Wow, Depo even responds to comments.

DePodesta doesn't have the quote from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" quite right. I believe it's "Asps. Very dangerous. You go first."

Oh Bob. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtA1jqIJJDw

1

Not bad for such a horrible communicator.

4
Well, no one ever questioned Bloggle Boy's ability to communicate via computer...

3
I blame the Indiana Jones trailer I saw last night.

I'm worried about that film because in the trailer, Indiana Jones describes a "crystal skull, made out of solid gold."

How can something crystal be also made of gold?

I like our lineup today, with the exception of Furcal not playing. Nevertheless, I think we're gonna have a good day.

"You are old, Father William..." from "Alice."

With two exceptions every starter is half my age or younger.

I'm completely indifferent to the new Indiana Jones movie. In a couple of years when it's on TNT every weekend for a month, I might watch it. Or I might wait till three months after that, when it's on every weekend for a month, again.

Has anybody seen the new David Mamet movie? Do you have to care about these newfangled fighting games to like it?

Speaking of, they're running an Indy marathon backwards on USA. Temple of Doom is on right now and just started. "Dr. Jones, no time for love!"

I even misidentified the movie that DePodesta's blog is not named after.

I will go back to working on the NY Times crossword puzzle.

I guess it's not surprising that comments on Depo's blog must be approved by a moderator before showing up.

Amy Poehler played a hilarious Short Round last night on SNL.

wow so its youth movement day, this should be a very exciting game for all those excited about letting almost all the young guys take the field, myself included.

Anyway I'll be back around 1ish gonna focus on the lakers for about half an hour first.

Not a bad line-up. I only wish we had a different left fielder. Left field is a power position, not a dribbler position.

PeeWee!!!

6 "How can something crystal be also made of gold?" Hah. I thought the same thing when I heard that. Obviously, we're missing a key piece of information that will be explained in the film. Uh, right?

I'm so glad they brought back Karen Allen, and didn't bring back Kate Capshaw.

One of my colleagues said he used to be called "Short Round" as a kid, which he took in a positive way though it seems like it might be insulting.

Stupid naps. Never long enough.

I'm personally okay with Delwyn Young not getting that much playing time. He's never really going to be an everyday player, so he might as well get used to it now, right? Still, it's nice to see him at 2nd today; it'll definitely give Hu a chance to show off his range.

17

I knew a Short Round also. I think every school district had one when we were growing up.

Kate Capshaw was pretty bad, though I remember thinking she looked good in the red dress during the "Anything Goes" song.

IMO, the Dodgers would be better off with no GM rather than Ned!

DodgerThoughts for group GM!

Take that Bissinger!

From reading Depo's blog, one would get the idea that the Pads need a CF--just how bad do they need a CF I wonder.

Is Young so bad that Joe couldn't figure a way to play him at second until today?

Somewhere in the Times or Dodger web site it states that Dodgers continue to be at least open to a trade for a third baseman.

The Dodgers average age in today's lineup is 25.7. The Las Vegas lineup today is averaging an age of 27.4 and they are facing Jeff Weaver.

21 - Ned just needs time. I don't think it is anything physical. Leave him alone until he quits whiffing. Can't expect a new GM to come to a new team and put up historical numbers. Let Ned hit .168 for awhile.

Gack, I hate the Jazz fans. Boo everything -- from any hard foul, to anything Derek Fisher does (real classy) to any call that doesn't go their way. I really, really don't want the Lakers to lose this one today.

I really, really don't want the Lakers to lose this one today

They'll probably lose every game in Utah, but they should pull out the series in 7 games.

Those line drive outs by Beltran are now starting to find the fans and the gaps.

23 - IMHO it's a last resort type move. The didn't like the ST experiment, apparently, and with the injuries at third (Andy, Nomar, Abrue) decided that Hu needed to stay in the Bigs and that he would back up Kent. With Rafi still out and Kent needing a day off... he played there a little the other day during one of the blow outs.

27 - Looking like it. But Steven A. Smith predicted that, too, so I figured it was wrong.

21 22 I'm sticking with Branch Rickey. If McCourt had hired the deceased HOFer instead of Ned, our starting lineup would be:

C Martin (backup Navarro)
1B Loney
2B Kent
SS Hu
3B LaRoche
OF Kemp
OF Werth
OF Bradley? Repko? D Young?
P Penny/Lowe/Bills/Jackson/McDonald or Kershaw

Of course with the dead guy we would have never had Furcal, Saito, and Ethier. But on the other hand, we would have never had Tomko, Hendrickson, Lugo, Jones, Schmidt, Pierre, Baez, Gonzo, or Bennett either.

Could Jason Johnson be the starting pitcher for the Dodgers this Friday against the Angles? After a terrible start with Vegas, he has been very good in his last 4 starts.

BR would have gotten rid of Kent two years ago.

33 He certainly wouldn't have re-signed Nomar.

At least the Jazz PA person likes to blast Phil Collins on breaks. That is rockin' good stuff, very hep to what the kids are listening to.

LAT'd

To C.C., or not to C.C.?

Thoughts?

Looks like the Tampa Bay team grew up a year earlier then expected.
This is a team that could really use Barry Bonds. Fickle relief pitchers, they went from the worse relief staff in baseball to one of the best in one winter.

6 13 Well, the atoms of elemental gold do form a crystalline lattice, as do other metals such as iron, copper, lead, etc. So it is not technically incorrect to call gold a crystal.

No doubt that's the explanation the writers of the film had in mind. ;)

Upon further review, McCourt still would have gotten rid of Bradley, and with the same scouts in place, we'd have Ethier in left. Mr. Rickey's team looks even better.

Why do basketball teams commit so many more fouls on the road than they do at home? I guess we'll never know...

Go Milton Bradley! Another 2b today. What a fine baseball player.

He's clearly on top of his game when he can pick up Gerald Laird like he did the other day without injuring something.

40 Because the refs have butchered these calls the whole first quarter...

36 This team could use a certain amount of CC's of adrenaline. Not sure about CC Sabathia, though. He's another one of those "little girl with the curls" pitchers, as Vin would say. I'd rather not overpay for yet another pitcher soon on his downswing. But I have liked the guy in the past.

40 It's crunch time for Utah, they are really strapping down.

42 What do you mean? Can't you tell by the amount of booing from Jazz fans that the calls aren't going the Jazz' way?

And another thing! Why are they still called the Jazz? Is there a big bebop tradition in Salt Lake? Did Coltrane play there once? (Yeah, I know, really old rant, I'm pulling them out from my anti-Jazz files today.) Can't they just trade nicknames with the current New Orleans team?

Evidently Price is unaware that this is a playoff game.
What a bogus call by the refs. Is the girls basketball?

My last season as a Lakers fan was 98-99 (yeah, yeah, I chose a great season to stop, I know). One thing I do not miss is the agony of playoff series against Utah. This is really ugly.

I really don't think that was worthy of an ejection for Turiaf.

45
Coming from a LAKER fan that is just a silly question.

these refs are hopefully gonna lose their jobs after that big time mess up

The Lakers are so going to rip them up after this.

45 haha i assume that was sarcasm, but yea the jazz fans boo everything, they booed Fish, a playoff hero for taking care of his daughter.

The jazz fans are the most classless, and un knowledgable group of buffoons out there..

Wow, it's been a few years. I even rooted for them last year to beat Golden State, but I am back into full Utah Jazz hating mode now.

Did Kurt Rambis remind anyone what a hard foul feels like?

Utah. Jazz. The dissonance is enough to drive any fan base mad.

Snakes losing again.

52 Mos def sarcasm, yes.

Yeah, I really don't mind them incessantly booing Kobe, I mean, whatever, but booing Fisher everytime he comes in, every time he has the ball? Just classless.

That ejection of Turiaf was a joke. Was it because he said something afterwards? If it was for the foul itself, that's ludicrous.

Btw, nice first inning for Hiroki there, praise the lawd!

A scoreless first inning.

Things are looking up!

Odom's free throw shooting makes me want to gouge out my eyes.

From the NBA's website:
Flagrant Fouls: These fouls are considered unnecessary and/or excessive. There are two types of flagrant fouls, 1 and 2. A flagrant 1 is unnecessary contact. This is usually when a defensive player swings and makes hard contact with the offensive player or makes hard contact and then follows through. A flagrant foul 2 is unnecessary and excessive contact. This usually has a swinging motion, hard contact, and a follow through. Both fouls carry a penalty of two free throws and the team that was fouled retains possession. A flagrant foul 2 also results in an ejection of the player committing the foul. A player also is ejected if he commits two flagrant foul penalty 1's.

56 i think because of the foul..Turiaf I thought tried to extend his hand, I mean I dont think he had any intention of hurting him, I'm pretty sure he cut his face on the floor..?

our team free throw shooting is eye gouge worthy..

Make that everybody's free throw shooting.

meanwhile, lets see what james can do

Ethier shouldn't be able to play well under this constant pressure, but he just keeps delivering.

Loney's theme song for today "Hey Mama" by Kanye West - Awesome

After Ethier's single, Vin said "it has to be hard for Ethier, with 4 outfielders, one of them has to sit."

Did I miss something? When did the Dodgers get "4" outfielders?

YES james, too bad on the steal, but still..

Just a line drive!

67 Course he also stressed how cold Pierre has been of late.

The kids are alright!

Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but it hurts giving away an out with a pitcher who can't get an out and a good hitter up.

Hopefully Kuroda goes at least 6 strong today.

There's some power for ya! Thank you, Loney.

(Sorry, a bit delayed, was watching the Lakers game. Another attention deficit disorder sports day.)

Hooray, baseball!

(Just felt like saying that.)

I'm all for sitting Furcal for some extra days if he's taking care of his back. I bet most loder guys know how easy it is to get something semi-chronic going with the back. I just have nightmares of Furc going the rest of the year with an OPS in the 600's and next spring announcing, hey last year was hard, because I could never swing right.

76 make that older guys---or loader guy.

Hopefully we have seen the last of Kent as a clean up hitter. We have better options these days then a 40 year old 2nd baseman.

Anyone else annoyed with that moving camera that ABC is using in the laker game?

75 Jon enjoying a hard earned Red Stripe?

Ah, I get to say; there, someone made it through the second inning this time through the rotation.

nice Kobe

Hell of a first half in SLC.

I love being able to click back and forth between Laker playoff basketball and a Dodger game.

Hu are you, and what have you done with Rafael Furcal?

Lousy GIDP there, buddy.

84 - picture-in-picture is very cool.

Provided you don't have a Scientific Atlanta set-top box.

Tony Jackson blogs that the fans in the stadium booed a taped message by Andruw Jones wishing people a happy Mother's Day.

http://tinyurl.com/58htjq

Hu, boy.

84 - I have to switch back and forth between the TV and my computer, so it's a little more challenging, but still fun.

D-Backs are back up 4-2 and the Cubs pitchers have lost sight of the strike zone.

has anyone else thought about the similarities between martin's emergence during navarro's injury (jumping from AA, right?) and dewitt's emergence during nomar/loroche's injuries? If I remember right a lot of people were higher on navarro than martin, and it seems like a lot of people are higher on laroche right now.

Is Short Chris Young all of the sudden a BB machine now that he's been moved to the third spot?

84 do you have both streaming live on the computer?

One of SCY's walks today was intentional. With one out, Piniella ordered a walk to SCY to load the bases for Conor Jackson.

I'm not quite sure what the thought process was behind that decision.

Andy Laroche just homered off Jeff Weaver.

87 Ruthless.

Interesting start for Kuroda.

79 Me too. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. Times 100.

94 His OPS in AAA is now 1.132. Keep that in mind when the Dodgers call-up Nomar.

The Stro's seem to mostly be taking until they get a called strike. It would be better to oblige them on the first pitch, as Maddox would. But I shouldn't complain about Kuroda--he's great so far.

94 So when's the Andy Countdown begin?

I still predict he's up before Nomar. Or at least, Nomar won't remain healthy for long when he does come back.

Kuroda's great start couldn't have come at a better time, desperately needed and great to see. Keep it up, Hiro!

87 - Torre's doing. Maybe his strategy is to wipe the smile off of Druw's face?

Dre two for two

Either for Prez

93 Lol. And Jackson has already tripled...huh.

Ethier. Enough said.

This Ethier fellow can hit pretty well. It would be neat or peachy to see him start more often. I'd be keen on that.

90
I think if you check the archives DT folk were very high on Martin. When I tried to trade him for Tejada during his AA year I was strung up on a pole. And it appears with good reason.

Headed into todays game the Cubs and Astro's were looking to sweep the two best teams in the West. I never would have thought that was possible on March 15th .

At this rate, Nomar will be playing SS when he returns.

And I like Andre's new theme song too

Who is this Ethier guy? Did the Dodgers just acquire him? He seems like one of the best Dodger hitters! They wouldn't keep a hitter like that on the bench now would they?

109 - What is it? I missed it.

Anyone think Sasha would do a better job on Williams then Farmar when Fisher is out?

112 Sascha would get in foul trouble trying to guard deron in my opinion..

I don't remember people being higher on Navarro than Martin. I remember there being some discussion of whether Martin was already better than Navarro (in 2006), or whether he needed more seasoning to be, but I thought it was broadly accepted that Martin had a higher ceiling.

LaRoche playing the part of Anton Sigur.

I don't believe the field mikes were on enough of a delay to prevent Tejada saying a Rule 1 violation.

Not that I would blame him in that situation.

Is Martin's eyeblack all smeared or is his stubble just merging with it?

That's the Golden God we all know and love.

I was worried that I was the only person watching the Dodgers.

I have abandonment issues you know.

Even DeWitt's outs are pretty solid at-bats.

{116] - Does he curse in English?

I'm here for you. Or at least half my attention span is; the other half is with the Lakers. I also have one cat watching the Dodgers and the other watching the Lakers, just in case I miss anything.

Thanks, Miggy.

2nd chance?

3rd chance for Young?

6 the skull is made of crystal, the temple is made of solid gold.

and its good to see the dodgers are winning.

121
None of the Spanish curse words I know rhyme with "duck."

121 - chinga tu mother?

119. I´m watching it too, Bob.

Pee Wee got a break on that foul pop up. Be nice if he can take advantage.

OK, well I can go take a nap now.

What I just typed, the sequel.

yikes no a great swing by pee wee

I think Delwyn needs more work to stay in tune, as he seems to be consistanly under everything.

122 They might be watching but may be reluctant to tell you what happened.

111 I'm a bit embarrassed cuz I always thought of myself as a hip hop aficionado but the name of the song escapes me. Maybe the next time up it'll trigger my memory.

132 - not so much.

Back to the Lakers now for a bit. Wheeee!

131 - So will I, once the game becomes a little bit less interesting.

I'm a little nervous about this kobe injury, we just cant seem to get over that hump

ump has a pretty tight zone. Kuroda has twice today thought he caught Pence looking on that slider on the outside corner.

139 what happened to kobe?

139 What happened with Kobe?

I've been watching the baseball game since the first inning and quite enjoying it. Go baseball!

Even with Kobe, I still like the Lakers chances better today than Friday when they wre totally out of sync

135 - Yes, as regards the Dodgers game, the cat needs to remain in the bag.

Homer ties it at Wrigley!

Was that our third base coach with a big wad of something in his cheek, looking like Popeye, chewing spinach?

Ethier is a terrible player. Torre should have played Andruw Jones instead.

141 142 sore in the back came up limping a couple times too, hes shooting well but in visible pain...he'll bring it at the end, but the bench is sucking it up right now.

147 - yeah, I think it was something that causes breast cancer.

Hey, it's the sixth inning. And the Dodgers starting pitcher is still out there.

Hooray!

151
And he's pitching a no-runner...!

Perhaps the stuff in Bowa's mouth will give him galactorrhea.

Classic Vin. "It's going to get interesting here in the old plantation"

143 Sorry for the Simpsons reference but that made me think of Ralph Wiggums' infamous "Go banana!" when there was a "fruit race" on the floor of Otto's school bus.

Go baseball, indeed!

I just turned to the Laker game in time to see Walton get squashed like a bug. I will not watch any more of the game.

I shall not doubt Vin.

Kazuo Matsui did indeed play in a lot of games consecutively in Japan.

http://www.japanesebaseball.com/players/player.jsp?PlayerID=18

I'd be less nervous if the Dodgers weren't only up 2-0.

nice pitch hiro!

Yessssssssss!

Nice come back, Hiro!

WRT the Marines ads... as Helen says, Soundtrack not included.

Yes, K that foul-mouthed Stro!

Mom, Sis, Niece and I are watching this between bites of take-out Eggs Benedict, and I think I'm the only one in the room who notices the R-H-E line score and thinks there might be something unusual here.

That was embarrassing.

I'm going to go to a bookstore and get Glenn Stout's history of the Cubs.

Cubs with the bases loaded and Pie up with one out in the 8th.

163 - One of underdog's cats noticed the same, but has its own tongue.

Old Friend Ward comes off the bench to double in two. Cubs 6-4 in the 8th.

Daryle Ward finds a way to help the Dodgers in Chicago, giving the Cubbies the lead 6-4 on a two-run bases-loaded single.

cubs up 2

168 - s/single/double/

I love the Cubs!

lakers are making it interesting heading down the stretch. 104-100 utah

There goes Kuroda's no-hitter.

Amazing that we have a chance to actually gain ground on Arizona after the last 3 games.

Lakers' game, also interesting.

holy cow...ok i say three, no overtime in this building...just take the three or go back to staples i say

Ah well. That was a hanger, and a clean hit. Whatcha gonna do. Let's just get out of this one with a win, most important of all.

oh wow alright one stop, no foul, watch those back doors, and for goodness sake make sure you give help D on deron!

Lawler's Law favors Utah.

Uh oh, World Series Hero™ coming up to bat.

OT in Utah

Free basketball in Salt Lake City!

Lamar Odom has been fantastic today. Game ball to that man. Wow, what a game.

Weren't people gouging out their eyes like a desperate actor trying out for a part in "Oedipus Rex" earlier in the day?

183 well if we have a game ball to give yes, we'll see what happens though.

183
Too bad he was only 5-10 from the line...

I can't see, but it feels like Bob said something sarcastic.

Cubs win 6-4 to sweep Arizona.

184 well we were saying that our free throw shooting made us want to gouge them out, and if we had shot them well, we might not not even be facing overtime right now.

186 I think he's made up for that in spades.

Just trying to keep up with the Mother's Day theme.

and we brought beimel in because....

meanwhile we've got to pitch out of a jam

Ruh-roh.

Suddenly I feel like Antigone.

geez.

If Beimel can't get out of this, Kuroda should get to shear him, in the locker room after the game.

Well that was an adventure.

well, thank the lord.

Darn. Video of Kuroda taking a pair of clippers to Beimel would have been worth it.

Pee Wee!!!

Ay caramba.

This afternoon has involved too much sports-related stress. I think I need to meditate.

holy cow i just saw how close that was to going over kemps head.

Huh? Gameday has Pee Wee sacrificing? Strange book that Torre.

and thats the ballgame folks. (well the laker game anyways)

Great bunt, Pee Wee!

And that rare RBI bunt with a runner at 2nd. Er, okay it's not an RBI, but still.

DeWitt- I guess the experiment where he played second in the minors didn't go well.
But he has to be considered close to ready.

Ah- that fell our way.
What an odd era this feels like to me--when a guy takes a no-no deep into the seventh, it used to be his to lose. Of course in American ball those days are long gone, as I remember Maddox gladly pully himself after six or so no-hit innings.

Yep, if the Lakers had made their free throws they would've won, though the Jazz missed some earlier, too. Tough place to play. Kobe's sore back didn't help either. The next game decides the series, basically.

202 yea i know, I assume you are referring to the suspension of whether or not Goydos will hold this lead in the Players?

Excuse while i throw my computer out the window in anger, I hate the Utah Jazz..

Win or lose, I salute Kuroda-san today.

Be nice to see Old Man Kent wake up a bit.

We are very lucky to get to the "good" part of the line-up. And I use that term rather loosely, I know.

211 Tell him the Astro kids are on his lawn.

210 Agreed. When he's on, he's incredible.

jones running for kent??
is jones that much faster than kent?

not that it matters anymore

I hate to say it---- but never mind-call it XXX

Or maybe Kent is also "Gritty McDoubleplay" lately. (Or at least the was nearly another one.)

And then there's Pierre, doing the same.

Yes, I believe Jones is faster than Kent, though right now probably not much. They're also probably trying to give Kent as much of a day off as he can get.

Jones in CF now, Pierre out. So at least there's that. Defense instantly improved.

okay, let's go Blue Ox!

214 - Seems to me that he has been "on" as much, if not more, that the other starters so far this year.

HR and 4 walks for LaRoche today

well, im off to take care of my philosophy final.

Argh. Can nothing be easy?

No, I guess not.

221 - I hear you knockin'....

Come ON, Broxton. Sheesh.

I should've just kept on napping.

i have no emotion left, im just drained, just knock one out of the park for all i care, end my misery

We had all of these opportunities to break the game open and we couldn't.

I can't believe how unlucky we've been this inning!!

we walk him right? or pitch to him

This is fixin' to be an utterly depressing sports weekend. I can't decide if I should laugh or cry. Perhaps I'll do both, by gum!

I'm thinking of giving up sports, becoming a monk or something. Or a eunuch. I hear that pays pretty well.

why in God's green earth did we not walk him? im gonna be sick

He's only given up five--he's got five more before Torre bails him out.

So, you know, get comfortable.

230 - Snakes lost, that's always good.

Who is this guy pitching for us? Don't recognize him at all.

well, thats what i get for attempting to leave...good lord

Sheesh: even the punter gets a hit.

If it weren't for the D-Backs getting swept, this weekend would be an unmitigated disaster.

If the Twins win tonight, the Marlins will have the best record in baseball.

I was told today that I was confusing consistent. That players sometimes have good games and sometimes have bad ones. Not all games are good. Which makes sense, though I already knew that.

Well, if this score holds up and it looks like it will, the Dodgers will have been swept on 3 different occasions (D-backs, Braves, and Astros) and also have won 8 in a row!

That almost is Webster's text book definition of streaky, and isn't streaky the opposite of consistent?

Just checking.

yea but when you think about it, the only team we really wouldnt want sweeping them right now would be the cubs, if your thinking wild card

233 237 True, that's a silver lining. But then I think about how close the Dodgers could be to them if they'd even won 1 or 2 games this weekend. Sigh.

I believe the opposite of consistent is inconsistent.

So... can the Minotaur relieve and start, and set up?

Can LaRoche play several positions at the same time?

Broxton's ERA just went from 1.80 to 5.28

What's the opposite of "concetrate"...?

Well, at least this Ethier kid can hit. Perhaps he'll... oh never mind.

Man, just a couple less hits that last half inning and I'd still be excited and hopeful.

Looks like Ethier has earned himself some more vacation time.

Underdog--please laugh, thats what sports are for. I am such a wimp I took a walk at some of the crucial parts of this game, but I enjoyed it so much early on when our young guys and Kuroda did wonderful things.
I loved this game--hey Broxton has the right to blow up as rarely as he does.
This contrasted the nights I stayed up on the east coast to see the game go bye-bye in the first or second inning. This was a great game for Kuroda--and it's not over!

242 Therefore, the opposite of "continent" is...

Er, excuse me, I'll be right back.

245
As noun or verb?

248 = Well said. Good perspective check. I'm frustrated, but I'm laughing.

at least theres a playoff at the 17th in the players, something interesting to say the least..

250
I believe Joe uses it as a verb, though ya never know.

239

What difference would it make if the Dodgers won and lost every other game, or won and lost in bunches, if the end result is the same?

251 I'm glad, because I am apt to get too intense on this also, and it was only the good 7 innings that got me back on track.

Remind me again, why am I a sports fan? Good stuff happens, too, right?

Oh right, good stuff happened as recently as this past week. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. Today just feels more like not only the latter, but the guy wiping out tragically on the ski jump.

254 The end result would still be the same, but the team would not be considered consistent.

Well, I guess they could be considered consistently streaky!

Ouch! That hurt to write that!

Maybe going on the road will be good for the boys in blue. I bet their bats wake up, at least. Even if it'll be a tough trip for their pitchers.

Schmidt update now up on the PE.com blog:

>>Jason Schmidt threw 12 pitches and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in his first rehab start for Class A Inland Empire, topping out at 88 mph on the radar gun.

Schmidt allowed a flyout and two groundout. He was slated to throw just one inning. It was his first outing since shoulder surgery on June 20 last year.

Schmidt threw 10 fastballs and two changeups.<<

257

What do you want them to be? Would you be happier if they had the same record they have now by winning every other game as opposed to winning and losing streaks? How come?

Dodgers hit a five-run homerun in the bottom of the inning to win it. I called it.

My brother covers St. Louis University basketball. In the 2005-2006 season, the team alternated wins and losses for the first 19 games of the season.

Eventually, the Billikens won two straight games.

Wow, LaRoche on base SIX times today and even stole a base. I would say he's breaking down the door.

260 What I would like them to be and what they are are two different things!

I'd like them to be a consistent team winning around 100-105 games with 5 consistent starters a solid bullpen and a great offense!

The fact they are none of these is not my fault. Nor do I have anything to do with it.

I think most of baseball's GM's are salivating over todays Dodger line-up. Especially those with budget constraints. It will only continue to improve over the next two years, and only needs to add a few pitchers, who are already in the system.

264

I'm confused, but okay.

Nice shot by Delwyn!

Tough day for So. Cal teams.. Lakers valiant comeback in the 4th then to plan ugly in the O.T. Dodgers cruising the bullpen throws BP in 8th and even Paul Goydos in The Players just hit into the water in a playoff on 17.

Thinking positively, Kuroda-san looked the guy we all hoped he would be, Ethier made a strong argument that he should be playing more that I hope is noticed, and DeWitt remains a delightful surprise. And we're not dead yet thanks to PeeWee.

Wow, LaRoche on base SIX times today and even stole a base. I would say he's breaking down the door.

Considering Dewitt is putting up an OPS+ greater than 115...it might not matter what Laroche is doing.

270 - So how do you get them both in the lineup?

270 Garveylopesrussellcey all came up playing different positions. The Dodgers need to find a way to play DeWitt and LaRoche.

I can't even watch this at bat live. Maybe via Gameday. That's as far as I can handle.

Or maybe I can!

273 - Is the game still going?

Warning track power--heck of a catch though.

Insane catch by Bourn.

Bet Sweeney hits a three run homer here to tie it.

No wait, strike that, reverse it.

Back in 2006 when Dewitt was playing a lot of second at Inland Empire I posted this future lineup here quite a bit...

C Martin
1b Loney
2b Dewitt
SS Furcal
3b Laroche
LF Ethier
CF Someone besides Juan
RF Kemp

266 You seem to be saying all things being equal what is the difference which is obvious.

I'm saying, if they were consistent or maybe I should say capable of being consistent, they would not get swept so often and would not lose all these games they are losing and thus would be better.

The very fact that they are so inconsistent at least partially explains why they are not a very good team.

In my opinion good consistent teams are not prone to these types of streaks. I believe I heard in the playoffs last year (though I never bothered to look it up) that the Red Sox never lost 3 in a row until the playoffs. See consistent. Good team.

Does that help?

Stop being such teases, Dodgers!

Too bad neither Dewitt nor Laroche can play second base decently.

How about agreeing that we all wish the Dodgers would consistently win more games? Winning some then losing some is less preferable to winning a lot and losing not as much. Thank you, there will be a test on this tomorrow.

282 - That never stopped Kent. I mean, they're not Delwyn-bad, are they?

279 Or...C Martin
1b Loney
2b Hu
SS Furcal
3b DeWitt
LF LaRoche
CF Kemp
RF Ethier

282 - And I've asked this before, but are we sure LaRoche can't? The way Kent's going right now, he could replace Kent before too long.

I've loved this game, and for them to keep fighting makes it even better.

280

Eric Enders has posted some good stuff about the fallacy of thinking teams need to be "consistent" to be successful. I'd link to them in the archives, but I'm not sure that's something I can do. A. Shimmin is really good at it, though.

288

Or maybe it's more focused on individual players being consistent or not. Same thing, ultimately.

288- I thought it was regfairfield. I was thinking about looking it up, but decided that I didn't want to, instead. Less work, that way.

... Oh well, back to the bench for you, Ethier!!

Darn. Well, that was indeed a game try in the ninth and a feisty at bat by Andre, whom I hope we'll see in the lineup for the first Milwaukee game. Sigh.

Thus endeth an icky sports weekend for LA teams.

Have an afternoon, all!

Bah. From a no-hitter in the 7th to a four-run loss two innings later.

Peaks and valleys stink.

i didn't get to watch the game, but is delwyn really that bad a fielder? i remember people were raving about his improved 2nd base defense this spring...

288 , 289 I realized in writing this that what I would really like to see the Dodgers be is good!

I have misused consistent for the word good. Boston did not win it all last year because they were consistent. They won it all because they were good.

The fact they never lost more then 2 in a row is not because they were consistent. It was simply because they were good!

When I say that I want the Dodgers to be more consistent, what I am really wanting is for them to win more often. That is all.

293 - 3 run loss, but I hear ya. That could've gone better.

294 - He seemed fine to me today. Though I didn't see every play. No errors though.

Good stuff from the game:
Ethier must be played.
Our fourth starter has more ceiling than most.
We have a large build up of things falling for the other guy.

I basically like it. I was feeling bad from staying up to watch the D's get blasted in the first two innings. This game reminded me why I love this team, and no team in the west has this potential.

285 - I like berry much the way you think.

The Dodgers are now 4-3 in games in which they score 5 runs. Overall, they are 7-18 when they score 5 or fewer runs, 12-0 when they score 7 or more. They have not scored exactly 6 runs in any game. Breakdown:
0 runs -- 0-2
1 run -- 0-8
2 runs -- 0-1
3 runs -- 3-2
4 runs -- 0-2
5 runs -- 4-3
6 runs -- NA
7 runs -- 2-0
8 runs -- 3-0
9 runs-- 1-0
10 runs -- NA
11 runs -- 4-0
12 runs -- 1-0
13 runs -- 1-0
14 or more runs -- NA

296 Oh. Guess I missed the last run scoring. I'm still frustrated.

299 - I can't believe that we are 0-2 in games that we don't score a run. Perhaps we can ask Shimmin to check that.

If Andruw Jones had had a hitting streak, it would not have been extended today by his one PA with a sac fly.

299 Where do you get that stuff from? Or is it a manual tally?

299 It would appear the Dodgers have a hard time winning if the offense doesn't produce at least 7 runs. Is that an indictment of the pitching staff or the offense?

The notion that we are having a feat or famine season is somewhat confirmed by the following:
In 2007, we scored 10 or more runs 10 times. This year in less than one-fourth of the season, we have already scored in double figures 6 times.
In 2007, we scored 0 runs or 1 run 26 times. Thus far this season that has already happened 10 times.

299 so there's a positive correlation between scoring runs and winning games? you don't say :)

303 I did a quick manual tally, then doublechecked it.

307 I wasn't doubting your accuracy. I just thought if there was a website where one could get that data from.

306 No, there's a positive correlation between the notion that we are playing to the extremes far more than we did last year as well as reality to the perception that we either are woeful or powerful at the plate and infrequently somewhere in-between.

I wonder what our standard deviation of runs scored is. I bet it's higher than the league's.

309 well, let's see... according to your tally, we've scored 2 runs or fewer 11 times, 3-6 runs 14 times, and 7+ runs 12 times. so what's a typical distribution of run-scoring for a major league team?

I'll ask it a different way. Is the expectation that the Dodgers must score 7 or more runs to be successful? If that is true, then I'd say it is without a doubt an indictment of the pitching staff.

The theme of this weekend has to be missed opportunities...The Lakers got close in both games in Salt Lake, but never got over that final hump.

The Dodgers flat out choked hard by doing nothing in the midst of an unlikely sweep of the D'backs.

sorry I'm just still really upset, we need raffy back in the lineup, ethier needs to stay in the lineup...and quick question who plays 2b base better, laroche or Dewitt?

For me, this was the most disappointing loss of the year so far, mostly because I was in attendance. I've never seen a no-hitter in person, and I still haven't.

I realize it's just another game and that tomorrow's another day and each dark cloud has a silver lining and all that, but oy, I really wanted this one.

If I make the the somewhat dangerous assumption that Lowe's,Penny's, and Bill's arms are OK, we are due for a rather impressive record for the next 40 games. I don't quite buy into how good they are, but if they are slightly above average we are due an awful lot of what some would call "luck.

312 - Not sure. I am guessing that the average runs scored by a team in the league is in the 4.5 range. When the Dodgers score 3-5 runs they break even. But then they have more in the plus 7 range than in the less than three range. Where's Shimmin?

308 I think you asked a good question about how I came up with these numbers. I have always been intrigued by baseball statistics and it helped me become fairly proficient in math while I was growing up. By the way, there is a wonderful book about them that came out in 2004. It is called "The Numbers Game: Baseball's Fascination with Statistics," by Alan Schwarz. It offers a rich history about how statistics were used, misused and often the subject of great debates in baseball's early days.

Coming into today's game, the average NL team scored 4.6 runs per game.

217 XXX- Pierre = about the worst thing you can have for the second or third hitter in an inning. This according to "Gold Mine". Of course he is Okay as lead-off, which can happen about once a game on average.

217 XXX- Pierre = about the worst thing you can have for the second or third hitter in an inning. This according to "Gold Mine". Of course he is Okay as lead-off, which can happen about once a game on average.

Worth repeating--probably not.

316 - I just think that we need more evidence before indicting the pitching staff. Perhaps margins would give another perspective. Shimmin?

316 Including today's debacle, the Dodgers are averaging 4.97 runs scored per game and allowing 4.51. In 2007, they averaged 4.54 runs scored while allowing 4.49.

Record by difference in runs scored.
http://tinyurl.com/6rua7o

You have to go through a few screens to get to the Dodgers totals.

By contrast:

The D-backs are:

14-1 when scoring 6 runs or more (Dodgers 12-0)

8-8 when scoring 4 or 5 runs (Dodgers 4-5)

1-6 when scoring 3 or less runs (Dodgers 3-13)

Morale of the story? Dodgers need to score 6 or more! And by all means, stay away from those 0-3 runs scored games!

325 - But we do better than the Snakes do when only scoring three or less runs. Hence, we have a better pitching staff.

295 If it makes you feel better, Joe Morgan makes that mistake all the time.

I almost wrote an entry wondering why we didn't bring Broxton in during the 7th with men on base and then either Proctor or Beimel in the 8th. I still think it was the right call.

Did anyone else know that Saito wasn't available today?

All this reliance on that Shimmin character for research is going to lead to disappointment. Then delusion. Then alcoholism. Then Potter's Field.

326 Well, actually they both do a bad job! It's just the snakes are better at not getting into that situation as much.

Maybe it's because their offense is better?

Now I'm confused. Is it the pitching or the hitting that is the Dodgers undoing?

Do you think it could actually be both?

The most runs the Dodgers have ever scored in a season in L.A. was 842 in 1962, the first year of NL expansion, when they played 165 games -- the runs in the lamentable three-game playoff vs. the Giants count in the records. That is an average of 5.10 runs per game. They allowed 697 that season, an average of 4.22. The fewest they have scored in a non-strike, non-lockout season was 470 in 1986, a paltry 2.90 per game. They allowed 509 runs, or 3.14 per game that season. My source is last season's Dodgers media guide. By the way the correct title of the book I mentioned earlier is "The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination with Statistics," by Alan Schwarz.

What've we got?
What've we got?
We've got heart
Miles 'n' miles 'n' miles of heart
Oh, it's fine to be a genius of course,
But keep that old horse before the cart
Van Buren:
Who minds those pop bottles flyin'
Rocky:
The hisses and boos
Mickey, Bubba, Ozzie, Smokey:
The team has been consistent
Bomber, Sohovik:
Yeah we always lose

Two things. Obviously the pitching could be a little better, so that we win more of the 4-5 run ballgames. Also, Torre might go to the bench a bit more when we are blowing out the other teams. Hu normally spells Kent, but that's about it.

Last two seasons in Milwaukee -- 6 games and a total of 14 runs scored by the Dodgers. Here's to a more robust offense this week.

America's Team leads New Orleans by a bunch in the first half.

335 when did the spurs become america's team, or am i missing the sarcasm lol...

334 - Here, here. Let go get them. Roll out the....

Looking at the schedule and counting how things have been falling I would basically not be happy if I was the next several Dodger opponents. However my opinion of the Cubs has recently taken a big jump, and the Mets can always be trouble.

335 - Don't they have to start at least one local kid?

I feel that the Spurs need a nickname to get people to like them. Of they eight remaining teams in the NBA playoffs, they are probably the team that people least like to see.

Or maybe Orlando, but they'll disappear soon enough.

man i know i hate utah but seeing that terribly despicable human being tony parker scream at a referee after tripping on his own feet and still getting a call makes me want to vomit..

Whether its manu or umberto acting like a couple of diving argie football players. duncan extending his arms in complaint on every play(both sides of the ball), or bowen up to his filthy unsportmanlike tricks...the spurs are cemented as the most hatable team in the NBA in my mind

Bob, you have a tough row to hoe. Note 341 .

341 - Yeah, but