Commenting in the nether zone!

I went to Shea for the game last night, so I'm filing my Game Report: I was so pumped about seeing Kershaw that I brought a camera and snapped a few action shots. They weren't very good, but then again, neither was Kershaw. He had trouble getting his fastball down, and showed that he really needs a third out pitch. There were several situations last night where the Mets hitters were obviously sitting dead red. If he can develop a good change-up, he will become an absolute monster.

Maybe Clay-K was rattled by his first major league road game. Shea is a tough environment for any struggling pitcher. The Mets fans were absolutely KILLING Aaron Heilman after his arson job in the 8th. Willie Randolph took some serious verbal abuse too. The bile was flowing nice and thick in Flushing last night.

I wasn't thrilled with Torre's use of Chan Ho Park. Three times, Chan Ho pitched with the bases loaded in a tie/1-run game. That should never happen. The Dodgers have better relievers to use in high-leverage situations. I'm also not sure about using Brox and Sammy in a 4-run game, but I'm assuming they were both already warming up in the 8th when the Dodgers broke the game open, so they might as well come in and pitch.

On the positive side, the Dodgers won, and actually recorded a few extra-base hits and a few crooked numbers on the line score--both rarities these days. Also, I was not harrassed, taunted, targeted, assaulted, or demeaned in any way, even though I was wearing a Dodger cap and sitting in the upper deck. So despite Kershaw's struggles, all in all, it was an excellent night.

thanks for the report DL.

I'm not basketball fan but this Celtics Laker series really should be something

Do we have an official Archivist of Stupid Larry Bowa Quotes yet? Anyway, here's another one for the collection... he tells Dylan Hernandez that he'd rather see Russell Martin hit more with two strikes, and that he hates it when Martin gets a 2-0 or 3-1 count.

Bowa's career:
.260/.300/.320
OPS+ 71
Season high OBP: .334
Season high OPS+: 95

Martin's career:
.294/.377/.452
OPS+ 111
Season high OBP: .374 (.430 in 2008)
Season high OPS+: 113 (126 in 2008)

When it comes to hitting, Bowa don't know diddly.

4
I hate Bowa as much as the next guy, but just because he was a bad MLB hitter in his playing days has no relevance to his competency as a coach.

Good report DL

Congrats on yesterday's game Sam DC, and continued good fortune for the Nats all year(OK, I admit I was thinking particularly this weekend).

The NY Times recap of yesterday's game notes that Kershaw's curveball was called "Public Enemy #1 " by Vin Scully during spring training.

http://tinyurl.com/4bfqgs

4 Perhaps a more interesting statistical analysis would be to compare Martin's stats in at-bats where he was 2-0 or 3-1 to those where he has two strikes (obviously there would be some overlap).

6 The chances of the Nationals beating Webb today are, well, how to put it, low.

Death Valley low.

Cockroach limo low.

Alan Sparhawk low.

9 Sounds like what an old farmer I knew described as "lower than snake-poop in a wagon wheel rut". But hey, even Webb can have a shaky day!

And no, that isn't exactly what he said.

9 Think Webb's been roughed up his last two outings... so I wouldn't go that low. I'd say a 'fair to middlin'' chance actually.

For entertainment purposes only:

Arizona is a -230 favorite over Washington tonight.

That's tied for the second biggest favorite of the day. The Cubs are -230 at home against the Rockies.

The Dodgers are the slightest of favorites today at -110.

The Phillies are -220 favorites at home against Florida.

OK, wow. I just woke up, (I was up all night working), and there's no way the game is being played today. It's a monsoon out there. Like a St.Louis thunderstorm or something.

The rain is supposed to clear out by 10.

10 pm ET.

Since this is the only trip to Shea, the Dodgers and Mets will have to play a doubleheader. And it would have to be a split doubleheader since Sunday is an ESPN game.

Danny Ardoin gets ready for action.

13
I feel obligated to point out that a St. Louis thunderstorm and a monsoonal rainstorm are entirely unrelated weather events. All they have in common is rain.

And people wonder why I'm still single.

I hate Bowa as much as the next guy, but just because he was a bad MLB hitter in his playing days has no relevance to his competency as a coach

I disagree. I think there's a good chance that Bowa was not a "patient" hitter, and seeks to instill his "aggressiveness" in the players he coaches.

For true idiocy on ice, read Sweeney's quotes here in this stupid Ken Rosenthal story. Get more than two hits in a season, Mark, and then you can talk about how the young guys are "getting it." Sense of entitlement, my ass. Just because you've been on big league rosters before does NOT mean you're entitled to a roster spot now. What a joker.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8192232/Young-Dodgers-still-figuring-out-Torre

16 - while I'm a fan of aggressive play, I think it makes more sense to be aggressive on the base paths than it does at the plate. Bowa strikes me as a stubborn old mule who is convinced that his way, and his way only, is the right way. I suspect this has something to do with his inability to keep a managerial job... not that baseball is any worse for it.

17
We picked apart Rosenthal two threads ago.

I agree with D4P. Bowa needs to take a step back and zip it. Last I checked Mike Easler was the hitting coach.

I think the entire concept of "aggressiveness" is silly. Just do what works*, and don't do what doesn't work.

*Use knowledge to figure out what works, rather than guts, intuitions, The Book, etc.

If this game is rained out, your viewing choices on Fox will be either Atlanta at Cincinnati or, gulp, Detroit at Seattle.

Josh Fogg pitches for the Reds today so it should be a fun day.

I can vouch for Molly's weather report. I went out bike riding today; it was nice and overcast when I left, and was a torrential downpour when I got back. Even my ears are waterlogged.

22
And here I thought Bob Timmermann never met a baseball game he'd gulp at.

From my experience with watching games on Extra Innings, the Tigers and the Mariners are two of the dullest teams in the majors to watch.

I agree with Greg Brock on Bowa: "Imagine Fredo's incompetence with Sonny's temperament."

This is becoming a very complicated situation. I have been contemplating trying to hook a local cable feed I have to my system so that I can get FOX. Why I can't get networks with my DTV is too long a story to go into. But if I do this it involves some serious moving of things to gain access and some complicated unknowns about what kind of inputs I have, how to route the audio, and if I will have to hook in an old VHS unit I have to use the tuner.
I've been looking at the weather radar, and I an definitely jealous of the amount of rain Molly has. We are getting a bit of rain but it has been desperately dry in western ma., at least for fishermen and gardeners. However it it looks like there is a non trivial chance there will be a window of no rain at game time.
If I get it hooked up, if the game is not rained out, if I'm not blacked out, if Fox doesn't decide to show the Red or Giants here... the if's go on and on.

Larry Bowa would look at JD Drew's stats from 2004 and say "he needs to be more aggressive".

25-I would vote Mariners and Royals, if only because there's never a dull moment if there's an outside chance Todd Jones will come in to pitch.

But the Royals give you the chance of a Jose Guillen temper tantrum or an extreme bullpen meltdown.

The wind is blowing out at Wrigley again today. Omar Quintanilla hit a 2-run homer off of Dempster to make it 2-0 Rox in the second.

It was his first career homer in the big leagues. Quintanilla has homered in the minors.

Sorry about that...

And now the sun is out. And it's still raining and about 85 degrees.

32
You missed all the fun with the Rosenthal/Sweeney/Bowa article.

And Andre Ethier doesn't know the fourth word that ends in -gry either.

"I understand that. I've been playing (17) years. These kids have 1, 2, 2-1/2 years in the big leagues. Do they know who Joe Torre is? Do they know what he did? These kids were in high school, elementary school when he was winning World Series.

That's Kent from the Rosenthal article.

It's funny how whenever old guys (like me) want to point out the deficiencies in younger people, they use the "you were still in elementary school when I..." formulation. He makes it sound like they were loitering, as if they had a choice.

Kemp and Ethier's comeback should be: "Yeah, and when I'm elected to the Hall of Fame, you'll probably be dead."

If Jeff Kent was a politico, it would have been fun to see his reaction when Bush's current press secretary Dana Perino admitted on NPR that she'd never heard of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Same lineup as yesterday if the game is played from ITD:

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Ethier, RF

DeWitt, 3B

Maza, SS

Billingsley, P

Time demands don't allow me to follow DT as closely as I'd like, so apologies if my $.02 on a few things have been discussed:

1) In Kershaw's first start, Dodger pitchers (including him) struck out 16. In his second, Dodger pitchers (including him), walked 8. The Dodgers won both, eventually. Whooda thunk it?

2) IMO, managers like Torre who seem to find a formula (each player has a role, etc.) and then work rigidly from it don't always get it right. For instance, the other night Broxton struck out the side in the 8th and was dominating. Sammy came on in the 9th and blew it, which of course is unusual. But if the other team is doing absolutely nothing with one of your most dominant relievers, what would be the harm in at least having him start the 9th? Two innings aren't going to kill him; he's done it before. The situation would call for having Sammy ready, of course. And, yeah, he might have to come in mid-inning, which is not exactly a revolutionary concept. You wouldn't want to do something like this too often due to excessive warmups, but still.... a bit of flexibility on roles and creativity just might result in a few more wins.

3)The reverse might be true, too. If Ox shows signs of struggle in the 8th--also unusual--maybe Sammy could come in a bit earler. An inning plus isn't going to zap him, either. He struck ouf a career high five over two IP in closing Kershaw's first start (though IIRC his next time out was when he blew the save. But then he hadn't been used in several days.)

4) A set role formula can deprive a team of some of its best weapons. Kuo's "role" seems to be long relief. But he hasn't been used much lately, since starters have gone farther. Yet he's pretty much been the Dodgers' best pitcher. He could be used some in eighth and maybe even ninth innings to get more from him. Plus, there'd be a bit less wear and tear on Ox and Sammy--who of course would need to be told their "roles" weren't in danger. They'd also be available if Kuo struggled. As far as the long reliever "role," Park seems like a better fit--more experience, probably less potential control issues.

5) DYoung's bat should be in the lineup more somehow, some way. In a Dodger lineup having trouble scoring, his talent is not being maximized. He'd certainly do no worse than some of the offensively challenged who have been playing lately. Unless he's just terrible fielding, he should play a lot more.

6) And it looks like the fork marks in Sweeney's back (very well described by someone on DT recently) are getting more and more prominent. His "role" as top lefty PH should have been recast a good while back, regardless of PVL status, especially on a team struggling to score. I think I feel a DFA coming on, and soon.

Stay tuned to this channel for future DT novellas. (Hopefully not.)

Using experience and age as a weapon to wave over younger people is the most intellectually wimpy thing I can think of. I tell my students to call me out on it.

I then tell them to be quiet and sit down.

Detroit vs. Seattle sounds deadly at first look. But Verlander vs. King Felix is another story entirely.

I assume Fox will give us that one if there's rain in NY, since it's the only other option involving a western division team.

I hate it when the Dodgers play during the day on Saturdays.

38 I've never been in a job where it wasn't in some way an advantage to be younger, in order to stay current. If older people put up a wall to keep younger people out, that's the quickest way to become irrelevant and expendable.

21 - the problem is, you can have success in multiple ways, look at the Angels and their aggressive play on the base paths as opposed to say, the A's, who are much less aggressive on the base paths.

9. I like the Low reference. Seems like an appropriate soundtrack for Nats fans.

you can have success in multiple ways

I think it's more accurate to say "You can win even if you do stupid stuff", and "You'd win even more if you didn't do stupid stuff".

Bad managing/strategy doesn't prevent winning, but other things being equal, you win more with good managing/strategy.

43 - and I would posit that the way a team is built should effect strategy. If the Angels used the same strategy as the A's the last few years, the Angels would have much less success. Good managing/strategy depends on the team you have.

40 Unitl my current position, I have always worked in jobs where being older meant having more power. And where younger people just did work to make money for the older people.

Now, it doesn't quite work out that way. But that is why I tend to understand what the veterans are saying, not saying I agree all the time but I understand.

36 I don't think there's any chance the game would be played from ItD. It's either from Shea, or nowhere.

38 He also tells his students that he lived during the Dust Bowl.

But what they don't know is that he is referring to the last 5 years of UCLA football.

Perhaps a more detailed look at Kouzmanoff's dark night might cast some light on the situation. Bob, do we know the counts he was hitting on?

Good managing/strategy depends on the team you have

That's true to a certain extent. Stealing bases and taking extra bases are obviously better ideas when your runners are fast than when they're slow. But there are other things (e.g. patience at the plate) that are good strategy regardless of the player.

Which is partly to say that "Taking an extra base when you're fast" isn't really "aggressive", it's just doing what's right. Seems to me that "aggressive" means "doing the wrong thing given the situation, but gambling that it will pay off anyway".

I'd love for someone to take Bowa fishing, or through a toll booth.

[50
Or to a cornfield for some "batting practice"...

47 Fishing with Larry Bowa would be terrible. He'd spend the whole time telling me how to bait my hook, drink all the beer, and get sunburned at pass out by noon.

He would then tell me how much better the fishing was fifteen years ago.

52

That would only happen if you took too long to do the job.

Even in the library world, there is a big gap between generations. And I think there is a demographic gap between the leadership (50-50 range) and the newcomers (20s-30s).

And then there are people like me in their 40s, who just don't fit in anywhere. I trust my younger staff to do a lot because they know more as the profession changes quite rapidly.

One person left the library to go into "freelance corpus analysis."

Some people actually knew what that meant.

I was not among them.

Aside from Bowa not sending Hu earlier this week, most of the flak that Bowa gets here is about his comments or demeanor and not about his coaching.

54 Not much of an age range for your leadership.

56
50-60. Sometimes it seems like a 50/50 proposition though.

In NCAA men's golf, UCLA leads USC by 8 in the early going of the final round.

re 27 Hook-up achieved. Now if all the fates cooperate.

The Mets putative lineup is
Reyes 2B
Chavez RF
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Delgado 1B
Easley 2B
Schneider C
Tatis LF
Pelfrey P

It's still sunny. Maybe it's going to happen after all. I can't believe it..

If this game doesn't happen, I will have no choice but to blame Molly for ruining my Saturday.

Amen to 38 and 40 . In academic departments there often is a split between younger and older members, one that I've now been on both ends of. Some of its philosophical; approaches change over time and often are generational. We are often in the business of revising our elders. Some of its experiential; that's nice Dr. X but we tried that ten years ago and it failed. Some of its simply who has small kids and needs shared babysitting. So to an extent I understand what Kent and Sweeney are saying. But then, there also all sorts of other groupings that undermine age as a divider and bring us together: field, shared approaches, common concerns, the new hires that I talk baseball with. It just means that I have to get off my high academic, full professor horse and make an effort, and they must do the same. Of course it helps too that we keep all of our differences in-house rather than running to the local paper.

UCLA's lead, which had been eight strokes, is down to two strokes in the NCAA men's golf championship.

There are many snowmen in West Lafayette, Indiana today.

If baseball wants to appeal to the youngsters, how about making TWIB remotely entertaining again.

Like an actual host with a pulse.

U.C.L.A. now up by 4 shots.

65

They need to bring back Johnny Bench and The Baseball Bunch.

67
No, no they do not.

68

Your age doesn't allow you to appreciate The Baseball Bunch. It's a reverse Freaks and Geeks.

69
Fair enough.

Carlos Marmol in to get the save for the Cubs.

Carlos Marmol is on my fantasy team.

Go Carlos!

I believe this is the first regular season Dodger game Joe Buck has done since we were in Boston in 2004. I also remember he did Game 2 of the NLDS in 2004 in St. Louis. But it has been a while.

Bison!

Jeff Kent, the man with half a personality, heh.

And Crazy Legs? You got it half right James, half right

Loney validates DT!

James Loney is my hero.

LaRoche! Yes!

Love the Bison reference.

And I wonder which half of a personality Jeff Kent has.

78 - the bad half of Harvey Dent

The Padres bad luck continues. Shawn Estes tripped on some stairs in San Francisco and broke his thumb and had to go on the DL.

54 - I think he's becoming a screenwriter for CSI: Miami.

Oh, that was precious. 1-0 on Jose Reyes' misplay.

77 What are you referring to regarding LaRoche?

interesting play there

Bad baserunning by Matt Kemp... huh. I guess.

That was a bad decision by Kemp.

I see Kemp still hasn't learned discession on the base paths. For once it was to his advantage though.

What are you referring to regarding LaRoche?

I thought I was playing along, until I eventually deduced what was going on.

78 - I assume it's the back end of the horse costume.

They really need to work with Kemp on his baserunning.

why in the world was Kemp looking at the right fielder? if he's going to test the guys arm, just go.

Now that was a bad decision by Kemp. The overhead view made it look like Schneider missed the tag.

Well the Dodgers just got screwed. Tag missed Kemp scored.

wow, adventures in base running for Matt Kemp. Good thing Jones is on the DL otherwise the Bison would not stampede for weeks

Only Tim McCarver would spend a minute and a half talking about a secondary lead at third base.

Pelfrey has nothing but a fastball, we should pound him.

Chad B. will probably hit 95-96 on the FOX gun.

92 Idk, tough to get mad at a guy for trying to score on a grounder to a middle infielder when there is already an out (so no sac fly). Obviously it backfired this time (a single followed by an out). I'd like to see the statistics on this type of thing (how often the infielder throws home, how often he's safe if the infielder does).

Delgado totally stole his nickname from Shaq.

Not sure what Matt was doing going to second, but the play at home wasnt his fault. Contact play was on, and he was safe. Good to know that McCarver doesnt think its important to actually tag the guy out, just as long as the ball beats the runner. Solid commentary right there.

71 - That'll give some distance between you and the 7 year old.

anyone know how schmidt pitched last night?

The more I think about it, the more incredible the Loney "Bison" reference is becoming.

Jon has created something very special here. Where else do blog commenters have such power!

I mean, this is national televsion! Wow.

97 Last one was 91.

But why wasn't Kemp given a double? He looked to have the throw beat despite the error.

104 I guess the gun isn't juiced today.

97 Does Bills usually throw that hard? If so, he's ~5 mph slow today.

105 He was out by a mile.

107

No, He is normal today. Although his fb seems to be pretty heavy.

I think the gun is a little slow. Pelfrey is usually in the mid 90's, so i'd say its 2-3 mph slow.

Maza throws like Bennett.

60 Tatis LF

Good thing Chan Ho Park is in the pen.

Bills is turning into a K throwing, GB machine. I like.

My but the Dodgers bats are hitterlicious today. Pelfrey is getting plastered.

Holy cow! I actually have the Dodgers-on Fox- and they are ahead.

103 - I'm waiting for the "Robot Made Outta Nails" thing to get some wind behind it.

deep insight by McCarver there, the big difference between the NL and AL is that the pitcher hits in the NL.

And if Joe Buck says the Dodgers are hurting because they are missing Nomar or Jones...

I hate Maza.

It takes a special kind of talent to hit into a double play on a hit and run.

Holy moley.

We need to get this SS problem fixed.

I refuse to blame Maza for Reyes's being awesome.

C'mon, Bills, hit out out for the Robot.

The hit and run is the stupidest strategy ever. I wonder why managers still even do it.

119
Isn't hitting into a DP on a hit and run just a matter of bad luck?

123 - er, hit one out.

Or, a strikeout. That's lame.

124 - it makes sense if the batter is a slow runner, like a catcher or (often) a pitcher.

119 - in that case, probably, normally, not so sure... the whole point of the hit and run (or at least one point of it) is to avoid the double play

121 Yeah, this whole Rafael Furcal situation is looking like Randy Wolf last year- not serious, always close to return and then never actually coming back.

We're getting the Braves-Reds here on FOX. I was annoyed until I realized I was missing Buck and McCarver. Then I felt better.

The hit and run is a worse strategy than the sacrifice?

If the LA chapter of SABR holds a meeting, and Bob doesn't show up, does it still count?

132 - yes, but he has to attend remotely in his mother's basement. In his underwear.

So being a Reds fan is a lot like being a Dodgers fan.

Good to know.

Damnit, now we're going to cut away from the game I care about to watch every one of Griffey's at bats the rest of the day.

you know, this Billingsley kid may have a future. ;) He is killing hitters these days. Everytime I look up he has them 0-2.

I'm glad Kershaw has Bills to talk to--he might be able to help him to learn to trust his stuff.

132
I had to work today. And the meeting is way down in South OC.

LOL, Schneiders music is Cyclone.

137 - for heavens' sake, what was so urgent you had to go all the way down there on a Saturday?

I still don't see why sending the runner with Maza at bat was a bad idea. Schneider is not a great throwing catcher. Maza is good at making contact.

If DeWitt hadn't been on the move, the ball might have just trickled into center or at worse been an out at first.

139
I work every other Saturday.

141 - even so, in South OC?

Except unlike Pelfrey, Chad Billingsley is good at major league baseball.

140 _ Schneider had a gun a few years ago when he was with the Nats, must of gone downhill. Bennett was his backup, and we know that story (willed onto the DL by Shimmin).

Buck said Billingsley was drafted in '05. WRONG.

127 But then a swing and a miss results in an almost certain caught stealing. Just from observation, the hit and run is terrible. If the pitcher throws a pitch out of the zone, it forces the batter to swing, in which case he rarely does better than foul it off (a negative outcome turning a ball into a strike) and fairly frequently misses (usually a CS). The only time the hit and run has significant positive value is when there is a groundball hit to where the infielder vacated- but that is made up for partially by the groundballs to where the infielder was moving to- or when GDP becomes just an out at first (though lineouts become DPs partially offsetting this). Occasional use of the hit and run may encourage opposing managers to use the pitchout but I think if you set up the payoff matrix of pitch out/ pitch and hit and run/no hit and run that no hit and run and no pitchout is a pure strategy equilibrium. Then again, I don't have numbers to back up my assertions.

ALL HE THROWS IS A FASTBALL. COME ON.

142
Are you referring to why the SABR meeting was in South OC? If so, that's because the president of the chapter lives down there and the Angels are willing to send guest speakers to that neck of the woods.

I think they were trying to get Bobby Grich to show up.

"It seems to me that ... the Dodgers should re-sign Rafael Furcal."

Tim McCarver spends money like it isn't his. Or like Ned Colletti.

Loved JP's at bat. Uh-oh I hope we are not letting Pelfrey get up and going. I missed the first inning but we didn't get much out of what 3 hits?

As to Matt Kemp coming home on the grounder, I'm afraid McCarver is right. If the contact play is on, you have to be ready to run on contact. Loney grounded it and Kemp's first reaction was to take a step back towards 3rd base. He was dead because of that.

I love Kemp, but he truly is a dope on the bases.

Why did Pedro wag his finger at Kemp for hitting a foul ball. Seemed strange.

146 - and yet I never see the hit and run backfire on the Angels. Okay, maybe once or twice a year, but it's not like this is indistinguishable from a regular GIDP. So perhaps the principle element necessary is to have a lineup full of contact hitters.

152 - I thought it was funny. "Eh, eh, eh!"

ALL HE THROWS IS A FASTBALL. COME ON.

According to Gameday, he also throws sliders and changeups.

(And pitchouts)

Maybe with an extream grounball pitcher, a groundball contact hitter and a fast runner (fewer CS) the hit and run would become an option. Such as Furcal on first, and Pierre hitting against Brandon Webb.

131 The sacrifice is a valid strategy when the hitter is close to incapable of getting on base (Like Mark Hendrickson) or if a single run has high utility and the batter has a very high success rate at getting bunts down (i.e.runner at first tied in the ninth, Lofton at the plate)

155

those barely move enough to be specified as those pitches.

157
A changeup doesn't really have to move, does it? I thought it just had to be slow...

If Fox gave us the option of which Fox regional broadcast we were watching (a la Extra Innings or even as part of it), we wouldn't have to put up with this nonsense.

leo mazzone is now my new favorite announcer, that was the great.

Leo Mazzone seems like a happy fellow. Or he's stoned.

158 - movement is always good.

Funny how Endy Chavez isn't good enough to start, but bats 2nd anyway.

158 - come to think of it, Gagne's change back in his 2002-2003 prime was described as a bowling ball falling off a table. So movement=good.

162
That's beside the point, which is that a changeup doesn't have to move to be classified as a changeup.

At least Fox went split screen. I remember ESPN completely cutting away to Manny's even less meaningful at bat.

Changeups with movement are great (like Gagne's back in the day), but movement is not the defining characteristic of a changeup.

161 - I understand he's a very good driver.

163
The Mets are not exactly awash with outfielders now.

I wonder if Jeff Kent has ever heard the Smiths song "Half a Person".

165 - but by definition a change will follow a different trajectory than a fastball just because of the difference in speed. There was a piece in the last year or so — I think in the NYT but I'm really not sure — tracing Edwar Ramirez' change and comparing it to his 95 MPH heater. The heater is straighter, but what makes his change work is he's able to sell it despite the difference in trajectory because he can minimize those differences.

OK ... I know that MLB gets a TON of Money from ESPN for baseball broadcast rights, but do the individual clubs have ANY say in having game times moved around to accommodate ESPN?

Tomorrow's game was supposed to be a 1:10 ET game, before ESPN decided it wanted that as its Sunday night game. Therefore, the Dodgers will end the game at around 11 pm ET, fly the red-eye back to LA, and have to play in LA Monday night.

I'm sure Jeff Kent et. al. is thrilled about that!

really nice AB by RM.

Martin needs to swing at more ball fours.

The Canadian On-Base Machine running efficiently.

Hey, I've played on that field!

Gams.

Speedster Kenji Johjima just stole home against the Tigers.

line drive! line drive!

Pelfrey sucks. Dodgers will win.

178

part of a double steal I hope ...

Johjima has as much speed as Mariah in those heels ...

DeWitt didn't come out of nowhere. He came out of Sikeston, Missouri. Aren't the Dodgers handing out media guides to these guys?

Fortunately Blake hammered one to right so McCarver wouldn't have to talk about him for a while.

Mexican announcer pronounces the Solution's name as "Do It".

That run may be huge if the rain comes

If Maza actually gets a hit I officially feel sorry for Pelfrey. But not enough to take back an RBI.

165 - Does Jeter know?

Actually it was an attempted squeeze, however Verlander's pitch bounced about three feet in front of the plate. Pudge tried to bare-hand it after it got away from him and couldn't pick up the ball in time.

"Bats in the Pelfrey"

183 - I smell an endorsement deal with Nike.

Maza reverts to the quadruple-A player he really is.

Josh Fogg has really dark circles under his eyes .... someone was out late last night!

183
I like it! Line drive for the Solution!

Its been a complicated day (although I may have helped). Now it is a balance between holding the lead and getting five innings in before the rain. I better check the radar.

JP as a RISP machine has replaced the work ethic mantra

Teixeira is heating up. So much for the Loney comparisons.

Leadoff walk for Bills. Let's see him work out of this.

96 on the gun...

Dodgers keep missing chances to bust it open.

Gary Carter is hiding in a box behind you, Willie. Look out!

wtf that was a strike.

Giving up another walk is not a step in getting out of the jam.

Dear Tim: If Wright had overslide the base on a walk, and is tagged while off the base, he's out.

200- It does set up the triple play.

Torre looked like he just found a nest of squirrels living in his hat.

Oh shut up McCarver.

204 What's he saying now?

ouch

Personally, I think Wright should have not only taken third, but home, too, on that line drive. Matt Kemp was go back on it! You have to capitalize on that.

Nice pitch. Close call but nice pitch either way.

205 Complaining about D Wright not tagging up to third on a line drive.

Lucky for Bills Schneider swing at that 0-0 pitch out of the zone.

And he ex-capes. Nice.

Yay he got out of it.

Junior Griffey hit #599 today .... game still going.

That commecial makes me glad my wife and I eloped. Married in jeans and a tee shirt.

Billingsley looks great, very confident. He is really improving.

that was a ball.

Conspiracy.

Chatsworth is about to win another title, if you were wondering.

See 208

Jim Edmonds is so not the reason why the Cubs are winning.

Following up on my post 172 , does the Players Association have any pull in this matter? Could it be a subject to be negotiated in their CBA?

THe problem with the pitch Kemp k'ed on was he had just stopped chasing those.

damn, just missed.

216

Seriously, Kemp gets screwed more times than not.

And I thought we were going to avoid the commercial break.

224

It was a lot worse last year and the beginning of this year. I actually think he's been given some favorable calls in the last month or so.

214 3 things that seem not quite right about that commercial.

1. He still fit in that tuxedo.
2. That tux was not wrinkled.
3. He actually owned that tuxedo.

Was the pitch that got Kemp so diffrent than the one that got Easley?

stone hands! stone hands!

that was an absolutely hideous play by Blake.

228

Kemp's was at least 2 inches furthur outside.

Captain America really needs to grow a glove.

221 They only have say on the number days they play in a row.

227. I don't own the jeans and tee shirt I got married in and I'm sure I wouldn't fit in them if I did.

Oh dear if Chad could've only throw it over we could probably end the fifth ahead. I guess there is still hope.

Anyone else think Bills should have thrown Pelfrey a cutter with the 0-2 count?

Bills hit 97. Wow.

Maza might have gotten lucky right there.

Really nice play by Loney.

#7 Crazy Legs makes the play.

Chad is pitching, he's not dominating like that start against Arizona but he is doing the job.

Bills survives yet once again

Reyes looked back cause he hurt himself, Tim

Mr. Bookman doing Holiday Inn commercials.

Billingsley, cool under pressure, inducing gound ball outs. Credit Martin too.

239 240 Steiner reports he's been out early taking extra fielding practice, FWIW. Must feel JoeyP breathing down his neck ;-)

That E-Trade baby should be illegal.

I love those ETrade commercial. I never get tired of them.

That third strike was vicious

That third strike was a terrible swing by Delgado

Keep talking over the game, McCarver. Bills will keep whiffing Mets.

John Hodgeman really needs to knock that hipster on his can.

JP must have told Maza in very clear terms "I have it"

The east coast bias commentating is absolutely ridiculous.

Diesel Delgado wiffs on the high cheese and Billingsley cruises through the sixth.

252 - he would but he's too busy dorking with antivirus software.

Does Torre pinch hit for Chad, who's at 84 pitches? Do it Joe, and then complain some more about our starters not going deep into games.

When it comes to McCarver, I'm with Deion Sanders:

http://tinyurl.com/537qrw

257 - doesn't look like anyone is up in the pen

257 No.

Does anyone really go into Del Taco and order 2 half pound bean and cheese burritos with a taco. That has got to be worse than a couple of packs of cigs.

Canuck and Nate:
Keith Law projection:

15. Los Angeles -- Andrew Cashner, RHP, TCU

If the Twins take [Zach] Collier, the Dodgers could turn right around and take [Aaron] Hicks, and there's still a chance they could take Collier if he is available.

I was as surprised as anyone to hear the Dodgers were looking at college relievers, but Cashner and [Daniel] Schlereth apparently are in play, perhaps a reflection of the shortage of polished, high-ceiling high school players in this draft.

They are rumored to be in on [Ethan] Martin, but he is more crude than the players assistant GM Logan White and scouting director Tim Hallgren typically take in the first round.

204 251 I know, McCarver is driving me bonkers, too. It's a bad sign when Joe Buck seems just fine in comparison.

I finally caught up to this one live after watching it on Tivo-delay and FF-ing to catch up in slow parts (and some of McCarver's blather). But Bills looks really solid and I know y'all talked about it already but a shout-out to Crazy Legs/Eyes' line-up intro at the beginning. The Bison reference made my day!

Now let's get this win in before the rains come.

261

Depends if the taco is a chicken soft taco...then yes.

261 - they do. However, the actor they hired for that gig is considered the "before".

I don't have to buy a Juan Pierre jersey as Chatsworth defeated Narbonne to win the LA City baseball title.
The Chancellors have now passed up Kennedy and Fremont for the most City titles.

WE: 81%
vr, Xei

Maza just said, "HAAAA"

Maza, writing his ticket back to AAA with each 0-fer.

Speaking of high cheese, Maza was pissed. I like a little emotion from a guy trying to stay up.

261 - on the other hand, who smokes a pack of tacos?

Sound the facade alarm!

I always tend to think that when your pitcher is doing well, quick innings help.

At least that is what I tell myself.

262 Melville, Melville, Melville...! (Okay, he may be gone by then, but that's my guy.) And I don't mean Herman or Jean-Pierre.

272
There's a facade alarm?

261

mmmm ..... tacos!

Of course, with the pitch count at 107, Slappy swings at the first pitch.

what if those "Just for Men" girls told their dad its time for Viagra?

If I'm the dad in that Just for Men hair coloring ad, I take my girls to the doctor.

Leadoff man on for the Metsies.

275 It's actually a frieze alarm.

Kent can't get there.

Does anyone else chuckle when you hear Joe Buck say "Here comes Casanova?" Maybe that's just me.

So let's reveiw:

Viagra commecial
Prostate med commercial
heartburn commectial
couple of Grecian Formula commercials
Taco Bell and Pizza Hut commercials
Car commercials
and of course NASCAR.

How depressing.

278 - yeah. Or, here, Dad, we stole your ATM card, picked up a case of Jack and the bulk pack of Trojans at Costco, and got you some round-trip airline tickets. What happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas!

That new Pizza Hut pasta looked like monkey brains covered in low grade cheese.

This "Nobody" guy in the Dodgers bullpen .... I hear he has good stuff ...

Lol they're showing the Tatis/Park highlight.

Everybody clap your hands.

Hello, bullpen, is Mr. Kuo ready?

Does the runner make it to third with a real left fielder?

290 - Yes

WE: 67%
LI: 3.29
in otherwords, a big at bat.
vr, Xei

Neither of those guys warming up is a better option than Kuo.

a ground ball right at Maza would be really nice right here

290 Probably it was slicing away and it wasn't hit that hard.

289. Guo? Sorry, the Dodgers would have to be three or four down for that. :(
vr, Xei

Two down on Reyes pop to DeWitt. Nice.

Billingsly says, "I got your high leverage situation right here"

Martin needs to flip that mask and helmet further away next time. :)
vr, Xei

DeWitt's youth causing him to almost step on that batting helmet....

WE: 77%
LI: 3.03
still a big at bat.
vr, Xei

295 - I'm just wondering because it looked like he stutter stepped around second and then looked over and said, "Oh yeah, Juan Pierre"

300. Was that a batting helmet? Or Martin's?
vr, Xei

He threw the mask far enough, the helmet came off unintentionally.

to be fair, the helmet falling off could also be a sign of Martin's callowness....

299 I think the helmet just fell off when he was running towards the popup.

Russ should just get the helmet permanently attached to his skull.

Kuo has pitched on 2 full days rest only twice, generally he gets a lot of rest between appearances.

307 Didn't Jim Carry try that?

307. haha
vr, Xei

"When I'm a-walkin, I strut my stuff..." Uh, hello, Mr. Music Selection Guy? It's only 2-2.

305 Had to use dictionary.com for that one.

i got a bad feeling here

Endy Chavez is really good at making contact.

Billingsley, bearing down, gets a gold star for an excellent performance.

Great at bat by Chavez.

313 - Stand down bad feeling, Bills was incredible today!

Yay! Way to get out of it Bills, and to survive that epic at bat. Nice. An insurance run sure would make me feel less nervous about this one.

Anyone think Griffey can catch Ruth?

313 must have been one of those listed in 283.

WE: 86%
Nice work Chad. Put a spoon in him.
vr, Xei

That at bat was really draining.

I predict that Broxton pitches the 8th, and Saito the 9th.

311 Yah, but that had to crack you up. What the heck kind of PA system plays the Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun." Do they even know what that song is about? That was almost awesome.

All tied up in the NCAA golf championship between USC and UCLA.

Just a couple more guys on the course.

Pretty obvious who the ace is of our team this year. vr, Xei

Duaner Old Friend

318 - not likely. There was a time, before the injuries, that I would have put money on him ending his career as the all time home run leader... today, not so much.

277 - Isn't one, as well, supposed to take a few to let the pitcher at least get back to the dugout.

318 - sure. Dead guys don't run very fast.

324. Have they played the windmill hole yet?
vr, Xei

325 - who needs to break a glass at the hotel to have Billingsly, Kou, Kershaw as 3/5 of the Dodgers' rotation?

Duaner looks like he has been to Del Taco recently. Of course he used to be rail thin.

Duaner's pants still long. Fine him!!!

What is Furcal's status in re the DL? His 15 days have expired, does that mean he has to stay on for another 15 days?

Who was that chewing on the baseball? Endy Chavez? That was classic.

Here I've been wondering why pitchers would change speeds.

Thanks, Tim!

335 Oliver Perez.

Torre on a surfboard?

324
The last time I checked, the Bruins were even or 1-over for the day, and had a 9-shot lead. Now they're 16-over on today's round.

Did they really have to go with every LA cliche imaginable in Joe's commercial?

Billingsley and Pelfrey both threw 69 strikes in 109 pitches.

I bet in another life, Broxton would have been a very good #3 hitter

334 - 15 days is a minimum. Players can stay longer. If a player is moved to the 60-day list, their 40-man roster spot can be opened up, too.

Don't get me wrong I like the MB 380 SL but why that car. Seems like a strange choice. If your going to go with an old one why not an early 60's convertable or something more classic.

336 Of the man obvious and inane comments Tim's made this afternoon, including several in a row, that one took the cake. It's like "baseball for 1st graders." At least they got rid of the talking baseball cartoon.

Not sure, anyone else catch what Brox said there.

339
The course is supposed to be a killer. No individual is under par for the tournament.

Supposedly the rough has two lengths. The easy rough is 3 inches. The bad part is 7 inches.

That was not a bad pitch at all by Brox.

343 - ok, thanks

Shucks. Well, shucks.

Wow. Maybe Broxton cant pitch every damn day

Put a jacket on that hanger.

That one was.

I'm losing patience with Broxton as an eighth inning guy these days.

Sometimes I really feel like strangling Broxton.

{insert swear words here}

Broxton has really not pitched well since August.

No individual is under par for the tournament

The last time I checked, some guy from UCLA was leading at 5-under.

Supposedly the rough has two lengths. The easy rough is 3 inches. The bad part is 7 inches

That's standard. The rough closest to the fairway is usually not as long as the rough further from the fairway. The idea is for the penalty to increase with the degree of inaccuracy.

Well, that went about as badly as it could have gone.

delgado will restore order to this ....

I refer back to my 317 and sigh loudly.

Yank him. Yank him now. He's got nothing.

I've been wondering for awhile--is Ox really the closer of the future?

The Dodgers had their chance to blow it open earlier and now the pen implodes again.

Looking like the Dodger 8th yesterday

They're sending Honeycutt out there?

They just lost this game.

It's my fault. I just opened up gameday to find it 2-0 going into the bottom of the eighth.

Logging off . . .

356
Oh, yeah, the leader is at -3. He's the only guy on the happy side of par.

I still think seven inch rough is really nasty. I've read that there have been a few balls lost in the weeds even with spotters.

How long was Broxton's streak last year, without giving up a homerun?

Hello, bullpen, is Mr. Kuo ready?

Brox is a triple away from giving up the cycle

361 - yes. Pittsburgh's future in 2013.

This is Jon's 4th appearance in 5 days. Unacceptable using him yesterday in a 4 run game yesterday.

360 - but it's the 8th inning, and we had a lead, Billingsly always pitches in the 8th inning when we are ahead.

When will Kuo get his shot at 8th inning work?

364 They probably don't have anyone warming up.

366
Seven inches (of rough, that is) is pretty crazy. Most US Opens don't even let it grow that long.

A USC guy double bogeyed 17 and UCLA took a one-stroke lead.

373 When he shows he can pitch back to back days.

Pardon me for not following the Dodgers more closely, but wasn't Brox complaining of a "dead arm" late last year, and Little et. al. told him to basically suck it up.

When will Kuo get his shot at 8th inning work?

Stanford's the leader in the clubhouse at +43. UCLA at +41 with a few holes to play, with USC at +42.

Great showing from the Pac-10.

I called it.

I loathe Joe Torre. Absolutely loathe.

Come. Watch them lose.

(sigh)

Well this day just went down the crapper, thanks Broxton.

Broxton belongs in Las Vegas. Better he blow leads for the 51s than the Dodgers.

So we IBB a second rate catcher to pitch to the Mets hottest hitter. That makes sense.

377 I don't see why that should prevent him from ever being brought in to set up.

I don't blame the Ox -- I generally trust his pitching.

385 I will take that as a just being upset, no way can you be serious.

Yeah, I wish Torre had been able to score more runs today and I wish he'd been able to get Broxton to pitch better today. He should totally be fired... wait, what?

This bums me out -- two great efforts in a row by Billingsley wasted. So when is Furcal back again? Having him in there today alone I feel like would've given them a couple more runs.

Ah well.

Meh

391 Actually that sums it up better than anything else I could've said.

If we can stop the bleeding now, still some good bats coming up. Not over yet.

This is gonna be a brutal loss.

USC and Stanford now tied for 2nd, one shot behind UCLA. There's a very good chance Stanford wins this tournament, and at least secures a tie. (Not sure if they have any kind of team tie-breaker).

382
What?

My question is: How long do we keep starting Penny and relieving with Broxton in the eighth? One definition of insanity is continuing to try the same (failed) solution to the same problem(s). Torre is acting a bit insane lately.

I hate the IBB to load the bases with 2 out.

Yeah, what the heck is up with Broxton?

389 Ok, but Beimel should take over the 8th for a while. Something is wrong with Broxton. This isn't exactly the first implosion game he's had this year.

390

Or maybe he shouldnt use Broxton with a 4 run lead yesterday (his 3rd game in 4 days) and then use him again today (thats 4 games in 5 days). Brox isnt Mike Marshall. torre's management of the bullpen has been terrible and today is no exception.

Gagne55, you are being ridiculous. Broxton has been money so many times this year, and you throw him under a bus for two very bad games. Classy guy.

This is Broxton's fourth bad game of the 24 he's pitched this year.

395
In college golf, you have golfers out on the course, but you only count the top four scores. Maybe the fifth score is used as a tiebreaker.

Broxton is just struggling with his location. The pitch to Tatis was at least six inches from where Martin was setting up.

The Legend that is Joe Beimel.

Chavez with 8 LOB today.

405

Thats fatigue. Thats bitching 4 times in 5 days when a guy like Kuo has pitched like twice in 2 weeks. Thats terrible bullpen management.

404
Could be. Stanford now in 2nd place alone, on the strength of Sihwan Kim's 71. He was the only player to break par today.

Seems to be that some here were wondering the other night why Torre wasn't leaving in Brox for another inning, since he was pitching so well.

I wonder how Don Drysdale would have reacted if the manager tried to take him out after he'd just finished the 7th inning of a shutout.

401
I think Torre's usage of the bullpen (poor procter) is very questionable at times.

But for the most part, he's been a pretty strong manager, from my POV.

Hey Canuck, did you see ESPN report the Dodgers have shown interest in college closers for the 1st round pick this year? Seems HS projectable SPs are few and far between if Hicks isn't there.

I think it makes sense bringing Broxton in to start the 8th in general but here against the Mets I can see the argument for having brought Beimel in instead. Beimel and Kuo are both very effective against the Mets. Still, those are the kinds of innings, team winning, starting the inning, no runners on, that Broxton has to seal the deal on and he blew it. It's frustrating but he'll come back. The question is can the Dodgers now come back in one inning?

408

that's Torre's modus operandi .... relying on 2 or 3 relievers too much ....

why ... just ask Scott Proctor!

No need for a tiebreaker. UCLA wins the championship. #103!

405
Ok, I can throw a 97 mph fastball, I'm going to start an inning to get three outs. The guy that's up beat us on a breaking ball to left, so what do you call for here?
Tatis gets a hanger over the plate. Meh

I don't want Kuo coming in cuz I'd rather see him starting, but I agree if they refuse to start him use him more often. If they considered him on the same footing as Brox, Beimel, and Saito, we'd have
1) More Kuo, who is unhittable
2) The other three are fresher
3) Less Proctor

UCLA wins golf championship. #103!

Kevin Chappel wins the individual NCAA golf title and leads UCLA to win their 103rd NCAA championship.

wow that was a nasty pitch

Billy Wags makes a lot of hitters looks poorly in at bats.

Before today, Beimel had thrown once since the 25th. Kuo has pitched 2 times since the 17th. Proctor has pitched twice since the 24th. Brox has 4 appearances in 5 days. Just inexcusable.

Excluding this horrible Broxton appearance and the one in which he gave up 6 ERA's in one-third of an inning, he has a 1.57 ERA over 22 games this year. And counting all appearances, he has 31 K's and 9 BB's in under 24 innings, so Gagne55's claim that Broxton hasn't pitched well since last August is pure nonsense.

Brox has 4 appearances in 5 days. Just inexcusable

But Broxton is our Setup ™. He has to pitch the 8th. It's in The Book.

422 - the part about Proctor not pitching is fine with me, but totally agree on the rest.

Loney now OPSing .751

DeWitt is having a fine AB.

Ugly. Painful. No fun.

Question: What is a snowball's chance in hell?

Answer: Nats beating D'Backs 2 in a row with Webb taking the ball.

Fitting call to end the day. This umpire stinks.

That pitch was a foot off the plate.

Terrible call

And a horrible strike call to end the game.

You do get the feeling that the Mets/Randolph really need these wins.

His strike zone I thought was equally wide for both teams. The strike three to Easley was a foot outside too.

Really, that was a terrible way to end the day. Dewitt should be on first.

425

Proctor should have pitched the 8th yesterday. You have a 4 run lead- don't use your important setup man! If he gets in trouble, then maybe you use Brox.

Looking at the game logs, this is Broxton's second disaster this year. He also had two other blown saves. Whether or not fatigue is a factor, idk. His other disaster came on 4 days rest.

434 So do we!

That was a bad call, although DeWitt didn't argue. What's the point, I guess.

Sigh. That was so frustrating. If the team would just consistently score more runs pitchers wouldn't feel so much pressure to be fine, be perfect.

Hope they get a split tomorrow with Hiro going.

Oh well, have yourselves a good night, all. It's just baseball. (Sigh.)

Wow, that plate got a lot bigger for the third strike. DeWitt needed a phone pole to reach that pitch.

Well that was a pant load.

The issue is not with Brox. The problem and the reason we lost today is a lack of power. The Mets had it. We didn't (and never seem to).

434
The day I start feeling sympathy for anyone associated with the Mets is the day I tell you I've gone peach picking and have made a peach cobbler.

Torre can't manage a bullpen to save his life. Before he ever got here he was notorious for working his set-up man ("Everyday Scott Proctor") into the ground, and now he is doing it with Broxton. There are other damn relievers in our bullpen, and good ones, which is not something that Torre always had in New York.

Ultimately we lost because we scored only two runs. Kind of hard to win many games that way.

The problem, yet again, is youth.

Not a single extra base hit today. Can't win like that.

DeWitt has a great at bat, and gets screwed by the ump. I'm not an adcocate of the "Human element".

USC's last golfer on the course today played the back nine thusly:
Bogey, bogey, double bogey, par, bogey, birdie, bogey, bogey, bogey

For me, that would be a good day.

Oh well, maybe this will cheer you all up.

http://www.flixxy.com/beethoven-5th-symphony.htm

439
I'll be surprised if we ever see DeWitt argue a call, not his style. That was a pretty good at bat though.

I think we all know who to blame for this loss:

Gary Bennett

Rosenthal hints that we will NOT exercise Penny's option and could trade him at the deadline.

At least I didn't say "This looks like a good chance to win our first game of the year when scoring 2 or fewer runs."

I might have jinxed us.

454 - Yeah, but you thought it!

445
You make a good point. Six outs to go, a two run lead, a great bullpen ...

445 447 No, we lost because Brox couldn't maintain the lead in the 8th. Make the score 7-5 at the time and you have the same result. And the Mets also didn't have any extra-base hits until Brox gave up the 2B and the HR.

Dodgers have big holes at 1b, LF, and 2b.
SS will be fine when Furcal gets back.
Cf, 3b, Catcher are fine.
RF is below average but acceptable for now.

453 I wouldn't. I don't doubt Penney's talent, but I wonder about his head.

I can understand bringing in Brox and all that, but the third hit might have told Joe something. But, in the end, tough to win with just two runs.

458 First base is not a hole.

457 - True in a way. But if the score is 7-0 then whoever comes in there to pitch sure feels a lot more secure, as do we.

458 - The way you define "big hole" sure seems differently than most of us do, when it comes to first base at least. That's really getting a bit old. Agree about LF of course, though.

458 -- Oh, for God's sake. Will get off Loney's back? Rule 8 already.

Well, it was mentioned earlier that Sabathia might be tradeable. Penny and a prospect for Sabathia? Just an idle thought.

461 - I had to laugh because I saw your reply and I didn't even have to look to see who you were replying to. If Jon were around I think somebody'd be getting a Rule 8 lecture.

463 Loney's back is a big hole! Didn't you know that? It's one of the great wonders in the world of quantum physics. It's a portal to the future.

453

First Rosenthal pulls out the trashcan with Kent and Sweeny, now the trade rumor card.

Why not make it package of Lowe and Penny?

Well I'm sorry we tanked again. But Bills had a great start, and Pelfrey finally got through his initial shakiness to go deep into a game, thru the 7th inning. I think these two were both first round picks in the same year.
I admit I was frustrated when they turned Brox into a reliever--what potential he might have had if he had worked hard and developed a bigger stable of pitches. Of course this is only a small blip, and I didn't mean to imply he can't be a great reliever.
A hidden blessing in this tough time is that it shows who our good players are. Loney, Kemp, Ethier, Martin, and perhaps DeWitt and LaRoche. Over the past few weeks we have had nothing from Jones, Nomar, and Furcal and very little from Kent. The reasons vary, but bare thinking about. Teams like the snakes and rocks went through this(without 50 mil on the DL) and came out the other side. I would add that our pitching is deeper than those teams now and there may be cause for optimism.

Should add mention that Rosenthal is frequently wrong about rumors, in fact almost always wrong.

458 There's no way we're below average in RF. The ML average OPS at RF is 774. Ethier is 814, and he's good defensively.

Its softball time, a must win for UCLA.

471 Defending National Champion Arizona lost today and was eliminated. A rare 1 vs. 2 matchup for in a elimination game this early in their championship.

Right now the D's have big holes at LF, SS, and 2B. If and when Furcal returns that could fix one. As for 2nd, for the moment I say play Hu there or send him to Veagas and see what we have for next year. But playing guys like Maza is not the answer.

473 - Kent, with LaRoche almost platooning with him there, would solve that problem. Furcal coming back, which he will, will definitely return SS to way above average. LF, there's not much we can do though as mediocre as he's been Pierre has still been a lot better than Druw. (Very faint praise.) They'll be fine.

Now to spend the rest of the afternoon not thinking about the Dodgers!

CSPAN is great, I love it, but c'mon: get the protestors a mic, would you?

Nice shot of Donna Brazile putting on her lipstick, though.

468 Thanks for your thoughtful posting. As frustrating as today's loss is, we will end the day no worse than 3.5 games out of first and with a comfortable lead over third despite the fact we have been playing poorly lately. I think there is more water in the glass than air.

Well, I was depressed for a bit, but my two-minute sure-cure for depression worked as it always does. If anyone else wants to try it:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=c99UFrKkLSk

If one viewing doesn't do the trick, try two or three. It can be addictive.

477 Are you avoiding commenting about the Dodgers possibly drafting a college reliever as their first pick?

477 -- I commented on that last night, when Nate mentioned what Keith Law said. I said that BA claims some teams would like to return Cashner to starting, so we could be one of those teams. Nolan Ryan loves the guy, and since the Rangers draft ahead of us, Cashner may not even be available at #15.

479 -- Replying to 478, not 477.

480 Thanks, sorry, did not catch it last night, usually you are right on any draft stuff.

476 474 Thank you both. For calling it thoughtful, and for Underdog who I have alway felt like a disciple of. Times are tough, but our pitching depth is amazing right now. I hope things pick up this year, but it is obvious we will get better year by year if we don't mess up. You probably know how conservative I am about trading our young players, but at this point I would even I would trade starter and LF for Cinci's Dunn. As stupid as that sounds. otherwise we should just hold on.

Darnit, I couldn't stay away, doing some work online before leaving for dinner and here I am again. 482 Anyway, thanks bro! :-) I appreciate your realistic optimism (seems like the best way to phrase it, no?) too.

I know, I've almost been tempted to sample the Dunn Kool-Aid, too, but have tried to resist. As bad as Penny's been I'm still not ready to give up on him, though if an offer came a-callin' that involved a top prospect it could be tempting (though Ned seems to rarely deal veterans for prospects). All told, given how much the offense has struggled without Furcal, the fact that they are still within sniffing distance of first and that their starting pitching has been so much better the past week is reason for some cautious optimism.

So, thanks for yours.

Now we just need them to put those two things together for once (pitching and runs). Tomorrow and the homestand would be as good a place as any.

482. I think we should just hold on. We spent most of last year with a comfortable lead in this division. We have more or less the same team which has matured. With the exception of the D'Backs the rest of the division had gotten much worse. As for Az, while they are indeed better than last year, they only seem like they are better than the Dodgers becasue of their red hot start. I still think Dodgers win the division. When Furcal comes back he will be a huge help. (He won't be as good as when he went out but still good.) Kent will get better. The only plce I see potential decline is 3B. If I'm wrong, then great, DeWitt will be a ROY candiate. If I'm right, LaRoche will be ready to roll. This team will dominate the second half.

Colletti told Tony Jackson after the game that he is getting close to acquiring a veteran utility infielder. Colletti also told Jackson that the Dodgers are a young team that hasn't figure out how to win yet. Looks like I'm going to have to watch that YouTube video about five times now.

Jim Bowden is just kicking himself that Ronny Belliard is injured.

Aaron Boone and his .293 BA and 5 HRs in limited PT is available though.

He plays the game the right way.

And Joe Torre probably has a soft spot for him.

Sorry Ronnie.

Luis Rivas just hit a grand slam for the Pirates. I think the Dodgers would find him "handy."

483 Amen.

We actually have 7(including Kou) starters who could be above average. In a trade for a power hitting LF I'm shocked to find the only one I would protect is Kershaw--I guess I just have to see what happens with him. Of course this is a pretty safe fantasy because it assumes we would repalce our LF without compromises.

Oh, this is so foolish!

Look at Torre's beloved Yankees this year. What's the problem?

a) Inconsistent pitching.
b) Can't seem to score more runs than the other teams (despite that meretriciously glamorous PayrolLineup).

Ugh!

482 I tend to agree, and I think we may be happily surprised by the second half. Nothing wrong with holding on at this point.

Canuck---a veteran utility infielder--Just What We Need---please don't jump off a bridge, you are about the best resourse on the talent in the org.

I must point out that for the Dodgers, this is the youngest team they have fielded on a regular basis since 1972. You have on average 5 players that are 25 or younger that start with an occasional pitcher or middle infielder player also younger than that.

You can talk about whether or not the veteran players are pulling their weight but to not accept that this team's relative inexperience is not going to be asked about and commented is unrealistic.

Ultimately, those 1970's Dodgers dealt away some of their young players (Bobby Valentine, Bill Buckner, Lee Lacy, Tom Pacieorek, Jerry Royster, Ivan DeJesus) for pitchers and outfielders that led to their success form 1974 on.

491 If Furcal is no where close to playing, this team needs a SS. Hu needs to play AAA and there is no one else close in the system that can be brought up.

Also, has Blake DeWitt made 8 errors since coming back from his one day trip to Vegas?

493 I agree with You totally. I am just terrified by the possabilities a term like veteran utility infielder evokes.

Come on guys, Carlos Marmol gave up a HR to Scotty Pods today.

Even the ultra-powerful, PVL led clubs have set up guys that occasionally suck.

496
The wind was blowing out at Wrigley today. Omar Quintanilla homered there as well.

497 You had to say something. Oh well, I tried. Time to bust out the Wild Turkey.

496 - Somewhere a 7 year old giggles.

499
You'll have to ask Sam DC about that.

But I sense there's collusion between his team and the 7-year old's team.

I wouldn't slit my wrists if the Dodgers acquired some depth on the infield, though I still hold out hope they'll just bring up LaRoche and fit him in somewhere. Depends on the guy of course and who they give up if anything (which worries us all), but are we really that tickled to have Luis Matzoh filling in?

If they got some Esteban German type, knowing that Furcal will be back and starting and that's just some infield depth, I don't see that it's such a depressing thought. Trading some top flight prospect for said utility guy would however be a depressing thought.

499 500 LOL.

I think there's a different word for it.

this loss stung....really frustrating that we can't get bills a win again, and this time I put it on the hitting and the bullpen....arg

I had to spend 30 minutes at cuteoverload.com to get over that loss. It sucked more because someone usually so dependable wasn't today.

Thanks to Gen3blue and underdog for the perspective.

2 HRs for Mark Reynolds tonight. Nationals not helping the Dodgers one bit.

Jay Bruce = Rookie of the Year.

Rivas up bases loaded . . .

Is Ned thinking about an infielder because Furcal won't be back any time soon?

Colletti also told Jackson that the Dodgers are a young team that hasn't figure out how to win yet

Call me crazy, but I'm guessing even the youngest Dodgers realize that the way to win is to score more runs than you allow your opponent to score.

Is Ned thinking

No.

Webb throws a 90 pitch complete game. Are you kidding me. Did the Nats swing on every first pitch.

LaRoche at 2B tonight.

I think it is just amazing that we are not buried by now. But it is wonderful because I see good things ahead. We have recently had two horrifying losses because we were in a close situation at the end. This is nothing like being gradually forced down 9 to 3, and it could easily go our way. Have faith.( I know it is difficult because I must admit I watch the last innings with the sound off from under a pillow. But I think wonders are ahead because we can see who our true players are, and they are almost all home grown D's players. If we just aquired one or two good offensive players from outside we are made. It's no secret Andrew, Nomar, Piere and Schmidt are not it.

Hard to believe someone could think that a utility infielder is the key to the Dodgers turning things around. I guess that's what happens when your GM cares about speed and athleticism and your manager isn't concerned about power.

Not knowing how to win yet is such a bunch of BS. If I was the owner I would fire my GM on the spot for saying that. You put it together. Did you not believe in them? What has changed? Nothing. I am so fed up.

The reason we are not winning is simple and believe it or not James Loney understood this , as I did, when I was 6. In the last 23 games our table setter is getting on at .287 clip and has 1 extra base hit with 10 runs in 24 games. And our clean up man or 3 hole hitter has a .291 obp and 12 extra base hits for the year.

Not counting their 2-8 with 2 singles today.

You have to have better production at the top of the order. Duh. Or does Coletti need a tutorial.

513--Its about time.

They finally figured out that Kemp can play CF.

The last piece to this is putting Broxton back as a starting pitcher.

OKay, I don't really understand how some people don't think first base has been a hole. Maybe JoeyP is hating on Loney too much, but the facts are that Loney's been bad this year. There are 14 first basemen in the NL with 140 or more ab's. The only two that Loney has a better OPS than are Adam Laroche and Carlos Delgado, who have both been god-awful. First base is a position that anyone can play, so you better mash there. And flat out, Loney hasn't hit well for any position really.

As far as fielding goes, Loney has the worst RZR of any first baseman with any substantial amount of innings, so he's been awful there.

It seems like at DT the kids can do no wrong, but if any of them are to blame its Loney. He hasn't really been any more valuable than Pierre, who gets blasted all the time. In fact, according to Hardball Times, Pierre has one more Run Created so far. If you just mean that he can improve, I definitely agree and maybe eventually 1B will look like a strength. But, if you consider what position he plays, there's no logical way to say 1st base isn't one of our biggest weaknesses right now.

507 Best rookie, yes. Rookie of the year? He has a long way to go to catch Geovany Soto.

First base is a position that anyone can play, so you better mash there.

Exactly.

Funny how Ned takes no responsibility for the worst performers on the team thus far (i.e. Jones, Kent, and Pierre, whom he acquired/resigned), and places the blame instead on the young players who are outperforming them (whom he generally didn't acquire).

I'll be glad when the Dodgers put together a modest three game win streak.

Furcal has a trick back, so we need some reliable middle infield depth.

Kent is old and will benefit from more rest.
Maybe three games on, one or two games off.

LaRoche needs to be on the 25 man.

Will Sweeney be with the team on Monday morning? Pee Wee was on deck today.

Hu and Maza back to Las Vegas.
LaRoche and the new utility man to the big club.

In the wings, Schmidt and Jones. Both may have positive contributions to offer after the All-Star break.

Billingsley looks great.

Lowe has done very well in his last two starts.

Kuroda is doing a good job.

Penny is having consistent trouble in the 3rd/4th innings lately.

Kershaw is on the job training.

The bullpen is good.

Martin, Kemp, Ethier, DeWitt, Loney, and Pierre are here for the season.

Given the situation, would you trade for a power bat or wait and see what Jones can do with two good legs?

The lv 51's are playing in channel 426 for Dish users...

518

I agree with the substance of this post. I think Loney can still improve, and he will still be important to this team's success (or lack thereof) but he really needs to show some improvement sooner rather than later.

523 What is the name of that station?

Andy turned a DP in the 4th inning.

525 it is actually FSN

Interesting Hall of Fame poll at ESPN for players 35 and older. Here are a few samples of what voters think these guys chances are to be a first ballot lock.

Ivan Rodriguez - 54.1%
Mike Piazza - 38.1%

Tom Glavine - 49.4%
Pedro Martinez - 38.7%

Jeff Kent - 4.7% (40.4% say he has no chance on any ballot)
Chipper Jones - 26.2%
Frank Thomas -19.0%

Rodriguez over Piazza and Glavine over Martinez? I hope baseball writers are smarter than the average fan. Thomas and Jones should also be easy 1st ballot guys. Thomas is one of the best hitters in 50 years and Jones is a top 3 3rd baseman ever. I found many of these numbers surprising.

Orange alert for Mike Lamb in Minneapolis. Orange alert.

523 527 Channel 651 on Directv.

Cycle alert canceled.

Stand down.

529
What's nice about the alerts is that if I forget what color the alert was from reading the first sentence in the alert, the color is always repeated in the second sentence.

Dejesus is at 2B for Jacksonville tonight too. Has he played there before?

532
I try to be helpful.

UCLA leads Cal State Fullerton 5-1 after 3. So how will UCLA blow this lead?

I'm betting on an four-base throwing error by a UCLA infielder in the ninth inning.

News from the ESPN crawl. The Lakers-Celtics finals matchup will be the 11th time they've faced each other. The Dodgers and Yankees met in the World Series 11 times.

Those are the most common matchups in the final series or game of MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL.

Apparently for the next week, we will get a history lesson on rivalries.

I'll check the World Series later but I think its either the Yankees and Cardinals or the Yankees and Giants for 2nd place.

After the Lakers and Celtics, its the Lakers and Sixers/Syracuse Nationals with 6 times, next are the Lakers vs. Knicks with 5 and then Boston vs. St. Louis Hawks with 4 title matches.

536 The Yankees have faced the Giants 7 times and the Cardinals 5 times.

Strangely, if UCLA holds on to its 7-1 lead I won't want to go watch them play Sunday because the game will start so late.

536 The NFL is a little harder to deal with, as far as Super Bowls go, Dallas and Pittsburgh have gone head to head 3 times, a number of teams have faced each other twice.

But prior to the Super Bowl it seems a little silly to count the NFL championships since the league was so small.

The Bears and Giants met five times in the NFL championship game.

Toronto and Detroit have played for the Stanley Cup seven times.

540 Is that counting any games after the Super Bowl started?

Bob is now happy, UCLA has a CI in their game.

542
I didn't count NFC conference championships. Just NFL championship games.

UCLA just got nailed for catcher's interference. Fullerton's comeback from being down 10-2 has begun.

544 The loser of tonight's game would have to win 3 straight games, when would that third game be played?

Things to watch before bed if you want to not be able to sleep:

1. The Orphanage.
2. Games (minus Friday) from the Dodgers' past week.
3. The Orphanage.

Fantastic movie but why did I watch it late at night? Stupid, stupid. I hate to be a baby but I may need the nightlight on tonight.

545 - The Griddle explains everything.

546 I watched most of The Searchers tonight. I like John Ford movies.

You know what? Loney HAS been bad this season, but do you remember him last September? He's capable of so much more, and I think he'll get back there. He still has developing to do, whereas Kent and Pierre are declining and stagnant. Not knowing how to win. What a crock. Ned is the one who doesn't know how to win.

UCLA is one win away from the Super Regionals.

If you think the Dodgers kids "not knowing how to win" is ludicrous, there are people who think that the most important player that the Mets have been lacking the last two years is:

Jose Valentin.

548 - Me, too. That one wouldn't have kept me up at night, either, although it is haunting at times. I think My Darling Clementine is still my favorite of his, followed by Searchers, Quiet Man and Stagecoach, and Mister Roberts.

--

Loney hasn't been bad this season, at all. He's been performing below expectations at times. and I agree, he'll get better before the year is up.

552 Clementine, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

I think as hard it is to write 162 game stories, its hard to give answers to the questions on why a team is struggling.

It's odd to consider "Mister Roberts" a John Ford film since he quit directing it halfway through.

555 He liked the first half.

I saw the last 5 minutes of a 2008 sci-fi movie starring Danica McKellar. It didn't look very good. The CGI aliens looked very... CGI. Danica looked good though.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom can make it hard for a 7 year old to go to sleep.

Yes indeed, I should have known better.

But his mom let him watch Raiders of the Lost Ark. Was I supposed to let her be the cool mom and leave it at that?

Why did I still think it was a John Ford film? Weird. I forgot that he and Fonda had a big fight about the film. Okay, it's one of my favorite Mervyn Leroy films.

Did anyone remember the 80s TV remake? Robert Hays, Kevin Bacon, Charles Durning... Howard Hesseman as doc!

It was, ah, not as good as the original.

NPUT