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Rich Man, Poor Man, Blogger Man, Thief
2008-04-03 21:35
You know what the funny thing is about the whole stereotype about bloggers living in their parents' basements? After college, when I became a full-time sportswriter for the Los Angeles Daily News, I moved back home to my parents' house in Woodland Hills, 10 minutes from the office, for two years. Yet during my entire blogging career, I have been a homeowner. Today on Baseball Beat with Charley Steiner, I was asked to offer my perspective on the issue of blogger credibility and credentialbility. I understand what's prompting the questions: There's increasing discussion on whether bloggers should be allowed locker-room access, in a world where moments before my introduction, New York Times columnist Murray Chass had expressed the all-too-common view basically comparing bloggers to the Ebola virus. Nevertheless, it's fascinating to actually find a need to defend an entire class of people - especially when the attacks are coming from a class of people that is supposed to be professional, insightful, objective and open-minded. (Yes, that passes muster with the Irony Committee.) So what's my response? It's not rocket science. Some bloggers are better than others, just like some sportswriters are better than others. Some have earned credibility and credentials, others haven't. Rather than compare the very best mainstreamer to the very worst online writer, as Chass implicitly did, I think it makes more sense to note the obvious - that there is a mix of quality in both camps. Steiner - whom I gather doesn't live and die with Dodger Thoughts but was enough of a reader of this site that on Opening Day 2006, he actually came up to me to introduce himself, honed in on a reason why this concept seems so difficult for some longtime journalists to accept. He speculates that it's about territory, that established reporters are responding negatively to bloggers out of fear of ceding part of their turf. This is not an economic era where you want to concede that unpaid volunteers can come anywhere close to doing your job. But beyond self-preservation, it's important to realize that condemning a medium, at least in this case, is bush-league. The medium doesn't decide whether to tell a story in a thoughtful, responsible or entertaining fashion; the messenger does. (Well, I'll concede that David Simon has caused me to reconsider this belief, but not in favor of the mainstream journalists.) In any case, trust me: There are good and bad messengers everywhere. My roots are in sports journalism. I had my first story published in the Los Angeles Times in 1986, covered my first major league baseball game in 1987 and was full-time in the profession by the end of 1989, nearly 13 years before I began blogging. I value how hard it is to be a sportswriter, and I emphasized to Steiner today how that many bloggers rely upon the work of mainstream sportswriters to launch their posts. For that matter, I understand job insecurity. I was the hot new prodigy on staff in '89 - by '92, there was a hotter, newer prodigy, and I was on my way to being marginalized at the ripe old age of 24. But I expect reciprocity. If I've done a good job as an outsider looking in, I expect respect, not dismissal. First, some of the analysis done by bloggers is flat-out better than anything you'll see from a major paper - and it's done without the support system of a major paper, often without any renumeration whatsoever. In some ways, it's harder work. Second, while there's value in interacting with the players and management of a baseball team, I can testify that there's often value in not interacting with them. It can give you a level of objectivity that is often missing from mainstream reporting. And at a minimum, many kinds of analysis don't require a locker-room presence, yet can be of tremendous value when done right. There is no good reason for an Us vs. Them mentality when it comes to mainstream reporters and bloggers. The readership benefits from their combined presence, and really, short of the sportswriter who doubles as a great blogger, one isn't going to take the other's job away. (You certainly won't see me on the Dodger beat for a local paper anytime soon.) Bottom line: A multitude of opinions and a more open debate of the issues are good things. We aren't witnessing the downfall of written baseball coverage; we're witnessing a flourishing, a tremendously rich era to live in. We should cherish this time. Some people realize this: Steiner, for one. There's no reason to be so uptight about outsider writers. Yes, it's a rough go right now for journalists, but don't blame the bloggers for it. They're not making any more money than the journalists or taking their jobs, believe me. Forces beyond our control are killing the industry. In the meantime, if there's one thing I could live without ever hearing again, it's that stereotype of bloggers working in their underwear from their parents' basements. I mean, I've had it. I'm not going to sit here and let mainstream baseball writers, who spend, God love 'em, 2,000 hours a year inside a ballpark, tell me that I or my blogger colleagues need to get a life. We have lives, thank you very much. Many of us have day jobs - many of us need day jobs - and many of us spend our weekends with our families and friends rather than with A-Rod and Jeter, and we see a world beyond the baseball field. Not saying that the mainstreamers don't - just that we do. Our passion for baseball drives us to write about the game, but hardly monopolizes our existence. If anything, we might have the perspective that insiders lack. But don't let me dictate to you who's good and who isn't. Judge for yourself. Just judge after you've read an individual's work, not before.
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Its a point Will Carroll and I have discussed many times, as to how baseball bloggers will be able to gain admittance to the BBWAA.
I also believe I know more about cows than Murray Chass.
While in law school, I saw a lot of this kind of thing for non-sports blogging. It was incredibly intense when it came to politics. They eventually found a balance, and given that even sports pages today have blogs (there's what, five? six? on the Times website), I can't understand why people are still so upset.
Of course, you said it much better than I ever could, Jon.
It is crazy to paint all bloggers with the same brush, esp with you are talking about a thoughtful blog like this writen by a writer from Variety!
I read DT as many times a day as it is new before I'd read the musings of TJ Simers and Bill Plashke. The two of them represent themselves and the Dodger org. in such a less productive way than you do.
I agree that the issue is territorialism esp in the context of newspaper firings. Most bloggers fit their blogging in as a hobby after their full time jobs and their attention to family life is paid.
There are bloggers who spew lies and rumor and there are bloggers who DRAMATICALLY increase the fan's love of the team and also the value of the franchise. I dare say Jon that you are the latter!
The real question is what do you do when the LA Times wants you to be their Dodger blogger?
vr, Xei
Some people realize this: Steiner, for one."
Steiner may realize it, but he's not man enough to just say it. When you hung up, he went into "i'm just a confused as ever" mode. Instead of saying something as easy as "hey, the more opinions the better as far as I see it". That would have been the natural conclusion to how he came off with you. But no, he's got to wimp out with some neutral nonsense, and after that New York guy slaughtered bloggers.
I've been Charlie's biggest advocate these last two years. I lost something for him today. Yes it was good to even have you on. But he showed himself to be a fence sitter of the most obvious kind.
Just another game show host in baseball clothing.
George
http://sportstsar.com/
It was like something that might have come out of Katharine Hepburn's mouth in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner -- "but he's one of the good ones!" (So maybe that makes Jon the Sidney Poitier of bloggers?)
Case in point is the way the LA sports media rallied around Juan Pierre this spring. By all accounts Pierre is a good guy who makes life easier for the writers who have to deal with primadonna jerks all the time. When Pierre's job became threatened, they all circled the wagons around him. We joked that the only people in the world who thought JP belonged as a starting OF were Ned Colletti and the Dodger press corps, but it really was the truth.
Jon, if you are ever offered a press pass to the Dodger clubhouse, you should turn it down. Don't get polluted by access.
>> Ned shot down the Giles rumor, said he knew nothing about it. But again, with DeWitt now hitting .625, I'm not sure the Dodgers need anyone else to play 3B. Can you say Wally Pipp? <<
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/
I don't think Charley was wrong to not state an opinion. His show isn't really a Jim Rome type show where he explicitly provides his opinion and point of view. He's merely serving the function of that particular program; I feel like it's obvious how he feels without having to say anything.
It looks like you're so good and becoming so well recognized that you're scaring them.
This reminds me of the scene from ""Big" when Hanks won't give up the paddle ball.
Unfortunately, the more that "they" fear, and the harder "they" resist, the worse it will get for "them".
Whatever it is that they think they are afraid of.
Thanks again for hosting this site.
It won't be long and you'll be a name brand like Vin.
If I put myself in Jon's shoes, it would be so hard to come up with a response after essentially getting thrown under the bus by Murray Chass. Jon, you held your own more than admirably! If only I had that kind of toughness and fortitude, not to mention the restraint that kept everything in perspective. Remarkable!
Re: 137
You might be interested to know that we shot that notorious hot-tub scene for the Wyckyd Sceptre sketch at 11PM halfway up a hill at a fairly grim LAPD Sheriff's training facility in City Terrace (near Alhambra). It was right down the hill from Sybil Brand, a (defunct -- and even more grim) women's jail where we had shot the "Sweetie Pie Jones" bits earlier in the day. Yes, we had to bring in our own hot tub.
That was our final location bit for the first half of the 1998 season, and I was bloody exhausted! I got to go home and sleep for a week, but Bob and David and the producers and writers had to charge right into rehearsals for the live show. But the vibe was great, because we were all so glad to be through with those onerous location shoots. Hence the looseness and general hilarity of that scene.
(Their hot-tub ad-libs were even funnier in person -- you should have seen the stuff they didn't use.)
vr, Xei
Picture the Griddle on its busiest day, like the Super Bowl or the first two days of the NCAA Basketball tournament. Or me writing about Jarrod Saltalamacchia's wife.
Then multiply by about 10. And that's just people discussing which players should go to A or AA.
I used to tell a colleague of mine who still writes for a newspaper, that the only official difference between bloggers and journalists these days is that journalists still have an editor and proofreader to correct typos and errors. However, I've seen so many bad mistakes in newspapers in recent times I don't even know if there's much difference there either.
Btw, I'm sorry I missed the Mr. Show chat in previous thread, but it did make me want to pop in a Mr. Show DVD tonight.
It also made me think we could combine discussion topics and come up with a good nickname for Loney from a Mr. Show sketch.
Fancy Pants or Blueberry Head anyone?
Van Hammersly?
Btw, nice to see Yhency have a good game tonight, striking out the side for the save. Of course it's AA ball, but still good to see.
DT is consistently in 5 digit territory in visitors per day.
http://www.downsidedown.com/news/html/players/player_3973.html
This is the fundamental mistake that the Murray Chasses of the world make when the look at blogging. They will take an average individual article written in the New York Times and compare it with an average individual blog entry, and say: blog entries are crap. And if you measure it that way, they are right.
The problem is, this is the wrong unit of measurement. Newspaper articles live on their own little islands, but blog entries do not. Blog entries are links in a chain. The unit of measurement in blogging is not the article, the unit of measurement is the conversation.
The conversation may start with something Jon writes on DT. But then it continues in the comments. And then ToyCannon or somebody goes and writes something on the SportsBlogs Network, which prompts the other blogs on that network to join in the conversation. And it can spread from there.
The blogger doesn't have to do a bunch of research and paint a complete picture with his blog entry. The picture is painted by everyone who participates in the conversation, across multiple comments and blog entries and blogs. Believe me, if you say something wrong on the web, you will be corrected.
Yes, it's messy process full of noise, but it also is a process that leads, in the end, to a more complete and accurate picture of the issues than the voice of just one person, no matter how talented.
It's the same reason that messiness of democracy and free markets works better than the relative simplicity of dictatorships and planned economies. Progress happens most effectively when the system tests every idea and every ideamaker, and the fittest ones thrive, and the unfit are thrown out. The extent to which blogs do this and newspapers don't is the extent to which blogs are growing and newspapers are dying.
One of the more insightful reads I've had here in 3 years. Thanks.
35- Encouraging.
Jon- Sorry I missed your interview with Steiner, but it sounds like you held your ground well. I wish I could participate more here, but there's too many demands on my time from family, friends, and work. I try to keep up with all the posts, but sometimes there's not even time for that.
But, I will say that I enjoy this blog every bit as much as most news sites.
I can see how Murray Chass could formulate his negative opinion of bloggers from some sports blogs. Blogs without rules can get very tiresome because all sorts of idiots are allowed to use any type of language, and bait other bloggers. On the other hand, a controlled blog like this one encourages more respectful & insightful commentors.
Thank you, Jon, for providing your insight and an informative & entertaining forum.
Jon, you nailed it again, as usual.
Luckily FJM is out there to knock these yahoos down a peg, whether they ever catch wind of it or not.
That is awesome that you got to work on Mr. Show. My PA work has consisted of working on Last Comic Standing 6. Not quite the same.
Dunn: .125/.417/.125/.542
Which means I agree with you, of course.
4
Agreed re Kershaw.
Saw him @ Maryvale last week against the Brew Crew and was impressed.
My wife saw Torre there and said "he's as short as I am!"
It's not an undeserved skewering, to be sure, but it's not easy to be objective when one's writing is being "workshopped" in front of a vast online audience.
I may be wrong, but I seriously doubt he'd have the same opinion of bloggers if he visited sites like DT regularly.
"Matt Kemp has more natural ability at his age than Vladimir Guerrero had at the same age. He just hasn't played as much baseball. Once he fugures it out, nobody in the game has a higher ceiling."
I started a blog in August 2003 when I was 21 years old. As a human biology pre-med major in college, I'd never so much as had an article published in my high school paper. I never would have had the guts to sumbit anything to a newspaper or magazine. I didn't promote it. I wrote for myself, and about five people went to it. And then more people found it and pretty soon I had a decent-sized audience and I found the feedback--positive and negative--to be absolutely exhilarating.
I enjoyed writing every day so much that I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life. So I moved to New York on a whim in October 2003, to become a writer for real. Things have worked out OK so far. I've written for seven or so magazines since being here, and now I'm happy writing about sports for ESPN.
I don't really get irritated when I hear sportswriters griping about bloggers in the locker room, because I know it's fear-based. Ninety-nine percent of the time the whining comes from men who are old enough to be my father, many of whom stopped busting their tails as journalists years ago and started blackberrying in fluffy columns while on break from Around The Horn, etc.
The blog/newspaper debate is a generational thing not unlike the Kent/Kemp debacle of last year. Which is why Plaschke's perpetual lambasting of Kemp makes me chuckle so much. I think Kemp represents the generation of which he is terrified, and I think that can be said for a lot of the older writers.
"hey phil...thanks for the note...that's very kind of you...and, for the record, I do NOT have disdain for performance-analysis Dodger bloggers, or any Dodger bloggers...I read the blogs and respect their efforts and celebrate their freedoms..I'm honored to live in a country where we can so openly share our views...I may not agree with the message, but I will forever defend the right of the messenger to deliver it ...thanks again for reading..."
I caught bits and pieces of your XM appearance, but did not stick with it long enough to get the full story, but it was interesting.
What was it Charlie said about his breaking in the "game" as a long haired young guy with a microphone while the Fedora hatted old timers glowered on? I think that comment summarizes the heart of the matter, well that an argument about economics or maybe who are the consumers of your Dodger Thoughts blog product.
LA Times gets how many readers a day, print, online ? How much money do the readers generate in advertisement prevention for Mr. Zell? DT has no advertisements, and who knows how many views per day, not asking for numbers by the way. So if you're not keeping score with the capitalist measure of success, $$$, then who knows the value of a product?
In terms of credibility and therefore access to players/coaches/management, if people read your stuff because it's interesting or provides another point of view of worth, and they continue to read it day in and day out, must be credible, must have worth. But the other side of that argument of worth is if you don't pay for something, does it have value? Not sure I have the answer to that question/muse.
By the way, please let everyone know if you're going to be on Charlie's show again, it's one of my "must hear" daily shows.
Vlad was way more advanced than Matt Kemp at all levels. Vlad was a freak of nature. He could hit any ball, anywhere in the strike zone or out of it. His arm was also a lot stronger than Kemp's. Kemp doesnt have the plate coverage that Vlad had, nor the bat speed to get to the bad balls. Thats just natual physical talent (bat speed), that puts Vlad in a class above Kemp.
Kemp can be comparable to alot of players, but I'm not seeing the Vlad comparison.
How do you know what Matt Kemp's bat speed is? Or Vlady's?
I agree Matt Kemp is not the player yet that Vlad was when he broke in. Kemp has raw talent but not the experience that Vlad had in his young career. Vlad had the "benefit" of baseball academies in the Dominican. emp is cleary still learning how to play the game.I believe in time Kemp may have a better career and achieve a higher ceiling only if he works at it. I could very easily imagine him being the next Raul Mondesi, who had a world of raw talent. Raul was a picture of a 5 tool player but got in his own way.With a coaching staff including the likes of Easler, Bowa, and Torre I think he is in good hands. The rest is up to Matt.
wish i got a chance to listen.
Is that because of Murray Chass, or Plaschke, or anything the LAT or ESPN has done? No, it's because of DT, primarily. (With an assist to True Blue LA and others.)
So maybe Chass is right to be worried and territorial. The territory in play is not journalism jobs, it's readers. Why would I bother reading an LAT game story, or anything Chass might write, when I can learn so much more here?
The only similarity that I see between Kemp/Vlad is their large K zones given their respective heights.
Mondesi had a good career with the Dodgers and I think the numbers Kemp ends up putting up will be close to his. However, even then there are quite few physical differences, the most apparent being height. Raul was only 5'11.
I'd be interested to see how much success players 6'4 and taller have at the plate.
I absolutely love the challenge/response aspect. This is also supposed to be scientific research works, but in reality it often does not.
Thanks for keeping us connected John.
I'll agree with that, I just thought maybe you had measurable information on the bat speed of both players.
I'd be happy with a Mondesi like Dodger career from Kemp as long as Kemp does not follow the Mondesi non-Dodger career arc while on the Dodgers.
Going off of actual stats----> Kemp's K rate is quite a bit higher than Vlad's was at the same age.
Vlad's arm was/is stronger than Kemp's.
So, while Kemp does have some skills, there is no evidence that points to Kemp having as high or higher ceiling than Vlad Guerrero. Vlad Guerrero is likely a 1st ballot hall of famer.
For any "scout" to suggest this, just speaks of a guy wanting to make a preposterous statement just to get his opinion published.
I'm not trying to bash Kemp.
Its more the innane comparison that leads to misplaced expectations on players.
Kemp's a good player with a likely bright future.
He's probably not a hall of famer.
A friend at work just loaned me a 2 volumn set called the Dimaggio Albums, from 1989. I had forgotten that Joe had a 61 game hitting streak for the San Francisco Seals.
I'd be happy with a Torii Hunter career.
Derek Bell, Hollandsworth, Chili Davis, Andre Dawson, Ellis Burks, Ruben Sierra, Don Baylor, and, at number 18, Vlad.
fwiw
I do want to put in a plug for basements. It's the one quiet place in our house where I can go when I need to write an article in absolute silence.
vr, Xei
I have been trying to put my thoughts together on this and your post crystallized my thinking for some reason. I like the blogs I visit not because the writing is better than Gurnick, Jackson, or Plaschke (though some of it is). I like it for the angles that bloggers sometimes take that the print media sometimes fails to address. Then I get the added stimulation of other people who share my interest adding to the discussion.
I don't know hardly anyone's real name here, but I respect everyone's opinion and learn more about the story behind the beat writers' posts than I ever could from just reading a mildly sarcastic mailbag from Gurnick.
Sons of Steve Garvey, 6-4-2 (for minor league stuff), TrueBlue, ITD, Dodger Thoughts, and the Kamenetzky brothers are my must reads each day. I also read Tony Jackson and Ken Gurnick.
For me, it is not a question of print vs. blog but of personal preference on writing style, content, and the extra input I get from vested fans who all play by the same commenting rules that I abide by.
I think you missed my point.
If some GM is willing to (over)pay Hunter/Jones 18-20 million a year, you'd think said GM would also be willing to trade more for Kemp than he is worth.
I don't think Kemp will turn into the elite hitter than I'd guess at least one GM out there thinks he will.
You could also argue that Kemp's not trying to hit fastballs at his eyes means he's MORE advanced. I've always wondered what Vlad could be doing if he were just a little more selective.
Of course, Dawson didn't manage a .300+ EqA until he was 25.
I have never looked, but I think the answer to your question would lie in an analysis of his line drive % and BA by zone around the plate. My seat of the pants view on Vlad is that he doesn't hit pitches on the periphery of the strike zone much better than the pitches around his neck.
That homer he hit off Penny in the All Star Game a few years back was a around his adams apple and he hit it out to the opposite field.
i always thought a cheap trading him for a cheap erik bedard than spending our money on dunn this offseason would be the moves to make, but that's already been discussed.
maybe rich harden if he becomes available.
I think I tend to lean more toward the player who I saw grow up in the Dodger system. Seems more meanigfull to me. Maybe I shouldn't though.
On a more generic point, one of the differences between mediums is the relationship to the audience. There are still too many mainstream writers and columnists who feel its their job to lord it over the audience and tell them what to think. Bloggers, almost without exception, view it as their role to catalyze conversation and shared experience. That's more or less what Ken was saying above. I appreciate the fact that Tony Jackson and others are trying to break down that barrier, even while its clear that they sometimes struggle with the concept.
Excellent post by you, Jon, and excellent comments, particularly 41 by Ken.
As an software engineer in a harware-oriented industry, I very much relate to Ken's first paragraph, "One of the most common mistakes made when we try to understand a new medium is that, having no other frame of reference to talk about it with, we use the language and measurements of the old media to describe it." This I still experience on a daily basis working in an industry whose roots are firmly entrenched in hardware engineering and assembly. People are forever attempting to deal with software in terms and methods analogous to hardware without recognizing the fundamental differences in the products (especially the ease in which software can be modified), and the limitations introduced by speaking only in hardware-oriented jargon and paradigms. Managers (almost always from a hardware background) have no choice but to have software in their systems (like newspapers being available on the net), but they fear it, they don't understand how to manage it, and they don't know how to exploit it for their own benefit, but those that do will gain a tremendous advantage over their competition.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/la-sp-dodrep4apr04,1,6022707.story
Interesting. Guess it's always good to have someone else who can play first just in case, and another way to keep Ethier always in the lineup. But as a way to get Pierre in the line-up, it makes less sense.
It's the best photo I've seen of him. Quite handsome. Suitable from framing, literally, I think I will, and place it on desk at work. Though I'm not sure how many times I'll have to hear, "who's that, your grandpa?", before I get annoyed and throw it in a drawer.
I have a picture of Sinatra on my office wall and I get middle aged men asking "who's that?" I mean how big a rock must you live under.
Vin photo link:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/10/05/sports/05scully.1.600.jpg
Prior to discovering Dodger Thoughts, I had long been frustrated in my search for consistent, objective, and incisive reporting about the Boys in Blue. I didn't grow up in California and, consequently, didn't have access to local coverage of the Dodgers. So as a teen in the 80's, I subscribed to Dodger Blue, and while there was much to appreciate about that newsletter, I remember feeling that there was too much sycophancy and not enough hard analysis.
The advent of the Internet certainly expanded the universe of readily available Dodger-related content. But still, the analysis provided by traditional journalists wasn't as in-depth and satisfying as I wanted (and I found writers such as T.J. Simers to be insufferable to read). And the Dodger message boards (I'm thinking primarily of the one at ESPN.com) so often devolved into bouts of name-calling and contests about who "owned" whom that I finally gave up on them.
Then by some good fortune, I happened to stumble upon Dodger Thoughts and finally found what I was looking for. (Hey Bono--No need to look anymore.) Jon's posts are always well-written, well-thought out, and convincingly argued. And nearly as impressive are the discussions triggered by Jon's posts. Not to engage in a little sycophancy myself, but the commenters here at DT are consistently smart and thought-provoking and frequently hilarious.
Contrary to Murray Chass's straw man notion of bloggers being a bunch of basement-dwelling recluses akin to Kevin Smith's character (the Warlock) in "Live Free or Die Hard," the DT community, from what I've been able to gather, consists of writers, lawyers, librarians, mathematicians, college professors, computer scientists, and others whose lives consist of something other than hanging out in windowless rooms all day playing the latest version of Doom while noshing Nacho Cheese Doritos and sipping flat Mountain Dew.
I think Jon's achievement in establishing such a vibrant community where intelligent and witty commentary can be found in such abundance is not a small one. His work speaks for itself.
Seems like everyone here would say you can't base anything on just 2+ games, yet it seems like there is less shine on Kemp right now than there was a few months ago. Maybe were just being more honest with ourselves now.
But sites like DT also provide places of discussion like Ken wrote above.
I am not sure where I stand on bloggers getting credentials to cover teams, if the blog is just something that someone self publishes, I can see the arguement against it. If its a blog like the one the LA Times, I can see an argument for it.
Usually these things have a way of working things out, when writers like Murray Chass find themselves without an outlet for their opinions, maybe then they will see the need for blogs.
of course when you make the trade you don't know those other varibles so that would make the trade that much tougher to make.
I have no problem with Ethier learning to play first, even if it is only in case of weird situations in extra-inning games of something.
I wonder how many posters remember the pre Toaster days. Server Error!
Also worth noting, the Dodgers released relief pitcher Mark Alexander. Quite the reversal for the guy who was our Minor League Pitcher Of the Year in 2006. Because of his great stats in 2006, we talked a lot about this guy at DT, and who would have thought, back then, that the extremely-obscure Ramon Troncoso would be in our 2008 bullpen?
I remember being glad the Dodgers didn't cave to giving up Dreifort in a package for Randy Johnson. Turns out it would have been a good idea.
When you see that arguement, what does is look like?
The last Dodger win over the Padres with me at the park was April 20, 2005. Jose Valentin tripled off Scott Linebrink in the top of the 10th, scoring Drew and Kent to break a 1-1 tie. The 3-1 Dodger win was their 8th straight victory, and put their record at a division guaranteeing 12-2. :)
I'll be at Petco tonight and tomorrow, so look for a Dodger win Sunday afternoon!
I'm still assuming Pierre is the 4th OF (just a few mor starts), we were happy with that idea not too long ago. Agree though, it's got to be within reason.
And..what? 15 games more and he was gone?
(a) there is a large enough readership of their work, and
(b) there is consistent quality and quantity of work on the blog in question
I remember the clap from Valentin! He managed to last 42 more games, putting up a stellar .120/.273/.148 after that triple.
That's dangerously close to the Epimenides Paradox. At least, we can only hope it is.
But then I decided to let the post stand as is.
Unfortunately, neither happened in this case.
It didnt take scouting to know that Russ Martin would be an above average MLB catcher. The guy OBP'ed over .400 in the Southern League.
I think one of the main differences between beat writers and bloggers is that beat writers are limited in what they put in the paper. They're paid to report what happens on the field, and that's about it. Bloggers, however, analyze and interpret these actions, and a keen eye can shed a lot of light for the rest of us.
What I like about Dodger Thoughts is that you don't dumb it down for the readers, and that's why you have a decent amount of great commenters, too.
Let the mainstream writers and other members of the media continue being insecure. You're the one they're afraid of--not the guys living in their parents' basement.
DeWitt is a talent - he is a Logan White #1 pick - with 3 1/2 professional seasons under his belt and skills that ours eyes can see, but he is still quite young, so I prefer to be cautiously optimistic. I doubt Ned and his depth fetish will be trading LaRoche anytime soon.
After 57 years, this is my life," he said. "A man really determines himself by what he does. I wonder how a man feels when he isn't defined.
Like an amoeba? The color red? Anyway, interesting comment.
Does anyone have info on Vin from when he played at Fordham? I'm thinking he hit about 250 / 360 / 212.
The Dodgers had Clemente.
The Dodgers had Vlad.
The Dodgers have Kemp.
Just take a look at where he has come from, out of no where really, Kemplahoma.
Kemp has so, so much natural ability. Is he bigger and badder than Vlad? Can my daddy beat up your daddy?
Kemp's stats are similar to Miguel Cabrera's, considering production at their ages and MLB experience. I think that Kemp is waaay more athletic though.
Take a look compare and see for yourself.
65 mirrors my feelings.
What was Kemp doing 24 months ago?
What will he be capable of 24 months from now?
What will he have accomplished when he reaches Vlad's age?
The shine is off? Try checking Texeria's numbers season to date. Is he done?
The Bison, he's really just a Baby Bison.
Trade Kemp?
Tonight or this afternoon, Clayton Kershaw starts for Jacksonville while his first round teammate, Byron Morris returns from his surgery to start for the Loons.
Tonight or this afternoon, Clayton Kershaw starts for Jacksonville while his first round teammate, Byron Morris returns from his surgery to start for the Loons.
The argument I always hear has to do with accountability. Guys who have blogs like Jon or Tony Jackson still write for organizations that can hold them accountable for a really bad post (something that is racist, libel, or false with no sources to back it up). If it is someone who has a lot of readership but no person or organization they work for who can keep them accountable for their words, most teams are reluctant to give access to that person.
Not saying that unprofessional and unsubstantiated reporting doesn't happen in the "regular" media, but that is the argument.
Keep it up!
All that being said, I'm starting to wonder whether he or LaRoche would be a better candidate to switch positions to 2B in anticipation of Kent's departure. 2B is hardly the toughest position on the diamond, and I have to think one of them could manage the job if it meant 500 at-bats in the majors next year. We have a lot of uncertainty about next year's middle infield: whether to re-sign Furcal is likely to be a huge offseason issue. If we decide to go with Hu, we'd be well off to try to fit some extra offense into the 2B position. DeWitt or LaRoche might be that fit.
The LaRoche to 2nd base movement never really got off the ground, despite my numerous letters to Logan White.
Ok, I didnt really write any letters.
I'm excited for Morris.
Disappointed Withrow, Watt, and Gallagher are all stuck in short season ball again.
Dewitt is more fleet of foot than Laroche, and he barely handled second base.
I hope he's playing full season somewhere.
It sucks Withrow isnt playing full season ball again. Are they overly concerned with the workload on his arm, or is he not good enough?
I didn't expect much more from Dunlap's future other than increasing girth.
As for Mark Alexander, I suppose he, along with Eric Hull, weren't as good as their minor league stats would indicate. I always wondered why the Dodgers didn't give Hull more of a chance in the majors, but it's obvious they didn't see much ML potential in him. Must be something scouts felt just wasn't working or going to work in the bigs. Alexander had great success, too, but the couple of times I saw him pitch his stuff didn't impress me that much.
I like it!
Power, "Hot Wheels Power"!
I remember a couple years ago when the Dodgers made the move for Dewitt to 2b, I was super excited and immediately started pushing him in future Dodger starting lineups as a second basemen. I was really disappointed that those plans were scrapped because I really wanted to see an infield that both Laroche AND Dewitt.
Ken, thanks for the wonderful comment; I couldn't agree more, and that comment illustrates what is so beautiful about a blogging community maintaining the conversation.
OT: I watched the pilot of FNL last night. I don't know what took me so long to watch that show. Excellent stuff!
Lambo's a Loon.
Regarding Withrow, I have no clue. I would think he is plenty good enough to start in full season.
Before I go pencilling Hu into the lineup at 2B, I want to be sure that the power he showed last year -- which, unless I'm mistaken, he's never shown before -- is for real.
The people who know something about prospects may now tell me to shut up and that I don't know what I'm talking about.
no need to call names
If we decide to re-sign Furcal [which has crossed my mind after the first three games!], I hope just we open up the 2B competition to all comers. In that scenario, Hu might very well be the favorite. (In short, I'm in favor of offering arbitration to Furcal, losing him, and putting Hu at SS.)
He has a new tribute to Joe Beimel, posted on Diamond Leung's blog.
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/970/bigboard.htm
You can see the Dodgers organization at a glance there.
Also, I may have missed it, but I don't think I've heard where and when Elbert is showing up.
Well, mark them in crayon maybe, but mark them nonetheless!
The problem with Chass' take on the bloggers vs sportswriters "debate" is the same problem that infiltrates nearly any current societal argument that you want to point to. Many people like to frame things in simple black and white terms, but life is almost always more complicated than that; although it may be less straightforward and take more study, we need to discuss things with the realization that there are many shades of gray involved in nearly every issue we face.
For the record, as a lifelong Californian, I've never lived in a house with a basement. But I do wear underwear.
"Scott Elbert, a No. 1 pick in 2004 and the organization's top left-handed prospect until Kershaw appeared, threw a bullpen session earlier in the week and has another planned for Saturday. Elbert is recovering slowly from shoulder surgery last year and figures to remain in Florida for extended Spring Training."
I like Troy a lot, but he may have taken this too far.
Also, I think Withrow and Watt, in minor league spring training, faced really good competition for the low A rotation. Morris, Justin Miller, Steven Johnson, Kyle Smit, and Geison Aguasviva are all a bit older and presumably further along the development curve. So I am fine with Withrow and Watt being on a slower track than guys like Billingsley and Kershaw were/are.
This coming from a guy who took some practice swings in front of the bathroom mirror today.
Dodgers' Kuroda getting good reception from Martin
http://tinyurl.com/635w5d
But I also think that somewhere along the line, journalists have gone from being gadflies (like the old "Front Page" days of the newspaper biz that infatuated Tom Wolfe in his youth) to being high priests. A lot of guys like Chass (and Bill Conlin) have become used to speaking ex cathedra, to shutting themselves off from other voices and opinions (except when they're yelling at each other on "Around the Horn" and such). Instead of doing the interviewing, they are interviewed on ESPN for their perceived expertise.
About blogging, I'd follow on Ken Arneson's comment by remarking that the great thing about the Internet is that it allows just about anyone to find an audience, and the problem with the Internet is that it allows just about anyone to find an audience. If you believe in Sturgeon's Law, then 90% of what's out there isn't worth your time. The trick is finding your way to that top 10% without the filtering mechanism of a newspaper editor who decides what you should and don't need to read (or even know about). I can't recall how I found out about DT, but thank goodness that I did. I come here first when I want some commentary on how things are going with the Dodgers.
But clearly, generalized sneers about bloggers like Chass' are just pig-ignorance. Blogs have allowed a lot of very good writers and smart people (our Mr. Weisman qualifying as both, of course) to gain an audience that they wouldn't otherwise have. It's not that all bloggers good, all old media bad, but that blogs have opened up the airwaves so that more people with interesting and useful things to say can be heard by more people, along with the inevitable dross.
Well, anyway.... Am I the only one who's seeing Dave Hansen with better defense in Blake DeWitt?
Anyway, it was only 93 at-bats. I think we need to temper our excitement about DeWitt a little bit, and perhaps ratchet up our excitement about LaRoche. To do otherwise would be to fall victim to small sample size illusions.
That is sweet
Work is getting in the way of the post I want to do on our 2008 minor league system. I wonder if Mr. Chase ever has that problem?
Why does Jason Kendall still have a job? Seriously, why?
>> Kershaw has one of the best fastballs in the Dodgers' organization and has been clocked in the high 90s. But during the offseason, his curveball received the most attention.
"I worked on it a lot in the offseason and feel I'm getting more consistent with it," Kershaw said. "I can throw it better for strikes than I did last year. I also worked on a changeup that is getting better." <<
http://tinyurl.com/3kupzx
His offense will likely never be enough to be a regular at third base, so we don't have much to lose by continuing to try him at second.
It's 3-0 Brewers in the first inning. Two out.
>> Clayton Kershaw will be on the mound for the Suns tonight at 7 in the second game of the five-game series. <<
http://tinyurl.com/6c5pfy
how much have you seen of him?
We also heard that D Young could not play the infield yet the 1st thing Torre did was find out for himself if that was true. Evidently it was but I like the fact he decided to find out for himself.
If LaRoche returns and his production m