Peace and love to all ...

and for those so inclined, Dodger love!

Hope everyone has a good holiday.

Dodgers at Arizona, last game of a 3-game series. If they won, they'd tie for first with DBacks - something they had had for just one day after the first game of the series. If they lost - 2 games back. In the first inning, Lowe was poor and let Arizona go ahead by 3 runs. From then on it was tedious, as Webb held the Dodgers to nothing (a couple hits in the 4th), and Lowe improved to hold the D'backs as well - they got no hits after the 2nd until a triple and another run in the 6th.

So it was 4-0 Arizona and gloomy. Dodgers picked up a run in the 7th as Loney scored off a DeWitt groundout (DeWitt playing 3rd - this was pre-Casey Blake by a few days). Webb was tiring, Dodgers got a couple of walks in the 8th before Kent GIDP. Meanwhile Troncoso, who came in in the 7th, was striking out 5 D-backs.

Then the D-backs took out Webb and brought in Lyon in the 9th. Entirely due to that change, the Dodgers got 6 hits, 5 runs, from Nomar double, Loney, LaRoche (10 days to go for him), Kemp double, Ethier triple, Martin, and even a Jones RBI along the way, before Kent flied out again (1-5). Dodgers 6-4. Then Broxton held Arizona to 1 run. Dodgers win 6-5. Dodgers tie for first.

For most of the game I had to hold to the fact that I must have saved it for a reason. It was really pretty dull - like so many games at that time. Still, the general mediocre level of NL West and a certain persistence and fortitude of the less-than-great Dodgers in the first two thirds of the season meant that they kept pace with Arizona after they started going downhill in the middle of the season, and were in place to move ahead when they got Manny 10 days later. But if I ever watch this game again, I think I'll do an edited replay and skip from 1st inning to 8th. a good reminder of how a lot of games go - until that last inning - and how the tension of not knowing how it's going to turn out and the desire to have the team you root for win keeps you watching during the season. There aren't too many classics to really want to watch again and again after they're over. But I do also have 9/18/2006 saved - that one's another matter.

Anyway, just one more note on Mark Teixeira: I've heard from a reliable source that the first baseman turned down about $5 million more from the Nationals to sign with the Yankees. And the Nats would have gone higher, but were never given the chance. Teixeira jumped at Brian Cashman's first offer.

I guess it wasn't ALL about the money - just mostly about it. Being on a contender every year also brings a certain appeal.

http://tinyurl.com/9poqdv

While Tex's spurning of the Red Sox may also have something to do with Boston's tactics in pursuit of him during the 1998 MLB Draft:

After high school, Teixeira was offered a $1.5 million bonus from the Red Sox as they considered targeting him in the first round of draft. Teixeira passed and what followed left a bitter taste in the first baseman's mouth.

From Shpigel's article in today's Times: "I have a very cynical approach towards the draft," Teixeira told Baseball America in 2006. "I was naïve. It was my first realization to the business in baseball. The Red Sox told everybody that I wouldn't sign, and when it got to a late enough round, they said, 'Let's take a flier on him.' So they spoiled me for everyone else."

After being drafted by the Red Sox in the ninth round, Teixeira chose to attend Georgia Tech and went on to be drafted by the Texas Rangers as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 draft.

http://tinyurl.com/9dzy3k

>> When the New Year rings in, with it the MLB Network will bring an all-Major League Baseball channel into 50 million homes, making it the largest network debut in cable history by more than 20 million homes. <<

## "We're not trying to be about any one game or any one team," Petitti says. "We're going to be telling the story of the entire league in one given night. The idea is to be able to give fans a taste of everything." ##

http://tinyurl.com/72nyal

And instead of basking in the glow and warm memories of the best Dodger postseason moment of my adult lifetime, I again fumed at how lousy TBS's broadcast was.

Ex-Dodgers exec doing well

http://tinyurl.com/8n66ps

I feel for you, bro.

Merry Christmas to you, you wonderful old Building and Loan!

Be well, safe and happy, and may we receive Manny in our stockings belatedly.

http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/2008/12/jeanne-zelasko-wants-in-dodgers-tv.html

Anyways, Merry Christmas to all!

And BoB, I am a C. Open gifts with mom and grandma on Eve and then on Christmas Day open gifts with my mom's huge extended family.

My Top 5 ESPN commercials...

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iVrFc7OlXs&eurl=http://www.sportable.com/2007/04/30/top-ten-espn-commercials/&feature=player_embedded

2. Jose Reyes teaching Van Pelt and Ravech how to dance

3. Ravech, Kenny Mayne and Gheorge Muresan dancing for no reason.

4. "Cherokee, I HAVE a watch"

5. ESPN draft a kid out of High School - "Jimmy Key? what's he? 45?"

http://tinyurl.com/6wzbk9

http://tinyurl.com/7d8cox

Projected temp - 75 and sunny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhYxLd8O9lA

It goes on when the temperature is 37 or lower. It is designed to tell the driver that it is cold outside.

I am not sure that this is something I need an indicator light for.

41 Mine too.

Working on today just seems weird. Bike has not come in, but I'm hoping I get a call today so I can bask in its glory.

Mine got me the Cesar Izturis, Paul Lo Duca, and Tommy Lasorda bobbleheads (I'm trying to complete my set..and have a looong way to go). I have to say, the Izturis bobblehead looks terrible..but I love it.

Arsenal fans have got to be gutted after today's debacle.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5400016.ece

http://www.kicksonfire.com/2008/11/21/nike-zoom-kobe-4/

Well I can't wait that long.

They sucked.

All Nikes suck.

It amazes me, frankly, how any company can make a product that does NOT come in proper sizes (in two dimensions, width and length) that can have the outsized reputation they do and yet produce something so thoroughly, demonstrably awful compared to their competition. New Balance and Mizuno both make far superior shoes and yet there are probably three times the number of Nike shoes on the shelf at any given store selling athletic shoes, and something like five times the number of Mizuno shoes.

So does that mean we should have paid Jones $1.6 million to NOT be on our team last year?

Currently, the Dodgers owe Andruw Jones $22.1 million.

Bleh.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

She is a little to impressed with Mr. Kennedy and his stories but nothing wrong with being blind to a friends shortcomings.

I'm intrigued...

Or I'm just projecting.

Breakaway, slides the puck through the defender's wickets than picks it back up to shoot as he's collapsing . .

http://tinyurl.com/7zlt2j

Could have been a Dodger or an Athletic. Both would have probably been better options.

Now that the Giants have the Unit, will they trade Cain for Fielder?

Would have been swell for one year...

There is no doubt in my mind that Colletti is going to sign a veteran SP and RJ was the one I preferred the most.

Let's get Pettitte.

Too rich for Dodger blood these days, I guess.

and is it weird that the Big Unit will start next season in his sixth different uniform?

I will be out the beginning of next week. But before I left today I managed to get the gatekeeper to put a meeting for my friend/boss on for Tuesday -- he's scheduled to meet at 2:00 pm in his office with Brianna Banks.

Now, he's not likely to know who that is (I wouldn't either but for this place!), and the system won't show who put the meeting on, and the gatekeeper is also out next week, so I'm guessing he'll need to ask around the office quite a bit as he tries to figure out who's coming in to meet and what he needs to do to get prepped.

http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=448801

I recall that Dodger Thoughts After Dark thread. Is she going to discuss asparagus and its effects on her industry?

You have to give us an update after the meeting if you can.

some of my favorites
Dodgers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S2DO5_zujU&feature=channel
red sox
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m0cyvfvMK0&feature=channel
mariners
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hIXkxxYx_A&feature=related

I loved the Chan Ho Park impression -- I remember watching that dropkick live, my jaw dropping as I watched the player that brought me the most frustration and joy (but mostly frustration) make an absolute fool out of himself.

As a Korean-American who roots shamelessly for Korean ballplayers, I have often wondered why Chan Ho didn't just punch the guy. Instead he threw a spectacularly unsuccessful kick, which led my friends (who knew my love for Korean ball players and especially of Chan Ho) to heap much mockery upon me.

Tough call on which was a lower moment - Tatis' two slams, or that ill-advised martial arts attempt.

http://tinyurl.com/9czaxf

It's one thing to be stuck in Hawai'i, but being stuck in the airport no matter where you are is no fun.

I have to think that the Dodgers haven't put much effort (if any) into looking for Pierre suitors.

And even Versalles didn't drop as precipitously. It's also magnified because of Jones' salary.

Yeah, they clearly need some help. I have to think there's some defensive-oriented PG out there who's not getting much PT and who might be available.

131 - I think it was more that the offense, generally, wasn't running the way Phil wanted it to and Walton is sort of that pass first point forward type that works well in the triangle (a la Pippen) - http://tinyurl.com/9hxl89

Odom can't play the point. He is a good ball handler for a forward, he is not good enough to handle the rock when pressured by small point guards. He can't do anything with his right hand.

(Gehrig's penultimate season was not up to Lou's career standards. Dimaggio said that in retrospect the disease must have been first starting to affect Lou the season before Gehrig had to retire.)

While, as I said, I'm sure it's not ALS: I do wonder about some sort of neurological-wasting involvement...

I am thinking holding off on baseball until the new season starts so I don't have to sub Kemp or Ethier in for Pierre everytime! (I rented it last night, baseball is pretty freaking cool and I am kidding I know i can set my own team, draft my own team etc, which is why baseball is always my favorite of the sports game.)

I'm thinking Soccer..

It's not like the Emerald Bowl needs a huge facility.

Is his contract really that bad for another team to take on?

Luke isn't a very good player.

He's not great, but he's one of those guys who does a pretty good job of filling in each column of the box score.

I don't know anything about his defensive ability.

Going by a number of advanced metrics, Luke Walton could be classified as the worst player on the team.

And for the proof that it isn't always aloha here, if you have a criticism of HECO you can go back where you came from. As I've told people here repeatedly, the only difference between here and Mississippi is that some here have the tan and/or the darker skin that prevents some of the rest from seeing that red neck.

My guess is that HECO doesn't even really know how its system works. Kind of like most of us and our computer software. Fine, we can read and understand the manual that came with it, but it doesn't really mean that we understand how it works. For me, the power went off, came on, went off, came on, and then finally went off. Wilhelmina Rise stayed on for a while, but then it too went it off. That doesn't seem like a mechanical failure, when some are still on but then go off. It seems like some don't know how to keep those who didn't get knocked out on-line while the rest of us get powered back up. It would otherwise help if both the brain-dead and the red necks learned why "redundancy" is an imperative when it comes to the matter of the essential service.

I figured he'd be on the block, so it would be surprising to see him go. I guess Phil's been "showcasing" him lately.

He has no athleticism, cant get his own shot, and cant play defense.

He's been kept around due to some mythical intangible of being a "heady" "smart" player---basically the standard white guy/no skills/no ability but tries real hard type.

That is all.

Andruw Jones on his 2008 season.

There's no e in Ridnour

That makes me realize that vishal hasn't been around in a long time. Guess he's busy planning airports.

http://tinyurl.com/95jgon

Oh, and the Walton-Pierre comparison is nonsense. I've said this many times before (and I didn't discover the idea). Baseball is all about individual performances. An individual player's contribution is precisely the same as his production (though we can argue how best to measure production).

In basketball and football and soccer and most other team sports, there is actual teamwork - joint production. The Oop can't happen without the Alley. Passing matters. Setting picks matters. Blocking out, switching on defense, etc. etc. None of these things show up in the box score (well, OK, assists do, but not passes that lead to assists). These things are not intangible, but they are not measured (by the media anyway - I'm sure coaches measure them).

The case for Walton is that he is very smart and does all of those "little things" well. That the team functions better with him on the floor. I tend to think this is true, even while admitting that I don't want him taking the key shot at the end of the game, or trying to create his own shot.

It is impossible to make a similar case for Pierre because there are no such contributory acts in baseball that aren't already measured as personal production. So in baseball, to make excuses for guys who don't produce, we talk about their clubhouse presence, without any clue as to how that might make a team perform better. In basketball, the idea that a guy can contribute without scoring or being a superb athlete is not that hard to accept.

All that said, one could argue that Walton is overrated in those areas - that it wouldn't be hard to find a player who did all those things as well as he AND could run, jump, and shoot better. I say that as a Laker fan, I like having him on the team. I think he makes the team better.

And again, Go Bears!

Usually the Dodgers and Padres don't bother with this, but I guess they wanted to in 2009.

Gas or Rocket Fuel?

Some players somehow decide they are going to shoot when they get the ball as if it is their turn. They ignore the offense when they predetermine it is their turn. Luke never does this, in fact, he does the opposite. He predetermines that he will pass the ball and therefore doesn't take the team's best shot for that possession.

Furcal
Martin
Loney
Kemp
Ethier
Blake
DeWitt
Pierre/Jones/Hu/Abreu/

I'm not a fan of the Furcal-Pierre pairing at all; it needs to be Martin or Ethier 2nd.

>>Finally, he interviewed LA Dodgers assistant GM Logan White. When asked about what other moves the Dodgers would make this offseason (ie will they sign Manny, and who will replace Saito?), White skirted around the Manny talks, but did say that LA was sticking with the youth movement, and we may see a few surprises this year.<<

http://www.faketeams.com/2008/12/28/703047/mlb-trade-rumors-xm-radio

GMs seem to be getting smart all of a sudden, realizing that signing Manny is likely to be a lose-lose proposition.

Sign him to a long-term deal, and he'll eventually get old/hurt and it won't be worth it.

Sign him to a short-term deal, and he'll likely throw tantrums and not give 100% and it won't be worth it.