And it wasn't a governess that Kate recommended. It was a reading tutor - because my daughter reads so well. Yes, you're reading that correctly.

Alas, no such luck this year.

If you feel at all apprehensive about what Colletti might do this offseason, I think you'd have double the anxiety as a fan of the Angels.

You could add that to your wikipedia article. "The highlight of Mr. Weisman's Variety career remains..."

I've also missed 42 degrees and overcast, which was more common.

I think the probability is higher that the Rockies get swept, but hey, a Rox sweep would be awesome!

--

The 2008 season will easily be the most captivating one I've experienced in the last few years.

--

7

I came up with this idea this morning:

Maybe Angel Stadium can flash shots of Sarah Silverman when opposing teams come to bat.

RALLY KILLER!!

I suppose I could ask the Air Force to borrow a supersonic jet.

The rest is history.

Juan Pierre has the smallest hat size among active players at 5 1/4.

6 1/4 I could believe.

My 10-year old nephew is already at 7 1/2 I believe. He's inherited the family's "gigantic head" trait. He also has the family's "enormous feet" gene.

Pierre of Very Little Brain?

Juanny The Pooh?

Bravo Jon. That's just perfect in how you explain how I feel.....

"Heed! Pants! Now!"

Me too! Wow, D4P and I have something in common.

I can get away with 7 1/2 too.

Turned out to be a logistical nightmare.

My peaches come in late June/early July and are always completely done in 4-5 weeks.

Far as forcing out NedCo, that sounds good now, but what happens when we get a good GM and Plaschke tries to drive him out too.

back to Stoneman...

I have a hard time believing Plaschke could have that kind of influence on the Angels anyway.

I mean what nerve. Seriously. It's one of those comments that are so inexplicably rude that you can't even respond.

It's like, "you've got yellow teeth, take them out!"

One of George Costanza's unpublicized blunders.

"You look just like Michael Moore. You must get that all the time!"

She compared the guy standing next to me to Lynn Swann.

I still remember that Fitted Caps Seinfeld Episode. The writing staff must not have been paying attention.

How do you do "fitted cap night?" Easy, just provide supplies of every possible hat size at the gate and just ask the person as they come in, "Hey what's your hat size?"

I've always wanted to say that!

"Move into the country, gonna eat a lot of Peaches..."

Is that one of the worst song ever or what?

Great, now that song is in my head.

"Peaches come in a can. They were put there by a man [pause for effect] in a factory downtown"

I own exactly two hats today: a sweat-stained Nike swoosh hat for when I go bike riding, and a blue Brooklyn Dodger cap that I wear only to day baseball games, or on the rare occurrence that I'm out in public before my morning shower.

Kemp's nickname is "The Bison."4 During the second major league game of Kemp's career, on May 29, 2006, Kemp stole second base in the fourth inning, after which an Atlanta Braves television announcer Don Sutton said he looked "like a big buffalo running around the bases." The observation was appropriate due to Kemp's imposing size and surprisingly fast footspeed. The nickname was modified to "The Bison," the more proper term for the North American mammal to which the moniker refers.

Which one of you guys did that?

I have no idea how Arizona wins games. None at all. They one good starter, a most-of-the-time leadoff hitter with a .295 on-base percentage, and Orlando Hudson and Conor Jackson hitting three-four in the lineup. You couldn't win 90 games with this team in Strat-o-Matic if you were playing in a league where the other managers didn't know the basic rules. Then again, Grady Little is in their division.

1. Sign Torii Hunter to 7-year/$105 million deal. ($10 million in 2008, so it's basically Wolf and Hendrickson's salary for Hunter's.)

2. Trade Pierre to Orioles for a minor league pitcher (d-rated prospect) and kick in $5 million per year towards Pierre's salary. (Believe it or not, Pierre is an upgrade for them in center.)

3. Trade Kent to A's for Mark Kotsay. (That is, if Kent does not want to retire.) The A's get their annual aging veteran with some pop left, and the Dodgers get a fourth outfielder whose body is more suited to limited duty.

4. Sign Miguel Cairo to split time with Abreu at second. He's a team guy who doesn't hurt and is willing to come off the bench. Cairo can also put in time at third, first, and left.

5. Re-sign Sweeney, Saito, Beimel.

C Martin/Lieberthal
1b Loney/Sweeney
2b Abreu/Cairo
SS Furcal
3b Nomar/Laroche (until mid-season, at which time Laroche takes over)
Lf Ethier
Cf Hunter/Kotsay (he can play all three positions and will get 50-60 starts)
Rf Kemp

Miguel Cairo?
Miguel Cairo?

Um, Miguel Cairo?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56759872@N00/640342883/

What's that one at the top? A PBS cap?

That Ned is a genius for letting Drew, Lugo, and Gagne go.

Or, if YouTube wasn't around... etc.

I suppose they could put Swisher in CF and Cust in right again to make room for Kent at DH, but that horrible, horrible defensive alignment was a big reason the A's finished under .500.

But really, you could probably have Kotsay for nothing. He's coming off back surgery, he's lost a lot of range, he has little power anymore, and costs $7-8 million. The only benefit is even after all that, he's still probably better than Juan Pierre.

When he was installed as the starting 1B, the team had 86 games left in the season, Loney started 78 of those games. And this doesn't mean a thing but prior to his getting the starting nod, while he was on the team, in games he did not start, the Dodgers were 7-3, in the games he started, 1-4.

I don't think you can blame Grady for not playing Loney if Loney isn't here.

68
Nothing personal but I found nothing in your plan that I would endorse.

Inform him that the youth movement will be accelerated, that LaRoche will be given as much of an opportunity to establish himself as the Padres gave Kouzmanoff, that Kemp will get 140 starts and that McDonald and Kershaw will be called up in the summer, if warranted.

Then I would satisfy Kent's desire to play for a contending club and deal him to the one that he approves. One of the AL powers might give up something good for him.

I would then give the 2B job to Abreu.

You really think Tony Abreu's solid defense and his 280/300/350 offensive line is enough to replace Kent's offense?

Heck, we could sign Joel Cairo for all I care!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/quotes

Good point. Wasn't the outfield situation something like this, though? I seem to recall Ethier/Kemp getting shunted in favor of more Juan Pierre/Luis Gonzalez.

What about something a little more tasty...maybe a six pack of Deschutes Black Butte Porter or Mirror Pond?

Some more tid bits on A-Rod & the Yanks.

On me, the cap perches on the crown of my head making me look hydroencephalic.

But we've got a highly touted prospect too, and I hope we see what he can do before writing him off. Atkins would be a costly acquisition in terms of players.

I share your lack of enthusiasm.

I have been a Dodger fan since 1961 when I attended my first game at the Coliseum. I cannot recall a time when I have felt this low. Despite the progress (better than I really expected) of the kids this season, I just cannot get past my sense that this organization is being led by people who have no real leadership qualifications. I have no confidence in either the McCourts or Colletti. I dread the reactionary and directionless personnel decisions that seem inevitable.

My wish is that a civic-minded and wealthy individual will step up and offer McCourt, in a moment of weakness, a sum that cannot be refused.

http://tinyurl.com/yv9jsp

Yup, hats are the in thing here in South Cali.

I think that's just part of the smoke used to make managers seem important and worthy of their large salaries.

Just dreams.

Matt Kemp still needs some work with the glove but I hear he's working hard in the Arizona Athletic complex (I don't know the real name of it) I hope he also works on his D while he's at it, but I imagine a great FULL year from him would be great to watch in '08, also Loney & I hope La Roche gets some playing time either at 3rd base or 2nd base but I can't wait or '08 ST to come around. Maybe Meloan, Elbert & McDonald make some noise also.

Marv Levy and Dick Jauron have no loyalty to Losman and they rather play their guy in Edwards.

I don't know where to go from there.

Adrian Beltre!

1) Dodger organization (front office, vets, etc.) has faith in the kids and youth movement. i.e., no trading prospects for has-beens.
2) Youth movement pays off and we get a playoff run worth remembering.
2) Matt Kemp has a breakout, 40 home-run, year while playing CF, "The Bison" nickname gains prominence, and real American Bison (the animal) preservation efforts get a boost from his popularity.

I'd be happy with Fanerman's #3 above, too.

2. Matt Kemp takes over CF and goes on to be the next Willie Mays on the field and a model citizen off of it.

3. Logan White commits his entire lifetime to being in charge of LAD scouting.

Busch Stadium has a great concourse entrance.

I'd go for #2. I expect Martin to have another team MVP season in 2008 while not winning the League MVP. I expect Loney to win a batting title some year but probably not 2008. However, I expect 3rd base to be Nomar's to lose next year so LaRoche winning the ROY would have the most meaning the way I see it.

And I don't mean Yeager-Guerrero-Cey-style.

Try enders >>>at<<< aol.com.

But I add new ones more slowly.

And if I learned one thing from the experience, it's that you should skip Delaware.

I hear they have some tender loins, though.

"The Four Corners is the survey point at the intersection of the four U.S. states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona."

You know Jon, if the idea is taking a break, there's such a thing as guest bloggers. You could invite writers you think are interesting to write up non-topical postings, gather 15 to 30 of them and mete them out.

Except that would probably be just as time-consuming as the blogging Jon hasn't had time to do.

Not to mention that, even with the number of fantastic commenters we have, it'd be hard to find that many guest bloggers who could write at the level Jon does.

I know their streak is a once in a lifetime occurrence, but it wouldn't have happened without placing great reliance on their youngsters.

I don't have the faith in Coletti that he will see our kids through. My gut tells me that one by one over the next couple/three years we will see the kids disappear in favor of the veterans fulfilling our perceived needs of that moment.

Pierre, Nomar's extension, Loaiza, Hendrickson...I fear that will be the norm as long as Coletti is here.

I hope I am wrong, but tendencies are tendencies...why tout the invasion of our youthful stars and sign in fading stars to block their emergence. Not once, but at every opportunity.

I don't see happy days ahead, just more frustration and head scratching.

But then again, what do I know.

Every fall there is a roundup of bison on Antelope Island State Park, in which they herd them into the pens in a ranch for the winter. They then have an auction, presumably for bison burgers and not for greener pastures.

To make me feel better, I'm listening to the new album by Robert Plant and Alison Kraus, which Rhapsody is letting you hear before its release.

http://www.delawarebaseball.com/

Including a certain former second baseman for the Dodgers.

Kevin Mench better get to work.

I don't think there's much the Rockies did during the last offseason to make themselves NL champs other than to recognize the value in what they had. Most of my waking thoughts about the Dodgers form a silent prayer that they somehow do just that.

Amen, brother. Amen...

http://tinyurl.com/25wnjx

I even "know a guy" and that hasn't helped.

I think you need to "know two guys."

Thanks for the encouragement Bob.

Of course, those were done before he went to Baltimore.

Bob is just telling it like it is. I applied for the job and got no response. I am still holding out on "knowing somebody" some day, so I can be the ball boy that sits along the foul line at Dodger Stadium.

Will the Dodgers' coaching staff return in 2008?

The fact that the coaching staff wasn't immediately extended at the end of the season is a strong indication that at least some changes will be made. One likely change is Bill Mueller, who is expected to resume a front-office role after taking over as batting coach for Eddie Murray. The availability of former Baltimore pitching coach Leo Mazzone raises an intriguing possibility, as he and Dodgers manager Grady Little worked together in the Atlanta organization.

http://tinyurl.com/246x9s

"Well, look what happened to the Tigers..."

>> Then there's Schmidt, signed to a $47 million contract despite whispers about his health. He'll be 35 next season and coming off major surgery to repair three damaged areas in his shoulder. There's no way the club can count on him as it plans for 2008, no matter how much money Schmidt makes. If he bounces back, it'll be a bonus. <<

http://tinyurl.com/27gb49

looking at the bright side, I heard they were using cutting edge technology, so I'm hoping for the best.

http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/211028

Wow.

I can't believe I actually wrote that.

Strange, while waking up from a long afternoon nap today, I thought, "what ever happened to that Brock guy"? Seriosly. I was nearly in a sleep state, where the mind isn't really in control of what passes through it. I mean, I don't go around thinking about you, so it's not like that.

That could be true. I remembered the July 4th article on Schmidt which referred to his doctor as a trailblazer of cutting-edge procedures. Based on that it appeared that Schmidt's procedures may have been considered cutting-edge but that's not entirely clear in the article.

>> said Stan Conte, Dodgers trainer and medical director. "The qualifier is that the studies only focus on labral tears and a lot of pitchers have a combination of injuries."

As did Schmidt, who had scar tissue removed from a bursa sac and fraying of the biceps tendon repaired, in addition to the anchoring of labrum torn off the rim of the socket. ElAttrache, director of the sports medicine fellowship at Kerlan-Jobe and a trailblazer of cutting-edge procedures <<

http://tinyurl.com/39ydxn

Oddly enough, I came close to posting that same question about an hour ago. Good to see he's still here.

I'm interviewing for a Social Science position at Beverly Hills High School tomorrow. Hopefully, the BHHS crowd will realize how awesome I am, and they'll offer me the job.

We'll see.

Nobody told me.

Sorry about that.

Such is the price you pay for being a know it all. Nobody tells you something you don't know.

I lost the dream job

I'm sorry nobody told you

The last month has been very difficult

I've spent the last 30 days crying and screaming

I don't handle adversity very well

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt on this one. I'm pretty sure that wasn't directed at me on a personal level.

I'm assuming our wires are crossed. You wouldn't direct that at me. I'm sure of it.

My real calling is interpretive dance. Teaching was just a way to pay the bills while I worked on my dance quintet. Really, being employed is overrated.

/Tears

DT will be waiting for you to guffaw it up and dish out the daily goods on who Brenda's sleeping with. We promise not to tell. (Nice one professor. Nudge nudge.)

I always thought "Delaware" was the colloquial name used for the giant traffic jam on I-95 between Maryland and New Jersey: "I won't be there for another couple of hours, I'm stuck in Delaware", etc.

Make sure you have lunch at the Peach Pit after the interview.

1) Brock gets a great job.
2) Brock is happy.
3) The Dodgers are healthy coming into spring training.

Feel free to send me an email if you need to vent.

Does he even know there was a record? After all, it happened yesterday or earlier.

How many days until pitchers and catchers report?

http://www.philbirnbaum.com/futureexpectations.pdf

https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/845351.html

But I would comment on Phil Birnbaum's site about the article.

Hang in there buddy, it's coming.

And I've never been to Mexico. It's too easy.

Oh wait, your a Dodger fan not a Giant fan. Your future is unlimited. Go forth and prosper and spread the Dodger word to the young and unimagined.

245 You've been everywhere, man; you've been everywhere.

251 Hmmm, who is the most Jesse Orosco-like around here?

http://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Live-Club/dp/B000005GY5

Until very day, I didn't realize that it was all pretend. That they'd recorded it in a studio in L.A., brought in a fake audience and boozed them up to make it sound like it was recorded at the club in Chicago. Record producers are sneaky.

Wow, no wonder I am tired.