The student looks at the teacher quizzically: "Man, I can tell you ain't from around here."

It's 2-0 Nats in the 7th.

This Nats game is going great. Anything that makes it look like they want to re-sign Brett Tomko is excellent. If they lose, that's just gravy.

Whoops, Accordion out, and Jack Taschner in.

Jack Taschner's name requires you to write both parts because it sounds cool.

6

Random Dodger Game Callback

September 22, 1998

Rookie third baseman Adrian Beltre hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning to provide all the offense for the Dodgers as they edged the Padres at Dodger Stadium before a crowd of 29,255. But 1998 was the Padres year, as they had already clinched the NL West. The Dodgers were in third place with an 80-77 record, 15 ½ games out of first.

After the Padres scored a run in the second, the Dodgers had their lone rally in the fourth. Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek and catcher Charles Johnson reached with two outs. Then Beltre belted the first pitch from Padre starter Joey Hamilton over the center field fence for his sixth homer of the season.

Park would give up another run in the eighth and would be relieved by Jeff Shaw. Shaw gave up two hits in the ninth, but held on for his 45th save.

Few seasons in Dodgers history would be as tumultuous as 1998. The team's sale from the O'Malley family to News Corporation (better known as Fox) was complete. And there were changes to be made.

The new ownership started off by getting into a contract dispute with the team's best player, catcher Mike Piazza. And, apparently without consulting general manager Fred Claire, Piazza, along with third baseman Todd Zeile, were traded to the Florida Marlins for Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson, and Manuel Barrios. Piazza in just 37 games with the Dodgers that season did manage to hit three grand slams.

After a slow start (36-38), manager Bill Russell was fired on June 21. He was the first Dodgers manager to leave involuntarily in midseason since 1898. (Charlie Dressen was fired after the 1953 season when the Dodgers went 105-49.) Glenn Hoffman succeeded Russell and went 47-41 as the Dodgers finished 83-79, 21 games behind the Padres and in third place. Claire was fired along with Russell.

Players came and went all year. Hideo Nomo, refused to accept a demotion to the bullpen and asked to be traded, and he went to the Mets with Brad Clontz for Greg McMichael and Dave Mlicki. Interim GM Tommy Lasorda, dissatisfied with the Dodgers bullpen, acquired Shaw from the Reds in exchange for Paul Konerko and Dennys Reyes.

After five weeks in Los Angeles, the Dodgers traded McMichael back to the Mets in exchange for Brian Bohanon. And on July 31, the Dodgers traded Peter Bergeron, Wilton Guerrero, Ted Lilly and Jonathan Tucker to Montreal for Carlos Perez, Grudzielanek and Hiram Bocachcica.

Overall the Dodgers used 29 position players and 25 pitchers. 11 different men played left field for the Dodgers in 1998: Todd Hollandsworth, Roger Cedeno, Matt Luke, Trenidad Hubbard, Eisenreich, Bonilla, Thomas Howard, Konerko, Wilton Guerrero, Mike Devereaux, and Damon Hollins.

Park led the pitching staff with a 15-9 record with a 3.71 ERA. Raul Mondesi, who shifted to center field when Sheffield arrived, hit 30 home runs to lead the team. Mondesi also had 30 walks to go along with 112 strikeouts. Sheffield, in 98 games with the Dodgers, walked 69 times, while striking out only 30 times.

In all, it was a long, long, long year. And the fans were left to wonder? Who were these guys? And was Walter O'Malley turning over in his grave?

Thanks to the Los Angeles Times and Retrosheet.

Very surreal time. But I'm glad I'm still in L.A.

When I was researching some RDGCs from the 1910s and 1920s, the NY Times wouldn't bother covering the Brooklyn Dodgers toward the end of the year if they were out of the race. And that was even for home games.

Do you really think so? I got so tired of him completely misreporting incidents from games and other facts that I completely ignore him. Is it just me?

3B Aybar
SS Robles
2B Kent
1B Saenz
RF Cruz, Jr.
LF Edwards
C Phillips
CF Repko
P Weaver

2B Counsell
RF Tracy
LF Gonzalez
1B Clark
CF Green
3B Cintron
SS Clayton
C Snyder
P Estes

Didn't you know that Hee-Seop Choi not starting against lefties was one of the topics at the 6-party North Korean nuclear talks? The North Koreans have insisted on that language, but it seems to be running into opposition from China.

I hear there are massive rallies in Tianenman Square demanding that Choi start against lefties. There is even a picture of a brave student standing in front of a large tank that has Jim Tracy's picture painted on it.

It's just weird. The whole year has been weird.

Saenz >>> Phillips >>> Myrow >>> Choi
Izturis >>> Robles >>> Perez

White Sox about to melt down: 1 and 2, no outs for the Twins in the sixth.

YES!!!!!

White Sox 1, Twins 0 in the 6th.

Though Jacque Jones has just tied the Twins-Sox game with a homer of his own.

long fly ball....

this game is tied....

I've watched the guy quite a bit this year and I would have to say that nothing about him suggests greatness.

Because I don't take time to learn their names, is Harrelson the "he gone" guy? Great is about the last thing that I would call him

Why did we go to commercial break during Kent's homer?

Harrelson is indeed the "he gone" guy. He has a lot of catchphrases.

He's an acquired taste. Not many people have acquired it, but there must be people in Chicago who love him because he's been at that job forever.

He was even GM of the White Sox for a year. Think of having an even more annoying and dumber Tommy Lasorda in charge.

aybar= competively skilled.

It's probably an FSN West 2 thing then. I have Dish Network.

I assume Gardenhire is going to go smallball now.

I am just not sure which it is.

As for the radio, I'll pass. KFWB doesn't like to come in out here in the IE very well at night. The Banning station is even worse.

Yankees held on against Baltimore 7-6. They lead 7-1 after 7.

Texas up on the Halos, 1-0.

Oh yeah, and Eckstein was listed ahead of Kent, go figure.

is that the right term?

im left handed, but i grew up hitting right handed and in HS i had to teach myself how to hit left handed. now i can switch hit very effectively. although i have more power right handed but better contact skills left handed.

For worst, NY Yankees starting pitchers #3, Milton #4, Percival #5, Kolb #7, Russ Ortiz, Benitez, Leiter, and Lowe honorable mention.

Do you think the dodgers will have enough power in the lineup next year assuming this is our lineup.

navarro c, choi/seanz 1b, kent 2b, robles/izturis/perez/aybar ss, aybar/perez/robles 3b, outfield drew, and 2 of werth/ledee/bradley/cruz/giles.

Personally i only like 2 or less positions with little power unless you have a couple power hitters that will give you 40 or more each, which none of the above names will.

Assuming the best power offense in all those positions, you have navarro c, choi/seanz 1b, kent 2b, perez ss, aybar 3b, drew of, giles of, and the best power left out of werth/ledee/bradley/cruz for the final outfield spot, that just isn't enough power, we are lacking in one position.

And consider our pitching isn't going to be as good next year, according to many people here and other boards.

I don't know what do you think.

Free baseball in Chicago.

Ken Harrelson is not happy.

nate - glad to see you got your priorities straight. You can always study tomorrow :)

Over at BTF, a "heart and soul and Lo Duca" thread has turned into a debate over DePo.
Matt Welch is there, stating Adrian Beltre should've been re-signed because he can stay in the lineup, unlike brittle boys like Drew.
I begged to differ.

but he is still slower than sloth.

who is matt welch?

And he was a friend of Dave Hansen's growing up I believe.

I smell bunt here by Crede.

now if clark can ops over 1.000 at the bob, why can green only OPS in the 800s?

The Hawk is displeased.

Are you being renamed tomorrow as well?

tracy, jackson, drew, quentin and maybe upton. wow, thats a very solid core of young positional talent. i am actually jealous.

115 Huh?

115 Huh?

Cleveland leads 8-6 in the 8th.

Angels lead Texas 3-2.

Uh, never mind.

I think Harrelson is going to start shooting at people.

Most of the time, the stuff that Matt Welch writes (baseball wise) is pretty good stuff. I'd refute him in the thread, but I fear that BL might show up.

132 Thanks. An absolutely worthy joke even if not clear to a noisy few.

Because you know JPMorganChase just wasn't a big enough bank without acquiring BankOne.

If not, I will be unhappy. And displeased. And disappointed. And I will start sounding like Ken Harrelson and Darrin Jackson.

You are slow. Falling over will not make you faster.

Thank you,

Chase.

so i assume that means you would like to see weaver back at the right price. what is the right price to you? roughly brad penny money?

If Phillips were safe, there would just be a runners on first and second though because Phillips would have had to hold on that play.

Or maybe even have been forced at second!

Matt is generally correct when he says that the Dodgers are visionless, but he's barking up a tree about Drew.

But God/Nature/Zeus/Zoroaster/(Insert Deity here) made Jason Phillips slow.

As it is, Bob lied to me earlier this season, and that hurts.

He did go to ... that school ... in Indiana ... where the Catholics go ... but I dare not speak its name ... the school that turns me into a USC football fan once a year ...

Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Sanctuary!

maybe gracie... maybe....

Mark Grace must have had the same reaction that my father did back in the mid 1990s when he found out that Japan invaded China during World War II.

And my father was alive during World War II!

My dad wasn't much into history.

can kuo officially take over as the diety of the eastern world?

kuo was getting it up to 95 againt green. kuo looked very pumped up after the K(u)-O

a healthy 92-95mph rchargable kuo is better than a 99mph used once and throw away kuo

He probably writes his name differently.

it was a battle of the Gods. the western diety won that one, but the eastern world will triumph in the end.

it has been written.

And my dad didn't even drink! He was actually above average in most subjects in school.

Just not history. He even went to college for a year, but had to drop out to go help out on the family farm.

He compensated by marrying my mom, who loved history (and of course was a biology major in college), and had two of his four sons get history degrees.

i want mark grace to "accidently" say words that are banned from DT

When my brother graduated from the Naval Academy, my dad was interested in seeing a Korean naval flag captured by the US Navy in a battle on the Naktong river, during Lincoln's term in office. Sure enough, it was in the academy museum.

That was brutal.

I would ask him how much a gallon of milk right now, but where he is now, he ain't takin' phone calls.

I can back off the ledge now.

I hope I can enjoy suds with my dad for years to come.

The last time I went to go see him where is now, I couldn't even find him. I found my mom and said hi, but I couldn't find my dad.

And then when Rose grounded out, my cable system went to a commercial before he was even thrown out.

They're in separate plots.

Long, unpleasant story.

They weren't divorced either.

I think its caused by severe overuse and being placed at the top of the lineup.

Is it Six Feet Under worthy? I'm sorry.

Some things are not proper for sharing in this forum. You can ask me offline.

You weren't. Don't worry about it.

Meanwhile, AP, Choi are collecting dust. Along with Jayson Werth on the bench.

Seeing Repko, Edwards, Phillips, Saenz tonight is just terrific.

A Choi walk-off would not be good... as that would imply that he'd be playing for the D-Backs....

However, I'm going out on a limb and say that Choi is going to deposit a ball in the formerly known as Bank One Ballpark pool....

Choi Hee Seop! Choi Hee Seop! (pronounced Che)
The surname goes first... I tried that chant at Dodger stadium but Hee Seop Choi flows so much better...

And he apparently didn't have a middle name.

최희섭 fighting!

And two of them were by Andy Ashby and Omar Daal! The other three were by Nomo, Odalis, and Brown.

Guillermo Mota hit a homer in 2003! ??? !

The Dodgers pitchers don't have any this year.

Dodger Thoughts, the early days.

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/11087.html

That's all there is to live for this year now. 1 and 1/2 games.

They who are called Romanus, they go, the house?

(Couldn't help myself.)

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B06170LAN1983.htm

Bob Welch defeating Mario Soto

(rim shot)

They really did.

Anybody want to guess which Dodgers pitcher this season had the most starting the season?

But I doubt Tracy wants to toss Broxton in with runners on. And I don't think Wilson Alvarez is a good option.

Perez had 4. Penny had 2.

Even if you go by the active roster, there is somebody who had more.

Wilson Alvarez briefly held the lead with 12 CGs.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/schoere01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/k/kurowwh01.shtml

The Dodgers have 57.

The Nationals and Giants each have 87.

Interestingly, the Nationals and Giants have two of the worst offenses in the NL.

They might have to go searching for a home like the Marlins did last year. They played the Expos in a home game in Chicago.

The 1964 Dodgers were 80-82.
The 1907 Dodgers were 65-83.

And that is just too bad for Sanchez

Yest we all forget...

2

There wasn't much strategy there. The hitters aren't doing anything.

The negatives: That 8th (?) inning with Repko and Rose and no pinch hitter (had Werth, Valentin, Choi, and Perez available) was costly.

But Tampa Bay still has Cleveland and the Angels on the schedule.

The Dodgers should stay ahead of the Rockies and out of last. Mainly because the Rockies finish up on the road at Atlanta and New York. And finishing ahead of Arizona isn't all that hard to believe since the DBacks are coming to L.A. next week.

How come the Dodgers never get to face Russ Ortiz?

As soon as the game was over, I switched over to DVD and watched "Waiting for Guffman." Oh man, that'll cure what ails ya. Brilliant stuff.

http://tinyurl.com/algy6

If the Dodgers finished fifth, stars would fall from the sky, large storms would batter the nation, dogs and cats would start sleeping together, and toothpaste prices would soar to $8/tube.