Wow. That Camden Yards review makes want to hop on a plane. Great stuff. I know--I mean, I know--that someone here is going to knock it out of the park for Dodger Stadium.

Camden Yards in my favorite stadium that I have been to. I have not been to that many outside California though.

An article on Eugene from ESPN:

http://tinyurl.com/5egzpk

Camden Yards is great, and eases the pain of losing Memorial Stadium. The thing is, however, if you went to Memorial Stadium, you (and all those around you) were obviously there to see a ballgame. With Camden Yards, people go for the experience of being there. The new National Stadium is also quite wonderful but, likewise, there was only one reason to go to RFK.

In high school a friend and I drove from Toronto down to Baltimore to watch a game during Camden Yards' inaugural season. We bought standing room tickets. The thing I remember most about the stadium was that the bullpens were right below the standing room concourse - it was such a thrill to see Dennis Eckersley at the height of his powers warming up no more than twenty feet away from me.

Robothal has us in on Sabathia:

http://tinyurl.com/65za3o

McDonald, Hu and LaRoche. I'm leery of bailing on LaRoche would prefer to move DeWitt instead, but the Indians aren't fools. They want upside.

Apologies if this has already been covered...
bluto

The Dodgers are playing the Giants and Fox decided not to pick up the telecast. :(

"We're more open-minded about who we might have to move than we were in the past..." Colletti said in today's LAT article. I'm telling you, a disastrous team-ruining trade of epic proportions, something along the lines of Matt Kemp for Jack Wilson, is coming. The MSM is behind Colletti, and most fans don't care.

Also, I loved how Torre said that Andruw Jones is "still rehabbing," and that Sweeney still has something left. Management really doesn't know what it's doing.

This is great. The offense starts clicking again against a decent pitcher that doesn't play for the Reds, and now we have to deal with this crap in the paper.

I hate Frank McCourt.

7 The Yankees-Red Sox juggernaut can not be stopped

6 Indeed. See previous thread.

As i said there, I really don't understand the Sabathia rumors at all. Assuming they're even true, which with Rosenthal you never know. But the last thing the Dodgers need is additional pitching unless they're planning on trading one of their current front line starters. And as I said, too, I really like Jack Wilson but don't trust Ned at all to be anything other than fleeced in a trade for him. (I would almost be willing to give up one sort of top prospect for him but none of the "kids" currently on the team.) Better still is to just see how Nomar does. And maybe call up Hu or DeJesus at some point to spell Nomar a couple days a week.

Ned can't be dumb enough to trade Kemp can he? No reason to fill the hole at SS by creating a bigger hole in the OF right? The only way Kemp's gone is if someone like Bay or Nady is also included in the deal.

Vin would be happy with Jack Wilson, but I think that's because he's met his parents. Vin loves every player if he's met his players. He likes Ethier's parents.

13 - He's not and even if Ned wanted to trade Kemp he'd have to convince a lot of people in the organization that it's the right idea. I don't think any of the core is in danger (Kemp, Martin, Loney, Bills, Kershaw) as well as Ethier. I don't know what to make of his willingness to trade 'one of the kids' except that we've heard it all before and it's all politics. All talk and nothing much happens. That's July in major league baseball. Rosenthal's rumors are fun to read but that's about it.

I heard somewhere that Jack Wilson's father works at the Newbury Park post office. I can't ascertain the specific source........

:-)

7
Wouldn't you rather watch a Dodgers-Giants game with Vin Scully calling the action instead of Dick Stockton or Thom Brennaman?

But this is Rivalry Weekend in the majors:
Dodgers vs Giants
Red Sox vs Yankees
Cubs vs Cardinals
Rays vs Royals

17 Or the game could be on KCAL-9 again and since I'm visiting my parents in central California I won't be able to see it :(

12 Alas, I apologize. I tried to rely on my Google-Fu, where actual gumshoe investigation would have worked.

18 Not to mention Marlins vs Rockies...

12 - I am pretty certain that Nomar will do alright at SS, as compared to others, but I am just as certain that he will get injured, so now is the time to get someone, not later, and I am thinking that it has to be someone who is not just a stop-gap, given Furcal's situation. Even if he comes back hard to imagine signing him up again at this point. Just hope that we give away the farm and not one of the so-called prospects, who are actually now contributing.

I think instead of signing another big ticket free agent Ned ought to just buy a hospital.

OT: What's the "PVL" acronym mean, as used here on DT?

Proven
Veteran
Leader

Dodgers have officially been removed from the NL West.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings

25.

Thanks. That makes a lot more sense than Pro Volleyball League, which was Google's answer.

LOL, you guys are a bunch of doomsayers. Just relax. Time and time again Ned has refused to make a trade with established youngsters. He has yet to do it. So until he does "Kemp for Wilson", gimme a break.

And mad props to my guys Kent and Ethier. They both play so hard each game and for his age, what Kent is doing is, as I recall, a first.

Yes, yes, in praise of Kent. He's the only PVL, all along, who's been able to keep up with the youngsters when they're going good. Nomar shows flashes as well, but then he pops something.

24 , 25 Or maybe in some cases--

Proven
Veteran
Liability

Sabathia makes no sense unless it also means trading Lowe or Penny for someone like Renteria. Even then, renting Sabathia makes no sense. I wish Rosenthal, and Plashke would buy a horse, ride off into the mountains and not bother anybody.

28
We're old school here. We prefer "Nattering Nabobs of Negativity."

Fortunately, I think a Gamel or LaPorta offer from the Brewers trumps most any reasonable offer LA can throw out there.

We'll never know this. But wonder how many times Torre has pondered how many more WS titles his Yankees could have won with anything near the level of pitching his Dodgers have shown...

31 Trading for Sabathia makes sense if you think that trading for him gives you a better chance to resign him.

The problem with the Dodgers in the McCourt era has always been management . When the team wins, they win in spite of them, and because circumstances forced them into playing the correct players. When they lose it's because things are as management planned. I'm not saying they plan to lose, only that they are incompetent and incapable of making the correct decisions

34 or how many he would win now with that yankee hitting

31 , 35

Or, you consider the fact that if he leaves you get the two comp picks in the draft to offset the prospects you just passed along.

bluto

This would be different: Blake DeWitt actually looks pretty slick in the field. I can see him switching to second base and I wonder how he would do at shortstop. He has some offense and Torre is in love with him; how about he and Nomar split the time at shortstop and that opens up third base for LaRoche.

37 i just realized that thats pretty much the same thing..except one scenario involves this hypothetical team coming together for the yankees, and the other involves it coming together to play for the dodgers..

all in all just ignore 37 lol..

35 Trading for CC is like any other trade. Whether or not it makes sense is largely related to what you are giving up.

The Dodgers do not have 5 starting pitchers better then CC, so obviously he could be used down the stretch.

The problem is who they give up. Again, I wouldn't give up on LaRoche. I could live with a DeWitt, McDonald and Hu trade for CC. If it takes some other lower level prospects so be it. If they want LaRoche or Kershaw or someone of that nature, you pass and let the Brewers have him. That is where it gets to the "it doesn't make sense" part.

23 - More than Ned, what would Torre do without injuries? A lot of what happens seems to be based on him running people out there who stink until they get injured and he has no choice but to play someone else.

No reason to fill the hole at SS by creating a bigger hole in the OF right?

With Pierre's belly full of guts, he'll be back on the team on his first day of eligibility.

At that point, there is no hole in the OF, if you're Joe Torre. You've got Pierre, who simply has to be out there every day, he's responsible for all the runs the Dodgers score; you've got Jones, who will turn it around any day now, he had some really good swings yesterday; and then you've got these two worthless punks to share right field, playing the game the wrong way, for the wrong reasons, in the wrong century. If one of those was sent away for a shortstop, would anybody remember by the time of Pierre's HOF induction? No.

36 When have we won in spite of ourselves in the McCourt era? Who suddenly inherited playtime and lead the team to the promised land?

I am wondering more and more if Torre and Ned are the only people in baseball that would have brought Jones back before he played at least 10 games in rehab.

Torre may have been the perfect Manager for the Yankees because the team was loaded with PVLs and he was great at dealing with the media and Steinbrenner.

Torre window of success as a Manager was a good sized window and his window of mediocrity as a Manager might be even bigger.

If I were Frank McCourt I think that I would find it interesting that Ned and Joe were blaming the Dodgers sub .500 record on youth's inexperienc and attitude while not objectively commenting on the input of Pierre, Kent, Jones, Penney, Schmidt, Nomar, Lowe, and Sweeney on the current Dodgers record.

The problem with Wilson for LaRoche is that Wilson, a good player, has no power. Among Martin, Loney, Kemp and DeWitt, there is already a shortage of power, nobody there who will hit more than 20 home runs consistently. LaRoche is still proving himself, but if he delivers on his potential, he'll be the meat of the lineup in the future. I'll just be sick if we trade that guy and he turns into a 35-40 HR hitter. The Dodgers have the hardest time finding that kind of power, and when they get it, they always seem to lose it.

I'd rather see Ned do a little-ball trade: Give up one good prospect for a decent back-up SS, better than Berroa hopefully, to spell Nomar twice a week.

What's Cesar Izturis been up to lately?

Cesar Izturis is the starting shortstop for a team that is in a playoff spot.

He has an OPS+ of 68 this season.

Basically, Izturis stands at shortstop and lets all the other guys on the Cardinals create offense.

46 The problem with Wilson for LaRoche is you're trading our number two prospect for a 30 year old shortstop best described as "decent". At best you give up a DeJesus or a Meloan for him.

Sadly, Izturis is the starting shortstop for a contending team, so he's out.

Basically, Izturis stands at shortstop and lets all the other guys on the Cardinals create offense

So, basically, Izturis has taken over for Eckstein.

Let's just hope no trades are made.

I'll go on record with respect to not opposing the idea of trading Kemp. I think the current conception of his potential is higher than what he'll actually turn out to be, which (as a general rule) would suggest that trading him is a good idea.

However, I am opposed to the idea of Ned trading Kemp, for at least three reasons.

1. Ned's motivations for trading Kemp (e.g. doesn't listen, doesn't work hard, moved trash can, etc.) are stupid.

2. I've never supported having Pierre and Jones in the outfield simultaneously (or at all, for that matter).

3. I have no confidence in Ned's ability to get something good in return for Kemp.

Ahh, Ticketmaster.

My discounted $6 infield reserve ticket for Thursday's game ended up costing me $14.10.

He's starting?

There must be someone in the wings they'd rather play than Izturis. That guy could go to the HOF as a late inning defensive replacement and/or designated shortstop for a ground ball pitcher.

17 I don't have cable right now.

52
Call Eddie Vedder.

If Laroche is fully healthy, he is just as valuable as the other established young players that we have. The only reason to deal him is if the Dodgers believe the injuries he has suffered the last couple of years are going to hamper his abilities permanently.

The Dodgers need 8 hitters that can contribute to the offense and better than that in the 3, 4, and 5 spots. Kemp may or may not ever fill the need in the 3, 4, or 5 spot but he is cheap and will qualify for one of the 8 that contributes to the offense. Good defense, great pitching, 8 contributing hitters with strength in the 3, 4, and 5 spots and the team is competitive.

41 Are you suggesting all three for Sabathia? That seems steep for someone who will only be there half a season. And as others have pinted out, right now pitching does not seem to be the biggest hole.

I think Wilson, who I agree is only decent, would be a good acquisition. I wouldn't trade kemp for him but there are more reasonable options. We would have Wilson for next year too, right? Would the Pirates take Hu or DeJesus or do they have someone already to replace Wilson?

From Tony Jackson's article from yesterday..

Although Colletti has never publicly identified any player as one he would be unwilling to trade, that list was always widely believed to include catcher Russell Martin, outfielder Matt Kemp, pitcher Clayton Kershaw and perhaps pitcher Chad Billingsley.

Perhaps? Perhaps Tony? You must really dislike Chad huh? Maybe as much as elevators..

Hu, McDonald and Laroche for Sabathia would be a heist for the Indians; especially if the Dodgers cannot re-sign CC.

58 The Pirates have nothing of any value pretty much.

OT: This new version of Firefox... Is everyone having problems with it, or am I just cursed? I tend to think it's not just me, because it's flinky on both my PCs.

Am I going to have to start using IE again?

Most frustrating thing: Refusal to go to a new URL you've typed into the address field. It just acts like you never typed it in.

Tony Jackson, the Mark Sweeney of sportswriters...

I just downloaded the new Firefox on a computer I use at work and it works very well.

The only thing I don't like is that when you bookmark something it goes into "unsorted bookmarks" and then you have to move it somewhere to be able to see it.

You would assume that as a librarian, I would try to keep all bookmarks neatly arranged. But I don't.

I seem to remember that a lot of DT regulars don't like Eckstein but it seems to me that you could probably get him for a couple of old bats and his OBP is usually in the middle .300's

59 I would hope that even Ned views Billingsley as untouchable.

I am convinced now more than ever that Kemp is going to be traded. He's going out for a PVL.

If we ask JoeNed Collettorre to rate the young players who are with us right now in order of preference, the list would start with Russell Martin. He woujld be followed by Chad Billingsley. After that, I think they would see either Loney or Ethier. That leaves LaRoche, Kemp and Delwyn Young who, in my opinion, are the most likely Dodgers to get traded before the trading deadline with Kemp heading the list. "We're so deep in young players who are learning the game, we need some guys who know how to play right now," JoeNed might say.

Because the last thing anyone would ever want to do is trade a veteran. Sacrilege to even suggest as much.

(sigh)

I swear, the next Dodger deal might determine whether I start wearing a halo cap. I won't, of course, but cripes this is frustrating.

I didn't see it mentioned here, but the Indians just signed Jeff weaver to a minor league deal. Maybe they are getting ready to unload Sabathia. :)

Getting Shortstop could be difficult for Dodgers is the Daily News headline.

Getting anything will be difficult when you broadcast that is what you want. Ned instantly puts himself in a horrible position as soon as he says that.

Morons. I've got morons on my team.

51
Great post, even though I disagree.
You guys ever play Yahtzee? It's a kinda lame dice game (my grandparents were huge Yahtzee fans, so all of us kids played a lot with them...) Anyway, the reason I bring it up is this: The best way to win at Yahtzee is to maximize the possibilities of rolling Yahtzee (5 of a kind) as often as possible. You don't always win this way; but, over time, you win more when you try for more Yahtzees. And it's why you don't trade Kemp. The possibility of him achieving his essential Yahtzeeness remains in effect, though I agree with you that it's less than even money that it'll happen. I'd argue that goes for LaRoche as well. Maybe even Loney and Billingsly. I'd keep Martin, too, because he's already a Yahtzee.

I'm really thinking that playing poker against Colletti would be easy.

He would look at his first two cards and say, "Shoot, a duece and a trey, I hope I get something better. OK, I'll raise!"

"Morons. I've got morons on my team. We don't have to worry going down the mountain. We haven't got any money coming down the mountain. When we've got the money, then you can start to sweat."

The great Strother Martin.

Ned is sweating while he's going down the mountain.

68 -

Definition of giving up on a season: signing Jeff Weaver to replace CC Sabathia

70 Yahtzee? Lame?

Damn youngun's...

Lets assume the Dodgers wanted to trade Kemp. Personally, I don't believe they do. But, lets say they want to do so. Pierre isn't coming back until after the deadline and with any injury you never really know they're coming back until they do. So, Kemp seems very safe to me.

74
i said "lame" just to seem cool. i've forced all my nephews and my kids to play yahtzee.

I still feel like the more we keep winning, the less likely a trade will be. The front office is just too fickle to not let something like a win-streak and "everybody coming back healthy" not affect their decisions.

To me, this is such a crucial time leading up to the trade deadline. We need to keep this win streak going. Nomar absolutely MUST stay healthy and play shortstop reasonably effectively. If he can do that, what holes do we have exactly? Aside from DeRoche/LaWitt, there shouldn't be any positional controversies at all.

LF - Ethier
CF - Jones
RF - Kemp
3B - DeRoche/LaWitt
SS - Nomar
2B - Kent
1B - Loney
C - Martin

That line-up probably will play regularly and will score some runs. If they can just hang in there, continue the winning, and secure 1st place, the front office should be less inclined to make a trade and more inclined to "not break up what you've got" (or however the cliche goes).

Can't see Kemp involved in a straightup deal for an SS, given the OF hole issue. I am thinking that if we are dealing with the Pirates for Wilson and it involves Kemp, Bay would have to be in the package. For myself, I might be willing to lose Pee Wee (bite my tongue)if he could be packaged with JP, instead of losing the beloved Bison.

From Diamond Leung. I'm quoting in full here, h/t 6-4-2:

"Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti will be looking for a shortstop among other things before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline, and the team is willing to adjust its philosophy of keeping their young players off-limits.

"We're more open-minded to who we may have to move," Colletti said.

Asked if he were referring to the young players, Colletti said, "They're not really young kids anymore."

Colletti's comments echoed what owner Frank McCourt told me earlier in the week when asked about the possibility of trading some of the kids. He said the ones they will hold onto are "the ones who are prepared to put in the work, listen to coaches and get better every day." The kids who they would be willing to part with are "the ones that can't do those things."

Gee, I wonder who Frank is talking about?

76 No sweat, my man. I wouldn't admit to playing the damn game if the game itself wasn't insulted first, speaking of trying to act cool...:)

79
I posted that excerpt yesterday, and have little doubt that it's aimed at Kemp (and possibly LaRoche). Who else fits the bill?

77 - Has anybody else noticed that LaRoche has better at bats against RHP. A platoon is not best for him.

79
Plaschke would arrange the players chromatically.

77 - I readily agree that this line up should be able to do the job, but I don't think that we can just wish away Nomar's injury risk. Its gonna happen, so the question to me is do we want to pull the trigger now or wait until we are really desperate?

81 Sorry, boss.

83 Has to be the funniest thing I've seen written about Plaschke. By the by, Bob, I also noticed that Bill was praising to the skies the attitudes of the white guys. Made me think of a wonderful FireJoeMorgan post from 4/15 where a Santa Clara writer was talking about gamers vs. non-gamers. Care to guess what the racial makeup was on that list?

81 - I always felt good when Ned/Joe starting talking up JP, because I always thought it was a prelude to a trade. How can a GM badmouth players that he wants to get some value for from the market?

79 I had commented on this at the end of the last thread.

Why would you even say something like this? In otherwords, we're willing to give you our slackers and malcontents.

Why couldn't they say - we know we have some holes to fill right now. Fortunately we have some good young talent that we can afford to lose now and not adverserly effect the future. We are not giving up on these people, we see them as a means to and end - a winning ballclub now and into the future.

How can a GM badmouth players that he wants to get some value for from the market?

Moronically.

I've actually been thinking that Torre's decision to put Kemp in the leadoff spot is not so much an indication that Torre thinks Kemp should bat leadoff, but rather a "showcasing" gambit intended to make Kemp look versatile.

85
With all of Plaschke's half-baked suppositions, I feel very comfortable in playing the race card against him.

Why would you even say something like this?

Because despite all of Ned's alleged PR experience and savvy, he's ultimately incompetent, defensive, and insecure, and lashes out in an effort to defend himself and his job (rather than, for example, being diplomatic and strategic in his public communication).

In essence, he's a feeler more than a thinker (an "F" rather than a "T", in Myers-Briggs terminology)

They are going to trade Kemp. I have sat here all day, working myself into a panic, and now I truly believe it.

84 I'm not wishing away the risk. I'm wishing Nomar stays healthy til after the trade deadline.

I like Delwyn Young but, I think he may be the guy to go. He seesm like the odd man out in the outfield and may actually net us something of value in the right deal. Maybe the Pirates would go for him for Wilson.

Ironically, if he were to go, it's hard to imagine that Young fits the description of some who is not prepared to put in the work, listen to coaches and get better every day.

I may have said this before, but I'm not sure.

Seems to me that if the Dodgers want to trade Kemp, they will. They'll have no trouble finding willing trading partners, and if they're as down on Kemp's attitude as we're made to believe they are (and since the media is pushing them), they won't hold out for a huge haul in return.

So, there really shouldn't be any barriers to trading Kemp if the Dodgers want to.

91 - Well maybe Ken Rosenthal will say something about it during the great Red Sox and Yankees game. Because whatever he says I'll believe. I'm conditioned to act in no such other way.

If the Dodgers trade Kemp to get Jack Wilson, they should ask for Ernie Broglio too.

If Kemp is dealt--and from the published comments of Colletti, I don't see how anyone could blame us for thinking otherwise--then we better get something better than (several Rule 1 violations) Jack Wilson.

I would not expect a deal with Kemp involved unless involves several players and one of the players they got back was an outfielder.

If I were a betting a man, to me its probably Andy LaRoche and James McDonald who are probably the most likely candidates to be dealt.

Is it just me, or does Kemp seem to take a lot of fastballs over the plate early in the count? Once the picthers get ahead of him it's easier to make him chase the breaking balls out of the zone. Maybe Kemp's problem is that he is listening to the coaches. He owuld probably be better off just going up there looking to hit the first good picth he sees rather than in trying to work the counts. I can just see Kemp in Pittsburgh where they tell him - "Matt, when you see the ball in the strikezone, just wack it." He'll hit .300 with 25 hrs for them.

99
That will be John Russell's problem.

"Matt, when you see the ball in the strikezone, just wack it." He'll hit .300 with 25 hrs for them

...and OBP around .330.

Kemp's problem is not taking the strikes, but rather swinging and missing once he has 2 strikes.

I think my doctor would advise me not to read DT until after the trading deadline. Or maybe he would just increase my blood pressure medicine. Either way, I'm sure we would get into another screaming fight about the way I eat.

100 In general I agree with the philosophy of trying to work the count to get the starters pitch count up. But, some guys, Vladimir Guerrero come to mind, are just not cut out to do that. Maybe Kemp is the same way.

Yeah, I was just thinking how depressed I am getting. And this with a four game winning streak. I am going with fanerman and hoping that Nomar stays in one piece.

The front page of ESPN tells me that Venus is the Williams who wanted it more.

104 I'm not gonna think the sky is falling until I actually see it fall. It's not like I'll be able to do anything about it anyway.

101 His OPB is .336 right now. I'm thinking swinging earlier, at better pitches, puts more balls in play - less two strike counts to swing and miss at.

I'm thinking swinging earlier, at better pitches, puts more balls in play - less two strike counts to swing and miss at

But also fewer 3-ball counts to draw a walk on. That's the problem.

105 If she'd lost she'd have been the one who wanted it too much and pressured herself.

Early in June, Kemp was criticized for swinging early in a count against Scott Eyre when, according to Rosenthal, "everybody knew he was being pitched around."

Serena Williams is the Sasha Cohen of tennis.

If he had a better hitting coach, his OBP would be .360.

The other thing that is stupid about loudly advertising the need for a shortstop is McCourt's pronouncement from earlier this week (on Diamond's blog) saying the young players the Dodgers will hold onto are "the ones who are prepared to put in the work, listen to coaches and get better every day." The kids who they would be willing to part with are "the ones that can't do those things."

Way to shoot yourself in the foot. This makes any young players the Dodgers offer to another team look like damaged goods. Stupid.

109
Yep. Course, you can only determine that stuff once the match is over. Amazingly enough, there's always a perfect match between

1. "wanting it the most" and "winning",

and between

2. "wanting it too much" and "losing".

I guess I really can't see them trading Kemp for Wilson - it opens too big of a hole in the outfield. We also don't know how AJ will be once he finishes rehabbing in front of major league pitching - say in another 10 days or so. So it would seem stupid to trade Kemp. I just hope they don't trade Laroche, as someone mentioned earlier - he has too much power potential for the Dodgers to let him go.

114 The new axiom should be that history is written by the pop psychologists. This applies to all fields.

dumb thought: what about somebody other than kemp, or anybody of value, to the white sox for uribe?

Uribe isn't good. We'd be stuck with another crappy player we'd want to get rid of.

79 81 87 88 113 I guess that next time before I post I should try to follow the golden DT rule of checking the comments first to see if my viewpoint has already been stated.

OK, all those that think that Druw's poor performance was related to an injury (and not vis-a-versa) and now that it has been fixed he will bounce back to 2006 (or even 2007), please raise your hand.

Amen to 36, 42, 45.

Compare and contrast:

The Twins have a wild stallion of a CF who has made several blunders on the basepaths and often appears clueless at the plate. But they've resolutely stuck with him, even as their leadoff man. Their manager publicly admits to exasperation, but he and the entire club has shown consistent support.

The Dodgers have a wild bison of a CF/RF who also can appear lost on the basepaths and at the plate. The Dodgers jerk him around and conduct a whispering campaign against him, using the Robos and the Plaschkes as mouthpieces.

This is the climate the McCourts help create. Imagine working for these people.

Maybe Kemp needs disciplining or talking to. Why do so through the media? Did anyone expect him to be a polished ballplayer at age 23? His de facto baseball age is younger. Basketball was his first love. Turn him loose, support him, if needed, take him to task, but behind the scenes. Be professional. Be a smart oranization.

121
The Dodgers sound like they're on their way to becoming the Mets except skipping the step of ever being any good.

I had a dream that Ned dealt Kemp and LaRoche for Sabathia and Peralta.

122

Does that mean we're trading Kershaw away for the wrong Zambrano?

123

"A dream to some...a nightmare to others!"

-Merlin

From Tony Jackson, yesterday:

Torre also said Andruw Jones and Nomar Garciaparra will sit out Sunday's game. He wants to be cautious with those guys, and that's understandable

Yeah. Wouldn't want to risk injuries.

I'm not worried about Kemp getting traded. I am worried about LaRoche getting traded. But if he's never going to get a fair shake, perhaps it's best for him to move on. And I hope he rakes elsewhere.

Hope everybody had a nice July 4th.

Would it surprise anyone to know that LaRoche is out-OBPing and out-SLGing DeWitt...?

Trading any of these guys is a dumb idea - Martin, Kemp, Loney, Ethier, Billingsley, Kershaw.

Kemp continues to improve his defensive play.

Simplify the offensive approach and get back to the basics as ucladodger has suggested many times.
No way Kemp should ever be hitting less that 20 home runs per year.

Are the big contracts getting in the way of clear reasoning?
Jones $18 million per year, Pierre $9 million per year, Torre $4 million per year.
Add Schmidt at $12 million per year to the list when he can be activated.

C'mon Mr. McCourt!

The LaRoche/Captain America DeWitt fracas spilled over into BBTF.

It's tearing our nation apart!

From Rotoworld:

Rockies placed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on the 15-day disabled list with a right hand laceration.

The Rockies have to be extremely upset with Tulo, who injured himself during an act of frustration on Friday. Still, there's not much that can be done about it, other than hoping he's learned his lesson. With Tulowitzki out, the Rockies will go to Clint Barmes at shortstop and Jeff Baker at second, opening up first base for Joe Koshansky.

I've been away from the Internet/TV/phone since Tuesday. Would anyone care to quickly sum up why everyone's so glum after four straight victories? I'm in Lone Pine right now driving back to LA and I can't get the LAT to load on my Treo for some reason. What the deuce is going on?

132 Everybody is counting down the days until Matt Kemp and/or Andy LaRoche is a Pittsburgh Pirate. It's apparently a foregone conclusion.

132 - That solves everything. If we eliminate the internet, T.V and phone we'll enjoy the game a whole lot more.

If I were Torre I would tell the young players the following:

Be more aggressive at the plate.
Be patient at the plate.
Each situation requires a different swing.
Don't get behind in the count.
Make the pitchers work.
Try to think with the pitcher.
See the ball hit the ball.
Know how the pitcher is going to get you out.
Don't swing at pitches that bounce in the dirt like Steve Garvey too often did.
Watch the veteran Jones and do what he does after all we wouldn't pay him more than any other player on the team if we thought he had a poor approach to hitting.
Also watch Pierre because he slaps at the ball instead of striking out and we like that.
Watch Pierre on the basepaths as well because he looks good there as well even if he doesn't score.
Watch Lowe and learn to dump your family for a newsgirl.
Watch Penney and learn to get manly mad otherwise someone will think you don't care and instead feel entitled.
Watch Bowa as well because he does his own thing and from time-to-time will show how much fire he has in his belly by throwing tantrums.
Watch Kent because he knows how to isolate himself to get ready for the game.
Cover for the PVLs weaknesses and accept blame for losses and disappear when victorious.
Be confident and take ownership in your responsibility to win games but remember you are still expected to be seen and not heard.

132

The annual "Colletti is going to mess up and make a bad deal" part of the season.

Jon, you might want to delete all of 135 or at least delete the line about Lowe.

132 - The annual overreaction/depression/anger to Ned's words about potentially dealing 'the kids'. Nothing more to see here.

137
I see no rule violations, at least none that would normally be enforced.

135
That's a good "Readers Digest" version of what seems to be happening.

You made me laugh and get the fire in the belly at once.

Is a good teacher someone who knows how to employ different teaching strategies that are appropriate for each student to achieve the desired results?
Is he Joe Maddon, is he?

Wow, Tulowitzky had to go back on the DL after shattering a bat when he was taken out of a game. His cut thumb required surgery.

So if we're shipping Kemp or LaRoche to Pittsburgh, what's this about Jhonny Peralta? The Indians have apparently moved some minor league prospect from third to short so that he can replace Peralta immediately, or at least that's what I could make out from the breathless message my friend and diehard Indian fan Dan left on my voicemail a few minutes ago.

134- That's exactly what I was thinking. I was happier today seeing four W's in a row and being blissfully unaware of any of this drama.

You guys seriously were not trading Kemp for anyone. There is no way McCourt can be that dumb. Kemp is the most exciting dodger in years.

Wristcutters: A Love Story reminded me of Lone Pine.

Pierre's injury is the insurance policy against trading Kemp this month. I'd put that concern out of your minds for now.

It's Rosenthal's deal that is really on the table. Hu, McDonald and LaRoche for Wilson or Sabathia.

I might make that deal for Sabathia, but it doesn't seem like the Indians would. Among other things, it would allow us to trade Lowe, perhaps to Tampa Bay for some blocked prospect.

On the other hand, trading those players for Jack Wilson is overpaying on the Dodgers' part. Hu and McDonald, full stop, I'd do. But neither LaRoche nor DeWitt should be part of that package.

huh, old friend Jeff Weaver signed a minor league deal with the Indians.

I wonder if Tracy's insistence on leaving him in five batters too long ruined his career. Or if he just wasn't as good I as thought he'd be.

If Kemp is the most exciting Dodger in years why is he the subject of a whispering smear campaign that would make Donald Segretti blush?

148 - because saying you're the most exciting Dodger in years is kind of like saying you're the most attractive patient in the burn unit?

I hope you got some beef jerky in Lone Pine.

I hope no animals were harmed during Molly's trip to Lone Pine.

146 He just said some of those players would probably be part of a Jack Wilson, not that it's the same deal for either player.

I'd be willing to give up Hu or McDonald along with lower ranked prospects for Wilson, but not both. McDonald may feel like a luxury right now, but Lowe will be gone at the end of the year, we don't know if Penny can regain his magic (and if he needs surgery we'll decline his option), Park and Stults could be mirages, and while we all love Kershaw, it's possible he might not be ready for full-time duty in 2009. Right now our only definites for next year's rotation are Billingsley and Kuroda as far as I'm concerned. Obviously we have plenty of good options for those last three spots right now, but this isn't like a LaPorta behind Braun situation.

Matt Kemp chat on dodgers.com this Tuesday.

154
billyp - So Matt, why can't you be nice like that Blake DeWitt kid? He's a REAL ballplayer!

a couple more days and LaRoache's career OPS maybe higher than DeWitts and then what?

So Matt, if you like the "The Bison" nickname, please send Bob and I some money. Don Sutton doesn't need any.

Actually, Bob doesn't really need it either.

Lone Pine, gateway to the Kern Trench.

157 Disabled List will want some money, too.

159
What did Disabled List have to do with it...?

Disabled List's case will never hold up in court. I have an army of intellectual property attorneys who will bury him paperwork.

152 Figuring that the Dodgers would be picking up a good chunk of salary for a mediocre shortstop, two prospects the level of Hu/McDonald looks a bit excessive. Hu for at the league minimum from a Pirate perspective is better that Wilson at his salary right now!

162 - Yeah, with one eye tied behind his back!

160 I didn't say he had anything to do with it...

Tony Jackson:

The other rumor out there centers on Jack Wilson, the Pittsburgh shortstop, who would seem to me to be exactly what the Dodgers need and exactly what they're looking for. He is an everyday-caliber SS, a former All-Star who can hit, and he has a year left on his contract -- plus a clup option for 2010.

165
Tony Jackson's report there is wrong on so many different levels.

166
And you're not referring to the contract details.

Who was the first person to type "The Bison" in relation to Matt Kemp? I think that person should get all the royalties.

Anyway, let's put a kibosh on all the false statements about Jack Wilson before they get out of hand. Tony Jackson says "he can hit," but his career OPS+ is 79. He's had a hot couple of months this year, but if the Dodgers acquire him hoping for anything better than a .300 OBP, they'll probably be disappointed.

Giving up actual prospects for a Wilson-caliber player should be a last resort. As in, only after you've tried Andy LaRoche and Blake DeWitt at shortstop.

This is perhaps an overstatement, but Tim McCarver makes me want to go cow tipping.

He makes me want to go McCarver tipping.

It's going to be sad if the Sox really do choke this away. C'mon Lugo, do something that doesn't suck!

169 LOL

Mariano Rivera with the Don Stanhouse save!

but if the Dodgers acquire him hoping for anything better than a .300 OBP, they'll probably be disappointed

If the Dodgers acquire him with any kind of expectations regarding the OBP statistic, I'll be shocked.

Remember when the one player the Dodgers needed to be perfect was Juan Castro? Simpler times.

So as I try to view reality--it seems once the Dodgers were gradually relieved of almost all their veterans by injury, they began to go on a modest winning tendency, or even perhaps a streak. This may not be that statistically significant, given the sample size, but these guys almost all will improve as they age, and that is a certainty. They perhaps have a bit of extra pitching as well as the best ERA (?) in the National League. Do these realities suggest any possible courses of action?
And do we have a line-up for tonight yet?

160 , 161 You guys are worse than Napster when it comes to copyrighted material. I have an army of IP lawyers standing by, ready to crack some skulls.

Bill Gates : graphical user interfaces :: Me : "Bison"

Juan Castro got to play in a game last night for the first time since May 31. I assumed he must have been hurt. He was batting .478 at Colorado Springs in extremely limited PT.

Kemp, RF
Ethier, LF
Martin, 3B
Kent, 2B
Jones, CF
Garciaparra, SS
Loney, 1B
Ardoin, C
Park, P

By no means does everyone here, including yours truly, think LaRoche or Kemp willbe traded for Wilson.

180
But we trust Tony Jackson more than Jon because Tony has a goatee.

YOUR All-Star Starters (from NY Post via Rotoworld):

NL: Brandon Webb
AL: Cliff Lee

As much as I fear any Ned Colletti move, Eric is selling Jack Wilson short. His hitting is not significantly below average for a shortstop and his defense is in the +5 to +10 range. He is signed to a reasonable contract. I really would not mind the Dodgers trading for him.

If they do trade for him, they will probably do so in a way that makes me strongly dislike the trade. That being said, Wilson projects as about 2 wins better with the glove than Berroa or Garciaparra, and his hitting is only a couple runs worse than Garciaparra's and a win or two better than Berroa's. He can legitimately improve the 2008 Dodgers by 1-2 wins.

If the Pirates don't pick up any salary, then I'd be fine with trading Eric Stults or Delwyn Young for him. If the Pirates pick up most of the salary, then I could consider trading someone like Hu, McDonald, Meloan. LaRoche just has no place in this discussion.

180 I hope you're right. I really, really do.

Because based on Colletti's comments, I think it's very likely that Matt Kemp is going to be traded for somebody.

180 I think you are right, cooler heads should prevail here for all we've seen.

179 Well that could be much worse, as it looks like the better guys are near the front of the order, excepting whats up with the use of Loney?

185 Who are you going to bat Loney ahead of? If you bat him ahead of Kent, Garciaparra or Jones, you're not showing respect to the veterans.

I'm beginning to sound bitter here. Time for a break.

185 Also, Zito is on the mound. Lefty vs. lefty.

Bitter and suffering all at once. He's a dual threat!

What does Laroche have to do to get into this lineup and stay there? If anyone can let me know, I'd be happy to help him do whatever it is.

I wonder if the Brewers would do a Broxton & DeWitt for J.J Hardy deal?

190 I doubt they would want Dewitt when they have Gamel.

182

Brandon Webb better not start the AS game. Just off of the top of my head Volquez, Lincecum, Bills, and Haren are most more deserving.

One thing that annoys me about all of this Kemp talk is bringing up his baserunning. He has been a pretty darn good baserunner this year. I think he got picked off once but he really hasnt done anything that badly. He is stealing bases at a very nice rate, taking extra bases, and just doing what he should be doing. Really, his defense and baserunning have greatly improved while his hitting has been the area to regress.

192
The starting pitcher for the ASG is determined in part by who would be on the right rest to make the start.

Breaking news from Diamond:

Penny out until AFTER All-Star break.

My guess:

Since we can't bring Kershaw back until 10 days from his demotion (July 12), Thursday's start could go to James McDonald.

194
Wow, I'm so surprised. You could knock me over with a steam-powered bulldozer.

186 I know, I sound that way alot myself.
I suppose I could say you could bat him ahead of Martin , but then you might score a run without involving a PVL. My mistake.

193

I understand, but he does not deserve the honor. I'm guessing that at least one of Volquez, Lincecum, Haren, Cook, Peavy, Johan, sheets, Bills (if he makes the team), Hamels will pitch in the game and each one is more deserving than Webb.

189
1. Grow longer hair and a two-day beard.
2. Put as much dirt on his uniform as possible.
3. Erase his stellar minor league record and replace it with seasons that are not good, but not embarrassing either.
4. Steer clear of Danny Ardoin.
5. Make "Gee whiz" a part of his vocabulary
6. Have a hot month. Preferably with an inside-the-park homer.
7. Call Larry Bowa "Mr. Bowa" and offer to wash his car daily.
8. Get Peter Gammons and other writers to do articles on how unexpected his performance is and what a lift he's given the team.
9. Get the town of Fort Scott, Kansas, to declare it "Andy LaRoche Month."

Thanks for all the info., guys. I think I'm up to speed. No animals were harmed in Lone Pine, though the dog is panting like I've never seen as it's 104 and the car I'm riding in doesn't have A/C.

It's almost charming that there are still people who believe that actual merit is a factor the All-Star selection process.

194. Dodgers should put him in the 15 DL and bring up Kershaw

Oh, and I may have mentioned this, but a few weeks ago I asked Kemp how he got the Bison nickname, and he said, "I'm not really sure, but I kind of just roll with it."

The Dodger upstairs is taking a gamble that can't be named right now but which we may be talking about in a few days. I hope they have more information than we do and are using it correctly.

202 Penny is already on the 15 day DL.

todays Snakes vs Padres game is very importnat so I looked up Jake Peavy's ERA the last 28 days:

7 days - 4.50
14 days - 3.00
28 days - 2.86
bonus 36 days - 2.95

Peavy seems to get tired as the season progresses (elbow I'm guessing) hopefully he'll bring his A game tonight.

Yeah, the Penny news is kind of un-news. Or, what Bob said above.

Btw, so much worry and gloom here for a team playing a lot better. I hope they win tonight or I fear people may have severe panic attacks or jump off piers and such.

Don't jump off Pier Six. I've got a brawl scheduled for there later tonight.

204

i'm guessing that we all will not like this upcoming gamble?

Andy not starting against the lefty? My guess he is not going anywhere. Vegas doesn't count.

I would jump off a pier, but I'm afraid I'd have to spend eternity in Lone Pine.

wow. how is andy not playing today? this is getting ridiculous.

Facing Zito would probably mess up his timing anyway.

Lone Pine's website "Our History" starts this way>> Before the White Man arrived

come on! that's gotta give you the giggles.

Saw Zito pitch against the Marlins earlier in the season, one of his three wins. The Fish didn't have a clue.

Solution/LaRoche lefty/rightly splits in the Bigs actually go against the grain. So, let's go Kid Gumption!

209 I'm sorry to be so cryptic, but I'm not worried about a stupid trade or any trade for that matter. Just the usual complaint, playing less than your best player.

Peavy's 1st two batters were rung up on questionable inside pitches.

2 K's on CALLED strike outs.

Would anyone have guessed at the beginning of the season that come July Park would be pitching for us with a 4-2 record and 2.45 ERA going against Zito with a 3-12 record and 5.99 ERA

I'm still on the web (site) Lone Pine looks like a beautiful place...

remember past posts I made about Park, I was cautiously optimistic about him, but that's just the way I am.

219 - Nearby Alabama Hills are said to be a favorite place for filming westerns, when that sort of thing used to be done.

205. What? Damn

220
*remembering

Bowa thinks Beimel ought to be an All Star.

221 Oh, yes. Lots of movies made there. Here's a list:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/69hvr8

That's a website called thesierraweb.com

One of those films? The Ox-Bow Incident - 1942 - Henry Fonda

A great one.

Sheesh. Not only Westerns:

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier - 1988 - William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy

Star Trek VII: Generations - 1995 - William Shatner, Patrick Stewart

For scouting purposes:
Jack Wilson is 0 for 2 so far tonight for Pittsburgh. But the Pirates only have four hits. However, the Brewers only have two hits.
It's 1-1 in the 7th in the Cream City.

221 I can't help revealing that I'm a California history geek by telling you that the Alabama Hills were named by southern sympathizers after the Confederate ship Alabama sank a Union ship. Sometime later the U.S.S. Kearsage sank the Alabama. Union supporters in the same area then named a nearby range the Kearsage Hills.

179 -

I will enjoy the ride and not complaint about managerial decisions I do not understand.

(Repeat 50000000000000 times)

230
I believe that's the little known "Step 13"

What's this talk about Thursday's starter? We already have a five-man rotation: Lowe, Billingsley, Kuroda, Stults, and Park. Penny was only going to replace Park so there's no need for another roster move.

NPUT

229 - A recent book about the Alabama was quite compelling.

223 Blue belly!

I love you Ethier!

Well, you can make a great play on a bunt--or you can panic and throw it away. Really, just sticking the ball in your pocket is acceptable.