Yeah, yesterday when Kemp struck out and it was mentioned that it was the 80th or 90th time this season I was disturbed.

0

And yet, they still suck less than Jeff Francouer.

0 rim shot!

"Striking out" and "sucking" are not synonymous, folks. The sooner we learn that, the sooner we can move on to more important matters.

At least a K forces the pitcher to throw at least three pitches. Last year's CF saw about 5 pitches a game.

And still made outs.

Francouer is not in the starting lineup for the Braves tonight.

But we will get to have that Texeira-Loney showdown.

Yes, Evil Bob is in the house tonight!

4

I was just making a joke at Francouer's expense.

I'm not Evil Bob! I have not possessed Agent Cooper!

10 I still miss that show.

10 11 Sometimes my arms bend back.

4 Eric Enders
But, it really sucks when the batter SO with a runner on 3rd with less than 2 outs.

13 It could suck a lot worse when Loney strikes out with a runner on first and less than two outs.

0 I mean, seriously, it's like... working hard... or hardly working? Am I right people? I'll be here all week, tip your waitress.

(Actually, just tip Jon.)

From the P/E blog:

"Pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney, who is hitting just .094 this season and is sidelined with a hamstring injury, could begin a rehab assignment as early as Wednesday at Class AAA Las Vegas."

How does a pinch-hitter who gets one AB per game do rehab?

re: NY trip

I don't have a laptop yet, but I will bring my new Dodger cap!! Represent!

I got the cap on the night Eric Stults pitched a CG shutout. Since then, the Dodgers won every series to date.

Hey, that Ken Whiffey was a great hitter. I tell ya, he don't get no respect.

0 I'm not paying for that.

And hey, thanks for recommending Mad Men, that show is awesome. I ended up watching the entire season this weekend because it was so good.

19 - I've got the second season premiere screener to watch tonight.

20
Show off!

Sorry, I'd like to stay and watch the first few innings with y'all but "Walker: Texas Ranger" is on the telly.

Anyone else having trouble getting the MLB player to load and play? Even Gameday's acting funky. Maybe I really be stuck watching the Hallmark Channel.

20 -- Jon, a while ago you mentioned that you had the first five episodes of Generation Kill. What's your verdict?

23 underdog
A British Texan?

24
Yeah, same here. MLB.TV won't load for me.

25 ooh, please say favorable. I'm basing my non-USA Network summer on Generation Kill.

26 Tally ho kai yay!

Argh. Stupid MLBTV.

HIRO! nice inning.

Hey, in case anyone needed a fix of Colletti venting like I did, the Fifth Outfielder had a lot of things to say about that Diamond Leung Q&A. Or one thing to say over and over again, I can't tell. http://tinyurl.com/5amur4

Yes! Got it working.

I don't know if Prime Ticket's having some software problems or what, but I have to say I actually sort of like what they've been doing: Using the little ticker underneath the scoring bug to show player statistics rather than a full chyron on the bottom of the screen.
Kind of a breath of fresh air what with almost every network overdoing it and then some with the graphics nowadays.

25 - I'm partway through episode 2. I have to tell you, it's a bit of a struggle. I don't dislike it, but it's very hard-core, and hasn't made me feel anything yet. I'm gonna keep going for now.

Argh, still no mlb.tv for me.

23 It's on, twice, every single morning on USA, if you can stand it. No need to miss anything for it in the evening.

34 "it's very hard-core, and hasn't made me feel anything yet"

that seems to be incongruous. If something pushes hard core, it should make you feel... something. That doesn't give me much hope for the show.

Yeah MLBTV still broken for me, too. Well, I'll just mosey on over to their support forums. I'm sure I'll get a really fast, helpful answer!

Officially, no comment on the outcome of the Braves lead off hitter's AB in the second.

37 - Just has had no emotional resonance for me yet.

Gameday link above is fixed.

The good news is the peaches are ripe in my backyard. Peach pie this weekend! The bad news is one of the trees looks like it's dying.

mlbsupport for mlb.tv: We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. We will make an announcement once it has been repaired. We are sorry for the inconvenience this is causing you.

42
I am so glad that I have to work BOTH Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

40

Is it because you don't love the good 'ol USA?

41 - Thanks.

Just keep trying to access the game through MLB.TV. That's how I got it to work.

Andruw Jones is at bat. Can I say he scares me? Because he scares me.

44 Can you take my dog with you? He's a scourge in my backyard. He eats the plums. He eats the peaches. He eats the almonds. He eats the figs. He eats the bell peppers. He eats the tomatoes. He doesn't like the lemons or the squash.

Jones look decent with that At bat.

The crowd reaction to Andruw Jones was surprisingly muted.

MLB.TV is now working for me at least

49

He's the healthiest-eating dog I've ever heard of. Does he work out?

40 That's what I'm saying. If you can describe it as "hard core," it should have some sort of emotional resonance- ANY sort of resonance. Otherwise, it reminds me of the way I felt about The Tudors and Brotherhood. Tons of (Capital D) Drama, but no (immediate) resonance with me, and thus they didn't stick.

Regardless, I look forward to your reviews.

also- NPH rocks.

Got it.

31 - Great work, Tom.

Vin has an echo. What the hey, double my pleasure.

45 - I must love it too much!

Other than with runners on second and third and nobody out, I couldn't care less about strikeouts.

Isn't the strikeouts don't matter debate over.

Like five years ago?

Hiro is pitching well. Lets score some runs, come on guyzzz!!!

KKKKuroda.

"Dodgers wait for the future to arrive"

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-bbcol8-2008jul08,0,964808.story

59 - My post wasn't about strikeouts being bad. It was for stand-up purposes only.

I still liked the interview with Diamond.

Bob, why is it that Japanese pitchers don't seem so good with laying down a bunt?

Even when it's the pitcher, I don't like the idea of bunting with two strikes.

53 Next to me you mean?

Okay, MLBTV is working again, huzzah.

63 59 was just a general allusion to all the studies about K's. Not your post, PK.

As long as Vin is a fan of Kemp, I don't think we have to worry about the Bison being traded.

Nothing done right in this inning.

why are japanese pitchers the worst bunters?

65
Are you buying into the idea that Japanese players have superior fundamentals?

Because they really don't.

They do work hard, but that's different from being good at fundamentals.

62 Again, that has pretty much been the company line for the last year and a half but somehow some fear seems to fester here.

trivia answer: Piazza, Campy, Yeager, and Scoiscia(?)

72 You mean like the best bunter in baseball? Or that what's they always say about JP.

Roseboro?

72 - no, not buying into the idea that they have superior fundamentals, just wondering why almost every pitcher that comes over from Japan looks like he's trying to get his fingers broken while laying down a bunt.

I could also hazard a guess that in Japan since almost all the position players are expected to drop down sacrifices (except for lumbering gaijin sluggers), it's not as important to have the pitcher be able to bunt.

Japanese pitchers also bat less frequently than MLB pitchers since they throw fewer innings.

And they get pulled for pinch hitters a lot.

69 - Vin was a fan of Mike Scioscia. Now I've just blown your mind.

I love Vin's story on Yuniel's annoying whistling habit.

Don't see a lot of folks name Gregor these days.

Especially since this isn't Russia.

Is this Russia?

This isn't Russia.

53 If you call sleeping half the day and all night working out, then yes he does. To be honest, he's the one who was paralyzed a couple years ago and has a very weak hind leg, so he doesn't move as quick as he used to. But he gets around. I had to yell at him the other day when he tried to climb the fig tree.

Great pick on that tough short hop. Hiro looks amazing so far.

79 - Mike Scioscia was the reason I dreamed of playing catcher for the Dodgers as a kid.

Unfortunately, the whole not being able to hit the ball very often got in the way of that dream.

Dazzling.

78 See, I'd pay a couple of bucks for that kind of information. Seriously. This place is a gold mine!

HIRO!!!!!!!!! Wowee!

groundballs and strikeouts...nice.

Wow, Hiro made Chipper look feeble there.

79 - although I'm not entirely sure why my mind should be blown

Baseball Jeopardy

And the answer is Frankie Frish.

Hes pitching on a different realm right now. He deserves some scores.

wow--made Chipper look like a .188 hitter...

wow, I only got two. I should have known LoDuca.

86 - What's great is Bob answers, and I collect.

Ethier roped that! Wrapped it a little too much. Go inside on him again Mexican pitcher!

Larry King sighting!

Larry King's body guard made a nice catch.

Hey, Larry King's corpse is at the game.

Both of these guys really know how to pitch. Campillo has crappy stuff but keeps the guys off balance. Wow, it doesnt hurt to have defense like that either.

I'm spot checking some Japanese pitchers to see how many sacrifices they get in a season. I was checking of some of the aces on Central League (the non-DH league) and few of the pitchers are getting to 10 sacrifices in a season.

Kentaro Sekimoto of Hanshin, a second baseman, appears to be the league leader in the CL this year in sacrifices and he has 29.

Another factor in the lack of sacrifices is that #8 hitters in Japan tend to be really bad. Most lineups in Japan usually only have 3-5 good hitters.

Escobar!!!! Man that guy can field and throw.

Let's trade for Escobar, right now. Make him change uniforms between batters.

96 - Against the Mexican hitter?

/Sigh

That's not a mohawk Vin...

rocking the mohawk-mullet.

"And the mohawk won it!" - Vin on foul ball caught by fan. Love it.

105- What was it?

104

I forgot his name.

And the Cardinals reclaim the wild card as the Brewers lose to Colorado, 4-3.

The Mets led the Phillies 9-1 at one point and held on for a 10-9 win and had the tying run at second when the game ended.

95 Perhaps a commission system is in order?

Look like Campy gonna throw 7 shut out innings.

And the Cardinals reclaim the wild card as the Brewers lose to Colorado, 4-3

How's that Sabathia trade working out for you so far?

108 A mul-hawk.

101 There's not too much data on Japanese pitchers sacrificing against MLB pitching. It's a short list of Japanese pitchers who have made 10 or more starts for NL teams:

Irabu, Ishii, Kuroda, Nomo, Ohka, Suzuki.

108 It was a Mohullett

Why am I getting the feeling that in the Dodgers Thoughts Money Making Machine, I am the equivalent of someone making toys in a Chinese labor camp?

114 is better

117 Quiet you! We're not paying you to wonder aloud! Get back to work. {whipcrack!}

Looks like the bargain ticket sale worked as it appears to be a larger crowd than you would expect for a Monday night.

Dazzling.

Hiro, look so damn good.

first flyout for Hiro for the night.

This game is starting to remind me of that one LA V LA game earlier this year...

117

Let's face it, Bob. You're liked, but not well liked.

NOOOO! Vin just made a big violation

Vin broke Rule 9, saying the "P" word after five.

108 Very unfortunate.

120 Do they look like an affluent crowd, a computerized crowd?

Bob's a good man.

And thorough.

120 Is that why Andruw wasn't booed (too much)?

Broadcasters are exempt. Nobody else is.

115 I left out Yoshii.

125/126 - Rule 9 doesn't apply to broadcasters including the great one.

I am thinking that perhaps nine of the 25 Bums could be playing for other than the USA in next year's WBC.

Certainly people talking about the internet remind me of the monkeys from 2001 looking at the monolith.

The tubes are a magically mysterious place to some, I guess.

I tuned in after listening to the Rockies/Brew Crew tilt and the first thing I hear is the KABC guy throwing aroud the "P" word. That's got to be a rule-9 violation and then some.

How many people in the crowd are merely avatars?

Braves look like a team that played 17 innings and travelled cross country.

Just 48 pitches for Kuroda thru 5ip.

Braves want to get back to the hotel apparently.

129 I can only assume you're ready to join Dudeism by now.

If not, whatever man. It's cool.

I seem to recall Atlanta was on the losing end of the last Perfecto, so maybe that's something...

I can resist no more!

You blow Andruw.

pretty healthy booing of Jones there...

Now there have been some groans.

At least Druw has hit the ball twice.

Aw, there are the boos for 'Druw. Hey, at least he's not striking out!

Its not like anyone else is hitting this guy.

Yoshii has the most sacrifices in a season by a Japanese pitcher. Nomo is second.

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/Npvj

They're just saying "Druw-urns! Druw-urns!"

Wait, that doesn't work. Never mind.

--

Vin just called that breaking pitch "a real downer." That's not nice.

WOW.

Son of a gun.

YES!!! OUR SHORTSTOP!

Way to mash that hanger.

Shortstop extraordinaire!

Take that Jack Wilson.

NOMAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

well, that's unexpected.

Please stay healthy Nomar. As a SS, you are perfectly fine offensively.

Nomar can still pull a mistake.

147 Blake DeWitt is the only thing keeping this game from being doubly interesting.

First HR by a Dodger SS since May 5!!!

Nomar!

Our beloved SS!

Lowrider!

Pee Wee caught it in the bullpen. Heh.

LOL at Nomar batting behind Andruw Jones. Anyways WOOOOOO.

Just a shade late on 160 !

Dang, that sounded like a beaut.

yea SS!

Jack Wilson hasn't even done that once this year!

Thats our SS!

Keep Kemp.

First HR by a Dodger SS since Furcal's last game, May 5.

Good for DeWitt, trying to wear that pitch. Almost had it, too.

161 - Ooh, you crushed me on that.

And we get to the Braves bullpen when they lift their starter for a pinch-hitter in the 6th.

Oh Jack Wilson, I hope you royally suck for the next month.

Btw, rhetorical question but do they HAVE to play that stupid piece of dreck song when someone hits a home run for the Dodgers? I am very sick of that. Thanks.

156 Rule 13: Thou shalt not break the margins!

I know Nomar has tried our patience...ok, drove us crazy...but I do love watching that sweet swing when he is on.

watching the super slo mo of Campillo's facial expression I thought "the Mexican David Wells!"

163
Young must be have bullpen catching duties as the emergency catcher.

2-2 for the ballplayer!

Another bunting adventure hosted by Hiroki.

172
That's OK. I'll still donate! :)

Nomar has more RBI as SS in 3 games than all the SS combined that started for Furcal since he went out.

176 Ironically, you may have just violated rule 7.

183 - that is disturbing.

171 I'm coaching him up.

He's very coachable, you know.

ucladodger is watching this at bat closely.

Kuroda's fastball has great late life not to mention how well Kuroda is placing it, it's just a treat to watch.

175 Zombie Nation- Kernkraft 400.

If I had cash, I swear that I would host a website that kept track of all MLB teams, and all their at bat songs, and all their, um, "atmosphere" songs.

But yes, I agree.

175 - Oh yeah, like we hear it so much.

If I don't have much money, can I donate blood to the Toaster instead? I have more of that and it's always of value. Or I can also give pee samples like it's nobody's business.

Just let me know what works.

BISON POWER!!!!!!!!!! LOL

That ball was smoked.

nice AB Matt.

Bad baserunning by The Bison, but that was nearly a great job of evading the tag.

190 I lol'ed. Or guffawed, something like that.

The cut off man has been killing the Dodgers the last couple of days.

187

You know it. :)

hopefully Nomar can stay healthy, I like him better than the other options mentioned.

Diamond said Juan Pierre was walking around with a very noticeable limp today and did not talk about his injury.

Yeah for the base hit and RBI, blah for not looking up at the play right in front of you.

191 It definitely doesn't work with pee.

That was a great cutoff play and almost a great effort by Bison to avoid the tag. Ah well, we'll take the RBI.

175 Ah, right, I'd repressed the actual details of the song.

190 - Hah. But even once a month is too much.

All these PSAs are stupid. There should be a PSA about what to do at a four way stop.

201 But was he walking salty ?

199 - I suppose that's fair, but you do realize that the Nomar bashers were not bashing him as a backup shortstop to Furcal, don't you?

202 - depends on if someone needs a new job.

199 They are not bashers, they just don't think he can last without a lot of duct tape.

184 Touché.

I guess first base coaches stopped telling players to advance or stay on base hits.

I wonder at which level that happens.

156 - was that REALLY necessary?

199-- Who are the Nomar bashers?

Nomar only works on this team if he plays SS. His bat doesnt work at any other position.

Enjoy your stay.
I have a feeling this will be the millionth banning for bluetahoe.

199 Just this morning a few were trying to convince me that he was done and Wilson was better. Injuries eat Nomar's lunch, but he can hit.

204
That helper guy was just wearing his older brother's letterman's jacket anyway.

195 203 I thought being aggressive on that play and ensuring the run gets home by forcing the cutoff is the veteran play. At least I've seen it sold that way on broadcasts.

Challenge trade: Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis for Matt Kemp. Discuss. (This was suggested by a commenter on my blog today, and I thought it was pretty interesting for both parties.)

Yeah, I'll bash Nomar when he's blocking Loney or LaRoche, but not when he's blocking Berroa (and a stupid trade to Pittsburgh).

212 - Nomar would work at second, if Kent was unavailable. Probably a less taxing position for him.

That was close! Good job Loney.

nice grab by Loney, those are plays you need for this game :)

Loney>Dirtdevil

"Back-handed by that vacuum cleaner called Loney."
-Vin

216

No.

Diamond said Juan Pierre was walking around with a very noticeable limp today and did not talk about his injury

Day just keeps getting better.

No Juan.
No Problems.

216 No way.

216

Not a chance, thanks.

Dazzling.

Nine to go.

Here we go!

216 - I don't like it. Rivera's injury history troubles me. Maicer doesn't strike me as much better than his brother. Though, it would be a shorter drive for me to see Kemp, and I'd get to see Vlad and possibly Weaver, so that's a plus.

FSN is really pushing it with the yellow column.

I don't think I've witnessed a live Dodger game of this sort.

This is going to become pure agony to watch very soon

226 - sure, none of us would do that if we were running the Dodgers, but would Ned consider it?

are braves games no longer on tbs? :(

216--Makes no sense for the Dodgers.

Vin did use the word "interesting" that inning. Maybe he's reading Dodger Thoughts between innings.

I was heading to Wal-Mart to get an inner tube a few innings ago, but I guess that will have to wait now.

216

Juan Rivera has some pop but Izzy jr. & him dose not interest me either.

Bison is far younger than Rivera, I say no as well.

224

Look, I'm honestly as happy about it as you are, but gloating just isn't good form.

I got very nervous on that liner. and then Campillo hit himself on the head with his backswing and i laughed.

Ok its just the shoes... calm down monkey.

234
TBS only has a national (non-exclusive) game on Sundays now.

233

We're scared enough. Quit being mean.

213 - I think the discussion was Wilson versus the non-Nomar alternatives if and when he gets injured.

226

I wanted to say that as well but had nothing to prove it.

KABC: stop saying the "P"-word, for crying out loud! And I'm not even (primary) Dodger fan!

224 Being gleeful over an injury is severely classless.

the dodgers need a superstation. can't frank mccourt sell some more parking lots or something?

Looks like Martin just missed it, off the end of the bat it seemed.

is it still warm at the Ravine? Dodgers seem to be getting a lot of balls to at least the warning track tonight.

sans Nomar's hit, balls are not carrying today. that was a nice stroke by Martin, but another warning track out.

Broadcasters need to make sure people that just tuned in stay tuned in.

Money > Jinxes

216. The idea of that ruined my daquiri. Rivera hasn't shown much past the ability to get hurt. He was an interesting property 2 years ago to me.

Maicer I would like....... just so I can wear my old Izzy jersey without shame.

248- If I know anything about Frank McCourt (and you know I do), his next business venture will be selling underdog's urine.

Nice catch by Gregor Samsa.

248
Part of McCourt's purchase of the Dodgers from Fox gave FSN broadcast rights for 10 years. I don't remember if it ends in 2013 or 2014, but I would imagine that's in the pipeline or at least something close to it.

254

He won't be able to keep his nose out of his own product.

254 Too late. My angel investor just went belly-up. ePee is kaput before it even started.

248 - KTLA is one of the five remaining superstations, so it could happen.

if anything it looks like the extra rest served Kuroda well, I hope it dose the same for Penny...

255 the braves are playing a cockroach in the outfield?

252 I remember listening to Randy Johnson's perfecto against the Braves. The Braves crew used rule-7 words indiscriminately but KTAR avoided the jinx until the end of the game.
YMMV.

Vinny's narrating this game for posterity right now. As only he can.

DEWITT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bastard...you dont bunt there. Great play by Blake.

What an amazing play by DeWitt.

Play of the night!!!!

DeWow.

Larry Bowa would have arrested if he'd beat that out.

DeWitt!

255

Everything is made better with Kafka references.

244 I looked back and you may be right. There was one that was flat out saying Wilson was better, but others may have been just wanting Wilson for when Nomar goes down.

haha, serves him right!

Blanco & Escobar better not bunt...

Also, at what point do you pull Nomar at SS, and put in Maza?

in the words of Jimmy Buffet:

Captain America we love you, Captain America you're grand
Oh Spiro Agnew eat your heart out, Captain America's our man

That was nuts, Blake.

nice presence of mind by DeWitt, i'm sure he cheated a little bit.

Great play by The Solution.

Kinda classless, bunting!

whoa. that was a "not on my watch is this putzz going to get on on a bunt" play.

beautiful

I'd like to lay down a bunt on this Blanco fellow.

Chipper has swung at Kuroda's first pitch all three times.

273

I was gonna say...

Not to jinx them or anything but I'm so glad we have the outfield we do and know Fred Lewis's on a night like this.

Indeed, Shimmin.

The world of unwritten rules almost folded in on itself right there.

Bowa would have gone ape.

A bunt? What a jerk.

Not, like know.

Dazzling.

6 outs

HIRO! HIRO! HIRO!

Six to go.

21 down.

This is nervewracking.

We could be Hiro, for just one day.

270 except, i absolutely loathed the metamorphosis. in fact, i'd say it's my least favorite book of all the ones i've ever read.

it's not even funny, Chipper really looks lost up there, Kuroda is doing a great job man.

ESPN has a crawling alert, while Stuart Scott blathers on about Madonna and A Rod.

I can't breathe and it feels like my head is going to explode, is this normal?

291

Agreed. My stomach is in knots. Cant imagine what Hiro is feeling.

291

every SINGLE PINCH FROM HERE ON OUT.

I love it!!

292 Nice.

7 innings. 65 pitches. Unbelievable.

I'm at work here at Fox Sports Radio and it's getting very busy around here right about now.

299 - (tips cap)

300
Dustin Nippert threw 103 pitches in 7 innings tonight.

In relief!

I don't remember Jones hitting a second home run this year.

What a ball game.

293 How dare you.

Andruw gets on base! (weeps)

I usually TIVO all the games just in case I miss one or fall asleep. Tonight I did not. I wanted to turn it on after four innings, but I didn't want to change anything luck wise and have it be my fault. In fact, sitting in this exact same leaned over position on the couch is starting to make my back hurt.

I see Martin has lost the Mohawk, I thought it looked cool & different.

the side burns are still there so that's cool.

Does not compute! Andruw walked!

We'll take that walk, right 'Druw?

Holy Moley.

293

Since we're hitting, and who cares about that, can I ask why you hate The Metamorphosis?

308.

I feel you man, my back is hurting.

In Santa Barbara, I'm without electricity again (6th evening, but longer this time, since 7:30). So I'm listening to Steiner on my battery radio, and sending this from my iPhone. It's exciting, and nervy, but I'd rather be watching HD and listening to Vin.

314 It's worth the sacrifice. Don't breath.

PH Torre!.......

/ducks

282 we know mr. lewis's what?

that was a gift off-speed pitch by the Braves pitcher up in the eyes to DeWitt.

I love how they are staying away from Kuroda. Does he know what is going on? Bob do you know if that is a ritual in Japan as well?

304 Possible sarcasm aside, @ Atlanta, @ Milwaukee

How can Kuroda not get a standing ovation there?

309 He saw that guy in the stands who had the mul-hawk and decided he was heading down a very bad path.

291 no kidding. I've switched over to the Braves broadcast. They're a bit more respectful.

320
I do not know the answer to that question.

Remember that a lot of the players aren't talking to Kuroda because they really can't say much to him.

Literally.

Maybe we should put in Maza for defensive purposes for Nomar...

315 Bummer Berk. We only lost power once the whole time I was there. Hope it comes back for you soon. The fire is a lot more under control now though, at least, right?

C'mon Hiro! {fingers crossed}

Did anyone see or record the This Week in Baseball featuring Vin Scully a couple weeks back? I've been out of it for a few weeks and forgot to record it.

This is fun.

324 No MLBTV subscription? Then you can hear Vin Scully.

Wow, he's only made 59 pitches.

326 Is Nomar worse than Kent?

Sitting in the front row behind the Braves dugout. They seem frustrated about something.

>> 291 no kidding. I've switched over to the Braves broadcast. They're a bit more respectful.

You don't think Vin Scully is respectable to Kuroda?

A long drive back from SLO with no car radio and I rev up the pc to find Kurodo, um, hmmm, pitching a very good game.

But speaking of rule 8, did Steiner just speak the unspeakable?

326
I would think Maza goes in for Kent, and Berroa for Nomar in the 9th.

I just found out that my sister, niece, and brother-in-law are at the game.

320 I remember some pitcher talking about his No-hitter saying that the only guy who'd talk to him during the game was the hitting coach.

331
That FSN stat line was an inning off. He was at 65 through 7 though.

336 Please! No Berroa, whatever we do, no Berroa.

336 It is still a 3-run game, cannot lose sight of that yet.

Rat farts.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

well at least i can go pee now.

Haha. Perfect guy to do it.

It had to be Tex, didn't it. Boo.

Standing ovation

Ah boooooo. Ok, lets get the win now.

338 was the jinx.

OK, lets get the win.

I blame Sweeney.

it was fun while it lasted. SOLID HIT too.

Oh well, let's just focus on the win now.

Really it's not my fault.

Booooooo!

But hurrah! for Hiro.

Awww. Oh well.

The hit came one minute later ...

341
That's why I said the 9th, and not the 8th.

338 man, ALL YOUR FAULT. :(

I shouldn't have eaten anything.

The one angle where they dont show the pitch from behind the mound ends up in a hit.

350 - I blame Bennett

JoeyP is elated.

Great game for Kuroda.

Watching Teixeira do that in Dodger blue will be even better.

you gotta blame Pierre & his little wable walk.

348 I saw that too.

Well heck, at least it was a clean solid hit.

338
Get a rope.

346 Yes, definitely.

sigh it was 0-2 count too, two fastballs on the black.

Gosh darnit.

Fight on Hiro!

363
The most unkindest cut of all.

I blame J.D. Drew.

Really Joe, there is no reason to have anyone up in the pen yet.

I don't believe in them. There is no such thing as a jinx.

I blame the kids. If Kemp wasn't so lazy he could have caught that ball.

338.

Sorry to pile on dude, but "ah man!" was the first thing I thought of when I read your post.

369
The Teixeira hit was on a 2-2 count.

370
That's Vin's favorite curse word! Or curse phrase.

358 that wasn't meant to be totally serious, but still... what a shame.

All this Teixeira stuff is going to be a gigantic bowl of awesome when he signs elsewhere.

The tears will taste like cotton candy.

And I will feast.

There are three West Coast games tonight. Two are in the 8th inning and the other is in the bottom of the 7th.

East Coast agate men rejoice!

338
Rule # 9

Let's not let our irrationality turn vicious, people!

I blame Vin, FSN and ESPN.

I blame Ned Coletti for this one. Its the GM's job to take the blame for his team's failures.

381 - you're one of those teachers that gives pop quizzes on next week's reading assignments, aren't you?

Ethier with a scare right there.

381
And the kind of cotton candy on a paper stick/cone too, not that crappy plastic container dross.

Ethier practically caught that on the infield.

348 Oh, sure, blame it on the Rockies fan, when Dodgers' Broadcasters were saying "perfect" left, right, and center.
I was not the jinx.

306 i was thinking the same thing about kafka when i read it.

though, i read one of his short stories and like that, so it's not like he's all bad.

Still got the shutout. Man, i really wanted to see hiro get to the 9th with it in tact.

Oh well, let's settle for the shutout.

Three more outs until ... the mountain top!

So how did Dodger Stadium turn back the clock to 1966 with all this wild run scoring the past few games there?

382 The 2:00 a.m. EDT Sportscenter crew is very happy.

So, do you let him Kuroda go for another complete game shutout?

Now ESPN will find the Dodgers irrelevant again. Sigh. (Except for occasional "Trade the kids!" goofiness from some expert on BBTN.)

388

Seriously, what's with that plastic bag nonsense? Am I supposed to want cotton candy that may well have been spun three years ago?

384 - Oh, I'm not getting out the tar and feathers. But if you want perfection, you need perfection. Now, I'm left wondering.

What's weird is that Woden was so outspoken about maintaining Rule 9 throughout the thread. Like Kuroda, he left one over the plate.

Anyone have the official first-pitch time for tonight's game?

I was at the pre-season game when Kuroda did the same thing (I think he only went 7 though, I can't remember, Kershaw came in to relieve him), he's been a great sign by NedCo i'll give him that.

Do guys remember how far Odalis Perez went with a perfect game? I remember it was against the Cubbies.

390
'Tis the job of broadcasters to convey what is happening. They are exempt from Rule 9, unless Vin or others happen to be posting here of course.

397

Indeed I do.

400
I don't know, but the Dodgers have been pretty good at starting at 7:10 on the dot every time I go.

390 For the record, I agree with you.

Let's not pick on the Rockies' fan, all you superstitious meanypants out there. The jinx was laid out all over TV and the internet.

386 Ha ha. No, I don't give quizzes on reading at all. They take notes as they read on the terms and concepts they don't understand.

Pop quizzes are really pointless.

There are way better ways to torture students.

390 - Hey, life goes on, but throughout the thread it was stated that announcers were exempt from Rule 9.

And it's not like I have control over the universe. Just lil' ol' DT. :)

397
Kuroda gets to complete his shutout. He's only at 81.

Saito comes in only if the tying run comes to the plate.

397 - Why wouldn't you?

375 I also think the whole idea of jinxes is silly, but I put up with Rule 9 because I love the site.

403 To answer your earlier question, yes I recorded it, but I deleted it after watching. It was a decent piece. I record that show every week. I guess after 30 years of watching I'm addicted.

The Philosopher King hath spake.

It's Wooden's fault. He didn't mean it. The gods will judge him as they are wont to do.

338 Yes, I do have an MLB.tv subscription. How do you propose I use it without electricity? I don't think the iPhone is up to all the graphics.

OK, power just came back on, for the moment anyway. Too late for the "interesting" game, but in time for the finish. I hope.

just got home from dinner with the fiancee (6 yr anniversary..so no phone, therefore no contact with the score). almost threw up in my car when I heard the situation right before the hit. needless to say, she understood (thats why were getting married :)..

Odalis Perez got 18 Cubs in a row on April 26, 2002 before Corey Patterson ruined everything.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200204260.shtml

The Braves have been no-hit 15 times? Wowsa.

383 Technically, I was describing another game.
400 Dang. Good point. I guess I was emboldened by the radio guys on both KABC and WGST.

411 - You've got to admit, the cause-effect was pretty close...

I do have to take responsibility for not seeing the comment soon enough to delete it, which might have saved things.

414 If you meant 330 , I was referring to 324, for Woden, who was listening to different broadcasts of the game.

416. Thanks, I remember now. Corey beat out a grounder.

418 Were you in Mike Judge's last movie?

407 - do teachers really sit around thinking up ways to torture students?

because I remember sitting around thinking of ways to torture them.

411

Agreed

No more jinxing Rockies fans or I'm not paying :)

418 what about braves fans?

Kuroda's game score is sitting on 86 right now. His 11 K shutout of the Cubs was a 90 game score.

Possible points
Each out: 1
Each K: 2
Each H: -2
Each BB: -1
Each ER: -4
Each UER: -2

A 1-2-3 9th with a K puts Kuroda at 91, a figure not reached by a Dodger since Odalis's 1-hitter at Wrigley in 2002.

418 But, it's a lost season regardless.

417 - the Braves have been around about as long as the Dodgers. and have called three different cities home.

Berroa coming in for defense is wrong on so many levels.

I don't mind Rule 9, but it kills me that it would apply to a Giants pitcher throwing against us.

417
I count 18 no-hitters against the Phillies. I may have lost track.

Remember that the Braves have been playing baseball since 1876. The second no-hitter in NL history was thrown against the Braves back on August 19, 1880 by Larry Corcoran of Chicago.

They weren't called the Braves then.

Anyone remember Ismael Valdez retiring 25 men in a row against the Pirates in like, 1997? Then Kevin Young got a hit up the middle and broke my 11 year old heart.

I'm pretty sure the Dutch hate the Dodgers as well. Stupid Dutch.

424 You have to break them down to build them up. Remember, most of them were raised by people. People who messed them up.

I have to destroy the village, man.

Saito is another guy NedCo signed or at least came to the Dodgers while Ned Colletti was the Dodger GM at the time I liked the Schmidt signing & the D-Jones signing as well.

the only thing that bugs me about Ned is his UNpatients with the Rooks.

434
June 27, 1998
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN199806270.shtml

I'm getting ready to hang up a 3T in the conference standings next to the Dodgers.

Holy hell, are you kidding me?

Holy jeebus. That was Furcal-esque.

Berroa in for defense.

Wesley can play defense after all!

HOLY CRAP BERROA!!!!! WOWEEEEE!!!!!!!

431 Take that.

Berroa in for defense was a terrific idea tonight.

That was a sick play by Berroa.

Good lord, without setting your feet that is a throw and a half.

431

you were saying... just kidding big Joe, I was thinking the same thing.

Loney with a Karros there to complete the out. Great stuff by Snipes Sr.

431 Ha ha. Reverse jinx!

Dang, Berroa!

DT revenue idea: Anyone who violates Rule 9 has to pay Jon a $100,000 fine.

Wow, what a play by Berroa. You'd think someone was still pitching a perfect game!

I think Vin just described the guy who caught that foul ball has having a "mul-hawk"
Oh my goodness, he DOES read DT between innings!

CG!

Berroa LOLs at 331 ;-)

438 Is that anything like the 3T form from Scrubs?

2 complete games from Dodger pitchers HAS TO BE encouraging.

to me, rule #9 is like an alien religious belief system--I don't understand it, but I respect my host's beliefs....

nifty one-hitter!

431 that is.

You'd think Hiro was still pitching a no-hitter with that effort,

I like it.

Based on the unwritten rules, Blanco should see some chin music at some point in this series. I'm sure Bowa would concur. Does anyone agree?

So, so close. Tipping my cap to Kuroda right now. Seasonal ERA down to 3.39.

Congrats to Hiro.
What a ball game.
Game time 2:03

Tied with the Snakes!

Game score: 91

What a masterful performance.

What a performance by Kuroda! Who needs CC Sabathia when we have Kuroda!!

Loney was big at first tonight.

457 - 3 complete games. And believe it or not the Dodgers are tied for first place in the N.L West. Wow.

A rare postgame interview shown via Extra Innings.

According to the interpreter, our All-Star is "The Russell". :)

458 If you want to bait people, you need to do a better job.

459 It is baseball tradition, and Jon is keeping it alive.

Dodgers Fans:
I am a Rockies fan, and a Dodgers fan to a lesser degree (proximity beats venerability), but most importantly I'm fan of whomever is playing the Braves.

So please, if I jinxed the home team, please accept my Act of Contrition: Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa.

In Japan, this would be called "the hero interview."

fantastic game, Hiro was clinical.

so this is how first place feels like.

That was just a terrific, dazzling performance by Kuroda, one hit notwithstanding. Hats off to him.

Can we officially put him in Ned's fairly short "Good Move" column?

465 You should be torturing Levski right now.

462 - i'd say one in the hind end, chin music is unnecessary.

TC's comment on last thread (I think it was comment 52) was brilliantly funny i'd just finished working out & looked at it on my phone & busted out with the giggles, it was perfect timing too.

So which was better. This gem or Hiro's one against the Cubs? The one hitter was great, but i might lean towards the Bucs because of the overall dominance. His first start in SD was also pretty special. When he is on, the opponents have no chance.

I give Bluetahoe a 2/10 in trolltasticness.

It's like the passion is gone.

So where is he on the ROTY ballot?

477

Wasn't Logan White the one that really wanted Kuroda?

Sports clichés transcend all cultures!

473 I speak for no one but me, but I forgive you.

458 - You're clearly out to bait people. You have one chance to stop, otherwise I'll not allow you to continue here. Thanks.

481
Bucs and Cubs are anagrams!

So Kuroda, not too shabby lately
Jun 6, 4 hit, 11k shutout
Jun 12, injured, ignore
Jul 2, 7 shutout innings
Jul 7, 1 hit shutout

Kuroda, Billingsley and we are looking like a team that has a shot in the playoffs.

wonderful piching, wonderful defense...so hypothetically speaking though, what would be the japanese version of a sombreero that could of been thrown into the air

great result though, hello 1st place!

Congrats Hiro.

Trying to explain the situation to my girlfriend who doesn't really understand baseball while not violating rule #9 and following the game online was a challenge.

478 - I'll go post the game story on Primer now.

462 Nah, it was still a winnable game for the Braves at the time and a smart play by the batter. If there were two outs in the 9th inning and he tried that then it would be different.

462

personally I would not have done it but that's just the way in flows, I'm cool with it I don't like it but that's just the way it is.

458 Best of luck to all three of those guys. But please let them go, crunchy. You will sleep much better.

Nice Dodgers win. Jon, per the previous thread, I'm notoriously stingy with my money, but if DT had a pledge drive a couple times a year, I'd definitely contribute. Same thing happens to me with NPR.

It's great that people around the nation are going to come to DodgerThoughts to get analysis of Kuroda's start and they're going to see that headline.

473 I didn't even blame you in the first place, but you're forgiven. Come back anytime. As long as you also jinx Jeff Francis when he's in a similar situation. ;-)

Well, that was such a blessedly short game I can still do some work tonight. Thanks, Kuroda.

Ma ma ma ma ma myyyyyy Kuroda!

No sweat, Woden.

With all the people confessing to donating to NPR, maybe a better fund raiser for DT would be sticking up the local NPR affiliate. I'm willing to case the joint, but I can't be involved when it actually goes down.

Stupid three strikes law.

Vin didn't think of adding "Oh, by the way, the Dodgers are now in first place". OK, not quite as meaningful as the last time (9/18/06).

the guy blabbing with psycho just called DeWitt's play "clutch baseball"

/sigh

502 - I know a good lawyer or two...

To all you techies out there: I'm in the market for a new TV and was impressed with a Sony LCD that advertised 120 hz and the salesman claimed in refreshed twice as much as a typical 60 hz TV. Fast moving video seemed very smooth but I don't understand how the TV can produce a picture twice as often. If the signal from a cable company is typically 30 frames per second, how can a TV refresh any more often than that?

Fabulous game by Kuroda, hopefully Dodgers continue to roll on without trading any good prospects!

500 Lately, Jeff Franchise is self-jinxing. But, if he's pitching against the Dodgers, you have my word I'll be rooting for your lot.
But don't expect me to root against Aaron Cook. Penance only goes so far.

Woohoo! Trade talk with Kevin Kennedy!

Kuroda (91 game score tonight, 90 vs. the Cubs June 6) is just the 10th LA Dodger with two or more starts in a season with a 90+ game score. The last person to have a season with 2+ such starts was the aforementioned Odalis Perez in 2002.

Koufax had five such seasons, and 17 games from 1960-1966.

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/9WX8

First bloody place! It feels great.

I don't think I want to watch the rest of the post game show. They just threatened to talk about possible trade scenarios for the Dodgers to get an everyday shortstop for the rest of the season.

Kuroda has been worth every penny the Dodgers gave him , I hope he keeps it up (i'm sure he will)

Tide for 1st feels so good but it will feel even better if we jump to 1st before the all-star game.

Since the Dodgers are just tied for first, the staff only get frozen yogurt instead of ice cream tomorrow.

506- Scroll down to the "Update 4/2/2007," part.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=458

507
No hard feelings Woden. It's all in good fun here.

Of all the plays in baseball, the shortstop throw from deep in the hole is one of the prettiest things to watch unfold.

From the shortstop ranging to his right to backhand the ball, to the ballet move to twist and then throw the ball accurately to first. Nothing like it.

Stupid Mac question: I want to get from the text/comment window to the "preview comment before saving" checkbox without using a mouse. I can do it with the tab key on a PC (and toggle it with spacebar), but I can't even Google it because I don't even know what to search for.

NPUT

516 I agree. Someday I'm going to try it. Just go to an empty field and try it.

509
Amazingly, none of Hershiser's starts in 1988 featured a 90+ game score. His eight shutouts (plus the 10-scoreless-inning finale in SD) were in the 77-88 game score range.

517 Open System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts, and make sure "Full Keyboard Access" is set to "All Controls". Then you can tab away to your heart's content.

514 Thank you, I looked online but didn't find anything that informative.

522- George Ou is great. He now blogs at: http://www.formortals.com

I know Woden is taking the blame around here for tonight, but I have to say -- I might be the jinx. When Vin said "Call your friends" heading into the 8th, I called my friend. (I did use the phrase "extremely interesting," FWIW.)

My only excuse is that I was obeying an order from Vin. He told me to call!

Then again, I didn't know anything was happening, tuned in online, and immediately saw the first hit.

506 The feature is good on some sports, but worthless on movies. When watching TV it will interpolate the frames, and same with movies. The result is a relatively smooth picture without motion blur. This is fun for some sports programming, but it really ruins the 'film' look of movies. Motion blur is critical to what the cinematographer is doing, and is imperative to making visual effects look realistic. If you watch a movie in 120hz, it just looks off. On all 120hz TVs the feature can be turned off, you just have to decide if it's worth the premium for the few things it will make look a little smoother.

506 and 526. Motion blur of the kind created by 60hz TVs is not what a cinematographer is going for. That blur is created because of 3/2 pulldown. What is 3/2 pulldown? Well, TV is shot at ~30 frames per second, and a typical TV displays 60 frames per second (60hz refresh rate). So, each frame is shown 2 times. But a movie is typically shot at only 24 frames per second. So when shown at 60 frames per second, one frame is shown 3 times, the next frame 2 times, the next 3, the next 2, and so on and so forth. This creates the blur you are referring to and occasionally also results in sound synching problems. When movies are shown in the theater, they are shown at the native 24 frames per second, so there is no 3/2 pulldown. Therefore, 3/2 pulldown blur can't be what a cinematographer is going for.

The nice thing about a 120hz refresh rate is that 120 is divisible by both 30 and 24. A 30 frames per second video will show each frame 4 times, and a 24 frames per second video will show each frame 5 times. Thus, no 3/2 pulldown and no unintentional blurring or sound synch issues. Any motion blur the cinematographer intended will still be there because the frames themselves will have the blur on them, like a series of blurry photos.

517. You should be able to use Tab and Spacebar on your Mac just the same as on a PC. I am using Safari on OSX 10.4.11 and it works for me.

And to everybody: There is no such thing as a jinx. Rule 9 only applies if you say "no-hitter" or "perfect game" within earshot of the pitcher. Then the pitcher may tense up, press, or try to be too perfect and give up the hit. But even that is silly, as it assumes the pitcher doesn't already know what is going on.