Who does everyone here think was the better pitcher in their prime, Koufax or Pedro?

I think Pedro. What he did in the Era of the 90's with unbelievable hitting numbers was amazing.

And as crazy/stupid it would be for Kemp to turn into a guy who bunted regularly, I think I would rather enjoy seeing our Bison laying one down and barreling towards the opposing first baseman.

http://www.beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/prosports/2008/02/play_ball_1.html

*Wills' comments be funky.

*Young at 2b sounds like Pedro G. at 3rd--entertaining.

*Pedro's peak years during the big hitting era were beyond great.

Wow. A DT worst nightmare come to life.

But how funny is the first line of the post: "Before the game, Joe Torre said he forgot to put Matt Kemp in the lineup."

Admittedly, I have not been there in two years.

http://www.joejosts.com/menu.php

ps of course my mom & dad would call them "tripitas" to make it sound cute but still... Here's a pic [http://tinyurl.com/28485c] You ain't getting me to eat that!

Torre taking new challenge head on

>> I make up my mind on players based on how well they prepare and how hard they play. <<

http://tinyurl.com/2gsyae

"Stay tuned in the next couple of days for a "Dodger Idol" competition organized by infielder/outfielders Mark Sweeney that promises to raise the bar for crooners everywhere. "

Not really, I'll eat it once in a while. 29 I don't know if any of you seen the new Dodger Vids but on one of them Ethier talks about his position with in the Dodger organization & he sounds very competitive to put it lightly, you gotta like that about him. It's a weird situation to be in when everybody knows he's the better option but...

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23309928/

http://tinyurl.com/2dqfvg

http://tinyurl.com/3as9lt

I'd pick the lefty hard throwing Koufax over Pedro Martinez in a WS must win, no doubt about it.

Pedro put up some amazing numbers. Looking at Pedro's ERA+ from '97 - '03 (7 years) vs Koufax in '61-'66 (6 years) Pedro exceeded an ERA+ of 200 five times. Koufax best was 190.

In Koufax defense he averaged 272 IP over those 6 years while Pedro averaged 201. Would you rather have an ERA+ of 291 over 217 innings (Pedro in 2000) or an ERA+ of 190 over 323 IP (Koufax 1966)?

Koufax was a great post season pitcher as well. In 57 post season innings (all WS) he gave up 6 ER's ;11 BB's; 61 K's and an ERA of 0.95 against the best teams in the AL.

They are both great pitchers and I sure wish Pedro had been a life long Dodger but Sandy will always be the best to me.

Stan from Tacoma

there's an old school guy for you.

http://tinyurl.com/27g2gs

ttp://tinyurl.com/ynk6yk

Stan from Tacoma

As I understand it, Koufax probably never was clocked on a radar gun as a player.

However, a recent Daily News story recounted that in 1986--at age 50--Koufax was clocked at 90 in spring training.

If he could hit 90 at age 50, you'd think odds are pretty high he could dial up an additional 10 mph or so more in his prime.

The Koufax mention is near the end of this==
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_8220160

A question: I've never known exactly what advantage the higher mound was supposed to have given pitchers in Koufax's era???

"That type of power makes him tough to pitch to," Torre said of the 23-year-old Kemp. "And he's got some speed. He goes after it and it's a little intimidating to the opposing team. He's got all the tools, it's a matter of refining it and he can only do that by playing."

Obviously if your thinking long term I'd rather have Pedro BUT in a one game must win, IT'S KOUFAX no doubt about it.

First time tp Blair Field. It was great. Like a single A park. Everyone is very nice and people really follow the Dirtbags closely. I was with a friend from Rice so we were the enemy. Rice won 3-1.

Why are the other Long Beach State teams known as the 49ers but the baseball team is the Dirtbags?

I know I'm no professional but high mounds also means less stress on the body, believe me I've pitched on no-mound & I've pitched on mounds & it truly does make a difference.

http://dodgerplace.blogspot.com/

They other noteworthy thing about Blair field is the exceptional beer value. 32 oz beer for $10.00.

I'm somewhat surprised you'd never been there. I don't live in Long Beach and I've been there a couple of times to see minor league games and I've played golf at Rec Park 3-4 times. One of the holes ends near the Field.

Locally, we could golf at Rec Park, gamble at Hawain Garden Casino and catch a game at Blair Field. With all the money we save we could go crazy on $10 beers. (And we could squeeze in Joe Jost's this time).

And you could go to Los Alamitios Race Track in Cypress and still place those Del Mar bets. I think you could get from Los Al to HG Casino in 10 minutes top. Los Al would be in the sweet spot between HG and Blair Field.

http://tinyurl.com/2xqf4o

That blog is hard to read (visually)

Stan from Tacoma

Stan from Tacoma

I never got to see Koufax pitch, but I was at Fenway for plenty of Pedro starts and that's what they were like also. Except not quite 80,000. ;)

Roseboro said Peronoski threw a ball that bore into his glove and hurt more than a Koufax pitch. Peronosky threw a heavy ball and Koufax threw a light ball and I will leave the explanation up to those who can explain why.

Torre has hinted at being open to a regular outfield alignment of Kemp in right and Ethier in left, which would force veteran Juan Pierre and his $8 million salary to the bench. But the more likely scenario is that Pierre will play because the Dodgers need his speed in the lineup.

Meanwhile, club officials like the idea of Ethier and Kemp jockeying for playing time on the theory that each one will push the other into becoming a better player.

Brilliant! Give the worst outfielder the most playing time, and force the good players to share time so one of them, in theory, gets even better. It's just crazy enough to work!

Except it doesn't. And won't. But Plaschke, Jackson & Associates will love it.

In the end, I think the thing will speak for itself, and Torre will play his three best outfielders. But I'd be surprised if he did it out of the gate, I really would.

I just hope he has a Dave Roberts moment in the post season, a special play like a stolen base that has dramatic meaning. Then we can accept all the other stuff. Until we know more from Torre and company, I'm leaving this whole Pierre thing alone. Old news.

They valued him at that and passed over cheaper and younger alternatives. What makes us think they will do an about face after a typical Pierre season in Dodger blue?

He can improve his bunting and plate discipline, which he is working on. He still had close to 200 hits, a .293 batting average, and all those stolen bases. He had a very solid year for what you would expect from him.

The only way he sits is if Torre doesn't respect that type of player and/or Ned and company admit a HUGE mistake. Neither have shown an inclination to even discuss it in this manner.

I think Ethier is the odd man out, but I hope I am wrong. I accept Mr. Slappy McPop-up as our left fielder. I just hope he gets on base more often and that Torre considers his a number 8 hitter. I am setting my bar of expectations low and I'll cheer for him.