Whoops, sorry I was snickering over Abreu's health.

I'll stop now.

Here, here, Jon! Well said.

Maybe they're ready to live together, but not quite ready to go through the ceremony yet.

Maybe Abreu has a Costanza-like knack for staying committed to a fake injury?

It seems like you found a way to say what you wanted to say, unfortunately, the commitments won't come until 2007 at the earliest.

I suppose if Repko was healthy, he would play CF on occasion but other than that, Grady has shown little interest in moving Ethier or Kemp there (though Kemp played last year when Lofton took time off).

4 See what happens when you are thinking 2006 instead of 2007, of course I meant 2008.

What happens when Kemp realizes they're just not that into him?

Funny, I just got back from a wedding this past weekend. Two friends who finally tied the knot. She has lots of heat and is known to snap off some curveballs, while he has excellent stuff (from what I hear). Neither of them are anything fantastic at the plate.

For better or for worse, I suppose.

Kemp has played 15 innings in CF this year, over five games. It's a starting point.

Excellent post, Jon. The most frustrating thing about the season for me has been the double standard that's in operation regarding playing time. If you're a veteran and you struggle for a while, you're given multiple chances to fail, and fail, and fail again. And when you continue to fail, you're given yet more chances to fail.

If you're a young player who struggles for a while, you're either demoted to the minor leagues, or placed firmly on the bench with almost no opportunity to get back into the mix. And that's just the young players who actually get an opportunity. Some of them, like Meloan, haven't even gotten that.

All I ask is that the organization be run as a meritocracy. The only criterion for playing time should be whether performance-wise you're the best player for the job. As things stand, that seems to be the only criterion not being considered. Instead we get lots of blather about heart, and dedication, and toughness, and veteran savvy, and being good in the clubhouse, and consecutive game streaks.

It's becoming nauseating. It's as if the Dodgers are making every effort to avoid put a winning team on the field.

4 Stop looking forward to the present. Look sideways to the future.

And in staying with Jack movies:
Ned: Why can't we play the vets? What do we get from Kemp and Loney that we can't get from Gonzo and Saenz?

Noah Brock: The future, Mr. Colletti...the future.

Jon,

Have you or the L.A. press done a big story on the Dodgers' adhering to slot guidelines and the idea that McCourt is beholden to Selig in this area because Selig helped McCourt gain ownerhship of the Dodgers?
Forgive me if this has been addressed. What a shame it would be if the Dodgers are pulling back along these lines. They finally have the scouts in place who can make a go of it in the draft, but it seems like they aren't spending like they could or should.
The Red Sox and Yankees don't seem to be playing ball with Selig in this fashion.
I realize this is circumstantial and watery, but that's what I've been gleaning from posts here and reports in Baseball America.
I realize that the amateur market is even more inexact than the pro market. Logan White isn't infallible, but he seems to be an above-average scouting director, and based on his remarks, he has a very good staff in place. Why not maximize this franchise strength?

8 If there is one thing clear about this season, as long as Juan Pierre wears a Dodger uniform, he is playing CF. The only moves made with him was to move him down in the lineup (for very brief periods of time) but not to sit him down.

I can't see this being a directive by the front office, Grady is just going to keep writing his name in the lineup.

Jon

Yesterday I spoke about this using the phrase "placeholders". The pot is cool enough to eat, let's put the placeholders away and go with the real food!

9

Thats pretty much how I feel too. I just noticed today that one of the Boston Red Sox Blog is titled "Surviving Grady." How about that?

I'm just hoping they give some of the washed up guys the "It's not you, it's me" speech. Then they can spare their feelings but move forward.

If I were Loney, Kemp and Ethier, I'd make sure that the Dodger front office got tested before I accepted any marriage proposal.
vr, Xei

Blog = Blogs
Whom != Who

15
One day at work when the library's computers went down and nobody can access their records, my staff spent the entire day telling people, "It's not you, it's us."

Repeat that about 80 times per person over 9 hours.

That was a long day.

Good. Furcal's already got Durbin distracted.

I lose this argument all the time with Greg Brock, one, because I tend to look at things realistically and two, because he won't consider that Juan Pierre is still a Dodger.

Baseball America's Callis on the draft:

"The current system isn't the most equitable, but it is what it is. Large revenue clubs are foolish not to exploit the advantages MLB is handing them with the draft."

Are the Dodgers wearing a dunce cap?

Near as I can tell, when the Dodgers want to throw there weight around, it's so their panicky GM, the former PR guy, can give $45 million to a CF just because the genius Giants offered him $36 million, or $47 million to a pitcher with a bad shoulder who was recommended by the same trainer whose former club didn't even try to retain the bad-shouldered pitcher.

This year is shaping up to be one of the closest batting title races of all time.

Holliday-COL .336
Utley-PHI .336
Renteria-ATL .336
Ramirez-FLA .335
Young-WSN .333
Jones-ATL .331
Cabrera-FLA .330

20
Hasn't Greg Brock also declared himself to be the Paraclete of Caborca?

About four years into dating the woman who is now my wife we were sitting in a restaurant (Amsterdam's on NYC upper West Side, if anyone's been there) when she gave me a very serious look and asked the question boyfriends everywhere dread. Let's all say it together: "Where are we going with this relationship?" (This question most commonly arises when you are at the wedding of one of her friends.) Trying to diffuse the situation I thought a funny response in order. We had recently been to the horse races so I said, "Well honey, its like the races. You are the only horse in the race and everyday we get closer to the finish line but you never know when you are going to fall, break a leg and we're going to have to shoot you." I thought this was funny. Stupid me.

She loudly used a verb and a noun, both of which are big time rule #1 violations and stormed off. I was left sitting there with the whole restaurant staring at me. Not so funny anymore.

The point is that after four years I should have been able to commit to a woman who is so far out of my league that in hindsight I can't believe it wasn't obvious to me and I regret that we didn't start our life sooner.

I suspect, a year or two from now, Ned will be saying the same thing about Kemp, Loney and Ethier. The real question is will he have learned his lesson when it comes to Hull, McDonald Meloan and avoid the regrets and bad horse racing analogies.

In other news, Carlos Pena gets some rest from the field and DH's today while one Joel Guzman takes his place at first.

20 Looking at things realistically is overrated.

Some shoot for reality. I shoot for diaper wearing astronauts. Which among us is the more foolish.

Oh, me...Right.

He'd better have run through a stop sign. That was just awful.

20 - If Juan Pierre hadn't picked the Dodgers' coldest time of the year to have his hot streak, I am confident he would have been benched at least one game. He would have appeared to keep the streak going, but I feel strongly that there is a level at which Little will bench him.

Great write up Jon.

I guess this is what happens when you hire a veteran bridesmaid as your GM.

So did that out at home that the Bison gave to the Phils, make up for the extra batters and run that Dobbs' error gave to the LAD?

I hope Kemp just didn't run through another of Donnelly's stop signs, like he did the other night, and get thrown out there. He would be benched for all of eternity I'm afraid.

20 And I don't pretend certain people aren't Dodgers.

I pretend they don't exist at all.

24
(Bob scratches that joke off of list)

Looks like the Windmill is back. Two guys thrown out at 3rd yesterday, and now Kemp at home. It's not like the team can afford to throw away runs. Ugh.

24 If you had just gone to the Empire State Building, you could have said that you are on floor 80 but King Kong may reach in and take you to the top.

24

LAT, I suppose it was a good sign when she didn't dump a bag of popcorn on your head.

34 I thought it was pretty clear that Pierre never looked up and Martin made a horrible play.

I would not like to try and stop Kemp once he is in full throttle.

31- If it was Kemp's idea, that's regrettable but something that can be fixed. If it was Donnelly's, it's over. They have to put him down.

Anybody with Tivo looking it over?

22 Can't forget Braun, if he can find a way to get the PAs (he needs to average 4.31 PAs per game without missing a game). He's currently at .337.

Why did Tomko start the last game? It was Lowe's (4 days rest) turn in the rotation. I would have preferred Lowe over Tomko. How much does Tomko have to screw up before he is the last SP to get a slot.

38 Why does the player get a break and the coach doesn't?

Furcal was holding his hand up, but I'm not sure what that means... other than that, I didn't notice Donnelly

Of course, also not on Tivo

40 He'd have to start sometime, I still think there is a 5/2 chance (shout out to LAT) that McDonald debuts in NY.

42 Hands up means don't slide.

41- Because the coach has been pulling this crap forever, and could be capably replaced by a mascot, or a series of contest winners. As opposed to the player, who's good at baseball.

18 You need to have your library buy a large supply of bright orange placards with the words "We're sorry, our computers are down. Please be patient." Stick them everywhere and avoid the pain and suffering.

If Lowe had started in place of Tomko, as he should have, then Stults could have pitched the following day, followed by Bills then Penny, completely skipping Tomko.

Edwin Jackson now has a lower ERA than Brett Tomko.

47 - that's just so crazy, it might just work. If, of course, we'd have tried it.

38 I went back and looked at it. Donnelly only appears in the picture one time and he is doing nothing. It's after Kemp has passed. It was an amazingly close play at the plate though. Looked to me like an exact tie. I would have called him safe.

46
I work in the telephone section. I don't see people.

It's strange to see the return of Windmill since he had been ultra-conservative lately in his decisions. I'm not watching the game, but getting a guy thrown out at home with Martin coming up doesn't bode well.

47 Who pitches after Penny?

51 Even easier. Insert a message on the phone system before it rings through to a real person.

51 I work in the telephone section. I don't see people.

Oh, and the obvious joke ... not even dead people?

52 In his defense, Kemp normally would have scored easily. The ball took a perfect carom of the left field wall. Both throws were also right on line. It was still a bang bang play at the plate and everything went perfectly for the Phillies.

50- The ball was halfway to Rollins by the time Kemp got to third, though, right? It was close at the plate, but a horrible decision, whoever made it, to send him. Unless I'm wrong, which is possible. I couldn't believe he was going; I'd started shouting profanity well in advance of the play's termination, so the judgment centers of my brain weren't operating in prime condition.

57 Actually looked like a good decision to send him to me. 2 outs, one of the fastest runners on the team, took a perfect play to barely get him. I don't think this was his typical bad decision.

I hope LaRoche is watching this so he can see that there will be no pressure for him to hit at 3rd base.

54
In the words of David Byrne, "Stop making sense! Stop making sense!"

I think if it takes a perfectt throw and relay to get a guy at home (and if it's really close at the plate), then I think you just need to tip your hap to the opposing team. It could be the right call to send him and still have him get thrown out by a great play.

If they held Kemp at third, Martin's ground-out would've ended the inning anyway, so it's not like anything was lost.

(caveat: I haven't seen the play in question)

Can anyone tell me why reaching base on an error doesn't count positively in OBP? They get on base right?

62 Bob?
This sounds like the type of question that would spark debates at SABR conventions.

Or it just could be that from the beginning of time, errors have always been seen as an out (just not recorded) for the batter.

62
1. You don't want to reward the player for the other team screwing up.
2. Reaching on an error hasn't been regularly tracked until recently.

I dispute the claim that the throws were perfect; they weren't bad, and Rollins' I'd call good, but Burrell's didn't seem impressive. I have to defer to some extent to Indiana Jon, since he has Tivo, and I'm a bit of a lunatic, but it looked like an average play, to me.

63 As I clicked submit, I suddenly recalled that errors once counted as hits or am I just hallucinating?

62 - that seems a bit strange, I know it doesn't count in batting average, but I would have thought it counts for OBP, like a Fielder's Choice - which counts for OBP, right?

I don't get to watch as many games as I would like, but it seems like every time I do Hillenbrand hits into a double play. Does anybody have any statistics on this? Is it just bad luck?

67 Uhh no, I don't think FC are tracked at all.

24 - The point is that after four years I should have been able to commit to a woman who is so far out of my league that in hindsight I can't believe it wasn't obvious to me and I regret that we didn't start our life sooner.

I had a similar story, but mine didn't end quite so happily.

62 - Can anyone tell me why reaching base on an error doesn't count positively in OBP? They get on base right?

Because the player reached through a defensive failure rather than an offensive action. Arguably, speedy players may have more reach-on-errors than slower ones.

63 Well how about this then. Can you tell me how Texas can score 20 runs in 8 innings while featuring Travis Metcalf and Marlon Byrd as their 3rd and 4th hitters?

66
You are misremembering my lesson about 1887 when walks counted as hits.

OK, I'm watching on a delay so I read the comments about the Kemp play at the plate before I saw the play itself. I thought the comments were harsher than the play warranted. It would have taken two perfect relay throws to get him, and that's exactly what happened. With two outs, I think that's a risk you can justify taking. Even with the good throws, it was still an extremely close play at the plate. (Oh, and by the way, on the replay you can clearly see Donnelly putting up the stop sign.)

71 Bob, 4 Rangers have 4 RBI in that game, is there a record kept on that type of occurence?

65 OK, I watched it one more time. I agree that the throws were not perfect. However, the carom off the wall was perfect. (I know this was well before the decision to send him.) Also, both throws were directly on line. Burrell's wasn't the strongest throw, but Rollins was about as good as you could expect. After about 18 TIVO rewinds, I now officially dispute the call at the plate. I think Kemp got his foot in there. Is it too late to file a protest?

73 That should end the debate on that play for tonight.

Rick Monday mentioned on KFWB that Kemp has run through Donnelly's stop sign twice in less than a week, including tonite.

74
The Retrosheet guys could run a fancy query for such a thing.

74 Okay, Salty now has 7 RBI in that game.

64 "You don't want to reward the player for the other team screwing up."

Which, of course, explains why walks and HBPs count toward on-base percentage.

But, you say, the batter also has some impact on those two events! True enough. But so do a batter's speed and how hard he hits the ball have an effect upon reaching on errors.

I'm firmly in favor of counting ROEs in OBP. Stick that in your double-error pipe and smoke it!

73 You're exactly right. I see the stop sign now as Furcal crosses the plate.

79 I didn't realize old friend Paul Shuey was still pitching. Unfortunately, it appears that it has been mostly batting practice.

I would guess that hitters get few enough ROEs that it would not really make a difference either way. Of course, Pierre could use all the help he can get.

Thanks Indiana Jon and Eric Enders. Even better than having Tivo is having other people willing to do the work for you.

I wish Kemp was seeing more pitches tonight. Is that 2 ABs, 2 pitches so far?

Kent's been hitting a lot of balls well, just not quite well enoguh.

3.5 is a man possessed.

The Rangers have 24 runs and haven't broken their record for most runs they've scored in a game against the Orioles!

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX199604190.shtml

Here comes the bride.

All right Andre, maybe he will never bat 8th again.

All right Andre, maybe he will never bat 8th again.

When's the last time the Dodgers had nobody hit 20 home runs?

I'm only watching on Gameday, but so far it looks like Derek Lowe is pitching an interesting game.

84 Too bad I didn't TIVO the Texas game. That could have kept me busy well into the night. It gets kind of boring at midnight or 1 AM when I'm normally watching the Dodgers, but they've already played on the East Coast.

The Texas game is the first of a double header...

Ethier is looking for an Anderson-like performance.

Bob, record for runs by one team in a doubleheader?

The offensive outburst pleases my fantasy team considering I've been suffering through owning half their offense for most of the year.