personally, when I think of Schmidt, I think of Dreifort...that is what I think we get from him

If Schmidt is around 87-90MPH I'll be very very happy.

That would awesome to watch a game at the coliseum with my dad who watched Koufax pitch there when the Dodgers first moved here. I am all for that exhibition.

Having Schmidt pitch regardless of his fastball will be way better than watching Tomko and Hendrickson just give away games in the first inning.

The Coliseum is going to be much harder to fit a baseball stadium in now. In 1958, there was room for a track around the stadium, but that's gone now and it's pretty cozy.

The Coliseum's website says that the width of the field is only 304 feet. The stadium is supposed to be 324 feet from north to south.

And 680 feet from east to west.

no team in baseball in 2007 got less value from players signed to free agent contracts (including those signed before the 2006-07 offseason) than the Dodgers

This includes Brad Penny.

I know why you can't just take him out, but if you take him out... they look even worse.

Wow, what are the centerfield dimensions in that pic?

Dead center was 425' and right center was 440' in 1958, but it was moved in the next three years.

It was 250' to left.

Penny was a trade and they extended his contract. Does that make him eligible for the free-agent list?

It's crazy that there's virtually zero foul territory on the 1B side but EXTREME amounts on the 3B side.

9 That is a good question. They keep talking about free agents, but they also peg David Wright as being undervalued by $17 million -- does that figure into the Mets' total? Don't know.

Moonshots

Its Ozzie-mania over at Fire Joe Morgan.

O'Malley was in negotiations with Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl as well as the Coliseum.

If the Dodgers had played in the Rose Bowl, they would have had to have removed seats from one of the corners to fit a regulation field in the Bowl.

11 They have several calculations. One for pre-arb, one for arbitration, and one for free agents. Your value is relative to how you perform versus the average player at your cost level. (I think the baseline was 200K per WASB for pre-arb, 900K for arb, and four million for a free agent.)

In Wright's case, since he's aribtration eligible, they take his WASB and multiply it by 900K, then subtract his actual salary to come up with his net win shares value.

15 /16 So is L.A. at -$21 million for just the free agents or for the whole team? Do they count, say, Martin?

That picture looks like some sort of unholy combo of the Polo Grounds and Fenway...but in LA! Oh man, if they do that again I'm totally there...but do I have to buy the old school hat to wear to the game?

17 That's just FA's and presumably Penny is in there. They say CHW and HOU were worse in overall net value. So our pre-arb guys push our total into positive territory. Kemp, Martin, Loney, Ethier are probably worth $5-8M each in market value.

I'm a bit puzzled:

"...buried near the bottom of an article by Barry M. Bloom for MLB.com was this rather surprising morsel:

Several games in the annual preseason Freeway Series against the Angels may be staged at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Putting aside the erroneous implication that the Freeway Series is some sort of several-game affair when it has traditionally been no more than three games"

How is it erroneous? Three games is "several games" - it's always been called the "Freeway Series". There's no implication of more-than-three (do you read five? seven?) in that title.

Or was there something more in the original MLB column that you didn't quote? It's all gone now, all that remains is:

"Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, and they played from 1958-61 at the Coliseum prior to the unveiling of Dodger Stadium."

...and then it goes back to talking about Tokyo. in what's now a very awkward leap. Your email exchange with Camille must have led to a quick edit.

18 Jackets and ties will be required.

6 Maybe you meant Lowe?

With the NFL again rejecting the Coliseum for pro football, maybe this baseball-in-the-Coliseum idea was some politico's brainchild to build some positive buzz around the old stadium.

Peter O'Malley must have not enjoyed reading that Chavez Ravine is on the NFL's list again.

Steven A. Smith (whose interview with Kobe Bryant started that whole thing) is saying that if Joe Girardi is not named manager of the Yankees, he has a fallback position of becoming the Dodger's manager (and replacing Grady Little).

When Buster Olney asked Girardi's agent if this was true, he replied, no comment.

I could not find any articles or published rumors online to substantiate this rumor.

If there are games at the Coliseum, fans will also be requested to buy their own bugles to play "Charge!"

That was the Coliseum's trademark.

Its Ozzie-mania over at Fire Joe Morgan

If you or I said we were gonna do the things Ozzie says he's gonna do, we'd never get hired in the first place.

20 - It's not a big deal, but in my mind, three is the minimum to qualify as several. And since we know a portion of the Freeway Series will be played in Anaheim, that leaves a maximum of two games to be played at the Coliseum. So all in all, it just seems like an obvious error - he's making it seem like more games would happen at the Coliseum than possibly could. In order for several games to be played in the Coliseum, the Freeway Series would have to be longer than it ever was.

20 - By the way, thanks for noticing that edit from Bloom's story.

27 - Oh, wait - it's still there. You just must have skipped over it.

A few random thoughts:

1. I'd love the freeway series to be played at the Coliseum if I don't have to buy those tickets with my season tickets. I personally would rather skip exhibition games when meaningful games are around the corner.

2. When are the Dodgers going to pony up some funds for the fire victims? The Lakers have already. Maybe the freeways series funds can be used as donations?

3. We are all just guessing what Schmidt will be if he's able to pitch. Some guys have better success when they aren't throwing as hard, the key is deception, control, and changing speeds. Too soon to guess any of that with Jason and his rebuilt shoulder. Just because his shoulder heals, doesn't mean he will stay injury free either.

4. If someone told me last October that JD Drew would hit a grand slam in the 6th game of the LCS and that Gagne would pitch a 1-2-3 ninth, and then they both performed well again in the first game of the WS, I'd have been jumping with joy. The reality is that I am just mildly entertained.

22 In the article, they specifically cite Penny.

Accoding to the Boston Globe The Dodgers might be interested in going after Joe Torre. That would be good. How nice would he look in Dodger Blue.

Girardi eh...hmmm...

Considering Manager is one of the least of my worries, I like Girardi though.

Giradi did a nice job with the young Marlin team in 2006. Have zero interest in Torre. The Yankee's should be happy he turned down their offer.

23 ESPN.com is now reporting it.

http://tinyurl.com/yv8ch4

In the article, Dodgers say they have a manager.

I'm really not sure how much of the Marlins success we can attribute to Giradi, he seems like a terrible tactical manager (love that bunt) and he probably ruined Josh Johnson. Maybe he's a good motivator but I don't put all that much value there.

We have a manager. We need pitching.

Grady Little is indeed our manager. We don't need "will Grady be back" turmoil this offseason. That is why McCourt announced Ned and Grady are back for another season a few weeks ago.

We could use a power bat and some pitching. Torre will be around if need to make a change for 09. Let's hope we don't need or want to.

34 And that's all they say. "Ken Noe has a sprained ankle," but he won't next week.

33 Giradi would be better than Torre for sure--success with Fish kids as you say and I think he take could take Kent. The guy got a raw deal in Miami.

Finally, would love to see a game in the Coliseum.

34 - I don't think there's a lot of substance to that, but I'm not surprised.

35
I probably put more value in motivation and communication then I do in tactical managing.

I don't see any reason to replace Grady with Giradi but if they did it wouldn't bother me as much if they brought in Torre to replace Grady.

37
To many seemed to have forgotten October 2005. McCourt has very quick mood swings.

My friend and I were discussing the Coliseum story just before Jon posted it. We both agreed that nothing would keep us from watching a game at the Coliseum.

How many of you get to work with a smart die-hard Dodger fan? It sure makes work a lot more fun.

We also need, if he is available, the best player in baseball.

And as long as I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony.

Two years ago, more would have been made of the fact that, if I understand correctly, the Dodger coaches have not yet been rehired. So that's the only thing that's curious. Otherwise, I wouldn't believe for a moment that Little wasn't coming back. And I'd still be surprised if he doesn't.

It probably has something mroe to do with a front office job or coaching position within the Dodgers for Girardi if he doesn't work for the Yankees.

*more

37 If I recall correctly, Joe Girardi was available before Joe Torre was fired, and despite that McCourt said Grady would be back. So I don't see how Joe Torre's firing would lead McCourt to reconsider replacing Little, not with Torre, but with someone who has been available for a year. It's illogical.

If Penny's on the list of free agents then I'm not sure how much credibility to give the story. Penny has never been a free agent, not even by a loose definition of the term. He's been traded twice, and his existing contract with Florida got extended after he joined the Dodgers. So I wonder what other non-free agent free agents are in his calculations?

Girardi would be such a fantastic hire. I know for a fact that he LOVES Billingsley's stuff and said is a soon-to-be ace.

If the Dodgers play at the Coliseum, Vin has to be on the radio doing the play by play.

Stan from Tacoma

35,40 - Qualities I look for in a manager, in order of importance

1) Don't ruin your pitchers
2) Know when to use your pitchers
3) Know which players to play
4) Don't make you players do stupid stuff
5) Handle the media
6) Give a good pep talk

I doubt that motivation is really something managers need to do - in this era of free agency, that is what money is for. Little seems to do well with 1, he's iffy with 2, a bit cowardly with 3, pretty good with 4, all right with 5, and ok with 6.

If anyone is bad with 1, he can sit in the broadcasting booth. For the Angels.

47 - I don't trust that to not mean "I'd love to see how many strikeouts he could rack up if he went 110 pitches per start."

Unless the Dodgers change their managment structure to be more like the Red Sox/A's, I doubt a change in manager will affect things much.

Unless there's a Manny Acta on the market (and Joe Girardi is no Acta), I dont think changing managers would do much. It might appease the casual fans, and Ned/McCourt are image-driven...but little else IMO.

Unless the Dodgers change their managment structure to be more like the Red Sox/A's, I doubt a change in manager will affect things much.

You mean where the manager is a just a puppet for the front office?

Personally I'm better with Grady than Ned, although as I said, better Girardi than Torre. Still I wonder about the following:

1. As Jon said, no coaches hired (and all told they can leave if they want)
2. The team's terse, present tense statement.
3. Colletti's apparent ties to Girardi (not to mention a reason to find a scapegoat for '07)
4. McCourt's track record this time of the year.

Like I said this morning, I expect bad news every morning.

46 I think that means "eligibile for free agency", i.e. any player with more than six years of service time.

What specific good quality can anyone point to in Giradi? "The Marlins exceeded expectations when he was the manager" isn't specific enough.

With Oakland, the manager and front office don't have to be on the same page, it's just that the manager is given a book that has just one page. And the book is paperback.

I'll be off for a while torturing more metaphors. It's allowed under U.S. law.

I might not mind a Joe Girardi hiring — to replace Steve Lyons.

Or a Torre hiring to replace Rick Monday.

The sourcing for the Olney story on Girardi and the Dodgers is terrible. "Officials familiar with Girardi's job prospects said Thursday ... Girardi could have a developing opportunity with the Los Angeles Dodgers."

Someone anonymously says someone else might have a possibility of something. That's not a story.

54 Girardi allowed Hanley Ramirez to play through a 13-113 (.126) stretch in May/June with 1 HR and 23 K's. He only sat out once. Of course the alternative was Alfredo Amezaga. Also, Miguel Cabrera did not lay down a sac bunt in 2006.

I feel bad for Grady Little....

He deserves credit for developing Russell Martin, Jonathan Broxton, Chad Billingsley and James Loney.

I'm guessing a planted story by Girardi's "people" to prod the Yankees.

58 I only post what I hear or read, I can't vouch for the reporting.

I hope we stick with Grady. There is value to continuity. I don't think he has been the problem. If another manager has the influence to play whoever he thinks is best without regard to contracts AND he is a better judge of talent than Ned then I say hire him. Otherwise let's stick with Grady.

A game or two at the Coliseum might be fun but I'm sure glad we don't play there anymore. I don't think anybody hated it more than Drysdale who gave up a lot of 250 foot home runs. Left field might be a great place to hide a weak throwing arm though.

Or a ManRam

61 that's my read on the situation.

if we are interested, however, i'd have no problem seeing him in blue. maybe grady could become assistant gm #4!

wait a second, what exactly is a "developing opportunity"? and how do i know if i'm in the middle of one?

61---

That was exactly how it struck me. As a planted story. Not sure why the Yankees would care, though.

54 That's really stretching the definition of "free agent" with service time as the only criteria. By that definition, Derek Jeter and Todd Helton are free agents. So it sounds more like a study of "which team got the most out of its veteran players." If the Dodgers came out low on that scale, I wouldn't be at all surprised. But calling all veteran players "free agents" is like calling anyone over 72* "dead" even if they're, technically, alive.

(*or whatever the average lifespan is now.)

Bill Shaikin does his version of the Coliseum story:

http://tinyurl.com/2a2rkc

68 Wouldn't the Dodgers do even worse if it just counted free agent signings? Wouldn't Lowe and Kent be the only positives at that point?

Punk Rock Baseball Cards:

http://www.glyphjockey.com/punkbb.htm

Though, some of them aren't punk rockers.

70 Anecdotally (since I'm surrounded by scientists), yes. I might add a little bit 'o' Seanez and LuGo. LuGo was more an irritant than a bad ballplayer, and unlike Nomar and Pierre, he's already gone.

>The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt!

71 I like the Jagger card.

I wonder if Girardi is a punk rock kinda guy or a Billy Joel type.

68 In the article, he divides players into three categories:
1) Arbitration Non-eligible (i.e., first 2 yrs)
2) Arbitration Eligible
3) Free Agents
The reason for this is that this is how salaries break down. Group 1 is the cheapest, Group 2 is next, and Group 3 is the most expensive. Whether they are "true" free agents like Schmidt or extended players like Jeter or Penny is not really relevant, because they are on the same pay structure.

72 I just noticed that the actual numbers are on the site so I can actually compute the values.

Gonzalez: $-1,706,557
Seanez: $4,643,433

There is value in knowing what a team is able to do with all of its resources. How does a team determine which players to promote from the minors, which arbitration-eligible players to work with or sign to long-term deals, which free agents to sign -- and how do we judge how they did in each of these areas?

Speaking only from a financial point of view, it makes sense to focus on the players with over six years of service, because these are the players who will take up not only AB/IP, but also cash. In a sense, it doesn't matter what James Loney does, because if he had come up and stunk, the team could replace him next year without losing any investment... and the fact that he hit doesn't excuse the management from signing Pierre or Garciaparra.

Maybe I'm not expressing the idea in my head well. Let's see.

76 Whoops, apparently I didn't quite get it.

Gonzalez: -$608,613
Seanez: $2,559,370

73 That is amazing.

might appease the casual fans, and Ned/McCourt are image-driven...but little else IMO.

When the McCourts first arrived in L.A. they were total & utter slaves to there image/& or how they were prescieved (sp) by idiots like Plaschke & the L.A. papers. (sp?) Has it changed? I don't know.

73

That's so cool!!

The calculations for our veterans

Penny: $10,734,341
Kent: $410,932
Lowe: $531,205
Furcal: -$3,866,877
Wolf: -$1,864,230
Nomar: -$1,994,520
Pierre: -$4,640,523
Tomko: -$4,901,114
Schmidt: -$7,146,205

Joe Girardi holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern University. Done. Hire him.

While I'm at it:

Martin: $9,546,353
Kemp: $3,372,353
Loney: $6,900,353
Bills: $6,900,353
Broxton: $3,372,353

The formula breaks down for a guy like Saito who is paid like an arbitration level player but is technically pre arb. It's almost impossible to have any value if you make anything beyond the league minimum as a pre-arb.

73 Reading methodology classes have tons of those in textbooks, to highlight the different between sight-reading (recognizing words) and decoding (taking the letters, and forming language from the rules of pronunciation).

Adults don't decode, they sight read.

This would be a problem for Ned and Frank, as Girardi was canned for not toeing the line with upper management and ownership during his year in Florida. He also had an affinity for Alfredo Amezaga, which isn't good. He's also only managed one year, so he's still somewhat of an unknown entity.

If anything, it'd make things interesting.

I hope we stick with Grady. There is value to continuity.

I agree with that quote, to a degree.

86 Hey, don't diss Alfredo Amezaga, he's all underrated team. Watch the man play center and be amazed. Now, if only he could hit.

Jon,

I know it is pretty much a non story, but do you think Girardi would be a better fit for the team then Graddy? and yeah i am guessing a posting is coming soon. Sorry for jumping the gun.

89

I hope I don't get tagged with the label of racist towards my elders, But I think a young energetic Girardi would be a perfect fit in L.A. Don't get me wrong I don't mind Graddy Little but somebody like Girardi would be great.

Not only is the ESPN report about Girardi hugely speculative and poorly sourced, it doesn't really even say the alleged job opportunity is a manager's job.

If there is anything brewing with the Dodgers, it could be something in the front office. It need not mean Little is on the way out.

50 - I see no reason why 110 shouldn't be the cut off point for an ace rather than 100... granted, I'm in the no-preset-pitch-count-particularly-for-your-"ace" camp. There are certain pitchers, and always have been, that can throw a monster number of pitches without their arm falling off (Ryan, Sutton, Fernando, Drysdale never even bothered with pitch counts). Maybe Billz is one of those guys, maybe not... but if he can be a guy that strikes out 250-300 a season, then a high pitch count isn't a bad thing. But I'm going to be rather annoyed if he keeps getting yanked in the 6th inning when he's averaging 8 strikeouts over the first 5.2 of a game just because he's hit 100 pitches.

91 Umpire relations, maybe?

Or maybe he could be like the guy in "Local Hero" whose only job is to abuse the owner. Oh, wait, Jamie's still there.

I'll be honest, I don't even like the idea of a story popping up that the Dodgers are maybe, possibly, questionably looking for a new manager. Not because I'm a mark for Little, but because of what it says about the ownership. It's weather vane leadership and bad business, especially in sports. Coaches and GM need to be given a couple of years, at least, to implement their systems and run the team. Continuity is good, so long as you don't run into Matt Millen territory.

Ken Rosenthal gives the following reasons:

Torre would be perfect fit for Dodgers

1. The Dodgers would gain an identity
2. The free-agent market is terrible
3. Little soon might be gone, anyway
4. Owner Frank McCourt needs a win

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7372752

93
But the guy in "Local Hero" was a licensed psychiatrist. His abuse of Mr. Happer was part of a therapeutic course of action.

95
So the Dodgers big problem is an identity crisis?

I thought they just didn't have any power hitters and suspect starting pitching.

95 - Not one of those are a valid reason to hire Torre.

1. The Dodgers would gain an identity

Oooh, and just in time for Halloween! Can the Dodgers dress up as a baseball team this year?

2. The free-agent market is terrible

And that $5 million is burning a hole in Frank's pocket!

3. Little soon might be gone, anyway

He'll most assuredly be gone if you hire Torre! Self-fulfilling prophecy, meet tautological argument!

4. Owner Frank McCourt needs a win

Okay, maybe I'm nuts, but I'd prefer that win to come in a Major League Baseball contest.

95 "So the Dodgers should hire Joe Torre" doesn't seem like the proper conclusion to any of those points.

95 You left off Rosenthal's fifth bad reason:
"Torre is hungry." And as we know, managers who really really want to win always find a way to do it.

That was our problem this season. Bob Melvin and Clint Hurdle just wanted it more than Grady Little. Hurdle wanted it more than Melvin, as it turned out, and now we're going to find out who wants to win more, Francona or Hurdle. That's really the decisive factor, although, sadly, you can't really tell who wanted it more until after the season or series is over.

Wasn't Rosenthal the guy who, last night, first misidentified the Rockies' opponent in the NLDS and then said that the Diamondbacks were just a bad team, and that's why the Red Sox beat up on them by a dozen runs?

One executive called this free-agent market the "weakest ever.'' That exec noted that free-agent classes are now made up only of "Scott Boras clients and late bloomers.''

http://tinyurl.com/23e4qo

101 If Torre is hungry, and unemployed, he may want to go to Hometown Buffet. You get a lot of food there for a very reasonable price.

Managers, even expensive managers, are far cheaper than players. The Dodgers could give Torre a two-year, $14 million contract... and trumpet him as their big off-season acquisition.

Wow that is a new low for Rosenthal. Sign Torre over A Jones because he's cheaper! The new Gammons he ain't.

101 Also, if I were a manager, and I were hungry for a World Series win, I might choose to take $5 million to manage the Yankees -- a team that is likely to be very, very good next year.

Perhaps this Torre character isn't as hungry as Rosenthal would have us believe.

101. 95 You left off Rosenthal's fifth bad reason:
"Torre is hungry."

There's no way I would have left that one out on purpose. :-)
For some reason I just stopped reading after #4. I'm not sure why.

Anybody think that while hiring Girardi might not improve the team from a strategic standpoint, it could signal that management is more willing to stick with the kids? Who better to appease the clubhouse than a young spark plug manager who has successfully managed a young team?

It could be a great PR move to not only put the bad vibes from September in the past, but also get the casual fan excited about a youth movement.

What does it mean that we're all waiting for the other shoe to drop on a horrible move?

While I don't advocate any of the Horrible Moves that have been floated, the only one that's really a dealbreaker to me is the Pierre-to-left/free-agent-CF move. If that happens, I might need to find something else to do with my time. Like coo over Spawn of Kavula (due date just 10 days away!)

Yond Torre has a lean and hungry look
He uses Proctor too much; such men are dangerous

I apologize for not getting the second line into iambic pentameter.

109
Should we chip in to get you a Dodgers bassinet?

Or a Dodger Thoughts onesie?

108 That's exactly what I think the rationale would be. And I'd prefer Girardi over Torre.

Of course, I'd prefer Alex Rodriguez more. Manager, Schmanager.

109 I actually have a DodgerThoughts onesie.

Sometime poster JimBilly4 painted me one.

It has a minotaur, a bull, bills, a
golden god (with a catcher's mask), a bison, and the words "big game."

112 If they could get A-Rod, management could hire a three-headed monster of Dusty Baker, Kevin Kennedy, and Jim Tracy as manager for all I care.

114 a three-headed monster of Dusty Baker, Kevin Kennedy, and Jim Tracy

"Do I, the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, hate it when players clog the bases? Yes, I do!"

We could pay him $14 million to take over for Mike Lieberthal, if that's what Rosenthal thinks would help. Martin doesn't sit too often, but Torre would be a PVL-deluxe behind the plate.

The Dodgers have only won World Series when being managed by taciturn men from Ohio or garrulous Italian-Americans.

The second taciturn Ohioan didn't work out.

117 Not taciturn enough.

Grady Little is an atrocious baseball strategist (with a remarkably bad feel for when to pull relievers), a lousy motivator of his players, and a manager who lost control of his team by the end of the season.

To my thinking he isn't tough enough with those players who need a a kick in the butt. Sometimes a good manager needs to rip a player who will be motivated by public criticism. (Not all players respond to that approach but sometimes it is appropriate to try it.)

Colletti gave Little a flawed team good enough to finish with 90-92 wins. I see no justification for keeping Grady whatsoever.

Gurnick adds his own twist to the speculation over at dodgers.com

The box score of my first ever Dodger game, played at the Coliseum, Aug 14, 1958. http://tinyurl.com/3xaazx

My dad took me to celebrate my 6th birthday, which was actually 5 days later.

After viewing the box score you may understand why "Big D" became my all time favorite ballplayer.

I am looking forward to celebrating my 50th season as a Dodger fan in 2008.

The Dodgers have only won World Series when being managed by taciturn men from Ohio or garrulous Italian-Americans.

If you think I'm garrulous enough, I'm available.

121 - attendance, 6,195. Wow. I bet you could have heard yourself cheering on the radio, if they had such things as transistor radios in those days.

117 - I was wondering why they hired Tracy.

119 I think you're being a bit hard on Grady. He was better than average at pulling relievers and average at motivating his players. It's true that he wasn't a disciplinarian and it cost him at the end of the season, but overall I think he's a fairly neutral manager.

games in the coliseum would definitely be worth a road trip down from SF for.

123. When your 6 years old, 6195 is a big number. But, one of my lasting memories of that game was the incredible hugeness of the Coliseum. We sat on the 3rd base side and I remember both starting pitchers warmed up side by side in front of the stands. I also remember the smell of cigars and a cloudy haze that hung over the stands during the game.

In Shadow of Series, Yankees Stay Quiet

>> "As far as making the decision, it will be before the end" of the Series, Hank Steinbrenner told The Associated Press. "No question. As far as when we announce it, we're going to obviously honor the wishes of the commissioner." <<

## The Yankees are not forced to hunt for bargains based on statistics — the essence of the so-called "Moneyball" philosophy — but Cashman values statistics so much that he has a full-time analyst, Michael Fishman, on his staff.

It is a facet of his job that Cashman, who did not return a telephone message, does not like to publicize. ##

http://tinyurl.com/2cze6l

Transistor radios were pretty new inventions in 1958. They had been around since the early 1950s and they were quite popular by the time the Dodgers came to L.A.

Supposedly the Coliseum would be filled with fans listening to Scully on the radio as the game was going on and that phenomenon moved Scully from "guy who came from Brooklyn" to "L.A. Cultural icon."

121
I'm assuming you went to a day game. The Dodgers played a lot of them in their first season in L.A.

Not a bad idea to play in the Coliseum, but I think I would rather see the Lakers play again in the Forum, perhaps with a halftime honoring the past Championship teams from the 80's and 72. Of course if the Dodgers did play in the Coliseum I would assume that they would honor the 58 team or the 59 Championship team.

Another fact that few people know is that the Dodgers are responsible for the San Diego "Chargers" name as they both played in the Coliseum during the 1960 season and the constant playing of charge at the Dodger games at the Coliseum gave rise to the name for the new football team.

128 Do you have a link to that article?

128 Ok, wow, um...it's almost 1 AM here?

You confused me with the alternating bold and non-bold!

129 - Dodger Stadium was full of transister radios as well. I miss hearing Vin during the games at Dodger Stadium.

Hiring Giradi as a coach would tell Grady he has about until June to look like a successful manager and keep reminding him he has little room for error.

I don't know if Girardi would be any good but it would sure be interesting to see what happens when he walks over to the owners box and yells at the owner to "be quiet!" during a game.

I'm guessing the result is Frank shrinks. Tommy wakes up. And Jamie jumps the fence and kicks his butt while Camille looks on in horror.

121 Drysdale had only one strikeout. That's a surprise.

Seeing all those names takes me back. I became a fan within a year or so of that date. I remember Klippstein vaguely, Labine well. F Kipp is unknown to me, though.

These managerial rumors are awesome.

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.

135. Grady does ok in June. Its September when he loses his way.

I see that Girardi won National League Manager of the Year in 2006, when his team won 5 fewer games than they had in the previous year.

These complicated manufactured dilemmas about where teams can play is just sad. The Chargers and the fire. The Dodgers and the Coliseum. The Chargers don't have to fly to Arizona, why don't they just play at some high school? Or a field with painted lines? What happened to the simplicity of 11 guys on each side trying to move a leather ball?

My favorite quote from the Daily News: "'Grady Little is our manager,'" said Camille Johnston, the Dodgers' senior vice president for communications, who emphasized that she had no knowledge of the situation."

Its always nice in business when the PR people have no idea whats going on.

141 Same thing that happened to a bunch of kids in a vacant lot with a bat and ball.

140 Your tongue is in cheek on that one, I assume. Some players that were on the 2005 Marlins, but not the 2006 version that Girardi was handed: Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Mike Lowell, Juan Encarnacion, Paul Lo Duca, Alex Gonzalez, A. J. Burnett, and, oh yeah, Josh Beckett.

That said, Girardi's Marlins did under perform their Pythagorean by two games.

49 - I don't think anyone who has heard Orel Hershiser talk about the profound positive effect Tommy Lasorda had on his self-confidence would rate a manager's ability to motivate his players so low.

Monday marks the anniversary of McCourt firing DePo, 10/29/05. Sleep well this weekend, Grady.

92 Drysdale's arm DID fall off. He missed the last month of his age 31 season due to injury and retired in the next season, trying unsuccessfully to come back.

Fernando was never the same after he went down in his age 27 season, 1988.

Limiting the work on your starters is about preserving their arm over a longer haul than one season.

146 The one person I absolutely do not miss leading the Dodgers is Tommy. He is so full of himself, he would take credit for discovering the recipe for ice if he could. I loathe the nonsense "enthusiastic" dribble that flows out of his pie hole. I wish he would go away very quietly. Frank thinks he's some sort of icon or something, I simply do not.

I find it fitting that Mariano is on the field and Tommy isn't. Mariano stood up to that foolishness and Tommy was vindictive. Let's not forget that Tommy was the guy who didn't consider Pedro M a strong enough body to be a starting pitcher.

149 Full of himself? Perhaps. But you are certainly in the minority if you don't think he's an icon. He is, regardless of what you think of him.

He got the most out of his best players, a fact they attest to again and again.

Not that he didn't have his shortcomings, he certainly did; but he brought home two championships and number of pennants. Say what you will about his arm-killing propensities, I would trade the arms of Fernando and Hershiser for championships in a heartbeat.

I realize it's a far-fetched scenario, but, would you rather have 6 brilliant years of the Minotaur and a championship, or 14 great years without one? I know the two aren't mutually exclusive, but we tend to forget the fact that the team plays to win a championship, and they are so very rare.

Obviously, he'll never live down the Pedro thing, but every manager has a skeleton in his closet.

95. The reason why Torre wouldn´t be a perfect fit for the Dodgers: EDSP

Mornin' All:

Last night, I was thinking about the DH... First of all, I'm not a fan.

Secondly the American League is not that much better than the National League without it.

My thinking is that the American League keeps having this perceived advantage, because, over time, they have learned to make the best use of the DH. It's literally unfair! Imagine having an extra hitter the entire season while the National League tries to work around the pitching spot.

Is it any surprise the AL dominates interleague play? Even with NL rules, the AL will already have a ready-to-go hitter to use for pinch hitting.

Granted, the AL does have better top to bottom batting lineups overall. The gap, however is closing, with the new talent in the NL. I just think it'd make sense to either

1) Give the NL a DH
or
2) Remove the DH from the AL

The Players Union will probably lobby for the former, since it could extend some careers and allow pitchers to go deeper into games. I'm fine either way, but I hope this gets addressed eventually.

The Dodgers already have a DH. Jeff Kent.

150 I understand that not liking Lasorda makes me a minority. I'm kind of used to that label anyway for many different reasons in my life and I'm comfortable with it.

Regardless, there is a perception among those who aren't hardcore Dodger fans that he's some sort of untouchable Dodger icon that I think is mistakenly accepted by these casual LA fans and folks in other cities. I simply don't miss him.

I think the winning had a lot to do with a core group of solid players and some really good pitching. Thank you for your service Tommy, but please be quiet now. You were part of two winning decades, but you weren't the sole reason. Orel is loyal, I respect that. However, somehow I doubt that he thinks Tommy was the master motivator he was quoted as having said. I might be wrong.

Its strange, but it seems like forever since the Dodgers played. Maybe it only seems that way bc the last real meaningful game they played was in early September. Still, if the off-season isnt very active, its going to seem like a real long winter at least pour moi.

This date in baseball:

1998 - The New York Mets announced All-Star catcher Mike Piazza agreed to a seven-year, $91 million contract, then the richest deal in baseball history.

2000 - The New York Yankees became the first team in more than a quarter-century to win three straight World Series championships, beating the New York Mets 4-2 in Game 5 to win the series, 4-1.

Joey, I have to admit, "if the off-season isn't very active" I'll be as happy as a clam! Especially with respect to the Dodger.

s

149 I used to like Tommy. Then the same things that you said about him started to dawn on me. He is full of himself, and the enthusiasm is self-promotional. I remember him showing that same enthusiasm in interviews for Weight Watchers. I enjoy his antics, as kind of absurd yet amazing carnival barker.

I can't tell what he'd be like off camera. He just may be a great guy. Or he may just talk about himself alot. Can't tell.

157
I see some pretty major work coming by Colletti and co. Moving Furcal seems like selling low, but I could see them shopping him, Ethier, and Lowe. Ultimately names like Dunn, Abreu, Jones, and Cabrera will be thrown out in the press, but I think that at the end of the day, we are less desperate than the likes of St. Louis, New York, and the Angels.

We will hear a lot, but our acquisitions seem more likely to be in the Carlos Silva vein.

160 Isn't "Sell Low" Ned's middle name?

154, 159 - Except for the brilliant post-season commercials on FOX last year (It's your duty, Judy!), I agree that Tommy's best contributions to baseball are long behind him.

However, I still like seeing him at the ballpark and think the McCourts are doing right by keeping him around, if only as a figurehead (and he certainly is nothing more than that at this point, thankfully).

From everything I've heard though, he is a motivational wonder. And don't forget that he had a GREAT deal to do with the development of that core of players in the 70s.

154 You aren't the only one. I can't stand Lasorda.

160
No, I think "buy high" is his middle name...

163
I really do not see what all the fuss about Tommy is so long as he is simply a figurehead and ambassador for the team. As long as he keeps out of the operations side of things, I just ignore his rants.

I do like his stories of his early playing/coaching days, though.

58
(late to the party, I know...But--)
not if you're Buster Olney or ESPN.

73
You just gave me a big fat hdcaeahe.

I'm not a big Tommy fan mainly based on story after story about the nobodies who work for the Dodgers and how he treated them. However on his birthday a lot of the big name players from his past made some great comments on the big screen and he's still a huge fan favorite. Probably only 2nd to Fernando as a fan favorite. Many people point to Tommy ruining Fernando but if you had actually been around at the time, once Fernando became what he was, I think he'd gone toe to toe with Tommy if Tommy tried to limit his pitch counts.

I've heard some horror stories about Tommy as well but people in L.A. simply don't mind of don't care, we're blinded by Tommy is you will...

I don't blame Tommy for overworking pitchers, everyone was doing that. I didn't like him as a manager for lots of reasons, but I simply am disgusted by his empty rants of positive nonsense that seem so shallow and fake. It is his constant comments that I found and still find to be annoying beyond redemption. As a manager, he had his moments and I don't blame him for Orel's arm falling off or anything like that. If Orel were Bills in 2006 and 07, he'd have been treated like Bills has been. I find it very refreshing that Beckett wasn't used on three days rest and won't be in the WS either. I digress.

Lasorda: I guess he's our figurehead mascot. As far as staying out of the way, I don't think he has. I think he is chiefly responsible for DePo being fired. He has McCourt's ear and McCourt and others think he can sway Dodger fans if he supports the moves they make.

I don't mind his birthday party and all that stuff to honor an old manager, I just think he isn't the face of the Dodgers past success that he considers himself to be. Nor is he the face of the franchise now. He hasn't ever found a camera he didn't like. Nor an award he wouldn't accept. He just comes off as so phony to me I grimace when he is speaking. He is like a see-through politician. He did an interview for FoxSportsNet recentley where he was going on and on about having an asteroid named after him and how important he was to have an asteroid named after him. I just wish he'd chase that asteroid into oblivion.

160

Not sure how we are less desperate than the Angels. Sure they need a power hitter, but they have all of Colon's money to use on finding one and can use the DH, which is not an option for us. I personally think LaRoche is a lot closer to being a major league regular 3rd baseman than Wood, but probably neither of them will get much of a chance in 08.

So you must have really been torn when he took Team USA on that great run to win the Gold Medal?
Motivation, who needs it? Evidently ballplayers do because that would have been the only thing he brought to the table.

The only thing I can't stand for with regards to Tommy is his relationship with his son.

171 I'm happy to see him be successful and his teams be succesful. He should just take it with a grain of humility and consider himself a part of something bigger than himself. It is his self-promoting air of importance that irritates me. I don't deny he's had a long and interesting career in baseball. I just don't find him loveable nor necessary now. I understand why I'm not in the majority. Just a personal opinion.

"Hey Tommy! Now go get your shine box."

172 Oh yeah, I forgot about that. What does that say about the man as a person? He's your SON! Love him. Period.

I tell you ,sports fans, Tom Lasorda is 80 now. Any perceived animosity will not be long lived (ooh no pun intended..)

Jon expressed his opinion on Lasorda once, and basically I agree with him.

To that I add: I choose to celebrate what he did without worrying about who he is or his moral fiber. It's the same approach I use for Bob Barker.

176 - That doesn't quite sound like my opinion on Lasorda.

169 I'm not a big Tommy fan, but you go too far. He's just ann annoying old dude, and he CAN tell a charming story. He's not Satan.

And you badly, with animosity, misrepresent his Fox interview, both in tone and context.

177 What's your opinion on Lasorda, Jon?

You mean, what's my opinion of Lasorda's performance? :)

I read the other day that the Dodgers were one of the few teams left without a mascot. Not true, I said, we have Tommy. When he does go on the the Great Dodger in the Sky, we'll have to hire some guys to dress up as dinosaurs or wieners.

As long as he's not my dad or the GM, I'm fine with Tommy.

i'm still trying to process the dodgers.com headline of "Repko shut down but still optimistic." is down really the new up?

Personally, I like Tommy simply cause he's been here for so long (continuity!) all the yelling & cursing threw the years was in the name of entertainment if you ask me.

178 You think I am equating him with Satan? Now that is a stretch. His Fox interview discussion about the asteroid was nonsense. How is the context wrong? Whatever. We can agree to disagree. I don't like him and don't find him inspirational or motivating. I find him controlling and phony. Just my opinion. You are entitled to yours.

my take on Lasorda now...he is a huge Dodger fan who gets paid to be one...I wish I had his job...

my take on Lasorda then...you may like how he handled the pitchers or not, you may like how he handled the team or not, he picked his starters and stuck with them, and his teams competed for championships during his tenure as manager...

I don't "hate" Lasorda but I wouldn't blame someone if they did.

180 Sure, why not? =)

179 - Tommy's success could have happened to a nicer guy. I do value his motivational skills, though some years they clearly worked better than others. But he's a close-minded blowhard and in some ways a rude and contemptible human being, and when people cheer for him at Dodger Stadium I'm torn.

His overuse of pitchers was in some ways a product of the times, so I'm sort of willing to write that off. At the same time, I don't want him advising anyone today about how much pitchers should throw, nor would I want his input in any transaction decisions.

He's a conundrum.

On another topic:

Has anyone else been annoyed by the wide strike zone in this World Series. This in no way discounts the great hitting Boston has been doing, but the Rockies hitters are showing patience on pitches off the plate and are being awarded with strike calls. I have noticed plenty of times where this is getting into their heads and they begin to swing at anything close.

Just an observation.

188 that happens all the time...pitchers with a rep as being good get those wide calls especially in the playoffs...and the rockies have no credibility since they are so new the the show

187 He's a conundrum.

- Wrapped in a Dodger Blue enigma?

- A conundrum? So was Tom Marvolo Riddle.

My brain can't determine if the human part of the umpire strike zone is something I love about baseball, since every game the players have to adjust to the human factor of the strike zone, or if I abhor the fact that nothing is consistent and the whim of an umpire is to much control for someone who doesn't play the game.

Would I be happier if a triangulation of algorithms determined the strike zone?

Would I be happier if a triangulation of algorithms determined the strike zone?

I would be, but only if it worked quickly.

By the way, speaking of Tommy the Motivator, here's something else motivational:

http://tinyurl.com/yu5odw

Pretty cool, huh?

Do you think we'll ever go to a more high-tech way of determining balls and strikes?

I'm not in favor of instant replay to overrule umpire calls, but it seems like the technology is there for umpires to know if a ball cross the strike zone or not. Fans see it clearly on TV now, assuming those little rectangular matrices are accurate. Why not give the umps a PDA that will tell them whether it was a ball or a strike. What's the argument for not doing that, aside from quaint attachment to the past.

152 I'm with you on this one. Time for the NL to just get over it. I don't like the DH, but the disparity between the leagues is rendering the World Series less meaningful. NL teams' player development system would be totally different if there was a ninth batter who didn't need to play a position. That we have a series in which the matchup is David Ortiz vs. Ryan Spilborgh is just absurd, and the unfair advantage given to the AL is not offset by the DH's absence from the NL-hosted games. The Rockies would have a different roster if they'd had the DH all season. That's the unfair disparity.

I, too, always saw Lasorda as full of himself,
and his selective treatment of playes he liked always bugged me.

But he did do a great commercial for the Commodore Amiga!

I'd rather the NL lost the World Series every year than get rid of the DH.

Keep in mind that it has been all of 12 months since the last, inferior NL team won a World Series.

194 yes, you are right, a DH in the NL would open a slot for Delwyn Young

196 As with Colorado this year, Detroit was rusty due to a long layoff. St. Louis didn't win that series so much as Detroit flubbed it, especially with horrible fielding.

The only other NL winners the past 10 years are Florida and Arizona, both of which did it with overwhelmingly great pitching, which I admit is an equalizer.

I guess we could just let the AL beat up the NL every WS, with a few breakthroughs when the NL team gets lucky. Just lower our expectations. The ALCS and NLCS are the real climatic events, and the World Series is more of an exhibition. They could put it on the Versus channel.

129. Bob - I do remember it being an afternoon game. I did attend a night game at the Coliseum the following year vs. the Cardinals, but can't remember the exact date. The crowd was much larger, as was the haze of smoke above the crowd. A lot of people smoked back then.

194. For the most part I agree. I think another part of the equation is that the AL has two of the highest team salaries in baseball and many of the other teams, feeling the need to compete are having to spend more money and snag up the better free agent players => better teams. Without having done any scientifical studies on the matter I can't say for sure, but it would be interesting to know stuff like....

1. Of the 10 highest salaried teams, how many are in the AL/NL?

2. The last 5 years how much money has been spent on FAs per league (per 16 for NL, per 14 for AL).

vr, Xei

St. Louis winning the World Series wasn't any more convincing than Detroit beating the Lakers in the 2004 finals. Know what I mean? Every dog has his day.

201 hence the term Dodger Dog

200

Excellent question, Xei:

here's what USA Today says

Payroll Rankings, 2007

1. New York Yankees $ 189,639,045
2. Boston Red Sox $ 143,026,214
3. New York Mets $ 115,231,663
4. Los Angeles Angels $ 109,251,333
5. Chicago White Sox $ 108,671,833
6. Los Angeles Dodgers $ 108,454,524
7. Seattle Mariners $ 106,460,833
8. Chicago Cubs $ 99,670,332
9. Detroit Tigers $ 95,180,369
10. Baltimore Orioles $ 93,554,808

7 out of 10 teams are in the AL!!

http://tinyurl.com/3dgcz3

198. Defense is part of the game. Having a better defense, doesn't equate to someone flubbing the game/series to you in my book.
vr, Xei

203. Thanks for the quick answer. That's where I think a large chunk of the disparity may be coming from.
vr, Xei

My point about St. Louis is not that it wasn't a fluke. It's that if not having the DH can't undermine one of the worst NL World Series teams, the recent stretch of AL dominance isn't enough of a reason to sacrifice one of the best aspects of NL baseball.

Just for grins...

Bottom 10 Payroll Rankings, 2007:

21. Texas Rangers $ 68,318,675
22. Kansas City Royals $ 67,116,500
23. Cleveland Indians $ 61,673,267
24. San Diego Padres $ 58,110,567
25. Colorado Rockies $ 54,424,000
26. Arizona Diamondbacks $ 52,067,546
27. Pittsburgh Pirates $ 38,537,833
28. Washington Nationals $ 37,347,500
29. Florida Marlins $ 30,507,000
30. Tampa Bay Devil Rays $ 24,123,500

Surprise, surprise, 6 of 10 are in the NL

Source is the same, see 203

200
MLB TEAM PAYROLL (US$)
1. NY Yankees 195,229,045
2. Boston 143,123,714
3. NY Mets 116,115,819
4. Chicago Sox 109,290,167
5. LA Angels 109,251,333
6. LA Dodgers 108,704,524
7. Seattle 106,516,833
8. Chicago Cubs 99,936,999
9. Detroit 95,180,369
10. Baltimore 95,107,808
11. San Francisco 90,469,056
12. St. Louis 90,286,823
13. Atlanta 89,492,685
14. Philadelphia 89,368,213
15. Houston 87,759,500
16. Oakland 79,938,369
17. Toronto 79,925,600
18. Milwaukee 71,986,500
19. Minnesota 71,439,500
20. Cincinnati 69,654,980
21. Texas 68,818,675
22. Kansas City 67,366,500
23. Cleveland 61,289,667
24. San Diego 58,235,567
25. Colorado 54,424,000
26. Arizona 52,067,546
27. Pittsburgh 38,604,500
28. Washington 37,347,500
29. Florida 30,507,000
30. Tampa Bay 24,124,200
Note:
Team salaries do not represent full team payroll. Number listed includes current salary for all players currently on the roster.
From ESPN.com

Bolded teams = 2007 Playoff teams

205 Though only five of those teams would be considered above average.

209. I think three things are at work.
1. DH makes AL teams stronger.
2. AL has higher salaried teams (ie - Yankees, Red Sox).
3. Good/Bad leagues/divisions is somewhat cyclical.

Not sure how I would weight the three.

vr, Xei

Jon, when you said "I'd rather the NL lost the World Series every year than get rid of the DH." Did you mean get rid of the DH in the NL or the AL?

My guess is that Cleveland will move out the last third of salaries soon, Cleveland because their artbitration avoidance contracts begin to kick in next year for several of their players.

206 That's fair. Would your position change if we're now 10 years later, and the AL/NL ratio of WS wins remains 70-30?

204 I ask b/c I really don't know. Was Detroit's defensive breakdown anomalous? I hadn't heard they were a bad defensive team before the Series.

200 I see in the NFL an aspect of the same thing. The AFC has superior teams, so other teams spend more to keep up and so the AFC's advantage becomes self-perpetuating. But a handful of aggressive owners in the NFC could turn that around within just a few years. If lack of money were the only reason for NL teams' weak WS showing the past decade or so, then I'd say, yeah, don't panic, don't change anything, just try to get the Dodgers, Cubs, Mets etc. to spend more and spend more wisely. But if the pattern is more ingrained than that, what would you do? Just let it be?

Here's one possibile fallback. What if the NL teams were allowed to carry 26 players on their roster up until the WS, giving them a chance to keep a masher with less defensive skills on their roster for use against the AL in interleague and WS play? When the AL and NL actually meet, they would have to equalize the rosters, but when the NL is playing the NL, they've got 26-man teams.

Seems kind of odd to me that the Dodgers put the Girardi story on their website.

I guess it gives them some attention.

211

Oops, that was badly phrased. Never mind :/

211 - Sorry, I meant that I'd rather not get rid of the DH.

All three major sports have an imbalance between leagues or conferences.

NBA
West over East
NFL
AFC over NFC
MLB
AL over NL

The West is also better in the NHL.

Kind of interesting how that is.

213 - I seriously doubt it. Frankly, I'm not that invested in what league wins the World Series. But I'm willing to let Delwyn Young DH for us in the World Series than watch 162 games of the Dodgers playing DH ball.

213 - Interesting idea. But the main thing is that there aren't 30 great DHs to go around, and it will always make sense for the AL to grab the lion's share rather than for a great DH to fester on an NL bench.

Tony Jackson just came out for adding the DH to the NL.

218 as in, what would any team in the NL do with Ortiz for 162 games?

The talk of getting rid of the DH in the AL or using the DH in the NL is like talking about changing the American flag. There will be opinions from all angles and when all is said, nothing will change.

The NL will always have pitchers hit unless they are playing in an American League park. We all get the best of both worlds that way anyway. It leads to these type of discussions. Maybe the NBA can get a designated free throw shooter to increase scoring?

I love the strategy of having a pitcher hit even if watching most pitchers hit is an eyesore.

Good weekend my friends! I'm out for today. I'm having dinner with Lasorda's son.

26 man teams? I would favor that. Let's not forget they tried 24 man teams to keep payrolls down. I'm not sure they'd jump at roster expansion even with revenues up.

David Ortiz wouldn't even be on the Red Sox if there was no DH. They wouldn't pay that kind of salary to a benchwarmer. He'd be playing first base for someone else, or Youkilis would be. That's what I'm stuck on. The DH is a hidden hand in the formation of AL rosters. It probably accounts for the higher payrolls, too. It gives them such an advantage against NL teams, and not just in their own parks. The WS and interleague play results bear this out.

Just so you know, I'd prefer the DH be eliminated. But it's part of baseball lore now, and the union wouldn't let it die anyway.

223
I think the quality of teams are just better in the AL. The DH helps, but I think teams just have to be more talented to compete in that league.

if nothing else, the DH allows the AL teams to hang onto an extra batter that NL teams would not have the luxury of having...all else between the leagues is the same other than that...but that is a huge add-on

I, for one, do not believe that aside from the extra hitter (DH) carried by AL teams, that they are truly better or deeper than NL teams.

There is just a cycle going on now, and over a period of years, things balance out.

I'd rather the AL came to it's senses and ditched the DH then for the NL to fold and add it.
Given that watching pitchers hit is not one of the fun things about baseball but watching Greg Luzinski play LF is, which more then makes up for it.
I don't mean to be old school, but if you want the bat then you got to play the field.

Winning baseball brings in the fans not the DH gimmick.

With the World Series (any 7 game series between two good teams) being more or less a crapshoot, the National league teams (and AL teams too) just need to be good enough to have a high probability of making the playoffs. There doesn't seem to be any urgency in the National League to ramp up the payroll, as it really isn't needed to the levels of the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels etc..., to make the playoffs. The Mets and Dodgers, two of the higher paid NL teams really fell on their face this year in missing the playoffs. The Dodgers follies are well documented on this site. :)
vr, Xei

Trust me, you have my vote as well. If given the choice, I'd much prefer Selig banishing the DH entirely.

Unfortunately, the perfect world and the real one are two different things.

219 That would be more interesting if it were only the first four words in that sentence.

Four words or five words?

One additional point about the DH -- there are not even enough good ones to go around the AL. Typically there are only a handful of good DHs, and so the team that happens to be good otherwise, while it also has a very good DH (the Red Sox) have an easier time competing in the playoffs (against their AL brethren) in addition to the World Series.

230 Four, or five.

231 LogikReader: Faster fingers, faster snark.

Five. Damnit, five!

I can count.

If you can not find a below average fielder but above average hitter to be your DH, why can't a team use 10 players daily, one or two (infield and outfield) being a super utility guy who gives others a night off. Sort of like the rotation some wanted Nomar to have early on, just moving around the infield. Although, the guy with the night off still gets to hit.

235 I think this is all a ploy. You really meant to write "four" all along but you played it as an accident so you wouldn't seem dirty.

Spears' mother plans parenting book
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071026/en_nm/spears_dc_3

This will be followed by the Toy Cannon/BP collaboration on how to avoid hair loss.

235
Amazing the difference a word makes which is why I'm always shocked that anyone would agree to do 60 minutes and not have any control of what they edit.

Diamond Leung:

"The Dodgers outrighted catcher Chad Moeller and pitchers Zach Hammes and Tim Hamulack, clearing them off the 40-man roster. Moeller and Hammes accepted minor league assignments. "

Greg Miller hanging by a thread.

The Dodgers will not miss lacking a Hamulack.

241 Have you done a who goes on the 40 man roster list yet?

Dunlap, Lucas May, Russell Mitchell, Wesley Wright, Cory Wade are some of the guys I wonder about.

McDonald, Orenduff and Paul would be the only sure things I can think of right now.

Here's a question for those of you living in Los Angeles: Have you ever heard anybody in L.A. pronounce the city's name "Los Angeleez?" The reason I ask is that on a British message board on which I post somebody objected to that pronunciation, which is standard in Britain, and one of the Brits tried to claim that "Los Angeleez" used to be the regular pronunciation even in Los Angeles, which I don't believe for a minute.

another thought on the DH allowing the AL teams to keep an extra batter on their roster that they might not otherwise keep, ala the NL....with all that the Red Sox have in the way of hitters, and the whole Ortiz what would you do with him if there wasn't a DH, and Ortiz vs Youkalis in Colorado thing, the Red Sox still have Lugo in their lineup, along with Crisp...so stats-wise, they have no more good hitters than do the Rockies

I remember people pronouncing it where it sounded like angle, Los Angle-es,

That used to drive me nuts.

But the only time I've heard Angeleez is in an Arlo Guthrie song.

244 - We frown on that pronounciation greatly.

I'll be honest, I don't think the AL is much better, overall, than the NL. In fact, I'd say they are fairly even. We've got the Nationals, they've got the Royals. Devil Rays, Astros. Giants, Rangers. Nor do I believe there is much of a difference at the top of the leagues. The Red Sox have not shown to be much better than the Rockies (the Francis meltdown in game 1 not withstanding). One can make an argument that the teams with more post-season experience tend to do better in the WS, but looking back at the winners since 1995, there are a few too many outliers for that to work out (Chicago, Florida, Arizona, and Anaheim).

As for the DH adding something, I don't buy that too much either. The AL score a whopping .19 runs more per game than the NL, the NL had 500 more HRs than the AL, and the difference in ERA between the two leagues was 0.07.

I'll grant you, the gap is closing, KG.

244
Just finished watching all of Twitch City and I loved it.

The Newsroom is a good one too, but I like Twitch a bit more.

One more thought on post-season play. It may be a psychological thing as well. Teams like Boston and New York (and to a certain extent now the Angels), have a mindset that nothing short of a championship is acceptable. Other teams make a great run and "are just happy to be there".

The second camp can be useful in keeping a team relaxed, but I think those teams run into trouble when they are faced with a team that has the "we are going to win" mind set.

Ok, enough pop-sports-psychology from me, I'm in Vegas, I should be doing something that is illegal in every other state.

Hudsucker Proxy is on HBO!!!

By the way, anyone else surprised that the PAC-10 had 8 teams receive votes in the first basketball poll of the year? Six of those 8 are in the top 21. The only thing that could come close to making up for the coming Boston Nightmare (sweeping the WS, Superbowl, BCS title, and NBA title) would be a final four consisting entirely of PAC-10 teams.

253 Hey, I'll watch anything with Tim Robbins in it, but I always make time for `Bob Roberts'.

251 -- Glad to hear it. What did you think of the "Planet Of The Cats " episode? I can watch that over and over again, it's just so brilliant and bizarre.

248 -- So you do occasionally hear that pronunciation, then, Jon? Do you hear it from any specific group of people? Any other Americans? Because I thought it was strictly a British mispronunciation. Is there any truth to the idea that it USED to be common in L.A., years ago?

256 - I occasionally hear it on TV and radio or from out-of-towners. You'll sometimes hear it in old movies. I don't know the origin of it, but I'm pretty sure it's never been right.

244
"Comin' into Los Angeles,
Pickin' up a couple of keys"

No, it shouldn't rhyme. In the introduction to "Dragnet", Jack Webb always pronounced it "los AN-gel-es"; that is good enough for me.

Once upon a time, the regular pronunciation used to be "lohs AHN-hell-es"

244. Here's a question for those of you living in Los Angeles: Have you ever heard anybody in L.A. pronounce the city's name "Los Angeleez?"

When I arrived in Southern California near the end of 1961 Los Angeles had a mayor named Sam Yorty who pronounced it that way. But he stood alone as for as I could tell.

259. Make that far

Sam Yorty was a bit addlebrained.

256
That episode was great, because it was completely different from all the other episodes and they just throw it in towards the end of the series, when all these major story arcs are going on.

254
I have no idea why anyone voted for Washington on the pre-season top 25. Every other team receiving votes made sense. Heck, ASU should be decent this year and James Harden has a good chance to be Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

Oregon State fans get to cry for the next few months.

Actually, I think Yorty's pronunciation was fairly typical of the white Midwesterners who migrated to LA in the first half of the 20th century. I had friends whose Dads used the pronunciation, and they were usually from Oklahoma or Texas originally.

Actually, if you think about it, Yorty's pronunciation is closer to the proper Spanish pronunciation, except using a hard "g" instead of the "h" sound. The way most locals say it now, Luss-AHN-juh-lus is completely Americanized.

Another Okie remnant: San PEE-dro. For some reason, everyone says it that way, even though they know how "Pedro" is supposed to be pronounced.

Here's a question: Why is it WIL-shur boulevard? I had someone visit who kept calling it WIL-shy-r. That's probably more like how it should be pronounced, isn't it?

247 I (258 )didn't realize I hadn't refreshed in nearly one hour!

263 One week before a new if shortlived era begins.

266
Yeah, we got to do it this year or we are going to have to wait a couple years to get another shot.

I had someone visit who kept calling it WIL-shy-r.

Only if you're from a land where fairies and elves live in dells.

If Peedro was good enough for D. Boon, it's good enough for me.

268 He was from Long Island.

270 I could go all John Rocker on you, but won't :)

270 which he probably pronounced "lon-GUY-land" :)

264 ...Yorty's pronunciation is closer to the proper Spanish pronunciation

Eh? No closer and maybe further, I think. In Spanish the vowel 'e' is pronounced sort of between an English short 'e' and an English long 'a'. (One sounds like a gringo if the it's overly like a long 'a' - your other example is probably more like PEH-dro, than PAY-dro). Pronouncing the last syllable of our city with a long 'e' sound doesn't have a Spanish or English justification, in my mind (or ear).

242. David Pasti, Hamulack's agent, said his client's rehabilitation was going well and wouldn't rule out a return to the Dodgers organization. But first... "He wants to see what's out there," Pasti said.

I sure hope something is out there.

Both are very un-Spanish, I would agree to that. I was just pointing out the irony that the dorkier of the two pronunciations has at least some things in common with how a Spanish-speaker would pronounce it.

274 He's the only piece we have left from trading Duaner and Schmoll. Duaner is going to pitch this fall.

I don't see the downside to having a Hamulack in Vegas. September call-up or insurance if Beimel is injured. What's the harm?

>> James' opinion: Statistics analyst Bill James ranks starting pitcher Chad Billingsley 24th in his list of top Major Leaguers under the age of 29, and he ranks the Dodgers No. 20 overall in young talent in his new book, "The Bill James Handbook 2008."

The only negative comment James made about Billingsley: "May not have the conditioning to endure as a front-line starter."

The Rockies, Devil Rays, Diamondbacks, Marlins and Indians were ranked 1-5 by James for best overall young talent. <<

http://tinyurl.com/3d5cgo

I would love to know why we are only 20th when it comes to young talent.

276. I don't see the downside to having a Hamulack in Vegas. September call-up or insurance if Beimel is injured. What's the harm?

I've just never liked Hamulack. I've never had any confidence in him. I always hated to see him come in. I want him off the Dodgers roster and out of the Dodgers organization completely. Don't ask me for an explanation. :-) That's just the affect he's had on me since he arrived. :-)

The latest from Tony Jackson:

>> According to multiple sources, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti has been in contact with Girardi about what is expected to be an opening on the coaching staff. More specifically, Girardi potentially would become manager Grady Little's bench coach if Girardi isn't named manager of the New York Yankees. <<

## ``The Dodgers won't be making any news until after the World Series,'' said Camille Johnston, the club's senior vice president for communications, in adherence with commissioner Bud Selig's edict that teams avoid upstaging the game's premier event. ##

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/

From what I just read on-line about this pronunciation business, it seems that in the 1920's and 1930's the Los Angeles Times was a militant proponent of the Spanish pronunciation of "Los Angeles." Directly under its masthead, the paper always printed out the words "LOS ANGELES (Loce Ahng hail ais)." In 1934, the U.S. Geographic Board officially recognized the harder Anglicized pronunciation as proper, and the L.A. Times blasted the decision, suggesting an Eastern conspiracy to deprive the West of its softer-sounding Spanish place names. The Times claimed that instead of San Diego, Californians would now have "Sandy Ego," instead of San Jose, "San Joce," and rather than San Joquin, "San Jokkin."

"Grady, I would like to hire your eventual replacement as bench coach? How does that work for you?"

282 Hah hah, that's exactly it. Poor Grady.

Maybe he'll ride his motorcycle off into the sunset after next season anyway.

This is starting to feel like it could eventually be an episode of The Office again. Now Girardi is Ryan and Grady is Michael...

283 - It's like that episode of "The Dodgers" where Dan Evans got to interview for his own job.

282. That is nothing new to the Dodgers. Walter Alston had to put up with Leo Durocher as a coach and rival in the dugout for a few years. Leo the Lip served as a coach for the Dodgers, in Los Angeles, from 1961 to 1964. He eventually moved on to manage the lovable Chicago Cubs in 1966.

Hmmmm.... I wonder if Miggy and Dontrelle think fondly of Girardi. I know Dontrelle loves Slappy. Maybe....

What would it take to get those two in the last year before they can walk? Remember, there are both going to get paid through arbitration in 08 too. Can Florida afford both of them or either of them?

http://tinyurl.com/yoa2jh

Alan Barra reviews Plaschke's bio of Lasorda in the LA Times.

287.
Ransom Stoddard: You're not going to use the story, Mr. Scott?
Maxwell Scott: This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

Rosenthal just had a good post about the Dodger situation and it strikes me that if the Dodgers fire Little, I am not sure how much better Girardi or even Torre would be for the Dodgers. COuld Little have really benched Pierre last year? I doubt it..Sadly if the Dodgers put in another manager it will have little effect for next year, unless they are able to come up with Arod at 20 million a year.

This all smells of a big PR move, which in the end will have little positive imapct.

Rosnethal's column:
http://tinyurl.com/23hdnf

Wasn't that show canceled? Poor ratings with the younger demographic or something like that.

Oops, 291 was meant for 284.

Btw, Ken Rosenthal is often wrong. He could be right in this case, but I wondered about this part:

"Girardi, according to one source, has an offer to manage. That offer is not from the Yankees, who have yet to make a decision. Nor is it from the Pirates, who have eliminated Girardi from consideration, sources say.

That would leave the Dodgers."

Why would that leave the Dodgers? They don't have an opening at manager. Most of the other teams don't have openings either. We know it's not the Marlins. But I don't quite get how he went from Pt. A to Pt. G.

293 Right, I thought the same thing. Also, check out the lead paragraph.

"If the Dodgers want to fire Grady Little, they should fire Grady Little. It's indecent for them to let him twist while they mull over other options."

It's only rampant speculation based on shady sources that has Grady "twisting", not any action by the Dodgers. For all the press knows, Grady may have privately told Colletti that he was seriously contemplating retirement, or some such thing.

294

Everything Grady said after the end of the year pointed to the fact that he wanted to manager the Dodgers again-he also seemed intent on playing the kids. The reason why I think there might be some truth to the Girardi story, ESPN isamost running the same story, with out the Rosenthal comments aabout Little twisting in the wind. Wonder who the source for this story is

290. >> Is Colletti also in trouble?
McCourt announced that the Dodgers would keep Colletti as well as Little on the day the season ended. If he is willing to dump one, he might be willing to dump the other. <<

I'm not a Grady fan but he doesn't concern me that much. Now if you start talking about getting rid of Colletti then you've got my attention. :-)

Wasn't this the same pundit who thought the Rockies had defeated the DBacks and...the Cubs? And that the DBacks just aren't very good. Well, whatever.

--

Andrew Bynum's looked really good to me in this half of exhibition basketball. Really solid. Good moves in the paint, nice rebounding and effort.

297

"Trade away these infernal young prospects for some experienced veterans. I want a championship now." -- Derek Lowe

"Trade away this infernal Andrew Bynum for some experienced veterans. I want a championship now." -- Kobe Bryant

I'm not the biggest Laker fan, so maybe I'm not being fair, but really what is the difference?

Okay, I know one. Kobe is a lot better, relatively speaking, than Lowe.

But otherwise, it's the same. Today's superstar wants his appetite for glory fed at the expense of the team's future.

A Steinbrenner Mentions Patience and a Favorite

>> The identity of the new manager, Steinbrenner said, would be decided by Monday, with an announcement coming Tuesday if Commissioner Bud Selig allows it during an off-day between a possible fifth and sixth game of the World Series. <<

## Hank Steinbrenner repeated the Yankees' stance that they will not chase Rodriguez if he becomes a free agent. But he emphasized how much Rodriguez means to the Yankees and said the club was sincere in wanting him back. The Yankees' level of sincerity will be shown by the size of the contract extension they offer. ##

http://tinyurl.com/ypyzaz

I'm gun-shy about saying Rosenthal's full of crap. I've dismissed things I've read that seemed poorly sourced that turned out to be true.

I'm impressed if there is someone in the Dodger organization who recognizes Colletti's FA signings, especially Pierre, as blunders. Just the acknowledgment that the Pierre signing is a serious mark against him is a relief.

If it was coming from the McCourts, it would be even more of a relief. Maybe DePodesta tutored Jamie on the difference between batting average and OBP before he left. Maybe the two McCourts read Dodger Thoughts together in bed to avoid having sex. (Just Tell Me That You Love Me allusion.)

Girardi as Grady's bench coach virtually assures Grady will exceed expections next season and put Ned is a difficult situation. It will be like 2004 when Depo wanted to get rid of Tracy but couldn't because he had just taken them to the playoffs. We all know what happened after that. I have no problem with Grady but if what happened to Tracey and Depo happened to Ned and Grady I wouldn't lose any sleep. Ned has to go.

Padres waive second baseman Marcus Giles, ending reunion with older brother

>> The Giles brothers reunion with their hometown San Diego Padres lasted only one season.

Second baseman Marcus Giles, the younger brother of right fielder Brian Giles, was put on waivers Friday. The Padres owe Marcus a $500,000 buyout of his $4 million option. <<

http://tinyurl.com/ytpqwo

280

I really hope Girardi excepts the role, I'd love having him as our manager of the future. You can't help & wonder if Charley Steiner had something if anything to do with it, he really really pimped Girardi when the Dodgers played Florida a year ago. We'll see what happens I'm all for it IF everything falls into place.

That NY Times Yankee article had an interesting quote from Hank Steinbrenner:

"But we really do love Alex, and let's face it, he's taken half the time to win over the fans as Mantle did."

Someone's been reading up. Nice to see.

Change of subject: I spent the day at the downtown courthouse. It turns out Britney and K-Fed had a hearing in the building. The media crush was unbelieveable. There were hundereds of vans, microphnes, potographers, anchor people, reporters, wannabes, fans and gawkers. It was a circus. Part of Grand Ave was coned off to make room for all the news vans. I had a few minutes to kill so I watched. There was a fake sighting and everyone completely lost it. People running to get a glimpse like thier life depended on it. Is this what these people do? Phil Shuman, the guy who used to be the anchor on channel 4 jumps out of a fan and all I could think is this is what you do all day with your life. I try not to be judgmental but how do you look yourself in the mirror. Spend your life wait wait waiting for a two second look at the new Anna Nicole Smith. Who cares. But of course people care or they wouldn't be selling a million magazines and Harvy Levin would still be on Channel 2. There were probably atleast 3 more newsworthy stories taking place in that building (including my case) but no one cared about anyone but Brit. Yuck.

Hey guys,

Tonight I am seeing Gm. 7 of the 2001 World series off my DVD recording. Here's what struck me about the broadcast.

-- Bob Brenly is really, really terrible. He has a tendency to make Donnelly decisions with baserunning
-- Curt Schilling was the AZ starter
-- There was an NFL on Fox update. Terry Bradshaw said "This Tom Brady kid could be good."
-- I saw a promo for the SERIES premiere of "24"
-- When it happened, I was rooting for the Diamondbacks... looking back now, I wish the Yankees won instead.

This was the Arizona Lineup:

Player/Age

Womack 31
Counsell 30
Gonzalez 33
Williams 35
Finley 36
Bautista 29
Grace 37
Miller 31
Schilling 34

"Oh no, they didn't buy a team!"

194 "I'm not in favor of instant replay to overrule umpire calls, but it seems like the technology is there for umpires to know if a ball cross the strike zone or not. Fans see it clearly on TV now, assuming those little rectangular matrices are accurate."

Actually, I can't figure out which rectangle is supposed to represent the plate - the inner one or the outer one? It seems odd that the outer one would be the plate - what's the inner one then?

But I could swear that about 60% or more of the times the umpire calls strike the graphic shows the ball well outside the inner rectangle, but the commentators never say a word. (To be fair, they don't show the graphic in totally non-controversial calls, so the 60% is just 60% of supposedly close calls. Still...

Which one is it? If the inner one, why don't the commentators ever say anything? Just not looking at it?

I think I saw somebody ask this over on BB, but why exactly does everybody think so highly of a manager that managed the Marlins, coming off of an 83-win season, to...a 78-win season?