The Dodgers aren't out of it yet.

The quotes in the story from other players back it up. Newcombe seems to be the only player saying that Robinson should have played anyway.

But wasn't it more courageous for Alston to sit down a hobbled star in order in a big game so his team would be better off?

It wasn't as if Spooner had no experience.

The Dodgers had two sacrifices in that game.

One by Duke Snider and one by Roy Campanella. They were actually back-to-back and Snider reached on an error. Brooklyn did get its second run as a result of the sacrifices.

http://myturl.com/001Pg

He played every inning of the 1956 World Series.

From Steve Henson in the LA Times, June 24, 2005:

Playing the Angles, Tracy Benches Choi

With three rookies and several players at unfamiliar positions, the Dodger lineup had an odd look. But even stranger was the absence of Hee-Seop Choi, whose 13 home runs rank second on the team, and Antonio Perez, whose .340 batting average ranks first.

Both players have made baserunning mistakes or failed to execute fundamentals in recent games, but Manager Jim Tracy said that neither was in his doghouse. Choi normally plays against right-handers, but he was 0 for 5 against Padre starter Brian Lawrence.

"I've got a good idea why Hee-Seop hasn't had success against him," Tracy said. "It's the repertoire of pitches he throws and his arm angles."

Lawrence throws from a low three-quarter arm slot and doesn't have great velocity or a sharp-breaking curve. His best pitches are a changeup and a sinking fastball.

With three rookies and several players at unfamiliar positions, the Dodger lineup had an odd look. But even stranger was the absence of Hee-Seop Choi, whose 13 home runs rank second on the team, and Antonio Perez, whose .340 batting average ranks first.

Both players have made baserunning mistakes or failed to execute fundamentals in recent games, but Manager Jim Tracy said that neither was in his doghouse. Choi normally plays against right-handers, but he was 0 for 5 against Padre starter Brian Lawrence.

"I've got a good idea why Hee-Seop hasn't had success against him," Tracy said. "It's the repertoire of pitches he throws and his arm angles."

Lawrence throws from a low three-quarter arm slot and doesn't have great velocity or a sharp-breaking curve. His best pitches are a changeup and a sinking fastball.

Tracy used Choi rather than the right-handed hitting Perez as a pinch-hitter against left-handed reliever Chris Hammond with one out in the ninth. Choi struck out.

"I had to keep Perez available in case we got an infielder hurt later in the game," Tracy said. "We wouldn't have had anybody to go to."

Well I'm useless here.... :-)

didn't he sit choi against williams too?

Hee-Sits Choi.

He's 6 for 27 against San Diego this year.

from an article at yahoo sports
http://tinyurl.com/a996o

Is there a better time to sell! Maybe we could sell both Tracy and Mccourt!

MSM loves team chemistry. But I'm still not convinced that good team chemistry would've helped this Dodger team.

When the Dodgers signed Depo, I felt the same way as when my beloved Niners signed Mariucci, way back when (and to some degree, I feel the same way with Mike Nolan).

Hiring young, energetic, and smart people who have a reason to succeed is always a good move for a franchise.

By Count OPS
Count 0-0 .903
Count 0-1 .806
Count 0-2 .586
Count 1-0 1.040
Count 1-1 1.136
Count 1-2 0.566
Count 2-0 .818
Count 2-1 .941
Count 2-2 1.420
Count 3-0 1.651
Count 3-1 1.306
Count 3-2 1.116
After 0-1 .761
After 0-2 .651
After 1-0 1.002
After 1-1 .816
After 1-2 .649
After 2-0 1.189
After 2-1 .842
After 2-2 .684
After 3-0 1.921
After 3-1 1.381
After 3-2 1.116

So he's good when he swings at the first pitch. He's very bad if he ever gets behind in the count, and very good if he gets ahead in the count. Also very good at 2-2 and 1-1.

So the question of whether or not Kent should swing at the first pitch basically comes down to this: if it's a strike, he should swing. If not, he shouldn't. Pretty simple. But for me the key is that he's bad if he starts 0-1.

For the second time since McCourt took over, I am somewhat worried about the franchise. At first, I was afraid he'd demolish the Stadium and develop the land, though that fear has been assuaged. Now, I've begun to worry that he has become knee-jerk image-conscious and will make silly decisions for the sake of PR with Sitrick & Co. whispering in his ear. The last thing I want is an overly sensitive owner that wants to be perceived well as opposed to running a great, competitive team and letting the local newspaper/talk radio run the show.

Not unlike the same problems that killed the Mets.

Charts like that can be deceptive because every batter is going to look really bad with two strikes. That's because you can't strike out with one or no strikes on you. So that removes a good chunk of your chances to be out.

You have to filter the strikeouts out of the 0-2, 1-2, 2-2, and 3-2 counts to get an accurate picture.

Assuming he's swinging at an increased number of 1st pitches (for the sake of argument) - if that's the case, it's likely that the .900 OPS on first-pitch swings will drop very quickly since it is likely that not all of them will be easily handle-able pitches.

It's like Scott Hatteberg was quoted in Moneyball - people said he should swing at more 1st pitches because he hit, like, .390 in those circumstances. In reality, he only swung at the first pitch when it was exactly what he was looking for. If he swung at a great number of first pitches, the result would not be duplicated.

Granted some of those 0-1 counts are the result of foul balls, but when the at-bat ENDS after 1 pitch, it's a pretty good thing, on average. It's also worth pointing out that he's hit twice as many HRs on the first pitch (6) than on any other count. I think we should trust his judgment, until he falls behind.

"Jeff Kent is an RBI machine. It's amazing the way he plays," said Los Angeles closer Eric Gagne, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save in as many chances.

0-1 counts can also be the result of swinging and misses, not just foul balls or taking strikes.

http://tinyurl.com/axrsp

If DePo left instead of Tracy, I would still follow the Dodgers. I'll even root for a team of Repkos if needed

http://tinyurl.com/dvlur

If you combine those, Kent's below his seasonal averages.

I think we're on the same page, GoBears. My point was poorly articulated. What I was trying to say is in regard to a commentor complainging about Kent's apparently increasing number first-pitch swings (I have no idea whether he is first-pitch swinging any more frequently than he has in the past).

If Kent IS swinging at the first pitch more often than he did while posting a .900 OPS, it's likely that he's swinging at more bad pitches than getting more good pitches to hit. If this is the case, I would expect his performance on first-pitch swings to suffer going forward.

He could be a lot better at dodging pitches thrown at his wrist, if that's what you're asking.

August 29, 1922

Not wasting much time, Brooklyn and Pittsburgh took just 2 hours and 31 minutes to play two full games in a doubleheader at Forbes Field. In the end, the teams split the twinbill with the Dodgers winning the opener 3-2 and the Pirates winning the second 6-0. Brooklyn was out of the race at 59-63 and in sixth place, 16 games behind the first place Giants.

In the opener, Bernie Neis hit his only home run of the season with Tommy Griffith aboard to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Griffith drove in Brooklyn's other run on a sacrifice fly. Brooklyn starter Dutch Ruether held on for the win despite giving up a home run to Pittsburgh second baseman Cotton Tierney.

In the second game, Pittsburgh control artist Babe Adams faced Brooklyn's Leon Cadore. Pittsburgh scored twice in the first inning on an RBI triple from Max Carey and a squeeze bunt single by Carson Bigbee. Pie Traynor tripled home two runs in a 3-run third for Pittsburgh and Rabbit Maranville singled home Pittsburgh's final run. Adams gave up six hits and walked none. Adams walked just 15 batters in 171 IP that season.

Pittsburgh was managed by Bill McKechnie, who was in his first year with Pittsburgh, taking over for George Gibson on July 1. McKechnie would manage four NL pennant winners and win two World Series champs, one with the Pirates in 1925 and another with the Reds in 1940. McKechnie would eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

1922 was not Brooklyn's year. Two years after winning the National League pennant, Brooklyn slumped to 76-78 and sixth place, 17 games behind the Giants. Brooklyn had offensive stars in Zack Wheat, who batted .335 with 16 home run and shortstop Jimmy Johnston who batted .319. But the Deadball Era was ending and power was going to be the name of the game. The Dodgers hit just 56 home runs in 1922, fourth best in the league. The Dodgers were also sixth in runs scored.

Ruether was the team's best pitcher, going 21-12 with a 3.53. But a newcomer to the team would be a bigger story. A 31-year old journeyman minor leaguer named Dazzy Vance made his Brooklyn debut in 1922. He would go 18-12 with a 3.70 ERA. Vance would go on to have one of the finest pitching careers of any Dodger not surnamed Koufax. Vance's legacy was damaged by being stuck on bad teams and not being able to put in enough high quality years because he didn't blossom until late in his career. Vance was one year older at the start of his Dodgers career than Sandy Koufax was at the end of his Dodgers career.

The Giants were now the dominant team in the National League and in the midst of a 4-year streak of NL pennants including two World Series titles. The Dodgers were going to be loveable losers for quite a while.

Thanks to the Los Angeles Times, BaseballReference.com and Retrosheet

Perez, 3B
Robles, SS
Kent, 2B
Ledee, LF
Phillips, 1B
Werth, CF
Navarro, C
Cruz, Jr., RF
Houlton, P

And apparently Werth did not impress in the leadoff spot...

Cruz is now batting .256/.370/.359 (39 ABs) as a Dodoger, and strikes out as much as Werth, yet he's batting 8th. Switch him and Phillips, and this is at least an ok line up.

CF Hairston
2B Walker
1B Lee
RF Burnitz
3B Garciaparra
LF Hollandsworth
SS Neifi
C Barrett
P Williams

Which one of these players would YOU bat 5th?

Phillips? I think not.

Neifi .694 OPS
Phillips .673 OPS

IN AUGUST
Phillips .256 .310 .771
Choi .353 .439 .998

Whoops. Guess not.

Choi is 1-for-3 with a homer lifetime against Williams. The rest of the active roster is a combined 4-for-24 (.167) in their careers against Williams

I guess this means Shawn Green really isn't coming back.

Is it an honor just to be nominated?

Poor Willy...he never had a chance.

That's pretty good.

The Dodgers don't have what it to takes to win Player of the Week.

It takes more than talent. It takes character.

All things considered, I'd rather be on Catalina.

Tom Prince
Dave Hansen (first tour of duty)
Chris Gwynn
Gilberto Reyes

Fast.

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.

Don't miss out on the unbelievable deals they are practically giving away.

http://tinyurl.com/7r54f

You won't understand that since you were actually in Aruba.

Santo could outrun Phillips.

Best 50 bucks I ever spent.

I think if I ran around the bases backwards I could beat Phillips.

That would be horrible!

Had Houlton swung at ball four and then got out, I would not be happy.

Probably wouldn't have scored him from third.

How many other teams have their second, third, and fourth best hitters on the bench regulary?

Remember when he played CF for LA?

Is Dusty that desperate to get Neifi's bat in the lineup?

And you thought Antonio Perez had trouble at third!

I do, I was lucky enough to see him play cf in anaheim. It was bad luck just seeing something like that.

!

On May 1, 1920, at Braves Field, Brooklyn's Cadore faced Joe Oeschger in the longest major league game ever played. Curveballer Cadore allowed 15 hits, walked five, and struck out seven. Brooklyn scored one run in the fourth; Boston answered with a run in the fifth. After 26 innings, with both starters still pitching despite the cold, damp weather, darkness fell, and the game was called, tied 1-1. Cadore went on to win a lifetime high of 15 that season. (ADS)

Yes, it was Olney who said Izturis' loss would be impossible for the Dodgers to make up.

I'm going to dig up his list.

Arizona: Luis Gonzalez
Atlanta: Chipper Jones
Baltimore: Miguel Tejada
Boston: Manny Ramirez
Cubs: Derek Lee
White Sox: Paul Konerko
Cincinnati: Adam Dunn
Cleveland: Victor Martinez
Colorado: Todd Helton
Detroit: Carlos Guillen
Florida: Miguel Cabrera
Houston: Lance Berkman
Kansas City: Mike Sweeney
Angels: Vladimir Guerrero
Dodgers: Cesar Izturis
Milwaukee: Carlos Lee
Minnesota: Joe Mauer
Mets: Carlos Beltran
Yankees: Derek Jeter
Oakland: Eric Chavez
Philadelphia: Bobby Abreu
Pittsburgh: Jason Bay
St. Louis: Albert Pujols
San Diego: Mark Loretta
Seattle: Adrian Beltre
Tampa Bay: Carl Crawford
Texas: Michael Young
Toronto: Vernon Wells
Washington: Jose Guillen

Olney wrote the list on May 24 in the light of Loretta going on the DL

Is Sweeny still underrated? Haven't heard anything about him this year. Having a down year?

He can finish the song by yelling "Let's get some character!"

Let's go get some more runs, Dodgers!
Go Dodgers!
??
??

jeff kent, jd drew, eric gagne, brad penny, milton bradley... who needs 'em? banjo-hitting, unspeedy, low-OBP, shortstop izturis whose only asset is that he's somewhat above average with the glove? INDISPENSABLE.

dj needs to stop giving up so many homers, solo shots or no

Of course Roger Kahn thought that Alston was an anti-Semite who maltreated Koufax.

Just what did Walter Alston do after his death to earn such contempt?

The Dodgers won that day, 18-9.

8/13/1932.

At least, Houlton went long enough to finally pick up a win unless our bullpen blow it.

Boy, Tommy was really bad...

When Sloppy Thurston gave up his six solo home runs, all of them were hit by Hall of Famers: 3 by Bill Terry, 2 by Mel Ott, and the other by Freddie Lindstrom.

Lindstrom is considered to be one of the least-deserving Hall of Famers however.

Still, the best game may have been the one pitched by Vargas.

What number mayor are they on now this year? I think they are up to three. And it will likely be four after the runoff.

I mean besides Jim Tracy.

Wishing to keep a spirit of comity here, I will withhold comment about Mr. Hedgecock.

Why is Tracy staying with Carrara so long?

Williams
Wellemeyer
Wuertz
Wood
Williamson

Lets go golfing!:)

Nah, no need. It would lead to a nasty political debate.

But Hedgecock did have to leave office because he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Tommy, the Dodgers in that era had winning records and even contended once (in 1971). This team isn't that good.

I'm not sure what's acceptable for him.

Padres have tied the Dbacks 1-1.

Never liked Wilson.

A long and honorable tradition in San Diego, to be sure.

But he did have a comic side. He ran for President! Just like Pat Robertson!

Save a 4 run comeback off Schmoll, no Aybar =(
Is he even at the park? Putting him at 3rd instead of Valentin made a lot more sense

That was not a popular stance to take in 1978.

Or any year since then.

I used to be opposed to Prop 13 and asked for its repeal. Until I had to pay property tax on my late father's home. He bought it in 1962 and it's a ridiculously low amount. So I've become a true Californian and vote only in my own self-interest!

And we wanted to burn Carrara in effigy? (Others wanted to skip the effigy part of it.)

I think the only reliever we like is Elmer Dessens.

Which reminds me of a funny story. One of the reporters at the paper I work at was covering a Bush trip in Fargo ND. A local TV reporter sidled up to him and said "I know social security is the third rail of politics, but what are the other two?"

Really.

A 3 game win streak! Now we need to win Penny vs Prior

vs. left: 1.98 WHIP, .353 BAA
vs. right: 1.26 WHIP, .238 BAA

Since August 10th: 6.1 IP, 7 games, 4 hits, 1 BB, 6 Ks

I think Vasgersian (he was rumored in the off season to get the job Steiner eventually got) is a decent play-by-play guy but Grant is a bonafide bozo.

Gwynn has been sitting in quite a bit this season, that's been okay.

I don't recall a Dodgers announcing crew badmouthing the front office during a game ever? Vin was skeptical about the Lo Duca-Penny trade at first, but he got over it.

If he can get back within a week or two, this team is finally starting to look like it can put a few (small) winning streaks together.

Wow, Dbacks just got out of a bases loaded one out jam when Sweeney lined softly to short and Clayton short hopped it and none of the baserunners ran. DP.

We need to be within 3 games for me make the jump.

Question: If the Dodgers today could get back any player (magically, he's in perfect health and in mid season form) who would you want. Nominees are

Gagne
Drew
Bradley

if Tracy grew a freaking brain and inserted 1 guy that we all want: But could only choose 1

Perez
Choi
Phillips-ha, ha...
Guzman
Laroach

As for the second question, probably Perez. I know we all hate Phillips, but he has some power and can get some clutch hits (along with several clutch strike outs). However, I don't like Edwards at 3rd, he's Phillips with no power and a little more speed. Valentin can walk, but nothing else. I think Perez is a comparatively better than Valentin and Edwards than Choi is with Phillips, although I'd take them both in an instant. However, if Aybar was the starting 3B, I'd choose Choi.

http://tinyurl.com/bq9ko

Man, I've got to get back to Hawai'i. Of course, there's still the specter of a 25 year old unpaid ticket for operating a motorcycle without eye protection hanging over me :)

http://tinyurl.com/8okgm

Welcome back. I'm sure the A's will be glad your vacation's done. . .