Shortstop is really going to go down to the wire. Furcal, Berroa, Nomar, and Hu all have a shot at being listed as the starting SS by season's end.

Andruw, RISP: 5 for 55, 13 walks
Manny, RISP: 4 for 5, HR, 2 walks

Sadly, Manny is about to come up with 0 in scoring position. Although technically, he is in scoring position from the batter's box. :)

http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/2008/07/dodgers-trade-for-casey-blake.html

This is going to make Derek Lowe, Hiroki Kuroda, Chad Billingsley, and Brad Penny, who all have ground ball to fly ball rates over 1.5, extremely unhappy. Casey Blake gives the Dodgers quite possibly the worst defensive infield in baseball, and that doesn't seem wise when your four best pitchers are all ground ball pitchers.

6.0 IP, 2 H's, 1 HR, 2 BB, 10 K's

Heh! But Blake isn't our problem.

Thanks, Lasorda.

19 - No.

Yeah Lowe was awful tonight. What can you do? He has games like that. As D4P pointed out, quite a few hits were also ground balls that just found holes. On the other hand, he was also crushed more than his fair share of times. Not one of his best.

So close.

Joel Pineiro?

ESPN has him at 1.60 right now.

That, or Lasorda was an arm shredder.

It is interesting to note that the experiment with the "kids" is over, with Martin/Loney /Kemp the only survivors. Ned did not waste much time filling the team up with PVLs again.

Unfortunately, it looks like the high water mark for the 2008 Dodgers was back when they were tied with AZ for a game or two.

It would have made more sense (!) for Ned to have included an OF (Ethier probably) instead of an IF (LaRoche) in the Manny trade. Now they have three unhappy OFers and will lose one (Young probably) when Young comes off the DL.

Ned could not have been thinking much about the future since third base will now be a sucking wound for the forseeable future.

Blake DeWitt.

Seriously, the Andy LaRoche sad fest needs to end. Its getting to almost Brett Farve-ian like proportions. He's gone, and a Pirate. We all need to move on. Please, for my sanity. For your sanity. For the sanity of the Planet.

Fernando 4 2/3
Hershiser 7
Wetteland 7
Ramon 8 2/3
Belcher 9
Hershiser 11

If we really want to upgrade our infield, its at SS, and 2nd. Not at 3rd.

what's the low-down

on

the beat-down

?

AWESOME!!!

By what measure?

Hopefully Dewitt can learn to play 2b effectively.

Three words: Fal. Ken. Borg.

On July 6th, the team was 43-45.

On August 6th, looks like the team will be 56-57.

1 game over .500 cant be the best record in the NL during the last month? Can it?

His pitch count doesnt matter when you are spraying line drives all over the field. He's not a good pitcher and was not a good pitcher tonight. He easily could have given up 6-7 runs and been out of the game early.

That said, we'll probably need a 2nd baseman next year, too.

Okay, I'm off to a late soccer game. Hope I get to hear about the Dodgers valiant comeback effort when I return.

Playing Hu at SS would help the defense and probably not hurt the offense anymore than Berroa is currently doing.

MLB numbers, 2008
.276/.337/.411
.266/.336/.437

The thought would be it's easier to find a 3B that can hit than a 2B can hit.

Also, I don't think anyone's giving up on DeWitt. He just might not be ready until later 2009, or possibly 2010.

I'll be in the corner, hanging my head in shame for a bit. Hey, where's that dunce cap, anyway?

2B - .276/.337/.411
3B - .266/.336/.437

Moving DeWitt to 2nd just blocks Hu and DeJesus .

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/09/nbcs-olympic-schedule-unv_n_111662.html

I don't know what catchers are available but it might be an easier way to make um... progress.

Good job Blake, another comeback???

This time it's for real

This is meant to be constructive criticism of the Golden God, who I want to be the Dodger's catcher for a very long time and have a nice big LA on the hat on his plaque in Cooperstown.

LaRussa and Torre are showing why they get paid the big bucks.

10 minutes to determine.

Actually, I'd like to see it withdrawn because of a Dodger win, but still.

Which is saying a lot.

Looked pretty decent to me. Umpire has a huge zone. It would be amazing to win this game via protest.

Probability the League President opines that losing Sweeney adversely affect the Dodgers's chances of winning the game = a very small number.

So can I, for that matter.

"Nothing ever good ever came out of St. Louis." - Humma Kavula.

I could be watching "America's Favorite Dog".

I guess the Belgians own it now.

Game time temperature? 94 degrees.

Granted, the temperature tonight was a mere 83 degrees.

Oops! Lowe gave up 7 runs in that start.

Brett Favre has been traded to the New York Jets.

209 - Broadway Brett. The ESPN-hype machine is going to be out of control.

If ESPN likes it, I don't. If ESPN liked chocolate, I would hate it.

I can't begin to imagine what this will do to the price of oil.

I don't know why I ever wanted to be one.

Well, except for the killing yourself part.

Can I just stay in college...til at least 30?

I wish I had "become and academic."

It gets better.

As long as DT isnt blocked, just enjoy having a comfortable computer desk job.

I wasn't always a teacher, you know.

I would also add that no, I did not get your fax. Becuase fax machines, to my knowledge, have never worked once in the history of the world.

Whew!

Nate, just get a dotcom job. Long hours at times, some stress, but you get to be online all day and get paid for it, and it's fun. There's also an adult online vendor in our office building if you want me to drop off a resume for you. Not adult in the sense of "I hate being an adult" but "Behind the curtains, wink wink nudge nudge" sense. Just say the word.

Okay, off to soak my hurty body in a tub and read a comic book. Who said being an adult is never any fun?

New unhappy campers (taking the reigns from Aaron Rodgers): Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens.

Aww, just forget that damn sentence. I need a drink.

if Favre takes 50 percent of total snaps with the Jets in 2008, the fourth rounder becomes a third-round pick. If he gets 70 percent of the snaps and the Jets make the playoffs, it becomes a second-round pick; and if he gets 80 percent of snaps and the Jets make the Super Bowl, it becomes a first-round pick

"The mechanics of diminutive Tim Lincecum" 7 pages on his life, and how he throws.

Back to Office Space, I admire Lawrence's ambition in what he would do with $1 million.

baby steps...baby steps.

I'm right in oldtown scottsdale so within one mile of my work and apt (i live one mile to work) there are like 9740970560 bars/places with excellent happy hours.

I've been too exhausted to do that but I'm sure it will eventually start happening.

wow, green bay really...really do not want him to become a Viking.

I have a feeling we'll be pouring a lot of 40s at Elysian Park for all the missing homeys.

I will taste the difference.

Don't worry, a lot of my buddies moved up here and are within close proximity...weekends will be awesome. Weekdays...eh.

270

Yeah, I can't make it, pour a 40 and chug another one for me.

I turned down meeting a girl out tonight with that excuse.

And that said, I am going to bed. Please haunt my dreams.

Ha! I'm totally wearing my company polo tomorrow (1 of 2 I own!). It was free though.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers7-2008aug07,0,575874.column

Sorry.

But I will be happy to buy you a beer at the game.

PIERRE WAS not in the lineup, so I checked to see if he was bellyaching again. "I've got nothing," Pierre said, which pretty much explains why Torre isn't playing him.

I generally don't like Simers, but I have to admit sometimes he comes up with some funny lines.

What's your problem, Los Angeles?

"They're definitely the No. 1 choice," Paul Kinzer said.

Kinzer lamented the back injury to Furcal, which required surgery, postponed talks of an extension and most likely lowered his price tag. Furcal is in the final year of a three-year, $39-million deal.

"This wasn't their fault or our fault that this happened," Kinzer said. "If this hadn't happened, we probably would have something done by now."

Kinzer said he would like to get Furcal re-signed with the Dodgers by then.

"If we get a fair offer, we'll have something done by then," he said. "He's not necessarily saying he has to test the market."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodfyi7-2008aug07,0,4325209.story

Anyone else hear a Bob the Builder chorus of "Yes You Can!" while reading this Jones quote in the Simmers piece?

...but not Furcal's back.

PS: Office jobs suck. Stay in school, kids.