Pierre sits!

Victory!

If healthy, Loaiza makes the most sense as our fifth starter right now. Kuo can be put on the DL and then sent for minor league rehab, thus pushing back the risk of putting him on waivers. With his health history, we simply can't rush him. As much as we would want him to represent us in China, I personally hope he doesn't take the trip and we take his throwing from now on very, very slowly.

I liked the way Torre responded to Kershaw's debut. We might see him before the season is over in the bigs. Maybe he'll be the 2008 version of Bret Saberhagen and lead us to the promised land.

1985 Bret Saberhagen?

Now all Dodger Stadium needs is a tram line that goes from Downtown and it will officially have joined the 21st century (or late 20th). I am making it a personal goal to bike up to Dodger Stadium, too.

Jon, thanks for getting me hooked on that Hot Wheels game. I will no longer mock my g/f for playing the similarly designed Diner Dash and babysitting and plant shop games she plays online, as this is like the boys version of that. I'm seeing those damned little cars in my sleep!

I'm going to sum up my entire argument for Ethier over Pierre by the perfect juxtaposition of their attributes found in today's LA Times.

Bottom of the page: Plaschke's thirty plus paragraphs of drivel on why Pierre should be the starter, focused primarily on a ring he has back home in a box (maybe we should start calling him Frodo?).

Top of the page: one sentence on Ethier's game yesterday. "Andre Ethier was two for four with a home run in the day game and threw out a runner out home"

Ah yes, a home run and a runner thrown out. Remind me one more time why Pierre should be playing. Blechh, I can't believe we're still living through this farce.

Speaking of riding bikes, I took over a thousand pictures during my trip to Vero, but the one I missed was Frank McCourt peddling between fields on is Beach Cruiser. Wearing slacks and a shirt (no tie), he looked very awkward. I did see him stop once to take a picture or two with some fans, but I couldn't get my camera out in time.

As my good friend Thom croons "Don't get any big ideas, they're not gonna happen..."

7 was in reference to 5

Jon, per the previous thread, I decided to pause the game overnight. I still have it going this morning, and I'm up to 260,000. At what point should I stop? Maybe I can play this thing over a week and rack up 1,000,000.

I'm in no big hurry to see Guo in the starting rotation. I think the ideal thing for him is to start the season in the bullpen. Don't get me wrong, I want him in the rotation as much as anybody here, but I think it's in his best interest, especially after his third surgery to have his innings limited. Short stints in the bullpen will likely put less stress on his elbow and allow him to build up strength. It's probably just as likely at this point that he starts the season on the DL than in the bullpen or rotation. I think Loaiza will be fine as a 5th starter. He's no Jake Peavy, but he is a 5th starter after all and he's no Brett Tomko either.
vr, Xei

That's nice that they have bike racks at Dodger Stadium. What would worry me beyond getting mugged outside of the stadium late at night, is that someone would steal my bike. I wonder how many people that go to Dodger games actually live close enough to the stadium to make a bike ride to and from a realistic proposition. My employer one time came up with a policy that they would pick one day and if people rode their bikes to work that day, they could leave an hour early on some friday in the future. The thing is it would take most people atleast an hour (one way) to ride to work, some people more. And there aren't any bike paths, and people drive really fast on all the farm roads nearby. In other words, there are great ideas and there are impractical ones. Riding a bike to a Dodger game and to work (for most people) is a union of the two.
vr, Xei

just browsing through the stats, delwyn is having a rough spring so far 0-13 8 k's

saw this on baseball primer regarding
pierre.

"If Dodger Thoughts really want to help the Dodgers, they need to start using reverse psychology"

also so good to see laroche finally get off to a good start, .385/.467/.692

5 : (maybe we should start calling him Frodo?).

LOL

I only read the BTF blurb from the Plaschke article, but does this make sense?

Now that the Dodgers have added Rafael Furcal's health and Andruw Jones' pop, I think Juan Pierre's presence at the top of the lineup will be as oversized as his cap.

Since I assume his hat fits correctly, does this imply his presence will be small, or is Plaschke trying to convice us that Pierre looks like Weird Harold out there?

since we seem to be fighting a war on two fronts, should shift the majority of our resources to the now on-going Nomar/Laroche battle.

Should we concede Pierre and try to salvage our ideals and actions to become victorious at 3b?

Dodger Thoughts Generals....we need to act, and we need to act now.

I bike to work. Or try to anyway. It's only 3 miles away from my apartment, which is convenient.

13 I had that thought yesterday, reading Tony Jackson and Bill Plaschke.

14 Amen.

16 I thought Slappy McFrodo has such a small head that even the smallest cap available is too big for him.

I think Bilbo would fit better than Frodo.

Though Frodo sounds better.

17 I sort of did that on Jackson's blog just now. Changed the subject to the battle at 3rd.

I don't know why but that reminded me of my favorite Onion sidebar newstease: A photo of a cat in an Army uniform, with the headline "'War on string may be unwinnable,' says cat General." Classic.

This war on string may be unwinnable, or maybe we should indeed use reverse psychology. Tell Plaschke and co. how much we "statheads" (or whatever we are) appreciate Pierre and throw a bunch of made up stats at them. Or we could try this tactic with LaNomar.

Plaschke and Jackson abridged -

Now that the Dodgers have some better players, the presence of a bad player in the lineup won't be such a big deal.

On the other topic, I'm pretty sure I used to claim the title of closest DT commenter to the Stadium, living in Echo Park. I've since moved to Mt. Washington. Either way, I'm sure I'm technically close enough to bike. From my old house, I actually used to walk to an occasional day game. The idea of biking while surrounded by thousands of cars is a bit of a turn-off though. Plus, I don't think that I currently own a bike.

22
So you're going to bicycle DOWN Mt. Washington, then across Elysian Park, UP to Dodger Stadium, and then repeat this?

Do it for a night game!

I dare you.

22 Jacob L, you may have to counter Bob with a double dog dare.

17 - I don't think so. Worst case scenario, Nomar plays out this year and retires, leaving LaRoche as the heir apparent for next year. More likely, Nomar starts, gets hurt, LaRoche goes on a tear and Nomar because the 2008 Wally Pipp.

As for Plaschke's latest, I decided to fisk him late last night. If anyone is interested: http://tinyurl.com/2jak6u

24
I triple dog dare him!

25 Make sure you collect $50 from Bob Timmermann.

26 Rest of Dodger Thoughts in unison goes "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

My office is in Atwater Village on Glendale. I keep a bike there and have thought of biking to day games. I'm not keen on the bike lockup area being right by the gate instead of up close to the Stadium.

A couple that I know live on Morton in Echo Park, very close to my secret entrance on days when traffic is horrific. You could easily walk from their house.

23 24 I don't think I said I planned on trying it. In fact I said I don't own a bike (that I know of). If you 2 get together and buy me a bike, though, I'm in.

22
Couldn't you bike to the gold line, take that to Union Station and then ride your bike or is that going way out of your way?

Anyway some night this year I will take Bob up on his dare. It might even be a company marketing gig if things break right for me. I promise to wear a helmet as I don't want my broken cranium to be on Bob's conscience. Not that he probably has one.

25 - d'oh, I just read my post from last night, it appears that I forgot a tag about half way through, my apologies to anyone who takes the time to actually read it.

27
He missed out on the other deal I was offering though.

33 - see, this is what happens when I have a real job and can't just hit refresh every two minutes while watching ESPN... I am vaguely aware of one deal, what is the other one?

Dodgers are ranked #5 in the BP organizational rankings of minor league talent (behind Tampa, Oakland, Texas and Boston). Article just posted at BP.

26
Does this mean you would owe me 3 dogs? How does triple dog dare work? What is the payback?

25

That's not a bad FJM impression :) Good posting, KG

impression = impersonation

36
"The infamous Triple-dog-dare is infamous for the sole reason that you cannot back down from it--without exception! An issued triple-dog-dare has no counteraction and must be implemented and/or carried out."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=triple-dog-dare

17
I'm willing to shift all available resources to the 3B battle, but even Ken Gurnick knows that LaRoche will get significant playing time even if Nomar wins the starting job. I don't view the 3B battle as a huge problem for two reasons:

1) Nomar is too brittle to play everyday, meaning LaRoche will get time even if he doesn't win the job
2) There is a reasonable chance Nomar will be a productive player, and not one of the worst in history at his position.

I just can't get past Tony Jackson's illogical reasoning that:

(a) Ethier is better than Pierre
(b) Pierre is a better fit for the Dodger lineup than Ethier

I wish Jackson would do a better job explaining why he thinks this way.

This game is addicting. Does it ever end? Gotta go play more

It is hard to explain a position that makes no sense. I've tried many times and just come across as an idiot. Tony is headed in the same direction.

40 Also considering that the Dodgers line-up clearly needs more power.

42 Just keep repeating to yourself '200 hits. .290 batting average, 60 stolen bases' over and over and over and over again and you'll be okay.

I just got around to reading this Tony Jackson nonsense, wow!

I guess love really is blind. (Like that cliche?) How can you say JP is a better fit for this lineup? While at the same time recognizing Andre is a better player. I think Ken Noe is right, there is something far more sinister going on here. This is bigger than the starting LF job. Great stuff over there everyone.

Top 1st, Johan Santana pitching

Delwyn Young works a walk.
Loney grounds back to Santana on the first pitch (Young to second).
Jones strikes out swinging on a full count (off speed down and out, again).
Nomar grounds to third.

I keep reading all these fantasy league mags that have Penny with a huge dropoff this year using k/bb ratio as a reason. Sure he walked about 20 more guys this year than usual but he also pitched over 200 innings for the first time that I can remember. Also I seem to remember him pitching more to contact last year so that he could go deeper into games which would reduce strikeout numbers right? Conversely I understand that pitching to contact would also mean less walks which makes the reasoning a wash...so maybe someone can tell me a reason that a major dropoff makes sense?

47
The real reason for the projected dropoff is the expected normalization of his home run rate which was very lucky last year compared to his previous norms. It returned to normal levels in the 2nd half as did his ERA.

Penny's got the bases loaded, Olmedo Saenz stepping to the plate.

Hu to Young to Loney double play. End of the inning.

Thank you for that gift-wrapped double play, Tomato!

50
Andrew, you had a great post over on Jackson's blog.

I feel bad for Diamond Leung. He would get more hits & comments on his blog if he made more ridiculous statements.

LaRoche was jammed by Santana and still almost hit it out. Down left field line, just foul.

I just read that Rob Neyer hasn't seen "Major League." That is just crushing to me.

Gary Bennett is the only Dodger hitter to really have solved Santana so far - rakes a double to deep center that Brady Clark couldn't quite get on a dive.

Jacob L: Are you kidding? Stick my tongue to that stupid pole? That's dumb!
Bob Timmerman: That's 'cause you know it'll stick!
Jacob L: You're full of it!
Bob Timmerman: Oh yeah?
Jacob L: Yeah!
Bob Timmerman: Well I double-DOG-dare ya!
fanerman: [narrating] NOW it was serious. A double-dog-dare. What else was there but a "triple dare ya"? And then, the coup de grace of all dares, the sinister triple-dog-dare.
Bob Timmerman: I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!
fanerman: [narrating] Bob Timmerman created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple dare and going right for the throat!

And Repko comes through with a single up the middle, drives in Bennett! Repko and Bennett = Santanakillers!

56 Breach of etiquette is right. I'm still waiting to see if I can finagle (sp?) a free bike out of this.

56
12 year old Bob Timmermann: [after biting into a peach] Fuuuuuuudge
Current Bob Timmermann: [narrating] Only I didn't say fudge

What motive drives Plaschke's Dodger writing? It's pretty clear he has some axe to grind.

Why was he so quick to try to run DePodesta out of town? Why does he refer to Dodger fans as some kind of raging, angry mob in his columns and chats? Sure, us blogger types are fanatics, but most of the folks who fill the ravine every night are the nicest people you could ever meet.

I can't quite put my finger on it. Does he hate McCourt? Does he hate us?

All I know is that L.A. is a great sports town and deserves much better.

40 Tony Jackson clearly is asleep in the dugout again.

This place is the best tonic for a work day. If you can't laugh at Dodger Thoughts you don't have a funny bone.

59
When I watched "A Christmas Story" with my mom, she said that all of her sons were a lot like Ralphie.

Except we didn't want BB guns. We'd all leave Flick stuck to the flagpole because, well, "the bell rang!"

I think Penny will make sure he always throws to Russell Martin this season. He seems to be missing him today, although he often struggles vs. Mets.

60 He hates himself.

60 Plaschke would be better at the Times if he were more of a complementary type of writer. If they had some middle-of-the-lineup type columnists then his strengths would be more apparent. He works hard. He's a nice guy. Anyone blaming the struggles of the LA Times on Bill Plaschke is missing the bigger picture.

Part of Plaschke's problem is common to a lot of old columnists. He is threatened by blogging and new media which is becoming deadly to mediocre writers.

56 59 LOL!

60 Plaschke is the equivalent of a religious fanatic, only the idea he thinks is worth dying for is that statistical analysis is the devil, and baseball must be "saved" from it.

So far I have learned that offering too many services at a station is bad for business. Just stick to a few things and do them well.

Mets get a run on a nicely turned double play - Loney picked it, tagged first, threw to second, got Brady Clark as he slid back off 2nd. Sloppy play by old friend Brady, nice play by Loney. Run comes in from third now with two outs.

66 I've got to give myself credit for being able to say that with my tongue stuck to a flagpole.

66 Hah, that's perfect. If Plaschke had Jim Murray, Scott Ostler, Mike Downey and the best transsexual sportswriter there is, Mike Penner, batting around him, he'd be a great writer. He'd be even better if he were on the bench.

I am up to 120,000 points. I think this next round will break me

45. I have no idea how to explain Ralphie, but my best guess for Jackson is that if he starts blasting Torre's lineup choices, he loses access, which is the lifeblood of his business. Just garden variety brown-nosing, nothing more sinister than that.

72
Better then Christina Kahrl?

I don't necessarily think that wanting Juan Pierre in the lineup is proof that you need to check the person for signs of some disorder in the DSM-IV.

75 Hah, I'd forgotten about her! Close call, perhaps. Great respect for them both.

74 But then couldn't he just abstain from giving an opinion on it, if that was his worry? Rather than seriously arguing for it.

66 Superb.

Reyes tried to bunt for a base hit and Penny's throw hit Reyes, but Reyes didn't seem to remember which part of the base line he's supposed to run down and was called out.

Oh no, Ralph Kiner's on the Mets broadcast now.

I swear that Plaschke piece was written by someone on this board. It can't be real. (Also, after reading the stuff on Jackson's blog, I noticed a "John Shade" poster--Is that anyone here?)

Penny finishes three with a 1-2-3 inning. Nice to end on a real up note, assuming he's done for the day...

In light of Jon's repeated suggestion that the left field debate be phrased not in terms of Pierre's abilities or lack thereof, but in terms of Ethier's abilities, I'm going to propose a new nickname for Andre. I do this knowing full well that 3.5 is still in semi-active use. Chopped Liver. As in "What am I, . . . "

LaRoche registers a single against Register. Go Andy.

Heh. Tony Jax was swell enough to post a response to my query about LaRoche vs. Nomar, and it makes me like him more again (if I can just forget about the JP blind spot):

"Thank you, Craig, for changing the subject. And while I think Nomar has a clear advantage in the 3B race, I think the Dodgers will be better with LaRoche as their everyday 3B. I also think one of the reasons they're leaning toward Nomar is that there are concerns about how he will adjust to being a bench player. To me, that is the wrong reason to give him the starting job. (Now, by all means, would someone PLEASE turn this back into a Pierre-bashing thread, before we get too far off topic)"

Poor Tony.

84 Hah dont pity him. He should have known he was opening pandoras box.

Ralph Kiner's appearance on this morning's broadcast raises the question: If you have a legendary but very senile announcer, is it better to put him on the broadcast to humor him, or to keep him off the air to avoid embarrassing him?

The Mets have chosen the former.

How long have we needed to log in to the LA Times to read a story? Is it worth it to read Plaschke?

Wow, that was a great play by Young. Too bad he couldn't complete the DP.

Delwyn with a diving catch and turns it into a near-double play.

Who ever would have thought he might make the team because of his dazzling glove at second, and in spite of his poor hitting?

87 http://www.bugmenot.com/view/www.latimes.com

86 Lets say, hypothetically of course, that your team has an announcer who is neither legendary nor senile, but who embarrasses himself on a regular basis anyway. What do you do then?

91
You call him Thom Brenaman or Steve Lyons.

91
You put the chrome to the side of your own White Sox hat!

Bill plashcke is the only person on my dead to me list...

77. You spend all of your time with these guys justifying their decisions, it begins to make sense to you. It's almost like Stockholm Syndrome.

91 Saving the American flag is as legendary as it gets!

95
It's almost like Stockholm Syndrome

As in Stockholm, Finland.

97 Come on, you know its Norway.

I'm sitting in the bleachers at Scottsdale stadium and I honestly think this is one of the most gorgeous days I've ever experienced in 26 years on this earth. 70 degrees with clear skies, a warm sun, and a nice breeze. And with those brown and red little desert mountains as a backdrop. I am now convinced that the Dodger move to Glendale is the right thing. I'm a Darwin gal, but this is Heaven.

My sensors tell me we had men on base, But I can't tell anything else.

87

That is awesome.

I can't stop playing this game! Does it end when my customer satisfaction hits 0?

101 - Yes.

OOOO-yes,Chan Ho

All apologies--I have to give this a try. Call it catharsis.

"Dodgers fans want to give Ethier a chance" by Ekch Salpllib

Andre Ethier is good. Real good.

That's not the problem.

He's battling for the Dodgers' LF job with veteran Juan Pierre, who is also good. Championship good.

That's the problem.

The Dodgers have to name one of them the starting left-fielder by opening day. There will be no platoon. Each is far too talented.

Ethier has charisma, charm, and boyish good looks.

Pierre has fire, drive, and a ring to prove it.

Ethier has patience, power, and a strong arm.

Pierre has speed, bat control, and smarts.

Joe Torre has a problem.

[This is easy!]

Some Dodger fans want Ethier to start every day. They feel his left-handed bat, smooth defense, and youthful enthusiasm will help the team.

It will help the team--on the bench.

Twenty years ago, a rag-tag group of bench players known as "The Stuntmen" helped bring a championship to Dodger Stadium. This year, Ethier, LaRoche, & Delwyn Young will try to do the same.

When you think about, does it really matter who plays when, where, or how?

No.

As long as it results in a ring, a ring like the one Juan Pierre has.

And Andre Ethier doesn't.

101 Taking care of the sick kid today. I was over 200,000 and had to stop playing.

By the by, the high score is 125 million. I shudder when I think how long that person must have been playing.

I fully blame Jon for the nightmare I had last night, which consisted of owning a gas station and not being able to pump the gas quickly enough to serve all the cars in line.

104
I like your version better.

99
It's a little known fact that the best day you will ever experience in terms of weather will be when you turn 29.

It just is.

125 Million? Holy cow, I am at 322,000, but I just closed it for stress relief reasons. Now I know daily grind of an overpriced car service chain. By the way, who comes for just the snack bar? I must be serving some good nachos.

99
I'll be out there in 2 weeks. Although I'm in O.C. so I won't be too impressed with the weather. I've gone out to PHX for the last 7 years with my Angel friends. It will be unbelievable to see the Dodgers out there too. I've seen Dodger fans in the hundreds show up to Scottsdale stadium just to boo the Giants. can't wait to see what will happen when the Dodgers are actually playing.

106, 109 - I swear, I think this may be the funniest event ever on Dodger Thoughts.

The monkey's off Delwyn's back. Single to left.

Dodgers lead 2-1 as Lucas May scores after reaching second when Fernando Martinez pulls a Snodgrass.

I need a stiff drink. I just played that game for two hours and I read Plasche's article.

109 It was like "The Birds," only with cars.

I was going to forward the game on to my brother-in-law, but I don't want him to go through what I just went through.

OK, my final score on that Hot Wheels game, on my first try, was 507,390.

116 - So what's the DT high scores list so far. My best before having to quit was about 122,000.

Plaschke has made it super-clear that all he cares about is how many people read his story. He has no ax to grind or position he cares about. He doesn't need to influence the Dodgers or the fans thinking. He doesn't care if the Dodgers win or lose. He cares about if you read his column. If you read it and rage about his idiocy, he thinks that's great actually. Just ignore him and he'll go away. In fact, the whole LA Times will go away.

Ok, so you guys who are getting into the hundreds of thousands, what strategy do you use? At first I opened up as many businesses as possible. That seemed not to work: I got spread too thin,, so I just stuck with a small number of things and upgraded the heck out of them before opening anything else. That worked better, but I'm still nowhere near 100,000.

I tried to taking out TV ads and doing community service, but people still want gas!

And fast!

Too many people need their car washed.

119 - The music store and the paint shop generate the most ROI - I think you have to invest in them. I tend to build up everything evenly and just try to be quick.

I worked my way slowly up the upgrades, making sure I didn't spread myself too thin. As things got busier, I started putting 5 cars our there and just focused on them, cleared the area and went to the line.

116 Your kids played for you right.

121

Definitely upgrade the music shop, the repair shop was a pain because the cars take so long to move around the track. If I play again, I might hold off on the repair shop until the end.

118. That is my philosophy too. Don't feed the trolls. vr, Xei

re: Hot Wheels game

oh.... no... I am never going to get any work done.

126. I'm glad I don't like video games. One rung above Hollywood movies in my book. Now if I was 10 years old, that would be a different story.
vr, Xei

126 I'm afraid of that, too. I spend enough time chatting on Dodger Thoughts.

Three Questions: With Dodgers catcher Russell Martin

http://tinyurl.com/2jxq8w

Anyone know how the Mets tied it up?

130 I was half paying attention. Falkenborg was pitching. A Hu error was involved.

Walk-off double down the RF line for Anderson Hernandez off Tom Martin.

Dodgers pitcher Kuo scratched from start due to elbow irritation

>> Though Torre said he didn't know when Kuo would pitch again, Kuo said he expects to throw a bullpen session on Thursday and possibly pitch in Saturday's game against St. Louis. <<

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10688813

So far the pitching is looking good but the offense a bit thin, and if that keeps up, it will be important to find and play our best hitters.

Charley Steiner is the WORST RADIO PLAY BY PLAY MAN EVER!!! How come they keep signing him to contracts. Don't they listen to thier own broadcasts?
He can't keep up with the game, he paints a picture of the action with a roller and when he does get tongue tied he doesn't go back and explain what happened.
I'm up in northern, northern California and thank God for Direct TV coverage.
Thanks for Vin Scully in the first three innings on the radio.
I'm I the only one out there that just cringes and yells at the radio when Charley throws up another false alarm HR, or screws up another double play?
Light the torches and let's drive him outta Dodgertown!

Steiner's got his flaws, no doubt, but I can't see how you can take a long look at the Dodger broadcast booth and conclude that he is the problem.

135 and thank God for Direct TV coverage.

Really? Is MLBEI already switched on?

135
I actually like Steiner, but I'm sure it's largely due to his ESPN days. A few times on SportsCenter, he just lost it with the giggles (the best was the Carl Lewis national anthem), and I loved those moments. Also, his commercials ("Follow me to freedom!", and the Melrose Place pool boy) were great.

Seems like something the DT crowd might enjoy:
http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/page/5

I want to laugh, but it's also depressing after a few strips.

133. I'll keep my fingers crosed.

134. We are less than a week into spring training. I wouldn't draw any strength vs weakness conclusions based off of spring training, let alone the first week. I think we already know them headed into ST, based off of larger sample sizes and more meaningful games.

vr, Xei

139 Wow. That's great.

hopefully this game will be re-broadcast on SNY or something

Yeah it seems like we lose all of our spring games due to being in close games in the late innings and the non 40 man scrubs cant make a difference with the bats or throw away the game with poor pitching. Nothing to worry about.

139 That actually works a lot better if you just take away Garfield's words.

Okay, I figured it out. It's the snack bar. Whatever you do, do NOT open the snack bar. It kills you.

'It's time to win,' Dodgers' owner McCourt says

http://tinyurl.com/2u7xrl

Fun with ST stats.

GM is asking for a raise right NOW!:

T. Hunter - LAA
6-7, 3(2b), 1(3b), 1hr, 2.857 OPS

N Swisher CWS 14 abs 3(2b), 1(3b), 2hr
1.286 OPS

Hmmm:
T Denker SF 3B 5-13, 1hr 5rbi 1.021 OPS

Yeah but he looked comfortable:
Mark Sweeney 1-13

I do one thing, and I do it well:
A. Pagan - NYM
26 abs .423 avg, .423 slg., .423 ob%

Early release at my school. Lesson plan? Or hotwheels.com? Thank you DT.

146 As opposed to prior moments in team history when it was time to lose. Those halcyon days when Tommy would tells the guys in the dugout to quit hitting and throw some darn meatballs.

A surprising thing I learned from the Charles Schulz biography was that Schulz HATED "Garfield."

re: 146
"He refers to young players as team's 'nucleus' who 'look more like adults.'"

So Loney shaved last spring. Doh!

150 is a perfect segue into this - have y'all seen this yet?
http://progressiveboink.com/archive/peanuts-by-charles-bukowski/1.html

(Keep any young children from reading over your shoulder for that one, but it's genius.)

147 Of course as you said, it's ST. Remember how amazing Wilson Valdez looked to start the year last year.

Just curious-Since Julio Lugo now has a WS ring AND he can steal bases, is he a Championship Player?

Stolen bases / plate appearances.

Repko - 2006, 7% at a 71% clip.

Pierre - 2006, 8% at a 74% clip.

According to Tony Jackson, Kent may be held out for a week, which seems a bit harsh for a tired hamstring, but better safe than sorry. It's not like he needs, or likes, Spring Training very much anyway. More time for Delwyn, and I wish Abreu was healthier so he could take advantage of the opp, too.

He's no David Eckstein.

Recently Lugo blamed his futile 2007 season on a malady he contacted during the winter. So far he has yet to find something concrete to blame for the 100 at bats he gave the Dodgers in 2006 though I'm sure he's pointed the finger at inconsistent usage.

D4P where art thou?

156
I'm shocked that Kent is hurt. This comes out of the blue.

You want to waste time? Try this one:

http://www.kongregate.com/games/undefined/protector

yeah it was just for fun, underdog. Also for fun:

http://msn.foxsports.com/cricket/story/7871012?MSNHPHMA

if you're into streakers being pummeled...

158 Funny how his hammy always acts up about the same time of year, a time that he coincidentally loathes. I'm sure it will miraculously feel better next month.

chan ho park having "no chance" seems like a bit of a stretch right now.

162
If Kuo remains hurt for an extended period of time and if Esteban stinks it up a few more times, you may be right.

I have a feeling Mike Myers makes the team. Joe Beimel will be cut.

Park/Jason Johnson/Loaiza--->If Loazia didnt have 7mils reasons of dead money owed to him, then this would be a wide open race for the 5th spot.

It'll take some tremendous suckage by Loaiza to give the other two NRI a legit shot. More likely, if Park/Johnson continue to put up 0's, and Loaiza sucks...he'll go on the DL, and Park/Johnson will be the #5.

Park/Johnson are probably more Scott Erickson at this stage, but maybe they'll pull a Lima.

162 No, it's no chance. The amount of roster tomfoolery necassary to get him in the rotation isn't worth it. We're not cutting seven million dollars of Loaiza in Spring Training, and if we cut Kuo, I'd almost guarantee we'd replace him with Myers since Beimel is the only lefty on the active roster aside from Kuo.

164 We're not cutting the 2.1 million dollar reliever for the guy that has demonstrated he can only get lefties out.

164
I think your predictions are pretty dead on. I agree with what you outlined.

maybe they'll pull a Lima.

You mean that they'll contract an STD?

Has Beimel been awful this Spring? He's barely pitched at all yet. Am I missing something? One of those NRI pitchers could make the bullpen but I don't see it happening at the expense of Beimel unless he really stinks up the joint or gets injured. BeimelProctorBroxtonSaito seems pretty much set.

165 what would havve to happen if he were to make the team?

168
Those 4 are locks

3 spots for:
Kuo, Park, Seanz, Yhancy, Myers, Koplov, Hull

Why can't Park make it in the bullpen?

165
For one of the NRIs to make the club, the Dodgers don't necessarily have to cut anyone. Either Schmidt or Kuo could be put on the 60-day DL to open up a spot.

when is james mac supposed to pitch.

170 So based on that, if it's really that group for 3 slots, I'd predict Yhency, Kuo if healthy (and if not they may go with Myers for another lefty), and Seanez or Hull.

171
Bite your tongue.

174 i'd say it's about a 80% chance schmidt would be out for 60 days after opening day

I think Hull has zero chance of making the big club.
In order of odds I'd say it goes like this, assuming Kuo is healthy to start the season.
Kuo, Yhancy, Park, Seanez, Myers, Koplov, Hull
If Kuo starts the year on the DL
Myers, Yhancy, Park, Seanez, Martin, Koplov, Hull

Are we going with 11 or 12 pitchers?

175
I don't care about Schmidt, but if Kuo goes on the 60 day then you can pretty much write off his Dodger career.

176 i'd guess 12.

169 Park would first have to show he's a competent pitcher and a better option than Stults, Orenduff, Johnson or maybe McDonald(depending on how we want to use his service time).

Then

No one not on the 40 man right now would have to make the team including Sweeney, Martinez, Myers, and the other largely irrelevant guys.

Or

A pitcher (Schmidt or Kuo most likely) goes on the 60 Day DL

Or

Schmidt, Kuo, Seanez or Loaiza gets cut.

I guess no chance is a bit harsh. But I wouldn't take anything other than 500-1 odds on it.

173 That's about what I see as our seven-man bullpen: 4 locks+Seanez/Myers/Brazoban.

Park could make things interesting. I suppose we could "disable" Brazoban to buy some time. (And no, I'm not thrilled about Myers on the team.)

176 Why in the world would you assume Kuo will be healthy? ;)

Seriously, I think we'll go with a seven-man bullpen and a bench of Bennett/Nomar/Sweeney/Young/Ethier.

150 - That surprised you?

179 500-1?
if someone offers you 500-1 you take it.

personally, given your guidelines i think it's a much better chance than that.

179
I'll take that bet.

Good thing you don't work in Vegas.

Joe Beimel is on the club unless he has an appalling spring.

I called the Dodgers last week to find out when they would be shipping tickets and they said the first two weeks of March. I know its only the 5th but has anyone received them yet?

No

184 how does 7-1 sound?

the chances of park outpitching/being major league ready over mcdonald, johnson, orenduff, and stults at 7:1
chance of martinez, meyers, sweeny not marking the roster
or
schmidt or kuo being on the 60-day dl
or
schmnidt kuo loaiza or seanez gets cul
1:1

183 Someone once offered me 10,000/1 odds that John Cougar Mellencamp would win an Oscar.

Anytime you get odds like that, you take it.

189 i mean 16-1

Eric S, I saw your response the other night to my question about health and training. Nice job. Its even harder doing it on your own. Admirable.

187 I got a big ol' brick of tickets for my miniplan about two days ago.

324,793 and I think I'm going to quit there.

189 Chan Ho Park is a very bad pitcher who had a 5.97 ERA in AAA last year. Do you honestly think we're going to give this guy a serious shot at the rotation barring some very unfortunate circumstances.

No, but I do honestly think he has a legit shot for a bullpen job. Names not numbers seem to mean the most to those in power. This is not about who you would pick, it is about who Ned and Joe would pick.

To put it simply, pulling a bunch of roster shennigans to get Park on the team is a much worse idea than putting Juan Pierre in left or Nomar at third. There were three starters in the Dodger organization with worse ERA's than Chan Ho last year, and at least Stults had the excuse of a .400 BABIP.

195 yes, his competition is mcdonald, stults, jason johnson, and orenduff.

not exactely a tough group to beat out.

197 it seems like it would be quite easy to keep lucellie, sweeney and meyers to not make the roster for 1, and #2 i would be pretty confident in saying schmidt would be on the 60-day dl. doesn't seem like too much stuff to mess around with.

197 also i think 95% of the people on this site would say if chan ho park makes the roster and either plays LF sign me up

196 - Happy for the relatively good news that came regarding your father, Toy, even though it's still hard.

http://www.truebluela.com/story/2008/3/4/165812/8906#commenttop

200 - Nah, I think I'd rather have Pierre getting left-field time than have Park in the rotation. Park can really do a lot of damage there.

197 "To put it simply, pulling a bunch of roster shennigans to get Park on the team is a much worse idea than putting Juan Pierre in left or Nomar at third."

Disabling Kuo (or dumping Hull/Stults) and giving the 12th pitching spot on the team to Park wouldn't surprise me at all.

197
What are the shenanigans? Schmidt and Rudy hit the DL and viola you have Park. Last year Rudy was healthy, he probably won't make it out of ST healthy. We already know Schmidt is going to hit the DL. This will be easier then climbing the Wall when they get to China.

I just bought one of the plans in the all you can eat section. Comes with opening day, Saito bobble head, and a cooler bag. Not to mention Jackie Robinson day and Topps Tuesday. I will probably only go to 2 of the games, but if I can sell opening day for $100, I just paid $70 for 5 games.

200 Then, honestly, 95% of those people would be wrong. Park allowed almost two home runs per nine in AAA last year. Pierre is at least replacement level in left, I'd be happy if we got Scott Erickson like performance out of Chan Ho. Giving starts to pitchers like that when there are so many other options in the organization is insane.

I've become a lot less critical of the team recently and far more willing to forgive. Giving Nomar and Ethier play time since they're the ones making the big bucks, sure, whatever. Bad move, but something most teams would do. Having Chan Ho toss one pitch for the team barring a dire emergency is something that would make me want to fork stab ned.

201
Thanks-hard to believe I'm debating Chan Ho Park isn't it? At best he's a 12th pitcher not the 5th starter.

206 "Enraged Fan Fork Stabs GM: Film at 11"

202 - I mean, I might research the comparison further, but Park hasn't had anything left for a while now.

206 You mean "Nomar and Pierre" above, I assume...?

Now, if Seanez isn't up to the task or is hurt, and if Park isn't a fit, who would people pick to fill in that role (righty middle/short relief)? Not a lot of great options in camp right now, and we want McDonald to come up for something other than mop-up duty...

Yhency wouldn't necessarily replace Seanez, since they both could make the team. Who else?

My rebuttal to Tony and Bill
http://tinyurl.com/32p8wh

209
On the other hand we have recent history of a pitcher who could only pitch effectively while in a Dodger uniform. Sometimes lightening does strike twice.

166--I think Torre's relationship with Myers will override Beimel's 2.1mils contract.

210 Hull, Meloan, most of our NRI's.

Has Beimel been awful this Spring?

He's only pitched in 1 game, and in that game he went 1 inning and gave up a 2 run homer.

I think Kuo has too much upside to be released. Myers and Beimel are both loogys--neither can start or long-relieve---I think Torre goes with the guy he knows from before ahead of the one he doesnt.

215 No offense, but you're way off here. Beimel is a mortal lock for the bullpen. (And he's not a LOOGY.)

202 , 206 who said anything about park being our 5th starter?

166 164 We're not cutting the 2.1 million dollar reliever for the guy that has demonstrated he can only get lefties out.

And apparently didn't do even that very well last year as Torre cut him from the team because lefties were hitting him.

I received my tickets mid February

217 - In 189, you talked about Park vs. other starting pitchers. So I guess I just assumed. My mistake.

220 no just going through 179 guidelines for park to make the club.

Bill Plaschke on Andruw Jones: I'm sure most here cannot wait to read this. :-)

Dodgers' Andruw Jones is a bigger version of last year

http://tinyurl.com/2ugqcy

Park apparently struck out the side one inning today and has looked good in his appearances this spring. I will admit that it looks as if some vets are good at taking advantage of the part of ST when the pitchers are ahead of batters to roll up good stats in spring training. I guess this has happenened with Scott E., Tomko and Hendrickson. I have no firm conclusion except that Chan Ho looks good but we must beware. If we had utilized Houlton and Hull/Stultz I bet we would have fared no worse and saved multimillions over Tomdrickson. At this point with regular players it is probable that having low payroll would make us better. What a clusterbomb.

222

How does Plaschke write a parody of his own writing? That's amazing.

Who's the bigger fool, the writer of a dumb article or all the folks who go out and read it?

I raise my hand in shame....

213 Too many opposing arguments are in play here:

1. Torre's relationship with Myers didn't help him stay on the team last year
2. Beimel's making $2M and is on the 40-man while Myers is only an NRI
3. Ned's the one who makes the decisions, not Torre and Ned has witnessed Beimel being effective for two years straight

Has it been discussed what is meant by Bobblehead #3 on the promotional schedule? Are they waiting to see if guys like Loney, Kemp, and Ethier perform well before comitting to them? Could is possibly be Slappy?

All the other veterans' contracts either run out this year or next year so I'm guessing the promotional department is a bit gunshy about giving any of them bobbleheads.

Speaking of bobbleheads, I cant seem to track down the promo schedule. Anyone have a link?

222

He used OBP in that article to question Andruw's current game...where was that with Pierre?

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/schedule/promotions.jsp?c_id=la

Fun piece on Big League Stew (Yahoo) on Dodgertown, Vero Beach:

http://tinyurl.com/3clbua

>>it wasn't until I stepped foot in Dodgertown on Vero Beach
Tuesday that I was finally able to comprehend why people tend to wax so poetic about the place. From parking along the side of Vin Scully Way to working in the open-air press box to the trees planted along the concourse, Holman Stadium has to rank among the top 5 baseball places I've ever visited.

And considering the Dodgers are leaving this spring after 60 seasons for supposedly greener pastures in Arizona, I'm thankful I had the opportunity to watch the Dodgers and Nationals on Tuesday night. <<

He includes a link to photos on his flickr page, too.

MLB Extra Innings vs MLB TV on the computer...

This is a tough decision. Already, DT users are able to watch Dodger Spring Training games with MLB TV on the computer. With MLB TV on the computer, we can follow any out of market game wherever we are. If we go on business trips, that means we can watch Dodger games on the laptop.

MLB TV can be paid for monthly or at once, whereas MLB EI has to be paid for up front.

If one of you could pick between them, which would you choose?

227 I assume theyre saving it for Andruw Jones and hedging if he turns out horrible. The fans choice will probably be reserved for whichever rookie turns it on this year. I remember the choices at the beginning of last year were Pierre, Martin and Penny.

232
I don't travel much for my job, so EI is the way to go. Watching the game on my big TV at home is preferable to watching on the computer. With the amount of baseball I watch, Extra Innings has to be one of the greatest values there is.

I also plunk down the $15 for MLB audio, for the occasional day game at work.

232 I usually spring for both, since (a) I travel a lot, and (b) I'm picky about picture quality. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd probably get Extra Innings and just do without when I'm on the road.

232 Cox Cable, my provider, give the option of dividing the cost of Extra Innings into 4 monthly payments.

I forgot to mention; I also get every team's games on XM Satellite Radio. For those of you who like baseball audio on the go, that's an additional option.

There's no extra fee for MLB on XM, it comes with the regular subscription.

236
I have the same option with Time Warner.

I have to say, the first week or so of last season was anxious since the EI package had yet to be officially included on anything but DirecTV. A friend of mine jumped ship to DirecTV because of the supposed exclusivity, but has generally been unhappy with their service overall.

Thats just about right. We are supposed to worry about an outfielder because his OBP is terrible, although he has power, great fielding and an amazing arm. Am I missing at least half a mind here? Plaschke kills me, and he shouldn't have admitted he was aware of OBP.(of course he didn't admit to understanding it)

Vin Scully's season debut is Saturday, according to Gurnick's latest.

238 Do I understand correctly that DirecTV offers some of the Extra Innings package games in HD? (Which my cable company does not.) Seems like that alone would make the switch worthwhile for some people.

233 Do they really want to give a bobblehead to a guy who most likely will only be here for two years? I realize they kinda did the same thing with Nomar last year, but he's a fan favorite and it was already his second year.

Maybe another old timer? This being the 50th anniversary and all, how about Duke Snider or something?

The way MLB used the DirecTV exclusivity threat to get cable operators to give the upcoming MLB Network a better slot on cable systems was a brilliant strategic move on the part of MLB.

I won't be making jokes about the MLB Network only being available in the Maritime Provinces or affordable by the six richest princes of Europe.

I better go find new material.

and (b) I'm picky about picture quality.

That's why we need to raise a little hell about
EI only having one HD channel.

241
I believe that is correct. However, I have the HDTV with cable, and my friend has DirecTV but no HD. So there we are.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_8444544

(Rule 1 violation!)

172 when is james mac supposed to pitch.

I thought I read somewhere a couple of days ago that McDonald would pitch in tomorrow's game but now I can't remember the source. And the latest update on Dodger.com only mentions the first three relievers to follow Lowe.

>> Relievers Eric Stults, Mario Alvarez and Eric Hull are also scheduled to pitch for the Dodgers in a 10:05 a.m. PT start. <<

Every now and then, one of my two In Demand channels will have an MLB game in HD. It's usually a Red Sox or Orioles game though, if I recall correctly.

244 On DirecTV, I should have added. And that was last year...this years schedule has not been published yet.

On second thought it doesn't really say they're the first three relievers just that that they are scheduled to pitch.

241
DirecTV offers a "Superfan" addition to EI for $50, which among other things offers up to 40 HD games per week.

246 It's one thing when Jon asks us not to violate Rule 1. This is his house and he may set the rules as he likes. Also, this site being what it is, there's really no reason to violate Rule 1. We can all get by without it. So while here, I have no problem living by that rule.

That said, when a government agency does it -- even in this supposedly feel-good, toothless way -- it bothers me a great deal.

I should refrain from commenting on Plaschke but I can't resist:

"His [Jones] on-base percentage dropped 51 points."

In 2005, Pierre's OBP dropped 48 points from 2004 and he hasn't been more than 5 points better than that since.

233 227 The fans choice will probably be reserved for whichever rookie turns it on this year. I remember the choices at the beginning of last year were Pierre, Martin and Penny.

The fans have the whole roster to choose from this year.

http://tinyurl.com/yvxk9q

112145. I'm going to eat dinner now.

251 McDonald was supposed to pitch in one of yesterday's games, actually, but did not. Never heard why. I asked Tony Jax that question, maybe he'll get back to me/us later.

254 I always thought last year's bobblehead choices were instructive regarding how the Dodgers view their young players. (Yes, I know the promotion decisions are made by different people, but...)

Entering last year, Martin was already the most popular Dodger outside of Nomar. He was already a fan favorite, the clear-cut leader of the team, and a no-brainer selection for a Bobblehead Day. And yet it took fan voting to get that Bobblehead Day since the Dodgers themselves weren't smart enough to realize he was an obvious choice.

Actually, the Jacksonville Suns had better bobblehead giveaways than the Dodgers did last year, with Matt Kemp and James Loney.

251 Thanks for enlightening me, Eric...I just signed up for Superfan.

Extra Innings + Slingbox = Win!

259
Do you have express WRITTEN CONSENT of the Commissioner of Baseball to do that?

We don't go for that implied oral consent.

ToyCannon takes a run at Plaschke/Jackson:
http://tinyurl.com/32p8wh

256 251 McDonald was supposed to pitch in one of yesterday's games, actually, but did not. Never heard why. I asked Tony Jax that question, maybe he'll get back to me/us later.

Thanks. Now I remember where I saw it. I just had the date wrong.

>> In the day game, fifth-starter candidate Esteban Loaiza will open, followed by youngsters James McDonald, Cory Wade, Mario Alvarez and Justin Orenduff against Washington starter Matt Chico. <<

http://tinyurl.com/2ygd6y

The first game in China just got added to the MLB.tv schedule.

263 Also, tomorrow's game against Boston is on ESPN.

262 Whatever happened with McDonald he isn't pitching tomorrow either.

>> Former Boston pitcher Derek Lowe starts for the Dodgers, followed by Stults, Mario Alvarez, Eric Hull, Matt Riley, Jon Meloan, Ramon Troncoso and Greg Jones. <<

http://tinyurl.com/32agtr

264
Sweet!

I'd be surprised if "The Moment of Truth" wasn't created by a divorce lawyer

Dodgers on ESPN--YES-thank you 49, I had forgotten!

From Diamond Leung's Press-Enterprise article the other day:

For now, Hu appears headed back to Class AAA Las Vegas. "Someone that young should be playing on a regular basis," Manager Joe Torre said.

Kemp is younger than Hu. Does that mean he'll be playing on a regular basis? (Therefore Ethier is battling Pierre for playing time?)

Apparently, every sentence requires its own paragraph now for Plaschke.

That was such a pointless article.

Bill, everyone is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.

271
Plaschke should have written about burning poo and the human response.

And Abreu is younger than Hu. With his health setback I have resigned myself to the fact it may be good to have them both playing together in Vegas with the understanding that they would be the 2009 DP combination.
However, I have been touched by the faith everyone, especially the old school journalists have that Furcal is totally over the difficulties that made him terible last year. His play in the Carribean this winter is reassuring, but his recent dissapearance is not. Is it too much to ask that he have a few months of good play before we put him above Hu, who is more than ready to begin a big league career?

Kuo has moved his schedule forward another day:

>> Left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo's elbow tenderness in his throwing arm improved enough to allow him to play catch on Wednesday. Kuo said he hoped to throw a bullpen session on Friday and pitch in Sunday's game. <<

http://tinyurl.com/32agtr

271 - A great insult line, but my favorite is still "Where is your honor, dirtbag? You are an absolute disgrace!" from Toy Story.

NPUT

Let's hope we don't have to rush Kuo. Loaiza may be the ? for that # 5 spot. I wouldn't rule out Park either.