Win last five to finish 75-87.
Arizona wins 2 of 3 in San Francisco.
Giants lose next 2 in San Diego.

Three-way tie for second!

Worst case scenario

Last last five to finish 70-92
Rockies win last five to also finish 70-92.

Maybe worse than the worst case scenario:

Dodgers lose next two to Arizona.
Giants win next two at San Diego.
Giants sweep Diamondbacks on final weekend.
Dodgers sweep in San Diego.

Giants win division with 79-83 record. San Diego finishes second at 78-84. Dbacks finish at 75-87. Dodgers at 73-89.

Really weird scenario:

Dodgers lose next two to Arizona.
Giants win next two at San Diego.
Arizona sweeps San Francisco.
Dodgers sweep Padres.

Arizona and San Diego have one game playoff at 78-84.

It's only appropriate that the number go to Hee Seop Choi.

A few HOF pitchers have had numbers in the teens (Whitey Ford #16, Bob Feller #19).

Was it a tradition in the past for pitchers not to wear lower numbers? Sort of like NFL guys wearing numbers in a certain range based on their position?

16 can go to the bullpen catcher.

Josh Towers of Toronto is the only current pitcher with a single-digit numeral on his uniform.

I believe the book "The Dodger Way To Play Baseball" has suggested numbering schemes.

Lowest numbers go to catchers and infielders. Then up to outfielders. Pitchers tended to get bigger numbers in part because:
1) pitchers are bigger than most players and teams used to make the higher numbered uniforms bigger (I wore 88 in a 5th grade basketball league).
2) since teams would usually bring in a whole bunch of pitchers to try out each year, it was easier to give them numbers at the end of the series so as to not mess things up.

Alan Mills wore 75 because he wanted to remember his struggle in making it to the big leagues I believe.

Howard from Encino (Howard Fox?) just asked why did you trade LoDuca w/o something else lined up. Now you're scrambling at catcher.

DPD: (1) We're not scrambling -- Dionner great and Martin could play in mlb right now. (2) Brad Penny was the best pitcher likely to be traded last year and we needed him and got him -- it's a drag he got hurt. Look at St Louis series -- we needed him. Didn't actively want to trade LoDuca, it just was the only way to do the deal.

(odd -- he also said "Our season's already over.")

Now it's Robert in South Pas -- (Robert T ??!!!??, neah, just said our pitching stafff is quite impressive)

I wouldn't call DePo or any other member of management on the radio...I'd like to keep my season tickets.

OK, Howie

Psycho: You just made the list, buddy. Also, I don't like no one touching my stuff. So just keep your meathooks off. If I catch any of you guys in my stuff, I'll kill you. And I don't like nobody touching me. Any of you homos touch me, and I'll kill you.

Sergeant Hulka: Lighten up, Francis.

-------------------------------------
On the 50th anniversary of his major league debut, I thought I would look back at all 12 appearances by Sandy Koufax in his rookie season. The Book Koufax, written by Sandy and Ed Linn, retrosheet, and The New York Times are the main references I have used. Obviously, Bob Timmermann is the inspiration, though the quality of his recaps are not going to be matched by me. Nevertheless, I do hope these brief glimpses back to the start of Sandy's career are of some interest.
-------------------------------------

Sandy Koufax made his major league debut on June 24, 1955 in Milwaukee in a game against the Braves. With his club trailing 7-1 in the 5th inning, Brooklyn manager Walt Alston brought in the 19 year old Koufax for 2 innings of work against the hard hitting Braves.

Sandy pitched himself into and out of trouble in his first major league inning. The Braves loaded the bases with no one out on a single, a throwing error by Sandy, and a walk. With the bases loaded, Bobby Thomson struck out swinging to become Sandy's first career strikeout victim. Joe Adcock followed and hit into an inning ending double play. Koufax retired the Braves in order in the 6th inning, recording his second career strikeout against his mound opponent, Lew Burdette.

The Dodgers eventually lost the game 8-2. In his debut Sandy allowed 1 hit, 1 walk, recorded 2 strikeouts and allowed no earned runs in 2 innings of work. Not a bad beginning for what would turn into a sensational career.

Thanks to retrosheet and Koufax, written by Sandy and Ed Linn.

Stan from Tacoma

1)moneyball is about efficiency, not low budgets necessarily, and that oakland's . (correcting a comment a previous caller made)

2)that he gets a lot of unfair criticism from the media, and i talked about how the injuries this year have been pretty much unprecedented and unpredictable (that even "injury prone" jd drew, for example, is on the DL because of nothing that is related to his injury history).

3)and that jim tracy's managing style is incompatible with depo's roster and that i hope we have a new manager next season.

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/264327.html#comments

Apologies to any of the DT stalwarts "transcribed" therein - it is good-natured ribbing, and any offense is unintended.

Interestingly, HSC's name didn't come up once...

"were American Soldiers, we have been fighting for 200 years. Were 10-1"

Stan from Tacoma

McDonnell, for the record, is a giant bag of rank smelling gas. I report, you decide.

Trust me, I was extremely careful how I phrased that...

He seems to have pretty good sources.

INTERVIEW BEGINS
Kitty Felde: Why have you become such a lightning rod?

Paul DePodesta: Change is hard, most recent change the Dodgers have experience was not willful: I inherited 16-20 potential FAs when I took over. We decided to change the foundation to create long-term success like the Dodger dynasties of yore. Sadly, that foundation encountered a lot of problems this year. However, true success takes more than 2 years to build.

KF: Is "look toward 2007-2008" the master plan?

PD: Yes. However, we reject the idea of "rebuilding" and asking fans to accept short-term failure. Dodger fans deserve better. In 2004, the balancing act worked, this year it didn't. Once the kids come up and start to develop, the balancing act should go away.

KF: The kids do look great: Duaner Sanchez - amazing. Jose Cruz Jr. - also amazing. Will you keep them?

PD: Navarro is awesome [note: pretty sure I transcribed this non sequitur right--someone may have confused Dionner with Duaner]. Houlton, Robles, Kuo, Broxton, Osoria, Schmoll all showing impressive growth. Logan White and Terry Collins deserve the credit. Dodger farm system as loaded as it's ever been. AA guys starting to trickle in. This September was actually very exciting for us, seeing the young guys develop.

KF: Are you a Moneyball computer nerd? For example, why not just re-sign Jose Lima? He gave the fans a lot of intangibles, and would have signed fairly cheap.

PD: This is a misconception: we use computers, but it's really just another tool. Our scouting staff is one of the largest in the game, and crucial. Character and chemistry are also factored into our decision-making. And sometimes winning creates chemistry, and chemistry sometimes sustains winning. You won't lose 100 games and praise the chemistry of a team.

KF: Unless you're a Cubs fan. Callers?

Caller Chris: Anti-Moneyball. Dodgers paid paid Derek Lowe $64 M, signed JD Drew who never completed a full season, minor leagues [garbled - disconnected]

PD: Lowe got $36M not $64M, and he had the lowest ERA on our staff this season. No regrets.

KF: Your payroll is 100M, so Lowe gets 36% of that?

PD: No. JD Drew had performed consistently until this year. Drew, Bradley, Gagne, Izturis are all in their 20s, had career lows in appearances due to injuries this year. This is just an exceptionally bad break, and they can and should bounce back.

KF: Despite his struggles, I really like Milton Bradley and his love for the game - will he be back?

PD: Bradley's knee surgery went well, he's rehabbing now. Hopefully he will get healthy, then we will see about where he fits into the team.

KF: Callers?

CALLER VISHAL: Pro-DePo, Moneyball is misunderstood; it's about efficiency. Injuries were the real problem with the Dodgers this year. Also, Jim Tracy is a bad manager for this philosophy.

KF: Care to talk about Jim Tracy's contract situation?

PD: I like Jim Tracy's managing very much. Everybody now knows about the opt-out clause; we're dealing with it.

KF: Do you feel you treated Ross Porter, etc. badly?

PD: There were some early missteps in communication with departing staff. Now, we interview every player in spring training, and even do exit interviews. Moneyball is about efficiency. Everyone will be on the same page.

KF: Did Gagne hurt his arm because he was used too much? Do you deserve some blame for that?

PD: Gagne got a lot of use in the seasons prior to my arrival, I don't think that's the problem.

CALLER HOWARD: What about The Trade? Why can't you still get a decent catcher?

PD: 15 months is a long time to nurse a grudge. Navarro is great. Russell Martin is also great. Re: The Trade, we needed a starting pitcher more than a catcher.

KF: How much do players or their agents get involved in trades?

PD: Very little. It's mostly club-to-club unless a no-trade clause or pending contract extension is in play.

KF: Luke Hochevar?

PD: Hochevar is not in class, not eligible for spring baseball at UT, our window to sign him is now very long.

CALLER ROBERT: Why not playing Repko and Aybar more? Why does Valentin get so many ABs? There is a lack of guys who can reliably move runners over. Phillips sucks.

PD: Repko had a half-season of AAA ball as of last year. Valentin was a win-now signing, 20+ HR a year for several years, and a real character guy, 5-time Clemente nominee.

KF: DOes the Angels going to the playoffs get your goat?

PD: Any team besides us going to the playoffs gets my goat.

END INTERVIEW

I would instead encourage Karros to continue in his fantasy of being the next Bob Costas. I hope to be on a business trip to rural Missouri some day, to turn on the TV in my motel, and see Karros in a polyester jacket doing the sports for the local Fox affiliate.

lets talk about BAs FSL chatwrap!

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/_photos/2003-04-01-nomo-inside.jpg

It would've been a lot cooler if he did...

What I hope this all adds up to is: DePo and McCourt are still in agreement as to the philosophy of how the Dodgers should be rebuilt, and also agreed on the real opportunities available for the short term until the farm system starts producing quality major leaguers.

This philosophy is the only one that will lead the Dodgers out of the wilderness of the past 16 years.

If Jamie McCourt or Sitrick listen to the Bill Plaschkes of the world and prevail upon Frank to fire DePo because he's done some unpopular things and has not achieved short term success (which he never promised in the first place) then I think we'll find ourselves stuck in this unsatisfying limbo for many years to come. It wouldn't surprise me if this happened, but it would be very disappointing.

The fate of Jim Tracy is a trivial issue compared with this. Jim Tracy can't win with a crummy team--what else is new? Fire him or don't fire him. But any decent manager could win with the kind of great team that we could see here soon if we stick with the plan.

Are you quoting Matthew McConaughey from "Dazed and Confused"?

Vin repeats the story every time the Dodgers play San Diego that Akinori Otsuka wears 16 in honor of Nomo.

I couldn't care less if a pitcher wears a low number. In football, there are rules about numbers, not just norms. This is parly so that refs can see eligible and non-eligible receivers at a glance. This year, the NFL changed the rule for receivers, who had previously been confined to the 80s, to allow them to wear numbers in the teens as well. Everyone once in a while, you'll see an out-of-place number (like a linebacker in the 90s or a D-lineman in the 50s), but that's always because they changed positions and are allowed to keep the number they started with, at least for the season, maybe for their careers.

I just watched the 10 year "making of" special on that movie. Looked like an awesome movie to work on.

Call me old-fashioned, but I think receivers should be in the 80s.

Navarro, Perez or Aybar should wear it because they are worth a damn. Lower numbers are better, so the best players should get them.

Today's movies are too blatant about the retro aspect (yes, I'm looking at you "Starsky and Hutch").

It really seemed like she did, actually.

I think, if this is a fair approximation of what DePodesta said (I'm wondering what he really said instead of "15 months is a long time to nurse a grudge")

I heard the interview, and this seems like a fair summary to me. DePodesta did a fine job. I don't recall him saying "nurse a grudge." I think he said, in reaction to the question about The Trade, "We're going back 15 months now...". I understood this as, "Do we STILL have to talk about THAT???" But, it was a mild comment, whatever was meant by it, and it was cut off by the interviewer saying that Dodger fans have a long memory.

San Diego vs St. Louis - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Houston vs Atlanta - Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday

The AL has too many different options to figure out yet. But both series are set up to run Tuesday, Wednesay, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

The ALCS will start on October 11 and the NLCS on October 12.

The World Series will start on October 22.

I just wanted to say "Thanks" for the transcript(s). Personally, I thought the first version was just as informative as the last and much more entertaining.

I'm not sure why folks expected a complete and accurate transcript, hard to do when you're listening to a radio show.

Personally, I couldn't listen and I appreciate that you did and took the time to pass along your take.

Toronto 7, Boston 1 (4th)
Tampa Bay 0, Cleveland 0 (7th)
Chicago 4, Detroit 1 (7th)
New York 1, Baltimore 1 (6th)
Philadelphia 5, New York 2 (5th)
Houston 0, St. Louis 0 (2nd)

Even high school football has specific numbers you can wear. You want a numbers free-for-all, go to Canada. You see receivers wearing numbers in the 70s and quaterbacks in the 20s.

The NFL doesn't want teams to retire numbers unless the player has done something wonderful.

but it could easily include jackson, miller, kuo and ruggiano. and probably orenduff maybe since he was pretty high on the FSL one.

On the whole, he handled it very diplomatically, getting the points across he wanted to get across, never getting negative, and not once did he sound rattled. He also did some pretty nice sidesteps on issues like re-signing Cruz. Honestly, this is the best way to defuse the Google Boy nonsense.

If the GM is acquiring players based on the over and under-valuation of certain assets available in the marketplace, doesn't that require the field manager to employ those assets in a manner consistent with realizing the potential of those assets the GM has acquired? To say, "It doesn't matter what the manager does, because no one could have won with such a lousy team," implies that it is not necessary to always use whatever assets you have to your best advantage.

The Dodgers are waiting for prospects to develop, and when they do, the Dodgers want a field manager that will know how to use those players appropriately. Shouldn't the team be developing a field manager at the same time as they are developing the players?

Isn't it clear that the current field manager either cannot or will not manage his team according to the philosophy of the GM? If so, should the GM not find a candidate this off-season that he believes will conform to his philosophy and the 2006 season as an opportunity to evaluate that ability?

Hmm.....

Also, Tampa has beaten Cleveland 1-0.

Chris Berman's universe is collapsing.

3B Aybar
SS Perez
2B Kent
1B Saenz
RF Cruz
C Navarro
LF Werth
CF Repko
P Houlton

I heard the final third or so of DePodesta and thought he presented himself and the team extremely well. His answers to questions were direct, informative, and thoughtful, and he was respectful of all callers and friendly too. (The 15 months thing came off fine, not defensive.) Encouraging.

Gail Hopkins???

I know him as being a part time pitching coach at Pepperdine around 1971-2. To steal a line, the only thing that he knew about pitching was that it was hard to hit.
I shouldn't say more.

SORRY--Wrong guy. He was the coach when I signed to go to Pepperdine in 1968. But, when I got there he left to go play baseball.

.913 OPS for $335,000.

Come to think of it, Tony Clark's not a bad bargain either.

1.020 OPS for $750,000.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/2005afl/roster_pdd.html

Beau Dannemiller
Eric Hull
Greg Miller
Tony Abreu
Andy LaRoche
James Loney (taxi squad - Wed and Sat only)
Matt Kemp

Simple, Billingsley has wored too much. He's at about 20-30 IP more than last year already (that's about the maximum you want), and they don't want to run the risk

It appears as if our emergency starter next year will be Hull. If he pitches well, good bye via Rule V one might think. Dannemiller...I have no idea why he's going. I guess the they're hoping he does well so he's a possible bullpen candidate, although I'd rather he not be one

Here is a link where Jon previously posted the announcement in one of his updates:
http://tinyurl.com/7exh8

The Dodgers will have a new pitching coach. They now have Coach Gagne. Sanchez and Jackson will both spend the offseason in Arizona with the new coach and strength coach Todd Clausen. Apparently Gagne offered his home (or a home) to anyone that wanted to work with him over the off season, and Sanchez and Jackson wanted to do it. Sanchez will explain it:

"We had a serious conversation about my future and Gagne said I haven't worked hard enough to be who I want to be," said Sanchez. "He offered me a house to stay in. Clausen will set up the program and I'll be there every day until I leave to go home."

"If I don't [pitch in winter ball], my arm gets in trouble," he said. "No more than 10 or 15 innings."

"I'm excited about it," Sanchez said. "I've never had an offer like that. He's trying to help, why not take it? He's always talking pitching, always offering me help. He knows I don't open my mouth. I just listen."

And some classic Tracy:

"I'm not going to talk about it," said Tracy. "Was there a meeting? Yes. Will I discuss the parameters and expound on it? No."

Saenz wants to stay with the Dodgers:

"We lose, and we lose bad, but I believe it will not be the same situation next year," said Saenz, "This is Los Angeles. It's one of the biggest cities in the United States and they're going to try to fix it. This isn't a small-market team. I want to stay here."

Even at reduced velocity today, he's looking solid. I hope dodger management is taking note that he's doing this to right handers, as well. not just a LOOGY.

Better get Broxton and Duaner warming up.

Seriously.

I'ma go stand over here now while heads start to explode on this board...

The way he was running tonight, I can't say I blame him.

And now Todd Linden can tell his grandchildren he once pinch-hit for Barry Bonds

I guess cause Hoffman will get the next few days off anyways, and they did show him close out their last two NL West wins.

Sorry guys :(

Look at it this way though: second year in a row that the Giants have had to watch another team celebrate in front of them

And Icaros is going to kick my ass.

And sadness.

And now as I go to bed, a skunk has crawled underneath my apartment building and done what skunks do best.

Quite apropos, don't you think?

Can someone help me out here? I seem to recall that in past years, during the last week or so all merchandise, except jerseys, were marked down 50% causing long lines at The Top of the Park. Now the stuff is only makred down 20%, no real bargin. Am I right in my recollection of the 50%?

Also they had a ton of broken bats for sale. Nealy all of the Phillips, Werth, Grabs type. They were still selling a used Larry Barns bat. (are they kidding, they should pay us to take that junk away).

This has happened once before. I've gotten a direct hit. It ain't pretty.

If it doesn't go away, I go to the pet store and buy every bottle of Nature's Miracle and douse it all over the carpet.

http://tinyurl.com/7cnkg

Hooray!

http://www.japanball.com/news.phtml?id=5169

They will play the winner of the Pacific League in the Japan Series.

The Pacific League has playoffs. Second place Chiba plays third place Seibu in a best of three.

The winner plays first place Softbank in a best of five. If Seibu is the opponent, then Softbank gets spotted a game and just has to win two games. That's because Seibu finished more than 10 games out of first. (23 games back).

I don't think that changes things, since we all decided here that he wouldn't opt out, but still...