Hey considering all the injuries we've had so far, I think we have hung in there pretty good. If we can get healthy, the division is ours.

Go Dodgers!

The Padres hitters were red hot in May. And they're not in June. Like most things in baseball, the real performance is somewhere in between.

While I wasn't necessarily sad to see Beltre go and Drew arrive, I was skeptical that the Dodger offense was at best would be comperable to last years' team.

This may have been mentioned already but in case it hasn't but this year they're ranked 7th in OPS @ 771 compared to 19th @ 755 last year.

Can't wait 'till the SD series.

That'd be a perfect fit for the Dodgers.

Well, could be that Phil Jackson, unlike Doug Collins, is not an idiot.

"Who is better than him?" Tracy said. "He's the best shortstop in the game. He does all the routine stuff, and all the remarkable stuff. He has a sixth sense about him. He's developed as a hitter to the point where he has become a force offensively on either side of the plate."

Does this mean that Izturis is now better than Miguel Tejada?

Give me 8 selfish baseball players with a .950 OPS and I think they will still win more games than anybody else.

Jim Tracy doesn't need to keep Jason Grabowski happy by making sure that the ball gets hit to him a lot.

I hope the Padres and Dodgers get hot during this roadtrip and create havok amoung the AL Central so that the homestand takes on a big tent event atmospere.

Depo = aggregate = he lost 9/10 of his readers.

I couldn't get on DT yesterday so wanted to answer your question # 36 from then.

I thought I was on camera the whole time but found out that I was about three or four seats off. That might be for the best because that orange is bright. I'll be sitting in dugout club again in August. Got the seats because a buddy of mine is a huge twins fan and he purchased them.

The lounge/bar downstairs is great. excellent service and a ton of dodger memorabilia (world series trophies, photo's, old equipment)

The chance to see Gagne that close (could see the threads on the ball) and Choi hitting three Hr's was a thrill. I recommend it, especially if you have an appetite to take advantage of the "free" food.

By the way, Brad Penny is purportedly dating Alyissa Milano. I'm an eyeball witness and confirmed by a bartender there. No wonder he changed his mind about wanting to stay in LA.

Do I think the D-Backs will win the division? No. Do I think they're going to make the Dodgers and Padres sweat it before they do? Yes.

Penny: "Hmmm $30 Million and I can stay with Alyissa Milano. where do I sign, Paul?"

By the way I spoke to about 20 people in the dugout club and not one of them were season ticket holders.

It was all "A partner in my firm has tickets and couldn't use them etc."

Except on guy said he got his seats from Mary Hart. WTF?

He just doesn't seem the type. The first two guys would be considered a lot better looking than Penny I would think.

Somehow a pairing between a pudgy guy from Oklahoma and a longtime Hollywood actress seems doomed.

And then of course there is Ms. Milano's connection to Tony Danza, which makes everything tainted.

Re: Phil Jackson

The coach/manager of a team makes little difference. It's all about the players. No team can be built around a guard unless his name is Jordan. We need a big man at center and we don't have it. Lakers won't make the playoffs next year.

Is there something about Jimmy Rollins that I am unaware of?

Maybe they became friends when she dated Pavano in Fla.
That's a somewhat common occurrence. date your buddy's ex-girlfriend. They could just be good friends but then Penny is an idiot if that's the case.

Perhaps Penny and Milano will end up like the singer from the Cars, Ric Ocasek and the supermodel Paulina Porizkova.

(Is getter a word?)

One who gets.

1. a. One who gets or obtains; esp. one who acquires wealth.

c1440 Promp. Parv. 192/1 Getare of goodys, adquisitor. c1510 BARCLAY Mirr. Gd. Manners (1570) Giv, Vile lucre..causeth the getter oft time his purpose ban. 1548 HALL Chron., Hen. V, 81 Experience teacheth that there is no lesse praise to be geuen to the keper then to the getter. 1596 BELL Surv. Popery I. II. iv. 84 After great getters come great spenders. 1667 J. CORBET Disc. Relig. Eng. 25 They are not the Great Wasters, but mostly in the number of Getters. 1707 ROWE Pythagoras' Gold. Vers. 44 Revolve the Getter's Joy and Loser's Pain, And think if it be worth thy while to gain. 1853 TRENCH Proverbs 141 Unrighteous gains are sure to disappoint the getter. 1880 L. WALLACE Ben-Hur 238 He will have need of getters and keepers.

b. One of a class of coal-miners. (Cf. also coal-getter, stone-getter.)

1839 URE Dict. Arts 979 (Pitcoal) The set who succeed the holers are called getters. 1871 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Eng. I. 305 Beginning at the far end of his work the getter knocks out or loosens the sprags that had protected the holers, retreating as he operates. 1883 Manch. Exam. 27 Nov. 5/5 The drawers at the Whinney Hill Pit..struck work for an advance of wages, and, as the getters can do nothing without the drawers, the mine is stopped.

c. A substance used to remove residual gas from an evacuated enclosure by chemical or other action. Also attrib. and Comb.

1922 Proc. Inst. Radio Engin. X. 469 By 'getter' we mean the substances such as phosphorus, arsenic, sulphur and so on. These substances, when applied to metals and volatilized by heating them, trap the gases. 1943 J. YARWOOD High Vacuum Technique iv. 38 These 'getters' during volatilization combine with the residual gases in the vessel and they are fixed as chemical compounds deposited on the walls of the tube. 1944 Light Metals Jan. 34/1 Getters are used in all radio valves..and in cathode-ray-oscillograph bulbs. 1959 New Scientist 26 Mar. 708//3 In other types of getter-ion pumps, the getter film is produced by sputteringthat is, by knocking atoms out of the bulk getter metal by bombarding it with the ions of the residual gas.

2. One who begets; a procreator, begetter (obs. exc. of horses); in 14th c. Sc., a parent.

c1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Machor 116 It is mast sorow of ane barne to be fra e gettare sa tane. Ibid., Baptista 643 & e lofinge of his getteris Ine to fyfe thinge wele aperis. 1607 SHAKES. Cor. IV. v. 240 Peace is..a getter of more bastard Children, then warres a destroyer of men. 1632 SHERWOOD, A getter or begetter, engendreur. 1798 in Spirit Publ. Jrnls. (1799) II. 298 It is well known the getter of him [a charger] was engaged in almost every review during the last war.

3. In comb. with advs., as getter-on, getter-up; also getter to bed; getter-in (Agric.), ? a machine for reaping and binding.

1820 W. IRVING Sketch Bk. (1859) 54, I recognized in him a diligent getter-up of miscellaneous works. 1834 New Monthly Mag. XLII. 330 A getter-up of fights, a second of the fighters. 1837 Ibid. LI. 186 Sunshine for me..and gas-shine for late getters to bed. 1849 MARRYAT Valerie viii, Your aunt..has resided there..as a clear-starcher and getter-up of lace. 1866 Athenæum No. 2025. 208/1 A getter-on, born in the Glasgow gutter. 1873 H. SPENCER Stud. Sociol. xv. (1877) 363 Getters-up of bubble-companies. 1884 W. Sussex Gaz. 25 Sept., An American getter in.

One who gets.

1. a. One who gets or obtains; esp. one who acquires wealth.

c1440 Promp. Parv. 192/1 Getare of goodys, adquisitor. c1510 BARCLAY Mirr. Gd. Manners (1570) Giv, Vile lucre..causeth the getter oft time his purpose ban. 1548 HALL Chron., Hen. V, 81 Experience teacheth that there is no lesse praise to be geuen to the keper then to the getter. 1596 BELL Surv. Popery I. II. iv. 84 After great getters come great spenders. 1667 J. CORBET Disc. Relig. Eng. 25 They are not the Great Wasters, but mostly in the number of Getters. 1707 ROWE Pythagoras' Gold. Vers. 44 Revolve the Getter's Joy and Loser's Pain, And think if it be worth thy while to gain. 1853 TRENCH Proverbs 141 Unrighteous gains are sure to disappoint the getter. 1880 L. WALLACE Ben-Hur 238 He will have need of getters and keepers.

b. One of a class of coal-miners. (Cf. also coal-getter, stone-getter.)

1839 URE Dict. Arts 979 (Pitcoal) The set who succeed the holers are called getters. 1871 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Eng. I. 305 Beginning at the far end of his work the getter knocks out or loosens the sprags that had protected the holers, retreating as he operates. 1883 Manch. Exam. 27 Nov. 5/5 The drawers at the Whinney Hill Pit..struck work for an advance of wages, and, as the getters can do nothing without the drawers, the mine is stopped.

c. A substance used to remove residual gas from an evacuated enclosure by chemical or other action. Also attrib. and Comb.

1922 Proc. Inst. Radio Engin. X. 469 By 'getter' we mean the substances such as phosphorus, arsenic, sulphur and so on. These substances, when applied to metals and volatilized by heating them, trap the gases. 1943 J. YARWOOD High Vacuum Technique iv. 38 These 'getters' during volatilization combine with the residual gases in the vessel and they are fixed as chemical compounds deposited on the walls of the tube. 1944 Light Metals Jan. 34/1 Getters are used in all radio valves..and in cathode-ray-oscillograph bulbs. 1959 New Scientist 26 Mar. 708//3 In other types of getter-ion pumps, the getter film is produced by sputteringthat is, by knocking atoms out of the bulk getter metal by bombarding it with the ions of the residual gas.

2. One who begets; a procreator, begetter (obs. exc. of horses); in 14th c. Sc., a parent.

c1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Machor 116 It is mast sorow of ane barne to be fra e gettare sa tane. Ibid., Baptista 643 & e lofinge of his getteris Ine to fyfe thinge wele aperis. 1607 SHAKES. Cor. IV. v. 240 Peace is..a getter of more bastard Children, then warres a destroyer of men. 1632 SHERWOOD, A getter or begetter, engendreur. 1798 in Spirit Publ. Jrnls. (1799) II. 298 It is well known the getter of him [a charger] was engaged in almost every review during the last war.

3. In comb. with advs., as getter-on, getter-up; also getter to bed; getter-in (Agric.), ? a machine for reaping and binding.

1820 W. IRVING Sketch Bk. (1859) 54, I recognized in him a diligent getter-up of miscellaneous works. 1834 New Monthly Mag. XLII. 330 A getter-up of fights, a second of the fighters. 1837 Ibid. LI. 186 Sunshine for me..and gas-shine for late getters to bed. 1849 MARRYAT Valerie viii, Your aunt..has resided there..as a clear-starcher and getter-up of lace. 1866 Athenæum No. 2025. 208/1 A getter-on, born in the Glasgow gutter. 1873 H. SPENCER Stud. Sociol. xv. (1877) 363 Getters-up of bubble-companies. 1884 W. Sussex Gaz. 25 Sept., An American getter in.

Thanks, Bob.

You're still cool in my eyes.

I vote for the Padres tanking and the Dodgers getting hot...

First off, the Lakers would've made it had they had Rudy T all year. Second, I'll send you my bank account's routing number if they DON'T make the playoffs in 2006. (Of course, if the "inevitable" lockout allowes for a playoff)

But at least I'm finally sure that the Giants are out of it. Their record and injury status make it almost certain that they can't get back in it even if Bonds plays like gangbusters for the last two months of the season. Their front office seems resigned to rebuilding.

2005 is going to test the amiability of Kuiper and Krukow.

http://tinyurl.com/domer

The feeling I got from the front office statements was that they were going to make moves for this year. But the point brought up in #48 would make a focus on next year make more sense.

It's not an enviable position to be in.

#47 - Dodgers and Padres seem to close to call. Loretta appears to be their only key injury. Dodgers need Milton back, quickly. Seems like its going to boil down to who can make that impact move in the next 6 weeks.

#50 - Giants seem to be all over the place. That Hawkins move was atrocious. Now they're talking about not picking Jason Schmidt's option up for next year. You would assume they would move him this year then (not to SD please). And if I were SF, I'd do everything in my power to get Anaheim to give me Ervin Santana and Casey Kotchman for Barry Bonds.

#28 - Lakers will be more competitive if they trade Odom and/or Butler for some more complementary stars/role players.

Phew, I'm caught up. Thanks for listening.

http://tinyurl.com/8tt5t

I calculated the average team rank for each division, as a way to rate division quality. Here are the results:

1) NL East - 11.2
2) AL Central - 13.2
3) NL Central - 14.8
4) AL West - 15.8
5) AL East - 16.2
6) NL West - 22.0

Tthe difference between the top division and the 5th division (5.0) is less than the difference between the 5th and 6th (5.8). Go NL West!

I've been having an internal debate as to who was the most "irreplaceable" position player on the team for a while. I go back and forth between Izturis and Kent. If either of them goes down, Perez would likely shift over to fill in. If Perez is playing SS, you're probably not losing much offense, but you're losing a ton of defense. If Perez is playing 2B, you're losing a ton of offense, but probably not much defense. My current viewpoint is that losing the offense, and thus Kent, would be more damaging, especially considering Izturis' recent slump. Hopefully, we don't have to consider either scenario.

Brad Penny
Wilson Alvarez
Antonio Perez
Jayson Werth
Eric Gagné
Jason Grabowski
Elmer Dessens

and were only 2.5 out!

All you needed was access to the Dugout Club, I guess.