera or Johan Santana

20 - A No. 1 starter is by definition one of the 30 best starting pitchers in baseball. Unless you can name 30 better than Penny, I think you need to be more generous in your assessment of him.

33-I almost concur with this. Depends on if "the cost" involves opening up more or larger holes. Since they're not going to replace Pierre (sigh), Ethier seems the most likely outfielder to go in order to make room for someone who can hit with power.

I really don't think this is Grady Little's fault either. This is a poorly constructed team, without power (ahem) and whose pitching "depth" won't get us anywhere now that we're scraping up its dregs. I find the dealing of Betamit and the subsequent importation of (the likes of) Proctor, Hillenbrand, Hernandez et al deeply, deeply disheartening. I can't root for this team as it stands and find myself hoping we'll tank in order to get a better draft pick and/or to teach Colletti a lesson. My fear is, he'll misread that lesson altogether and think what this team needs is more veterans. But it would seem to be our best hope, as it stands. I don't want the wild card either.

Big salaried hitters can help a team make the playoffs but not necessarily dominate in a short series. Think of AROD's struggles in the post season. Beltre got the Dodgers into the post season but did they win a game once there? Adding one big bat invites the other team to pitch around that bat.

35
That's what I was trying to say. Aggree completely

36
A timeless flick that still holds up IMO. I love that movie and the soundtrack to boot. Cat Stevens all the way through.........that's good stuff!

35 - I find it trying.

Are the D-Backs better this year because they went young a year before the Dodgers?

40 The "problem" is that the Dodgers could very easily fill a lineup with solid rookies by mid-2008 that you can argue should not be moved. If the Dodgers are going to make an improvement on offense some of the lower ceiling guys like Abreu, Ethier, and even Loney might need to be traded to make room for a Miguel Cabrera.

47
The D-Backs are better this year primarily because the Dodgers and, to a lesser extent the Padres, took giant steps backwards offensively.

It's easy to lead if everyone behind you falls down and sets off a chain reaction accident that resembles a scene out of "Smash-Up on Interstate 5".

47 Can't really make that argument because for the most part, their young players have been pretty useless. (I calculated a few days ago that their players under 25 had combined for a VORP of about 11, while the Dodgers under 25 combined for one around 78).

The D-Back are better this year because they're playing 11.5 games over their third order winning percentage.

47 The standings indicate they are better, and their roster doesn't seem to be stuffed with washed-up "veterans", so draw your own conclusion. Eric Byrnes could have been acquired from the Snakes last winter relatively easily; If we had him instead of Pierre, how many more wins would that have brought us?

20 Our pitching staff is 5th in the NL in ERA and it is so closely bunched at the top that with 10 fewer Earned Runs we would be 2nd. Add Schmidt to that mix and we are a playoff team in pitching.

I agree that we need hitting. The last 3 weeks has made everyone aware of our hitting. I think it will improve shortly but we are 10th in the league in runs scored. We need to be better and I think this is where the offseason efforts need to be made.

The run margin gap between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks is certainly closing. The Dodgers are about to go in the red as far as runs scored/allowed, and the Diamondbacks are getting closer to the black.

53 - But AZ's last 30 days have yielded an 18-9 record, but with only a +3 run differential (during which time they made up 9 games on LA). This is just a continuation of their outperforming their differential all year. Either it's "their year" and it continues, or they're in for some hard times to come.

53 If we can get back to our season average of about 4.5 runs per game instead of the 2.5 we have averaged for the last 18 games and our pitching holds up we can still win the division.

We have 6 games left with SD and 6 with AZ. I am discouraged but not ready to give up. We just need a 4 or 5 game winning streak to get on track.

Arizona crumbling would be nice, if:

1) We weren't already 6.5 back in mid August
2) San Diego wasn't ahead of us
3) Colorado wasn't ahead of us
4) We could win baseball games.

And there are 5 teams ahead of us in the WC

10 - and yet, permalinks from outside do not work. This strikes me as a fixable flaw.

31

In the back of my head I think like you Dark Horse but I really hope we're both wrong about that, He hasn't traded any of our top crop yet so I'm still not judging.

54 - If you're asking whether I think Arizona will keep playing .667 ball and the Dodgers will keep playing .250 ball, I don't think they will. But I do believe that to some extent, Arizona's run differential has been underreflecting the team's potential, rather than the team simply outperforming its run differential.

Are we all supposed to be pretending that these poor miners are still alive? Watching these news conferences make me a sad panda. And really confused.

59 - It'd be a neat trick if they could play .667 ball for another 30 days with a +3 run differential. They would certainly be living the charmed life.

I just think AZ had their hot streak - winning games they shouldn't have but getting thumped in their losses - and I'm a little doubtful they can keep it up. Personally, I think San Diego has another streak in them, and they'll ultimately prevail in the division.

Arizona's 5 starters:

Webb-Fabulous-Last 8 starts given up 14 runs; last 4 starts zero runs.

Owings-Last 3 starts 18 2/3 IP; 6 ER's

Kim-5 of last 7 starts gave up 1 or 2 ER's

Hernandez-3 of last 4 starts were good.

Davis-Last 7 starts were all 6 or more IP and all 3 ER's or less.

All 5 of their starters are giving them a great chance to win.

They took away the link to Alyssa's blog on the Dodger website. I wonder if she tells it like it is?

Im going tonight, I have tickets.
I will be wearing a bag on my head.
It's that bad.

63 It's weird. It's like they disappeared her. I searched for Alyssa and for Milano and nothing turned up. Her clothing line ads are gone too.

Tony Abreu's status has been changed to active on the Vegas homepage.

63 Alyssa Milano speaks truth to power.

I can't believe I just wrote that.

http://alyssa.mlblogs.com/

40--I'd like to see Dunn at 1st base for 15 mils a year, rather than Loney for the league minimum.

Paying 15+ for truely difference making players is fine IMO--And Dunn would be one.

Its when you pay 7,8,9 for the mediocrities (like Gonzo, Pierre, Nomar) that the team gets killed.

Hi everyone,

I'm coming out of my normal lurking (as I do a few times a year) with a strange request: I'm looking for a guest house to rent somewhere between Beverly Hills and Downtown LA. I've had no luck through the usual sources and am at the point where I'm trying anything. Figured I'd ask the place that seems to have all the answers... I'm single/quiet/professional/good credit. Also (to nip it in the bud) I'm allergic to cats so Bob's kitchen is out.

Sorry for the strange request. I'm at thisisnjr at g mail dot com. Thanks.

65 ,63

the open letter must have "done her in" I suppose, I just found it on Google by the way.

66 - See bottom of this Meloan feature.

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/9146536.html

I just e-mailed Russ Langer to see if he had more of an Abreu update.

Meloan's basically going to be our secret weapon - at least at first. Of course, by the time we see him, it may be too late for him to matter much, but maybe not, and at any rate, it'll be fun to see him. More fun than seeing Hernandez pitch.

Now, if only he could hit, too!

Meloan's basically going to be our secret weapon

George Pickett approves of our military strategy.

Does anyone know or would hazard a guess as to whether or not Colletti reads this site?

Jon, what do you think?

I would also hope McCourt reads this site.

I'm pretty sure Colletti reads this site, how else would he be able to consistently do the opposite of rational?

76 - Neither read the site. Other Dodger people do. McCourt basically implied on DT day that he doesn't read the daily Dodger coverage, even in newspapers - that other people report what's deemed relevant to him.

The end is near.

"Meloan's basically going to be our secret weapon."

So secret that he's also a secret to Colletti.

One of the best/funniest posters I saw was one held up high at a NY Jets game around 1998 or so. It said:

J ust
E nd
T he
S eason

75
Greg Brock is our Longstreet. Ned Colletti is George McClellan.
ToyCannon and scareduck are duking it out for Matthew Brady status.

80
Does the fact that Ned went down to "scout" him make this more funny, or more depressing?

I'm going with both.

75 Greg Brock, Civil War Nerd.

I was gonna say something about Meloan protecting our precious bodily fluids, but decided against it.

84/82: Amended: Greg Brock and Bob T, Civil War Nerds.

78 How involved is he in the decision making process? If he is involved in player decisions (beyond just the $) it seems like he would realize the need to read from lots of sources.

He must be a pretty smart guy to have gotten where he is today. It is hard to believe that he would permit an employee to filter his information.

I'm pretty sure Colletti's aware of Meloan. He's just pro-veteran, anti-youngster. But not so much that he won't listen to White, Ng and company. It may be too late, but I bet Meloan is here before 9/1. I just wish Andy LaRoche hadn't hurt himself, or we probably wouldn't even have to say the words "Shea" and "Hillenbrand."

85 You can be Cemetery Ridge.

"I'm a gulch!"

Let's include pre-civil war. I want to be Bloody Kansas.

I once took the recorded battlefield tours of Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Fredericksburg all in the same day.

The National Park Service staff were in awe. I should have been given a medal.

Isn't it Bleeding Kansas?

89 Then we need to cast James Buchanan.

And his boyfriend.

86 - If the "he" you mean is McCourt, he basically just rubber-stamps player personnel decisions. He's more focused on the business side. Thankfully, I'd say.

82 "ToyCannon and scareduck are duking it out for Matthew Brady status."

That's kind of an insult, no? Blind guys who let other people do all the work, and then take all the credit for themselves?

I want to be Alexander Gardner. Failing that, I want to be Sherman. Brock should be John Brown.

91 Sure, if you want to get technical

57 That's also an easy one to fix. Will be looking at that next if Ken doesn't mind.

Maybe we can start, "Civil War Thoughts". When I moved to Virginia from California I was surprised to find that some people still call it "The War of Northern Aggression".

Pickett never forgave Lee for Gettysburg. Interestingly, 4 months after the battle at the age of 38 he married a 15 year old. Pickett is buried in Norfolk VA in a cemetery named Hollywood.

Actually, I see Brock as more of a Thaddeus Stevens type.

Grampa: "Oh, jeeh, you're ignorant! That's the Wright Brothers' plane. At Kitty Hawk in 1903, Charles Lindbergh flew it fifteen miles on a thimbleful of corn oil. Single handedly won us the Civil War, it did."

Bart: "So how do you know so much about American history?"

Grampa: "I pieced it together, mostly from sugar packets."

94 Wow. Not worthy. Unless it was an insult. In which case, yeah.

97
I never knew George Pickett was the Jerry Lee Lewis of the 1860s.

This is a question of ignorance. Who is the one responsible for signing/calling up Shea? Is it Ned, or did Grady have any say in it?

I'll be Gus, the lovable chimney-sweep. Clean as a whistle, sharp as a thistle, best in all Westminster - yeah!

102 - "This is a question of ignorance."

Double-entendre there.

Darn, Greg Brock and I could have had Civil War talk last night, who needs Shea Hillebrand when you can discuss the moral implications of Sherman's March or who is entombed in Grant's Tomb?

104) It is open for interpretation.

105
I can only talk about the Civil War if I look at a photo and then zoom in on it and then pan over to other parts of it while Shelby Foote speaks in the background.

I will be at the game tonight. It will be the first time I sit in Loge this season. Of course, I really wish I had picked Wednesday instead of Tuesday (see Tomko vs. Penny).

103 Jon, do you really want to spark a Simpsons' thread.

BTW - I am going OT (really a Screen Jam inquiry) just got the most recent Larry Sanders DVD, how many vote I should just watch that tonight or should I tune in for the Dodger replay?

Anyone, anyone, Bueller, anyone....

102-All I know is that the move will make ZERO sense if Olemdo isn't DFA'd on Friday.

109 Which one will make you laugh more? is the question.

105 We were busy hunting librarians.

107 The Civil War is boring. And Ken Burns makes the Civil War More boring.

It's really a brilliant accomplishment, when you think about it.

Shea Hillenbrand is really good at moving the game along. When he was with the Giants last year it seemed like whenever he needed a big hit with runners on with less than 2 outs, he would ground into a DP. For a so-called simi-power guy, he seems to hit a lot of ground balls.

(This was going to be a lot more ambitious, but I didn't really have time to finish it.)

Kent Brockman: Here for an exclusive interview is Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Flanders. Thanks for joining us today, Ned.

Ned Flanders: You betcha.

Kent: We'd like to ask you about the seemingly odd acquisition of Shea Hillenbrand. Not only can he not play baseball, it seems like he can't go five minutes without causing a clubhouse disruption. Why the signing?

Ned: Well, you have to realize that he wasn't necessarily the guy we were after, but we discovered that our first two choices, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Caminiti, were unavailable. So Shea was recommended to me by Brian Sabean as an ideal player for our situation. He knows a thing or two about sinking ships.

Kent: But he's the loose cannon type, isn't he? In Boston, he went on live radio and used a homosexual slur toward his own general manager.

Ned: Well, he knows that sort of intolerance isn't going to fly here in San Francisco.

Kent: You mean Los Angeles?

Ned: Oh. Uh, yes, of course. Los Angeles. We feel certain that Shea will feel very happy here. We've already congratulated him on adopting his new children.

Kent: There's been a new addition to the Hillenbrand family?

Ned: No, but we're covering our bases, just in case.

Kent: I see. Moving on to other matters, what does the future hold for Jonathan Meloan?

Ned: Who?

Kent: Meloan. You know, the hard-throwing relief pitcher.

Ned: Ah, yes. Well, I like Danson as an actor, but I could never really buy him as an ex-athlete. And who was he trying to kid with that rug?

Diamond Leung has a little more on the Abreu situation. Manager Lorenzo Bundy said there was some "confusion."

Whatever. If he was faking an injury, he doesn't deserve a September call-up.

112 But the Lincoln assassination is not boring. I highly recommend Manhunt: The 12-Day Search Chase for Lincoln's Killer, by James L. Swanson.

I look at the Dodgers and the Angels, and I see a line up that is basically the same (if you over look the DH-thing). The only difference seems to be that the Angels have Vlad Guerrero who can actually hit homeruns. So my question is: why are the Dodgers about to beat the Giants to the cellar while the Angels have a fairly decent chance to win the World Series?

117 Because they play their good players and bench their lousy ones, while the Dodgers do the opposite?

I guess I was a bit late for the Civil War discussion, and here I was going to nominate D4P as J.E.B. Stuart.

118 - ah, novel concept there

116 Read it. Loved it. Second your recommendation.

Roger Mudd, of History Channel fame, is descended from Dr. Mudd. Cool, huh? What? It's not cool and is actually quite boring?

109 - We watched the whole thing in little bursts before bedtime over a period of weeks.

115 - And what if he wasn't faking. Does he get an apology?

117 Kotchman has come through his slump, whereas Kemp hasn't been given a regular job. Matthews vs Pierre. Figgins has been an OBP machine, while Nomar hasn't hit well overall this year. Cabrera hasn't been hurt like Furcal has. Have plugged in still more young guys (Aybar, Izturis, Mathis) when other young guys got hurt (Kendrick, Napoli). Been able to weather ineffectiveness/injuries to Santana, Colon by using Saunders and Moseley, whereas Dodgers don't have young guys ready for Schmidt and Wolf. Better pitching overall.

Basically, the Angels have a farm system that is ready to produce this year and more pitching depth to weather injuries and ineffectiveness. They also got the right CF this offseason.

118
For example: Shea Hillenbrand.

121 Actually, that is rather cool. I find it amazing that Mudd was able to survive the ordeal, whereas Mary Surratt was hanged.

If he wasn't faking, he should get to punch Ned Colletti right in the gulliver.

119 "I was going to nominate D4P as J.E.B. Stuart."

I think D4P is Col. Ted Barrett.

"Palmito Ranch Battlefield (Brownsville, TX) is the site of the last land engagement of the Civil War. Union and Confederate soldiers fought here on May 12-13, 1865, more than a month after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox. The Union forces under Col. T.H. Barrett was defeated by the Confederate troops under Col. "Rip" Ford."
http://www.playrancho.com/palmito.html

124 - well that makes sense. I try not to follow the AL too much during the regular season. I'd watch more Angels games but that would require suffering through Rex Hudler.

125 Did you look hard for Lucy Van Pelt before kicked that teed-up ball?

123 - I didn't mean that in a snarky way, by the way.

Just thinking out loud here (or I guess "thinking on screen" would be the more accurate phrase) but if the offense becomes Colletti's main concern, does anyone think he would try to make a big splash this winter and go after A-Rod if he opts out?

I really like LaRoche but if you can get A-Rod, you get A-Rod. Would it still be possible for LaRoche to play 2B (what with Kent not getting any younger and Abreu seemingly in the doghouse)?

Furcal - SS
Martin - C
Loney - 1B
A-Rod - 3B
Kemp - RF
Ethier - LF
LaRoche - 2B
Pierre -CF

That doesn't suck. Hey, a guy can dream can't he?

130
That explains why I'm flat on my back.

117 Ah, yes. I'm leaning toward the Polly Anna/denial route at this point, mostly by rewriting history in MLB 07: The Show and having Vlad on the team.

It's amazing how much help it is having someone who can consistently hit the ball a long, long ways.

123 What if Abreu is fine now and the injury can never be diagnosed or disproven? No apology and a September (at the latest) callup?

133 presents perhaps the greatest opportunity for a witty comeback in DT history. And yet, I've got nothin'.

"There's been some confusion," said Las Vegas manager Lorenzo Bundy , who recently sat down to talk with Abreu. "I know he's missed the game."

I think we need a little more than that, fellas.

135 - Fine by me.

123 - Did Izturis get an apology when it turned out he wasn't showing up the front office (when he left the team for the birth of his child)?

Also not being snarky. (I just don't remember how that situation was resolved, other than a trade, of course.)

So when you guys see Lorenzo Bundy's name in print, which image comes to mind: The handsome, charming serial killer, or the dimwitted shoe salesman?

I just noticed that Diamond Leung titled his blog entry that announced the Hillenbrand signing, "Proof that the ship is sinking?".

132 - A-Rod has hinted that he'd like to move back to short, in which case, what about LaRoche at third and Furcal at second?

Guerrero hasn't exactly been consistently hitting the long ball this year. He didn't any homers in the month of July. He hit three in June and has four in August and those came on two consecutive days in Oakland.

140 I always expect his quotes to begin with "A fat player waddled into the clubhouse today..."

If we sign A-Rod to play SS, does anybody think Furcal could pull a Yount and move to center? He's fast and he's got a gun.

143 - but there's at least the threat that he can hit any pitch that doesn't bounce two feet in front of the plate into the next county...

145 2 birds with 1 stone. I like your thinking.

142 Any arrangement that gets all 3 into the lineup works for me. Although Furcal has such an arm it seems a shame to waste it at 2B.

>> Right-hander Kyle Blair, the Dodgers' highest unsigned draft pick, said the decision whether to sign a pro contract or attend the University of San Diego remained "up in the air." The deadline to sign draft choices is 9 p.m. Wednesday. <<

## Said Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White: "We obviously like Kyle Blair a lot. Either way it goes, we know he'll be a good pitcher." ##

http://tinyurl.com/2q87et

Porcello gets 7.28 million dollars, and we can't throw a million bucks at Kyle Blair?

I'd be happy to get A-Rod too. Two things:

1) How do we move Nomar in order to get the money to sign him?
2) Is there any realistic chance he'll opt out now after carrying the Yankees back into the playoff race?

145 That is so smart it will never happen. Dumb it down a little, Enders.

143 Notice I didn't mention Vlad in 124

The timing of Abreu's comeback is a bit curious: He was out for a month but returns just in time to get in game shape for September 1st.

151 I think Boras is the double-edged sword here. The best reason to believe A-Rod will opt out and the best reason to believe Colletti won't touch him.

151 - Nomar is only signed through this season, correct? I was under the impression that it was a one year deal. If not, buy him out. Carrying los Yanquis is even more reason for him to opt out, he'll actually have potential to make even more money as he's shown himself to be "clutch".

Whatever. If he was faking an injury, he doesn't deserve a September call-up.

You know what though I don't agree with what he's doing (if he indeed is faking an injury) but I understand it, these guys are HUGE competitors they don't get to the show by being passive, I guarantee you that.

145 Furcal and his agent will not want him taking on a new position in his walk year when he can hit the FA market (again) as a top-notch SS.

Just noticed the Dodgers are a half game ahead of Toronto for the 16th slot. It would be a nice consolation prize to keep our first round pick for '08.

156 FJM has been relentless in its mockery of those who put down A-Rod. He's been so perfectly spot-on with his critiques I'm nearly compelled to stand up and applaud.

156 Two years, 18.5 million.

156 Nomar is signed through '08, making $8.5 million next year. With a no-trade.

I can't figure out why there hasn't been more call for the Dodgers to go hard after ARod this offseason. LaRoche is a nice looking prospect, but has had numerous injuries. In addition to the fact that he will have to go through the normal growing pains of a rookie. Yet, we all still seem to be resigned to this fate. Are we too close to the kids to see the big picture? This is the best player (arguably) in baseball. Are we really going to let another Vlad slip through our fingers? Only this time we can't blame Fox or MLB, it will be our own fault. The money will be huge for ARod, but with our continued youth movement, the salaries should be low enough to offset the $25-30m Boras will gouge us for. It just seems like the best move for a team that lacks a true clean-up hitter. Even looking down the line, Miguel Cabrera is another superstar (albeit tubby), but again a third baseman. And who thinks he will be any cheaper than ARod? Are we wedding ourselves to the LaRoche 3b experiment?

163-If McCourt is willing to spend over $200 million, then go for it. Very low chance of that happening, though.

141 (and others)...

Credit McCovey Chroncles with some brilliance: they dubbed Shea "The Hindenberg", and would post inlined pics of said zeppelin every at-bat.

161, 162 - pass the vodka please.

158 Because that worked out so badly for Soriano.

(Point taken, though.)

157 Part II

Ethier to a lesser degree was pouting last year as well, But Abreu is taking it to another level (IF it's true) so I understand the sentiment of some posters.

166 The vodak will no help you. Mescaline? Maybe.

Things will certainly make more sense. Or less. Or whatever.

124 I appreciate that you are an Angels fan but I want to look at your evaluations only to the extent that the Angels have been picked up by their farm system this year.

Though Kotchman is 24, he's been in the system for 6 years, he was out of options but there wasn't a huge battle for him to take 1B but give the guy credit he's battled back to have a good year.

Reggie Willits was a great surprise in late May and June, slumped badly for a while and now is part of their OF rotation.

But Mathis and Aybar have negative VORPs, Brandon Wood never played, and Napoli and Kendrick have been plagued with injuries.

Now they are a good team, Escobar and Lackey are a formidable duo as are Scott and K-Rod, Vlad is the man, and with Figgins and Cabrera getting on base, they will be hard to beat. And having Weaver and Saunders certainly helped overcome Santana's issues and Colon's injuries.

But again when this team gets production up and down the lineup, they will win, when they don't, they will struggle like everyone else.

164 - $200m is a reach. Even if you just add $25m on right now we don't touch that. Kent and Nomar are off after next year too. Then factor in the Furcal walk-year, with Hu in the wings. Things could get cheap in a hurry. There's always dreaming of the Pierre for a bag of laundry trade too.

I'd love to see the Dodgers sign ARod to play SS and install LaRoche at 3B. I'd trade Furcal for a top prospect or two instead of trying to move him to a different position.

I doubt the Dodgers will pony up that kind of money, but it would be nice to have that increase in offense.

171-I meant A-Rod's new contract will be worth $200 million; not the Dodger payroll.

173 - ah, noted.

170 Granted. In my summary I should have said that the pieces have all come together this year. That includes the farm, their free agents (Matthews) and lack of injuries to most regulars. With regard to the farm, I include Kotchman, Saunders, and Willits as primary contributers who happen to be ready this year, whereas Loney and Kemp may not be ready until next year.

The amazing thing is that they still have Kendrick, Aybar, Wood, Mathis to develop next year, along with a couple pitching prospects.

From Baseball America: "For the fourth straight year, the Tigers are going to make a huge splash with an above-slot deal in the first round."

Hmm...Tigers. Weren't they in the WS last year? Aren't they tied for 1st in a pretty good division right now? Maybe we could learn something.

176 To be fair, the only one of those picks that have really made an impact yet is Verlander, so they aren't winning because of that strategy, yet.

Not that I don't strongly agree with it.

164

That breaks down to 25 mil for 8 years or 35 mil for about 6.

Actually this seems like the kind of move that would be right up Colletti's alley. It would be so worth it: kind of like how the Red Sox went for Manny Ramirez back in 2001 or so.

I think it's about time to commit big money to people who actually deserve it!

-- and what if the Dodgers went for Adam Dunn too? Kinda scary thinking how good that would be.

* Pierre for some hot dog wrappers
* Dunn in LF, Ethier in Right, Kemp, CF

I'd love Dunn's bat in the line-up, but as I've said here before, especially if the Dodgers can't unload Pierre, that would be one scary outfield defensively. Dunn, he of the 12 errors in LF last year (.960 fielding pct) and 4 more there this year (a bit better)... 12 errors, plus a bunch of balls he didn't get to. Yes, he'd be a better bat than Gonzo at this point, but even far worse as a fielder. He needs to be a 1B or DH, and I don't want to get rid of Loney. Maybe the Dodgers can petition the league for a DH.

McDonald's game is at 5 our time tonight if anyone wants to follow it online.
(jaxsuns.com)

I should say, 5 PST, since I know not everyone is on the West Coast here...

It's exciting to have another young pitcher to follow, to look forward to seeing.

This season, we're committing $30 million to:
Tomko - $4M
Hendrickson - $3M
Nomar - $7.5 M
JP - $7.5 M
LuGo - $7.5 M
(numbers taken straight off of the sidebar)

I'd rather have 1 ARod.

176 The Yankees and Red Sox have adopted similar tactics, which seem to have greatly improved their farm systems. Giving a $mil+ to an amateur is always risky, but we've gotten to the point where $7 mil to Porcello is probably a better deal than a 4 year, $40 mil deal to an average starting pitcher.

193 Aren't all those guys off the books after this season except for Pierre?

Going consistently over-slot is great if you're a big market team and you don't care about Bud Selig.

In other words, we should. But we haggle over chump change with first round talent.

185 Well, Nomar for sure isn't.

186 Seriously, $1M to a 5th round draft pick with a decent shot at the bigs seems like a much better use of resources than $1M spent on someone like Tomko, Hendrickson, etc.

186 Then be ready to go after the real chosen one for the Dodgers because I have to believe that if Logan White thinks he is worth it, they would sign him.

183 Speaking of the sidebar, are we really still paying Odalis Perez $7.75 million and if so when does that go away?

190 Depends on whose math you listen to. I personally have him down for 6.25 million this year then we pay his 1.5 million buy outnext year.

The Dodgers' inability to sign certain players they draft is becoming something of a sore spot with me. There's a good possibility that the #1 overall pick next year, for the third consecutive year, will be someone the Dodgers previously drafted and failed to sign.

Sign Blair, guys.

I always use this site when looking for MLB player contracts. http://tinyurl.com/36fn52
This is the link to the Dodgers site, but they also have links to all the other teams.
Totally SFW.
vr, Xei

192-Hochevar, Price, and...?

193. and from that site...
* 2007 payroll obligations for former players:
$ 7,500,000 (Odalis Perez)
$ 4,500,000 (Bill Mueller)
$ 1,700,000 (Brady Clark)
$ 925,000 (Marlon Anderson)

vr, Xei

194 Alex White.

What's crazy is that throwing a million bucks at LaRoche out of Cape Cod was a master stroke.

We have evidence it works. RIGHT THERE IN LAS VEGAS.

193 Thank you. That is exactly what I was looking for.

195 - I'm pretty confident Washington is paying some of that Anderson money.

watching around the horn Bill Plaschkes daughter is pretty smokin she did a quick cameo

199 They are, the Dodgers are only on the hook for 550K.

179

I doubt we'll go for both of them but if we're gonna throw CRAZY money around I'd go with A-Rod & maybe A. Jones for '08

192 I'm not sure tossing money would have been enough in Price's case, this is part of a Q&A with Jonah Keri before the 2007 draft.

JK: The Dodgers drafted you in the 19th round in 2004, out of high school. The reports said that you'd have been ranked much higher, but that everyone knew you were going to Vandy. Did the Dodgers approach you at all with an offer? Did you consider going straight into pro ball from high school?

DP: I didn't even know that I'd been drafted until one of my friends called me and told me -- it was funny.

JK: So what made you so sure you wanted to go to Vanderbilt?

DP: I didn't feel like I was ready to play and compete at a professional level. I wasn't mature enough at that time. (Going to Vanderbilt) has benefited me greatly as a player and as a young man.

On Hochevar, again, maybe we have him but do
we get Kershaw?

Can't argue about Alex White.

Blair is indicating that his commitment to going to school is waivering a bit, so we will see.

202

A. Jones... not so sure on that one. I get the feeling he's going to be another one of those "twilight" guys if the Dodgers sign him. I'd rather have neither instead than just Andruw.

Instead, might I suggest Torii Hunter?

check that; Hunter is older... and A. Jones is only 30... but I was concerned seeing him struggle through the 1st half of '07

Gosh all this talk of 2008 Dodgers in August of 2007 is making me queesy. Can't say I blame you guys, but I have the same feeling still.

by the way...

A. Jones is a .714 OPSer but that's due to that aforementioned early season struggle (he's still batting only .214 even with 21 homers and a .414 slg percentage)

203. Of course we would, why wouldn't we have Kershaw if we had also signed Hochevar?

208 Because Hochevar was drafted first in that draft, who knows what happens if he is not there.

208 - Compensation pick for a first rounder not signing.

209 Even if the Dodgers didn't get Kershaw, they'd have somebody else good. They had the seventh pick.

The question is
(a) Hochevar + Mystery Player + a few million dollars spent

vs.

(b) Nothing + Kershaw + a few million dollars saved.

While they aren't my millions, I have to say that (a) is probably the better baseball move.

We didn't get a compensation pick for Hochevar.

But Baseball America and other sources reported that if Hochevar hadn't been in the following draft, the Royals would have picked Andrew Miller with the first pick instead, the Tigers would have picked Kershaw, and we would have drafted Bryan Morris with the seventh pick.

210 Is that right? I thought it was because the Dodgers were terrible in 2005 that they had the 7th pick and got Kershaw.

But I'll stand corrected if I'm wrong.

Apologies for the incoherent wording of 212 , but I think you get the gist.

211-Except that Mystery Player would have been our own Bryan Morris (that was Logan's alternative to Kershaw). So (b) is clearly the better move considering Hochevar subpar pro career thus far.

212 - Or Lincecum?

212 No, we would have gotten Morris seventh. That's been pretty well established. White didn't have much interest in Lincecum, for whatever reason.

216-Lincecum is not the type of pitcher Logan usually drafts.

Fair enough. I remember that now -- the elation that White had managed to get both Kershaw and Morris.

218 - Neither is Hochevar, is he?

White only drafts college pitchers if they went to Tennessee.

Igawa deal fizzles as Yankees pull lefty off waivers

>> The Padres were awarded the waiver claim to Igawa on Friday, and at that point, there were three possible resolutions -- the Yankees could have simply handed the pitcher (and what is left of his five-year, $20 million contract) to the Padres; the Padres and Yankees could have worked out a trade, which they talked about in July and continued to discuss over the weekend; or the Yankees had the option of withdrawing Igawa from waivers. The Yankees chose the latter option, in the hopes of rebuilding Igawa for the 2008 season. <<

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2973955

220-I'm talking about guys with big, power pitcher frames that have clean deliveries. Lincecum didn't fit the bill.

210- Was my bad sorry for the mis info.

202 A-Rod and Johan Santana.

215. Before you make that equation, you then have to ask who we would have gotten with the pick where we got Morris, what if it was Joba?

226-We should've taken Joba 31st instead of Mattingly. That was definitely a blunder.

227 The draft is such a crapshoot that I don't think missing one guy can be considered a blunder.

Baseball America published their mid-season top 25 prospect list last month, with less than a year of pro ball, Kershaw was second only to Homer Bailey as a the top pitching prospect in the game.

As it stands, I would much rather have Kershaw who is 5 years younger than Hochevar. And Luke may only beat Clayton to the big leagues by just a year at the rate Clayton is going.

227. While Joba looks really good, Mattingley was a pure raw tools/projection pick, I'm not even paying attention to what he does until the end of next year.

Joba would have been a really nice pitcher to have, but IIRC before the draft there were concerns about his arm falling off because of serious overwork by his college coach at Nebraska. I don't blame the Dodgers for not picking him, but man does he look like a nice pitcher. I was at the first game he pitched after signing with the Yankees -- in the Hawaii Winter League, where he faced a team with Blake DeWitt and Xavier Paul and really made them look foolish flailing at the high fastball.

OT - If Vick serves time, the last time I recall such a high profile athlete going to prison during his career would be Mike Tyson.

I guess Daryl Henley but he certainly is not same high profile athlete like Michael Vick or Mike Tyson.

Am I forgetting anyone?

Ahhh. Finally. Uninterrupted internet access for a few days. Oh: and I guess I should also be excited to be in downtown San Francisco.

233

Where're you staying?

233 Welcome, neighbor! Avoid Market between 5th and 8th unless you want to get kind of depressed, but everything else is fair game.

225

So you suggest our starting 5

Santana
Penny
Lowe
Schmidt
Billingsley

Not to shabby.

232 - Tonya Harding?

232 I guess it depends on your definition of high profile, but Jamal Lewis, and Rae Carruth might qualify. Carruth only after going to prison.

232 Rubin Carter

234
Hotel Whitcomb, which is less than a block outside of 235 's Skid Row.

237- Tonya didn't do time

240

Hm, don't know that one off the top of my head.

232

I was gonna say Denny McLain (last 30 game winner) but that's a bit further back.

I am still amazed that Tyson was able to box after serving time for rape.

242
It's half a block to the west of the Civic Center BART station.

245

Oh, you're close to me, but I'm a few blocks up the hill (thankfully).

NEWSFLASH: Eric Hull removed from Las Vegas 51s website.

Expect a roster move today.

246
Is "up the hill" to the north of where I am?

248

Yes.

250
I was actually thinking about walking up that way. I see that there's a Jamba Juice at 1200 Van Ness (in a 24-HR fitness...?), which is under a mile from here. Gotta get me some Nike Protein Berry Workout.

250)

Ohhh, I was too late for the Jamba Juice conversation yesterday. I loved the SNL skit, but I have the opposite problem with the workers at the one in Pasadena on Lake. Alas, Blenders in the Grass (a local chain in Santa Barbara) has made it hard for me to enjoy any other smoothie place.

247 That happened with Hillenbrand yesterday, nice catch. I guess it's a temporary call-up until Friday to give the bullpen relief, and Stults/Houlton/Contreras/other will replace him then. But who would they demote? I sure hope Kemp isn't the lucky winner of that demotion, but considering his recent struggles and options, he's my guess.

You're right near where I work, in the skid row-ish area off of 7th and Market, D. Some great vittles in the area, even if it's a bit sketchy. Hie thee to North Beach, too, and the new Westfield Mall on Market, at least to gawk at the babes and the overpriced wares (and some good overpriced food in the basement - jamba juice there, too). The Library at cvc ctr is nice, though. Avenue Q is playing at the theater right there.

247 Either that, or he just signed with Scott Boras.

Poor Hull could become the Mike Thompson of the Dodgers.

250

If you continue to walk up, you'll be in good shape. I live four blocks east of that 24 HR Fitness.

Send me an e-mail at jasonmccrarey at gmail dot com, if you'd like.

252) I really hope to see Ethier and Kemp in the lineup tonight. Am I dreaming too much?

252-I honestly think it's Saenz. He wasn't even used yesterday like he normally would.

Hie thee to North Beach, too, and the new Westfield Mall on Market, at least to gawk at the babes and the overpriced wares (and some good overpriced food in the basement - jamba juice there, too)

Where are these places? I needs me a map of SF. Maybe the front desk has one.

255
I have sent you an electronic mail message.

It'll be interesting to hear what, if anything, Colletti has to say on the Abreu situation now. Does anybody really think it's a coincidence that Abreu magically got healthy enough to play on the very same day the L.A. papers decided the story was newsworthy enough to start reporting on?

It smells to me like the Dodgers agreed to make good at least part of the salary and/or service time that Abreu would have accrued on the major league DL.

Malingering to protest a pay decrease would be a new low for Scott Boras.

260 - Or, Abreu got nervous?

Just read the Simers piece. It's going to be really annoying if the story of this season is "going with the kids" as a failed strategy.

How's this for comedy? In today's Times "Anatomy of a Slump" piece they cite Ramon Martinez .194 skid (6-31). He was batting .162 prior to that.

The sense I get is that the McCourt Dodgers like to be cheapskates when they can, as long as they don't actually look like cheapskates. So I can see them saying, hey, we'll save a few bucks by putting this guy on the minor league DL even though his injury was suffered in the majors. I can also see why Abreu might get upset at something like that. And I can also see why the Dodgers might give in once the story started getting reported in the papers -- it makes them look like dishonest cheapskates, which McCourt hates and I suspect Colletti does too.

It's also interesting to note that while Colletti was quoted taking a cheap shot at Abreu in the papers, Scott Boras simply declined to comment. If the most hated agent in baseball can somehow outmaneuver you to take the high road, that doesn't speak well of your organization.

I CAN'T MAKE IT TO TONIGHT'S GAME.

IF ANYBODY WANTS A PAIR OF FREE TICKETS TO THE GAME, I CAN EMAIL THEM TO YOU FOR ANOTHER 45 MINUTES.

FIRST POST GETS THEM.

Kent's interview was interesting to listen to. I don't know what it is, but I still have hope for tonight's game. Whenever I walk into Dodger stadium, I get the feeling it will be a great game. Here is to Tomko turning in a gem and to Martin crushing one into the gap tonight!

263 - Those types of things always bug me, whether it's on Baseball Tonight or DodgerVision (which is real bad about it).

"Andre Ethier is batting .292 over the last 13 games" will accompany Ethier's face on the big screen.

But you look over at his stats for the year, and he's at like .301. What did that tidbit just tell me right there?

265)

Where are they?

263 Well, yeah, but the real point is that Ramon Martinez, who isn't expected to hit, got 31 ABs (34 PAs) at all.

267) My favorite info on Dodgervision was for a visiting player. I don't remember who it was, but it mentioned his brother was a pitcher for Cal State Fullerton. Poor guy, can't even get a stat about himself.

233 + 258 Maybe there's a map of San Francisco on the internet.

268 - third base, four rows off rail, reserved

264 Or both sides may be right and wrong, Abreu perhaps tried to play through some discomfort and then was sent down and then Boras was annoyed because the Dodgers didn't just DL him instead of optioning him.

You can point to Kuo and to Kemp where the Dodgers put them on the MLB DL list, Kemp eventually went on a rehab assignment (still on MLB payroll) and then he was activated and optioned. Kuo, as I said before, was optioned, than recalled to be put on the MLB DL list.

Perhaps fault lies with the organization, the player and the agent but I am not sure one is more guilty than the other.

270 - By far the best ever scoreboard bit was the time Sandy Alomar, Jr.'s highlight was that he makes his own barbecue sauce.

It's Nomar to the DL, with Hull up.

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Kemp, RF
Kent, 2B
Loney, 1B
Martin, C
Ethier, LF
Hillenbrand, 3B
Tomko, P

Zounds! Nomar's on the DL, per ITD.

From ItD:

Here's today lineup:

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Kemp, RF
Kent, 2B
Loney, 1B
Martin, C
Ethier
Hillenbrand, 3B
Tomko, P

Ooh, that was close.

ItD's newest post is a joke.

275. ONE second. :-)

LaRoche really needs to get fit.

Like right now. Heal, you stupid whatever! HEAL!

Oh man, paging Andy Laroche, paging Andy Laroche. I am sooooo sad

So is LaRoche still hurting? Is that why he isn't starting in LA tonight?

sorry, LaRoche

Maybe there's a map of San Francisco on the internet

But how would I get the map from the internet to a piece of paper? Where can I find such technology?

On an unrelated note, can Scott Proctor play third base...?

I want to know how long Nomar has had the nagging calf injury. Oh Betemit, wherefore art thou, Betemit?

"Heal, you stupid whatever! HEAL!"

Brock, can I hire you to train my dog?

I like the middle of our lineup.

Kemp just randomly inserted into the 3rd slot, and against a righty too?

And doesn't Hillenbrand have too much service time to be hitting 8th?

I can't complain. I get Ethier and Kemp in the lineup, a new batting order, and I don't have to listen to "Lowrider"

Yeah, Nomar to the DL really makes Ned look bad on the Proctor trade. Is two weeks too soon to call a trade an unmitigated disaster?

286 since July 2006? or maybe since 2003?

Gurnick reported a couple of days ago that LaRoche will return to the Vegas lineup this week (according to Colletti).

He'll be VERY soon, I think.

Is two weeks too soon to call a trade an unmitigated disaster?

We would have known the trade was an unmitigated disaster at negative two weeks.

My favorite player batting 3rd. I've waited all season for this. Even with Tomko starting the game life is good.

293-be here

Well, for once I like the 3 thru 7 part of the lineup. But it won't matter if they don't produce. So... produce.

I'm sure the Dodgers were counting on LaRoche to be healthy and ready to come up when they made the Betemit deal, but yes, in hindsight (or foresight), it sore looks dumb. It would have been great if they could have just acquired Proctor with another player but I guess that was the only one the Yanks wanted.

ItD's Josh did add: "And there should be another move coming on Friday when we add a starting pitcher for that night's game."

New post up top.

Let's put Proctor on waivers and trade him for Betemit. vr, Xei

I am getting an error message when I try to access the NPUT.

It's called an iPhone. :-P

With Nomar to the DL, Hillenbrand's acquisition makes more sense, although, as several have already pointed out, the Betemit trade now makes little sense.

I imagine La Roche is twitching down in AAA right now. Hopefully it's a healthy twitching.

If management knew Nomar was hurting, then yesterday's move isn't nearly so boneheaded. Hillenbrand can probably match Nomar's production when hitting, plus Grady doesn't feel obligated to bat him 5th or 6th every night (although playing him 3rd can't be good).

As for the Betemit trade, when it happened, Laroche was healthy and hitting a homer every other game. Plus, if McDonald isn't going to get called up, I'm really hoping Proctor gets the start Friday.