His outlook on the LA nightlife was a pleasant surprise as well. TMZ is no joke.

Favorite Chicago sports team: The Cubs. I'm a Dodgers fan, but if you're in Chicago, you have to support the Cubs.

I think it's really shameful the way the LA press has treated him. As someone once said, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get you. I'm glad he seems to have enough perspective not to be too upset with the media or the vets like Kent.

Jon, if you ever wanted to torture me, you would write all your articles in the passive voice.

WWSH

I took out my DVD set of "The Honeymooners" and watched several episodes while baking.

My favorite bit remains, Ed Norton "addressing" the ball when showing Ralph how to start a golf swing.

"Helloooo ball"

it's okay, i can't resist them either.

Or is it perhaps not really paranoia....

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain!"

Huh.

I didn't know he could still walk, yet alone play. Still, I always liked him. They didn't have to give up much for him. Worth a shot, I guess.

An associate of mine was profiled in the Los Angeles Business Journal a few years ago. Among the things the editor allowed in the story was this:

"(Name) is generally unimpressive," said a source who asked not to be identified.

Virtually all the critical comments of Kemp are of that nature: Anonymous and insulting but unspecific.

And you root for UT.

http://tinyurl.com/2pegum

This little quote from Ken Gurnik kind of made me uneasy. Hopefully by spring training Nomar & La Roche will be the ONLY ones battling it out at 3rd base, besides Nomar will probably get hurt by mid-season.

Good things about Texas:
1) Austin
2) The border region
3) The Longhorns
4) San Antonio
5) Willie Nelson

The rest of the state, you can have.

DeAngelo I can understand. D'Angelo I can understand. But De'Angelo?

Question: let's say that when his page becomes available, someone were to sponsor it with this message: "This player does not exist. Look away."

Would that be accurate at that point? Will the Minotaur have to exist to pitch in the Major Leagues? What are the rules here?

As the Minotaur crosses into the Major Leagues, he also crosses into the realm of reality. Thus, through the crossing, the Minotaur carapace is shed and a real, live left handed pitcher is created.

Or at least, thats what the great book tells me.

If the Spartans would have lost because of that, I'd advocate refericide.

He becomes the great Savior of the Dodgers franchise and they have a thousand year reign of prosperity and world championships.

The killing of reference librarians? I'd make sure not to suggest that on The Griddle if I were you.

Don't say I never did anything for ya.

http://tinyurl.com/36fjt5

[Padres GM Kevin] Towers predicted a batting average of about .270 from Edmonds, 15-20 home runs and a .350 on-base percentage to go with better-than-average defense.

http://tinyurl.com/28lxew

The guy going to St. Louis is David Freese, a 3B who will be 25 next April, and has yet to advance beyond high A ball.

2004: 1.061
2005: .918
2006: .821
2007: .728

Houston, we have a pattern here.

I just checked Dodgers.com & nothing.

Just re-checked, got it.

So if Towers is right in 62 that Edmonds is going to OBP .350, he might be slugging right around .310. And that's a really high BB/XBH ratio. Towers may be a bit optimistic there.

There are three huge FA signings available next year - Sheets, Sanatana and Sabethia. Prior to this signing - and assuming Pierre is still on the team - we were likely to go into next year with a post-arbitration team salary of around $75M. Now that is $90M. At $75M landing one of those three should have been easy. Landing two would not be inconceivable (though admittedly very unlikely). At $90M getting one of them is considerably less likely. Additionally, even if we do land one next year, wouldn't signing Lowe to a 3 year extension be a much better use of the money given to Kuroda?

The Dodgers are on the cusp of being in the best possible of positions - a team that can support a high salary with a ton of youth talent allowing us to afford several legitimate superstars. Ned - as he has done with Pierre and now Kuroda - seems intent on squandering that advantage on overpaying for average talent (and it is only average when viewed in a very generous light), rather than using it to make us truly dominant.

I'm picking up that vibe.

I'm not sure why.

Must buy financial services!
Must buy financial services!

Yes there is, at least of sorts. The Tax certainly makes it important to watch your total salary.

In Kuroda's case, the signing bonus is 2007 and thus will not count as part of the team's 2008 salary.

No one's watching the NCAA men's soccer championship game on ESPN? It's a good one so far. Ohio State just scored on Wake Forest, up 1-0 in the first. I guess if OSU wins, UCSB can't feel too bad, losing to the eventual champions.

2008: $155m
2009: $162m
2010: $170m
2011: $178m

The tax rate applies to any payroll above the thresholds.

1st offense: 22.5%
2nd offense: 30%
3rd+ offense: 40%

[free agent]
bills
penny
kuroda
mcdonald

(kershaw)
(elbert)

so why would we need two free agent starters in '09? even one might not be necessary, depending on how kershaw and mcdonald perform this year, if they're called up by the end of the season.

The one thing that counts in 2007 is the buyout of contracts. For instance, Lieberthal made $1.15m in salary last season and the Dodgers bought out his 2008 option for $100k. His 2007 salary, for luxury tax purposes, is $1.25m.

I've always counted buyouts in the next year's salary figures. Maybe I need to change my thinking. Then again, we aren't anywhere near the luxury tax threshold, so who knows?

And, just a thought, an excuse we are likely to hear re: the Mitchell report:

yes, I tried it once, but did not circulate

There is nothing good about this signing except that for 2008 we have some additional depth.

the timing of salary payments may have some bearing on the structuring of contracts, but if they hire Jeter's CPA, it's all non taxable to the state anyway

2006: $3.6m
2007: $4.1m
2008: $4.5m option ($1m buyout)

When the Dodgers released Tomko last summer, they ensured his buyout. Factoring in the pro-rated minimum salary Tomko earned while with San Diego (roughly $70,000), Tomko's Dodger salaries are as follows:

2006: $3.6m
2007: $4.03m
buyout: $1m

The total is $8.63m, which for luxury tax purposes is split evenly over the two guaranteed years of the contract, or $4.315m in each of 2006 & 2007.

Even in the best possible of worlds for the Dodgers, nothing good will come out of the Kuroda signing.