so I guess the real questions are what will the shuttle cost, and how much lost parking revenue will there be...

and yes, I can read, but nothing is free

Here's a tip from someone who used to ride the bus to the stadium in the '80s: At the end of the game, walk down to Sunset and catch a regular bus there. It's downhill. You just paid at least ten dollars to watch Juan Pierre; what's another $1.25 against an hour of your life?

2 - Well, did you read the $70,000 part?

I prefer to think of it as me paying $20 to watch Russell Martin and getting a $10 refund for having to watch Juan Pierre.

4 so they'll get us by raising our taxes to pay for it, at the very least

6 - Yes, and I know these things add up, and this money could go elsewhere, but $70,000 divided by x million taxpayers doesn't seem significant to me. Not to open this up to a political discussion or anything.

But yes, you're right. Nothing is truly free except the things that are truly free.

I find it difficult to believe that a city the size of Los Angeles has to up the tax rate to cover a $70,000 expense.

I'm guessing it could be budgeted somewhere.

Cool. I've been trying to leave my car at home at least twice a week. Perhaps this will motivate me to buy some tickets.

Use it or lose it people!

This is great. Now one could conceivably take the train (amtrak or metrolink) or the subway and connect to Dodger Stadium, which is awesome.

Imagine on how much traffic this could conceivably cut down at Dodger Stadium, and in the area, and cut down on pollution. If you ask me this is a bargain.

PS: I had to rack my brain for the Cherie and Bo reference and then - ah hah! Inge, Bus Stop!

Ethier will play tonight because he homered off Saunders before, right?

9 or you could do what I did, I bought a SmartCar

11 - Okay, as far as I'm concerned, we are violating rule 5 of the site here. And rule 6 as well.

14 I don't even know what a hyperbole is...

Carlos Delgado had 9 RBI's in todays game against the Yankees. Andruw Jones has 7 RBI in 2008 after 133 AB in 43 games.

10 - It took me a second to figure it out, too. The one time I've seen Bus Stop, a very young Tim Daly played Bo.

This is terrific! I'm going to make sure everyone knows about this. At last! We get a free passage to the game. Now is there not a special "bus lane" into the Dodger Stadium parking lot?

Its so easy to just take a red line ride to Union Station, board the shuttle and then use it again to go back. Where would the shuttle drop everyone off? I'm hoping it's somewhere behind the Pavilion. That sounds like a good spot, equal distance to every entrance.

yes, but Andruw has faced much tougher competition this year than Delgado

16 - Mets fans will still boo Delgado for every out he makes in the second game tonight.

I took the shuttle once when it was available a few years ago on Friday nights. There was a substantial initial wait before it left, but we had our own lanes blocked out along Sunset and moved very quickly especially given the gridlock for the other lanes (possibly because a lane was taken away for the DS shuttle). Coming back was no problem, I think because I ran like the wind to get to the bus stop as soon as the game ended. But after seeing the long long lines to get a bus after the Coliseum game, my faith in the team's ability to manage this properly is limited.

16.
Ouch.
I almost forgot we still had him for a minute.

18 yes, it sounds great...I looked up the connections from Moorpark, and I can take the train in and arrive about 1-1/2 hrs before the game and catch the bus to the stadium, then after the game, catch the next train at 6 am to go home...

Councilman Bill Rosendahl wondered during a committee hearing why the Dodgers would not pick up any of the cost.

Good ol' Frank, squeezing every penny.

Of course that may mean the Dodgers aren't in control of the shuttle itself. Was that also the case for 21 ?

21 its kind of like the team's ability to handle the parking lot after the game...from our Lot K, there is a different exit every game, so you never know where to park your car for easy exit...

23.
I'm in Simi as well.., I don't think the train/bus system was planned to benefit anybody north of Burbank.

23/26 - There's always day games, people.

Or you can sofa-surf at a fellow DT-ers house. ;-)

27 that is a great idea, and I can donate my season tickets for all the night games to the Dodger Dream Foundation

24 As I recall, it was certainly not a standard MTA bus, which would lead me to guess that the Dodgers rented them. It was, I think the ticket was $5, plus the $5 it cost me to park at Union Station. That parking cost is, by the way, a great bargain if you are taking Amtrak to San Diego for the day. Anyhow, my problem coming from the Westside is that it took me far longer to drive to Union Station, park, and then take the shuttle than it would have taken me simply to go directly to DS. I did it just for the experience, and having done it once, I never did it again. However, I live very near the coming terminus of the Expo line, so in theory I can take public transit to the 2011 World Series at DS. You are all entitled to your own views about which is more likely: the MTA finishing the Expo line as promised by the end of 2010, or the Dodgers making the Series in 2011.

24 There are probably sound legal reasons why the Dodgers would not want to pick up any costs let alone the general practice that other municipalities provide public transportation and also the fact that the Dodgers are probably one of the higher grossing sales tax providers in the region.

I know he's not popular but there should be lines on what the Dodgers are responsible for and what the City of LA is responsible for and this is one that the Dodgers and the City need to work on but it is clearly a public service, not a Dodger service.

30 I wrote this even before reading the article so I want to make sure you know this is my opinion.

28 So it doesn't really work for you, is what you're saying? Just want to make sure I'm understanding this properly... :-P

32 that just about sizes it up

29 - BTW, love your nick!

34 - but -- are you ok?

Tonight's lineup:
Pierre, LF
Kemp, CF
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Loney, 1B
LaRoche, 3b
Young, rf
Berroa, ss
Park, p

Could be worse.

yeah, Pierre could be in CF

If only Pierre and Berroa could be replaced...

Padres sign Tomko. Again.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3464547

Is there some sort of permanent fund to which Dodger fans can contribute to ensure that the Padres sign Tomko every year?

41 - They seem self-sufficient in that respect.

Would we all do Pierre + Hu + cash for 2 months of Dunn?

Indeed. 37 meet 40 .

43 Yes.

Random note: Tommy John made his major league debut at age 20, and went 0-2 in six games (three starts). His ERA+ was 164. The next year, he was 2-9, 92 ERA+. That would be his worst ERA+ until he was 41.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/johnto01.shtml

But the Reds won't, so there you go.

And as a Reds fan pointed out on another site, they already have a cheaper version of Pierre in Norris Hopper.

You know who is showing a lot of power in the minors so far? Jaime Ortiz. He just hit his 10th homerun of the year in around 180 ABs. He isn't making enough contact yet but he is still fairly young at 19 years old. He could be someone to watch next year.

43

Heck yes. I'm not a big Hu fan, though, so take that for what it's worth.

Brett Tomko leads a charmed life. It's amazing somebody can suck for so long, and still be given a job every year.

It may surprise you to know that Brett Tomko during his career has ranked among the league leaders in 11 different categories.

However, of these 11:
- One is a hitting category (sacrifices).
- Four are playing time categories (games started, innings pitched, batters faced, complete games).
- Five are negative pitching categories (hits allowed, HR allowed, earned runs allowed, losses, wild pitches).

Only one is a positive pitching category. In 2004 he tied for 9th in the NL with one shutout. Woo!

Who may be the next big Dodger prospect you have never heard of? Try this name on for size: Bladimir Franco. He was one of a handful of Dominicans Logan White signed last summer for chump change while other clubs were spending a lot more money on the more-in-demand foreign amateurs. Now Big Bad Blad, a 17-year-old shortstop, is leading the Dominican Summer League in homers with 5. And that is only in 21 games and 73 AB's. When Hanley Ramirez was the same age in the same league, he hit 5 HR's, but that was for the whole season, in 54 games and 197 AB's. Ramirez's line that year was .345/.397/.533, and Franco's right now is .315/.405/.616, so a better walk rate and more power from Franco. But what's the bad news? There has to be bad news, and it is that while Ramirez only had 22 strikeouts in 197 AB's, Franco already has 26 in 73 AB's. In my opinion, Ramirez's far superior contact ability at a young age gave him a solid foundation to build on, and his power obviously developed later. Franco's superior power at the same age is exciting, but a swing-for-the-fences approach combined with a penchant for whiffing could prove to be a fatal flaw as Franco ages, a sign that he is going to be more Joel Guzman that Hanley Ramirez. We'll see what happens.

47 And they already have a poor man's Hu in Paul Janish.

"Ah well. It is what it is, as Juan Pierre says." -- Troy from WV

I wonder how much 2.5 years of Zack Greinke would cost?

51 Thanks, very informative. I hope he makes it to the majors, for the jokes if nothing else. ("He's a blad, blad man...")

What was the name of that shortstop we had who was leading the GCL in homers at one point last year? He was a free swinger from the Dominican too.

Answering my own question: Yosanddy Garcia. He's 1-for-13 combined this year between Great Lakes and Ogden.

I don't know what's sadder, that he sat there and babbled into a webcam about Joe Beimel for 7 minutes, or that I watched most of it. (Most, not all.) Probably a tie.

---

51 Ya got me, I definitely had not heard of him at all. Sounds like one to watch, whether he becomes Hanley or Joel..

"Yosanddy and Blad" would be an awesome duo to have in the field for LA someday.

Either that or the name of a film screening at your local international film festival.

Projected to 580 plate appearances, Yosanddy Garcia's line last year would have been .252/.338/.488, with 32 homers, 104 RBI, 64 walks and 160 strikeouts.

Blad and Kyle Russell would make an awesome power combo.

55 -- Yosanddy Garcia only played 2B last year in the GCL, but was signed as a SS a couple years earlier. His 8 homers were two short of the league leader's total. Garcia was 19 and his final line was .252/.338/.488.

Apparently this year Yosanddy lost his double-D's. He's now called Yossandy on Minorleaguebaseball.com.

Did anybody see, at BP, the discussion today about Sabathia possibly being traded? It was in the form of a dialogue between Will Carroll and Kevin Goldstein. When Carroll asked what the Dodgers have that could interest the Indians, Goldstein mentioned the names of LaRoche, Santana, Adkins, Johnson ,and McDonald, but then he added, "All of that said, talking to some people in the game, I got the feeling that the Dodgers are not going to trade young talent this year." That is somewhat reassuring. Anyway, Will Carroll went on record with the opinion that Sabathia and Prince Fielder are "not fat." After reading that, I wouldn't trust Carroll if he said the sky is blue.

That is reassuring. I still don't understand why the Dodgers keep being mentioned regarding Sabathia? Do we need pitching? I must not have gotten the memo about their need for pitching.

I guess they're planning on losing Lowe, and maybe getting rid of Penny? And then I still don't see that as their biggest need, but hrm.

What is more reassuring is that people have stopped asking for the Loneys, Billingsleys of the team, having realized that they are not prospects anymore.

I wouldn't have a problem trading Adkins or players of that ilk.

I like Sabathia. I like him enough to sign him as a free agent (especially if we finish with a bottom-15 record this year). But not enough to trade Kershaw, Kemp, or whoever for him.

65 -- Goldstein didn't say that the Indians wouldn't ASK for our young non-prospects. He was talking about what prospects different teams have that could interest the Indians, in his opinion.

Update from Diamond's blog:

>>Rafael Furcal, Andruw Jones and possibly Nomar Garciaparra are scheduled to begin rehabilitation assignments for Class AAA Las Vegas on Monday. Furcal and Garciaparra could return before the All-Star break, and Jones could soon follow after the break. {that'll be a fun few days in Vegas - ed.}

Hiroki Kuroda and Brad Penny had their scheduled simulations games Saturday scrapped. Both will instead throw bullpen sessions because Penny is still feeling something in his shoulder and Kruoda's neck is still bothering him.

Scott Proctor will be shut down from throwing for 10 days, but the MRI exam he underwent revealed no structural damage in his shoulder.<<

If anyone needed some time off after being overused the previous few years it'd probably be Proctor.

--

Okay, outta here. Will be catching game late in the archives. Go Dodgers!

68 So which is higher now, the Dodgers' payroll or the Las Vegas payroll?

My camera had a suffiently wide angle lens to get both Sabathia and Dunn in the same frame.

If Furcal and Nomar come back where is Nomar gonna play for those 4 days until he gets hurt again?

And I guess that's it, Ethier and DeWitt can't hit lefties?

At some point during the season, Ethier became a platoon player with Pee-Wee. And Pierre became an everyday player.

72 - Well, Ethier really hasn't done anything this season against lefties. OPS of .500. Only one HR, however that HR was against Saunders. I don't know what has happened to Ethier. His whole life he was taught to hit left handed pitching and this season he's been awful. LaRoche should get as many starts as possible. DeWitt has left the door open and now he's in a platoon.

Yesterday's game is on now. It's not any better re-heated.

Our leadoff hitter hasn't had a walk in three weeks. An OBP of .296 in the leadoff spot. Steiner seems to only remember when Pierre was batting in the second spot where he has an OBP of .512. Hence a 'very solid season'. When in reality he's in the middle of his worst season ever.

Delwyn Young continues to look very good batting left handed. But his starts come against left handers. His defense is average at best. I would actually take Pierre over Young in the field and just deal with the horrible arm.

With that said, I would start Pierre against lefties, Ethier everyday and Young against righties. I believe JoeyP wrote the same thing a week ago. Now, I'm off to the game.

Baez just homered for Ogden.

75
I went to the game yesterday. It's a throw away game that I attribute to the preceding all night celebration for the Stults complete game shutout.

Arizona about to become a .500 1st place team. Has any division ever finished with all teams under .500? I know the NL West almost did it a few years ago (2005?) when the Padres were 2 over, but I'm guessing that was the closest ever.

The AL West did in 1994. All the teams were not only under .500, but far under. Of course, they never got to finish the season.

Man, this place sure becomes a ghost town on Friday nights. When I get back from picking up my delicious chicken parmesian sandwich there better be some action around here!

if it were me i'd never start Pierre again.

80 And that was the first year of the current format, too. The strike may have saved the wildcard.

I am alive again!

I heard vin say, "it's tiiime for dodger baseball".

This will be the game chat thread.

Chan Ho first pitch strike!

Was the "infield single to shortstop" a play Berroa should have made?

ESPN's picture of Berroa has him wearing a KC hat.

87
I'm eager to see how Furcal fares for Las Vegas next week. Jones too.

double play! defense and pitchers best friend!

Nice DP their to get out of the inning by Park.

Wow, even the Angel announcers realize Pierre is not a good lead off man, mention how Pierre hasn't walked in 17 games.

89 No love for Nomar?

92 Did Rex Hudler spin that as a positive? like "Pierre is aggressive; he's always ready to take a cut and try to get a hit"?

Is it me or Bison has been caught looking on strikeouts?

93
Actually, I really like Nomar. It's his body that just won't cooperate:)

Chan Ho Park's body language specially on breaking pitches doesn't look good... I know he's had back shoulder tightness recently so maybe it's just a matter of his shoulder needing more time to loosen up, veremos.

Wow, that was a deep fly, YIKES!!

Russell!!

Yes!!! GOLDEN GOD!!!

WOOOO MARTIN!!!!!!!!!!! Please people need to vote for the guy for AS starter!

Martin Home Run to the bullpen!

I think that thing left the stadium no guys? it certenly left the bullpen part of the stadium.

That was a bomb. Haha, Russell even had a little bat flip their, he knew it right away.

102 So was it as deep as Sabathia's?

102
That ball was crushed!

yes, but they just said it was 425 only?

I think Sebathia's had a little more distance.

427 foot home run - Vin

Sabathia's was 440.

Excellent. Another shut out inning from Chan Ho.

Chan Ho is the best story of the year for us. It don't get that much play.

Chan Ho is this years come back kid. He is overcoming some serious health problems.
I'm proud for him.

Torre will eventually figure Delwyn is much better against righties, right?

XieFranks machine is needed for our win % with an early lead.

Angel useless as always.

110 I think Kuo is the story of the year more than Chan Ho.

I just don't get the mind set of upper management having some one like Berroa playing short stop for us, I just don't sorry.

116 I think it has to do with Hu not hitting as he was expected to and everyone else getting hurt and Ramon Martinez not being brought back.

Angel Berroa is a dead end as far as the future goes, like Kershaw I think it would have benefited the Dodgers LONG TERM plans if Hu would have been playing instead of Berroa.

Plus he's Harold Reynold's man.

117 Agreed that no one could expect plan E at short to get hurt, but any career minor leaguer with a solid glove would have been a better choice than Berroa.

Park is looking good in the early going.

Not that I disagree. Berroa was the worst starting player in MLB the last few years.

112 -- In the game comments on your blog, you said tonight that Young "blows" against left-handed pitching. Yet coming into tonight's game Young was hitting better against lefties than against righties, .286/.355/.500, and of course those stats are even better after tonight's walk.

I don't wanna get cocky but it sure feels good having a lead against the Halos for a change.

How many pitches for Park so far?

120 Yeah, Maza should prolly be starting, but it there isn't really much difference between the assorted fodder.

123 His minor league stats over the last couple years show much less in a bigger sample size. Plus I'm more likely to use more questionable language there.

If you posted that there, I'd greatly appreciate it.

The rabbit is loose!

126 Sadly, that's probably true. Maza really doesn't have the arm for short though.

51

good stuff Canuck, thanks.

Saunders at 55 pitches.

129

Maza (dough in english) is part of the ingredients they use for noodle making, so you do the math.

if you don't believe me look it up!

129 Looking over the Dodgers organizational stats over at baseball-reference, the only other guys who might contribute something at short are Sergio Garcia- a natural secondbaseman and Ivan DeJesus and I question whether his OBP would translate well due to his complete lack of power.

127 - I agree - as much as I like the comments here, it's only right to respond to someone's blog posts at their blog. Or, comment at both places.

134 - That being said, I can't find the original post you guys are talking about.

Wow, I thought they got Pierre right there.

Double steal again!

Berroa's OPS may end up being worse than Hu's by the time he's put in the junk pile.

133 We don't have the right guy, but I'm sure there's some Wilson Valdez clone that could be had for nothing.

Vin loves Pierre--any other player, either team, he would've said "out at 3rd"

Pierre was out by a mile there.

Might as well walk Kent and hope for a DP for Loney.

out of curiasity I checked to see who plays in Albuquerque & it's a florida Marlins affiliate.

Wow! did Kent chased that ball.

135 It's in the game thread where I'm talking to myself.

Nice pitch selection, Jeff.

Ultra advanced approach from Kent right there. Talk about selfish. I hate that man.

I love Mikey look when the ump didn't call a strike right there.

Crazy Eyes shows a good eye there.

LaRoche with a chance to bust this one wide open!

OH.MY.GOD.

LaRoche do something good please.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

On what planet does bunting there make even a remote amount of sense? Torre is a joke. I'm sorry.

A bases loaded, two-out bunt? Seriously?

Why?

batter's interference woth catcher?

If he really did try to bunt, send him back to AA.

Dumbest play of the season.

I really hope that wasn't Torre's call.

Bunt? with two out and bases loaded? really?

For sure, that is something that will be talked about during post game interviews, wow.

I don't care if Robb Quinlan was standing in shallow left field. That was a massive blunder. Being a Dodger fan sucks.

If Andy still has one foot in the box should he still be ruled out? Replay showed one foot in when he came into contact with the ball. Replay showed that Pierre was out by that much so it evens out.

It couldnt have come from Torre.
A play like that should revoke LaRoche's fan favorite satus.

In positive news, Saunder's is at 70 pitches after 3 ... too bad the Angel's have a crazy deep crazy good bullpen. Well, it's up to Chan Ho.

If Torre didn't call that, LaRoche should not have been allowed back on the field.

Either way, Mr. Awesome Manager is responsible.

Anything for a run, I guess.

Btw, great Doctor Who tonight. Part I is on right now, then the new part 2.

I swear, if you had a team that all year NEVER TRIED TO DO ANYTHING CLEVER, you'd gain 2-3 games in the standings.

What the heck has gotten into Chan Ho Park? He's, like, good this season. (So far. /jinx proof)

in all fairness I think that was La Roche's call but I don't know.

Park at 51 pitches

That a slow infield hit.

It will look like a bullet line drive tomorrow Senor Vlady.

I'm at a bar and just saw Andy attempt to bunt. I howled and frightened half the patrons.

Hopefully I won't have to borrow my friend's BlackBerry again.

Was that one of Guerrero's hits on a ball at his ankles? Gamecast shows it to be just that.

Another shut out inning for Mr. Park.

175
A swinging bunt with a bat going 110 mph.

Torii Hunter looks like a comely Janet Jackson.

/returns Black Berry

I'll be more impressed if he hits one Oscar Robles style, one bounce of the dirt.

Nick, crazy doubleheader today eh? What the heck. I guess a split is adequate.

178 Hopefully that friend isn't also your Chad-doubting co-worker, too.

---

Man, Russell skied that homer (I just saw the replay, missed that inning). Yesterday he also basically tried to hit one out, skied one deep but it died at the warning track in the daytime air.

Chan Ho is doing everything right tonight.

Good job by Park of getting the now a flair by Pierre nets a run.

Chan Ho's even dropping sac bunts well tonight

Man, you guys. How many of you even looked at where the infield was before you made your comments on LaRoche's bunt?

At any rate, God forbid a young player make one bad decision. Bench him? Send him back to AA? Yeah, that's a sensible punishment.

Well that went fast. An eight pitch inning despite a lead off hit. And suddenly a six inning night looks very possible form Saunders.

It may have been a bad decision, but had it not hit him it would have been a run with Pierre on third. I love Andy. He can keep on making mistakes and he's still my third baseman.

It doesn't really matter where the infielders are playing when there's a force at every base, including home.

Jon's right, that play works and Andy's a gutsy genius.

185 I don't care where the infielders are, that's a really dumb play unless it's a very skilled bunter up there (I'm talking Norris Hopper good). I don't think he should be benched or demoted, but that's still one of the dumber decisions you'll see by a player all year (assuming it was his decision).

Nice play by Kent!

holy crap! nice play for Old Man Kent.

My.

189 Nope, it would be akin to Shaq shooting a three and somehow making it - obviously you're happy with the outcome, but you still consider the decision to be terrible.

Nice play by Kent. That was a highlight play for Kent.

185 - I was afraid to say about the same thing for fear of being eviscerated. I think the idea that someone with LaRoche's potential power to be bunting seems like an opportunity wasted but it also seemed like as good a space as you could get for a squeeze play. I dunno, I didn't feel like throwing myself off a cliff about it at any rate.

My friend thinks I'm kind of pathetic, so I'm to hand it over when he gets an e-mail.

Go CHP! Somewhere, Papa Sporky is squeeing.

That was a fab play by Kent. Seriously, is this some sci-fi parallel universe where imposters are playing Park and now Kent?

Sorry to be the Negative Nellie, but am I wrong to think that a better fielding second baseman makes that look a bit more routine?

I'm not saying it was a good play, but some of the reaction was over the top.

194
Obviously, it was poor judgement by a young player trying too hard to make something happen. My point was that if he had been sucessful in his attempt that no one here would have complained too much about the play.

ah the learning curves of a young talented ball player, like 187 he's still my 3rd baseman as well, this stuff can only help him, he'll make a mental note & only get better from it, no biggie.

with his power he should be aiming for the fences. I see Icaros point.

Park outpitching Saunders so far. Wow.

His career is a morality play. Take the big money, sink into purgatory. After the money runs out, rediscover his talent.

And then demand the big money, again.

196

A squeeze play with two outs? They just have to throw to first, or any base. It's not like they had the Barry Bonds shift on LaRoche.

I still remember what Park said about changing his release points in the off season this year and finding it helped him greatly. I hope that's it and it's not just all smoke and mirrors, but it seems pretty legit. So far. (/more jinxproofing)

194 What evidence do you have to show that Laroche is one of the worst bunters in the league? Matter of fact, does anyone really know whether he is a good bunter or not?

Bison rakes with a nice swing.

Based on the Kemp bunt story from last week, I suspect it was Torre pulling the same thing on LaRoche.

Must every play be the highest percentage play?

197 - Go CHP! Somewhere, Papa Sporky is squeeing.

That comment alone made this thread worthwhile.

203 - well, good luck with that.

204 - If it's bunted at third base, with Pierre running from third and two out, the only play will be to first base. And if it's a good bunt with the third baseman back, there's going to be no play.

203 Morality play? What exactly is wrong with taking a 64 million dollar contract? I mean, sure, he was a massive disappointment, but are you saying it's his fault someone was stupid enough to offer it to him?

180 yeah, my biggest worry is that Ponson will get too much rope as a result of tonight's performance....I keep waiting for all our young arms to start fortifying our big league bullpen.

Martin has such good Abs..

204 Yah, actually I thought there were two on, not three on. I didn't think it was a great idea either way; that makes it a worse idea, but I still don't think it's worth falling on a sword about. Falling on a Nerf sword, maybe.

oh yes, we're in business, now lets capitalize.

Speaking of bad decisions: Aybar had no chance to get Kemp at second base. He was looking at second base as Kemp was arriving, and still threw it there. And badly.

The Bison makes people nervous when he is on the basepaths. Watch out!

That was so dumb for Aybar to try to get Kemp at 2nd, really dumb. And we'll take it.

214

I was just gonna say that JoeyP. He worked it all the way to 3 & 2.

Come on get at least 2 runs!

The Old Man follows the plan! Good Job!

nice to hear Vin praise Kemp for his baserunning there...

Capitalization.

209 The squeeing is hereditary!

God, this team may by spectacularly mediocre, but I still love it to pieces.

211

Not if it isn't bunted perfectly. All they need is a force at home, and Pierre isn't really as super fast as advertised.

I'll take Andy's patience and power over those odds any day.

Wooo! clutch hitting!

Vlad should have thrown to 3b.

Ron Rynecki looks a little like Tracy to me.

Loney cashes it in!

Tough game for Andy.

Weird, we're beating the Angels 3-0. Weird, I don't know how to feel or think. I feel all... oogly inside.

--
213 Yah, and frankly there should only be enough rope for Ponson to, you know, do what he'll inevitably do.

206 I didn't say he's a bad bunter. I'm just saying that the odds of it working are akin to Shaq making a three-pointer (though a bit exaggerated). It's hard enough to bunt for a hit normally, but factoring in the fact that there was a force at home makes it a very low percentage play. Like I said earlier, I would only advocate it for the absolute best bunters in the league (no, Pierre doesn't count).

Park now at 73 pitches

228 Had Vlad thrown to 3b, wouldn't Kemp have scored?

97

I guess Park just needed to loosen up his shoulder a little more, or maybe I was halosinating

226 - If the third baseman has to run a mile, Pierre is still fast enough to beat him even if it's not a perfect bunt. But can we just agree to disagree? I have never said it was a good choice. I never said I wouldn't want Andy to swing away. All I'm saying is that there's a rationale for it, and the reaction to it was too much.

Anyway, I'll drop it. Andy is one of my favorites, and I just want him to do well.

I also want Juan Pierre to get trapped in Sam the Butcher's meat locker with his older brother Greg.

are we paying Cha Ho park minimum wage? man, what a steel for us. woo!!

235--Kemp would have scored anyway. He's the fastest player on the Dodgers.

Keeping Martin from getting to 3b was the safer play.

Park is mowing them down!

What the heck????

Kent gets an error?

Vin is concerned that Chan Ho is starting to run out of gas.

E4. Yup.

What the...? Sloppy guys, sloppy.

Oh no! I don't trust the Borg!!

233 I took that Shaq comment to mean that you thought he was a horrible bunter. I know I would probably consider Shaq to be the worst three point shooter in the NBA (well, maybe Ben Wallace). I think he had a little higher odds than Shaq would have had. His dad was a big league pitcher, so there may be an above average chance that he's actually a good bunter.

Man, I know Chan Ho's in a bit of trouble here, but seeing the close up on his face as he winds up, it's giving me all sorts of nostalgia. Loved the Piazza/Karros/Mondesi/Park/Martinez Dodgers.

Nice K for Channing! let see him escape out of this inning.

All the other NL Worst teams have lost or are losing.

Chan Ho is my homeboy

249 That made me want to see Ryan Stiles' "fabulous" Carol Channing impression.

Anyway, as you were.

Ball 4??? Vin?

ball 4 Vinnie!??? he only has 1 ball

it's 1-2.

Tonight's performance by Park compares well with Stults' last game.

YEAH BOY!!!! I love you Mr. Park!

wow. I'm lovin' this gutsy performance by Mr. Park.

Great game for Park. At 90 pitches, do you let him hit this inning?

What a performance by Chan Ho. He sure has shown a knack of pitching out of jams this year.

255

In my opinion it doesn't, Park throws way harder than Stults.

212 I'm not saying he "should" not have taken the money. But as so often happens, Park's performance took a dive after he did, and now that the contract's over, he's sharp again. Just seems to happen a lot, and I'm just observing that the universe seems to be sending a message.

CHP is making an old man very, very happy.

6 shutout innings for CHP. Most impressive. For their next trick they'll be bringing back Darren Dreifort and Ramon Martinez I.

Justin Speier up.

5-0 game, comin' up.

260
And unless he finds some magic beans he never will:)

This ump has a large box.

This ump has a rather large, floating strike zone in my opinion. Pee Wee get jobbed.

Double for Angel??? I don't believe it!

Berroa get a hit! Start up the band!

Go ice up that arm Park, good job...

A double for Berroa. Could that foretell that something other than a strikeout is in the cards for Sweeney?

Mark could be at .100 soon.

What if Berroa and Sweeney got back-to-back hits?

273. Pigs will fly.

Automatic out Sweeney.

It's getting to a point were you just feel bad for Sweeney.

Think Chan Ho has earned a future in starting beyond Penny's stay on the DL? He's looked pretty good in every one of his starts.

And the answer is...

Bzzzzt!

No.

The point of using a pinch hitter is to improve the chances of getting a hit. Using Sweeny in such a role is almost as bad as using Jason Grabowski as a pinch hitter.

This needs to stop. Really.

272 - for some reason, I want to meet your dad now.

What's the opposite of "Squeee"?

Answer: "Sweeee."

That was enjoyable.

That K/wild pitch bounced off the shin guard.

Pierre comes through with a lucky play. Safe on a strike out.

Why in the world does Kemp swing at so many first pitches?

285
Charlie Steiner says that the most famous K/WP was Mickey Owen in the 1941 World Series.

Charlie needs to look at the boxscore of that game sometime.

C'mon we're all perversely looking forward to watching Sweeney pinch hit on Sunday. After another strikeout tomorrow we'll get to marvel at that rare non-pitcher double-digit BA. If he somehow manages to get a hit we'll have to wait two more weeks (and Torre will think he's earned those two weeks).

I'm getting the stink-eye from some drunk Angels fans.

man, look at that line 6 IP 4 HITS (3 SINGLES) 0 BB, 7 K's.

I'd say that's earning your keep.

I'd have a small rope on Folkenborg.

Kuo has thrown 11 pitches this week.

287 - Almost every day here someone complains that Kemp takes too many first pitches.

The new Proctor checks in.

287

Perhaps it is the result of anxiety.

Cyyyyy-Borg! 10x upgrade Dr. No Good Proctor.

Falkenborg!

Nice inning actually, right on.

Go Proctwo!

Falkenborg has been very impressive both in Vegas and so far in LA this year. What's gotten into him? Maybe he's possessed in the same way that CHP is.

293 I guess that's one way of staying healthy.

294

Kemp we all just get along???

Falkenborg was the only bright spot in yesterday's game. He looks like he wants to win!

301

I think at some point you're going to have to wonder whether the gnome is somehow involved.

We will be assimilated!

I <3 G.G.

A 6-pitch inning--all strikes.

Nice efficiency.

Martin is so good. Man is he good.

According to Steiner, "Joe Torre has found himself a new play toy in the bullpen in Brian Falkenborg."

There we go. Good job Old Man.

Rob hit it right on the nose with Spier...

281 He's just like me, only taller, wider and older.

304 I remember an extra inning game in Pittsburgh back in '04 when he did just that.

290 - you're in the stadium?

310 That one could go with the quotes on Dodgerblues

Be nice for Andy do something positive here.

Come Torre! double steal with the old man!

C'mon, bunt for a hit, I double dog dare ya! :-)

Darnit, he gave it a ride, too.

313 - not to mention that Y chromosome thingy.

315 Bar in Orange County.

I like how we match up against the Angels in this series.

Billz tomorrow & Lowe on sunday.

Ethier does it again.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! 3.5!!!!!!!! YESS!!

Damn, I was wrong. 6-0 Dodgers.

A three-run HR!

Ethier!!!!!!!!!!! GONE!!!!! BABY GONE!!!!

Woah, half way of the bleacher action by both Russell & Ethier, good job man!

SQUEEE!

323 - Lackey's pitching Sunday.

I'm happy for Ethier he needed a little boost like that.

330 - next thing you know we'll be confusing you with a Arkansas fan.

Andre Ethier hits a bomb half way up the bleachers and the Dodgers lead it six to nothing - Vin

Now Kuo might get to pitch!

330 I've created a monster.

man that's just wrong 99mph bro! wow.

Broxton - 99 mph on the inside corner.

99 MPH on that last pitch to Quinlan. WOW.

333 Or Ned Beatty in Deliverance, but let's not go there. ;-)

I meant to say "Squee-thier!"

337
Sssssssssssttt. That's what is sounds like. You can't see it.

340 "Or Ned Beatty in Deliverance, but let's not go there."

I thought that too coincidentally.

Was Broxton's slider at 91?

Wicked pitch to throw after all the 97 mph stuff.

343 - probably.

no way your gonna catch up with ESPECIALLY with that swing Mathew.

Brox hit 100 MPH on that foul.

Broxton just touched triple digits.

Looking at MLB standings at Yahoo Sports, 13 of the 16 teams in the N.L. are on a losing streak (of one game or more). That is just crazy.

The only three NL teams on winning streaks are all in the East: Florida, Atlanta, and Washington.

The Big Man mows 'em down.
Think he could close when he grows up?

98-100-99 mph in the last at bat - my goodness.

I wonder if Saito is gonna call it a career at the end of the '08 season

350/351 - Yes, to both. I think Broxton will be our closer next year.

Stults pinch-hitting!

Bonus runs!

Stults batting for Brox? I actually wanna see Broxton get a hold of one, Sabathia style!

I love it, Stults, our Owings, is PH-ing for Broxton. And probably will do better than Sweeney.

Torre did what Lasorda use to do but it didn't work tonight.

Or maybe he won't fare any better than Sweeney Todd. But less shame in it.

Aww - I think he took more pitches than Sweeney, though.

Seattle beat San Diego 5-2 and stranded 18 runners on base.

They were the first team to leave that many runners on base in a nine-inning game since the Braves did against the Dodgers back on June 23, 1986.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN198606230.shtml

Mark is being prepared for his new assignment as the organization's roving pinch hitting instructor.

I hope Kuo isn't used in a throw away situatiion.

Probably just as well. I'd hate for the Dodgers to score more runs and blow their allotment for the next few days.

362 - Well, he does need the work, though.

Saito must need some work to come in in this situation.

I guess Saito needs work, too; in for the un-save.

Sammy looks pretty good tonight.

5 strikeouts in a row for the Dodgers, 6 outta 7. Nice.

Anderson is thinking outside, I'd throw him something on the inside corner.

well that worked also, man, Saito has such great control, I really hope he still has something in the thank & WANTS to comeback next year.

6 in a row!
Siddown.
Game over.
We win!

That was sweet.

And seven out of the last eight Angels batters strike out to end the game. The last six outs strike outs!
Park with seven strikeouts.

Vin

Saito strikes out the side!
Dodgers win!
Dodgers now have more runs scored than allowed!

I think a lot of us were wrong about Chan Ho this offseason...

Oh and 2.5 games out of first place. Which is ridiculous. But we'll take it. Very satisfying to beat the Angels. Now lets do it again tomorrow night.

374 - Just about everyone, I'm sure. I'm telling ya, it's that change he made to his release point, it's made a world of difference. Now his decrease in velocity doesn't matter as much - and he's still had better velocity than I'd expected. And control. It's been a treat.

Highlights coming up on SportsCenter, too, btw.

Night all!

360 - Ohio or not, you are my hero, Bob.

NPUT

376

Being finally fully healthy certainly helps too I think.

Either way, hopefully he can keep it up.

BTW, when did Brian the Falken Cyborg start throwing 96mph gas?....HUH?!?!?