I think if Biggio wasn't wearing the body armor, he would've been in pain and the ump would've given him first base. Then again, if Biggio wasn't wearing the armor, he would've gotten out of the way.

Biggio is a terrific player, one of my favorites. The ump made the right call.

It would be the same as if Brad Havens tried to make himself spokesman for the '88 team.

Speaking of Scully, I was surprised to hear him say that Clemens threw a fastball and slider. He didn't mention his splitter, which is really his "out" pitch. The limited camera angles didn't do Roger's splitter justice. It's as good a pitch as any in the majors.

I also thought Vin should have treated Koufax the same as the others in the pre-game introductions. I don't think it was appropriate to short change Sandy at that point in time. By doing so, I think he embarrassed Koufax more than if he listed his accomplishments.

While I'm on my mini-rant, I also thought Scully interrupted Koufax a couple times when Sandy was (slowly in a Koufax way) telling stores about 1955 on the pre-game show on KFWB 980. We don't get a chance to hear Koufax very often so I was really looking forward to listening to Sandy talk, but I felt as if he got cut off by Vinny--which seemed out of character for Scully.

Oh well, despite these nitpicks, Scully is still the best announcer ever. Always has been and always will. Thanks, Vin. And thanks, Sandy.

Go Dodgers!

Don't know if this was already linked, but the Post ran a lengthy look at the great bunt debate today, complete with Bill James comments (given to the author by email) and the classic Frank Robinson "I don't know from numbers" quote (apparently this quote is compulsory for any baseball strategy story penned in DC).

Not much new to the talmudic bunting scholars here, but interesting nonetheless, and a pretty good piece for a regular old paper in my opinion.

http://tinyurl.com/b6zym

I will defer answering the Dodgers-Cubs throwback game starter since I know.

I don't think Lasorda was making himself the spokesman for the '55 Dodgers. At the press conference, it was Podres who spoke the most and Podres was rightly asked to throw out the first pitch. I think Lasorda, along with Koufax, were just happy to be invited.

As for Tommy, how would the Dodgers have possibly kept him away, since he's been using that old story about being cut for bonus baby Koufax as part of his standard schtick for your years.

The Dodgers traded Joe Black to the Reds to get him.

I wonder if Murray Chass was at the game.

To the Sports Editor:

Murray Chass's article on the Los Angeles Dodgers organization's celebration of the 1955 World Series ("You Can't Steal History: The 1955 Title Belongs to Brooklyn," Aug. 23) took a typical New York news media approach to California: condescending in tone, envious at heart. Take your best shot. We don't care. We're Los Angeles. We've got the weather.James Harris

Culver City, Calif.

Not as good as mine, but I think I'm biased.

Quick comment before I take the kid to the park...

Choi benched again today against Clemens; he pinch-hits and makes the difference in the game.

Let us make the very best argument against playing Hee-Seop Choi.

1. He's streaky. Choi has been in some horrific slumps where he has looked like he's never touched a bat before.

2. He lacks saavy. Tracy apparently believes this. Certainly a ballplayer needs to know what he's doing out there. There are things a ballplayer does that aren't measured in stats that managers, coaches, and the players themselves give an awful lot of weight to.

3. Choi is too nice. Don't laugh; people put stock in this, too.

4. Choi, in the way he plays, acts and moves, looks less like a stereotypical ballplayer than perhaps any other Dodger. This goes double for the way he swings the bat.

5. We must not dismiss the idea that Choi is sitting for reasons that aren't being reported or spoken about. There are things that happen with every team that we will never, ever know and there is perhaps good reason for that.

6. Choi is more effective as a part-time player. He helps the team more as a pinch-hitter/spot-starter.

How do these reasons look to all of you? Nothing quantifiable, nothing that can be measured... but I bet dollars to doughnuts that one of these is the reason he's not playing.

14 your sixth reason actually could be quantified. I'm too lazy to look it up right now, but I would be willing to bet that the claim could, with minimum research, be proven false, i.e., Choi would actually help the team more as a full-time starter

Loved today's game. My two current favorite Dodgers win the game. I know Robles doesn't get a lot of love here but I love the way he plays the game and it is probably just the silly fan in me but he also seems to be quite "clutch".

Podres was the man in 55. I wasn't even born for 3 years but as I learned my Dodger history 40 years ago it gave me chills to learn how the 55 team finally won the series against the Yankee's after so many defeats. As I read the biographies of the great Brooklyn players that was the one common thread the heartache of the loses and sweet sweet smell of 55.

I felt I lived it live when the Lakers beat the Celtics after so many tries. Thank you Magic and company. Not even much of a fan anymore but that was special moment at the time.

That doesn't really narrow down the available group of pitchers does it?

Giles has a bruised knee according to the Padres, but he's getting an MRI. They fear it's a recurrance of a strained ligament in his knee that he had early in 2003. He says it doesn't hurt as bad as then and hopes it's day to day

Tomorrow will probably be the Dodgers best chance of moving into second place. The DBacks are pretty much guaranteed a loss tomorrow.

When are the Dodgers going to catch up to the DBacks in games played? The Dodgers have two games in hand.

I'm getting ready for hockey season.

San Diego will be at Milwaukee and will host Washington
Arizona will be at Pittsburgh and will host Milwaukee
The Dodgers will be at Chicago and will host Pittsburgh
San Francisco will be at Washington and will host Chicago

The Rockies have two interdivisional road series at Atlanta and New York.

I think Mets fans will find their playoff hopes dashed by the surprisingly good Rockies. I think the Rockies problem now is that they can't hit. The pitchers actually look somewhat respectable, especially the bullpen.

"Obviously, you put on the Brooklyn uniform and Don Newcombe's number is on your back you better go out there and put on a performance," said Weaver, who wears No. 36, the same number Newcombe sported from 1949-51 and 1954-58.

Left-handed pitcher Odalis Perez, sidelined with a strained muscle in his right ribcage, is not sure if he will pitch again for the Dodgers this season.

"I don't know," said Perez, who was placed on the disabled list Aug. 22, retroactive to Aug. 18. "It feels better but sometimes there's a shooting pain in there."

Can we have a 3 game win streak? 4 games? Tomorrow we get Jerome Williams and his offense/defense which includes Neifi at SS and Nomah and his already shaky defense at 3B. Lee could be a real problem for Houlton, who deserves to win at some point this month

DBacks have men on the corners, 1 out, Glaus up

Weird. I had heard that Bochy is even contemplating a six man rotation.

Character time!

Bynum is a project who probably won't see much playing time this year.

http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08260CHN2000.htm

One of four career starts Herges has made in about 400 appearances.

Some things I found interesting:

"Have I made mistakes? No question," says DePodesta, though he does not consider Bradley one of them. "Looking back, trading Dave Roberts [to Boston] was a mistake. But there are reasons for a lot of things we have done, which include trying to clear the way for our young players to get to Los Angeles. The Dodger history is to be built through the farm system."

...DePodesta chose Valentin over Joe Randa, based on Valentin's well-earned clubhouse reputation, his versatility and the ability to get Antonio Perez more at-bats.

"What we tried to do is bring in players who had postseason experience," says DePodesta, who started the 2004 season without a player on the roster with a postseason at-bat.

I think Herges married someone in Todd Hollandsworth's family or vice versa. Vin loved to talk about that too.

Good job, though, Bob...instead of going for the temporary starter who is now a RP connection (on the right track), I went for the pitcher who is now on the DL. Silly me :)

"""""trading dave roberts was a mistake"""""
i really really hope he's joking, cause in my opinion trading dave friggin roberts was a blessing.
but you could look at this as a slap at izturis and tracy, roberts was a better leadoff hitter than izturis.
the more i think about it the more i believe mccourt wants tracy around and depodesta is chomping at the bit to get rid of tracy but cant because of mccourt.

i find it interesting in this article that depodesta tried to get brad radke, i'm glad to hear it cause radke was my number 1 choice of free agent starting pitchers last offseason.

I wonder how long the Jayson Werth leadoff experiment will last.

and the werth experiment according to tracy is because werth can run fast and robles is a contact hitter, meaning for some hit and runs, i may be wrong but i dont remember any hit and run plays between werth and robles yesterday, oh yea its cause werth never got on base, that's right tracy you have to get on base first before you can do a hit and run play.

that's not a slap at werth cause i like werth, but not at the top of the order.

also 2006 i hope bradley stays and depo picks up giles for an outfield of giles,bradley,drew, meaning werth and ledee become backups.

I think the "mistakes" that Depo is admitting doesn't have anything to do with roster selection of character. I think Depo regrets not being more adamant about playing time. Looking back on the season, I would assume he has a lot of regrets about the way he handled Choi, APerez, Izturis, Phillips, etc.

Well, that and the fact that Werth has stolen a handful of bases in the second half. Must be a leadoff hitter...

Werth hitting leadoff is more funny than anything.

Arizona's odds: 3.0%

San Francisco's odds: 0.9%

San Diego's odds: 92.7%

Hey, they add up to 100%!

BP has the Rockies at .00397% That's the worst "chance" anybody who still has one. The Tigers at .004721%

Dodgers miss Zambrano in this swing through Chicago.

I'm nothing if not a slave to my irrational hatreds.

"Tommy Lasorda, a special advisor to McCourt, is bad-mouthing DePodesta, according to rival scouts and executives. And manager Jim Tracy, who was believed to be in trouble, appears to be rising in stature."

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/4817678

I'm shocked! Shocked!

"Your winnings, Captain Renault."

Hence, why you should root for Arizona ...

San Diego -33
Arizona -151
Los Angeles -63
San Francisco -88
Colorado -144

The only team with a winning record running a deficit is Washington at -18 and the Washington GM, Jim Bowden, has labeled his team "pathetic".

The only team with a losing record that is in the black is Texas at +2.

Toronto which is .500 has outscored its opponents by 54.

1. get back to .500, regardless of anyone else's record (this doesn't seem to apply in this division)
2. root against the team in front of you. you can't catch the leader from 3rd place.

Like Bill Plaschke, I'm sure Lasorda views himself as a protector of the Blue - which would make an enemy anyone who doesn't share his vision, whether that enemy is inside the organization or outside.

That being said, Rosenthal's is an unsourced report, so it could be someone else's agenda in spreading it. The possibility should be noted, anyway.

Make sure there are no children around.

That would take some doing now although it's still mathematically possible.

Would McCourt really let Lasorda determine the direction of the franchise?

I've been badmouthing Jason Repko all season, and he has yet to pay off.

The car ran a red light. Tommy only stops for blue, apparently.

That will be the day I follow Steve to the Land of Green and Gold. I'm just a BART trip away from there now.

Good thing your friend didn't have a really unusual name, like Yreka. Yreka is a long drige.

My parents both work at Kaiser Hospital in Martinez.

Oh, and in "old friend" news, Beltre bruised his knee and left the game yesterday, and Green's GS last night was his 28th of the season, the day after another daughter was born.

I now return you to your regular programming.

I think Pinole is nicer than Martinez. Richmond is a good place for besmirching.

Prices have never been cheaper. The Aruban tourist people have dropped prices. Go to expedia, travelocity, or cheap tickets and book a vacation to Aruba, you wont be dissapointed, especially with the bargain basement prices.