Thanks for helping me expand my vocabulary today with another copacetic post!

boos too taboo

Nice.

Koo Koo Kachoo to this new lineup

I'll add a goo goo g'joob before anyone else can.

I once contrasted two players of egual value; one who was acquired by some means and the other who came up through the Dodgers system. It may seem simplistic, but the latter is much more valuable to me. Its just a natural fact. Sometimes you have to trade because no system is perfect in filling positions. At present, it is such a great time to be a Dodger's fan because our system is supplying almost every kind of player we need.
I think the message finally got through to the higher ups. No good Vets are needed. You have everything you need in the system. It might be OK to get a real difference maker, but short of that, don't dare make a move. Having people like Hu and Young will appeal to Dodger fans, who else do you need.

They weren't booing, they were saying 'Huuuuuuuuu'. =)

I found it interesting Saturday that Dodger fans started a retroactive "Duuuuuuuke" chant for Duke Snider.

Just got back from the game a little while ago: great atmosphere, tons of fun, although I was a bit bummed that I missed the first part of the opening day ceremonies (thanks to parking, which I should've thought would take much longer than usual, but completely forgot about). I did get to see the last half of the legends come out on the field, which was great.

It was also pretty cool when the Dodger broadcast feed got fed into the stadium PA, so we got to hear Scully saying "It's time for Dodger baseball!" (and the crowd said the words along with him).

It was also great to see (and hear) the response that a lot of the young kids received -- Martin is already a huge fan favorite, but the crowd roared "Huuuuu!" everytime Hu was involved in a play (either at bat or on defense), and DeWitt got a lot of cheers and applause too. Kemp is just around the corner from being a casual fan favorite too -- some guys right behind me were talking about how they were hoping Kemp would hit one out.

And of course, it was a delight seeing Furcal play the way I remembered him back in the second half of '06: fierce at the plate with some slick plays in the field -- and of course that great play up the middle that brought the crowd to its feet.

I had a great time... though next time I'll have to remember that upper reserve gets a bit chilly in the shade, especially with the afternoon winds snapping through the stadium.

Turns out, I was bumped from KCRW today in favor of D.J. Waldie.

No shame in that.

The ghost of J.D. Cannon is heard in Atlanta yelling, "MCCLOUTH!!!"

Woah. The Science Channel has an hour on now called
The Secret Baseball Formula featuring Bill James.

ESPN is so biased, they have a picture of Johan on the front of there home page, its almost like nobody exist outside the east coast, im done with 'em!

yes, a healed hoof will help Raffy. That's what the guys in my fantasy league said and accordingly reached for him in the draft.

Saw a faculty member wearing Giants garb and asked him whether they scored a run today. Of course, I rocked the Dodgers fitted in observance of this national holiday. Said faculty member said something I cannot repeat due to Rule 1. He was in the mathematics department so lets just say he's a little passive-aggressive.

Re: Jason Schmidt

You theorize, possibly correctly, that Schmidt was booed for his contract or his fate, but it seems very possible that many fans (including myself) believe that Schmidt was injured prior to signing his contract, in which case they would indeed be booing the human. That may not make it ok to boo in your book (especially considering that no one could prove such an allegation), but sometime people bring these things on to themselves.

I am not at all against booing, but I am happy to hear that no one booed Pierre.

Re: 743 from the previous post

I was partly curious for myself; I'm scheduled to fill a DOS position on a PRT in Salah ad Din starting in June. It looks like I'll either be with the central PRT at COB Speicher, or at a battalion FOB near Samarra (presumably FOB Brassfield-Mora). It'd be nice if I could get MLB.tv, but I had no idea if I'd have the bandwith. There will also presumably be a big difference between what's available at COB Speicher (MND-North HQ), and the battalion FOB. Maybe Gameday Audio would work.

I've also heard about all the restrictions on blogs, which is really stupid, because there are some really good military ones. I remember having problems forwarding Iraq-related stuff to a buddy of mine who was a Marine liaison officer in the JOC at Camp Victory.

When are you scheduled to return from the "sandbox"?

WWSH

I clapped for Pierre because:

1) he's a Dodger
2) I feel sorry for him

GREAT GAME TODAY! :)

I don't understand booing someone from the team for which you root, but at the same time, I don't begrudge anyone's desire to do so. I just find it counterproductive at best. If a guy is struggling, rest assured that he knows it. He doesn't need fans to point it out for him.

I felt like Brett Tomko got worse as soon as he got in trouble at Dodger Stadium, because the boos would be cascading down on him. It was visible in his body language. Should he have thicker skin? For sure. But that doesn't change the fact that home field should never be hostile territory.

All is back to normal in my life it would seem. Dodger baseball on in the evenings when I come home from work.

I love this team. Every one of them. And the circumstance surrounding DeWitt's entrance into the lineup is the type of under dog story I melt over. I'll pull with all of my heart strings during each of his ABs.

If you're a Dodger fan you have to appreciate the Giants this year because they guarantee we won't come in last.

19 That's the spirit!

19
Coincidence that they share the same colors as Oregon State?

Oh wow. I just got back from the game and woke up from a late evening nap. It was amazing. I caught a foul ball in the third inning and Jon Weisman himself came down from a few rows behind me to congratulate me, I assume because I was wearing my new Dodger Thoughts T-shirt. I have pictures from the game and will post them tomorrow when I am less tired and am able to function normally.

Also, Dodgers win.

14 - I'm definitely against booing based on an unproven allegation.

22 - That was a great moment! Wear your DT shirt, get a foul ball!

Anyone know who is the third man in the booth for Pads game? His voice sounds familiar and he must be new to ESPN.

To be fair, Russell Martin has made something of a name for himself. He even gets mentions on ESPN, and he did win a silver slugger and a gold glove.

25 - I didn't say he hadn't.

Hello Dodger fans! It's always a good day when we are in first place!

23 Thanks!

Sorry I wasn't able to talk normally, I was fairly excited from catching the foul ball, something I have always dreamed about.

DT shirts: super lucky!

FYI, it's Sean McDonough, Orestes Destrade, and Candy Maldonado calling the action in San Diego.

Old friend alert in Atlanta. Franquelis Osoria pitching for the Bucs.

9-9 going to the 11th.

Aww, Candy. Thank you.

What's with Cleveland's unis and hats? Are those throwbacks or new designs?

Just asking because I am watching sportscenter

Josh Bard went to my high school's arch rival, and then we went to the same college (I later transferred). He's the only Padre for which I can root.

By the by, anybody catch this dig by Vinny? On the Giants: "This is a pretty old ballclub. Or you can call it a veteran ballclub, it comes out nicer."

Ouch.

34 Listening to the game on MLB Audio, my Giant fan coworker commented (and violated rule 1) on something Charley Steiner said as well.

Re: 34

I just hope the Giants waste away all the pre-arb years of Cain and Lincecum as they rebuild their offense.

WWSH

John Russell is undefeated as Pirates manager! Bucs prevail 12-11 in 12 over Atlanta.

36 And that's what they'll do. The Giants are (insert Rule 1 violation here in past tense verb form here) for many, many moons to come.

But they do have a walking pun for a shortstop.

The lead ESPN announcer is such a doofus I had to mute that game after a little while. Yarrgh.

39 Sean McDonough? I don't have a problem. I'm not a big fan of Candy Maldonado, though.

Oh my heavens.

Did you see how the Braves tied it up with two out in the ninth? I just saw the highlights.

Does anyone know if the dodgers ticket exchange still exists? I often used to buy my tickets from season ticket holders on that page at dodgers.com I'll check out tickets on Jon's ticket thread.

42
I think that since MLB and StubHub are partners now the ticket exchange has gone away.

Been back from the game a couple hours, long enough to check my email, put my boys to bed, and catch up with all the DT comments. I would like to add a few observations about the game that touch on some of the issues raised earlier and a bit more.

1) My guess is that part of the Jason Schmidt booing is that many fans at the game think of him as a Giant. Many fans who attend opening day are here just once a year.
2) Many many fans in my section (field level, near right field foul pole) had way way too much to drink. Much obnoxious behavior, foul language, stray peanuts and beer directed at fans who dared to wear orange and black to their seats. Does not make you feel proud.
3) In previous thread, someone asked about the cost of a Canters' corned beef sandwich. It was $11. My pal ordered one and gave me a taste. It was certainly decent -- remember that Canters is not the best corned beef sand in LA (that's a topic for future DTs), but it is certainly the best corned beef at any ballpark in LA. They did not put mustard on it, so he had to go back to a Dodger Dog stand for the yellow stuff.
4) The pre-game ceremony with Dodger legends was really well done. Three items of particular interest to DT readers. First, old friend Matt Luke made a surprise appearance on the same field as Duke Snider and Steve Garvey,which was odd but nice. Second, old friend/tormentor Eric Karros got a thunderous ovation at least in my section. Third, much to my surprise, Sandy Koufax was saved for best and last, after Tommy. Obviously someone who really understands and cares about Dodger history planned this.
4) Ethier smoked the ball on his last at-bat, albiet for an out. I am sure Torre noticed this.
5) I ran into someone wearing a Ghame Over T shirt. DT's are everywhere.
6) The new field level is pleasant. The lines for food were never too long, even in the middle innings, lots of room to move around, plenty of plumbing in the mens room (waterless urinals -- Dodger Stadium goes green, or something like that)
7) Food prices are unchanged, I believe. Somehow paying $5 for a coke seems more acceptable after a year of practice.
8) They did something to the bullpen area so that fans now can see in from the side and from the top. I can tell you that having only a chain link fence separating Dodger fans and Giant relievers is a problem waiting to happen. But putting aside the safety of Giant pitchers, it's great to get such access in there.

Ever so slightly off topic:

About Jason Schmidt (because not using his first name would just be a bad pun/reference), it was sad to see him booed. Just to put a human behind the name, I saw him at Vero on either the 16th or the 17th and I swear it took him an hour to get from the practice fields to the stadium as he signed everything and talked to anyone with an important comment to say. Granted, he was in no rush to get into the game, but he did a great job convincing me to give him a shot (had much the appeal I felt when I met Dave Roberts, who I'll root for despite the uniform).

44 It's great to hear that down on the field level, concessions are better. Up in reserve, I didn't see much of a change... I waited 20 minutes for hot dog/coke/nachos and the lines were stacked deep along every vendor booth.

Does anyone else see the Lopez brothers as shooting for a 1st round/ 2nd round on the same team? Because I find it ridiculous that Side Show Bob Lopez feels like he's ready for the NBA.

If the Collins twins didn't end up on the same team, I don't see the Lopez twins doing so either.

Don't 1st and 2nd round picks automatically get different salaries? Would you want to be on the same team with your identical twin knowing that he made a lot more money?

I'll second comment 44 2) about the harsh treatment of "the others" and overconsumption of $10 beers, however I was in the second deck behind and two the left field side of homeplate.
I saw two actually get their hats stolen and launched into the abyss of fieldlevel, most likely never to return.

Doh....make that "to" the left field side.

In the NHL, Henrik and Daniel Sedin were drafted second and third overall, after Vancouver GM Brian Burke traded for an extra high-ranking draft pick. They've been playing together (very effectively) on the same line for several years now.

47
Robin will still be a useful NBA player, because of his defensive and rebounding abilities. 7 footers that are not stiffs and can go inside do not come around that often.

Did anyone notice Frank McCourt in the bleachers saying hello to the fans? I thought it was a first class move.

51
But hockey has had a father playing alongside his two sons on the same line too.

It took a while for the Niedemayers to get together.

Does it bother anyone else that an increasing percentage of the fans these days at Dodger Stadium, drink and cuss more then they actually watch the game?
I think it's time for a family section at Dodger Stadium.

Never got to be an old friend alert:
Wesley Wright pitching for Houston now.

52 but where does he get drafted? I don't see it before, say, 25. Tops. I think he'll be a functional NBA player, but I could seriously see (okay- maybe I hope) them ending up on the same team. Brook should be a top 10 player. Robin is not.

Maybe I'm skewed by the Rock'n Roller Games draft that got twins drafted as a single player...

53 McCourt and Antonio Villaraigosa (wearing a huge Dodgers jacket) were in the section over from us shaking hands and talking to the fans in the top deck during the late innings. I had heard that once they went back upstairs that McCourt left the area to go somewhere else while the mayor stuck around for a bit longer to talk to fans. Pretty classy move and a nice treat for the no frills cheap seats.

57
Yeah, he will be lower first round or second round pick. Unless he really impresses people in workouts.

If the Sonics still had their old management they would for sure take him.

47 - Robin might actually blossom once he's separated from Brook. He often did well when Brook was on the bench.

The ESPN mock draft for the NBA has Brook Lopez at 3 and Robin Lopez at 31.

55 I've watched the Rockies from their family section. It doesn't matter. If you want to be belligerent, you can find ways to be belligerent. And Dodger Stadium security is far less lax than Coors field security.

Thanks to many of you I've found a new, very enjoyable way to watch a game.

I recorded the game on my DVR and was very careful to avoid the score on my way home from work.

I watched the whole game on DTV EI while slowly scrolling through the DT comments. The time stamps kept me from straying ahead and catching spoilers.

Very satisfying. This will be great when the Dodgers travel to the east.

58 Nice! I saw them before the game in the bleachers.

55 I have often wished for a family section. Of course, if you put the families in one section, imagine what would be left! I have season tix for about 10 games a year that are in a nice location and I feel fine taking my 4 year old there. But I go to another dozen games a year in the cheaper seats, and I would never sit in those seats with my boy -- too much profanity, crazy behavior, fights. Today a drunk guy behind me was screaming something really nasty at a guy in a Giants hat. I turned around and asked him to keep it cool as there was a 3 year old a couple of seats away. He looked embarrassed actually -- and shut up for about half an inning before he started harassing some girls in Dodger halter tops a few rows ahead of me. Classy dude...

I will say there were a lot of security guards around today, at least in the field level.

60 that's tangentially my point. I feel like he would be far better served by staying in school and developing his game independent from his brother.

I just think he made a mistake by coming out (assuming he stays in the draft).

I think Burke had a fetish for seeing what the identical twins would accomplish together. Call it looking for synergy. Identical twins are spooky that way.

The Niedemayers are a forward/defence combo, and are garden-variety brothers, so it's a little different.

I don't know how these basketball twins compare in ability or in their life stories, but the Sedins played together all through junior hockey, and even won awards together that are normally awarded to one person (sweden's golden puck).

I saw a fan get kicked out for giving the bird and shouting profanities. I was impressed.

Do you think the anonymous soccer player in the razor commercial with Federer and Tiger feels a little out of place? Or do you thing he just happily cashes his checks?

The Guinness Book of World Records has "certified" Saturday's crowd as the biggest ever for a baseball game.

http://tinyurl.com/24xk32

Now Frank McCourt doesn't have to wear a beard of bees to impress that Guinness book crowd.

65 - that's basically why I won't go to a game in the cheap seats anymore. A couple years ago I went with a friend, who happens to be a fan the Cardinals, she (all 5'7" 115 lbs of her) was decked out in Cardinals gear, and she got harassed. First time in a long time that I was ready to throw down, of course when my 6'1" 250 lb frame rose, the hecklers stopped.

I don't see either Lopez brother having any success in the NBA other then the intangibles that come with being an NBA player. Who can put a price on that?

I really like this team, too. We've all been following these guys for so long, we are truly emotionally invested in their success. For the first time in many years, the Dodgers might actually be COOL. Well, except for Derek Lowe. He's kinda skanky. But I don't care as long as he pitches 200 innings.

I'm watching the game right now. (previously recorded) Penny just got taken out, which reminds me, I haven't thanked Depo for getting that guy yet. Everytime he takes the mound, I just take for granted what he does. Truly a great pickup.

67 Mater Dei has a set of twins who have committed to Carolina. I have no problem with this. They are virtual equals.

But the Lopez twins are not equal in talent right now. I've been wondering what would happen with them all year. I actually thought Brook would stick around another year.

I have no problem with their decision either, but I feel like they made their decision together, rather than what was best for themselves independently. Good luck to both of them, and hopefully the tree can reload.

69
Thierry Henry is not anonymous to most people in the world. And he cashes mighty big paychecks every year from the good people of Barcelona.

72 Or eat a bicycle.

69 Thierry Henry is not anonomous

I feel the same way, Jon. I can't remember the last time I've been this excited for so many different players in the Dodger line-up. Ethier, Kemp, Loney, Martin: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Not to mention Andruw freakin' Jones, and the re-hoofed Rafael Furcal. Threat after threat after threat....

Something weird happened. The team got really, really good when we weren't looking.

76 or yes, spelled correctly.

What a great day at the game today!
The pregame ceremony was the best that I have ever seen. Sandy Koufax throwing from the mound at Dodger Stadium! Never thought that I'd see that again. The introduction of the players made me feel all warm and fuzzy. It was great to hear Pierre get a liitle bit of positive recognition from the fans.
I kept wondering what "the Solution" must have been feeling.
Great presentation of the National Anthem (this usually gets me a little misty eyed). Then Duke Snider walks out from center field, next Wally Moon from the Dodger Bullpen, and on and on the old players from the past appeared. There were only a few of them that I hadn't seen play.
It really got emotional for me. The nostalgia, so many memories of times past, with so many family and friends. I just stood there, applauding them all, wiping away the tears all the while. It really took me quite by surprise.
Sandy Koufax! I'll never forget this day.
We were sitting in the reserved, on the first base line, just about the pitcher's mound, so we had a great view of the Dodgers dugout. As all of the old heros left the field on the ramp to the club seats, Tommy Lasorda, in his uni, hung to the back.
He instead walked down the steps into the Dodgers dugout, going up to each player and shakng their hands, saying something to each one, some of them patting him on the back. As he passed the last player, I could see his shoulders slightly droop, his head go forward a little bit. He came upon the entrance to the tunnel to the locker room, took a step and disappeared from view. I wondered if the was contemplating that this might be the last time he dons a Dodger uniform?
Then the infield started their warm up. I was studying DeWitt. Would he be so nervous that he would botch the first throw to Loney? No, a little wide to the right, but he made it. Then "the Solution" gets a hit.
Wow, the kid looks ok, next the shot to the track in right center. That was a rope. He added some good defense as well starting a double play. Everybody that played for the Dodgers today did well. I could go on and on. It was just a great day all around.
I hope the rest of this season will be as special as today was. It was really neat being there in my new, blue DT t-shirt.
I've always loved Dodger baseball. Because of this site, I seem to enjoy it more.
Thanks to Jon, and everyone that shares here.

I finally put two and two together about the Lopez brothers the other day. Their older brother used to play basketball at SCU when I went there and they used to hang around with the team before and after the games and also would be one of those sweat jockeys who would mop up the floor during games. They have apparently come a long way and are obv. significantly better than their older brother at basketball, as they wound up going to Stanford and not Santa Clara.

Jon, when will the next batch of shirts be ready?

76 78

Excellent points. I should be careful not to be so provincial.

I thought it was great of Torre to take "The Streak" off the table immediately. When Ethier made his last out with the Dodgers leading by five I fully expected to see Pierre trot out to left field for the 9th inning. But Torre said, "Sorry Juan, You're not Dale Murphy and Frank isn't Ted Turner. Forget about it."

Padres win. they've allowed exaclty the same amount of runs as the Dodgers have.

Dang, I that Eric Hull got deep sixed. He seemed a serviceable reliever who never really got a shot in the majors. Oh well ,can't keep them all. Still rooting for Delwyn to show some punch before he gets the axe.

Watching Baseball Tonight and all 3 of these guys are yelling at me. Why? They yell, they don't talk. Buster Olney sounds like an out of tune trumpet.

83 - You mean, when will the next batch go on sale?

Torre on Pierre

>> Torre added there could be situations against tough right-handed pitchers where Kemp would sit in favor of Pierre and Ethier. <<

Kemp sitting so Pierre can play is going to hard for me to accept but I guess I can learn to live with it if it doesn't happen often.

http://tinyurl.com/39s5sz

Jacksonville Suns preview:

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/040108/sps_263737031.shtml

85 I hope that The Streak was of no issue to Torre. Had the game been close, and Pierre was needed to put in as a pinch runner, I would wish that he would have been inserted.

But Pierre has very little value. And his value wasn't needed. So he didn't get in the game. The end. At least I hope. I don't want to see him in the game to keep up his streak, and I don't necessarily want to see him benched for the sake of killing the streak.

I'm glad for the way it has worked for one game, and I hope to see Ethier going forward.

70. I was wondering how they certified it. There was no turnstyle when I entered the Coliseum, just a guy who ripped the ticket in half. Unless they counted 115,300 ripped ticket stubs by the 7th inning, I have my doubts that the number was conveniently fudged. vr, Xei

So Juan Pierre gets to play against Jake Peavy? That will make him happy.

44 and 81 summed up my feelings about Opening Day. It was the best Opening Day experience I have ever had. I was on the field level and the concessions were great. Short lines (except for Canters) and more options. Even the bathrooms were much improved. Seeing Koufax, Duke and all the others was amazing. I took tons of photos.

It was great to see the lineup Torre decided on. First time in a long time I felt happy regardless of the outcome because I felt the best players available were on the field.

Boy the Giants look bad this year. Great win nonetheless.

93 - I'm assuming the final count was based on tickets sold, not actual attendance.

96
With the transportation issues, I doubt that there were ever more than 100,000 people in the Coliseum at any one point in the game.

Okay, so I'm hours late, but after being a big reader, never poster for 2 years I vowed to actively join the community this year.

I was at today's game, and the first thing I have to say is that the McCourts parking solution from last year is working great. I was at an opening day 5 years ago where the parking was a nightmare and I missed the first 2 innings. Today me and my two boys breezed in.

The ceremony was awesome. They did it right in every way. THe walking to positions was far superior to having them line up at the foul line. Starting with Duke and ending with Sandy was perfect...especially ending with Sandy, the ultimate Dodger royalty. Loved that he wore the dignified looking blazer instead of a uniform...DiMaggio-esque without the megalomania.

Glad Fernando got the big cheer that he deservved...and it was fun hearing the cheers for Cey, Garvey and Russell. THose 5 (Koufax, Fernando, Cey Garvey and Russell) , Tommy , Sax(!) and Karros got the biggest cheers.

Anyone know why no Piazza (is he on a roster?), Orel and Gibby. I think Gibby would have merited cheers almost equal to Fernando. Oh...and is Lopes a coach somewhere?

And I'm sure Schmidt booed b/c was a Giant (like a couple of folks say above). BUt as wrong as some feel that is, wasn't anyone bothered that Dave Roberts was booed. He was traded away, he didn't leave by choice. And he always gave a great effort. They are Pros, and I'm sure they don't lose sleep over it, but it would be nice if Dodger fans could have that "Fans who get It" mentality. Instead, we do the Wave.

96. It would be nice if they announced the actual attendance at games instead or in addition to how many tickets were sold. It gets an asterisk in my book if it's only based on tickets sold, or it should be considered a seperate record. vr, Xei

I found myself wondering if their reluctance to place Jason Schmidt on the 60-day DL said as much about their lack of confidence in Esteban Loaiza as it does about their hope that Schmidt might be ready sooner than later.

98 - Orel was working a game for ESPN, Gibby is a bench coach for the Snakes.

Piazza, I got nothing

99
Physically counting 115,300 people or ticket stubs is nearly impossible. People are coming and going. People are in the bathroom. People get bored and leave. People are late.

When the Dodgers used to count actual turnstile attendance, there was a group who just did that and nothing else. I don't know how many people there were, but they would be brought boxes of ticket stubs and they would just to try to count them as fast as possible. The attendance was announced toward the end of the game because it took that long.

I think it's just done now out of custom. Since the attendance is the tickets sold, the ticket office should have a total on their computers that they can report once they stop selling tickets.

For today, the Dodgers used their legal maximum attendance of 56,000.

89- yes, I need a shirt bad.

Lopes is coach for the Phillies I believe. And he has to deal with prostate cancer.

101...thanks. Anyone know anything about Lopes?

whoops...thanks 104

Look, Torre cares as much about Pierre's streak or feelings as he does the weather in Uruguay. His reputation has been chipped and questioned after failing in New York and being fired from that town. Suddenly he's got to prove himself again. He's not only going to "do what's best for the team." It's stronger than that. He's going to do what's best for Joe Torre.

75
Actually, Travis Wear is ahead of David Wear. I hate the Wears, even if they have issues that made them a bad fit for UCLA.

Re the booing debate, redux, I was thinking about it again as I watched the beginning of the Twins-Angels game and saw the huge ovation Torii Hunter got from the Twins crowd. Now the Dodger crowd has proven that it will cheer for some former players when they come back, if beloved enough, but it sure does seem like more ex-players get no ovation, and a lot of boos. I was always sort of ticked at the booing Shawn Green got. I don't know, maybe it's just those loud drunken fans people above were referring to and not the crowd as a whole. But it's an ill-mannered trend since a lot of other stadiums have crowds that are more respectful of their Old Friends.

101 Piazza, I got nothing

I read somewhere about a week ago that Piazza was still working out and hoping someone would sign him. So I have no idea why he wasn't there.

A surprising thing in todays game...with a 5-0 lead in the 7th or 8th, and the Giants looking as lively as an embalmed Pharoah, Loney stole second. Think he went on his own? Doesn't seem like an "old school" Joe Torre move, does it?

110 Unless it has to do with not being able to commit because he hasn't officially retired.

Blake DeWitt (i.e. The Solution) played surprisingly well in his first major league game. Now it won't happen, but what if The Solution plays so well that we get a mini-3B controversy when Andy LaRoche returns to health?

What would Torre do? Play LaRoche and ease him back into the lineup or stay with the hot hand in DeWitt. That would be really interesting.

Oddly enough, after this brief three game home series against the Giants, the two teams don't face each other again until July 4th in NoCal.
vr, Xei

103 - Well, probably not for a while. The interest in the last batch wasn't enough to put the shirts at top priority, given my current to do list.

99 - That ship sailed about 10-15 years ago.

Torre made a comment about how calm DeWitt seems.

I think the guy is here to stay, and I think he's going to be a good one.

Torre doesn't juggle players and line-ups like what we saw last year - remember what that was like?

111 On that play DeWitt swung at a really bad pitch in the dirt. I have a feeling it was a hit and run.

113 Something "The Solution" brings that might help mitigate a problem regarding playing time in the short term is this:
"The Solution" bats left.
LaRoche bats right, as does Nomar.

Tony Jackson explains Lucille ll vs Chavez:

>> Chavez was taken over Ramon Martinez because Martinez basically because he gives the club more roster flexibility, which is important given that either one would be going back to Triple-A eventually. By adding Martinez to the 40-man roster, the Dodgers would risk losing him when they try to outright him back to the minors because he has enough big-league service time that he could simply refuse the outright, become a free agent and keep his major-league salary for the entire season. Chavez doesn't have enough service time to do that. ... <<

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

Sons of Steve Garvey - nice April Fool's joke - you almost had me.

I, too was at Opening Day, arriving thank God in time to watch the full pregame ceremony unfold. Someone up the thread said the person who planned it must be very knowledgable about Dodger history. Actually, it was that guy McCourt brought in from Boston! But maybe it takes a guy who worked for a museum to understand the emotional resonance of seeing not just Koufax and Snider, not just Garvey, Russell and Cey, but lesser stars who sparked memories in the collective unconscious of the crowd. I have never been more moved by a baseball game ceremony. The biggest goosebumps came when today's Dodgers came out of the dugout to mass with the past players around the mound. It felt electric, a charge of holy fire from the 50's to the present day, an initiation for players like Martin, Loney, Saito and even Dewitt into the mosaic of history that will some day bring them back to the stadium under similar circumstances.

Seeing Koufax at Dodger Stadium also felt huge and profound. God, it's great to be a fan of this team.

Two other points I wanted to make in a separate comment:

1. I don't know if anyone has said this already, but to me the best decision Torre made was to remove Pierre from the leadoff spot. I know Furcal will have his share of 0-fers, but it was auspicious that he started off this game with a rocket. So many times last season, the game would be mere seconds old and there'd be one out. It would've been a crime not to start a rising Ethier, to be sure. But I suspect over the course of the season, the biggest benefit to the Dodgers will be the subtraction of Pierre's almost-guaranteed first-inning, first or second pitch weak grounder. The idea that Pierre was ever a leadoff hitter was, in retrospect, a mass hallucination. If injuries or some other circumstance bring him back into the lineup, I feel confident Torre will bat him in his natural spot in the lineup - 8th.

2. Since I made quite a spectacle of myself complaining about the traffic at last year's opener, let me acknowledge the great success of the plan this year. Apparently, it was just a matter of getting everyone used to it. I left a little early, so I might not be the best test case, but I heard Capt. Jorge doing traffic after the game, and it sounds like the lot was 7/8ths empty within a half hour of the last out. That's superb.

It was just a wonderful day. Great weather, too. A few too many drunks, and I'm looking at you, Miss Potty-Mouth who sat behind me. Is there a new alcoholic beverage called "My F--ing Beer?" As in "Where's My F--ing Beer?" "You spilled My F--ing Beer!" "Give me back My F--ing Beer!"

I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching this ball game being talked about. What a beautiful day and the Dodgers looked like they were ready to play. What a great post too.

It's been a long day and I am now just having the chance to post after attending Opening Day. This might be longer than most posts since I am going to write all my observations here.

First, I arrived at the Sunset gate about 10:45 a.m. and they had just started to let cars in (about 25 minutes early) and by the time I got up to the Reserved Level, they began to let fans in the stadium again about 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.

They had patrols in the parking lots telling people that they would expel anyone tailgating and/or with alcoholic beverages. Now, I never do this at Dodger games so I can't speak from experience but I believe its their right to enforce their rules.

Sad to report that that the onion and relish dispensers are not on the Reserved Level. But they do have Media Guides available so they are getting better with that.

I saw Frank McCourt surrounded by local media columnists (Plashcke, Doug Krikorian and I believe, Ross Newhan among others).

At some point, a few old-timers and recent timers started heading out to the bullpen, I saw Maury Wills getting hugged by several Dodgers, the last hug by Sammy Saito.

About that time I spied Sandy Koufax around the dugout and thought to myself, cool.

It was very cool to see those old time Dodgers walk out to their positions, Duke Snider being the first and Sandy Koufax being the last one (When Dimaggio was alive, he was always the last Yankee to be introduced, Koufax has that same status with the Dodgers.)

I thought Vinny should have been down on the field or have been more involved but there will be more opportunities for that later on this season.

As for the game, it was a good game, for those who try to read into things, Kent presented Martin with his Silver Slugger Award and he did with a smile and pat on the back. Later during the intros, Kent appeared to have a good time with Kemp and later after his home run, they both came off in good spirits.

I took a peek down at Pierre during the game, I am sure it was a strange place to be for him and he just sat by the rail looking out into the field but he also was there to congratulate his teammates.

In the top of the 9th, 7 of the 9 players on the field, played their first MLB game for the Dodgers (only Furcal and Jones started their MLB career for a different club, Ethier was drafted and developed by the A's but did not play in majors until he was called up by the Dodgers).

I too, like this team, I hope they can get off to a good start.

Thank Dr. Charles Steinberg for the pre-game festivities. A tremendous show.

surprisingly, nothing in Plaschke's column about the left field situation.

I suddenly have this image of Torre pulling Plaschke into his office, a bat over his shoulder and saying, "Look, son, there is something you're going to need to understand... I know you're all about public opinion. Well, I am the public." Then he breaks the bat over his desk and adds, "Got it?"

So, Greg Brock wasn't around today? Interesting.

http://tinyurl.com/27w994

A couple of other comments.

Beimel's pick off was either the greatest move that rookie ever saw or he just was caught napping because he was out from me to you.

I get a strong feeling that if Joe has his way, today's lineup (with some moving around) will be his preferred lineup.

But please Joe, sit Russell down for his own good even if he says he's not tired.

Hey...so I looked it up on baseballreference, so I know Fred Kipp started 9 games for the 58 Dodgers and relieved in 31 more...but why Fred Kipp. There was one other player I didn't recognize, can't remember the name. Oh, and why Jim Gentile...if we were going to go with Orioles who were Dodgers couldn't we have gone with F Robby or Wilhelm (if he's alive) or maybe even Boog Powell??? Or Rick Dempsey?? Or Mike Devereaux?

Okay...I guess they probably invited the enire '58 team.

DeWitt's Dodgers debut is a hit

>> The last-minute roster moves resulted in last-minute work for clubhouse manager Mitch Poole, who was sewing the jerseys of four players who changed numbers: DeWitt (No. 33 from No. 62), Chavez (No. 30 from No. 80), Mark Sweeney (No. 22 from No. 47) and Ramon Troncoso (No. 38 from No. 72). <<

## Right-hander Rudy Seanez, who was released by the Dodgers last week, has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to a baseball source. Seanez will be activated prior to the Phillies' home game Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. . . ##

http://tinyurl.com/2faoft

Hoyt Wilhelm has passed on. Rick Dempsey is a broadcaster for the Orioles. Frank Robinson was not invited because it was supposed to be a joyous time.

76 Kudos, Bob. Thierry Henry's a god to us Arsenal supporters.

131 I thought you and Frank had made up.

131 When he pitched for the Dodgers in 71-72 Wilhelm was older than a few of the "old timers" who appeared at Dodger Stadium today.

I think he had actually been in the Battle of the Bulge.

.69

Thierry Henry anonymous? Everything's relative…
Probably after Zinedine Zidane, the most recognized French sports figure domestically (and in the world). And Zidane is certainly more known internationally than Michael Jordan.

Then again, only American (and Japanese?)tourists would recognize Alex Rodriguez if he visited Paris…

What happened to the Rule 5 players we lost in the draft? Just wondering . . .

The minotaur:

http://tinyurl.com/39fn67

136 Wesley Wright pitched 1/3 of an inning last night. He got Giles to ground out.

107. Doesn't everyone care about the weather in Uruguay? Or am I the only one?

126 As I said the other day, Torre is the ultimate PVL. He will do no wrong in Plaschke's column this year.

On a different note, the former Sons of Steve Garvey are scaring me. Please make them stop.

140 It's April Fools day. I'm an idiot. Just pass me on by. (Nicely done, sons).

was that the same blake dewitt that walked 27 times last year in 548 PA's last year in A/AA? My first chance to comment on yesterdays game, great way to start the season, Saito looked sharp, Penny looked good (too many balls) and the line-up hit the ball hard. Furcal could be such a huge differnce maker if we get the '06 version. This team will be a lot of fun to watch with all the young players (loney, kemp, ethier, bills) finally getting a full season to start, tough test tonight with Cain hopefully we can scrap a few runs together and get a W!

136 ,138
I was at the Astros-Padres game last night, and my first impression of Wesley Wright was that he is quite small. He's listed as 5'11", 160 lbs, and that might be generous.

I wasn't watching the radar gun when he pitched; I was paying attention to his delivery. His delivery seems smooth enough, plus he hides the ball well, almost an extra second more than most as his hand is curled behind him before the follow through.

Also, sure the Padres pounded out 14 hits against Oswalt, et al, but their #3 hitter is Kevin Kouzmanoff and the #5 is Scott Hairston. This offense is supposed to scare me?

One more thing...Astros' CF Michael Bourn's identity is that of a very fast human. I'm pretty sure the ground catches fire in his wake when he runs.

From what I've read, the Padres front office has made the team a high avg/ob% team due to the large dimensions of Petco. So while their power won't scare you, last night is a model of how they will win games. Lots of hits/doubles that scratch out a few runs, mixed with great pitching. At least that's their formula.

0
Future Hall of Famer Andruw Jones sure sounds like a big name to me. Crowds on opening day are not very relevant to the crowds on Tuesday Night.
Selling tickets has never been a Dodger problem, getting those butts into the seats on Tuesday-Thursday is still not that easy unless they are giving away something.

144
I guess that would work if they actually had a high average/high OB team. Who on that team actually meets that criteria?
Not Greene
Not Kouz
Not Hairston
No longer Edmunds
No longer Giles - just the walks no average
Taguchi?
Bard?
Barret?

Just curious

146 Based on their career marks, going by last night's line-up:

1. Giles - .293/.404
2. Iguchi - .277/.348
3. Kouzmanoff - .268/.323
4. Gonzalez - .284/.343
5. Hairston - .243/.297
6. Greene - .255/.312
7. Bard - .276/.342
8. McAnulty - .225/.311 (only 80 at-bats)

others of note:
Edmonds - .287/.379
Barrett - .266/.322
Gerut - .264/.334

Doesn't look like their plan is working very well ;)

Yeah, the articles mentioned that it's what the front office was working on developing.

As for this year, the best guess is SD can expect a near .350 ob% from Iguchi, Bard, Giles, maybe Kouz if he shows some improvement, and Gonzales. But yeah, the lineup doesn't look that impressive now that I've checked it out. I was just parroting the front office philosophy. Doesn't look like they're quite there yet.

Looks like a 75 to 85 win team depending on how Maddux and Wolf do.

If you look at their road hitting stats, the Padres were one of the best hitting teams in the NL last year. Of course they have some new faces this year, so the jury is still out. vr, Xei

as a peavy owner should i be concerned that peavy only threw a hand full of fastballs in the 90's?

148 Then again, Kouzmanoff's big selling point in the minors was his high batting average, emphasized by his last year in the minors where he hit about .370 for the year.

Overall his career mark in the minors is .332/.395, but people had questioned whether it would translate since he was fairly old for his levels. Last year seemed to indicate it won't, but I think he'll settle into something in the middle like .285/.345

150 He complained of a sore shoulder after his second-to-last spring start, so I think he's just still building arm strength. His game is more about the movement on his pitches than the speed of his fastball anyway.

Padres also cant put Peavy in the batting lineup every day to knock in runs so they might be in trouble.

I was about to get behind Paul McAnulty because hes from Oxnard, then I saw his heinous flavor savor he was sporting on his chin and decided against it. Boo Padres.

I can't make it to the game tonight so I have two of my season tickets for whoever can put them to good use. First email I receive can have them. Ibleedbloo at yahoo dot com. I am at work so it may be a bit before I can get back to you, but I will send them over ASAP.

They are free tickets, so it shouldn't matter much, but they are RES 31, row M. Great seats for watching a game.

who would've thought that last off season the 2 big FA pitchers schmidt and zito that schmidt would be by far the better contract after a seaon which he got 1 win and may miss a lot of time in the 2nd year.

137 That'd be pretty cool for a logo, but... Minotaurs have wings?

i'd think SF would have to take a serious look into zito's labrum.

Nice of you ibleedbloo. If I wasn't in beautiful Southern Oregon...

What a great Opening Day. Perfect weather, perfect lineup, perfect amount of Dodger Dogs consumed. I was there in my DT shirt and I did see one guy who said "nice shirt" as I walked by, but otherwise I didn't run into anybody...I guess because there was 56,000 people there, er, tickets sold.

Anyway, I'm just so happy about the season and glad to be back into the rhythm of baseball. Jon, as usual, got everything right in this post about that pre-game ceremony...I was teary eyed and I only saw about three of those players play.

I missed all the commentary here about Blake DeWitt but let me just say I am on board with this guy so far.

Padres also have Headley and Antonelli waiting in the wings.

Maybe Zito's fine and he just lost a few mph off his fastball. I think even during his peak years his FB sat at about 88/89 right? Looks like he's down to 84/85. Mechanics? Injury? Or just a pitcher losing a little oomph?

159 Are you sure he wansn't hitting on you? Perhaps we should come up with a code/greeting so if we see a fellow DTer there is no mistaking our intentions.

I knew Kouzmanoff had a nice rebound last year after starting out hitting in the low .100s as late as May 7 (.108), but I didn't realize how well he hit from that point on. In his final 118 games, he put up a line of .309/.362/.511.

Here are the 2007 OPS+ of the regular Padres lineup:

RF Giles 109
2B Iguchi 92
3B Kouzmanoff 109
1B Gonzalez 125
CF Edmonds 88
SS Greene 100
LF Hairston 94
C Bard 107 / Barrett 68 (after 3 straight seasons with 100+)

On second thought, they aren't as bad as I thought. I knew they were 4th in road runs in the NL last season, but I figure they'll still miss Cameron and Bradley on both offense and defense.

Dewitt's swing did look rather refined for a guy who didn't hit so well last year. Wonder if anyone worked on it between then and now.

Seems like a quick, fluid, strong swing that covers the plate well (not that different from Ethier's in my opinion), so no reason to think he's not a future .280 hitter with 20 HR pop. Sounds like he didn't walk much in the minors so no clue what his ob% or OPS should project to, but I saw what the scouts like about him.

Guessing his ability to draw walks and his defense will determine whether he's a starting 3B here or not. Sure wish he or LaRoche could play 2B, as they both have a better swing than Hu.

I did a quick search and didn't see any mention of it but did anyone notice that Penny was looking in better shape (less fat) than he has ever been in a Dodger uniform? This is VERY good news. There are some in the organization that believe that when his weight (staying below a certain point) is a big key to his effectiveness.

Dewitt's swing did look rather refined for a guy who didn't hit so well last year. Wonder if anyone worked on it between then and now.

He hit around .293 between A and AA last year.

For average and contact, Dewitt did fine. It was just in the plate discipline department he was lacking.

Fast forward to this year, it seems that aspect of his game has improved greatly. All spring, even when his BA was low, he never looked over matched when you see his excellent BB/K ratio and K rate.

161 29 years old. so if he keeps it up at 34 he'll be throwing 79? you shouldn't be losing 5 MPH off your fastball in your peak pitching years unless there is something wrong with your arm.

So Troncoso gets 38, huh? That number has (or had) quite the luster for Dodger relievers.

Which brings me to my point. I'm sad about Gagne. I don't know if its the combined toll of injuries, the PED thing, a loss of confidence or mojo, but I think he's toast.

166 - Ned was on the radio during the last spring training game, said that DeWitt worked with Bill Mueller during the winter camp thing they had at Dodger Stadium as well as during spring training. Ned said they had a lot of similarities (where they grew up, build, style, etc), and thought it'd be a good way to help DeWitt develop.

168
Now we're getting back to feelings again. For a male-dominated community of commenters, we certainly care a lot about people's feelings. It's like we've all come down with a case of the Alan Aldas.

Not me, ferret face.

171 Molly is teaching us how to feel.

172
You're going to let a Stanford alum teach you how to feel?

What is this? A Lifetime movie?

169 living in enemy territory I'm stuck watching the giants broadcast of the game. they mentioned how DeWitt reminded them of Mueller

I never knew Bob Timmermann would be the unofficial Dodger Thoughts Machismo Enforcer.

DeWitt reminds me of Mueller in that I've heard his last name is really pronounced "davit."

172 Molly? A Stanford alumna? Say it ain't so!

175 - yeah, I always figured it'd be Greg Brock. Or maybe me on a bad day.

176

Bob, I hope that's all DeWitt has in common with Bill Mueller.

175 - Just because a guy owns a cat...

Good Morning all you great Dodger fans out there!

Tomorrow evening my dad and I have tix to see the Dodger game. However, tomorrow evening, there are T-Showers predicted throughout the night.

I live 2 hours away; how early do you think the Dodgers will decide to postpone the game if in fact it rains non stop all evening? I'd hate to drive all the way out to LA and then find out the game was cancelled.

DeWitt's mom was great on Three's Company.

181
From recent experience, the Dodgers won't call off a game unless it's been raining hard all day long and there's no let up. You are more likely to have to wait for a delayed start rather than anything else.

I've sat in a game that rained throughout, Eric Gagne Bobblehead Night against the Pirates. It was Todd Hundley's last game in the majors. And the last game I left early because in the sixth inning, I was so cold and wet, I couldn't feel my fingers, toes, and I couldn't keep score.

180
I own a cat, I'm single, and I'm a librarian!

So there.

173 177 What was I thinking? I should take my emotional lead from Stanford men, like Jon. Or Brook Lopez.

181 Just my opinion, but for me, when the forecast says "showers" as opposed to "rain" or "heavy rain," I figure they'll get the game in. On the other hand, game or no, cold wet nights at the park can be pretty un-fun. Are you sitting under an overhang?

185

Probably not; it's the fifth row of the Infield reserve;

Still, it doesnt preclude me from going higher if the turnout is low.

186 Those seats are certainly exposed, and shelter can be hard to come by in the reserved level. You've got the last few infield rows under the top deck, and whatever's under the awning at the rim of the stadium. Also, as of 2 years ago (this may have changed) they did not allow you to bring umbrellas into the game. 2005 Opening Day was played between storms, and thousands of umbrellas were abandoned at the turnstiles.

184 - Well, at least you don't drive a Prius or anything.

186 Do you know anyone who can get you into the stadium club? Make a friend and work your way in. I walk in all the time when I am meeting people, never have a problem.

Tell you what. They sent me some free passes with my season tickets. I will be there on Wednesday, email me, ibleedbloo at yahoo dot com and I'll send you my phone number. You can call me if you need a place to wait out the rain. I probably won't be there until 20 minutes or so before game time, but if there are any delays, we will be warm and toasty.

187 It was the same during Opening Day in 2006, luckily I had time to go back and put my umbrella in my car.

Here is the list of contraband articles that cannot be brought into Dodger Stadium from Dodgers.com

Contraband items not allowed in the stadium include: glass bottles, cans, weapons, poles, umbrellas, backpacks, 14 inch or larger purses or bags, coolers, thermoses, beachballs, inflatables, banners, signs, flags, use of laser pointers, firecrackers/fireworks, boom boxes, air horns, whistles, musical instruments and pets.

190 - "...musical instruments and pets."

Is that one category or two?

189

Thanks, buddy; I appreciate the offer. We'll see what happens. I have to check with my pop to see if he would still go to the game with all the rain.

"firecrackers/fireworks, boom boxes, air horns, whistles, musical instruments and pets."

OK, that's not the item I would have put at the end of that sequence. Now I'm imagining people swinging ferrets in celebration.

The Dodgers are off on Thursday and they are only going down to San Diego so a late night will not be a problem for them, the Giants have a series that starts Friday afternoon in Milwaukee (3 hour, 45 minute flight), so they probably would fly out via charter whenever the game ends.

My hunch is, short of torrential storm, they will try to get the game in. Its a weeknight game in April, so they probably don't expect more than 35,000 anyway, also first night of their Coca-Cola four pack and I am sure there will be lots of kids in the park for free from some school district.

190 No beachballs? With the number of beachballs you see getting knocked around at any given time you would think they're sold at all the concession stands.

Saw a few people turned away at the Coliseum gate because of backpacks. Not sure what they did with them if they took the shuttle from Dodger Stadium.

Can't tell if the Angels allow umbrellas or not, Petco Park does allow umbrellas if there is a chance of rain or an unusually hot day.

195 They never inspect you, so it would be easy to take an inflatable beach ball into the stadium.

I always think that it is a plot by a local retail establishment to get free advertising.

I find it odd that umbrellas are considered "contraband". Is the problem that they could be used as weapons? America [humph]... Cricket could not exist in England if they didn't permit umbrellas in cricket grounds.

190 It so happens I was carrying a backpack yesterday that got through security with no problem after an inspection. I would've been bummed out to be turned away, although if they'd told me to, I would've put it in the car. This particular backpack has four compartments; the security guard checked two of them.

Bob - UCLA just announced that they are changing their football schedule, I guess having Neuheisal show up on TV so much paid off, the Tennessee game got moved to Labor Day, September 1st at the Rose Bowl 5:00 p.m. start on ESPN.

.

Don't stone me, but the beachballs at the Coliseum game were not as off putting as at Dodger Stadium. The ushers joined in and let the kids be kids.

While many of us want to be left alone to watch the game, the fact is that many kids are bored and this gives them a little something to expel some energy at a place not very conducive to hyper active kids.

Sometimes I think to many of us have become Mr Wilsons and have forgotten what it was like being a kid.

199 They said it is because they can obstruct the view of people behind you (which is true).

202 It must be a baseball thing because I cannot recall ever seeing a beach ball at the Coliseum or Rose Bowl during a football game.

183 "It was Todd Hundley's last game in the majors."

Tonight, a Very Special Episode of Dodger baseball.

200 Yeah I was wondering about the backpacks. That one seemed odd. Thanks for the pre-emptive clarification.

190 Back during my drinking days I use to take a back-pack half full of booze, but I guess it depends who checks your stuff.

2008 Dodger OPS+ leaders

Kent 521
Hu 460
Furcal 397
Loney 299
DeWitt 258
Jones 40
Kemp 40
Ethier -100
Martin -100
Young -100

Who would've thought Pierre would be out-OPS'ing Ethier this late into the season?

I have never been bothered by the beach ball thing. It's the way kids react to it that's irritating -- standing up randomly, sometimes blocking my view of the game at a crucial moment, in hopes of getting to whack it. But if there were no beach balls, kids would still stand up randomly, for example if the frozen lemonade guy is anywhere nearby. Two kids in front of me had a big Dodger Stadium towel they would hold up between innings like a banner in hopes the Diamondvision camera guy would immortalize them (and, sadly, the ploy worked!)

It's quite a contrast to the sporting events I attended as a child, surrounded by men smoking cigars and staring at the field who didn't want to hear a peep out of me.

I dont know about anyone else, but Im eagerly anticipating Juan Pierre starting against Chris Young this weekend and stealing 6 bases (assuming he actually gets on). But this kind of start is what we need Pierre for.

206 I'm not sure it's a clarification. It could be that backpacks are still banned, but I just happened upon an apathetic security guard.

BOB- Seattle-Texas game last night, M's are rallying in the bottom of 5th or 6th, down a run, and what song do they play when the catcher and pitcher are talking on the mound?
MR. MOJO RISIN! That song has to be OUR rallying cry this year, not the M's.

I was curious about our chances against Cain tonight and I was surprised by our guys' career numbers against him. This is hits/AB and then OPS:

Furcal 5/12, 1.045
Ethier 6/11, 1.084
Kemp 0/3, .000
Kent 4/8, 1.806 (2 HR's)
Jones 2/5, 1.100
Martin 4/11, 1.007
Loney 2/7, 1.000
DeWitt obviously has no PA's against him.

Not bad, eh?

211 But this kind of start is what we need Pierre for.

"Pierre" and "need" don't really belong in the same sentence. It's more like, "Since we're paying him, we might as well use him for those rare matchups that favor him."

If we really need a stolen base, we've got James Loney for that.

212 The security guard seem much less vigilant with purses. Might be worth looking into.

*guards

Unpopular opinion I hold #732: The Billy Idol version of L.A. Woman is better at firing up the crowd than the Doors version.

215 Touche. Poor word choice. I guess its what we 'need' him to do since hes wasting space and money.

218 Bob had mentioned using this song on Sunday. That is a very unpopular opinion, but in the words of THE DUDE (Big Lebowski) "That's just your opinion, MAN!"

211 For Pierre to steal 6 bases, he will likely need to get on base at least three times.

I will take the under on both those numbers.

Now it's getting ridiculous at SOSG:

"In Praise of the DH"

...there is something missing from Dodger games. Something very, very big.

That's right, we don't have enough big fat guys who can't play defense.

I laughed very hard at that

218
Rule 13 violation by me after reading that. Or please let it be an April Fool's joke.

222 Are they gonna have a new t-shirt along the lines of "Mike Scioscia is Athletic"?

Trees in the bullpens, what are they for? Aesthetics? Privacy? Other?

From the SOMS blog:

"Designated Stand-Ins for Your Wife's Distant Relative's Weddings"

That is a brilliant idea, and we need to make it happen stat!

209 Who would have thought Pierre would have an undefined OPS this late in the season?

All Dodger pitchers who appeared yesterday have infinite ERA+ !

223 I'm not saying it's better, I'm just saying the actual version is too chill to be a good fire up song.

Jim Edmonds will probably start for the Padres Saturday against the Dodgers, the first day he's eligible to come off the DL.

http://tinyurl.com/2tmtgt

225 sound barrier

229 Not going to be able to make it for the games this weekend but if you want to come up for the following Sunday game against the Padres, you can be my guest and I will toss in a sandwich at LA icon, Phillipes. Let me know.

229
A younger, healthier Jim Edmunds is something I would be scared of, this version, not so much.

229
Me neither but thanks for the invite. Crazy week at the TC house at the moment.

218 - I concur. The Doors version is a better overall version, but for getting a crowd excited, Bill Idol

231
I almost went to Philippe's Saturday! I've been there once, and still regret not purchasing a bottle of mustard. I'll see if I can go, and I'll email you.

I always make sure I have a jar of Phillipe's mustard in my fridge.

232 A younger, healthier Jim Edmonds is probably more scary than this Edmunds fellow you speak of.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

236 Do you get a cut of the mustard sales? :)

237 speaking of, i keep forgetting to ask... i'm assuming since 80% of the time he is spelled Guo there has to be a reason and it's not a typo. why guo?

Gak.

2007 APSE Contest: L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke top columnist, once again

http://tinyurl.com/2sy2bj

154 ibleedbloo, I shot ya an email.

239 I would await for Xeifrank's response, but I believe that Guo is a more proper spelling and Kuo is a more anglicized/Americanized spelling.

239

I have always wondered that too

I think the Billy Joel version of LA Woman is even better! We need that to be our "Sweet Caroline"

That reminds me, some hot news from the world of film!
http://www.greencine.com/central/node/703

239
His traditional Chinese name is Guō Hóngzhì.

242

Interesting. I have a student here name Koeun, and it is pronounced, Goon

244
If Billy Joel's version of LA Woman is moving up, then Bob's moving out.

Um.....

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times won the sports column writing category for the third time in four years, highlighting final judging results announced Tuesday in the 2007 Associated Press Sports Editors contest.

FJM is already on top of this:

Congrats to Bill, who's already salivating over Andre Ethier's 0 for 4 on Opening Day:

The kid's not ready.

The vet's in the corner, eyes full of resolve.

The kid's got nerves.

The vet's in the cages, arms poised to swing.

Kid.

Vet.

K.

V.

Baseball.

Writing.

Torre.

Dodgers.

Nerds.

Scouts.

Young.

Old.

Math.

Eyes.

Plaschke.

I must say I was embarrassed when I found out "Nguyen" was pronounced "Win"

I had a friend in junior high that had the name, and I know I butchered it, and he never told me :(

If we take Pierre on all the roadtrips, and let him play dress up, (he looks so cute all dressed up like a grown-up ballplayer) and shag flies, but never ever ever let him into a game, use Brad Penny as a PH before him, etc..., he may retire out of embarrassment rather than continue. Then, we save $35 Million.

218 234 - You can't replace Jim's energy/voice with Billy Idol. I will admit that Idol's version of Mone' Mone' (spelling, I know) is better than the original.

Moving on, Id rather have Edmonds in the lineup this weekend than Headley down in AAA. Headley is going to be a good one.

Same goes for the surname Kim, too. The actual pronunciation is closer to Ghim.

172,173,177, etc. I'm teaching people how to feel? I hope no one takes their emotional cues from me...

244 I think the Billy Joel version of LA Woman is even better!

Oy vey. Idol! Billy Idol!

Although thinking about a Billy Joel version of LA Woman sure brought a smile to my face.

240/248 - Are you sure this isn't an April fool's joke? Doubly sure? Not some sort of grand cosmic larf at our expense? It's got to be, right? Um, right?

Wow, cool, the earth is splitting apart, and check out those locusts, too. Sigh, what is sports journalism, or journalism in general coming to - other than its own demise.

If I never hear Billy Idol again, I'll not be sad.

248 Honestly, as someone who has read the LA Times since Hector was a pup, I cannot believe the guy wins those awards.

They cannot be for the columns like the ones he wrote over the weekend on how UCLA had some sort of elitist mentality and they would lose to Xavier's scrappiness, or maybe all of those Dodger columns last year. Maybe its the ones on how Kobe needs to shut up and play ball.

Oh, I know, its for his insightful thoughts on Brett Favre's retirement.

To think that Jim Murray once wrote a daily column on those pages, it is just sad.

254 If ya can't make up stuff on April Fool's Day, when can ya make stuff up?

Yeah, but can an April Fool's joke really be introduced with "THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE"? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

:(

April Fool's is a bitter day for me, because my birthday is the next day.

I need to move to Neverland.

Plaschke's award was voted on by managing editors. Sort of like the squirrelly guy in "The Wire" who thought Scott Templeton properly captured the "Dickensian aspects" of homelessness in Baltimore.

I'm pretty sure Jim Murray, if alive today, would be in the pro-Pierre/Erstad/Eckstein camp.

262 If Jim Murray were alive today, he'd squish Plaschke under his heel.

Not to be too tactless, but even if Jim Murray wasn't alive today, which he isn't, he'd still write better sports columns.

Post #245 is correct. Wade Giles spelling system in Taiwan uses K and China's pinyin system uses G. His last name has a G sound not a K sound. His last name actually should sound like Gwo (with a long o).

You can here the correct pronounciation here:
http://tinyurl.com/2zloak
(sfw), click on the guo1 link.

vr, Xei

Plaschke was here when Murray was still here. I'm in the distinct minority, but I think Murray is over-romanticized. Considering when he came up, he'd be very old-school in the Murray Chass mold I think.

263
God, that was great. That mental picture will get me through the week.

I even miss Mike Downey, actually. And frankly, for whatever its problems, the SF Chron has better sportswriters and columnists than the Times' does these days - including former Times writer Scott Ostler.

266
Sure he wouldn't agree with you but at least he'd write a better column, and when he skewered us we would appreciate the skill he put into it, even if the arguments were old school.

Did you work at the Times when Jack Smith was still writing?

http://sportshubla.com/
takes a retro look at the LaDuca trade and Plaschke plays a major role in the column.

269 No, I started in 1998. Smith was already gone.

You've only been there 10 years? I thought you had been there for something like 25 years.

272
The L.A. Times is like The Island in "Lost." Time moves differently there.

I thought this was interesting from the Dodgers.com game story.

[Penny] was struggling with his command, having walked Durham with one out. Aaron Rowand then singled to left field, where new left fielder Andre Ethier and his strong arm had a shot at gunning down Durham going from first to third.

Instead, Ethier made a longer throw to second base that kept Rowand at first and the double play intact. Jose Castillo followed with a sharp grounder to DeWitt, who began the double play that required Kent to test his balky right hamstring as Rowand took him out. But the double play got Penny out of the inning unscathed.

"Penny was getting on me all spring, how he doesn't want the outfielders trying to bail him out," said Ethier.

"Just make sure you throw to the right base and let him get himself out of trouble. It was tempting to come up and throw, but I remembered in the back of my mind to keep the double play in order. That's part of the difference between last year and this year. I'm a little more relaxed and playing like I know how. I'm older and wiser. Sometimes when you're young, you try to do too much. When you force things, that's when mistakes happen."

Trying to channel my inner Plaschke.

Need
400
Snappy
Words
On
Nyjer
Morgan
Hockey
Cross-check
Cross-multiply
Cross basepaths
Brain
Hurts

A bit late, but part of the reason the Padres road numbers are so good is that they don't have to play at Petco. Every other team in the division gets 1/9th of their road at bats eaten up there, enough to make a notable difference.

202 Sometimes I think to many of us have become Mr Wilsons and have forgotten what it was like being a kid.

Kids have forgotten what it's like being an adult. They're everywhere. Pretty soon they'll be bringing their beach balls to our adult theatres. They need to give us some space.

That's what televisions are for, so parents can watch the kids AND baseball at the same time, without bothering the rest of us who were smart enough not to have kids in the first place.

274 That's interesting. What kind of odds would Ethier have to put on getting the runner at third before throwing there is the right call? Over 2/3? Over 3/4?

276
I get that. I think I looked the numbers up last year before the Rockies/Padres one-gamer. In games outside of Petco & Coors, I believe the Padres scored more runs than the Rockies. Which was startling to me at the time.

277
So you are telling me I should not bring my kids around when I go out to bars to pick up cougars?

Thanks for making that point. Something seemed wrong with them having the best offense on the road but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I wonder what it would look like if we took all of Petco's at bats away from everyone. Kind of what they used to do when Coors was so whacked out.

Healthy Furcal contributes to win

>> "The chemistry this year is the biggest difference from last year," he said. "The manager, he knows what he's doing. The veteran guys, they are teaching the young players. Everybody here is happy. We need to be 25 guys, all together, and we can do it. This team has unbelievable young talent, maybe the most of any team." <<

http://tinyurl.com/2xpo75

277
Children of Man has a future for you.

272 I've been in newspapers for 32 years, but only 10 at the Times. I've spent various amounts of time at the Glendale News-Press, Highlander Publications, The Santa Monica Outlook, the Torrance Daily Breeze and the Times.

280 If he is suggesting that, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Women of all kinds -- cougar and non-cougar alike -- approach me more than ever now that I have a daughter. I rebuff their advances, of course -- I have eyes only for Bride of Kavula. But I can't stop them from approaching. My daughter is a magnet for women.

This phenomenon, I'm sure, has been remarked upon before.

And yes, I'm certain that it's not me. I am not an attractive man.

Plaschke does what he does best today.

285
Barney told that using a puppy is easier and it doesn't require a mother or a college fund.

277 When did Paul Reubens start commenting on DT?

Off topic: If someone can beat fun mode, 10k gold I'll be in awe. It's impossible for me.

http://www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/Game.asp

287
When when I was housesitting for my brother once, I took his basset hound out for a walk in Redondo Beach.

Never in my life have I had more attractive women come up to me and start conversations with me. I did not start my end of the conversation with "Meet Kosmo, he eats his own feces!"

290 I don't start my end of the conversation that way either, though I likely could. "This is Naomi. This morning she had an explosive poop, all up her back! It was green!"

My Lab, since his spinal injury, has lost his chick-magnatism

Kent has become Yogi Berra.

Per today's Simers' column:

[Kent] wants his young teammates to learn from him, like they're supposed to be eager to approach a hungry alligator.

"There has a been a lot of turnaround in this organization in my four years here and a lot of players don't know who I am," he said, but they sure have heard of his reputation. "Am I unapproachable? Absolutely not."

"Anyone who has approached me knows I'm going to help them as much as I can. It's only the players who don't approach who think I'm unapproachable."

Also, Simers appears to have cornered the Bison on his learning a little bit of baseball unwritten rules, thou shalt not forget to congratulate someone who has just hit a home run.

"I learned from last year; you got me," said Kemp, recalling a moment at the end of last season when he didn't make a move from the on-deck circle to congratulate a teammate on hitting a home run. "I'm going to make sure I'm standing at home plate every time this year."

http://tinyurl.com/3y96zq

Kevin Baxter is a good writer.

Dylan Hernandez is a good writer.

But they don't have what I have.

I go on ESPN. I feud with Jay Mariotti.

And I have a new prize in a box.

Juan Pierre has a ring in a box.

I have a three prizes in a box.

Mariotti is like Andre Ethier.

286 Having berated Plaschke in the past via email (pointless I know), I decided to email him today to say how much I enjoyed today's column. He replied almost immediately. Apparently it is his dream to visit New Zealand.

293
Everything is honky dory when your 1-0.

In 2005, the world was our Oyster on April 20th and everyone loved one another. Milton was learning from Kent and we were the talk of baseball.

Forgive me if I put little credence into these feel good tidbits offered by the players. Anyone can be happy when things are going good. Let's see what they are saying after a tough series against the Diamondbacks as scapegoats are sought out by the media.

295 New Zealand can have him.

Let's send him and Juan Pierre to New Zealand with the instructions to destroy Juan Pierre's ring in the fires of Mount Doom.

I can just picture it now: Plaschke, straining under the weight, carrying a ring-laden Pierre up the side of the mountain...

without bothering the rest of us who were smart enough not to have kids in the first place.

yes, some people should not reproduce.

296 I agree that winning has a way of softening issues but last year, all you heard from the people who covered the Rockies and D-Backs was how well everyone got along, blah blah blah.

Certainly more of those stories came out after they won but just the same therew were definitely differences on the perceptions from those teams and the Dodgers, who for the most part of the year had a better record the Colorado and until August, a better record than Arizona.

So, I think that there is certainly more of a focus by both the media and club to project harmony early.

297 Exactly. There's plenty of space. And Pierre would without a doubt start on (almost) every team here.

I can never understand why people with plenty of money like Bill, who have a dream to travel somewhere specific, don't just get on a plane.

285 If it is uncomfortable having women approach you when you are out with your baby, come to Utah. Kids are so commonplace, no one bats an eye at you when you walk around with 1, 2, or 10 kids.

296 The only thing 1-0 means is that the Dodgers have 96 more wins to go.

from the poster formerly known as oklahomadodger: my oklahoma state cowboys have parted ways with head coach Sean Sutton. I hate it when the team you cheer for is going through a coaching search. Everybody on the Cowboys message board I frequent is saying Bill Self is coming, that aint gonna happen.

ok, back to baseball talk.

303
Don't worry, Pickens will buy you guys a good coach.

300
Back problems? 18 hours flights aren't for everyone.

I also sent an email, I really liked the column, and for those who didn't get to go he painted a very nice picture of how it went down.

299
You heard that stuff in Sept. If we hear that same stuff in Sept then that means we will be playing in October. I know the writers need quotes and positive quotes are better then negative quotes but I'm not going to do a jig because Kent in April says he's approachable. A HOF vet like him shouldn't be approachable, he should be doing the approaching in a mentor like way. If the kid declines his advice then he should head butt his knowledge into him.

More from the LA Times.

Sam Farmer:

When is Los Angeles getting an NFL team?

The rest of us: Who cares?!

301 I did not mean to imply that it was uncomfortable.

I meant to imply that it was awesome.

Yes, good column by Plaschke. However "... 56,000 Dodgers lovers with peanuts in their throats and Cracker Jack in their memories."

That line just makes me wanna hack. "Peanuts in their throats"?

How about "in their hands". Or "hot dogs in their bellies."

308 Shoes. Peanuts in our shoes.

308 Actually, it's a typo away from being pornographic.

308
I wish he gotten a good cool a coo reference in there.

306

I need to take back that comment. Sam Farmer wrote a very good article under that headline.

307 It only gets uncomfortable when your wife comes up from behind and asks why you were showing the baby to those blondes in the halter tops.

The difference between Murray and Plaschke;
Plaschke pushed for, and applauded the trade of the "ungrateful" Mike Piazza; Murray wrote a scorching column ripping the deal to shreds.

Hayes is picked off! Personally, I think we got hosed on that call.

Joe Sheehan on Baseball Prospectus had this line in his review of yesterday's lineup for the Giants.

The problem isn't that this is a bad team. It's that it's a bad and boring team, with veterans who weren't good enough to win when they had Bonds as a teammate, and now form a lineup that calls to mind the waning days of the Rachel Phelps Era.

312 The NFL allowing the Rams and Raiders to give up on the LA market has got to be one of the stupidest things any sports league has ever done.

I was a little young to follow it, but, the NFL could have prevented it?

316 - yes, they could have footed part of the bill for a new stadium. But they wanted an entirely publicly financed deal

315 /317 By that measure, is that the one way Farmer could be mistaken? If the league, as a whole, sees the value in having a franchise in L.A., and they all chip in toward a stadium deal, couldn't then a franchise move here? That is, couldn't investing in another team's business raise an owner's own fortunes?

Reading Farmer's article, it seems that this scenario is, um, not likely, to put it mildly. But COULD it happen?

To expand on yesterday's mostly-cheers for Pierre, Ethier got a much bigger pop. So, yeah.

I love the Coliseum, long tunnels, the rose gardens, the Natural History Museum, the Science Center, even the snobby school who calls it home.

Bring back my Rams

318 personally, I think the league gets a fair amount of value by LA not having a team. With LA looming as a potential relocation site, cities are more likely to use public funds for new stadiums. Throw out some rumors and presto! new stadium in Minnesota! new stadium in Indianapolis! There were rumblings that the Broncos would move to LA, despite selling out every game since 1970. Presto! new publicly financed stadium (that seats a whopping 7 more people than the old one)!

316 If memory serves me, the Rams initially didn't have the votes to move, and had to sweeten the pot to the league to get the ok to blow out fifty years of history.

318 None of our resident billionaires (particularly perennial big talker Eli Broad) seems willing to take the plunge with the NFL sharks. Best bet is one of the hi tech guys like Ellison from Oracle, once he's done buying up Malibu.

The Cardinals were LA's for the asking, sadly no football is preferable to Bidwell football.

321 - absolutely, because if nothing else, the league can say, "Look, we left LA, you really don't think we'd leave [insert small city name here]?"

In fact, they've been playing this game with our neighbors to the south, not realizing that the good people of San Diego are just as ornery as the rest of California when it comes to public funds for a new stadium.

323

And good for them too! I'm tired of owners making the taxpayers pay for stadiums and then reaping the profits. It's ridiculous.

309 Hear hear. But, you know, it's copyrighted and all that.

320 -Bring back the Lambs -fixed

314
So, is Sheehan saying the Giants are going to win the division, only to lose the NLCS? :)

I love, love, love Major League. I cry every single time I hear "The Indians win it, the Indians win it, oh my God, the Indians win it!" I also love that they didn't end the movie by winning the World Series, or even the ALCS. It simply ends with the Indians winning the AL East.

Corbin Bernsen walked by our section at the Coliseum Saturday, and I shouted "Dorn!" to him. (In a positive way, not a heckling way).

Here's my casting call for the Dodger version of Major League:

Roger Dorn: Nomar (all-time, Steve Garvey is a much better fit, with Don Sutton as Jake Taylor)
Lynn Wells: Alyssa Milano
Eddie Harris: Derek Lowe ("Are you saying Jesus Christ couldn't hit a curvebvall?")
Pedro Cerrano: Andruw Jones ("I hit fastball very much")
Willie Mays Hays: Matt Kemp (I can see Kemp starring in the action movie "The Black Hammer")
Rick Vaughn: Chad Billingsley (Eric Gagne probably works best here all-time)
Lou Brown: Grady Little (I guarantee Grady will be involved in the purchase of whitewalls at some point this year)
Duke Temple: Steve Yeager (this was easy)
Clue Haywood: Matt Holliday (tough choice with Bonds gone)

322 "the Rams ... had to sweeten the pot to the league to get the ok to blow out fifty years of history."

LA Dodger fans complaining about the Rams leaving town has to qualify as irony, doesn't it?

(I'm not picking on you gvette; I was huge Rams fan back in the day, but, you know, O'Malley blew out, what, 75 years of Brooklyn history?)

327 JACK PARKMAN- Jeff Kent.

327 If I saw Corbin Bernsen, or actually any of the actors from that film, I am pretty sure their character names from Major League would not pop into my head.

Even Bob Uecker's role as Harry Doyle would not be instantly recalled, though his just a bit outside would.

327 best line from #2 is a tie between- "this isn't even my bat." and "good game, dorn"

BTW, I talked to my roommate about his feelings (sorry Bob, it's that word again) towards the Giants this season. I wouldn't call it apathy, but he's trying to be numb to the season. He's completely aware of how abysmal their offense will be. He only hopes that the Giants avoid 100 losses.

He is also actively rooting against the Cubs (and Indians) and is afraid they will win the World Series, moving the Giants up on the list of "teams with longest World Series Win droughts." I guess times are tough.

pedro is the spokesman for all those all-state commericals right?

327 Willie Mays Hays would have to be played by Peirre.

You didn't even talk about Major League 2: Martin would be Rube and Kuroda would be Tanaka.

The Dodgers don't have a Roger Dorn.

A-Rod is kind of like Dorn. Cares way too much about publicity, plays third base, and he got caught probably cheating on his wife.

329
Brilliant.

I forgot to extend into the sequels.

333
Yep, once his presidency concluded.

Major League might be the second-best movie written by David S. Ward. That's saying something, because it is a good screenplay.

I say might be because his second-best movie might also be The Milagro Beanfield War or Cannery Row, but it's been too long since I've seen either of them to remember how well they hold up.

What is for sure is that none of those three is the best movie he wrote. That is The Sting, which can be in anybody's top ten of all time and nobody can look at you funny.

`The Milagro Beanfield' will hold up forever.

...and so will the movie ;)

"The Sting" is awfully entertaining.

Yes at this euphoric point in the season I will surely wait till 10 ET for the game.
And Marty, I didn't realize you were a newspaper man .

The Milagro Beanfield War. What a disappointing movie. I loved the book.

341 I'm not in the Editorial side. I'm in the part that never gets mentioned in the LA Observed stories.

342 I think that's the first time I ever disagreed with Marty. You owe me dinner.

http://tinyurl.com/3yxmt8

Pierre for Esteban German, make it happen, Ned.

(Yes, yes, DeJesus will probably be fine, and yeah, yeah, they also have Joey Gaithright, but they need an experienced centerfielder!)

Are the Times not listing a Dodger schedule this year?

Leaving Las Vegas (or in this case going back to San Diego)

According to Tony Jackson's blog:
"And then, as Giles was in his car driving to Las Vegas from his home near San Diego, HE CHANGED HIS MIND. Just decided he wasn't coming. Turned the car around and went home. ... And the worst part is, the Dodgers passed on two other players they could have signed because they were convinced they had Giles, and neither of those players is still available. One of them is believed to have been Alex Cintron, a free-agent infielder who signed a minor-league deal with Baltimore yesterday. ... It still isn't clear why Giles changed his mind, other than one source saying he just doesn't have the desire to play anymore. At any rate, his indecision has left the Dodgers back at square one, at least for the time being"

Everyone will be pleased to know that Nick Gholson of the Wichita Falls Times Record has converted from a Yankees fan to a Dodgers fan - because of Joe Torre. Which is sweet sentiment, even if he does seem to be following the Bill Plaschke School of Paragraph Breaks.

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/31971

Oh no, we did not get the terrible Marcus Giles.

Tear.

347
That sounds like one of those moments where if Alex Cintron is the answer, you're asking the wrong question.

347 No offense to Giles, but he made the right decision. He's done with baseball and baseball should be done with him, if last season is any indication.

I guess Alex Cintron would've been adequate as short term infield depth. Not particularly exciting, but better than Angel Chavez.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cintral01.shtml

349 I was going to say better him than Dewitt, but wow he was lowsy last year.

"Before the Bigs" was on yesterday and featured Brad Penny. I think I like him now more than ever. There is something about seeing home movies of major league players when they were 5 or 6 years old that makes me smile. He seems like a great guy, but I am not sure why he broke up with Alyssa Milano...

350 I can understand why the club is looking for some help, at least it would be at a very low cost, minimum salary and no loss of players.

If not for the second injury in less than 20 minutes, Dewitt, would have been in minor league camp all spring. If Abreu is healthy, he is in Jacksonville today trying to find an apartment. And he may still need to forward his mail to Jacksonville if Abreu can come back soon or when Nomar or Andy are ready.

354 Definitely true. Again, I would've been okay with Cintron. If God forbid DeWitt gets hurt anytime soon, they're in trouble...

I don't blame the Dodgers for going after Giles or Citron, with the situation they're in.

That said, speaking personally, if I have to watch somebody who probably isn't going to be very good, better it be Blake DeWitt. It's easy for me to root for the homegrown players.

In other news: A-Rod, RBI double. Yankees 1, Blue Jays 0.

354
Yeah, I was just being snarky in 350 . The club should be always scouring the waiver wire for low-cost alternatives. And Angel Chavez is easily replaceable.

Professor Puts a Face on the Performance of Baseball Managers

http://tinyurl.com/2hoqh9

BTW, I am sure Blake Dewitt is thrilled with the fact that he is earning over $2100 a day while he is on the 25-man roster for the Dodgers.

What's Wilson Valdez up to these days? :-/

359 And I am not meant to get people to calculate how much Juan Pierre is earning a day (probably somewhere around 48K-50K a day.)

Juan Pierre will make $49,382.72 to sit on the bench for three hours tonight.

I wonder if he still is the first one to the stadium?

Marco Scutaro grounds into a fielder's choice, bringing home Frank Thomas. Tied, 1-1.

362 I was close considering I did not use a spreadsheet/calculator.

347 Story sounds fishy. Just turned around and went home? April Fools?

So if Wes Helms is let go by the Phillies, which is possible after they signed Seanez and need to clear a roster spot, how fast do you think the Dodgers would sign him?

Opening Day up close and personal

>> Noon: Run into The Man Who Discovered Fernando Valenzuela, Mike Brito, and he is wearing his standard straw hat that he tells me is customized for him by Dobbs Fifth Avenue in New York and that he buys at The Hat In Pasadena. "I never see you behind home plate any longer holding the radar gun," I tell the venerable scout. "They've now got a state-of-the-art gun as a permanent fixture that has taken my place," he says sadly. Poor Mike is still another victim of modern technology. <<

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_8765194

Gosh, Marlins 2, Pedro Martinez 0. Early in that one.

354 - the longer the Dodgers go with DeWitt at third, the less likely DeWitt is to play in Jacksonville.

Wow, I just reread that and realized just how much of a Yogi-ism that is.

What I mean to say is: if DeWitt produces, the job will be his and LaRoche will become trade bait.

367 Im surprised Arte Moreno hasnt tried to poach Mike for the Angels since they have a lady who hangs out with a radar gun at every home game. Would dovetail nicely with their poaching of the Dodgers institutions from the 80s.

I'm suddenly happy that he's not going to produce then.

Old Friend Luis Gonzales homers off Pedro.

3-0 Fish.

I know The Hat in Pasadena sells pastrami sandwiches and burgers. I didn't know it sold custom-made straw hats.

367 Brito was behind home plate Saturday at the Coliseum.

I was expecting to come back to see a firestorm here, but I guess you all haven't seen tonight's lineup:

Dodgers:

15 Rafael Furcal SS
55 Russell Martin C
16 Andre Ethier RF
12 Jeff Kent 2B
25 Andruw Jones CF
7 James Loney 1B
9 Juan Pierre LF
33 Blake DeWitt 3B
23 Derek Lowe P

373 Custom-made pastrami sandwiches?

375
Baaaaaah. The gift that just keeps on giving.

375 At least he's batting at the bottom...

375 I don't believe my lying eyes. Matt Kemp sits? Boo, hiss.

375 That's a joke, right? As in April Fool's?

I guess Matt Cain is a tough righty.

380 Somehow, I doubt it.

It was telegraphed by Joe's "Kemp might sit against tough righties" comment from yesterday. Baby steps, right? Or April Fools.

Pierre, Dewitt and Lowe is the new Murderer's Row.

I guess Torre wanted to throw Pierre a bone after killing his consecutive game streak. I would've thought that Ethier sat first, though. Guess Cain qualifies as a "tough righty".

I don't see the lineup posted on any site.

What a cruel joke.

381 , 383 Dang... beaten like a red-headed stepchild.

ok, Jon, where you getting the line up from? I haven't seen it anywhere yet.

The Dodgers' PR department e-mailed the lineup at 3:55 p.m.

353 Last seen, Brad was hooked up with Eliza Dushku...Google her....equitable upgrade from Alyssa!

375 Jon, hope this your April Fool's Joke?

386 - 48 seconds?

389 The Dodger's Political Repercussions Department?

Ethier is 5 for 11 against Cain, Kent has 2 homers, Pierre and Jones have gotten a few hits off him.

Kemp is 0 for 3.

Kemp has never faced Lincecum, Pierre is 1 for 3 with 2 RBI.

Look he was going to play and I think yesterday was just a way to get it out of the way, end the streak and move this thing forward.

Since both Ethier and Kemp played CF during the last few weeks of ST, I don't think it is implausible to think that that there will be a lineup sans Jones with the other 3 guys playing.

Roy Halladay so far: 4 innings, 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 K, 0 BB, 41 pitches against the Yankees.

I guess the fans will have to boo him off the team ; )

393 Yeah, I guess Kemp would also be one of the first bats off the bench once the Dodgers get into the Giants bullpen.

I would like to redact my applause at the game yesterday for "bench player" Juan Pierre if this lineup is not an April 1 gag.

I hate to start my year with a grumble with Jon. However, I did not see the game the same way.

First all, I always want the Dodogers to win 162 games and the Giants to lose 162 Giants. Good Start.

I thought Kent deserved a lot of attention in Jon's write-up for his homerun after a 8 pitch battle. It was his 5th opening day homerun, I understand. He comes to play and to hit. If we needed one hit to win a game he would be my first batter.

Furcal deserved more than afterthought.

Also Penny look better after each pitch. Then again it was the Giants!

Old guys are part of this team and deserve the attention also

Jon,

did you ever figure out the purpose behind those Hardball Made Easy vids?

Petros is going after Leinart right now, its pretty funny.

But really Matt, beer bongs, under-21 girls drinking.

Wang in trouble now in the 5th. First and third, nobody out for the top of the lineup.

Fortunately for Wang, the top of the lineup is David Eckstein.

399 To prevent hobo ambushes?

399 Promotion.

http://baseball.eastonsports.com/

400 Who is Petros?

40 If 24 year olds aren't allowed to do that, I'm in big trouble.

Shannon Stewart grounds to third, scoring Scutaro. Two out, runner on second, Alex Rios up. Blue Jays 2, Yanks 1.

398 - Kent, Penny and Furcal were my inaugural selections for "2008 Game By Game Heroes." (See new addition to the sidebar.)

But really Matt, beer bongs, under-21 girls drinking.

its a fun life.

404 Sorry, its kind of inside to those who listen to LA Sports radio, Petros Papadakis (sp.) is a former USC football player (and captain) during the down years (pre-Pete Carroll) and has done some local radio and also is commentator on Pac-10 football on Fox Sports.

He despises Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart because he feels that they are big time phonies and that they represent the worst of the celebrity/athlete. He also thinks that the USC let things go because of their importance to the program.

Anyway, anytime he gets a chance, Petros goes after those two. Its pretty funny. At least to me.

Wang K's Rios.

Wang's line thus far: 5IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 2BB, 2K, 73 pitches.

405 Just make sure you take their cameras away.

408 What is Leinart's rep in Arizona?

Shouldn't Leinart be dating hot celebrities or models or something?

413 They might want to actually talk about something.

Am I the first to see, and thereby be a huge downer, that Pierre is starting tonight over Kemp?

Nevermind, I guess I expected more outrage

Oh, we're outraged. We're just keeping it all inside.

This is totally shallow, but Leinart has had many photos of him partying over the years and he never seems to be with very attractive women.

Pedro Martinez looks like he just pulled his groin muscle. Leaving the game in the 4th.

From the Press-Enterprise blog

> Juan Pierre is back in there to face Matt Cain, with Joe Torre explaining, "I just don't want anybody sitting there stale, especially someone that isn't used to sitting. It doesn't appear Pierre will bat second though in the near future, as Torre said he wants to toy around with who hits there, and Pierre will bat seventh or eighth when he's in there. Also, there is a slight chance that Torre will have four outfielders in the lineup one day. Andre Ethier is Torre's pick ahead of Mark Sweeney to play there should something happen to James Loney, such as an injury or slump.

418 Not like Lo Mata (but then those were the Dance Team members)

Game thread is open.

421
I heard from other BROs that he has a good rep with the ladies at UCLA.

Maybe Leinart is just that much of an idiot.

420 Ethier at 1b??

418 Last Memorial Day weekend in Vegas, I saw Matt Leinart twice in three nights out at clubs. Dude looked fat. At both those clubs, all my friends and I did to get in was ask the not ugly, but not hot, girls at the back of the line if they wanted to go to the front. Then we walked straight to the front, said we had girls with us, and they let us in. Needless to say, they were a lot of ugly, sunburned girls in those clubs. Rex Grossman was out one night too. I also stood in the taxi line with Kurt Thomas. He was being a complete gentlemen to his date, and did not ask to go to the front of the line. He seemed like a real nice guy.

I've been reading "The Real Animal House" by Chris Miller. After this news I think I'll go boot.

This may be late, and the opening day discussion seems to have sputtered out, but I was there and one of the things (out of many) that impressed me about this team was a couple of things Torre did.

When Penny gave up a couple of hits in the 7th (?) he had no problem pulling him, and when Proctor walked ONE guy, he was gone too.

Grits would have let them (and the team) get into trouble. We saw it over and over last year. Remember Pedrogate in the ALCS?

Bad call at first (Aurelia off the bag on the throw.) Torre came out and talked to the first base ump. I noticed that the ump actually backed up a couple of steps as Torre approached. The bill of his cap a half-inch from the official, Torre spoke quietly and then made his way slowly back to the dugout. The guy looked a little shaken.

These small things give me hope.