I didn't even get a chance to get LAT'd

The early Macs had some pretty silly software you could get for them. One was a thing called Talking Moose where you could type in a phrase and it would play it back in this robottie Bullwinkle voice. Well, a friend of mine had a 3-year-old daughter at the time and she was sitting by the Mac so we typed in "Hello Martha" in talking Moose. When it re-played through the Mac, she started crying. We asked her what was wrong and she said "I don't like the moose talking about me".

We use that phrase now anytime we don't like something someone says.

What I get for such an entertaining game yesterday: My NFL team drafts a center.

Hopefully we get another fun one tonight.

I haven't seen this Robin Hood, but I could probably quote most of the screenplay of the animated Disney version from memory.

Edwin Jackson's done after seven innings, five hits, and one run. He cannot win the game.

A B.J. Upton double is the only thing preventing Clay Buchholz from pulling a Clay Buchholz.

Robin Hood is great, I agree with Jon. Watch, Tivo, rent previous season.

From previous thread, to trainwreck, yah, we got our guy with the first pick so I'm happy. The second one seemed kind of a head scratcher, though. But maybe they just like that WR. They coulda had DeSean Jackson! Oh well. And no third round picks.

Go Dodgers! Will only be watching sporadically. But as long as they have the gnome around I feel fairly confident.

3 Swell, now I have the theme tune running through my head.

Lineup per Tony Jackson:

SS Furcal
LF Pierre
RF Kemp
2B Kent
C Martin
1B Loney
CF Jones
3B DeWitt
RH Penny

Ethier is the odd man out tonight, Matt Kemp bats third. Apparently the name of the game is speed at the top of the lineup, although if speed were the sole determinant, I think we'd see

Pierre
Furcal
Kemp
Martin
Dewitt
Loney
Kent
Penny
Jones

Pierre vs LHP Redman is idiotic.

It's amazing how much difference the lefty-righty thing can make. For example:

Jones
vs. LH: .316/.409/.632/ 1.041
vs. RH: .121/.215/.155/.371

8 - Redman is allowing a .348 average against lefties this year. Pierre is 3 for 6 lifetime against him. Mark Redman was an all-star when he pitched for the Royals in 2006, and he had a WHIP of 1.587 that year.

the dodgers are behind the o's @ chisox tonight on the extra innings package, and they are in the top of the 8th. there is no way that game will end before vin says "it's tiiiiiiime for dodger baseball".

6 Robin Hood and Little John a-walkin' through the forest
Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day...

Chan Ho Park is striking out 2.4 batters per 9 innings.

11 Last night the same thing happened when the TB-Boston game went long. They were very conscientious about switching the game to a different station so nobody would miss anything.

Robin Hood, Robin Hood riding through the glen
Robin Hood, Robin Hood with his band of men
Feared by the bad, loved by the good
Robin Hood... Robin Hood.

the indemand folks saved the day. our game has been moved to a free channel; game 11, for the comcast folks.

13 - Chan Ho Park is giving up 2.4 Chan Ho's per 9 innings as well.

Disney's Robin Hood is one of the best of its era. Roger Miller as the rooster is fantastic. Second best Disney music to The Jungle Book, only because the Bear Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You are two of my all time favorite songs.

Was at the game last night and attempted my first scorecard ever. What a game to try that. I think I did a pretty good job considering. I always thought runs scored on a wild pitch were unearned, but according to the box score, they count (which makes more sense to me. If it's the pitchers fault, it's his fault).

Statistics

ERA
Chan Ho Park: 3.00
Chad Billingsley: 6.53

FIP (Per fangraphs)
Chan Ho Park: 7.93
Chad Billingsley: 4.28

17
Chan Ho is also giving up 15.6 walks and hits per 9 innings.

Something tells me his 3.00 ERA isn't gonna last very long.

I'm shocked to see Jomes back in, although I guess that is what should be expected from a bruised calf. I was going to say that I felt OK with Nomar and Jones out, because with the current Dodgers young players will get to play, who may win, or will get experience.

As for Kent, he really always does what's expected of him, and I won't complain about .280, 80 RBI's, although the range is a bit tough.

19
What's "FIP"...?

1 Talking Moose was one of the few pieces of software I went out of my way to buy for my old Mac Plus. Of course, I was in college at the time so many of the things I had it say were Rule 1 violations in letter or in spirit, but it was great fun. Huh. I think I actually miss it, now that I think about it.

18 Igive the edge to Robin Hood. Terry Thomas and Peter Ustinov were comedy gold. The music in Jungle Book was better though.

As for the scorecard, there's only one thing you need to make it work: WW

22 - Fangraphs does not definine it in its glossary, but here's the Hardball Times' definition:

Fielding Independent Pitching, a measure of all those things for which a pitcher is specifically responsible. The formula is (HR*13+(BB+HBP-IBB)*3-K*2)/IP, plus a league-specific factor (usually around 3.2) to round out the number to an equivalent ERA number. FIP helps you understand how well a pitcher pitched, regardless of how well his fielders fielded. FIP was invented by Tangotiger.

Vin Reference Watch for tonight: John Milton

Is FIP different from DIPS...?

And "The Solution" makes his presence known...way to go!

Beachball "will be humanely destroyed" by security, according to Jeff Kingery.

27 - it is actually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_independent_pitching_statistics

Huzzah! Atkins is one of the most underrated players in Denver.

31 It wasn't a bad pitch either.

Gameday tells me that Garrett hit that a long way.

On a related note, I'm getting the feeling that Penny's peripherals are catching up with him this season.

Well, that inning could've gone better. Although it's kind of typical of Penny if he's going to struggle to struggle in the first. But, boy, it sure would be nice to know the bullpen was going to get a rest until late in the game for once.

Hope the Dodgers have that gnome handy.

The other difference between DIPS and FIP is I know where to look up FIP.

Please Juan, take some pitches

I was going to ask about the Rockies announcer's who I seem to be stuck with, but I know everything I need to know.

33 You don't have to go to anything as sophisticated as peripherals to follow Penny . Last year he threw 95-96, this year 92-93. I am being slightly unfair, because tonight as he gets warm he may be over 95.
Lets see.

37 From what I've seen, pitchers tend to throw slower for their first 15 pitches.

Enough with the wild pitches already. Geez.

ok, I admit it. having pierre on base is a big deal.

I wish he was on base more.

Kemp's plate coverage has really improved since the beginning of the season.

38 What I say.

Nice bit of martyrdom there from Kemp.

in play, run? Did Matt Kemp hit his knee with the bat?

36 40

And that's JP's game in a nut shell.

37 - Yeah, and he also lost some control after the all-star break in 06 when he was throwing 98

Im calling it. They try to pitch him outside and he doubles the opposite way

he's throwing hittable first pitch strikes . . .

Redman has topped out at 85 MPH thus far.

45 Absolutely. Its interesting that if "hard worker/world series winner" wasn't in question and he signed the contract for the roll that should be expected of him (4th/5th OF, pinch runner) he'd be a niche fan-favorite. (think of dave roberts brief tenure in boston). Alas, Ego slays things completely.

The best song from Robin Hood.

In Russian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZNMPAu2qgI&feature=related

Ah James that was your pitch. Oh well, walks good. Cmon Andrew, work a walk

48 - but making him throw 25 pitches to walk the bases loaded is more fun.

hittable pitch, andruw!

Pretty soon you have got to swing at some of the meatballs this guy throws for his first pitch.

51 It's even more lugubrious in Russian. As you'd expect.
Between Redman's pitching and this song, I feel like jumping in front of a bus.

RBI #4 for Andruw Jones.

Redman is terrible. Not only is it amazing that he's a major league pitcher, but he's a starter for the defending league champions.

Take that pitch Andruw...a walk the way you're hitting is a think of beauty.

Oh yes, let Penny decide this!

way to go, dewitt!!

The Solution cannot be denied

Lucky his bat broke. Would have been the end of the inning if it hadn't.

Dodger sweep, on its way.

Scuse me while I check the transit schedules.

penny is even in on this!

Send me down, willya? sez DeWitt.

Thanks. Now that's a good Penny.

Hu is that Dewitt fella?

63

Luck is part of the game isn't it?

heh. maybe we don't suck after all.

yay, batting around

Cmon Pierre, no mercy

first pitch meatball strike, and of course pierre took it.

I don't like to be a reactionary, but I think, maybe, this Mark Redman character may not be very good at baseball.

With JP back at the plate, that's once through the order, when's the last time that happened for the Dodgers?

well, thank heavens. HBP.

Too bad we have to preserve Penny at third.

70 Yes luck is a big part, and it has killed us early this year. So it is prudent to remember that it can turn on a dime.

Oh, rule-1 violation.

he did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BISON!

The Bison says forgot this!!!

There you go Sam. Matt Kemp likes meatballs.

I saw that coming a mile away with those first pitches.

GRAND SLAM!

In one inning, Matt Kemp has 5 RBI

There's my bat speed, Bison.

HOly CoW!

If we were in Coors Field, I'd think the Rockies might still be in this game. I don't think Dodger Stadium works that way.

I am so happy for Kemp.

That's why we call him the Bison!

Kent's a bum.

Bison Power!

Am I the only one who feels bad for Mark Redman?

Nothing like a ten run inning to really destroy the starting pitcher's confidence!

good for kemp.

Oh yeah!

94 Yes

94. No, I feel bad for him. But I feel really good for the Dodgers

Mark Redman had a 5.23 ERA before the game.

94 I am thinking . . . yes.

This Matt Kemp guy seems to have potential. I think we should put him in the lineup every day.

94 Other than Mark Redman, yes.

This is a lot of fun.

Who knew Ethier was the one dragging down the offense?

Redman gets paid one million dollars a year to do this.

No sympathy required.

102 I don't know. He has a lot of problems with breaking pitches.

Um, did anyone else notice we just rallied for nine runs with two outs?

Bison on the loose.
That's the Matt Kemp that I'm talk'n about.

104 - I think it's more that we just need to face more Mark Redmans.

When do we face Mark Hendrickson?

92 - Woden325 needs to be all over that apostrophe.

94 - I was feeling bad for him . . . then I thought of how the bad the Rockies whipped us last September.

What is the Dodger record for RBI in one game?

(I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but still).

105 Good point. Of course, this now means that Pierre will play tomorrow.

And of course everyone noticed Kemp hit the slam off of a curveball. He really threw his hands at the ball first and whipped the bat through the zone. Nice to see.

112 - 9. It is held by Gil Hodges and James Loney.

Jeepers Penny, could you just throw it over the plate----thank you.

Kemp's blast came on a 69 MPH pitch.

I'm pretty sure he faces more heat from Tommy during BP.

In my mind the really big hit of the inning was Dewitts. He kept the inning alive and brought home 2 runs taking over for Nomore's hot bat.

The timing on Vin's call is absolutely perfect.

110 I'm too busy drowning my sorrows.

Gnome power?

119 I wish I got that rather than the Rockies broadcast.

Every Dodger scored at least one run in the first inning.

119 It will likely show up on the MLB highlights. "Matt Kemp does not have a grand slam yet" and about half a second later he swings the bat. Had a very prophetic tone when he said Yet.

OK, Penny's fastball is back to normal compared to his last outing.(speed)

Hot Wheels Power!

posting from the front row behind the Rockies dugout. Enjoying this more than the guys directly in front of me.

I really like scoring 10 runs on 6 hits. We should do that more often.

I wonder if Redman picked up any tips watching that neat 1-2-3 inning.

Inspired basketball by the Atlanta Hawks tonight....what a game.

Some of you have Vin! Lucky dogs.

107 Technically, didn't we score all ten runs with two outs? Kemp was out before Pierre scored the first run, though Kemp's plate appearance was with one out. I guess it's a matter of what the definition is.

113

As Martha would say "and that's a good thing".

I wonder if Redman picked up any tips watching that neat 1-2-3 inning

Tip #1: Throw 10 MPH faster.

132 - yeah, I think we were talking about 2 out RBIs.

Good call.

123-Has that ever happened before for the Dodgers in the first inning? Bob?

Good time for research. I alway complain that the offense shuts down when they get a big lead. Heres a chance to see, with an obviously ineffective pitcher.

Oh, a strike. Be still my beating heart.

LOL! the CO announcers just noticed that it took 35 minutes for the first inning.

136 - Bob is at the Mozart clarinet concert.

Redman's ERA stands at 9.14 now. Up four and change in one inning.

There's that Hu's not on 3rd business from Vin. I hear this a lot. What are the whatever behind it?

142 - Who's on first, what's on second, I don't know's on third.

I'm late to the "Woohoo Bison Strength™" party, but woohoo!

143 I saw Hu play in AAA. I was just itching for him to get a single or a walk in order to make that joke. Didn't happen.

143 Or it could be the fact that he's never played the position.

Vin Reference Watch
John Milton
Abbott and Costello (i know it happens a lot, but it counts!)

145 It's a good thing.

Gameday has decided that there is no need to follow this game.

149 Who can blame it?

I don't know----I know --third. Anyone who hasn't watched the A+C routine lately, google it. It is still great.

Games like this for the Dodgers make my heart sing.

Upon further review, I misheard and no reference to A&C was made by Vin. he's due for some sort of reference soon, after starting so strong.

I always hear about players on that side of the spectrum being able to move from short to third. But not with Hu.

146 - Then Vin should say "Hu has not played 3rd, yet".

Vin's a blast to listen to. I remember last year during Barry Bonds' run-up to the record, He came up to bat, you heard the boos, and Vin said; "Hark! Bonds approacheth."

kemp's great performance is more bad news for pierre.

154 Everything seems to speed up when you're at third -- the ball just comes at you faster. It does take some getting used to, although a good middle infielder like Hu should be able to handle it -- eventually.

OBP Ticker
Andruw: .281
Pierre: .340
Kemp: .320
Ethier: .402

Figures I'd miss the Bison's grand salami to eat dinner. Curse the human need for sustenance!

Was it a thing of beauty?

154 - Yeah, Nomar did it, in a fashion. Ni modos, we have the Solution.

DeWitt and The Bison are two players that I really enjoy watching.
DeWitt is focused at all times.
That was a nice pick that he just made.

157 When will it start being bad news for Jones? Pierre is at least doing what he was hired to do.

Holy shucks, Penny may find that by not trying to think, he could throw less pitches and maybe go more than six.

[156} I tried to listen to vin while watching the broadcast, but the time delay was too severe.

Vin Reference Watch
John Milton
Frank Perkins/Carl Cramer

160 - Yes, t'was a thing of beauty. Punctuating Vin's "yet".

As Professor Farnsworth would say, Good news everyone. The Giants are losing 7-4. I know everyone is worried about them so I thought I'd pass that along.

The Dodgers' 15-run first inning:

http://tinyurl.com/455p8y

154 That assumes they practice the position.

We got a good Penny. I think it was F. Zappa, a definite west coaster who said " don't you do no thinkin, just go on with your drinkin, and drive home in your Lincoln" Nothing personal or derogatory implied. Just an attempt at humor.

Shew! Thank goodness Tulo's not pitching.

Have to give Redman some credit for gutting this out, knowing they can't blow out their bullpen again so early. Give him props for playing past the pain of the first inning.

Uh-oh. Kerwin's one of the good Umps.

170 That's the thing though. I would assume they would practice him there since we have two 3b down. But I'm hearing Hu can't play third. Does that mean they did practice him there and he was bad? It's just odd to me.

We going to need a new Ump. Hope it isn't serious.

no one commented on it, so in case you missed it...

after Kemp's slam, Russell Martin, Blake DeWitt, and James Loney were jumping on and bouncing off each other in the dugout in celebration. Just fun to see the enthusiasm of those guys. Must be a blast for those that came up together to see each other make the bigs and have success.

I hope the ump is okay

Unfortunately that was a Penny 96.

Okay, just when I really think I now have seen it all... that was just bizarre. I hope he's okay. Where did that hit the ump? Man, he's still down, too.

was there a streaker?

jeeez. they are bringing the cart.

181 no, the ump caught one flush on the mask. I think it knocked him out.

ok, never mind. I guess Mr. Danley is ok then.

180 The radio guys said that it hit him right on the chin.

or would gameday not show if the ump is out for the game?

are they showing this on tv? He is not moving.

Hit the Cage. Even spread out over the whole face, a hardball at 96 is dangerous.
I was almost maimed by a pitch at a batting cage that was in the high seventies.

martin didn't even get a mitt on it. it just nailed the ump right on the chin.

I just logged on and was about to post about how thrilled I was to see a 10-run inning for the Dodgers. Seeing the umpire take a 96-mph fastball to the neck kinda dampened my spirits. Hope he's ok.

175 - Someboy better be taking grounders at third, Hu or Pee Wee, given that we only have two catchers (well, two and one-half) and one is currently the back-up 3rd baseman.

187 yes, they are. it is a bad looking scene.

187 The trainers and paramedics would try and keep him from moving. Hopefully it's that, rather than he can't move.

Hopefully it just knocked him out and he'll be up and at 'em soon. But that was a bit scary. Never seen an ump flat on his back like that for that long. Penny looked like he felt really bad.

So... Uh...

Three surreal games in a row for the Dodgers? I guess using the gnome for good offense comes with a high price.

oh, my. his wife is at the game. how horrible.

Ambulance is on the field. They've immobilized his neck from what I can tell.

His mother has come down from the stands onto the field.

Oh jeez, his mom is there and saw it.

The paramedics cut his chest protector open. Yikes.

196 was it his mother? the CO broadcast guys said it was his wife.

whatever the case, it has to be horrible.

Vin says its his mother.

classy of the DS crowd to give him an ovation.

prayers out for Kerwin Danley.

Would the Steve Yeager neck-guard thing have helped...?

Was there any positive sign from him at all? I saw that he moved a bit was good, but a thumb's up or something?

Penny's gotta be totally distracted now.

It looks like he had a neck protector, but it didn't cover enough area. It looked like it hit him on the neck just outside the protector.

Or not.

202 - Probably, but they are nice enough not to keep showing it.

I imagine just about everyone is totally distracted now.

So I guess Delaney is en route to the hospital?

Penny does seem to be keeping the ball down.

I never would have thought that seeing something like that would upset me so much.

Penny and Martin looked devastated. But Penny is still throwing strikes.

he was talking, but not moving his extremities.
what a scary sight.

203 - Saw no sign. Vin should be getting some info from the field.

martin looked pretty upset. he was crossed up on the pitch, and probably feels responsible.

Baseball is a scary game. I never liked getting hit by the ball, the fear of which prevented me from really playing the game correctly.

What a weird couple of games.

They keep showing that deer head and Vin keeps talking about it. Gives me the creeps. Wasn't there a Rockies player involved in a deermeat incident?

Did Jones drop the ball taking it out of his glove? I turned my head for a second and looked back just in time to see him picking the ball up off the ground.

213 I was a pitcher who had a fear of hitting people. So I was pretty much doomed as a player.

215 That would be Clint Barmes. Broke his collarbone while carrying a bunch of venison up the stairs. Never played quite the same.

214 baseball. you have never really seen everything. until the next game.

215 - yep, Barmes.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2081549

Man, that was gruesome. I hope he's OK.

It's really three weird games in a row for the Dodgers. When will the surreality end? Probably not with Loiaza pitching tomorrow.

another broken bat. mapleroids!

I hope the neck thing is just a precaution. It could be, for my daughter was in a minor car crash where the EMT's imobilized everyones(5) neck. The final result was two foot injuries.

My beaning occured when working for GE, I often ate lunch with a friend and then we would both take a turn at the local batting cage. On the fast machine, a ball slipped and luckily I turned so as to expose my rear. It hit me in the meatiest place and for several weeks I carried a bruise that showed in hi-def every stitch on that ball.
The only near casualty was my friend, who laughed so hard he fell to the ground and almost couldn't breathe in time. He said the picture of my bat going one way and my helmit going the other, along with me trying to crawl away from the range of the still thowing machine was too amusing to resist. I'm not sure I ever really forgave him.

Back in the day, when was Ladies Night? Saturday's?

Apparently, Penny chalked up his 1000th K when he struck out Ianetta. Good for him.

But yeah, I really feel bad about 181. Can it be stricken from the record?

Back in the day, when was Ladies Night?
When the feeling's right.

Kerwin Danley: Coherent, conscious, breathing on his own. At Good Samaritan Hospital, according to KOA

The report is that Danley was mostly conscious after the beaning and moved his legs and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

227 Dude, don't sweat it. The ump is okay.

Penny: 5 innings 70 pitches. Maybe without stress he can go seven.

Offense--against very hitable pitching has decided to do nothing for 4 innings. Interesting.

I think I'm going to turn in early tonight. Barring a Dodgers' bullpen meltdown of epic proportions, my guys are not getting back in this game.

Wonder if Redman outlasts Penny tonight.

Its very intersting that Redman has been totally effective for 4 innings. This principle I believe is more than a coincidense, I'veseen it with several teams.

231- How am I supposed to make any money selling sensitivity training seminars if you run around absolving people of guilt for saying things they couldn't have known might be regrettable?

Offense--against very hitable pitching has decided to do nothing for 4 innings. Interesting.

That's the thing about being patient at the plate, sometimes you take those when you want the sure walk, and also when you want to wear down the pitcher. The Dodgers could have been more aggressive in the first, but then that wouldn't have led to Redman throwing 45 pitches, or Redman continuing the same pattern and then Kemp blasting a grand slam.

I think Andruw was thinking walk every time he's gone up so far.

re: 235 I've always thought of it as a laws of average thing. You get 10 runs in an inning, it's just not likely that you'll keep scoring runs in the next few innings.

Kemp hit a hard liner to right field. Guys are still trying to get a hit for their own stats' sake. MLB pitchers, even the worst ones, just don't usually give up runs in inning after inning after inning. They make adjustments.

238 Redman would be a great pitcher if he could adjust that quickly to give up nothing.

Penny will also find a way to throw 100 pitches in seven innings, or maybe six if he is really consistant.

So it is true. Pitchers are consistant.

And there's also the Earl Weaver theory that most of the time you'll have a jackpot inning where you score more than the other team does all game.

236 Whoops. Sorry, Andrew.

Weaver had Palmer and a few others I recall :0)

242 - Yes, that's why it was pitching, defense, and 3 run homers, not 10 run rallies. :)

The D's couldn't get Redman out of there? He is stillin in the sixth. UnBe.

236 - Don't worry, I wasn't going to buy them anyway. At least I don't think I was going to. I didn't think I was gullible until I spent $7.50 for a Budweiser at the Nats stadium.

Vin is irritated.

244 The Dodgers could score 20 and Redmon would still be in there. He's taking one for the team.

Are you all dumb? Don't you read anything. Can you not pick up a newspaper and figure it out? What the hell is wrong with you people?

--Vin Scully

246 - What's he saying?

Pierre's transformation into an OBP machine continues apace.

249 Some inane poll question. Vin took exception.

I wasn't paying attention until Vin kind of got upset.

.345 OBP now for Pierre.

251 Geez, now I'm really curious.

252 Can he keep it up?

250 If Pierre was an OBP machine last year, he'd probably still be starting in centerfield.

245- That's just your male privilege talking. We'd work on that in section two.

Blake DeWitt is the greatest 3B of all time. There is now no question.

He is "The Solution" of course.

253 - Well, it is April. He's got 5 walks in 56 PA, he's gonna hit at least .290, and he is historically a better 2nd half player.

So I think Pierre can keep up at least a .345 OBP on the year.

Shimmin is starting to remind me of Frank TJ Mackey from Magnolia.

Nice grab by Andruw.

259 There's so many things I could say, but they would be deleted.

The many pancakes Andruw ate during the off season cushioned that pancake flop in the outfield. In fact I'm pretty sure he wipes the sweat from his brow with a pancake, minus the syrup.

not sure how adjusting after giving up 10 runs would make one a great pitcher. Why would we expect a pitcher to not be able to record outs? As bad as he may be, his talent level is a little better than a guy who would give up 10 runs and then keep on giving up runs.

253 The question something like who is off to the best start, Furcal, Chipper, or Utley. Since it was a Dodger audience the vote was something like 90% Furcal. Vin was chastizing us for being homers and not knowing about Chipper.

255 - There are bathroom jokes I want to make here but feel that I shouldn't dig my self into a deeper hole with my rock climbing experience.

261- Finally the rules start working in my favor!

looks like I missed a great first inning, that's a bit unfortunate.

I have Brad Penny on my fantasy team, so thank goodness for DeWitt and Andruw there. In my league, we use quality starts instead of wins. It makes seventh innings quite exciting.

258 This may be completely wishful thinking. But is it possible that Pierre, now that he no longer has the comfort of knowing that he'll be penciled into the lineup every day, can develop a more disciplined approach at the plate that will result in more walks? Or is Slappy too old of a dog to learn this new trick?

256 - is it too early to start the Blake DeWitt Gold Glove Campaign?

After a bit of a rough start, it sure is nice to have the old Russ Martin back.

264 Good for Vin. It's unbelievable how many people don't realize that Chipper is one of the best 3B in history. He's on a real short list with Schmidt and Rodriguez. Any others I forgot?

272 - my dad is found of telling me that Frank Robinson was one of the best third baseman that he ever saw. Also Harman Killabruw.

273 Do you mean Brooks Robinson?

273 - check that, not Frank Robinson

273 Frank or Brooks? Brooks was a good fielder, but not much as a hitter.

274 - yes, Brooks, not Frank

I tend to mix up names on occasion

Pee Wee!

Eddie Mathews was probably up there too.

Pee Wee!

Give that kid some starts.

269 Sure it's possible. And it would be a good thing, too, so it will be easier to trade him before the deadline.

The Solution just missed a dinger.

I would argue Mike Schmidt is the best third baseman in history.

Young. I like it. He had nothing invested with this lead, and so he had something to gain with a hit. And what a nice swing he has. As does Dewitt.

282 Vin sure is high on Delwyn.

I see young having a long career as a pinch hitter.

280 - it looked like a home run on my screen, funky angle, I guess

264 - Chipper hasn't been an All-Star since 2002, partly due to TBS backing off its national audience, and partly due to his injury run from 2004 on.

It's unfortunate, though, as Chipper continues to produce - he's hitting .430, has an OPS+ of 215 right now, and is 7 shy of 400 career homers. Pretty good first overall pick in 1990.

281 I would agree, but Chipper is very close and has 4 or 5 years left at least.

Welp I need to head to bed soon for an early soccer game in the AM. Hope I can assume this game is put to bed, too; don't want to hear about the Great Bullpen Collapse of '08.

How is it that the Dodgers have scored 11 runs in seven innings and only Penny has two hits? That seems a bit odd

289 - Letting the seemingly hittable pitch go by to watch 4 pitches nowhere near the strike zone.

Kemp hogged 5 of those runs.

287 - 5 years? With his injury history? I'm not saying he's Nomar, but Chipper Jones has had issues with his foot for a few years.

How should we feel about Redman throwing 6 consecutive scoreless innings against us.

292 - he could spend a couple of years as a DH and part time third baseman.

290 - interesting

293 You should feel nothing. 10 runs in the first inning. A near death in another inning. There is nothing to take away from Redmon's subsequent innings.

so 1- Schmidt
2- Jones

Bobby Bonilla somewhere down here?

lol, fine Gen3, I'll give in. The Dodgers forgot how to hit, and they are not trying anymore. They want to get out.

293
Good. The Dodgers quit taking pitches and trying to extend him. His picth count really went down after the first inning.

Meanwhile-DeWitt makes another nice play in the field.

the rockies also stopped walking hitters, the catcher remembered how to catch, shattered bat singles stopped occuring, and Penny quit hitting grounders just under Troy's glove.

Redman threw 5 consecutive scoreless innings, not 6, and LA scored another run in the 7th.

Kemp has hitten the ball hard his last two at-bats but hasn't anything to show for them. I think he's going to give the ball a ride this time around.

I like my Pierres well rested.

That was a homerun in Pierreland...

302 "Hitten"? I can tell it's getting late out here on the East Coast.

Hitten is what you call a recently born hat.

301 Never mind.

(304 actually should have linked to 301 instead of 302 .)

Wow, I stepped out a minute and the Dodgers eighth was over. This is typical of lop-sided games, but still mkes me uneasy. I guess I'm a hopeless pessimist.

The vote swings in Chipper's favor.

Vin wields his power like a modern day Andrew Jackson.

We'll see if Kemp is hiiten again tomorrow. The last time he hit one out, he sat out the next game vs. Az.

305 I laughed.

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/967422.html#308 what poll are you talking about?

Woah; that first pitch to tulip looked like a strike.

We win!

It always seems to be late on the East coast. But it sure helps if we are winning.
Its the difference between a foggy good feeling and torture.

I'm for Kemp to be hitten again tomorrow.:0)

314 I'd rather see him hitten than sitten [sic.].

All time 3B: please don't forget George Brett, Eddie Mathews, and Wade Boggs. Chipper's defense is fairly bad, so Chipper probably would take 4th behind Schmidt, Mathews, and Brett.

The Dodgers have scored 8 or more runs in four of their last six games.

A positive sign after the paltry offensive performance in Atlanta last weekend.

Did Vin really say "What the hell is wrong with you people?" Wowza.

Well I'm sure glad we got to the game on time. Would have been a drag to have missed the first inning. Fun and strange night. Kemp GS was awsome. The poor umpire really got his bell rung. The way he fell back I think he was out before he hit the ground. His poor wife was there and she looked really shook up. I don't know how much they showed but it was scary. I thought he was seriously seriously hurt. Not sure what happened to Russel Martin there-looked like he was expecting something down and in. Nice play in the OF by Jones but the Dewitt play just before it was better. Nomar never would have made that play. Nice two hits by Penny and Pierre deserves his due for the steal and hit in the first.

I have to confess I only ate one hot dog, shared a bag of peanuts and had a couple of beers. I figured at 10-2 after the firsr Druw didn't need my support.

318 I might have embellished a tad.

Artistic license and all that.

I wonder if thats the first time a team has scored 10+ runs where only the pitcher had multiple hits.

318- No, he didn't really say that.

D'oh.

So what did I miss? I was listening to B(r)uckner's 6th Symphony, which hit well for average, but didn't have as much power as I liked and the woodwinds didn't get on base enough. But the strings were hard to get out.

320 Wish I could get a youtube'd recap--ah well.

The only time I have seen him overly agitated in the past was a ramble against Todd Helton (I believe it was a sunday afternoon game three or so years ago against colorado) where he talked about how overwhelmingly Coors Field had inflated his stats.

Somehow that led to "You know what else I don't like? Ichiro's hit record chase." He then went over why the Chase wasn't fair to Sisler's season.

324 I heard Bruckner's symphony was going well until a Wagner opera marched in and stole the show. Some of the Bruckner fans were quite happy with it, but others fled to listen to Verdi.

And I'm reading Manhunt while watching Freaks and Geeks. Daniel and Bob should both be happy.

What's the deal with Verdi? I was going to hear the L.A. Phil? Not the L.A. Opera.

I don't pick the program. If you don't like the selections on my season ticket package take it up with the Finn.

Looks like I missed an exciting game... or atleast an exciting half inning. The Dodgers are now in 2nd place.
Go Dodgers
Go Ray$
vr, Xei

Um...I wasn't remotely serious. It was a weak WWII joke. You know, Austrians and Germans and the like. Going over the Alps.

Wow.

329
I thought you just liked Verdi a lot.

Asking who's better between Chipper Jones and Mike Schmidt is sort of like asking who's better between Frank Robinson and Babe Ruth. Sure, Frank Robinson's great and all, but Babe Ruth is Babe Freaking Ruth.

Through age 35 (i.e. Jones' 2007 season), Schmidt had more games played than Chipper, and had a significantly better OPS+ (151 to 143). Schmidt also won 10 Gold Gloves and was one of the five or six greatest defensive 3Bs of all time, while Chipper was one of the worst glove men ever to spend most of a career at third base.

It's really not remotely close. The only way Chipper will ever catch Schmidt is if he starts using the cream and the clear and hitting 73 home runs a year for the next six or seven years.

329 I have had many a night of miscommunicated internet sarcasm. Tis never fun. Darn these series of tubes, he says.

Did someone forget to send the memo to the Giants that they are supposed to suck. I can't decide whether to give them early props for not totally sucking or ridicule them for not bringing Barry back which would have made them a lot better.

I think I'll stick with door #2.

Pat Cowan got a standing ovation (as did Ben Olson) at the spring scrimmage, I laters saw a nice line of fans standing in line to get autographs and pictures with Pat.

Sad to say that appears that Cowan will never play again at the Rose Bowl.

A much bigger crowd than expected, 15,500 at the scrimmage, and I was still able to get out of Lot H with no problem.

Stat of the day-

Brad Penny:

ERA 2.89
AVG 3.08

Howie taught his kid to be a old school rookie.

"I will have to earn whatever I get," Long said. "There are guys that have been busting their tails there, and make no mistake about it, my first order of business is to come in and try to work hard and earn the respect of the veterans and learn from them."

I forgot what a good job Ben Foster did as Eli.

Ben Foster Trivia: What fairly well know business does his father own?

Makes me want to re-watch Six Feet Under. How I miss that show.

338 I still can't find this. Did find that apparently his favorite quote is from a Perfect Day for Bananafish, one of my absolute favorite pieces of literature.

338 Foster's Freeze?

/No clue

I curse the person who has sent me on a quest to find a game where a team scored 10 runs with only the pitcher getting more than one hit.

I'm all the way back to 1987.

Rewatching my Simpsons classic era DVDs, and the first google result for "there's a haircut you can set your watch to" is none other than truebluela.

http://tinyurl.com/5ll8k5

Made me laugh.

Lucky Strike Bowling

I found out what the business was, but I'd never heard of it.

344. Its a national chain of high end bowling alleys. In LA there is one in the Hollywood and Highland complex. There's also one in Torrance.

345 - Lucky Strike?

334 - What do you think about DC's return?

346 - ... Please ignore the first half of that comment. I'm an idiot.

344 It's like an upscale bowling place. There are lanes, but also really nice bars and couches and tables. It's more like a club that has bowling alleys. Cute little birds waiting tables and tending bar.

I've heard.

I know, the other thread is closed and I'm a little late on this: but what's with the vehemence re Kareem's memory of Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn? My first game (age 4) was at Ebbets Field. We moved out here in '58. My Dad told me we had to follow the Dodgers. And that's my point, Kareem's memory was of the Dodgers. Whether it's Kareem's in Brooklyn or Cey's in LA, it's the same franchise. I'm certain I'm not the only Dodger fan who's spanned both cities. And while I'm here, what's up with the Roger Kahn hate missives? Did I miss something? Did he plagarize "Boys Of Summer" from James Frey? Or is it his dislike of Walter O'Malley, who, frankly, was not an honorable man, that annoys certain posters to the point of wishing him death? Chill. Kahn writes what he knows.

345 , 348 We're talking about two different businesses then. My haphazard Googling revealed a claim that it was a restaurant in Boston called Match: Burgers and Martinis.

349
On April 6, Kahn wrote a piece in the LA Times about the Dodgers move from a Brooklyn perspective and one major part of his story was refuted as being an outright lie by one of the principals.

Kahn wrote that Peter O'Malley sent Tommy Hawkins back to Brooklyn about 13-15 years ago to gauge the community's interest in a visit back to the area. And Hawkins reportedly told Peter O'Malley how much he was disliked.

Hawkins later wrote a letter to the editor to the Times stating that no such trip was ever undertaken by him.

Kahn also insisted back in 2000 that when Peter O'Malley sold the Dodgers that a group of buyers from Brooklyn were willing to buy the team and move it back to New York. However, to date, I have never heard the names of such people or why O'Malley would have agreed to such a deal or how MLB (let alone the Mets and Yankees) would have approved it.

Do you want to get in to Kahn's Pete Rose biography too?

349 You're overstating your case by quite a bit. There's no vehemence or death wishing going on here. Bob's "Dead to Me" list is not an indication that he actually seeks to make those people dead.

Anyway, the reason the Kareem commercial is ridiculous is that it's about his memories of the Brooklyn Dodgers, yet the whole anniversary push is about the Dodgers celebrating 50 years in L.A. It's specifically about the Los Angeles Dodgers only.

I'm going to give up on anger and go back to my normal passive-aggressive behavior. That's not as misunderstood as frequently.

I will let Eric be the calm yin to my tempestuous yang.

Ben Foster's father's name seems to be Stephen Foster. Lucky Strike Bowling is owned by Steven Foster.

Roger Kahn is just a harmless old guy who, when he's not busy drinking his lunch, adheres to the ethics and standards of sportswriting as they were when he came of age in the 1950s. Things were much more lax then than they are now. Back then you could make stuff up, or at least report stuff that you thought was true without actually knowing it to be true, and nobody would think anything of it.

Times have changed, but Kahn hasn't. That's his failing, but it doesn't make him worthy of the amount of derision Bob has heaped upon him. It also doesn't make him automatically a liar. If it's Kahn's word against Hawkins', I'm not sure why we should automatically jump to the conclusion that Kahn is the one who's lying.

Kahn wrote some good stuff over the years, including arguably the best baseball book ever written. Yeah, he wrote some bad stuff too. It happens. If an opinion piece he wrote for the L.A. Times at age 81 isn't quite up to snuff, I'm not going to freak out about it. I'm sure that when I'm 81, I'll probably do a lot of things worse than I do them now.

When angry Timmermann or Angry Enders are out, I find it best to keep one's head down and avoid eye contact.

Like they tell you to act in prison.

Nothing anyone has said here about Roger Kahn comes within 10 percent of the vitriol that Kahn has sent O'Malley's way.

Except the Boston Globe says his father is Steven Foster, owner of "Jillian's and Lucky Strike on Lansdowne Street."

http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2007/12/12/slam_dunk_santas/?page=2

351: I read about the Hawkins denial. But where's his proof (or Kahn's for that matter)? All we can really know, unless there are eyewitnesses, is that we have a "He said, he said" situation. Also, I have no information re the veracity of Kahn's claim about the other buyers. But it is common knowledge that MLB was wholeheartedly behind the Dodgers and Giants expansion to the West Coast. As for O'Malley, it's been well documented that he was detested in Brooklyn at the time. As for the present, I can't say, because every time I've been back, all I hear is Russian.
352. Re-read the post (I think it was yours) re Kahn's impending death; that was uncharitable to an old man who has lived and breathed this franchise all his life. And I think you're splitting hairs about the celebration being soley about the Dodgers in LA. While techinically true, we are constantly reminded by this administration of the Dodgers' history in Brooklyn. And don't forget Jersey City, where we played eight home games a year... And no, I didn't read Kahn's Rose biography. Frankly, who cares?

Lasorda meets the gnome:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers27apr27,1,838129.story

I've been 86'd from Jillian's and Boston Billiards on Lansdowne.

But I was in the Navy back then. You were supposed to get 86'd from places.

355. I apologize for implying it was you who was not going to be sorry when Kahn dies. It was another poster.

"What can the Dodgers expect from Ethier, Kemp, Loney and Billingsley over a full season? Joe Torre, the manager, has no idea.

"The track records that should have been established by now have not been, and the spring training that should have enabled him to evaluate the players was abbreviated for commercial reasons."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-bbcol27apr27,1,7934513,full.story

It's good thing that I haven't made my feelings about Dick Young made more widely known.

Compared to Young, Roger Kahn is the kindest, gentlest, bravest person I've ever met.

Bob and I are, I think, in accord on Dick Young.

He's probably down there in hell right now thinking up another one of his columns about how Jackie Robinson was a scourge upon mankind.

357. O'Malley Sr. deserves the vitrol. You don't need Kahn to document his history of deceit. His machinations are public record.
355. That's a huge unsubstantiated generalization about sports journalism in the 50s. Yeah, the writers protected the players re their private lives, but what examples do you have that editorial standards re the game itself were 'lax'? There was some great writing then. Bad writing too.

On a different note, the Dodgers scored 11 runs while leaving just 4 runners. Which would be impressive except that the Dodgers scored 11 runs against Pittsburgh last week and left just 2 runners.

In 1962 the Chicago White Sox scored 10 runs in a game and left nobody on base.
http://tinyurl.com/4fuh4a

Agreed re Dick Young. No more meanspirited a 'writer' ever graced a press box.

363 A great article I thought. This:

"That might not be an issue much longer. Torre said he has all but settled on Ethier, Jones and Kemp as his outfield, with Juan Pierre getting a few starts to stay sharp."

While apparent for a while, still makes me happy to see in print. Also, while not an ideal situation, the suggestion that we may have normalcy in a month or so makes me happy. I need to write up a post up on the art of buying a jersey--something I have never done for baseball (or authentic for football) for the fear of 'picking the wrong one'

I waited three years for Matt Kemp to hit a grand slam and it happened on a night when I missed the game. Thank heaven for replay. :-) After looking woeful the last time he came up with the bases loaded Kemp looked like a different hitter Friday night as I noted earlier. Also, after Friday's game as the players were walking off the field I noticed that Torre stopped Kemp and had a brief chat with him. I don't know happened between Wednesday and Friday but whatever they worked on I believe the Bison is ready to do some real damage.

Saw this quote in Bill Shaikin's Times column this morning, talking about how the D-Backs were allowed to rebuild, and that's why their young players have put it together so quickly, in contrast to the Dodgers:

Luis Gonzalez was here last year, so neither Andre Ethier nor Matt Kemp has had 450 at-bats in a season. Nomar Garciaparra was here, so James Loney has not had 350 at-bats in a season. Mark Hendrickson and Brett Tomko were here, so Chad Billingsley has not pitched 150 innings in a season.

What grabbed me about this quote is that I think it's the first time I've seen those kind of sentiments expressed in a mianstream news outlet. This stuff is old hat to any regular DT reader, but it was actually jarring to see it in the Times.

363 Wow, a insightful article from the LA Times. How come I've not read anything from Shaikin before? (besides that I live in Indiana)

372 Shaikin has been on the Times' Angel beat for years. He took over as the main baseball writer when Tim Brown went to Yahoo.

^And he's a good guy. Really just a friendly, smart person.

374
But enough about me. What's Bill Shaikin like...?

Things are looking up. My only surprise is that as hot as they are, Furcal and Martin don't bat 1-2 six days a week. I know Martin started out a bit cold, but with his on base skills and speed he really belongs there. I think they would give even the good pitchers in the NL west trouble early on in the game.

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/16572.html

NPUT