Jon's right! Psychotic, but absolutely right!

I told myself before the season that I would give the team through April to work out the kinks, on account of a new manager and the wackadoo spring.

Still, sometimes I just want to grab that accoustic guitar and smash it against a wall.

We could fight them with conventional weapons!
Nah. That would take years and cost millions of lives.

So long as the gnome is used, we'll be alright.

Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the Dodgers. Gentlemen!

We had Otis Day and the Knights play a dance at our (public) high school. It was a pretty awesome booking, even if Robert Cray wasn't there (I think).

Was there ever a way to trade for Texiera/Haren without giving up any of Kershaw/Bills/Kemp/LaRoche?

Animal House is one of my favorite films though I have seen so many times that I tend to tune in and out ouf it on TV, just going back for certain scenes like the one described above.

Best Films by SNL Alum
A. Derived from SNL
1. Blues Brothers
2. Wayne's World

B. Featuring Actors from show.
1. Trading Places
2. Animal House
3. 48 Hours
4. Ghostbusters
5. Caddyshack
6. Austin Powers

I tend skew to the earlier casts, so I can't say how the Will Ferrell films would rank. Billy Crystal, Martin Short were only on the show for one year so I don't know if they count. I did enjoy "The Three Amigos."

Commissioner Selig: Greg, what is the worst franchise in this league?
Greg Marmalard: Well that would be hard to say, sir. They're each outstanding in their own way.
Commissioner Selig: Cut the [Rule 1], son. I've got their transaction history right here. Who choked in September and launched the lousy Rockies on a run to the World Series? Who committed millions of dollars in consecutive offseasons to centerfielders who can't hit? Who still thinks Nomar is an everyday option at third base? Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear. Every spring, the toilets explode.
Greg Marmalard: You're talking about the Dodgers, sir.
Commissioner Selig: Of course I'm talking about the Dodgers, you TWERP!

Ghostbusters is the best of that bunch I think. John Landis shouldn't be allowed to direct movies. You get some laughs, but man, are they badly made.

But what do I know, two of my favorite comedies star Charles Grodin.

9
I've always been a fan of "Fletch." How can someone not like a film featuring cameos by Kareem and Chick?

Oops. My link in 11 should have been to comment 8 .

7 Based on what I read between the lines, for Texiera, it would have taken 2 players on the roster at that time (Loney, Kemp) plus Kershaw. Haren, probably would have taken Kershaw and LaRoche.

As I and others have said about the past off-season, the injuries to Elbert and Morris really hampered the trade opportunities for the Dodgers. You had Loney, Kemp, LaRoche, Billingsley who all had prominent roles on the big league team and thus even if you make a trade for someone like Haren, you still needed to fill in for the loss. They were not going to trade Kershaw so then you are left with some very good players like McDonald, Hu, Meloan, etc. but no one who could headline a deal.

If Elbert was coming a good year as a top prospect, you could maybe have dealt him but since he is still recovering, he did not have a lot value.

Both the Braves and D-Backs dealt surplus players without hurting their big league club. Now their systems are a little weak at the upper levels but they are okay with that.

11 I thought about Fletch, that is a good one too but I think of it as an acquired taste unlike the ones I listed.

I am just thankful that I canceled my satellite tv. The last game I got to watch was on Monday. I feel good about that game.

6 - They played at my high school too - November '84. I thought that was so cool.

We-eee-eeel....
You know you make me wanna (Shout!)
Kick my heels up and (Shout!)
Throw my hands up and (Shout!)
Throw my head back and (Shout!)
Come on now (Shout!)
Don't forget to say you will
Don't forget to say, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Say you will)
Say it right now bab-ay
(Say you will)
Come on, come on
(Say you will)
Say it, will-a you-ooooo!
(Say you will)
You got it, now!
(Say) say that you love me
(Say) say that you need me
(Say) say that you want me
(Say) you wanna please me
(Say) come on now
(Say) come on now
(Say) come on now
(Say) come on now
(Say) I still remember
(Shooby-doo-wop-do-wop-wop-wop-wop)

10 Beethoven and Beethoven's 2nd?

The best I could come up with was:

Texiera for Loney, Mcdonald, Dewitt
Haren for DeJesus, MeLoan, Elbert

The Texiera package is definitely on par with what the Braves gave up.

However, probably unlikely that the Dodgers could have gotten Haren as well. The Dbax package was probably better.

Krivsky out, Jocketty takes over in the Queen City.
http://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/962519.html

The best ever UCLA pitcher retires:
http://tinyurl.com/54jok8

18 Exactly.

Dean Torre: "The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me."

In addition to Jon's call to arms, I'd like to suggest something else even more irrational but maybe just as helpful:
I think we should all do one thing, one superstitious little thing, to help get the Dodgers going. Whether it's cleaning your Dodger cap, buying a garden gnome and putting a hat on it, not shaving, etc. Whatever you think will work! Don't think, just do it!

20 Wow. I guess a split with the lowly Dodgers wasn't enough to save his job.

Late to baseball brother thoughts. Some honorable mention to:

George and Ken Brett
The five Delahanty brothers
Joe and Frank Torre

Are Mike and Greg Maddux sort of the Tommie and Henry Aaron equivalent in pitching?

23 I've already ordered my toga.

My only problem with Animal House is that it spawned a whole wave of horrible dumb-dumb frat comedies not to mention a whole wave of horrible dumb dumb frat behavior (toga parties, burning beds out windows, overdrinking, etc.) in real life, but the movie itself is still one of my favorite raunchy comedies. That cast is amazing.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, the Dodgers need to see the Diamondbacks as the Omega frat.

21 My guess is that link does not go to a story involving Tim Leary.

26 Is it a Dodger blue toga? That'll work.

28
You know my feeling about UCLA baseball.

27 Caddyshack would be a pretty bad movie if it wasn't filled with great peformances from Rodney Dangerfield (who is pretty much doing his act throughout the whole film), and Ted Knight. Murray and Chase are good but the other two really save the film. Murray had a bigger and better part in Stripes.

29 No, but on the back is the same mural that was on Nomar Van last year. Except instead of Nomar, it's Kershaw.

You can't talk SNL movies without putting Anchorman in the mix.

And I don't think anyone would be panicking here if it wasn't for the D'Backs. Damn, they look good.

20 Does that mean Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey are coming up soon or will there be a movement to trade some youngsters for PVLs?

33 Is that the best Will Ferrell film? I have to admit that I have not seen it.

34

I used to like the Dbacks too, far as watching them play. Now I can't stand them.

Why is that?

Is it because of Eric "I hate SoCal" Byrnes?
Is it because they lucked into the division last year i.e. won with a lousy pythag record?
Is it because they bought a title in 2001 with some "character guys"?
Is it because Jerry Colangelo had some ownership stake in the team?
Is it because of the broadcasters? That's a good reason.
Is it because I'm still not convinced by their bullpen, which after all, has only been tested three or so times?
Is it because I'm jealous of all their homegrown talent blossoming at once while the Dodgers can't get a ball past the warning track?

I really don't know.

Groundhog Day !!

37
The last one.

36 Me either, but I thought Elf and Stranger Than Fiction were watchable, if not up to level of your list. In the former, Zooey Deschanel helps the watchability a lot.

This article is not to kind to Colletti.

http://tinyurl.com/527zd3

Is it too soon to wonder who will replace him?

37 It's because of Andrew Shimmin.

Cool story on Rex Rundgren, Jon. I had no idea his kids played baseball. I was also unaware of that whole Liv Tyler thinking Todd Rundgren was her dad thing. I got to hang out with Todd backstage at the Gibson once, pretty cool guy to talk some music with.

37 I'm telling you, they're the Omega frat as far as I'm concerned and Byrnes is their Niedermeyer.

Spread that concept to the Dodgers (i.e., Delta frat) themselves.

---

Underdog's purely subjective rankings of Will Ferrell (starring) films in order of quality, best being first:

1) Blades of Glory
2) Talladega Nights (surprising to me, but here it is)
3) Stranger Than Fiction
4) Anchorman (I'm probably in the minority, but as funny as I find parts of it I also find much of it goes nowhere)
5) The Oblongs (voice)

Best supporting roles: Zoolander; Producers; Old School (of course); Melinda + Melinda (he was good even if movie was eh); and my personal favorite, his cameo in episode of Undeclared as drugged out term paper salesman.

Worst: Roxbury; Elf; Kicking and Screaming (ugh); Bewitched; Semi-Pro

44 Talladega Nights has to be one. Zoolander is top five imo, too.

44 I thought Anchorman and Talladega Nights were his 2 best. I also liked Old School, even though he wasn't the star.

41 The picture of Andruw Jones in that article is hilarious. It looks like he snuck a cookie into the batting cage and got caught right as he took a bite.

41 Tracy Ringolsby is really biased against the Dodgers apparently.

He also thinks getting Randy Johnson was a bad thing for the Diamondbacks, so consider the validity of the source.

45 Whoops, disregard my post. I didn't get the "starring" part.

You know what movie is funny? Corky Romano. There I said it.

47 LOL.

It is too soon to bash the Jones contract IMO. The rest regarding the Dodgers I agree with.

Why don't the folks with the academy awards offer a "retroactive oscar"? An award, that upon further review, deserves more? Ted Knight's performance in Caddyshack is surely worthy...

41 Tracy Ringolsby's arguments are sometimes so bad.

Juan Pierre ... is a workaholic, he is an aggressive hitter who can make contact and (sic) the speed to get 200 hits and hit .300. The dumbest complaint yet is that he led the majors in outs. He also is among the leaders, each year, in plate appearances.

Doesn't the PA leading discount BOTH the 200 hits and the out leadership?

[Jones] ... is not an impact offensive player. He's hit .300 once in 11 full big-league seasons, never struck out less than 100 times in a season and when the home runs dropped to 26 and RBI fell below 100 in Atlanta last year, why would anyone think he would be rejuvenated in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium?

Do you have to hit .300 to be an impact offensive player and/or stike out less than 100 times? Reggie Jackson begs to differ. ARod's lowest K total in a season is 99. And it's been a few seasons since Dodger Stadium was "pitcher-friendly".

Is it too soon to wonder who will replace him?

You know, you guys might be surprised, but I heard about this brouhaha Brian Cashman is having with the baby Steinbrenners. Cashman is in his last year, and I thought, gosh if it doesn't work out... and NedCo gets released... hmmmmmmmmm.

Cashman as a Dodger GM sounds like music to my ears if Logan White can't get it.

Best films starring Chris Kattan, in order:

1) Undercover Brother
2) ...

Since Sunday I comfort myself by thinking if the Dodgers don't contend this year, knowing sooner is better. Think of the haul Kent, Lowe, maybe Nomar & Saito would bring in July.

Re: Will Ferrell for me it's:
1) The Landlord
2) Old School (he's kinda the co-lead, eh?)
3) everything else

55

You'd have to have a forward thinking GM to consider that. Since when has NedCo traded older guys to get younger?

8 Maybe someone here can answer this question: is Three Amigos funny? I've seen a few different publications say that it's a "lackluster effort" (or something like that), while I think it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I first saw it when I was like 7 though, so maybe my view is skewed. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

33 I hold that Anchorman is funny because of Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, so it isn't really a SNL movie.

Somewhat on topic, we watched "The Sure Thing" and "Better Off Dead" this past weekend. I hadn't seen either in 20+ years.

I remembered liking BOD much better than TST, but this time around, my preferences changed completely, and TST emerged as the clearly superior movie.

Neither were particularly funny (even "I want my two dollars!" didn't do much for me this time around).

Saito would be difficult to deal because he could always just stay in Japan if he didn't want to play anymore in the U.S.

Of the rest, Lowe has the most value since he is the only one who would be at least a Type B Free Agent for next year. Kent is going to retire and Nomar just doesn't have any trade value.

55 Yah, I'd be happy to move Old School up to my top 5.

56 Uh, well there's... and then when... uh... hm... there's a first time for everything!

I mean that is one argument in favor of a new GM, whatever one thinks of the current one. The new GM does not have ego investment in some of the veteran free agents and so forth that the previous GM signed or acquired. The only thing I'll say in NedCo's defense is that he has sometimes shown a willingness to admit he's made a mistake (trading away Baez; acquiring another centerfielder; etc). I just wish he wouldn't have made those mistakes in the first place.

I would describe "The Three Amigos" as being very funny in parts and then somewhat pedestrian the rest of the time. But it's not a bad film. It's just not great.

And it has catchphrases!

44 SNL's Amy Poehler is also in Blades of Glory.

Blades of Glory

Yuck. GOB deserves better.

57 I went to see Three Amigos when I was a kid and remember laughing a lot. When I saw it again, a couple of times, as an adult, once I thought... "Hmm... this is just silly and not all that good," but the other time I laughed a great deal. Depends on your mood, I guess. It's really likable though.

Paul Rudd rocks - he's often the best thing in any movie he's in. Seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall yet? He's superb.

from the last post 486 - I'm not saying that I don't want to see home runs. My point is simply that home runs, per se, are not the problem for this team.

As far as SNL Movie Thoughts, I'll throw out one other that hasn't been mentioned: Spies Like Us. I'll also offer Dirty Rotten Scoundrels as a pretty good one.

56 Colletti also hasn't had a team that was already out of contention when the trade deadline arrived, a time when PVLs often get moved.

Unless someone offered a far-too-good prospect for Lowe, I'd rather keep him, let him go FA and give Logan White the draft pick(s). Pretty good odds Lowe will be Type A and yield two.

41 The article does not in fact mention Colletti by name at all. Just lots of Dodgers on his list.

Sorry, I don't have much to add to SNL movie chat today. I've seen a few of the older movies listed, some were decent and some were awful. FWIW, Pecota has the Dodgers chances of winning the division at 24% at the moment and chances of getting the wild-card at 6.6%, for a ~30.5% chance of making the playoffs. Pecota must really like the Dodgers to give them odds this high to win the division considering the start that Arizona has gotten off to. AZ odds to win the division are listed at just over 50%. I have the Dodgers magic number at 141. Hopefully we can shrink that number down to 137 in the next two days.
vr, Xei

60 The 2009 Dodgers will not have Nomar nor Kent on the team. Schmidt and Jones will have one year left and who knows what the Pierre situation will be or if there even is one at that point.

All GMs are going to have biases to the players they acquire and again, to me, you have to look at the alternatives available at the time. Yes, there were those who were against the Schmidt signing and yes, they can shout "I told you so" but there were more objective (non-Dodger folks) analysts who thought it was a great deal. Same goes for Andruw Jones.

The Nomar and Pierre deals have been discussed to death and I don't know if Torre could have handled them better so far this year, neither is guaranateed anything, I do think that LaRoche will get a shot if he can show he can play because 3B is such black hole right now.

If Bill Stoneman was still GM, would he be hearing about giving a multi-year extension to a pitcher with arm troubles, and how come no one complains that one of their best prospects sits at AAA with no place to go for the near future.

I am not saying Ned is great nor should he not be concerned about his job but some of it also has to be put upon the players to perform. Ultimately, managers and GM pay for failures by the players so if the team doesn't perform, Ned will pay the price. But right now, this team is pretty much made up of what I could have hoped for on March 1st so I hope now, they can put it together and start playing good ball.

66 And since his time with the Dodgers, he's had prospects up the wazoo, so trading for more probably hasn't been a top priority.

Lowe vs. Haren tonight, Bills vs. Gonzalez tomorrow. The Dodgers are gonna have a tough time sweeping, but if Lowe is back to his more usual self then I could see them having a chance to do that or at least should (should) split them.

69 I actually did some research on the Schmidt issue and I found one Dodger Thoughts comment that was against it at the time and no major columnists or blogs were against it from what Ii saw.

69 I think that's fair.

And I also think it's a bit early to start thinking about a team fire sale.

41
Tracy Ringolsby is a beat writer for the Rockies and a transparent homer. He routinely jabs the Dodgers in his "opinion > fact" articles. I have about as much respect for him as I do TJ Simers and Dayn Perry.

AZ Snakepit is throwing out an interesting stat today. Arizona currently has a 6 game lead in the NL West and they state "...this appears to be the biggest lead any team has ever had on April 22. That's in the entire history of baseball." And they caveat it with the fact that the season use to start later. vr, Xei

I actually did some research on the Schmidt issue and I found one Dodger Thoughts comment that was against it at the time

Who was the author of the Dodger Thoughts comment...?

67 True, but I dont think that excuses him. I understand what you are saying, the article talks about the Dodgers in general but Colletti is the one ultimately responsible for signing those contracts (or taking on the Loaiza contract).

76 Someone that I didn't recognize, don't know off the top of my head.

By my recollection I was nervous about Schmidt's health, though I expected nothing like what's happened. I just thought he'd have a short trip to the DL once or twice.

What is the point of "...?" instead of just a question mark or a period. Is there suppose to be some extra nanoseconds of drama/anxiety I am suppose to feel before the end of the sentence comes?

75
If you want to just the mark of 20 games played, the 1984 Tigers led Toronto by 6 games.
The Tigers were 18-2 and the Blue Jays were 13-9.
That was at the end of play on April 29.

80
You have much to learn, my young Padawan...

The 1955 Dodgers after 20 games led by 7 1/2 games over the Cubs. The 55 Dodgers, like the 84 Tigers, got off to an 18-2 start.

71 Let me restate for the record, I am not excusing Ned from making those deals, the Pierre deal (years not signing him) and the Loiaza deal (?) are head scratchers. In the end, GMs generally don't get fired for spending money, its all about results, analysts like to use things the money spent per win but for the Dodgers its all about results right now.

And are the better candidates for the Dodger GM job, yes, given the way the game works now, I think there are 3 very interesting candidates in White, Ng and Watson.

I know Jon spoke with Watson in the last few weeks, I would like to hear what he thinks about him.

80 It's like in Arrested Development, where to add drama to the end of a scene or act, they play that super intense action suspense music while zooming in on the character's face/eyes.

Just imagine that whenever D4P adds the ellipsis to the end of his sentences. That's what I do.

McCourt has spent about $100,000,000 OJTing Colletti. Hopefully, there has been some OJT learning--for both of them.

84 - I have no idea right now about the merits of Watson as a GM, one way or another. I can tell you he seems pretty tall, though.

Jon always checks to see if he can post up his interview subjects.

He did posterize Kate Winslet.

87 Probably not a fair question since it would be hard to say what the merits of White or Ng are either aside from their successes in their current positions.

If McCourt, Colletti, and Torre do not intend to re-sign (OK Gen) Kent and Nomar, would they release them so they could join a condender if the Dodgers are out of playoff hopes? I would like that more sooner than later.

54 Undercover Brother is hilarious. Anything with Doogie Howser is funny, really.

I feel refreshed after reading the latest post at Bad Altitude.

Martin Short is unwatchable.

Why is Jeff Francis' nickname "The Channel"?

93 He's no Martin Prince Jr., thats for sure.

Hey, Wayne Krivksy was fired. Who will be there to accept ridiculous deals for aging relievers now?

94

underdog wishes to know the same thing

http://badaltitude.baseballtoaster.com/archives/962416.html

Frank can't fire Ned. He would lose (more) face. He has owned the team four years. He is on his second GM (third, if you include Evans) and third manager. He would become a (more) laughingstock of an owner. I wonder if he had to do over again, would he:

a) still fire Depo
b) Still hire Ned
c) hire someone else from inside (who)
d) hire someone from outside (who)

If Ned is not here next year I would like to see Kim Ng get the nod, even over Logan White. I know White can evaluate talent but can he do the rest of the job? (Not saying he can't. Just saying I don't know.) She deserves the job, she can do the job and it would be in keeping with the Dodgers tradition of breaking barriers.

At the time I thought the Schmidt signing was a worthwhile risk. I believe I said, however, that I wouldn't be shocked if he was the second coming of Andy Ashby (a money pit with virtually zero contribution to the team).

I am not excusing Ned from making those deals, the Pierre deal (years not signing him) and the Loiaza deal (?) are head scratchers

Signing Pierre (irregardless of how many years) said alot about what Ned values.

52. I completly agree with Ringoslby about Pierre. The problem does not lie with Pierre, it lies with Ned. Pierre is who he has always been. He is a nice player on a certain type of team but he was never right for this team. Moreover, the contract he was given was not his fault. Who didn't know he was a slap hitter? Who didn't know he had no arm? Who didn't know he led the league in outs? My problems with JP have rarely been about JP. Rather, they have been about why he is on this team in the first place (and for 5 years).

98 I think Frank can still fire Ned. If he does he will play it so he is bringing in someone who is more in tune with Torre.

53 Cashman could head west...

81 The 1977 Dodgers led the division by 7.5 games at the 20 game mark (17-3). Their lead would never get lower than 6.5 games for the rest of the season.

What has Kim Ng really done for the Dodgers? I dont really know enough about her role with the team to fairly evaluate her. I know I've heard she does quite a bit of the contract negotiations, and arbitration.

Arbitration seems to have been fine for the Dodgers--cant remember a battle they've lost.

But there are some bad contracts on this team, and if thats part of Ng's responsibility--then she has to be held accountable for her role in that as well.

If anything, the Dodgers new GM absolutely has to get more people involved with statistical analysis. Screw Plaschke. The usage of statistics (at least using the better ones) is a big bugaboo with this current regime.

Dodgers cant have anymore of the "He hits .300, gets on base an awful lot...steals 50 bases.." stuff anymore. With the resources of the farm, and the payroll---there's no excuse for not having Red Sox level talent. However, if the talent evaluation component isnt there, then the Dodgers will continually spin their wheels.

Signing Pierre (irregardless of how many years) said alot about what Ned values.

I think my dad must be JoeyP

101 I agree. It has been rehashed here too much so I will refrain from going further.

Mogwai's "Auto Rock" is the intro to the video on the Juice Blog, for fans of the band.

105
"Irregardless" is not actually a word in the English language.

Whether you agree with Ringoslby or not, it is startling to look at a list of the 12 worst deals in baseball and know your GM, who has only been on the job a couple of years, is responsible for 4 of the 12 clunkers.

108

I think that was his point.

Kim Ng over Logan White for GM? There is no legitimate argument for it, other than affirmative action grounds, and I did say "legitimate." Turning JoeyP's question into "What has Logan White done for the Dodgers?" would be downright comical. If White is hired away by another organization, that will be a huge blow to the Dodgers. If Ng leaves, what are we losing, really?

Cincinnati just fired Wayne Krivski and replaced him with Walt Jocketty.

111 Jamie McCourt's Protege

"Just fired"....

Sigh

113 -- Is that supposed to be an argument for Ng?

Is Todd Rundgren supposed to famous or something? I'm only 23.

114. Bob, I thought you would've been all over this story. :)
vr, Xei

I've been pretty scarce around these parts lately, but I just got an email about an "announcement" tomorrow by the Dodgers about "the future of the stadium". It was a Dodgers On-Deck email, I'm not trying to sound important. Anyway, does anyone know what it's about? Sorry if this is a repeat.

93 "Martin Short is unwatchable."

His turn as Nathan Thurm--the nervous chain-smoking, constantly sweating attorney who represents an overseas company that manufactures counterfeit novelty items--is flat-out brilliant, though.

118 all I can think of is that they have secured the right to host the World Baseball Classic finals.

112 114 See: http://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/962519.html

118 Not really, but I know the Mayor is involved. Probably has something to do with further development at the site.

118

It ought to be more news about the forthcoming rennovations, which are turning out NICELY by the way!

110 yes indeed, thanks KL.

My dad still says it that way. I remember the first time I said "irregardless" to someone and was corrected. I was still at the age when you believe everything your parents tell is the truth and factual. I was so disappointed. It was then that I knew my father was fallible.

And for that matter 20

Anyhoo... I'll be missing the game live tonight as I have a class. Anyone know offhand about what time MLBTV makes games available in the archives? A few hours later?

112 I can't believe nobody else on the toaster has reported this.

116 At the very least, if you've ever been to a stadium before, you've no doubt heard him proclaim his disdain for work, and that he'd much rather bang on the drums all day.

And that is the very, very least.

116 Yeah, pretty much. Pioneer fits. I'm only 24, btw.

#116 - His hedey as a singer songwriter was in the 70's. I still have his album Something/Anything? in a box of records at my parent's house. It was actually a pretty good record that yielded 2 hits, Hello, It's Me and I Saw the Light. I still like that record. He's also well known for producing other artists.

124 Yeah, sorry about 108 madmac.

April is too early to be firing GMs, but that said, McCourt absolutely will fire him in the fall if the team doesn't improve. But will he hire White, Ng, Cashman, or Torre himself? We should be careful of what we wish for.

127 For indie/punk types, he produced the New York Dolls. Morrissey has said that the New York Dolls were a huge influence on him. Morrissey is a pretty big deal.

Marty, no love for An American Werewolf in London?

That should have said heyday as a singer.

Top 5 worst SNL movies

1. It's Pat.
2. Stuart Saves His Family.
3. Superstar.
4. A Night at the Roxbury
5. The Ladies Man.

118 The LA Times reported yesterday (one line at the end of a story) that the Dodgers will be announcing their next phase of stadium renovations on Thursday.

132
The New York Dolls also lead to the creation of the Sex Pistols.

101 - and in keeping with today's Todd/Rex Rundgren theme, I just wanna bang on the same drum all day (and apparently, all year): the problem with the selection of Ned Colletti was that he was hired as a PR man first. That is, the 2008 Dodgers' roster is every bit Frank McCourt's responsibility, and given his thin skin -- which is in practice turning out to be his biggest liability, rather than his indebtedness (so far) -- we can expect the next GM to have the same characteristics. I expect a mediocre season from the Dodgers, maybe 85-77 and a second or third place finish, with a summary execution of Colletti to follow.

And McCourt will make exactly the same mistake again.

135 - Lorne Michaels needs to be kept away from a movie studio. It's no surprise that all of those are post-1981.

130 no worries

116 Thanks. And since that song is stuck in my head again, I at least know who to kill.

138
That's what I would expect, too. But what could have made him go with Billy Beane's recommendation the first time?

138 I don't see the indebtness being in issue unless attendance drops off tremendously or he decides to over extend himself on building an entertainment/restaurant area outside of the stadium.

136 thanks. wonder if it's something significant, have they had press conferences before to announce renovation plans?

139 Wayne's World?

Its very simple, really. Either the Dodgers go deep into the postseason or Colletti is gone. Its true, McCourt can't fire Colletti any sooner than after this season is over - he would just have egg all over his face. But Torre is the man now, and if they don't go deep into the playoffs, Colletti is gone.
McCourt will be able to spin it in several different ways, so that he doesn't come off looking stupid.

On the other hand, I have no doubt that McCourt - who obviously cares about the bottom line, realizes Colletti has been incredibly wasteful of his money.

137 Definitely. That means he somewhat influenced Marty, too.

138 To take that a step further I think the McCourt hired Depo because he was one of the focal points of Moneyball, a book that everyone was talking about. In other words, I think he hired Depo for PR reasons as well.

I think Frank misjudged the backlash the book would receive.

At the time I thought that McCourt "got it" and was hiring Depo because of his new school thinking about baseball.

[115} No, just a joke. Every time i see Ms. McCourt on TV, she is talking about women in executive sports positions. Just seemed logical to chime in with that.

I just think Ned is in over his head. Kind of like Mike Nolan as HC of SF49ers. They're both real good when they're not the head hauncho, but let them call the shots, and hold your breath.

142 - huh? DePodesta's mark on this team is largely the positive things about it. Brad Penny is on this team (and Paul LoDuca/Guillermo Mota are not) because of DePodesta. DePo brought Milton Bradley to the team for essentially filler. About the only good thing Ned has done was to get Andre Ethier out of the A's for Bradley, and failed to trade away the real cream of the kids coming up. But his free agency deals have been so far near total disasters.

142 Moneyball was the hot new thing at the time.

145 - didn't see it, and I hated the sketches on SNL. They just weren't funny, and if I don't like the sketches, no way am I giving a feature movie a chance.

Hey folks, since we were talking about film earlier, it inspired me to go out and create a special free trial specifically for Dodger Thoughts commenters, for GreenCine.com. It is the Netflix-like company I work for, specializing in more arty fare but has mainstream stuff, too. They are based out of LA now so shipping times if you're in SoCal should be particularly fast. You can also test it for me and give feedback as to how it works.

Anyhoo, if interested, go here:
https://www.greencine.com/registration?1=1

and use promo code:
dodgerthoughts

in the promo code space.

:-)

Alas, I could only get them to agree to a 10 day free trial for y'all. So hopefully you'll stay aboard after then, but if not remember to cancel at that point.

--advertisement, OFF--

We know Logan White is a great evaluator of prospect talent. (I'm not sure about vets cause I don't know if he signed off on Schmidt, Pierre, Jones or Loaiza.) His skill set is extremely valuable. However, that alone, does not qualify him to be GM. I don't know if Logan White can even balance his checkbook. I'm not saying he can't I'm just saying being the best scout in baseball does not necessarily translate into being a good GM.

On the other hand, I assume serving as Asst. GM for numerous years in LA nad NY and having every GM you work for speak highly of your abilities would seem to qualify you.

Who said this?

"The games are not played by computers. It comes down to whether players can perform in critical situations. There's a human element to this that is not measurable. You have to mesh everything into the decision-making process."

152 But you're missing out in-car, lip-synch of all-time!!!

No, what I'm asking is how you can reconcile the two hires. In the case of Colletti it seems to have been about PR. In the case of DePo it must have been something else. DePodesta was doing a brilliant job, but was fired for reasons not fully understood.

It would be really, really, really silly to fire the GM because of the team's record this season.

The only thing I can think of sillier than that would be hiring Ned in the first place.

157 should have referred to 150

156 But you're missing out on the best in-car, lip-synch of all-time!!!

157 I think the reasons that DePo were fired were pretty well understood. Unpopular GM leads team to 91 loss season, pretty simple.

DJ Augustin just announced he is entering the NBA draft.

161 and Abrams

157 see 148 .

He was fired because of negative PR. The press and the old guard, including some in the Dodger organization, wanted him out.

Actually the press and the guard are in the same group.

152 You are not worthy.

Is there anything to stop schmucks like us from entering the NBA draft?

150 Furcal and Saito make up for a lot of transgressions. Jones is going to have to completely tank for it to not work out well in the end.

I was never a Todd Rundgren fan, but I'm a huge New York Dolls fan.

I was very very very disappointed in American Werewolf in London.

153 I shudder at the thought of underdog having a list of DT commenters who rent porn.

More Rundgren stuff:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0750221/

I was very very very disappointed in American Werewolf in London.

Wow. I absolutely love that movie, and Jenny Agutter is only part of the equation.

160
Or was it the manager search?

Or Tommy whispering in somebody's ear?

A personality conflict? A call not immediately returned?

I don't think McCourt is up to a reasoned deliberation of the GM's philosophical approach. So maybe it was just W-L. What really happened, who knows?

165 just a whole bunch of forms. I vaguely remember some random student at LSU declaring for the draft a couple of years ago.

135

I am so happy to say I have not seen any of those movies.

153

Thanks, I will look into that. I imagine the 9.95 plan is 1 out at a time unlimited per month?

163 148
Yeah, all that stuff's in the public record; it's the conventional wisdom.

What I'm saying, we don't really know. Rob seems to be trying to put a gloss on Frank's decision-making and predict a future outcome.

My opinion, every decision he makes is for a different reason. There are no guiding principles. It's all guesswork.

168 Hah hah. Don't worry, only our support staff has access directly to people's queues, so you can add as much p**n as you like, and National Treasure 2, for all I care, and I won't say boo.

However, we are preventing people from renting "The Hottie and the Nottie" by not making that one available at all. You have to take a stand somewhere!

173 Indeed, it is.
And all the plans are unlimited. I think the free trial is for 3 out at a time, but then you can cut back to 2 or 1 if you want.

Man, the NBA draft this year is going to be loaded. LOADED.

Who rents or buys adult films?

I thought the internet was created to fix this problem.

175 Do you guys have a lot of music stuff?

Who rents or buys films?

I thought the internet was created to fix this problem.

Mario Chalmers is also entering the draft, but won't hire an agent.

It may be smart for Darren Collison to wait a year.

178 Yeah, some good stuff. Lots of good music docs. And concerts. Not every single music video compilation, though, they don't tend to rent all that well.
http://tinyurl.com/5qrxk2

---
Yah Collison, wait a year! It's the smart thing to do.

181
I did notice your site had a lot of Hentai. Not surprising that is popular in California.

182 And, er, not just California, either.

It's good stuff if you like, uh, tentacles involved, with, you know.

underdog,
What would you say is the turnaround time to get new movies? Between dropping it in the mailbox on a morning (so it's picked up the same day) to receiving your next movie in your mailbox?

Also, do new releases require long waits before you can get them quickly?

183
Yeah, that is not surprising either.

America, ______ yeah!

Why does it seem like players are becoming more and more disgruntled in the NFL?

Is it part of the "entertainment" of the sport, or is everyone involved just really greedy?

186
Because contracts are not guaranteed so it is in your best interest to keep trying to get a new deal, so you can get more guaranteed money.

By the way, I would love for Anquan Boldin to be a Raider.

184 All depends. But it's about 1-2 day turnaround for LA peeps and 2-3 day turnaround on avg for Bay Area peeps. BUT we added this "quick return" feature a few months of ago that helps speed things along greatly. You just click that when you've sent something back and then you'll get next avail items sent to you before those other ones need to be rec'd. Makes it all pretty fast.

New releases vary - the most popular titles we'll get more copies of, too, but yeah for the very popular new releases there can be a wait. You just have to add them to your queue as soon as we add them on our site and then you have higher priority over people who add them later. Tons of stuff to choose from tho.

You can email me if you have other questions so we don't bore people here - craig@greencine dot com or fanerman you have my email.

187 What, Javon Walker's not enough for you?

188
Not at all. I want more!!

174 I wouldn't say that everything I wrote is public record or conventional wisdom. I guess I was just trying to expand on Rob's opinion that McCourt looks at decisions from a PR perspective first. Looking back I feel that Depo was hired and ultimately fired due to PR.

It is just an opinion so you are right when you say it is all guesswork.

On to bigger things, is it too soon to say this is a huge series for the Dodgers?

190
It's apparently not too soon for Tony Jackson to utter the phrase "monumental two-game set with the Snakes".

191 - Everything seems that way when you listen to too much Journey and watch too much "Varsity Blues."

191 Wow, I just unknowingly agreed with Tony Jackson. Does this mean I now have to love Journey and the movie Varsity Blues?

192 Ok that was weird.

192
It is against the law for anyone in the Bay Area to rip on Journey.

Course, Tony Jackson can't be taken too seriously, given his love for Journey and Varsity Blu...

Oh, never mind.

Does anyone around here remember the Journey arcade game...?

Does anyone here care if we get an NFL team?
I loved the Rams when they were our team, and now I really hardly follow the NFL since we have no team. I think it would be great if we had our own team, and it seems dumb to me that the 2nd largest city in the U.S. doesn't have an NFL team.

What would be better, getting an existing team to move here, or starting over with an expansion team?

197

I can't believe this was a real video game:

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8242

197
http://tinyurl.com/6rmete

198
LA won't get an expansion team. League is set on number of teams and if they expand it will be internationally.

200
I was already watching that, before you posted it. That takes me back. There was a Journey game at the Dari-Mart near my house back in the mid-80s. It ate up a lot of my quarters.

Jackson also adores Juan Castro.

Castro is a GREAT guy in the clubhouse.

202
Sigh, BJ Penn is already talking about his lack of cardio. He is going to need to put away Sherk quickly.

XeiFrank is famous! And it's not Guo related!

http://tinyurl.com/6lvfof

And I wasn't even in charge of the Dodger write-up!

200

Insane... they used an actual tape of "Seperate Ways" for the "rock band" level of the game. That's hilarious, and a harbinger of life before digital audio.

160 - plus DePo was not the most adept at schmoozing the press. Plaschke hated him from day zero.

174 - I really don't see how you can say that. Virtually every decision McCourt has made, outside of his populating the front office with family members, has been PR first.

207

"harbinger" is a bad word choice. "Example" is better.

205
I'm already tired of the UFC. I wish PRIDE were still around.

Juan Castro loves Journey and Varsi... ah, fergetit.

208 - to expand, Moneyball was still the rage when DePo was hired, so in he went; after one losing season, DePo was out. Colletti came up as a PR guy when he was with the Cubs, so in he went. The guy (can't remember his name) responsible for botching the field level seats got canned after they turned out to be terrible, and ONLY after the season started and people complained. And then there's the long string of others fired for cause or not.

205 210 Do either of you think Forrest Griffin stands a chance against Rampage?

I feel about UFC Thoughts the way Xei feels about TV Thoughts, I'd imagine.

Btw, speaking of that Journey video game (ack!), did anyone see "King of Kong"? That movie was awesome.

213
He stands a chance, because he is in ridiculous shape and will continually try to push the pace. Rampage needs to use his strength advantage to win.

158 un-biased view. He did a GOOD job if I could choose NOW I'd definitely take Home Depo over NedCo...

213
I think Forrest would have a decent chance of taking it to a decision, which he would inevitably lose.

214
Yeah, I heard they may make a sequel.

There is some moves Depo made I didnt like (Drew) but I really think he didnt get a fair shake by MEDIA countions McCourts

208
So you're saying that DePo was about PR? I guess that's possible, but it would have been an incredibly bad judgment of what the PR value would really be. It was easily predictable that Plaschke and his ilk would be outraged. For Frank to have thought DePo would be well-received by the press he would have had to be unaware that Moneyball was even controversial.

I don't know; I don't strongly disagree with your analysis of his other moves. It seems to me more like he's flipping a coin. Jaime has a bad hair day, then it's PR for a week. The week after it's all about tradition and he's on the phone to Koufax. A friend of my Dad's who was an LA cop used to complain constantly that he could never catch the dumbest criminals. They never plan anything, so they're unpredictable.

the ironic thing about Depo I'd that he kept Izzy & it was Ned who shipped him out.

212 I thought McCourt's kid was responsible for botching the lower seats?

206 That makes two national sports publications that Xeifrank has now been quoted in. Not bad.

Now I wonder.

Would we have been better off with 5 years of Torii Hunter?

.301/.363/.548 with 4 HRs and 11 RBIs, so far.

Now I was dead set against signing Hunter, and if you ask me now I'd still be dead set against it. Torii Hunter is still being paid too much.

193 et al.

Tangled Up in Blue

Every time you post, I get that song stuck in my head. Although I guess if you're gonna have a song stuck in your head, that's a pretty good one.

206 Man, he always gets k/guoted.

Took me awhile to find the main article since ESPN didn't provide a link back. So, each category is an ordinal ranking from 1 to 122, which means the 107 "bang for the buck" rating is particularly bad, but it's wins/fanRevenue, so most big-market teams won't fare well there since the denominator is usually larger.

220 - For Frank to have thought DePo would be well-received by the press he would have had to be unaware that Moneyball was even controversial.

His sons were all in favor of it at the time. It's not clear to me that he really thought much about the decision beyond that sounding board.

220 That is funny because I have a friend who is a cop that says the complete opposite. He says the reason they catch criminals is because they are dumb and predictable. He says they rarely catch the smart ones.

Regarding Depo, you could be right. I think that because Moneyball WAS controversial meant that people knew who Depo was and were talking about him. There is your PR. Keep in mind he fired his PR Exec during the Depo fiasco.

I always thought the biggest reason that Frank hired DePo was because he could run the team on a budget.

221
Sometimes you do what the market dictates. Sometimes good decisions don't work out well. Sometimes poor decisions yield spectacular results. I'ts about having an intelligent approach.

If Paul Depodesta's team loses a hundred games four years in a row, my judgment is he's still a smarter guy and a better GM than Ned Colletti could ever dream of being. Mantle strikes out twenty times in a row, you still want him instead of Rudy Law.

Maybe its just that cops can't catch criminals in general.

220 - as for "tradition", everybody in baseball is in favor of tradition so long as it's winning they're pointing to. In practice, other factors take precedence.

224 - I maintain the Hunter signing is a mistake for the Angels, ultimately, because most of his deal will be a waste (I'm thinking years three, four, and five). The Halos already had a couple of decent CF candidates before they signed Gary Matthews, Jr. to an obscene five-year deal (Chone Figgins, and in the wings, Reggie Willits), but choise, inexplicably, to ignore both. What could have possibly possessed Bill Stoneman to think Matthews, Jr. was going to produce at numbers that were outliers for both age and career ever, ever again? The Angels needed some offense, it's true, but they overpaid for the wrong kind, and in Hunter, got a guy who epitomizes the worst misfeatures of the Angels' offensive thinking, hacktasticness in particular.

206. I still stand by that comment and feel it is one of my best. What thread is that from. If I remember correctly, it's an old one...?
vr, Xei

This may have already been addressed ... but what's the deal re: tomorrow's press conference and 'the future of Dodger Stadium'?

227
That I agree with completely. I don't think he gives anything much thought.

232 - in the Halos' FO's defense, at least Hunter has some power, though I think that's going to be history after 2009.

225 Haha me, too, actually.

234 - so long as the words "nuclear option" aren't being used, the Dodgers are fairly safe. I think.

DePo's worst moves were signing Izturis to his 3yr deal, giving Gagne his deal (instead of taking him to arbitration again), Scott Erickson, and Jim Tracy.

However, it would have been nice to see DePo spend 120 mils per year on payroll, with a loaded farm system, as opposed to Ned.

I wouldnt be surprised after this season (if Ned is let go), that another stat oriented GM is given the job. It was widely reported that the McCourts love the Boston Red Sox, so why not run the Dodgers exactly like them...?

239
Frank desperately wanted Theo Epstein before he hired Ned.

225 Sorry.

Paranoidandroid does the same thing to me.

239 I would add extending Odalis Perez to that list.

239

Imagine if they really did hire Cashman. Aside from that, I have no problem with the Dodgers trying to out-Boston Boston.

Do we consider Brian Cashman a "stat-oriented" GM?

239

No wait, let's give the job to MOSE!!! Mose I tell you! Maybe he can hire Dwight as a "special bears and beets" consultant.

242 - sure, if the statistic is how much money you have to spend on payroll. :-)

239 Signing Julio Lugo for 4 years, giving Drew a 5 year deal, re-upping Schilling for another year despite injury concerns. Resigning Mike Lowell at his age.

They win but a lot has to do with having 2 of the best offensive forces in baseball in Manny and Big Papi. Some teams have one, most have none but not too many have two players who can OPS over .900 on their team.

I think statistical analysis helps and surely they do more but I also think they employ a lot of what is called old school baseball methods and they are subject to same flaws and hiccups as everyone else.

239 240
Now you're talking. Do the McCourts have enough money to hire away Bill James? Is there enough money in all of Los Angeles?

Maybe I'm just convincing myself McCourt is entirely unpredictable because I'm unwilling to give up hope that something like this is still possible.

238 Maybe they're going to re-name it... Carl's Jr Stadium or something else COMPLETELY suitable.

239 DePo didn't hire Jim Tracy. And if riding a hot NRI (Erickson) for a few starts longer than necessary is one of a GM's worst moves, then it's safe to say that GM was doing a pretty good job.

Some other bad DePo moves you omitted:
1) Giving Dave Roberts away for nothing of value
2) Non-tendering Werth
3) This one, I think, is his worst move as a GM -- refusing to take Victorino back from the Phillies for $25,000.

248 Ned non tendered Werth. I think every DePo move is totally defendable except the Victorino one.

245 They also have some good pitching. They have drafted pretty well too.

249 Stupid me... this whole time I thought that was DePo. In my defense, it happened less than a month after Colletti was hired.

Now the conversation is back where it belongs.

Where's Steve?

231 And yet we have the highest incarceration rate in the developed world. Curious.

245--Lugo was a dumb move, but I think every other move there is rather defensible. Lowell and Drew are still good players. Its not uncommon that large market teams will pay more in years just so they have a talented player in the near term. The problem is when you give 5 year deals to guys you wouldnt even want on your team for 1 year (Pierre).

241--Considering Odalis' age and track record up to the point that he was signed, I dont think it was a bad deal at the time. 3/24 mils for a pitcher that was 27yrs old coming off a great year. His age situation and contract extension wasnt that different than Penny's.

ah yes, the Victorino incident (sp?)

As a cheap-seat lover and someone who avoids stadium criticism, what's wrong (was wrong?) with the lower seats? I was thinking of splurging for some for my father's day, but you all have me cautious now.

234 Supposedly about the next round of stadium renovations.

245
I think statistical analysis is what hurt them when it came to signing Lugo. They saw that he had been putting up good numbers the last couple years in a bad park in Tampa.

At least he is getting on base this year. As of right now, their deal with Drew is not much of an issue. In a few years, Drew's contract could be decent for his production value. Plus, the Red Sox can afford to eat bad contracts if they have to.

256 The old ones were not aligned to watch baseball, unless you like sitting at a severe angle. They fixed it the following year. Aside from the price, have not heard much about them in a negative way since then.

This is a random question for you. I have been thinking about it for over a year and now that the ESPN driven controversy over whether Joba Chamberlain should be starting now...

Should the Dodgers ever consider moving Broxton to the starting rotation? Wasn't he a starter for part of his career in the minors?

260--I've been on the Broxton to starter, Kemp to CF, LaRoche to 2b thing forever.

Broxton used to be a starter, but the Dodgers scouts dont think he has the endurance to last. With an arm like his, its too bad they never let him really try. Its probably not that late in his career to back starting, but he has said in interviews that he likes pitching in the bullpen.

There's something to be said for making Broxton a starter. However, two things would convince me to leave him where he is:
1) He gained 4-6 mph on his fastball when he moved to the pen, and
2) He has expressed an emphatic preference for being a reliever.