That's awesome. My earliest memory is going to Dodger Stadium with my dad; hopefully your son's first memory is today.

Wow, that is awesome. Must have been quite an experience.

I just read the Braves may be interested in Orlando Hudson. This would be bad for the Dodgers. If he signs with the Braves, the Dodgers would then get the Braves third round pick for Lowe instead of an early second round pick.

Simply way, way cool Jon -- moments like these are what I look forward to most with my kid-to-be (anticipated arrival date: The July 31 trading deadline)!

Very cool. I was close to justifying spending $500 to attend the last Under the Lights, but in the end I just decided it was too much cash.

3
Oh man, that stinks. Dropping 30-ish picks is never good.

5 No way the Mets start the season with Castillo as the 2nd baseman. They'll sign Hudson.

5 No way the Mets start the season with Castillo as the 2nd baseman. They'll sign Hudson.

5 I have a feeling that this will be the year cited for changing the compensation pick system.

Low-scoring game:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-hope-golf25-2009jan25,0,4372418.story

Chuck Culpepper's report:

That's really a 33-under-par score up there belonging to the world's No. 16 player, Steve Stricker, after four of the five rounds, and that looks kooky only because nobody on the PGA Tour ever visited it before in 72 holes.

The 61-62 sitting up there denoting Stricker's third and fourth rounds would be, yes, ironclad-accurate, even though for millions of golfers it looks either like some daffy daydream or some score fudged through a whole bevy of cheating. If it looks just wrong, it's probably because it's the best two straight days anybody on tour ever played.

That 30-under belonging to Pat Perez looks plenty garish, given it would be the second-best 72-hole score in PGA Tour history behind Ernie Els' 31-under in Hawaii six Januarys ago . . . if it weren't for the fact that it holds down second place here.

And yes, next to Jesper Parnevik's 61 from Saturday, that would be the word "CUT," and next to James Nitties' 62 from Saturday, that also would be the word "CUT." Out here, in birdieland, those guys just couldn't afford their horrendous 72s and 73s from earlier in the week.

Nice, Jon! I'm jealous. I bet your son will appreciate this some years later, looking at the pictures, when he's a huge Dodger fan and frequent Dodger Thoughts poster.

--

So if the Hudson to the Braves thing happened, don't the Dodgers still get a sandwich round compensation pick in addition to the third rounder? Or is that wrong?

10 Yes, they still get the sandwich pick.

Maury Wills was staring at a 2 - 1 vote deficit after Friday night but has pulled dead even with Brett Butler at 102 votes each. Davy Lopes my odds on favorite to take the spot is now a distant 3rd.

10
The signing of Hudson will lock in the Dodgers at pick #37. The Dodgers will either get #37 as the sandwich pick for Lowe, or if Manny signs elsewhere technically the #37 will be for Manny and then the Lowe sandwich pick will be anywhere from pick 41 to pick 45.

Weisman goes back, back, finds the warning track and pulls down the drive by Brian Giles as his shoulder nudges the 375 foot sign. Dodger Thoughts fans breath a sigh of relief that he escaped serious injury.

14
Your story had me until the Brian Giles part. No way Mr. Giles can pull on 374 feet anymore. :)

12 I voted for Wills since I too saw Billy Russell play all those years. But will Kent bat cleanup on that team?

16
If Junior Gilliam doesn't win the #2 spot, the only real choices for 2B are Kent at cleanup or Lefebvre at 5th or 6th.

Your giving away the endings to all our stories.
Besides a 66 Lefebvre is not the worse thing in the world.

OK, I thought this was amazing when it happened, when Micah Owings got a pinch-hit double in extra innings to beat the D-Backs. However, I didn't realize until right now that Owings never actually threw a pitch for the Reds. He only made 4 appearances as a pinch-hitter in September.

Awesome.

18
That was a tease! :)

I'm re-watching the NL plays of the year on MLB Network, and the #1 OF defensive play of the year was the Kapler into the stands catch on DT Day (when the fans refused to do their duty and claim the HR ball).

Oh well, at least it was followed by Manny highlights.

I want the sandwich pick, and am happy we got it, but am I REALLY thrilled? No, I'm not. Look at our record with REAL first round picks in the Logan White era, and then look at our record with sandwich round picks. Between 2002 and 2006, the real first rounders are James Loney, Chad Billingsley, Scott Elbert, Blake DeWitt, Clayton Kershaw, and Bryan Morris. The first five out of those six guys played for the Dodgers' big league team last year, and the sixth guy was instrumental in landing Manny Ramirez in a trade. That is a pretty damn impressive record with first rounders over a very short period of time. When you think about that, and also consider that Frank McCourt is probably acutely aware of that "return on investment" in first round picks, it makes a lot of sense that the Dodgers have made losing the #17 pick in 2009 a non-option. Now consider our sandwich round picks in the Logan White era: Greg Miller, Justin Orenduff, Luke Hochevar, Preston Mattingly, and James Adkins. That group downright depresses me. The only guy who has made the majors (Hochevar) we didn't even sign, and, frankly, he doesn't look that promising to me, while the other four I am skeptical of ever making the majors, period. All five of those players were taken in the #31 to #40 range. The contrast between what White and his scouts have done with picks between #7 and #28, and what they have done with picks between #31 and #40, is stark indeed. This is why I am not willing to give up our #17 pick this year, and were we to lose it, would not be consoled with the thought that we at least have a sandwich round pick.

22 - while the other four I am skeptical of ever making the majors, period.

Just the same, I am really pulling as hard as I can that Miller becomes a big success with the Dodgers.

Jon, Whatever memories your kids take from their Dodger Stadium experience will pale to your memory of providing that experience for them and your enjoyment of doing so. Win, Win.

Wonderful shots Jon.

Gary Sheffield is only 39?

Headlines that make you stand up and take notice.

"Study Finds Troubling Pattern of Southern California Quakes: The southern stretch of the San Andreas fault has had a major temblor about every 137 years, according to new research. The latest looks to be overdue."

Well, sit up and take notice, I suppose.

25 --Southern California Quakes, sounds like a sports team. So, is everybody storing survival food, etc.

I still remember my Mom taking me to my first game. Young Mr. Weisman will remember too.

On a different note, Torre's new book The Yankee Years appears to be in part a tell-all, with swipes at "A-Fraud," Cashman, and Steinbrenner. That must make his current players, GM, and owner look forward to The Dodger Years.

http://tinyurl.com/cb5fuf

Are we sure that's not Jerry Seinfeld in those photos...?

PS: Is King of the Hill ever coming back? It hasn't been on since late November.

25 Earthquake prediction is a tricky business. They're working with an extremely small sample size here -- four earthquakes that were fairly evenly spaced from 1310 until 1640, then one in 1857 and nothing since. Maybe something changed and so the old pattern will no longer hold. Who can tell? There are many complexities involved that we don't understand. The only thing you can do is be prepared -- have food, water, and other emergency supplies on hand, and a kit in your car. Make your home as safe as possible.

How many of us have a month's supply of food and water on hand, plus an alternative source of heat in case it happens during winter?

29 Hank's cancelled except for Adult Swim re-runs, I think.

31
I thought the show was canceled after this season...

28 That must make his current players, GM, and owner look forward to The Dodger Years.

I suppose that may depend on whether they treat him with respect at the end of his contract, or not. I'd advise against offering incentives, for starters. I doubt he'll even expect a renewal, anyway. If they offer him a "Special" title of some sort, a la Lasorda, I doubt he'd ever have anything to feel betrayed about, unlike the how he must feel about the Yankees.

BTW: Did Little Miss Weisman get to go on the field...?

Sort of jarringly out of place, but also sort of appropriate, I guess -- There's a pretty compelling, and also quite dark, profile of Wizards' reserve DeShawn Stevenson in the Post today:

It begins: "The boy was 12 when he was summoned toward the television in the living room, to the crime watch alert on the screen. 'You know how you always wondered what your father looks like?' his mother, Genice Popps, recalled telling him. 'Well, that's him. Right there.'"

http://tinyurl.com/cn82nk

34 - No, she was at a birthday party.

I remember getting my first baseball glove, but I assume that's because it didn't happen till I was eight. In retrospect, it was pretty awful--mostly plastic, just about impossible to squeeze tightly enough to hold a ball. The day I decided to rub oil in it to loosen it up (don't remember if that was Vin's advice, or something I got from a book) was memorable, too. How was I supposed to know that Neatsfoot oil was that much different from Canola?

My next glove was terrific. I've still got it.

37
Tell us the story of when you got your first pen.

That, I don't remember. Could well be that my father is disappointed at my having forgotten. I'd be surprised if the first one wasn't a Bic Round Stic, though.

My first bat was an Al Kaline wood model, first glove was a Willie Mays MacGregor model.

Nice post. My first visit to DS as a kid, Sandy's perfecto in 65. Not anticipating Rule 9, I broke it informing a late arriver of what was going on (Jeez, the guy didn't get there until the fifth!).

Jordan Schafer, one of the top prospects in the Atlanta Braves' system, has ended his silence about his controversial 50-game drug suspension last season, telling reporters that he never took HGH but saying his punishment was deserved.

Um, OK.

42
I'm sure you read the entire article. I thought this passage was notable as well:

Schafer did not test positive for HGH. Rather, he was suspended after Major League Baseball probed anecdotal evidence of HGH use by Schafer, two sources familiar with Schafer's case told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney last year

What could MLB have found after probing the anecdotal evidence to suspend Schafer other than a positive drug test? Seems weird.

In retrospect, I sure screwed up the opposing pitcher, though.

What could MLB have found after probing the anecdotal evidence to suspend Schafer other than a positive drug test?

Yes, that's weird. And if he didn't use anything bad, you'd think he'd say he didn't deserve to be punished.

44
Since the one hit in that game didn't produce the run anyway, it would have been awesome to just have a double no-no. Especially for your first game, although I'm sure the perfect game suited you just fine. :)

I know who can pull a ball to the 375 mark in right field.

Matt Stairs.

And you don't need any stinking MLB Network to remember that.

Bob doing a das imitation.

47
I'm sure Stairs' HR wasn't officially this far, but it seemed as if he could have reached the 475 mark.

There's an MLB Network? I'm too wrappped up in the Big Ten Network.

Minnesota is at Indiana!

I lived in Argentina once during a presidential campaign. A rather flamboyant candidate tried to contrast himself to his staid opponent by telling the voters to just imagine some Sunday in the future how boring it would be with no futbol in the off-season and this other guy as president.

Surprised it didn't work.

I guess a lot of folks are taking advantage of a football free Sunday.

Von Wafer an all-star. And he Van Gundy gets paid to say things like that.

I'm waiting Joe Torre to write a book about the Jeff Kent-James Loney rift.
http://tinyurl.com/d26oya

It would sell in the 100s.

Does the population of dodger thoughts even reach into a 100?

56
It would if all the Zappalas showed up.

There was talk that King of the Hill was going to ABC.

Incredible that Farmar is back.

I read that ABC said it wasn't going to pick up KOTH.

ABC is going to air a Mike Judge's show(the creator of King of the Hill.)

Farmar to Ariza. That was nice.

Is there something about the Lakers that make opposing teams' tall, otherwise mediocre white guys particularly capable of making outside shots?

63
Do you mean Matt Bonner, who is shooting 46.7% on threes this season and 40.7% career? Could it be that good shooters make shots?

I would not be very receptive to Joe Torre as my manager if I knew he was willing to dish out locker room details in his books.

Magic Johnson just said something funnier than he ever did during "The Magic Hour." During his halftime interview with Phil Jakcson, Magic said he respected how hard it is to be a coach.

I'm paraphrasing, but Magic said "I don't know which lasted longer, my TV show or my coaching career."

I can't believe Tim Lincecum has a shoe deal.

66 Well, to many, Magic's coaching career was a lot funnier than his talk show.

But I think his show lasted a few days longer.

- A commenter asked for third base coach Larry Bowa's comments in the Sirius XM interview on Russell Martin. Here you go: "Out of all of them, the guy that was probably - I'm not saying he was disappointing - but didn't have the kind of year we'd have hoped was Russell Martin. The other three guys (Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, James Loney) did a pretty good job, but we need Russell to play the way we know he's capable of playing."

http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/mlb/dodgers/

Martin was still good.

I find Loney to easily be the most disappointing.

69 Sounds fair to me. And the Dodgers did agree to give him a pretty nice bump in salary anyway.

The Lakers have easily avenged their loss this afternoon.

It's a little unseemly to ride a catcher like a rented mule, and then slap him in an interview for dropping off in the second half. But as long as he's getting paid significantly below market value, I guess it's fair.

Doesn't the level of disappointment have to do with expectations as well? I think the expectation for Martin was to be an All Star level (not in the sense of fan voting, but by the numbers) catcher. He didn't have as good a year as a lot of people expected, so in a sense, it was a disappointment. Kemp, Ethier, and Loney, however, had lower expectations, so less production isn't as disappointing as it could be.

That said, I agree with Shimmin.

I was disappointed with Loney more because, okay he did not hit for a lot of power again, but I thought he would at least have decent patience.

He had worse patience than Kemp.

I was impressed with Loney when he hit a grand slam in Wrigley Field that essentially knocked the Cubs out. Also, when he hit .438 in the NLCS.

Free agent Wolf weighing options

>> Wolf said in an interview with Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com that he is talking with the Dodgers, Mets and other clubs. The veteran pitcher added that the tough economic times impacted his negotiations in November with the Astros.

A few weeks ago, Rosenthal reported that Wolf in November declined a three-year, $28.5 million offer from the Astros. As it turns out, before the pitcher and his agent, Arn Tellem, could fully digest the deal, the Astros pulled the offer from the table. <<

## Wolf now may face signing a one-year deal worth less than the $9.5 million average the Astros initially proposed. ##

http://tinyurl.com/df5tl5

73 They seemed convinced that Martin needs some PVL intangible, maybe less night life, I don't know. My guess is that Ausmus is here to 'show him the right way' while Bowa plans go Bowa on him. Given this new Torre book, I'm thinking that Joe and his staff instead should learn some circumspection.

Economy stood between Wolf, Astros

>> "It's obvious why I don't bet horses. I haven't been too successful with my picks," Wolf said. "My goal is never to sign for the most money. It's always to find the right fit.

"I eventually hope to find it and pitch in October." <<

http://tinyurl.com/d2xvkm

Does anyone have the list of DT uniform numbers for 56 ?

80
Here they are:

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/860522.html

Angels farm system looks to overcome loss of major stars

>> They weren't interested in stealing Manny Ramirez from the Los Angeles Dodgers or even grabbing Adam Dunn. <<

http://tinyurl.com/dj8fo9

Speaking of uniforms, my soccer team got shiny new kits today, and I got my preferred #, 8, we got to get rid of our ugly purple jerseys, and everyone felt pretty confident with those on today.

Then we went out and promptly lost 5-1. Oh well. We looked cool, though.

--
Lakers looked good from what I saw of the game today.

I guess it balances out that management can ride Martin like a mule when they own him, and Wolf, when he is a free agent doesn't seem to take into account that he took millions from a club, and then couldn't pitch for them cause he was injured.

55 This cracked me up:

>>The Post, which purchased an advance copy in a New York bookstore last week, reported that Rodriguez "developed a 'Single White Female'-like obsession with Jeter and asked for a personal clubhouse assistant to run errands for him." <<

I never thought of A-Rod as Jennifer Jason Leigh for some reason.

A-Rod wishes he was as cool as Jennifer Jason-Leigh.

The only way he can do that is to be in a Faith No More video based on a Hitchcock film.

86
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ7wDjdf_Tk

Must see for Vertigo fans.

Piece of Advice: If you find yourself at DFW airport waiting for a connection, don't eat at Dickey's BBQ Pit.

So this Facebook thing is.........interesting. I blame YOU GUYS if this becomes another addiction.

89 - facebook probably costs me 2-3 billable hours per day. Or it keeps me sane. I'm not sure which.

87 Vertigo homage + Jennifer Jason Leigh + FNM = One of my all time favorite videos, fer sure.

83 hey! there is NOTHING wrong with purple kits!

http://tinyurl.com/ck798w

forza viola! (although its been a tough couple of weeks to be a fiorentina fan)

92 - Hrm, those are cooler than ours were though. Plus there's been another (!) purple team in the league for the past couple of seasons. Imposters! But it was time for a change. Plus we don't have all the advertising that Fiorentina gets.

Looks like Tony Jackson thinks we're going to sign Wolf.

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/

The NHL All-Star Game had its first penalty in it since 2000.

It came in overtime of a game presently tied at 11-11.

They don't hit much in the NHL All-Star Game.

MLB Network is doing a poll on center fielders. Our Matt Kemp is on on the poll.
http://mlb.mlb.com/network/

Prime 9 has shown you the Top 9 center fielders of all time. Which of these young center fielders (25-and-under) could wind up on that list some day?
Jacoby Ellsbury 47%
Matt Kemp 19%
Cameron Maybin 16%
Chris Young 12%
Felix Pie 6%

I could understand the support for Ellsbury if this poll had been taken a year ago but I'm a little surprised with the numbers today given what each player did in 2008.

Everybody's favorite player or whipping boy is getting his time on MLB Network.

The Dodgers have hired longtime major league coach Lee Elia as a special assistant to General Manager Ned Colletti, and the two go all the way back to the 1980s with the Cubs.

That brings the assistant GM/special assistant count back up to 10.

http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/mlb/dodgers/

98

well if anything it looks like Ned is democratic about his decision making...

Put this under the irony file.

The coach who coached the winning team in a girl basketball game that scored 100-0 was fired after he refused to apologize for the game.

100 What was he asked to apologize for? The score? Turning up?

98 Diamond's article that you quote from says the number of GM special assistants is seven. You must have read that.

100/101 - For having his team continue to shoot 3 point baskets very late in the game in an attempt to reach the 100 point mark against a team of girls who suffer from developmental disabilities. I think he should've apologized; the school did.

--

Btw, I'm probably just one of the "hundreds of people who use the internet" who thought Flight of the Conchords was priceless tonight, but I'll say it anyway: priceless. My sugar lumps hurt from laughing.

102 No, the special assistants are 7, the assistant GMs are 3. All together, they're 10 of them, all answering to Ned.

103 I'm not sure why its a fireable offense though. The coach may be an ass, but an firing seems to be too harsh.

Just got back from SF sketchfest with Stella tonight. Lots of comedians, including Eugene Mirman from FOTC. And it was awesome to get to walk by the members of the State, though I was too intimidated to say anything.

Janeane Garofalo was the surprise closer and she did a whole bit on True Blood and yes, Eric Stephen, talked about 24.

Also, it is too bad Greg Brock does not live in the Bay, because they had a Bud Cort tribute show as part of sketchfest. Where Bud came and talked about Harold and Maude and things.

107 My hunch is that Greg Brock is somewhere in the late 19th Century about now.

Or using other handles.

There is no Greg Brock. He was just a composite of several other commercial logos. Like Tipsy McStagger.

110
Wow, I can't even get a straight answer out of google on that reference.

It is either a band, a unit of measurement used in WWII, or something very dirty.

You win, Bob. You win.

98

Over under on when Elia questions Dodger fans' work ethic: 2 months

So we want the often-injured Randy Wolf, but not Ben Sheets?

This has to be a money issue, because it makes no sense otherwise.

109 No, he is really just very busy, I expect to see him at the upcoming UCLA games.

113 What about the other teams who are looking for pitching too?

Ben Sheets suffered a torn muscle in September and was ineffective after that plus he was left off the post-season roster.

He was offered arbitration but it was probably thought that he would turn it down (though now he will certainly make less than the $12M he made last year).

No team outside of the Rangers has expressed interest and they still not have made a formal offer yet.

Actually, all this smells like collusion but I think its a coincidence this time.

You can find Tipsy McStagger here:

http://www.snpp.com/episodes/8F08.html

113 -- It only makes no sense, I'd say, if you don't think the Dodgers care about keeping our first round draft pick this year. I believe the Dodgers do care about that, and I'm glad.

There has been crazy nocturnal support at TBLA the last two nights -- Saturday night for Brett Butler and last night for Maury Wills.

As of right now, the poll for greatest leadoff man in LA Dodger history is very close:

32.4% Butler (182 votes)
32.2% Wills (181 votes)

Voting runs through noon Pacific today, and then we will move on to the #2 hitter.

When I went over the MSTI for the Garland/Wolf/Looper post, one commentator said, "after all, we are rid of the Hindenburg, so all we are left with is Slap and Pinball to abuse."

Who is Pinball?

103
I didn't like episode #2 of Flight of the Conchords as much as #1. Although I didn't like episode #1 on first viewing either, and when I watched it again it grew on me.

The sugar lumps song was pretty funny, but so far this season I think all the songs have been duds, at least relative to season 1.

Pinball is Jason Repko (if I'm not mistaken, he got the nickname for crashing into Furcal among others)

I think the first two eps of Flight of the Conchords have been brilliant. "Sugar Lumps" was a high point, but the stuff in between the songs has made me laugh harder than anything since the peak seasons of The Office. Murray has replaced Dwight Schrute as my favorite character on TV.

Murray: You got two stars.
Jemaine: Out of five?
Murray: Out of a hundred.

I definitely think FOC episodes get better on multiple viewings, too.

Flight of the Conchords is one of the few shows my wife and I both enjoy. In fact, I'd say that it is one of the few pieces of popular culture that we both enjoy.

Darren Aronofsky is on Fresh Air this morning, btw, if anyone's interested.

--

123 I agree completely.
And I thought ep. 2.2 was funnier to me right off the bat, more so than ep 2.1.

Uh oh. I think I just went from thinking Joe Torre was a decent guy and an okay manager to losing all respect for him. To me, it is rule #1 that as a manager, you never publicly rip your players-- even your ex-players. If you're Martin or Kemp or whoever, would you trust that the things you do and say with him won't be in his next book? Did he need the money? I don't think players writing a book is nearly as low. A manager is like Dad, he's your boss, your leader. Not the guy who tells the backroom stories for a payday he doesn't need.

125 - On first viewing, #3 was the funniest of the first three.

Verducci on the book:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/01/25/verducci.qa/index.html

126 according to an interview on Dan Patrick this morning, Torre is not the writer, and much of what is being said about what is in the book and what he did or didn't say is not entirely correct

"I think it's important to understand context here. The book is not a first-person book by Joe Torre, it's a third-person narrative based on 12 years of knowing the Yankees and it's about the changes in the game in that period. Seems to me the New York Post assigned this third-person book entirely to Joe Torre and that's not the case. In fact, if people saw that Post story they probably noticed there are no quotes from Joe Torre in it. Joe Torre does not rip anybody in the book. The book really needs to be read in context."

Thanks for the link, Jon. Yet another reason why I need to remind myself to not take every report as the truth. I get upset at my parents for buying into every forwarded email sent there way, so I should hold myself to the same standards with news reports.

Yeah, I have to say, Torre's comments have bothered me much less than the way the news has been portraying it, taking it out of context and making it sound like a tell-all book by Torre. That's bogus.

NPUT

Hey Jon,

I was there as well on Saturday night. Figured you were there too. Kept my eyes peeled for you and other people from our class, but didn't see anyone besides David Sunkin who I didn't have a chance to talk to. Then again, not sure I talked to him in six years at Harvard. Great night though. Took the quick tour thru the dugout and behind the scenes, which was cool. I couldn't believe how dumpy the locker room looked for a professional sports team. Also, the tee and mirror where only right-handed batters could watch themselves warm up. Not so good for lefties, although apparently wasn't a problem for Mr. Gibson back in '88. Highlight of the night was throwing a ball off the mound (although bounced it half way to home plate, which was a bit tragic after laughing at everyone ahead of me in line who did the same thing).

Keep up the good work. Other than emails or messages from my boss, your page is the first thing I read every morning when I get to work.

Best, Ted Weitzman