Great stuff Jon - that summed up a lot of my frustrations.

Is anybody going to the games in Cincinnati on the 20th and 21st? I'm going to both and would love to meet some fellow DTers.

2 21st and 22nd, that is.

Jon

So when is it time to decide that Andruw is a bust, and in fairness to JP, what a concept, it will be "Bring me the Head of AJ" time? It's memorial day for me.

Send Andruw down to AAA Vegas, great buffets in Vegas by the way Andruw, find some lingering issue that places him on the DL and some sort of rehab program. But goodness gracious, Andruw is way way below the Mendoza line, and how long can the Dodgers afford to have him in the lineup?

I got LAT'd from the last post in my comments on Blake Dewitt. I was just giving an analogy and in reference to Jon's post above, I'm glad Dewitt was put in the good column for doing more than anyone could have hoped under the circumstances.

I had given a scenario to put yourself in Dewitt's shoes in another line of work and I used the law field as an example since I work in the field as a paralegal. I tried to equate Dewitt's experience to being a fresh green just completed the bar working at a firm eager intern/slash employee awaiting the bar results. Due to a major flu epidemic, this small law firm, has no one left to appear at the first day of a major trial except for you and ask you to sit in for the head trial attorney and your opponent is a seasoned expert attorney with many years experience and you both have to give your opening statements. (I know the firm would probably send you down to ask for a continuance based on the sickness/flu of the head counsel from the bench) but I just wanted to point out what Dewitt was up against playing at two levels above what he was at last year. So like I said before, Kudos and Atta Boys to you Blake Dewitt for the job you have done for the Dodgers so far this year.

4 - It's simply too early to answer that question, and I have to say that I find the increasingly expressed notion that Jones should be taken off the roster more than laughable. It goes against everything I preach on this site about being rational and patient and having the big picture. The Dodgers need Jones - giving up on him will solve nothing.

My problem is that in the preternaturally warm morning following the most dominant Dodger victory of the season, the dominant feeling is aggravation.

I'm noticing that a lot of the posts in the game threads are getting more vitriolic than they used to be. (The beginning of last night's thread was particulary bumpy.) We're not just taking these dumb decisions in stride anymore, we're lashing out. It's actually a little comforting to see that Jon is not immune from the angst we are all feeling.

The source of all this is very easy to identify. After enduring years of nonsense and mismanagement, we are SO close to having the team we always wanted to have, and it's being undone by even more nonsense and mismanagement. Torre's quote to Kevin Baxter is positively Dustyesque in its stupidity, and for one, I'm getting tired of making excuses for him.

Meanwhile, we have to watch as Arizona, a team whose management certainly seems to have less trouble figuring out the right formula, is absolutely burying the division with their red-hot start. We're going to spend the rest of the summer trying to erase the lead the D-Backs have built in the first two weeks of the season.

"Aggravation" really doesn't even begin to describe it.

4 If you're going to sound credible when you want to get rid of Andruw, at least mention possible scenarios. You can't send Andruw Jones down to AAA.

Also, the fat/buffet jokes are totally played out, not that they were funny in the first place.

Lots of baseball players have guts. It's baseball. You spend 95% of the time standing around.

7

100% correct, but DL, the Dbacks only have a 4 game lead. It might feel like a 9 game lead, but it's still very early.

9 Lots of baseball players have guts. It's baseball.

The problem is, there's an easy correlation to make:

Skinny Andruw Jones: Great hitter.
Fat Andruw Jones: Terrible hitter.

And yes, I know correlation is not causation, but just from looking at the way Jones is heaving the bat at the plate, it appears that his paunch is affecting his swing.

7 10

D-backs Record, 2nd Sunday of 2008: 9-2
Dodgers Record, 2nd Sunday of 2005: 9-2

I'm just sayin'!

9

So a fake announcement that Andruw has landed a gig as the spokesman for Dunkin Doughnuts would be bad too?

8

Why can't you send Andruw down to AAA for some work on his swing in games that wouldn't effect the outcome of the Dodgers season? If he's not hitting, sitting on the bench does Andruw no good, if he's not hitting, having him in the game costs the Dodgers games.

11 I don't think his gut is making him swing at pitches in the dirt. Unless the fat from his gut has migrated to his brain and turned into mush, the fat isn't to blame.

Oh yeah - with regards to last night's thread - that was almost a travesty. I'm glad Ken was able to step in, but people have got to remember to be civil, even if someone's not civil to you.

7 I read in the NY Times where Mets' fans booed Santana when he left the game in 7th after giving up another home run (third of the game) in a game the Mets would lose to Milwaukee.

10 the Dbacks only have a 4 game lead. It might feel like a 9 game lead, but it's still very early.

But it's not like it's the Giants or the Marlins who are off to a hot start (who we can expect to come back to the pack after a while). The Diamondbacks are very good, and of course they'll have their slumps along the way, but you know they'll be there at the end of the season with 90+ wins, in full contention for the division title. And now they've got a hell of a head start.

13 You can't send players who have been in the league as long as Andruw down to AAA, even if he presumably still has options,

16 We're no better than Mets fans now. Great.

Andruw Jones doesn't make it easy to preach patience as those at bats really are some of the ugliest I ever seen on a consistent basis. If I hadn't been watching slumps for 40 years I'd probably be chicken little myself.

As Eric Enders has pointed how, this has been his modus operandi while enjoying a HOF career in Atlanta. My brother worked for the Braves and has confirmed what Eric said. A Jones will look like he hasn't a clue for long periods of time. That is just a subjective view.

Dodgers are 2 - 0 with Kent not starting.

Also, if you go to the 2:21 mark (or thereabouts) of the game last night, there is this really weird sequence. After Kemp hits his homer, the camera shows him sit down in the dugout and Pierre sits down near him and starts yapping at him. I dont know if Pierre is talking smack, but neither of them are smiling, and Kemp kind of looks disinterested in what Pierre had to say.

That is all pure speculation, of course. For all I know Pierre could have been telling him how great a baseball player he is, for hitting the other way. Interesting nonetheless. I wish there was a dugout spy who posted on DT. Does anybody know the girl with the fannypack? She might be coerced.

13 A player with as much MLB service time as Jones has, even with options (which since Jones came up at age 19, he probably still has) cannot be assigned to the minors without his permission. (I think the cutoff is 5 years of MLB service time)

15 I might add that though I don't actively participate in the game threads, the harsh tone lately has kept me from reading as well.

They are almost as fun as reading a steroids related thread over at BTF.

18

I'm sorry, did not know that, assuming that is a union rule or something, and not just off the table because it makes Ned look bad.

So maybe Andruw has some physical ailment or vision problem, or maybe Jobu and Pedro Cerrano need to have a word with Andruw.

I always felt the more money the players made the less patience fans would have with them when they don't live up to expectations.

I never expected the booing to be based on a per at bat or per inning basis.

Are the fans who boo at games any different then the species who inhabit game threads and make negative comments on a pitch by pitch basis?

Torre faced a similar situation with Jason Giambi a few years ago and they asked Giambi to go down to the minors to work on things and he refused.

Of course, this is all written for information purposes only since there is no scenario that Jones does not play almost everyday for the Dodgers short of being hurt.

And one more thing about the weight, if he gained all this weight in the off-season, what are we to make of his 2007 season when we can suppose he was in better shape?

25 No and apparently Mets' fans have not forgotten how Reyes closed out last season too.

But they can't boo Reyes right now since he is hurt.

Jones' struggles are at least as much mental as physical. He sometimes hasn't resembled a major league hitter.

Even if he could be assigned to or agreed to go to Vegas, can you imagine how much worse that could make the mental aspect?

Simplistic solutions may be appealing, but they conflict with reality quite often.

Maybe actually walking a couple times last night--instead of flailing wildy at so many pitches off the plate--will be a good first step to getting back where he should be.

26
Giambi was coming back from health problems and they had a legitimate right to ask him to work on his swing. On the plus side, he refused and then caught fire after just about everyone had written him off including me due to the steroid allegations and the other health issues he was dealing with.

That is another reason why I've yet to panic on A Jones. I have done my chicken little act in the past and have been burned. Easier to just have some patience and see what happens but I understand that everyone wants to vent about him, because he is killing the offense.

Loving DeWitt. He could go 0-40 and it wouldn't change the fact he did the job we asked of him when we needed him. And how about the defense? I sure don't see any stone hands, but I do see one heck of an arm.

26 - last season was the product of an elbow injury for Jones. He also says that he gained the weight because he felt he was too light last season.

I am going to posit that Jones is simply pressing right now, new team, new contract, bad last season (by his standards).

All that said, I stand by my comment last night that there is something "off" with the Dodgers, though I can't put my finger on it.

Last night I posited a theory:

Theory on why Torre is playing Pierre over Kemp: Torre is a master of playing the media. He knows that playing Ethier over Pierre causes a ruckus, and he wants to avoid that. So he plays Pierre over Kemp while giving Ethier, a player he clearly has an affinity for, a chance to earn the starting job. While there were some who felt (wrongly) that Pierre was a better option than Ethier, no one in their right mind would suggest that Pierre is better than Kemp. Eventually the demand for Kemp to play becomes great, and as long as Ethier keeps putting up good numbers, no one bats an eye when Pierre is benched in May as the Dodgers look to dump his salary.

Today: "TORRE IS new on the job, so trying to help, I told him he's got it all wrong so far, playing Pierre when Matt Kemp should be in the lineup every game." T.J. Simers

It's all going to plan. No one is questioning whether Pierre should play ahead of Ethier anymore. Ethier is now, at least in the minds of the media, a starter. The question is now whether Matt Kemp, who is recognized as a raw but exceptional talent, should play over Pierre.

Can we give Torre some time? Can we remember that it's April? Can we remember that the season is a marathon? And before we frak out about the D-Backs, can we remember that there is a wild card? Can we NOT do the Dodgers Thoughts-commenters thing and freak out and vilify/idolize one guy right out of the gate?

Just to close the subject on peace, I think the best thing I could do is stay away from the game thread if I'm in a particularly bad mood.

Beyond that:

1) No matter what happens, it's just a game, it's just baseball. Only one part of my daily life.
2) I apologize for declaring the Dbacks winners of the NL West back on Tuesday
3) I tend to get more upset on days when the Dodgers start Pierre over Kemp.
4) Seeing how Jon is upset over the negativity of late (deserved or no), I'll end my "Pierre over Kemp" boycott and just enjoy the ride. because...

5) No matter what, the Dodgers are my baseball team and through thick and thin, I stick with them.

With old friend CF Shane Victorino going on the DL I wonder if old friend CF Jason Werth will get the playing time? He's been in a platoon with Jenkins in RF.

As long as Pierre is starting over Kemp or Ethier as often as he has been, there's going to be major frustration on this board.

31 I already bought into the theory that Torre gave Piere 1 week to embarrass himself vs. Peavy/Young/Haren to give Torre cover to bench Pierre indefinitely. Pierre did his part, and here we are. Someone else predicted around week 3, with the offense struggling, Torre would insert Pierre at the top of the order looking for "a spark." Looks like that theory won but 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

Stupidest quote of the day

NY Post reported Sunday that two workers approached a construction manager with what they thought was the location of the jersey. After digging a two-foot by three-foot hole, the jersey was found.

"They absolutely pinpointed that if it was in the ground, that's where it was," Yankees spokeswoman Alice McGillion told the newspaper.

Initially the Yankees denied the jersey was ever buried in the footings of the new stadium. But clearly the Yankees brass is happier now with the possibility of a curse gone.

"I hope his co-workers kick the [expletive] out of him," Yankees co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner said.

http://tinyurl.com/46xs8z

Feeling your pain, Jon. But this is now the sports world we live in. Contracts talk- loudly.
By reading your posts, a lot of you obviously live in California. You certainly must recall the situation a couple years ago with the NFL Chargers. Drew Brees was playing brilliantly. Drew Brees was a qb of the future, a guy you could win a ton of games with for the next decade. Drew Brees was allowed to walk away because a kid on the bench had a multi-million dollar contract and "needed" to play. Forget that Brees had just taken them to the playoffs. Forget that Phillip Rivers had done exactly zero at that point in his career. The fact was, they were in to Rivers for the next five years for a lot of money, and they weren't going to let that money rot in order to allow an arguably better player to play instead. Goodbye Brees, hello unknown.
McCourt and Colletti-ot seem to be of a similiar mindset- biggest contract plays, period. Screw whether that happens to be the best player. Screw whether that means losing games because your most talented guys aren't on the field. They have to justify their spending, so Pierre and Jones and Loaiza and Nomar, etc., etc. get trotted out day after day. And Torre, being the good company man he is, is reduced to saying inane things to the press to try and justify management's position. That quote is arguably the most incredibly stupid sentence to ever leave a MLB manager's mouth, and Torre is not a stupid man. Until Frank McCourt concerns himself with fielding his best team day in and day out, and trying to win every time his team takes the field, this isn't going to change. Leave it up to Colletti-ot, and Pierre and Jones will be out there every day even if they aren't hitting their respective weight (and there truly was no pun intended there).
As far as Jones goes, my biggest concern is what Simers' reported. If Jones in fact has the "I don't care" attitude that Simers' reported, he then is going to become a clubhouse cancer. Guys like Ethier, Loney, Martin, Kemp, Bills, etc are ready and willing to run through a brick wall to win a game. Now they have among them a "veteran leader" who is hitting .100 while making 18 mil/year and saying he doesn't care what anyone thinks. That's beautiful. God, where is Kirk Gibson for attitude adjustments when you need him?

re:36 I read that and was surprised not so much that a co-chairperson of such a huge business identity would speak like that, but that not more has been made of it. That level of unprofessionalism is huge!

I think we give Torre this week to prove himself. If the lineups make sense, then we can at least pretend he was allowing Pierre to play himself out of the lineup.

That said, it seems like a weird way of going about business. Why not just make the right decision, be comfortable knowing you have the rings to back it up, and not give up possible losses for the sake of the long-term?

More and more I'm thinking Torre just really does believe that Pierre helps the team.

And no, the season is not a marathon if one is implying that these games mean less than any games in the future.

I hope 2007 Andruw Jones is worst case, and we get to see a glimpse of 2005-2006 AJ. But in 2007, which would be not too bad, he put up the following OPS month by month
.936
.629
.487
.936
.770
.582
So there are downs like now, but also ups, I'm sure when he's one of the best players in baseball.

--Martin will rebound as sure as I'm wearing short shorts today. He'll end up hitting .280-.290, with 15-20 HRs and 15-20 SBs.

--For some reason, I can't get too worried about Andruw Jones. Yes, he's been horrible beyond belief this season so far, but he will give us 30 HRs. And I never make "fat player" jokes. David Ortiz is fat. Prince Fielder is fat. Olmedo Saenz is fat, but that didn't bother us in '05 and '06. Or '04.

--Pierre starting over Kemp is an organizational psychosis, and I still see articles around the MLB press saying that it's a good idea. I don't know if it's a good thing or not that TJ Simers is on our side, but I do know that we're right, and that Matt Kemp is every bit the hitter that Mark Reynolds is, and a lot more talented when it comes to the other tools.

I am very worried that Gary Bennett might start today.

There is ZERO chemistry between him and Bills.

40 I loved the Jones signing (just like I loved the Schmidt signing), and I think that's why I'm patient. I would probably get worked up about it if it were a signing I hadn't supported.

As for his weight, I'm no one to complain about a fat player. I love the idea of a 300 pound CF winning the gold glove. Dine on, you wealthy diamond.

40 I saw a "news" article saying it's true Pierre has shortcomings in getting on base and hitting for power, but Torre may not see those as important.
That, in a nutshell, is the situation. Torre does not appreciate the two most basic functions hitters are supposed to perform. Why do you think it took $190M payroll for him to compete with the Yankees? Is that because he's a good manager?

They are replaying the 1978 Masters on CBS and Vin is doing the broadcast.

The problem is, there's an easy correlation to make:

Skinny Andruw Jones: Great hitter.
Fat Andruw Jones: Terrible hitter.

It's not an easy correlation to make if you consider the fact that Jones was reportedly at the lowest weight of his career last year and put up his worst numbers yet.

Well said, Jon. Very well said, and I'm glad you're also reminding everyone still about the importance of both patience and civility here. (It's hard for any of us to be patient any time Kemp is on the bench, but...)

I will say your "trip to the wood-chipper" comment made me crack up. Visions of Fargo coming back to me there...

I'm glad I missed last night's in-game discussion. I watched the game in the MLBTV archives late last night, enjoying most of it in my own solitary way.

This is totally grasping at any silver lining I can, but didn't it at least look like Jones had better at bats last night, after the first one? At least he wasn't swinging at the pitches they were making him chase earlier, taking walks is better than nothing. He's been looking awful, swinging at pitches out of the zone, so at least in those at bats he seemed a little more patient. Again, it may be just trying to grab on to anything with him but one step at a time I guess.

Happy Two Weeks Into a 162 Game Season, everyone!

Yes, he's been horrible beyond belief this season so far, but he will give us 30 HRs

I don't understand (or maybe, I just don't agree with) the logic that 30 HRs nullify any other stats a player can put up.

Tony Batista once hit 26 home runs and VORPed -3.5.

Today's lineup:

Furcal, SS

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Jones, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Billingsley, P

Today's lineup from Diamond:

Furcal, SS
Pierre, LF
Ethier, RF
Kent, 2B
Loney, 1B
Martin, C
Jones, CF
DeWitt, 3B
Billingsley, P

WHERE IS KEMP?!?!?!? This is flat out ridiculous now.

44 Well, Vin's voice opened the show but I haven't heard it again.

In fact, our centerfielder is a classic example of what can go horribly wrong when hitting 30 HRs is all you care about.

I certainly hope we can stay civil here, but I would caution people that patience should not mean that we should be fine with our manager making terrible decisions early in the year.

Remember the NL West, and remember this:

2007- Arizona wins the division a 0.5 game over Colorado, San Diego finishes 1.5 game back and misses the playoffs.

In a division as tight, and as talented, as this, we don't have the wiggle room to allow for Torre to be making easily fixable mistakes, and we don't have the overwhelming talent to make up for any deficiencies in the offense.

We really need for everything to be done right this season, and it's frustrating when we can already essentially see games being lost while one of our best players sits on the bench.

I'm glad I wasn't the one to post the line-up, I almost did but decided the messenger might get shot. ;-)

At least Silverwidow's fear of Gary Bennett starting were unrealized. {looking on bright side.}

Okay, let's try to focus on the positives, let's get a win, let's get Matt Kemp the rest of the week or it'll be visions of wood-chippers for the lot of us.

At least Martin is starting.

Bison doesn't deserve this treatment.

Maddux is apparently a tough righty.

It's actually slightly more distrubing to me that Ethier has complete immunity now. I expected Pierre to start at least 120 games so seeing his name in the lineup isn't too bothersome.

52 But, even with his down year last year, don't you think his HRs and RBIs would've been a marked improvement for the Dodgers over most of their other options and would've brought them a few more wins at least? (Not to mention having him man CF over Pierre.) Not that it was an option to have him last year, but just saying if we did, it wasn't just the HRs vs. the low average, his power and runs driven in would've looked really good for LA.

But, it's true, HR's are "rally killers." ;-)

---

Hey, my Sunday soccer team is 2-0 to start the season after a 6-zip win today! If that doesn't cheer you, don't know what will!

Has anyone seen evidence of Kemp complaining about a lack of PT this year? I haven't, and I find it interesting that Team Player Pierre starting complaining immediately (with his agent calling Ned), whereas Kemp hasn't apparently complained at all.

If Greg Maddux, at this point in his career, is considered a "tough righty" Matt Kemp is never going to see the line-up.

Heck, Andruw Jones once hit 26 home runs and VORPed 5.4

If that doesn't cheer you, don't know what will!

1. The. 2. Masters.

I hope Kenny Williams bites soon. Or someone, anyone.

Morons, I've got morons on my team.

Next three games:

Zach Duke - LHP
Matt Morris - RHP
Paul Maholm - LHP

If Kemp doesn't play two out of three, there is a MAJOR PROBLEM.

My new favorite team will be whatever team Kemp gets traded to. I want blood right now, and I want Jason Repko to be turned loose on Pierre.

58

Hmmm JP's agent calls Ned, not the media, the GM for the team. I guess that's complaining in your book, I call it business.

22 i noticed that too, but i saw Pierre get up and give the Bison a high five. then Matt went and sat towards the far end and I thought of it as a positive, not like Pierre just sulking in the corner.

then again, i tend to be an optimist.

66

Really, the agent is just doing his job. It's Ned and/or Torre's fault for caving to that, if that's even the reason for their amazing levels of idiocy lately.

While we may have problems with him, I see no evidence that the Dodgers have any problem with Pierre, and much evidence that the team has problems with Kemp. Most of the comments you read about the immaturity and mistakes of young players seem to be directed toward Kemp. I find it telling that every other young player except for Kemp now has a regular job, even though Kemp is clearly the most talented of the bunch. As a matter of fact, I think that the Jones signing was not directed at Pierre--except for the fact that they realized he couldn't play CF--but because they didn't think that both Kemp and Ethier were going to be everyday players. Obviously, they have now decided that Ethier is an everyday player.

I figure that the Dodgers will continue the nonsense with Kemp for the rest of the season, and then trade him in the off-season.

Interesting that ever since Torre said last week that Kemp would play "most of the time," Pierre has played most of the time.

Torre was quoted recently saying something like "Kemp doesn't even know how good he is."

A small suggestion, Joe---put him in the lineup every day and let him show you and everyone else just how good he is.

It's been mentioned before that the team could be showcasing Pierre. Unlikely. He's been around way more than long enough for other teams to assess his skills, such as they are. They know what they would/wouldn't be getting.

Another explanation--worse if so--is that Ned (or even Frank) is telling Joe to play JP, "give him a shot at working through his slump and being the player he's always been, so he can help the team."

We assume here that Joe has the cred to win any lineup contest with Ned. But Ned is still GM. If Ned interfered much, I doubt Joe would put up with it. But Joe's job has a political content, so this early in the season and into his three-year Dodger contract, I could see Joe kind of going along, not rocking the boat much for a while while he gets a better feel. His inane comments--and actions--could reflect the team political dimenson. But that kind of a situation won't/can't last long, if it's the case.

Also, it's probably not realistic to expect Torre, age 67 and certified old-schooler, to embrace modern stastical analysis to the degree he probably should, even less to act quickly on conclusions readily available through it.

Pierre StartWatch

Pierre: 8
Kemp: 5

Torre said Pierre would start the season as a bench player pinch-hitting, pinch-running and being available to spell a starter

67
Pierre sulking in the corner, another nice image but not true. Pierre sits about 99 percent of the time in the far corner of the dugout near the camera well, before he was benched, after he was benched and in between.

Nobody that I have read or hear of says that JP is anything but a good team mate, and a good club house guy. Making stuff up because you don't like his game is pretty amazing, and oh by the way, JP plays the game the same way he has for years and years. Be mad at Ned all you want for signing JP, but JP does not have Barry Bonds disease.

I'm surprised Ned doesn't have a problem with our centerfielder's work ethic. Didn't Guzman get dumped for essentially the same thing?

Thank goodness I have to go to work. At least I can take my frustrations out on patrons.

72

I agree. We don't need to invent reasons for Juan Pierre to not be playing. We have plenty already.

29 Loving DeWitt. He could go 0-40 and it wouldn't change the fact he did the job we asked of him when we needed him. And how about the defense? I sure don't see any stone hands, but I do see one heck of an arm.

I think DeWitt has done a great job too under the circumstances. Despite his key hit last night, and it maybe was the key hit of the game, I'd like to think Nomar will give us more offensive production. At least I hope he does. Like Toy Cannon is implying, the defense may be a problem once Nomar returns.

If DeWitt goes back down when Nomar returns, we have no one to spell Nomar defensively in the late innings. Hu can't play both 2nd and 3rd at the same time. It seems that the superfluous one is Sweeney. We will have two people who can play first behind Loney. He (Sweeney)should really be unnecessary once LaRoche returns.

I'm not angry anymore. Now I'm sad.

I'll just sit here and cry.

2 - I'm going to whatever the Monday game is - I believe the 21st. Shoot me an email at j_senac@yahoo.com

You would think that hitting a homerun yesterday would have earned Kemp the start today.

I agree with 59 If Greg Maddux, at this point in his career, is considered a "tough righty" Matt Kemp is never going to see the line-up.

Also, it seems unnecessary to "showcase" Pierre for a trade. As someone said above - everyone knows what Pierre can do

Whatever Torre has in mind is a mystery to me.

Kemp should demand a trade.

72 - i'm sorry, i think my intent was misread. i was pointing out that i saw juan go give matt a high five and continue to talk to him. i saw it as a positive thing.

i was making no connections to where he sat or anything else as being a negative. if any were made, it was unintentional, and i did not know that jp regularly sat there.

:)

Jon,

You are supppose to be the calm person here.
You start a column called "bring the peace" and there nothing but gasoline. You have your choir group here.

My family and I are going to the beach today, send me your email address and I will send you some pictures of the beach, the kids having fun, and the the women.

Every year I want the Dodgers to win 162 and the Gaints to lose 162. The Dodgers look good for about 85.

I still like your work.

When things like this happen, I think of Elvis Costello. You know, he used to be disgusted, but now, he tries to be amused.

But it's not working. I'm still disgusted.

Icaros

You just made me laugh during a very quiet lecture. Everyone stared. I wanted to expalin, but I don't think they'd get how savage Jason Repko can be.

but they did all agree that Kemp should be starting.

Hey folks, I'm a long time Dodger fan and lurker but this Pierre over Kemp insanity got me to post for the first time.

I wonder how long it takes before Matt's frustration boils over and he takes the route Loney took last year and asks to be traded. It wouldn't surprise me, the same way I wasn't surprised when Loney did last year.

Kemp had the starting right field job won. The first week of the season, he looked terrible - as bad as Jones, or even worse. Kemp is still a raw talent, to a degree.

Torre's mindset changed. He gave Pierre a shot. I think now, Kemp will start against southpaws, Pierre will start against right-handers. So we have a platoon.

However, I also think if and when Kemp gets hot and shows Torre how good he is, he will win back the starting job. Torre is still getting to know his team here - as well as dealing with the realities of several huge contracts.

The latest "JoeChat" is interesting.

81

No problem. I just hope people can separate the ball player JP from the person JP. From what I've read JP is a pretty darn nice guy/ good team mate and all that, and he does play the game the way he's always played the game.

I also have a bias as JP's from my home town, and went to the same high school, of course I went there in the Jurassic period of history, JP a lot more recently.

72 Hes not saying Pierre is sulking. Im not either. If you can, go watch the game from last. After Kemp, hits the homerun, Pierre goes over and starts talking to him. I dont know what he said. But, even if it the most positive talk, like for example, Pierre giving Kemp hitting advice or telling him how good he is, wouldn't that just drive you even crazier if you were Kemp. If I was Kemp, Id be like, I just hit a homerun the opposite way, you'll never be able to do that, Im already better than you, you're taking food off my table, dont tell me how to hit or that I am a good hitter. We are in competetion.

The whole idea that an organization needs positive reinforcement between its members is a fallacy. The most successful organizations run on the competitiveness and animosity of its members towards eachother. In a game like baseball particularly, "We lack teamwork" is just code for management being inept at dealing with the externalities of that competition.

Hoo boy, people are really jumping on the panic train early this year, aren't they?

I know everybody thinks they're smarter and know more about baseball than Joe Torre, who, by the way, owns four World Series rings, but to jump all over his decision making this early in the season seems rather silly. I mean, I'd rather Kemp started too, but saying that it's "wearing me down" sounds a bit over dramatic, no?

D4P, I just caught it. I'm with Ken Tremendous on this. No way Joe wrote most of that stuff.

91

Actually, in this case, we all are smarter than Joe torre. Matt Kemp is a better baseball player than juan Pierre in every category of the game except for baserunning. It is an injustice to Kemp, the team, and the fans that he is now relegated as thr 4th outfielder. As for the "overly dramatic" responses, we all know how close this division will be at the end. Playing Juan Pierre for a substantial amount of time over a far superior player could be the difference between making the playoffs and sitting at home watching inferior teams play. It's mind-numbing, frustrating, and unfair to all parties involved. Juan Pierre gets villified, Kemp gets mistreated, and the fans are seeing a subpar team put on the field.

What is so stupid about today's decision is Kemp after hitting a homer and in the last game in AZ, he had two hits, so it seems now that if he has a bad performance he doesn't play and if he has a good performance he doesn't play. This will only sap his confidence.

One other note about JP, Maddux as I recall has a very good move, so SB' are not very likely today-one of JP'S strengths are SB's, so his value today is even less than say it was Friday night.....Dave Stewart was on the radio in Oakland last night, wish it would have been a call in so I would have told him to call the Dodgers....Best thing that could happen especially given Andru Jones situation/contract, would be to trade JP for the best possible outfield prospect hope they would be ready in 2-3 years and once Jones goes there is someone with some power who can replace Jones.

94 My bad memory tells me that Maddux has been bad at holding runners his whole career.

Just saw that UCLA named Cowan the starter. Good move for them IMO, I was hoping for Olson. .

Tiger doesn't have it this week.

2 Normally I would be, but I'll be in Alabama on business that week. I will be there when they come back to Cincinnati in June though.

Wow. What does Juan Pierre do better than Kemp? Honestly. All I've got is not strike out. Kemp's got everything else covered. This is disgusting.

In a futile attempt to change the subject, anyone notice with the exception Billingsley how few syllables are in our starting lineup?

Here's some impossible trivia: What's the least amount of syllables in a starting lineup ever?

The other night when Pierre bunted with 1 out in the 7th to get Furcal in I knew the game was over. You cant just give outs up, yet with Pierre HITTING it was the right play. That's our bridge to the middle of the order, to expand innings, a guy who you don't even trust to let him hit. Then you watch that Kemp HR last night and how can you not play that? Kemp is also hitting .500 in his last 12 ABs.

So either Kemp is really in the doghouse due to attitude (which I see no evidence of) or I know nothing about baseball or torre knows nothing about baseball or Torre has been told he HAS to play Pierre and afterall who questions Torre (Simers) he isn't Grady for petes sake or Pierre needs to play because a few teams are scouting him right now.

Seriously, this is madness. It almost feels like they're doing it to spite us.

You are looking live at Dodger Stadium! Today's forecast: HOT!

Tony Jackson is saying that the reason Pierre is starting today is that Pierre's lifetime batting average against Maddux is .364 -- 13 for 31. Kemp is 1 for 2 against Maddux.

104 - so Kemp's lifetime average is .500

91 Torre knows Kemp is better than Pierre. He has said that many times in many different ways. The decision to start Kemp over Pierre is an easy one. Torre has just forgotten that, in trying to deal with the headaches associated with starting Kemp over Pierre. All we need is for Torre to remember how easy his decision really is.

97 Agreed. And he still may win. That's how sick he is. What is he 6 back. He needs to be within 4 on back nine. It'sa very doubtful of course but those two par 5 are gimme birds for him typically..

107 - it's not the strokes at this point, its the number of people in front of him. IMO he's done. Not all those guys are gonna come back to him.

Slap hitters do seem to have some success against Maddux. Also, IIRC, Maddux doesn't much care what baserunners do. He's busy concentrating on more important things.

103 Didn't Torre just say a few ago that he doesn't look at those?

104 I think that would be excellent reasoning if Kemp had been playing all this time. A perfect day to give Kemp or Jones or Ethier the day off. But, if Pierre is the designated left-hand side of the platoon, then why feel the need justify playing him? If Kemp is the everyday player, and Pierre is just playing because he is good against Maddux, why wasn't Kemp starting yesterday or the day before?

This, of course, isn't directed at you, Canuck!

Among other things, Kemp's speed is largely underrated.

Whoa. I'm going kayaking.

No Ginobili for San Antonio today.

I don't think there is any logical explanation to playing Pierre over Kemp at this point. There are only illogical explanations, such as Torre wanting to see what Pierre can do (he can look stats or at old film), or thinking Kemp looks bad (surely not worse than Jones, and his numbers, even with the slow start, are far better than Pierre's).

I'm not mad, though, or even frustrated, because the season is still way too early for that. This too will pass.

Call it a knee jerk reaction, call it irrational, call it whatever you want, but I haven't been this mad at the Dodgers since 1998.

112 - good point. He's probably just as difficult to double up as JP.

0 - For those who think this is really is a $36 million trip to the wood-chipper, I can't imagine how it's been.

Predictable?

Really, I want to be wrong. But Ned's fixation on veterans hasn't been that productive. I'm surprised Logan White doesn't just quit out of boredom.

115
Your comment raises a good point.

The question we're focusing on: "Why is Pierre starting over Kemp?"

A separate yet also worthwhile question: "Why is Jones starting over Kemp?"

108 I disagree so we shall see. The names above him have never closed a Major have they?? And I know they have never gone thru Amens corner and the back 9 on Sunday when it counts.

Tiger just needs the putter to work.

Hopefully Maddux gets chased early, and Kemp is beought in. If for anyhting, thatI love watching Kemp.

I'd be angry, but I'm tired. And I hate MLB.tv more.

119 Pierre makes 7.6 million dollars more than Kemp.

Jones makes 17.7 million dollars more than Kemp.

122 - I cancelled my MLB.tv subscription Friday. If the price of using MLB.tv is installing Microsoft software (Silverlight) on my Mac, that price is far too steep from a security standpoint.

i have a problem: my natural response to too many things is to trust the experts. are my brakes crappy? shockingly, the guy who puts on brakes for a living says 'yes,' and sets me up. somehow, in my head, that's not a horrible system. i trust. it makes life easier. but i also tend to get hosed a lot.
so when i look at today's lineup, and see yet again that kemp isn't deemed better than pierre, i go through an internal meltdown. my brain, which happens to know more about baseball than brakes, knows something is amiss, something that isn't baseball-related. but my brain fights with my heart, which instinctively wants to say 'trust torre, the guy is an expert, even with the nose hairs.'
well, today, i am rising above my trust problem. i am saying, categorically, that the expert - torre - is an idiot. kemp is better than pierre and starting pierre in a game that counts (yup, they count in april, i just looked it up) is an affront to dodger fans everywhere, particularly those paying for tickets today. joe, frank, etc... shame on all of you.

I just saw the lineup and I have two words for it: Go Padres.

From this day forward, whenever Juan Pierre is in the lineup instead of Matt Kemp, I will root passionately for the Dodgers to lose. (Not that they'll need my help to lose.) No team this incompetent, this stubborn, this aggressively self-defeating, deserves to have a single fan left. I will not be party to the silent acceptance of idiocy.

I feel like it's 1789, and I can only hope the Bastille is about to be stormed.

126
word, mon frere.

126
No, that seat's not taken.

123. Loaiza makes $6.6 million more than Kuo.

There's a 60th anniversary tribute to Israel going on now. I think it's too hot for two anthems.

The "But Torre won championships in New York!" argument is becoming increasingly tired. His record away from New York as a manager, without the glut of talent he had at his disposal, is well-documented. Still getting acquainted with the players? Nonsense. I don't give a lick about the Cincinatti Reds, but I know that Jay Bruce should be playing ahead of Corey Patterson. The excuses are getting old.

Still, at least he's not Tracy.

The Lakers telecast just went to commercial break playing "City Of Angels" by Ozomatli...the Dodgers need to jump all over that song.

124 What are the security issues exactly?

126 I really think that's going too far. Root for the Dodgers to win, despite Pierre. Then they'll blow away the league when they start playing Kemp.

130 Is it bizzare that I distinctly remember being there for the 50th anniversary tribute to Israel?

At least, I remember the two dudes yelling "Go Isreal" in front of me.

119 Correct. What happened was that all three started poorly, not hitting at all. Ethier was the only OF hitting in the first two weeks. So he gained his place. If Kemp had managed to play the first week like he did in ST he'd be secure too. But he didn't: he hit 0.00, or close to it. Same as Jones and Pierre. But he's a near-rookie, has lots of time to develop. In the meantime the organization wants to get some value out of Jones and Pierre. So they're allowed to play themselves out of their slumps. If Jones still doesn't start hitting in - who knows? a week? two weeks? - he'll finally be pulled.

If Jones does start hitting soon, it will be impossible to know whether we'd have won more games for the season by starting Kemp sooner and letting him play his way out, or not. (I.e. playing Kemp and Pierre now might mean sitting Jones for half the season and having him be horrible for all the games he does play. Letting him play himself in should result in an Ethier-Jones-Kemp lineup as originally planned for most of the season.)

But it's awfully frustrating and sure does seem moronic in the short term.

Also, a hail of boos such as has never been heard at Dodger Stadium needs to rain down on Juan Pierre. I know he hasn't done anything to deserve them, and I don't wish him ill, but at this point his feelings are collateral damage. The Dodgers need to be made aware that the contempt they show toward winning will not be tolerated.

Loaiza wants to know the score

>> One day after being told he would be replaced in his next scheduled start Tuesday night by Hong-Chih Kuo, Dodgers right-hander Esteban Loaiza expressed dissatisfaction Saturday with the way he has been handled this season. <<

Torre on Furcal/Pierre at the top of the lineup:

## "If we can get a couple of speed guys to get on base and cause some distractions and some movement, we might be able to manufacture some runs." ##

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_8907747

122. I´ve just read your post on The Griddle, Bob. Wish I could have another option, sometimes the MLB TV doesn´t work and it´s very frustrating.

If Eric is storming the Bastille, I'm waiting for the ensuing Reign of Terror and the later Thermidorian Reaction.

Today's boring historical anecdote!

I just realized I can watch the Dodgers game today, even though my parents don't have the Extra Innings package. It's on local TV and I'm in LA! (Technically, I'm in O.C., but we've been over that argument before.) Next thing you know someone will tell me I can watch the Lakers, Angels, and Dodgers all at the same time today. And that the Lakers are back to playing as well as they did when I used to watch them in the finals against the Celtics in my parents' old house.

scareduck -- if you've ever recorded LPs to a Linux system using a turntable with a USB input, I'd like some tips. I just got a nice, belated birthday present from my folks last night.

126 Tribe leads 3-1, bottom of the 8th.

There was a very attractive rabbi who sang the National Anthem.

I'm thinking of converting. What do I get out of Catholicism, at best an old Irish guy telling jokes about golf. Is there an online form for conversion?

143 And we have the bases loaded with two outs. Hernandez is on the mound for the A's. I don't know who Hernandez is.

I didn't know people could purchase those unsightly camouflage jerseys.

Immelman could be running away with The Masters.

144 It's like Bob is reliving that episode of Six Feet Under where Nate almost converts because of the hot rabbi played, IIRC, by Molly Parker.

146 The only reason any team ever wears an alternate jersey like that is so there will be another option for fans to purchase.

What I'm zeroing in on today to get mind off the Kemp on the bench nonsense: Hoping Chad gives us a good start today, to erase memory of the last one. Gotta keep the pitch count low in this heat.

Hey, speaking of MS's crummy Silverlight player for MLBTV, does anyone using it on the Mac have trouble pausing it? Basically pause doesn't work at all for me (using FF for the Mac.)

Sizemore with a two-run single!
Dellucci with an RBI single!
7-1 Tribe.

Chad's first 6 pitch MPHs:

93
94
93
93
94
93

Can't believe I'm going to do this but I'd like to at least fly a little flag of understanding on the sitting Kemp situation. First let me say that I wouldn't do it and I don't agree with it. BUT, Kemp is revered around here like a superstar. He is not yet. He IS better than Pierre and therefore should probably be playing more. I believe he will be.
But as I've pointed out for over a year, he has a flaw in his swing that keeps him from reaching his potential. His first move is consistently to move his weight away from the plate. Even his hips pull back slightly with every pitch. He's so strong that even doing this he can hit it out to right (like he did last night). But maybe, just maybe, they are working with him on this and sitting him has more to do with training a rookie to do right. Perhaps it is even punishment for not following direction on pitch selection (or something else). Pierre got his message on opening day. Perhaps Kemp gets his in this opening 10 days and both will be better off come mid summer. Again, I agree, this is the season and you need to play your best players. But you also have to train your kids and especially kids with potential like Kemp's. Just a thought. Let the flaming begin, I'll be watching the Masters.

kemp not in the line up again?? i am speeachless!!! what is torre waiting for, for kemp to prove himself?? the guys homers off the bench last night...something must be going on because torre cant be this stupid. this is just a joke, plain and simple..

153 Kemp is already a star by any objective measuring stick. Talk of the flaws in his swing, lack of maturity, etc., are all well and good, but those things didn't prevent him from OPS+ing 125 and being one of the best players in the league last year. The fact that there's room for improvement has caused so many people to lose sight of how good he already is. He has to be considered a star unless you throw actual performance out the window.

150- Pause doesn't work on PCs using IE, either. MLBAM is like Hollywood: it's not that it doesn't care what you like or want, it's that it actively hates you.

"it's not that it doesn't care what you like or want, it's that it actively hates you."

This is the leader in the clubhouse for the title of the next Joe Torre biography.

155 I respectfully disagree with your definition of star. He has played the equivalent of one full season at an OPS+ 110. That is extremely promising but not a star by most any standard. And it doesn't take away from the point that he might need some lessons in order to reach his very high potential.

I believe that we´ll have the good old(?) Chad pitching today. Nice!

158 Lumping in his first season's stats, when he was called up before he was ready, is extremely misleading, as I have no doubt you are aware.

160. I don't agree with that at all. He wasn't ready in 2006 but was in 2007? Maybe. But why do you get to count one small recent sample but not the other when they're less than a year apart?

wow, that was interesting.

Guys, there really is no mystery here, no attitude problems or hidden issues. Torre said Friday that Kemp would be playing if he didn't have Pierre available. Thus he must think Pierre is the better option, especially since the next day he announced his plan to play small ball. We disagree, and here we are. I just hope we're not looking at the set lineup Torre is said to prefer.

Gameday's apparently long flyball has frozen Gameday. It also appears to have frozen Dodger Thoughts.

Gameday is frozen.

161 Because one sample is (a) twice the size of the other, (b) more recent, which makes it twice as relevant, and (c) happened when the player was ready for the major leagues, while the other didn't.

These are accepted principles of baseball analysis. (Well, accepted by most, I guess.) We'll just have to agree to disagree.

Sadly, I agree with Eric Enders. I want the Dodgers to lose when Pierre is starting ahead of Kemp. I can't deny how I feel. It's not a conscious decision, but I find myself hoping they lose and Pierre goes 0-for-4 every day he starts. Because we KNOW -- because anyone who truly knows anything about what generates runs in the game of baseball KNOWS -- that Kemp is twice the player Pierre is, and any excuses about slumps or platoons or matchups are just a way to candy-coat the situation, which is that the Dodgers have a $45M albatross on their hands.

And so I just want them to lose, because as long as they win in spite of Pierre, this is just going to continue. Kemp is going to continue getting buried at the expense of his development and confidence, and this smug Plaschkeesque anti-Moneyball grit-and-hustle crowd is just going to continue thinking that slugging under .300 is canceled out by creating "havoc" on the basepaths.

I can't root for this team anymore, not as long as this is going on. It's silly to be this caught up in the emotions of it, but it's silly to follow grown men playing athletic events for millions of dollars to begin with, so when in Rome....

http://garciapierra.blogspot.com/

126 - such have been the McCourt Dodgers. Having spent every season since he "purchased" the team railing against management, it seems utterly futile to take this approach, but like King Canute, I still show up, though less and less to the actual games. Some of that is due to my owning season tickets to much closer Angels, but some of that is also due to a general feeling that the McCourts and their henchmen do not have the wisdom or intestinal fortitude to make the proper choices.

142 - no idea how that works; I usually use my wife's setup for that, but since we moved she hasn't had a turntable hooked up to anything.

Sadly, I am reduced for rooting for an injury. I feel bad and I hope it's not a serious one, but an injury to an outfielder right now, any of our three starters, would improve our team.

163 Not necessarily, he could just mean that because Pierre is on the roster, he has to play him to keep the team or management happy.

What happened to the Dodgers in the bottom of the first? Gameday is now showing Furcal at 2nd.

167 - great title for your blog, hotblack.

166. Let me just repeat one final time... I don't agree with playing Pierre over Kemp. Perhaps I too am just reaching for reasons that make sense- and maybe they just aren't there. I DO hate watching Kemp's swing when I know he could be even better. But I hate watching everything Pierre does on a ballfield even more.

I ask anyone here that goes to games, to start a "We want Kemp!" chant if he is not playing.

170 What happened to Joe's little "I make the lineup" speech.

Speaking of great titles, I found this yesterday, when looking for the proper definition of the Grabowski Principle, but forgot to link it.

http://tinyurl.com/3rad92

Furcal singled.
Maddux balked.
Pierre lined out to second
Ethier flied out to center
Kent grounded out to pitcher

175 What speech are you referring to?

178 At the beginning of the year, Joe very sternly stated that he's the one that makes the lineup, so any complaints you have should be directed him.

176 - ah, yes, the canonical definition.

<pats self on back>

Actually, it was Steve of the former Fire Jim Tracy who came up with it, but I extended it to what I hope is a more general case.

If you wish the Dodgers to lose when Pierre starts over Kemp, might as well wish for the Dodgers to continue losing so Ned can be fired.

181 - maybe that's the genius of Torre's strategy, sabotage the team and get Ned run.

This reminds me of the Micah Owings game. We're killing the ball but cant get anything to drop. Loney and Russ absolutely smoked those balls.

180- The Internet Archive only went one layer deep on FJT, so I couldn't get the cache of the day he wrote it. I think yours is the only recorded copy of it.

I've had enough. Some of you may remember me as an obnoxious rabblerouser this past summer when I argued that the Dodgers should trade Kemp in an effort to get Cabrera.

They didn't, and that's fine. But if you aren't going to trade him, AT LEAST PLAY HIM. He's the most talented player on the field when he plays; the guy hits line drives like Vlad.

What is happening absolutely boggles the mind and reminds me why the Dodgers have bricked the past twenty years.

184 - my favorite FJT moment was when he got so fed up with the Dodgers that he turned the blog title to "Hoo-Ray", a Devil Rays blog. Priceless.

The Dodgers, especially Martin and Jones, did a nice job working the count in that inning. Maddux is up to 34 pitches after two innings. If he is gone after 5, the Dodger might be able to do something against the Padre bullpen in the sixth.

Jones walked again -- maybe he is starting to lay off those sliders out of the zone -- I say so hopefully.

Jones walked again

Which won't endear him to Management.

179 That is consistent with what I think is causing Joe problems here. Joe is suffering from a problem that many managers fall into. Torre is doing exactly what Jones is doing at the plate, he is trying too hard and forgotting what is most important for success.

Joe's job can be grouped into two categories of decisions: the major category and the minor category.

The major category is he has to play the best players he has got to win as many games as possible.

The minor category is dealing with the costs that stem from his major decision. These include unhappy players, unhappy boss, making his boss and owner look bad and generally dealing with the headaches of being the focus of the media and the public. Although, part of his job is also to deal with these things, its clearly not as important as his major category of decisions.

Here, it is important to note that I believe the minor category does not necessarily affect the major category. Unhappy players do not necessarily perform worse.

Joe is getting paid 4 million dollars. Playing Kemp and Pierre is an easy decision. He named Kemp the starter, and has all but said Kemp is a better player than Pierre. The problem is that in trying to justify his pay, he is trying to deal with the minor problem and forgot that these concerns are secondary to the primary responsiblity of his job.

There is no way a guy who has seen baseball as much as him thinks Pierre is better than Kemp. Those quotes in the media are part of his effort to keep his players happy and cover the behinds of his superiors. That is why he is different than Grady, and why this is even more frustrating. On the second day of this season, Torre tried to do too much, he overthought himself, and now all us fans are suffering from his reluctance to "make the easy pass" as they say in soccer.

And another K for Billingsley! Sweet!

Would have liked to see that at bat live against A.Gonzalez.

5 Ks in 3 innings! Billz is my hero!

Bills is pitching excellent.

The radar gun on TV is slow (Gameday is about 3 MPH faster).

Bills looks good so far. The hits, except for one, haven't been much to write home about. He's been really solid. Figured this would be a tough, low-scoring game.

Did Vin Scully really just say "Gooch and Kooz"? {titter}

The great thing about Bills is that, except for the walk given to Hairston, he´s showing good comand. Looks like he improved his comand from last season.

The player actually taking playing time away from Kemp is Jones. Jones is hands down the worst regular on the team. Kemp can play CF better than JP, therefore, all things being equal it should be Ethier/Kemp/JP in the OF.

My goodness I thought I would never utter such a thought, but, bitter as it is JP is playing better than Jones, if defense is not considered.

While it is true that the season is young, the sad thing is that a game lost to poor team management in April counts as much as a game in August/September. Losses, especially within ones own division, will be very hard to makeup since the 2008 race was already going to be a close affair.

It will get worse when Nomar returns. There will then be three automatic outs (Jones, JP, Nomar) on an already weak hitting team. This assumes, of course, that Martin figures out his problem.

Patience is not all it is cracked up to be, especially when insanity is running rampant in the clubhouse.

May we all have an interesting season.

We have a Juan Pierre practicing at 10am on an otherwise empty field story from Vin, for anyone tracking at home. Throwing baseballs against the wall.

197 Great, even Vinny is drinking the kool-aid.

not going to walk to get to maddux?

not a good 0-2 pitch

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

That was a gift pitch from Chad. High floating change. Was an out, but a gift RBI to the #8 hitter. Sigh, hopefully we didn't jinx Bills.

Tiger just dunked a 75-footer for birdie on 11. Finally.

196 There is no measure of anything, anywhere, anytime that shows that Pierre is a better player than Jones.

Actual Outfielder Depth Chart:

1. Kemp
2. Ethier
3. Jones
4. Pierre

Torre's Outfielder Depth Chart:

1. Ethier
2. Jones
3. Pierre
4. Kemp

If this were Mastermind, Torre would have none of the pegs in the correct position.

198 - I don't think so. Vin has always called 'em as he saw 'em, but has never been shy about giving us personal moments about the players, even if they're bad players.

204 While Jones has certainly played better than JP in the past he is currently under performing JP at this point in this season. I certainly hope that that changes, otherwise our season's success is in dire jeopardy.

The Dodgers are challenging the A's for the league lead in terrible facial hair.

"Khalil Greene last year's Padre MVP"

Didn't Jake Peavy play for the Padres?

Freakin' Jeff Spicoli just robbed Martin of a hit and likely RBI. Curse him!

208- Jayson Werth had a piece of corn in his goatee this afternoon, I swear to Ch-i. The light caught it, and made it sparkle, right before he got his second hit.

210

Breaker breaker we've got a Rule 1 violation, over.

207 Pierre is slightly better than Jones in OPS so far this year, but his current .528 OPS is nothing special. Even taking into account the extremely small 8 game sample size for Pierre and the 12 game sample size for Jones, I'm pretty sure most logical people would stick with Jones in the lineup based on career numbers. I would stick with him for fielding alone.

208 - and then I remember they traded Mark Kotsay this offseason. Oakland is clearly playing to lose.

208 - I think Nick Swisher has that award wrapped up for CWS.

Letting Maddox go and the Pads picking him up was not a good move.

Maybe his agent is Boras--I forget.

I'm feeling better and have a choice, listening to Vin.

One thing to really like about Dodger Stadium vs. Chase Field: the Dodgers actually pony up for the canonical baseball chant loops ("We Will Rock You", "Another One Bites The Dust"). Freddy Mercury's estate deserves the money.

216 Greg Maddux was a slightly below average pitcher last year, even with a great defense behind him. He also makes 10 million dollars a year.

215 - oh, Swisher, too. Gah. Yes, definitely playing to lose.

216 Yes, Boras is his agent. Even worse was letting him go without even offering arbitration.

215
Even Jose Lima thinks Nick Swisher has gone overboard.

Andruw 13 strikeouts in 39 appearances.

As Vin just said, the Wolves are out...you think?

218 Yes, and his replacement on the Dodgers, Mr. Schmidt, has been so much better.

I hate our cable box. I can't do picture-in-picture without missing a huge part of the picture. Just godawful.

I wish my good weeks were as good as Tiger's bad weeks. The media keeps telling us how awful he has been this week and he is one stroke out of second at the Masters. I could make a living with weeks like that.

For my next question to Ned at the ITD blog:

If given the opportunity, which Free Agent Center Fielder will you look to go after for 2009?

Yep, Ned should have known he'd get catasprohic shoulder damage right after we signed him. He's a horrible GM.

Pinch-hitting already? And with none on, 2 outs?

222 - hey, that's a thought. See if Pierre can outrun a pack of rabid wolves. Sounds like a great idea for a reality show!

219
Yet, they lead the AL West. Or at least, did.

Did I miss something? Is there something wrong with Bills?

Kind of odd to take out Bills after 90 pitches

Ah, never mind. 90 pitches ...

220 But that is plenty to vindicate letting him go (Boras).

230 Did Josh Hamilton suddenly decide to stop shaving?

Bills out? 90 pitches..?

227
At least, part of your statement is right.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have outscored the Spurs 42-18 in the 2nd half and are up by 24.

Bills looks irate on the bench, cant say I blame him. 90 pitches and 5IP is a lot, but with the bases empty and 2 down I don't think he needs to get pulled. Here we go with Park entering a 1 run game?! Park was a long shot to make a team this year, what is he doing in this situation. Stop the madness.

Torrendous.

227 -

a) The facts that the Giants, who were more intimate with the details of his medical situation than anybody, didn't offer him a deal should have been a Clue.
b) He had missed significant time due to injury in his walk year.
c) When he was pitching, his velocity was down, especially toward the end of the year.

Wow, the standings look crazy right now. Only the NL West seems to be going according to form.

The beauty of the early season.

It starts..

239 How prescient of you. Lead off single.

What the heck happened to Kuo starting Tuesday? I would think this shift would throw him off enough to blow up, but I hope not. Despite the 95 degrees the substitution should have been Kemp for JP.

Tiger missed a 4-footer for birdie on 13 that he really needed.

On the bright side, Colorado now leads Arizona by 4.

WTH! just happened?? Billingsley is out? the guy had 5IP, 8 K's, and 90 pitches.....does Joe have a trick up his sleeve or something??? someone please help.

Ill admit, I cheated. I looked at how bad he has been in the last 6 years.

So the nightmare begins!!!!!! 1 out, a man on third, and Spicoli is at bat!!! oh no!!!

I could see Joe pulling Bills with someone on third with two outs but with no one on base?

This works out well for me, since I didn't want to see anything bad happen to Billingsley. I kind of don't want to see anything bad happen to Park, just because it's fun knowing how much it'll bug regfairfield if he keeps not being awful.

It's probably lucky Either got to that ball before Pudge.

235 He does that often, but never lets it grow too long.

Something ought to come out of this at bat...Spicoli is battling Park.

248 - years ago, I remember watching some video footage of a parade of Iranian Shiites who flagellated their backs until they bled as proof of their own penitence.

I believe something very like this explains the Dodgers playing Pierre and acquiring Jones instead of Kemp and Ethier.

i think torre left his managing skills in NY...what a disappointment

227

"shoulder damage right after we signed him"

And how did he injure said shoulder? signing the contract? It would seem as though there is no reason to believe that he did not come to the Dodgers as damaged goods (I can recall scouts commenting on his lack of velocity from the beginning of spring training). You can argue that Ned had no way of knowing this ..... well I suppose you could agrue anything that you'd like ...... ok so I think that you could make a better case that Ned had no way of knowing this.

So did Torre just decide that Chad is a better hitting option than anyone on the bench?

256, Yup.

Hey FURCALITO!!!!

i think torre left his managing skills in NY

Not to mention A-Rod and the $200 million payroll.

Oh man. I can't believe Park got out of that one without anyone scoring.

Way to go my man Ethier!

261, I know right.

Would Torre have taken Billingsley out if it weren't 93 degrees out? 90 pitches on the first truly hot day for a fastball pitcher is a lot.

I still would have left him in.

Sixth inning. Maddux now gone. Now maybe the Dodger offense can do something.

261 - this, to me, was the principle reason not to hire Torre, and especially, to avoid giving Torre a big deal. It's easy to win when you have a Hall of Famer at every third position.

no way this dummy walks

this is nuts. we're down by a run... hot day.... pierre last hit a homer in the 20th century... kemp, who went long about 12 hours ago, sits on the bench. i'm beginning to hate torre

Youre right I'm sure those cool Mil's they earn can buy them enough water to cool him down.

keep swinging at ball 4 juan

It must be the heat. Padres took Maddox out after only 67 pitches.

oh my god, hes swung at ball 4 4 times in a row now

Pie-Wee's seeing a lot more pitches these days.

great, the dork gets a hit and now kemp wont play until august. this is really killing me..

i'm happy pierre got a hit. i'm even still rooting for the dodgers, though i am on the fence... but pierre shouldn't have been up, and he swung at about four non-strikes in that a.b.

C'mon Pierre run boy run!!!

Sorry I got that confused. Kuo is presumably still starting Tuesday. This may be a brilliant move. If Joe tried pulling Bills and got SF to pull Lincecam, maybe today he shamed the Pads into pulling old Maddox from the "95 degree heat". Knowing it was the best chance at getting at the "soft underbelly".

62 hopper un the middle, that should keep Kemp out of the lineup for a while.

no wonder JT started JP over MK. that was truly an amazing single, truly.

I believe a rabbit has been loosed.

Pierre had a huge jump there. Dodgers luck hasn't been great so far on this young season.

immouch...right there with you. torre said kemp would "play most of the time" torre left his truth telling skills in NY as well...

Either smack that helmet HARDER!!! you deserve it!

An Andruw Jones Adult Beverage drinking game, well at least until CA Assemblyman Jim Beall (Democrat from the Peoples Republic of Northern California) and the rest of the Democrats in the Assembly raise the tax on Beer.

For every swing and a miss Andruw takes, a sip of your favorite adult beverage, while you can still afford it.

Yeah there are a thousand things JP can't do that Kemp can, but can Kemp hit the ball through the pitcher's legs? Ask yourself that before we all keep criticizing Torre.

Management: Pierre fouled off four straight tough pitches before getting a gritty single. Great at-bat.

Us: Pierre fouled off four straight ball fours before getting a lucky single. Bad at-bat.

pop quiz: is the benching of kemp in deference to juanito the dumbest thing in LA dodger history?
other candidates:
-- trading pedro (i'd argue it wasn't; there were reasons for that trade. bad reasons, but reasons.)
-- sid fernandez
-- brock over garvey?
letting rick monday in a broadcast booth?

Ryan, do us a favor and read the rules of this blog down at the lower right, eh?

Also, none of us want Pierre starting, but does calling him a "dummy" and a "dork" add anything to the conversation?

Btw, Chad was pulled because he was tired, had hit 90 pitches because of all the fouled balls and strikeouts and because it's really flippin' hot out there. More importantly is why can't the Dodgers score any runs today? (Or will they, I should say.)

Nevertheless, I still feel like the Dodgers will win this game.

Statistically, logically, any way you want to look at it, there is no way the D's offense is still at 0 if Matt Kemp's batting 2nd or 3rd. A(f)mazing.

Torre: We are not concerned about power.

Its going to take a while to forget that jem.

nice catch by pierre

The Masters is close to over.

The Red Sox fan that buried the jersey in the stadium has basically challenged Hank Steinbrenner to a fight.

284 Sheesh. And perhaps you, who should know better, could re-read Rule #5 on this blog, which is there for reason.

Does this blog need to be moderated full-time, is that what it's come to?

honestly, i thought we'd see some l.a. hr's today...day game, heat, maddux's 85 mph fastball. wishful thinking i guess.

i hope to god oshea is kidding. my god, this entire pierre thing is killing my sense of humor. dam torre!!

It sounds as though I missed quite a disturbance on DT last nite, I'm just happy the dodgers finally had a good game. For anyone interested, the Eddie Vedder show last night was amazing. He's back on tonite at the Wiltern and I'm sure tonite will be great too.

Claiborne Meredith III is a cool name.

meredith is not a good match up for jones

295 It's starting to feel that way.

300

who is?

Watching golf is pretty much pointless unless Tiger is in close contention.

287 I nominate the Piazza trade for consideration, although I would vote for the Pedro trade.

295

Beer and increased taxes on it transcends politics....but OK you have a point. No more.

What the Dodgers need is a good dose of the Pirates. (Or at least I hope that's what they need.)

287 - pitching to Jack Clark

i wasn't expecting that.

I totally missed last night's disturbance too.

Joe Torre is turning people into werewolves.

305 Not the way you phrased it, especially with an added dis at my Northern California, but at any rate, thanks, appreciate it.

Jones is so cynical, did he smile just now?

Andruw's at bats, however, definitely make me want to violate Rule 1 several times, in addition to possibly, 6, 7 and 8. But I'll just mutter to myself in frustration.

Are we hell-bent on confirming Bill James observation( in Gold Mine) that the Dodgers insist on losing games with their first two batters?

Jones sits for Kemp tomorrow - any takers against that bet?

With Andruw you have 2 options and I prefer the option 2, which is the walk.

313 What's wrong with Furcal?

My goodness... This game is just... an omnibus of every last one of my frustrations.

Pierre over Kemp?...check.
Horrid managerial decision?...check.
Jones doing his thing?...check.
The good hitters looking bad?...check.
Billingsley on the hook for the L after a good outing?...check.

I honestly can't think of a single good thing that has happened so far.

287 If you're going to mention Garvey, how about the trade of Cey for nothing. Even Campanis admitted later that that was a bad move.

312
Rules 6,7, and 8 get violated in every thread.

12 strikeouts for Dodger pitchers today. And it could be all for naught.

319 Apparently, especially after that full moon you mentioned.

317 Well, there is the pitching. Billingsley was quite good through 5, although his pitch count was rather high. And let's give some credit to Park -- two more innings with no runs allowed, even if he did give us a scare with a runner on third. I would love to see Park truly make a comeback with the Dodgers.

317 How about Billingsley having that good outing? Isn't that a good thing, after his last appearance, regardless of the score?

so far, candidates for dumbest dodgers move of all time include:
trading pedro
trading piazza
pitching to jack clark

depending how long kemp sits, i'm not sure i've seen anything that beats juan pierre playing in front of kemp...

Did the Dodger batters get worn out running around the bases last night?

Did Kemp perhaps bruise his shoulder/wrist/ego with that diving catch last night of the horribly judged fly ball?

too bad jones can't hit as well as broxton pitches.

318
great call. that slipped my peanut-like mind

That was a nasty split by Brox.

The Diamondbacks broke their streak, today, of consecutive starts by Upton, Young, and Byrnes. Young has the day off. Also, checking the 2008 Dodgers' BB-ref front page, they've changed their assessment of who the startling LF on the team is.

underdog...i would love to take that bet, and god knows i hope ur right, but i dont think torres gonna play the guy. its downright stupid. im losing hair over here. besides, torres not "concerned with power right now"...what an idot.

Broxton strikes out the side! Way to go!

torres not "concerned with power right now"

When you're not scoring runs, you need to manufacture them. Power won't help.

i dont know why, but i have a feeling this is where the tide turns.

DeWitt breaks through with a hit! Come on Sweeney. It's about time you earned your money.

or was that....."tides turn"? oh well. you get my point.

313 Dog:Absolutely nothing this year. But Pierre is bad enough to drag our early line-up, the people with the most PA's down to horrendous depths. I thought Joe T. understood until he moved JP to early in the order.

This could become a game that Torre loses only from an obvious mis-understanding of baseball fundementals, and that would be very disquieting, to say the least.

334

you essentially just violated rule 9, essentially.

I would like to see Loney get another AB, if only so he can extend his hitting streak.

Wow, I thought they just doubled DeWitt up at second.

324 No mention of the Driefort contract? That alone hamstrung the Dodgers for half-a-decade in regards to signing players. I'd like to think Vlad Guerrero or Carlos Beltran would be wearing a Dodger uniform right now if it weren't for that bone-headed move.

333
god, it's possible that in less than two weeks in LA torre is responsible for two of the top five dumb things in LA dodger history: benching kemp in favor of juan and uttering, in public, the phrase "not concerned" with power.

i agree, but is pierre gonna manufacture a run? he never walks...so he has to hit. besides, you need the threat of someone who can put the ball in the seats and no one in the line up is doing that right now. kemp homered off the bench last night, i mean come on..

yeah, I think i did. after every comment anyone makes do you back and check the rules or do you have them memorized?

Park sure went retro and pitched well today. I've been rooting for him, but I've been holding off believing that he'd be decent since I've seen him stink up the place so many times.

Also: God, I love DeWitt.

The Dodgers have done too many dumb things to have these recent issues top the list.

still no kemp. i hate this.

Ok this is where kemp should have pinched for JP.

Pinchhit. Pinchhit. Oh please please pinchhit now.

33 I hope that's sarcasm?

Isn't this the time where you need some power?

Ok Juan. Park it in the cheap seats!

lets see peirre manufacture a run here...any takers??

Stupid wind.

garbage.

how is that for a manufactured run...give me a break

Let the boos reign down upon him!

345 Stop giving things rational perspective!

Needs a bunt and then some of that high caffeine drink like the squirrel in 'Over The Hedge' ...

Torre better hit for Jones in the 9th if it comes to that.

Serious rule 1 violations in my house now.

334 & 336

it's not your fault, but this team doesn't need to be jinxed

352, Not I said the Spy!

340
great point about driefort. his deal did hurt us for years. but i'd argue that was a bad idea initially that turned into a horrible/rancid/team killing move over time. overpaying, in general, doesn't bum me out as much as lack of effort. i'd say kemp gathering splinters is a sign that our management has its head up its rear.

i sure hope Tony Jackson asks Torre after the game why he didnt pinch hit Kemp for Pierre in the 8th. Unreal

I agree, just a lil humor back there.

340 Not signing Guerrero was more of an ownership change problem wasn't it?

how do we go from smacking the ball all over the yard last night to not being able to do a thing today. heres where biemel gives up that insurance run so hoffman can give up 1 in the 9th and leave the bases loaded for a 2-1 win.

360. That was funny! Torre earns a lot of money to do that? Grady was cheaper!

357
Rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble

I've actually got an idea for a line-up that would placate a lot of the frustrated masses here, just for tomorrow:

Ethier, Kemp, and D Young.

366 If the Dodgers weren't already paying Driefort 11 million to sit on the DL, it would've been less of one.

370

but we don't care about power around here

367 Happens a lot in baseball, throughout its history. A team seems to break the bank+ for one night, leaving nothing left in the tank the next day. Seen it so often. (+I'm refraining from using a cruder analogy there.)

Nice play by DeWitt there!

Well, at least the pitching was good today.

Loney needs a hit this inning.

After DeWitt, it's gonna be hard watching Nomar butcher it up at third.

The guys I'd most want coming up in the 9th are coming up in the 9th. For what that's worth.

Does anyone like our chances in the 9th against this year's in-effective Hoffman?

376 - I'd be happy with Ethier, Kent, Loney right now

One of the next three guys can get the job done, or is that considered a jinx or some kind of superstitious violation?

btw - check out he pictures of LaRoche on dodgers.com. They're pretty spectacular.

It will be blind luck if we win at this point.
But I am happy enough that we outpitched, and out defended the Padres, although Green was good.
We just out-Pierred them. And that is a Legendary thing that has huge weight.

I just tuned in to the AZ vs. COL game and and since AZ is losing those two nuckleheads of Grace and Sutton are SOOOOOO!!! violating rule 9

It sucks to lose to a team that starts Scott Hairston in a corner outfield spot.

Nice inning by Beimel. He needed that after his previous outings.

that might have been the worst at bat i have ever seen

ethier should be benched. how dare he strike out. how dare he.

sigh

Speaking of former hot properties who fell down some stairs and ruin their careers, C Barmes had a very nice day today.

Wait ... Chan Ho Park is still in the majors?

I suppose Hoffman's gonna pitch the ninth, which fills me with hope.

Btw, how nice is it to have good defense again? With Loney and DeWitt manning the corners and Furcal playing excellent at short, and Jones being a huge upgrade over Pierre in center even if he's lost a step... it's a nice change from last year, even if we're in a bit of a slow start.

Argh, Kent roped that one deep but died in the daytime Dodger Stadium air in deep centerfield. On an 85 mph fastball.

Come on Loney. Keep the streak going.

Oh my, oh my!!!!!!

god, now i wish pierre was coming up

Matt Kemp will run for Loney!!!! WTH!!!!!!

Yes! The streak continues! Come on Captain Martin!

Ugh. Horrible at bat by Eithier. How do you take two 85 MPH fastballs down the pipe and then swing at a changeup at ankle level.

BIg hit by Loney!! Cmon Russ!

382 Rule 9?

I would walk Martin, who cares if you are putting the winning run on.

Torre said Pierre would start the season as a bench player pinch-hitting, pinch-running and being available to spell a starter

12 straight games with a hit for Loney, pretty impressive.

Russell, meanwhile, has been robbed all day.

Martin up to bat ...

392 Quick. Write something about Martin!

If they tie it up, does Ethier play 1st?

Nevermind.

My heart is falling on the floor, as Trevor's being handed back to him.

Well, terrible game for the offense.

If Torre doesn't play Kemp tommorow he shouldn't be a manager.

404 Probably would have been Kent I guess.

Arrrrrrrgh.

And Russell hit the ball well all day with NADA to show for it. I really thought that was gonna get out.

Sigh.

Good thing we used Kemp there.

awful game, how do these guys not square up hoffman? its pathetic.absolutely sick of hoffman racking up saves against the dodgers.

404 Would've been Kent at first and Hu at 2b?

Before you make your next comment, ask yourself if you're saying anything useful for the discussion. Ask yourself if you're saying something no one else has already said. If you're just venting, I think we've had more than enough.

Torre deserved to lose this one. Why are having to go through this a second year in a row?

I think that I need to stop watching when Pierre is the starter.

It's just baseball. It's just baseball. It's just baseball...

I'm going to throw another bone headed moment from Dodger history... telling Scoiscia that he had no future in the organization. I'd very much like having Scoiscia in the Dodger dug out these days.

Heck, at this point, I kind of miss Russell.

The fewer runs we score, the harder we try to manufacture them, and thus, the fewer we score.

Weeeeee!!!!!!

Oh well, we deserve to lose when we keep making dumb mistakes.

You know which mistake.

415 - That kind of logic is why you can't be a major league manager.

Tiger is the leader in the clubhouse. Immelman will take a 3-shot lead to the 17th hole.

412 Realizing that means we can't ever talk about Juan again, is it still OK to make positive comments about Kemp?

ethier set the tone for that 9th inning.

414 - and tomorrow, I'll be sad that he Pirates fired Jim Tracy. Not that I think we'll lose, but because I want to see him use 3 pitchers for three different batters in the 6th inning.

418 - how do they break ties at the Masters? Is it hole-for-hole or an entire round?

James Loney is gonna win the batting title sooner than later.

Free Matt Kemp.

422
Sudden death playoff.

Wow, I just saw the highlight of Andruw's flailing swing. It literally looked like a swing you see when kids start playing baseball.

424, FREE MATT KEMP!!!, FREE MATT KEMP!!!, FREE MATT KEMP!!!, LOL!

Still, it's amazing how we scored 5 runs Friday, 11 runs yesterda, and none today. This game is screwy.

I sure hope Liriano can get his stuff back to what it was.

427 meet 412

I was very pleased with Billingsley's performance today. He has brilliant stuff, so I am always glad to see him aggressively attacking the strike zone. I hope Torre takes note of the difference between CB's pitching when paired with Martin and when Bennett is the catcher. Also, I agreed with CB being removed after 5 innings. The season is young, it was a hot day, and CB is still only 23 years old. I continue to believe that he is poised for a fantastic season and I predict he will firmly establish himself as the staff's ace by season's end.

One of the things that annoys me about all this is the mistaken arrogance of the organization. Even though the team was 82-80 last year, they act like they are so close to winning a championship and thus cannot afford those "youthful" errors of Kemp, and must play the veteran Pierre. It was the same type of thinking that was responsible for hiring Torre, who is supposedly going to manage for only three years. What they don't seem to understand is that the team has a very young nucleus--Loney, Kemp, Ethier, Martin, LaRoche, Hu, Broxton, Billingsley, Kershaw--which should be dynamite in a few years, should it be allowed to mature, along with several players PAST their prime--Jones, Nomar, Pierre, Kent. Even if that latter are in some cases still quality players, they are no longer championship quality players. That is why a team like Arizona is passing us by--they allow their young players to play, and thus get better. I think that this philosophy is why we see Pierre continuing to play over Kemp--the mistaken belief by Colletti and Torre that the Dodgers on a championship contender, when in fact they are probably a year or two away from that level.

427 - Hey, that chant does work.

But on the bright side, there are some funny pics of Andy LaRoche yesterday from Jon SooHoo on Dodgers.com.

I have tried to comment on the ITD and other MLB blogs but they steadfastly refuse to let me. So I have not been able to say anything.
All I wanted to tell McCourt was fire Joe Torre and Coletti immediately because in this division, even if they do things right from now on, they will miss the play-offs by a half game. I truly would like to believe that they are trying to showcase JP, but I firmly believe if he started doing well by his definition (.300 BA and many SB and CS) the stooges might lose focus and trade Kemp instead.

430,......I don't get it....No, really I dont get it.

434
I do not think there is any chance of them trading Kemp. Which shows that they really value him, but for some reason think he is going to get better by not playing.

434 - I think Frank McCourt would tell you to calm down and not be so eager to fire people.

414 I know how you feel, but Martins still here. He just had the misfortune to hit it hard at someone.

Also, as I was watching today's game I found myself wishing that Maddux was still a Dodger. This is in part because he has always been one of my favorite players (regardless of team) and because he would fit in nicely as the 4th or 5th starter for our club. His style would be a nice change of pace and I think the rest of the pitchers on the staff, especially Bills and eventually Kershaw, would benefit from his presence. Oh well, Happy Birthday Greg.

437 I'm not sure, McCourt seem's to alway's be up for firing someone. By accident he might get it right!

437 One of the times McCourt and I agree on something.

Like I said earlier, the Dodgers need to sweep the Pirates, to get some confidence back, never mind the standings.

431 Thank you for being rational and saying something positive. Sincerely.

400 Thanks for the reminder. I almost forgot since the last time you pointed it out.

439 Imagine if we had Maddox instead of Loaiza, not to mention Wolf or Tomko last year. But I guess that's like imagining one more year of Lofton instead of five of JP. Thanks Ned.

Jon, any way to get comment 412 to sit at the top of every comment thread here for awhile? Probably not, but it would be nice to save you the trouble.

442
I was inspired by the pinch-running.

Nomar went 0 for 4 today for Las Vegas. Miguel Pinango had his third straight solid start and has an outstanding strikeout to walk ratio.

Here's an off topic question: If the Dodgers were to decide that Troncoso isn't as ready for the majors as they'd hoped and send him down (I'm not advocating for or against that, but if they did), who would be pitcher next in line to replace him?
Meloan?
Pinango?
Mike Myers?
Greg Jones? (who had a good spring and has been good in Vegas so far, though that could all be a mirage)
Most likely it wouldn't yet be you-know-who or McDonald...
Who else?

wow - judging by the shots of Immelman's wife he was a winner long before he showed up at Augusta this week.

447
I am guessing Myers.

448
Chicks dig the long ball. And money.

449 - Yeah, we actually released Mike Myers on March 28. So yeah, no Austin Powers.

The third wave, when people start objecting to the people who are objecting to the people who are upset about something, is on the horizon. Once it passes, the sea will be calm again. Until the trade deadline, when we'll do the whole thing over again.

451
Don't worry, we can always bring him back. Much to everyone's delight.

452 So true.

First time the Dodgers have lost a 9-inning game in which they struck out 14 or more since a 10-6 loss to the Pirates on September 19, 2006.
Messrs. Kuo, Dessens, Tomko, Beimel, and Carrara with the honors.

Myers is pitching for Las Vegas after agreeing to a minor league contract, or I wouldn't have mentioned him at all. He's 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA so far, for whatever that's worth (not much).

I am sorry golfing fans, but this may be the most pretentious thing I have seen.

457 What is?

Anything about the Masters is pretentious.

358
The whole ceremony and them sitting down and chatting in this dumb room.

314 Jones sits for Kemp tomorrow - any takers against that bet?

Ethier has started every game this season so I'm expecting Torre to start Pierre/Jones/Kemp against the lefty tomorrow. Of course, I expected that a couple of days ago. :-)

How long until the "don't worry, be happy" NPUT...?

462
I am expecting a more "Even though we are all frustrated, be civil and don't keep repeating the same thing. We all know Pierre should not be starting" NPUT.

"And obey the rules"

463
That's more or less what I meant. Whatever it is, it's apparently going to be rather long.

465
Have you seen any clips of the Yamma Pit?

466
Just photos. From what I read, the columnists didn't much care for the "warning track".

BTW: I had a dream last night that I was Don Frye.

468
It would have been cooler if you had a dream where you were Don Frye's moustache.

469
That's Nate's dream.

Wow Ethier has started every game. That would not have been one of the scenerios I would have bet on at the start of the season. I assumed he was going to be the guy we complained was seeing enough playing time.

This is what I find laughable, the guy who everyone wanted in the off-season via trade is on the bench, and the guy who no one wants is starting. Hey, makes sense to only one person, Joe Torre.
Maybe he relied on Don Mattingly more than we thought.

If Bob were here, he would let us know that Josh Bell reached 1st on catcher's interference in the 1st inning for Inland Empire today.

To anyone that doesn't know who Don Frye is, picture Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds having a son. Then that offspring mated with a bear.

That baby would be the awesomeness that is Don Frye.

473
I am, but I won't!

The Bright Side:

We're still 0.5 games ahead of the Giants.

Even Brighter:

We have the 2nd best Pythagorean Record in our division.

Edwin Jackson getting pub during Yanks and Sox game.

There has been a lot of people commenting sarcastically about putting in Kemp to pinch run but I think it actually makes sense for two reasons.

1. I read somewhere that in a flat out sprint Kemp is faster than Pierre (I think Pierre steals more due to a better jump)

2. We all know that if it came down to a collision at home for the tying run The Bison can run over any catcher in the league, as proven in Ron Stilanovich's "Hardall Made Easy" video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH4KP6uqtMg

478 Good point. After all, the Bison is built like a robot made of nails.

ESPN's 18/58 bottom line thing is provided by cargill. I guess he's made the big time.

Apparently McCourt couldn't help but overpay for yet another worthless asset: Joe Torre, company "yes" man.

Got too involved during the first week and lost it with Torre. Took Jon's advice (which I still think is good) to be patient, but unlike KG16, who claims that he learned not to live and die by the Bums, I still do, so I crawled under a rock. Sticking my head up again, but its looks like not much has changed on the JP front and Jones still slumping, though BBs are a good sign. Nice news about G/Kuo (though I can understand Esteban's frustration) and Raffy and the kids are doing great and they should start dropping for the Golden God. Time to hopefully fatten up as we move out of the West. Please, Joe, get the Bison back into the lineup. Not sure that the Dodgers and this site can survive having a JP and a Nomar issue at the same time.

476

We have the 2nd best Pythagorean Record in our division.

Seriously?

--

I've already assumed we'll finish 83-79, i.e. not in the playoffs, so with that in mind, I was really impressed with Billingsley's start today. All those strikeouts were very neat to see again, and even better, they helped my fantasy team!

I'd be upset about this loss except the man who drove in the run is Macanulty and he's from my hometown of Oxnard! He even went to the same high school my sister goes to.

478 - I think that the point was that he shouldn't have been available (should have batted for JP).

476 That and 60 mil. will put you 10 games behind Arizona. At the All-star break!

Meanwhile for Las Vegas, Nomar is getting ready:

Las Vegas Top 1st
Nomar Garciaparra grounds into double play

Las Vegas Top 3rd
Nomar Garciaparra lines out to third baseman Jeff Baisley.

Las Vegas Top 6th
Nomar Garciaparra grounds out

Las Vegas Top 8th
Nomar Garciaparra pops into double play

So far after two games: 0 for 7.

http://tinyurl.com/3m55sy

Just back from watching the game on TV. Don't think anyone mentioned this: when DeWitt led off with the Texas Leaguer single in the 8th, would that not have been a perfect opportunity for someone with speed off the bench to pinch-run, steal a base, and maybe get into scoring position? I think so.

Speed off the bench is good. Repeat. Power in the lineup, speed off the bench. Repeat until lungs are sore, mouth is dry, patience exhausted.

486

Not a awful lot of power in any of those ab's.

I was really impressed with Billingsley's start today.

I was upset turning on the t.v. & seeing a 1-0 loss from our boys in blue but I thought to my self, 1-0 Billingsley pitching not to shabby, it's still a very young season, I'm just happy our boy Billz did a REALLY GOOD job against sir Maddux.

487
I am not sure they feel comfortable playing Hu at third.

478 There has been a lot of people commenting sarcastically about putting in Kemp to pinch run but I think it actually makes sense for two reasons.

I was actually hoping to see Hu run for Loney for a couple of reasons. One, if the Dodgers tie the game he was coming in to play 2nd base with Kent moving to 1st. And two, if Martin walks I wanted to see Kemp pinch hit for Jones. Okay, so Torre probably would not have pinch hit for Andruw. But he once dropped A-Rod to 8th so who knows. :-)

Not a awful lot of power in any of those ab's

Torre's not concerned about power right now.

I wonder if Jon has ever considered moving to a bulletin board at which each of us could block individual posters. Dodger Thoughts contains by far the best discussion of the Dodgers. But reading through so many posts which violate Jon's 12 rules is tedious and time-consuming. Being able to block those posts from even being seen would be a hugh improvement.

oops, huge

Wow. I know it's been said already, and what I have to say may rile some folks here but I have to say it.

GO CHAN HO!

I'll be at Tuesday's and Wednesday's Jacksonville Suns games. Anyone know if Kershaw and/or McDonald are scheduled to start either of those days? I tried to figure it out for myself, but I'm just too weak.

490 That's a very good point, and could well be true. Still, I'm a bit surprised they'd only have Hu as their only backup infielder* if they weren't confident in his ability to play all three infield positions. Carrying 12 pitchers certainly limits strategic options somewhat.

*not counting Young (2B).

493 If Jon had to do that it would sort of obviate the whole idea of a Dodger Thoughts Community.

It's pretty easy to skip the comments you don't like. You just stop reading them, and move on to the next one. The commenter's name is right at the top of each one, so you've got a little hint before you read the first word whether it will be a boring historical anecdote, or something about golf/an accusation of PED use, or angry romanization thoughts/angry television-defamation.

490 Which makes me throw this question out to everyone, since I can't remember: was Hu passable at 3B during Spring Training? Can he play?

From a lemonade from lemons point of view (and in line with my pre-season prediction), wouldn't a traditional approach be to platoon JP and Druw. Their splits don't point decidedly that way (though, importantly, Druw does much better in getting BBs against lefties). At this point, the two need any little edge they can get. Torre did try the Bison in CF in ST and even a few innings during this season. Don't want to badmouth Nomar before he gets a chance to show his stuff, but going into a game with JP, Druw and Nomar in the line-up OBP is a bit depressing.

499 - or a mole.

502- That's true. I'm sort of cheating, since I've got emotional distance. But this is the internet. People are going to be wrong on the internet.

http://xkcd.com/386/

412 Just wonder who that was meant for. It came right after my post 411 and gee I kinda just look at this site as a place to get good info, insight, stories but also a community in which we can just gab about the game like we would if we were in the stands. I like that aspect of the bb very much even if it doesn't like me.

If we're not allowed or if it is in poor taste to do the gab bit, maybe that ought to be spelled out somewhere?

499
dang, that pretty much wipes out every post i've ever done here.

504- 412 was for everybody. It's been a little tense the past couple of days.

504 Jon's post was 12 seconds after yours. He's fast, but not that fast. My feeling is it was directed at posts like 410 and its ilk.

490 I'm not trying to be contrary, but they are not comfortable playing Kemp in the outfield, or Hu at third, etc. So they are not comfortable period. And it is hard to play for uncomfortable people. They are more concerned about keeping their jobs than having a good outcome. I have been in this kind of outfit and it is depressing.

503 - You are a pet mole and offer a vicarious thrill, as you are actually associated with a club that puts the youngins on the field. And I think you keep Bob on the edge.

509 He's an agitator, him and that other troublemaker Brock. They nearly took down the Dodgers' blog last season until I intervened.

510
DT is lucky to have folks like you and I around.

511

It's a good problem to have.

511 What about people like I?

482 - it took a long time for me to get to the point where I don't live and die by the Dodgers in the summer and the Lakers in the winter (many would not have liked me during the month of June in those years when the Dodgers were horrible and the Lakers not doing so well in the play offs).

It's like that old line: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

I've been trying to apply that to my life. There are a few things that I simply can't find serenity for, but most are Rule 5 violations, so I do little things to change them while I can.

Sports is something I truly enjoy on a variety of levels, but there are simply too many things more important than these games in my life for me to let it control me. Really, just trying to go zen.

It really is unfair to summarize all of D4P's comments as being either something about golf or PED accusations. There are also the malaprops. Every time he says that something "begs the question," I get a thrill that I expect feels something like what smoking heroin does.

514 Hear, hear.

Oh-MY-God. I almost missed it. There is an important baseball game in progress right now with plenty more to go Yanks--Sox, 3-7:
I hear the depressing voice of Joe Morgan, but it will still be more exciting than Dodgers in shackles trying to play.

Now its 7-4 Sox! Viva action. Actually, Kuroda is probably better than Dice-K.

It really is unfair to summarize all of D4P's comments as being either something about golf or PED accusations

Unfair indeed. I'm a veritable Renaissance man.

515 Don't forget the pronouns (already pointed out more subtly in 513).

518- I'd probably know that, if I ever read your comments all the way through.

519- I thought about throwing in the reference, but didn't want to get Pellam in trouble, if D4P had missed it. You never hurt anybody's feelings if you tease them far enough behind their backs.

496
I calculate MacDonald and Kershaw start Monday and Tuesday.

Suns schedule no doubt intended to cheer us up on Tax Day.

521- There's some karma. "You never hurt anybody's feelings if you tease HIM far enough behind HIS back."

You guys are jerks. Me don't have to take this.

Has anyone ever seen that movie "The King and Me"? I hear it's a classic.

496 Your not weak. I woudn't be surprised if Mac and Kershaw start Monday and Tuesday for the Major League Club. If not, there is the weakness.

510 - I thought it was the doubleplay issue that almost brought the site down, or is that what saved it? We could probably use something like that right about now.

496 I'll be at Tuesday's and Wednesday's Jacksonville Suns games. Anyone know if Kershaw and/or McDonald are scheduled to start either of those days? I tried to figure it out for myself, but I'm just too weak.

Just looking at the their past five games and assuming a five-man rotation you may be a very lucky man. :-) It appears to be McDonald's turn on Tuesday and Kershaw's turn on Wednesday.

Wednesday: James McDonald (won 4-1)

Thursday: Clayton Kershaw (lost 2-0)

Friday: postponed

Saturday Doubleheader: 1st game: Marlon Arias, 2nd game: Jesus Castillo

Sunday: Mario Alvarez

Tuesday: James McDonald

Wednesday: Clayton Kershaw

522 496
I calculate MacDonald and Kershaw start Monday and Tuesday.

Oooops! You're right. I thought Monday was an off day.

This site is always so much better when we make our way into Grammar Thoughts. Who needs baseball when you have D4P and Shimmin showing their respective ignorances of the English language?

525. D4P
Has anyone ever seen that movie "The King and Me"? I hear it's a classic.
---

I've seen it on stage with amateur nouns. I'd love to see it with proper pro nouns. :-) (ducking...)

525 Is that somehow related to "Kiss me Cake". If so it is pretty classic. And not bad.

Duching and Peking! Yes Siam.

530 - And here I had assumed it was just their utter disregard.

Thanks for the Suns Rotation Thoughts, mates. Looks like I'll have to bring a spool of string with me, so as not to get lost in the catacombs where our young Minotaur resides.

New post up top.

Milking these last comments for puns is udder madness. Where is Timmerman; he is either asleep or feels above it.

Actually I forgot how early it is on the West coast. He might actually be doing something mildly important.

Again, for the one millionth time, I have to come to the defense of Juan Pierre. Without naming names, this issue has become something of an obsession and should be considered almost a pathology.
The supposition that Matt Kemp is more deserving of a regular outfield spot over Pierre simply holds no weight in my mind as he has not proved that he deserves it. Particularly in the mind of Joe Torre who fully understands the sure-thing aspect of Pierre. In addition, Pierre is in the lineup to stay, albeit in left, and will be in the number two spot in the lineup for the remainder of the season. Andruw Jones fate is less clear, in my mind. I suspect that at the end of April if this miasma continues he will be DL'd to the minors and THEN you will see Kemp play consistently. OR there will have to be a platoon with Eithier, which Joe will not do as Eithier is Joe's Paul O'Neil here in LA.
On another note, PLEASE return Loney to the three hole forever and for the rest of his life. He deserves that hole and put Eithier five where he belongs sandwiching Jeff.
All of this nonsense in the outfield was the continuing and haunting vision of a mad GM.
Bring me the head of Brian Cashman.
Dodger Tony