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SI.com
NL West Preview
Evaluating Defense
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Also ...
A Season in Savannah (Stanford Magazine)
Five Questions: Los Angeles Dodgers (2005) (Hardball Times)
Rick Monday (Baseball Analysts)
Baseball's Odd Couple (Baseball Prospectus)
Five Questions: Los Angeles Dodgers (2006) (Hardball Times)
Five Questions: Los Angeles Dodgers (2007) (Hardball Times)
Dodger home record: 40-30 (.571)
When Jon attended: 6-3 (.667)
When Jon didn't: 34-27 (.557)
Dodgers at home: 745-600 (.554)
Jon attended: 293-233 (.557)*
Jon didn't: 457-374 (.550)
* includes road games attended
Current Roster with Estimated 2008 Salaries
(updated March 28)
Most figures are estimates (some are wild estimates) but will be updated as information comes in. Corrections welcome.
More contract details here.
Starting Pitchers (5)
$12,300,000 Hiroki Kuroda
$10,000,000 Derek Lowe
$9,500,000 Brad Penny
$7,000,000 Esteban Loaiza
*$500,000 Chad Billingsley
Total: $39,300,000
Bullpen (6)
$2,000,000 Takashi Saito
$1,925,000 Joe Beimel
$1,125,000 Scott Proctor
*$500,000 Jonathan Broxton
$500,000 Chan Ho Park
*$400,000 Hong-Chih Kuo
Total: $6,450,000
Starting Lineup (8)
$14,100,000 Andruw Jones
$13,000,000 Rafael Furcal
$9,000,000 Jeff Kent
$8,500,000 Nomar Garciaparra
$8,000,000 Juan Pierre
$500,000 Russell Martin
*$400,000 James Loney
*$400,000 Matt Kemp
Total: $53,900,000
Bench (6)
$875,000 Gary Bennett
$600,000 Mark Sweeney
$424,500 Andre Ethier
$391,000 Delwyn Young
$390,000 Chin-Lung Hu
$390,000 Blake DeWitt
Total: $3,071,000
Disabled List
$12,000,000 Jason Schmidt
*$400,000 Tony Abreu
*$390,000 Andy LaRoche
Total: $12,790,000
Also Paying ...
$1,000,000 Brett Tomko
$750,000 Odalis Perez
$540,000 Yhency Brazoban
$500,000 Randy Wolf
$487,500 Jason Repko
$135,225 Rudy Seanez
$100,000 Mike Lieberthal
$50,000 Ramon Martinez
Total: $3,562,725
Working total: *$113,268,725
*Rough salary estimate
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1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
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I've decided to go with the apostrophe in the headline this year, although it's legit with or without.
From September 25, 2005:
The last two Dodger games I have attended, a loss and now today's victory, have been the two most pleasant I've been to all season. Both came after the team's sub-.500 status was assured, a condition that seems to have weeded out the high expecters (expectants? expectationers?) who would only be satisfied by a victory. The best that people hope for now is that a baseball game be played. That's all. Throw the first pitch and we've already won. The Dodgers of September 2005 offer no other guarantees, and so we find ourselves at the major league equivalent of Little League, where it's a celebration when someone doesn't fall on his head and it's considered poor form to rain criticism or curb hope. Call it the Losers Dividend. It's a very relaxing, freeing payoff (abetted by the ease of ingress and egress to Dodger Stadium that the smaller crowds provide), enough to make one up and move to Kansas City or Tampa Bay so this can be reinvested and experienced permanently.I'll be at the game Saturday night, catching up with a friend visiting from out of town, a friend I spent a big chunk of the '90s going to Dodger Stadium with. For those three hours, I won't care what place the team is in. Take me out to the ballgame ...There were a couple of people who violated the spirit of the day. They both seem like nice enough people on the outside and seem to not lack for friends, but still they thumbed their portfolios at the Losers Dividend. One was the chap sitting two seats away from me, who couldn't find any redeeming aspect in what lay before him and almost from the opening pitch was trying to hurry the game along so he could get home to barbecue. For those who have criticized Jim Tracy for benching Hee Seop Choi and for those who have criticized Choi's acquisition, you might find it interesting that this fan had no kind words for either. Choi does "nothing" as a player, and Tracy is the worst manager in baseball, according to this fan. Again, his delivery was easygoing and he struck me as the first guy who would help you change a tire if you were stuck on the side of the road, but for today's game, he packed a full kit of contempt. And you just wanted him to let go a little bit like the rest of us, and take the opportunity to let baseball be baseball.
The other spurner was Tracy. With two on and two out in the sixth inning today in a 2-2 tie, Choi stood in the on-deck circle with Willy Aybar at the plate. As Aybar inched closer to a walk, it occured to myself and others that Choi could have the game's make-or-break at-bat. It also occured to us that with a lefthander on the mound, Tracy might pinch-hit for Choi, even though it would be the perfect opportunity in this meaningless game, during a part of the season that Tracy himself has said he's putting people like Brian Myrow in situations to gain information for 2006, to give Choi a key at-bat against a southpaw. A perfect Little League moment.
Aybar walked to load the bases, and Choi took a couple steps toward home plate. Sitting (thanks - seriously, thanks - to some generous seats from an anonymous Dodger Thoughts reader) in the lower part of the Field Level, I could see and hear Tracy yell at Choi to come back. Either Choi had not gotten an earlier message, or Tracy did not counsel Choi that he wouldn't bat against a lefty with the bases loaded. It added insult to insult. Either way, as Tracy sent Jason Phillips up to pinch-hit, it caused me to have my one bad moment of the game and yell at Tracy like I was the protective father of the 10-year-old Choi. This was not what the game was supposed to be about.
My reaction sprung from the assumption that this was a time for the kids, a time to get a glimpse of the future in the present. Upon reflection, I realized that maybe Tracy was Little Leaguing it after all, that he was trying to get as many guys in the game as possible and this was his best spot for Phillips, who in fact hasn't played much lately. No one thinks Phillips has much more of a future in Los Angeles, but of course, perhaps Choi doesn't either. So I'm going to grudgingly, very grudgingly, let Tracy off the hook on this one. And it has nothing to do with Phillips getting a single that keyed the Dodgers' six-run inning. I think it was objectively the wrong move for the organization and personally disappointing, but Phillips is a human being too. I'm not going to stay mad. That would be my waste of the Dividend.
* * *
Tonight's game:
No, it's not possible.
("Dusty Must Go" -- two years proactively -- would also suffice.)
Nah. How fun would the playoffs be with Colorado, Arizona, Chicago, and Philadelphia representing the NL? Definitely moreso (more so?) than with NY and/or SD getting in there.
its not the amount of innings in a season, its the amount of pitches per start. Baker was notorious for letting his pitchers rack up pitches counts of 120+ in starts.
That is what everyone is worried about.
I'd have no problem rooting for the Phils, Rox, D'backs or Brewers in the postseason. I wouldn't even be against seeing the Cubs get the monkey off their back.
Milwaukee's act has folded up its tent and gone home it appears.
The offense consists of waiting for Braun and Fielder to hit home runs and nothing else.
The Brewers bullpen is in really bad shape.
That was my recollection as well.
That's actually probably part of the answer. Nevertheless, even after we control for all these variables, Baker's pitchers still throw 3.68 more pitches per start than expected. That's maybe an extra start-and-a-fifth a year. It's about 5-10 extra innings.
So it seems that to claim that Baker ruins pitchers' careers is hyperbolic at the least. Even if we account for the fact that younger pitchers should probably be throwing less innings, Baker still isn't quite the monster people make him out to be. Nevertheless, if he is worth 5-6 extra pitches per outing for a young pitcher, that may indeed be significant. There's certainly no reason not to be on the cautious side, and Baker's lack of caution with high-pitch outings is certainly disconcerting.
But Dusty Baker is not a professional arm shredder; he only leaves his starters out there for about three-and-a-half more pitches than expected. Prior and Wood have had injury troubles, but so do many young pitchers. Perhaps it isn't Baker, but just bad luck. Perhaps the Cubs should have never pissed off that Billy Goat."
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/dusty-baker-and-pitch-counts/
And you get to see Chad pitch. I can't imagine a better game.
...is a fly out to center by Rollins. Still scoreless in Phila.
I feel confident she will.
4-1 Fish.
Go ahead. Be less obtuse than me!
And he hasn't been hurt.
122. Sometimes I wonder if it is even fair for Colletti to negotiate for A-Rod. Knife to a gunfight...
I regard this as the primary obstacle to us signing A-Rod. I'm in the camp with those who believe Boras will have A-Rod opt out despite the Yankees' advantage. But even if that happens I don't see Ned as being up to the task of negotiating with Scott Boras as an equal. What I suspect would happen is that Boras would simply use Ned to jack up the bid for others. I'd love for us to get A-Rod. But I'd be downright shocked if it actually happened.
How did Jim DeShaies strike out nine in a row?
Then singles to left.
Very convenient.
Pierre, CF
Valdez, 2B
Kemp, RF
Loney, 1B
LaRoche, 3B
Ethier, LF
Moeller, C
Hu, SS
Wells, P
Crowd chants M-V-P...
...and he singles, and two runs score. 2-0 Phils.
Not that it matters. I just feel like certain things are ruled out for no good reason.
...Don't forget about the Battle in Seattle!
Apparently, knowing is only half the battle.
.200/.224/.262/.485
As for RBI, from Tony Jackson:
James Loney tonight became just the fifth player in L.A. Dodgers history to drive in 31 runs in a single month. He joins Frank Howard, who had 41 RBI in August 1962; Mike Marshall, who had 37 in September 1985; Tommy Davis, who had 33 in June 1962; and Kal Daniels, who had 31 in September 1990. Strangely, Pete Guerrero only had 26 when he hit 15 home runs in June 1985.
Just goes to show: you can lead the league in outs if you hit like that.
Ryan Howard walks... 1st and 2nd, 2 outs for Rowand.
Please report to us if he says anything meaningful.
Valdez is #2 because he is quick.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196204120.shtml
The Rockies are just a game out of the wild card, so they would still be alive with a loss tonight.
The only team that can be eliminated tonight is Milwaukee.
That would be Mr. Misty May.
2-0 Brewers.
Dairy Queen, anyone?
Setting a record for repeating the usual platitudes:
"Grady's been put in a tough spot by 1 or 2 different people."
"I find it disappointing."
"As you look at the crux of the young players here, I think they're better than they were at the beginning of the season."
"Are we perfect? Far from it." Channeling Jim Tracy.
On whether we should be concerned about Schmidt: "We should be concerned about everybody."
"We're better off than a lot of clubs."
Barry as a hitter and Maddux as a pitcher are "as close to genius as I've seen."
Those were the high points.
Somebody's got to start. Wells is healthy and ready to go.
It's not like the Dodgers will be crushed if he gets hurt.
Same with me. Time to head home. I have found that driving and posting to DT and following five games simultaneously is hard to do behind the wheel.
Even with a Prius.
Don't want the truth. Just hope he doesn't survive the day. (As GM, I mean. I don't wish the man dead unless there's no other alternative.)