Has DePo been seen or heard from? Has he moved? Is there any info out there?

I haven't heard a peep.

Jon - I would think that this site would be the most logical place for him to break his silence...Any chance of getting him?

Really professional and gracious thing to do by DePo. He is a really good guy and I wish people would nit judge him in these incorrect stereotypes.

I would imagine DePodesta is spending his time cashing paychecks from the Dodgers and engaging in quality time with his young kids.

And spending time on alt.lit.aynrand

Good to see both guys do not let their differences of opinion effect how they feel about one another.

You gotta admire Nomo's tenacity.

If DePo had known his job was in jeopardy, I wonder if he and Tracy might not have had a bumpier ride. I ass-u-me that he let Tracy be Tracy, last year, only because he'd written the season off. But who knows.

I thought Depo went back to Oakland...?

5- Tenacity may be a misnomer, in this case.

3- I don't remember where the article was, but one of the Bay Area papers ran a long article on Milton Bradley that included the tidbit that The Fountainhead was his favorite book. Which, if it wasn't self-evident, just goes to show that it's a bad idea to get attached to Ayn Rand fans.

sitting here in germany with dagwich. taught my kids the danny kaye dodgers song and my 7 year old knows it almost by heart. it's great to follow the dodgers from europe and i think this year's acquisitions look promising...

7-
Beane has said DePo is just spending time since he had a new born child. Once he wants to come back sometime next year he has a job in Oakland if he wants it.

Are you sure that Depodesta's note wasn't an instant message? I thought he was a bad communicator...

Great news on Perez. He definitely has the most ability of any pitcher on the staff. If he's healthy, I expect him to have a great year.

Hopefully Billingsley can continue to pitch well. If he has a great Spring Training, will he make the team? That will make both the Brett Tomko signing and Jae Seo trade look really bad.

*spending time with family

I am going to have to disagree with the idea that Perez has the most ability of any pitcher on the staff. Penny may have the best stuff and Lowe has performed the best in prior seasons.

Kevin Harlan on CBS has made the bold assertion that UCLA is one of the "6 or 7 elite programs" in college basketball history.

Color man Dan Bonner politely declined to make fun of him

If he takes a new job, doesn't he lose all the sweet getting-fired money? Or did they buy him out at the time of firing?

11 - I doubt a great spring by Billingsley would make both the Tomko and Seo moves look bad. Maybe one of them.

In any event, as far as April is concerned, a great Spring Training by Chad shouldn't be taken much more seriously than a great Spring Training by Aaron Sele. Certainly, Chad has a nice future, but retiring the No. 89s of various teams is no assurance that he's ready for the Dodger starting rotation.

The New York Yankees are one of the ten most successful organizations in MLB history.

16- I'd rather have him up with the Dodgers than have him pitch in Vegas

18 - That's a separate point altogether.

At some point, though, I do start to wonder whether people are getting hysterical about pitching in Vegas. I'm not singling you out, Miltie - nor am I denying that it's acutely difficult. But is there any proof to the notion that it's damaging, or are we just depressed about Edwin?

I really think it is all the comparisons betweeen Vegas and Coors that make it seem so scary.

18- I should add that I want him in LA if he has a great spring. Only a few pitchers have been able to succeed at Vegas (just like Coors). Brazoban pitched very well in Vegas but it was only for a little more than 10 innings. I think Osoria had a nice season there last year. Besides Brazoban, I can't think of one pitcher who pitched at Vegas and had a great K/BB ratio. I've read that at Vegas, curve balls and sliders flatten out.

UCLA will play in the 2:30ish game on Thursday at Staples. Stanford will likely be playing in the first game that starts at noon against Cal, Arizona, or Washington. UCLA will face most likely either WSU, ASU, or OSU. Somebody with a "State" in the name.

The Tracy/DePodesta story should put to rest the notion that chemistry means anything.

DePo and Tracy had good chemistry, it appears -- and it hurt both their careers, because (I'm assuming) it led to DePo's biggest blunder, the maintenance of Tracy as manager for '05 even though both men knew their philosophies were incompatible.

So, how nice they got along. My grandmother and George H.W. Bush would be impressed by DePo sending Tracy a nice card. But the baseball outcome suffered and as fans that's the only thing that matters.

(P.S. There is yet another Brokeback Mountain parody waiting to be made from clips of Tracy and DePodesta. Wish I knew how to edit video on a PC. I wish I knew how to quit you, Paulie!)

21 - I'm just playing Devil's Advocate. Obviously, it's a different environment. But is it necessarily an environment that hampers your development? As far as K/BB ratios and other stats, you can always adjust those with ballpark factors.

If Vegas merely challenges pitchers, if it teaches them how to pitch without their best stuff, than that's not a problem. If it forces pitchers to change mechanics or just flat out not learn how to pitch major league ball, then the Dodgers should have been out of there yesterday.

I bought my ticket for the Pac-10 tournament, which is my sum total of going to college basketball games in person for the year. Last year, it was one ticket for all four games, but this year you can only get in to see two. However last year I had to sit in the upper reaches of Staples. This year, I can sit in the middle section with the fancy service and all that. I consider it to be the male equivalent of going to a day spa.

the thing with vegas is that with the desert air, the ball flys. add in that the wind always seems to be blowing out towards the outfield bleachers, can of corn fly balls turn into homeruns.

a couple months in vegas for billingsley probably wont hurt him. who knows, he might even succeed there.

21- Gagne did well. Didn't stay long enough, though, to really know.

ERA 1.52 IP 23.2 HR 2 BB 8 K 31 K9 11.79 WHIP 0.97 K/BB 3.875

if i remember correctly, all the outs by billingsley today were either gb outs or Ks. thats good to see.

I guess we could look at Joel Hanrahan, who was terrible in his 2003 cup of coffee in Vegas, then just as bad during a full season in 2004, and was terrible after being demoted to Vero/Jacksonville

Last year Osoria had a 2.62 ERA there in 55 IP, very impressive. Derek Thompson has a 3.43 ERA, but in only 21 IP. Odalis, in a rehab, was at 4.30 in 14.2 IP. Schmoll, in 26 IP, had a 4.78 ERA. Calyle was at 4.88 in 48 IP. Mahomes led the 100+ IP group (which was him, Eckert, Totten, and Nall) with a 5.35 ERA. Of the 10 pitchers with 50+ IP, only Osoria and Gonzalez were under 5.00

There's a legitimate argument that the guys that pitched most of the season there just suck, although many of them were very impressive for Jacksonville in 2003 or 2004, or wherever else they pitched

I guess we could look at Joel Hanrahan, who was terrible in his 2003 cup of coffee in Vegas, then just as bad during a full season in 2004, and was terrible after being demoted to Vero/Jacksonville

Last year Osoria had a 2.62 ERA there in 55 IP, very impressive. Derek Thompson has a 3.43 ERA, but in only 21 IP. Odalis, in a rehab, was at 4.30 in 14.2 IP. Schmoll, in 26 IP, had a 4.78 ERA. Calyle was at 4.88 in 48 IP. Mahomes led the 100+ IP group (which was him, Eckert, Totten, and Nall) with a 5.35 ERA. Of the 10 pitchers with 50+ IP, only Osoria and Gonzalez were under 5.00

There's a legitimate argument that the guys that pitched most of the season there just suck, although many of them were very impressive for Jacksonville in 2003 or 2004, or wherever else they pitched

No one is remarking on Jon's headline? Rhino has the very best of John Lee Hooker out and it's a lot like all of the other "very best" albums of John Lee Hooker--same tracks, same beat and a lot of fun to listen to.

I'm glad they didn't keep their personal issues from letting them run the team into the ground. Must...have...priorities...

Bradley and AP both started for Oakland today. Ricky Weeks hit a homer off of Barry Zito.

Greg Miller got 1ip for the Dodgers today.

Other than that, pretty boring day in baseball.

hopefully orenduff will pitch tomorrow. lowe baez and odalis are scheduled to pitch.

That will make both the Brett Tomko signing and Jae Seo trade look really bad.<<

No it won't. If you want to take 2 innings in ST that seriously, Tomko pitched 2 perfect innings the other day.

You cannot count on young pitchers, so it was a good move to set the rotation, in case Chad was not ready.

Also, it would still not make the Seo move look bad, maybe for Tomko it would, but I think the Seo move will prove a steal for us this year.

Besides, if Chad is really lights out @ AAA, maybe we can use Tomko in the bullpen. And I think Chad has a better chance at being successful at AAA, because he has more poise than guys like Jackson, and Hanrahan.

After all, remember Jackson had only been pitching for a few years, while Chad has been a pitcher for more of his life.

so will the chinese taipei team pitch kuo or what?

whoa they pitched him last night. but only for .2 innings.

I'm actually getting a little verklempt watching Duke's senior night recognitions.

37- He didn't do well. Don't remember his line exactly, but I'm pretty sure he didn't strike anybody out. And he gave up a couple runs.

so whos going to stay up for the battle of the asian powerhouses?

There appears to be a dearth of good pitching, not a glut, so if Billingsley-Seo-Tomko are all ready, so much the better.

As for Billingsley, more good than bad if he starts the season in the minors. Let him sharpen his accuracy and improve his changeup. As Broxton and EJ found out, just throwing hard doesn't cut it in the majors. Build up Billingsley slowly, whether it's Vegas or Jacksonville doesn't matter much.

If he does come up during the season, you want him fresh and confident in his accuracy and changeup.

And delaying Billingsley's arb. clock is another plus.

i agree with dsfan. billingsley isnt a finished product. he still has things he can and should work on to improve himself.

I thought it was a mistake when I saw Duke vs. UNC listed on both ESPN and ESPN2. I'm still pretty sure it's a mistake, but a different sort of one.

ESPN2 has all the unique and unusual camera angles. It's also a little bit ahead of ESPN in time, as you'll note if you switch back and forth between the two.

39.

I saw some of him pitching last night. Didn't look like his command was on, he got Ichiro, and the next batter out his first inning, but struggled, and didn't get anyone out the second inning.

44- It may be a bit ahead, but it's impossible to see what's happening, half the time. There's a reason they put the cameras where they usually do.

44- what's next Yankee-Red Sox games on both channels? Watching it on ESPN 2 isn't even enjoyable. They are zooming in far too close on the players.

47
what's next Yankee-Red Sox games on both channels?

That would give you a choice between watching the game from the left side of the mound or the right.

Wilson Alveraz was lights out for Vegas when we signed him as a non-roster player. His numbers were downright scary good for the PCL.

If everyone is healthy I don't want to see Chad in a Dodger uniform in April. Seo will be one of the best number 5 pitchers in baseball this year and Tomko can be Tomko as long as our big 3 are healthy.

Abreu is batting average dependent but if you can hit 325, that has value. Not sure why anyone see's him as Izzy since Izzy was no stroker in the minors and was all defense while Abreu is a hitter with speed and gap power. When I watched him at the AFL he showed plenty of gap power during batting practice. The players with speed who have zero power are the ones I could care less about, but a speed player with gap power makes the defense play you honest and increases the chances of those line drives finding holes. Plus he is a GG 2nd baseman and can play SS without much fall off. JMO

ACC refs like it rough, it looks like. Oh, unless it's Sheldon Williams, I guess. That sucks. He's the only player I like, in this game.

31
I'm waiting for the movie. I hear Jamie Fox wants a crack at it.

Even if one of the starting five goes down, I don't want to see Billingsly in L.A. this year. If he's absolutely dominating AAA, even from Vegas, then a second half call up would be alright. But I'd rather see Houlton take that fifth spot back, for injury filling in. Or Broxton, if they stop flirting with making a relief pitcher out of him.

lol they are using espn 2 for an only reddick cam. ha. lets see if he does something gross like eat his boogers.

Oh, unless it's Sheldon Williams, I guess. That sucks. He's the only player I like, in this game.

sheldon williams is sam cassell's big brother.

re 54

which doesnt make sense if you look at their ages.. but you know what i mean.

52.

I don't know if Houlton would be better than Chad. IMO, if one of our starters go down in the second half, and Chad has been dominating, I'd call him up.

So I noticed there are a couple good team matchups for opening series. L.A.-Atlanta and N.Y.-Oakland. Should be good baseball from the start.

Short update up top of this post.

Hu doubled, and stole 3rd. Didn't score though

Hu doubled and stole third, in the second inning. Still no score.

Right. Refresh. Sorry.

some 2006 draft news, daniel bard is starting off the season great. his line today against purdue:
9IP 5h 2er 1bb 13k

line for the season:
22IP 14H 6er 2bb 27K 2.45era

now, i was never really a bard fan. hes always had a effortless fluid delivery and a good fb, but his control and secondary stuff was absolutely terrible last year. he did well in the cape over the summer but scouts said his slider was really inconsistent and he was helped by the amatuers adjusting to using wooden bats. either way, he has really silenced his critics so far and will rise up the draft boards drastically if he continues it.

andrew miller pitches tomorrow.

It's too bad Chin Feng Chen hurt his hand (?) and couldn't play in the WBC. The ESPN announcers last night said he was the best hitter on the team. Which is also too bad.

49 At Abreu's age, Izzy was in AAA, 2 levels above Abreu. There's no reason to believe that Izzy couldn't do what Abreu did in Vero Beach at age 20

dick vitale is siezuring.

Speaking of JD Drew, they just showed Cal Ripken at the Duke-UNC game.

on tony abreu

i think hes an alberto callaspo clone. and callaspo only garnered a AAAA power bullpen arm.

49

Agree on Abreu.

I want UNC to win for 1 reason. Dicky V is rooting for Duke. I also don't really care for any of the players in this game except Sheldon Williams. He seems like a class act.

I wonder who lit Lofton's pilot light from 2002-2004 when he was the epitomy of blah. Maybe Plaschke is unaware of the whining Lofton when the Yankee's wouldn't play him or does he just sweep those bad character flaws under the rug when they don't fit his story.

67

Interesting comp on Callaspo/Abreu. Maybe Abreu will develop a little more pop than Callaspo has shown?

Byrnes did well there, by the way. There's a buzz that the Angels could've gotten a bit more for Callaspo. AZ has pitching issues, but Byrnes seems to have a clue.

im going to order from wing-stop. any flavor suggestions?

Pretty interesting start by Justin Upton, too. Triple in first game as a pro. Double high off the wall in the next game. Reaches base three times in third game. And he's rusty.

67
Abreu is 2 years younger. Let's see what he accomplishes in the next two years before comparing him to Callaspo. Bulger is going to help the Angels, he's got a strong arm with only few IP on it since he was a 3b in college but was drafted as a pitcher even though he'd never pitched before. The Angels could afford to make this deal since they have a crapload of middle infield prospects but not very many power arms.

brynes is doing a good job so far. ive liked almost all his moves so far.

they still need pitching- particularly top of the rotation pitching. maybe when the marlins put up dontrelle willis for auction the dbacks could land him with a package of some of their elite positional players.

okay i went with garlic parmeson and hawaiian. havent tried those flavors yet, hopefully i wont be dissappointed.

JJ or Morrison - who will have the better pro career? I've seen analyst's say that Morrison will be a top 5 pick and possibly the number one but JJ is only being mentioned as a possible 1st rounder.

77- that's a no brainer. Morrison is going to be a good pro. Redick will be a bench player. Think Eric Piatkowski.

If Justin Upton is as good as Callis and others say he is the Dodgers are going to be in for a world of hurt when Jackson/Quentin/Drew/Upton/Gonzales have put in a few years before free agency.

It's a hole that he (Lofton) fills loudly in the clubhouse, as he is unafraid to push and prod those who aren't playing smart or hard, with a history of being the kind of enforcer that the Dodgers have been lacking.

"I just try to put my two cents in to help the cause," he says.

It will be baseball poetry if the Dodgers are winning.

It will be obnoxious noise if they aren't.

Hmmm...did Plaschke just say that chemistry is determined by winning and losing?

i think morrison will. morrison is taller, longer and has just as good scoring instincts, if not better then reddick.

reddick is a good college player, but i dont think he will amount to much in the nba. this years nba draft class is pretty weak though so jj might sneak into the lottery.

The Pike started quite a few years for my Clippers and has only become a bench player after he left. If he becomes Pike then he'll have had a successfull career. He might even be drafted right around the same time as I think Pike was a mid 1st round pick(14th or 17th).

i dont think conor jackson and carlos quentin are going to be great players, but probably solid to good for the most part.

i am really high on carlos gonzales and i think drew will hit but is he going to be like his brother injury wise?

Speaking of middle infielders with questionable power, Hu doubled yet again

Speaking of middle infielders with questionable power, Hu doubled yet again

i dont really question hu's power. i think he will have enough power to be a good mlb shortstop. pecota has him hitting how many homers in his prime? 12? or something like that.

for this upcoming year. if we get hit with the injury bug again, we should call up all our prospects by midseason and hopefully get the #1 pick in next years draft because its going to be the robert stock draft.

82- Pike averaged 26.5 minutes per game in 2000-01. His highest scoring average was in 97-98 when he averaged 11.3 PPG. Redick will likely be a top 5 pick and will certainly be a top 10 pick. Piatkowski was a great shooter in college, but nobody expected him to be a star. Dicky V acts like he's the next Ray Allen.

Hu should have Furcal like power which will be plenty for a SS with his glove. The question will be can he learn some patience and become really valuable.

87
I haven't seen anyone claim that JJ will go in the top 5. Dicky thinks all college stars will become NBA stars. He's wrong most of the time.

I walked by JJ a month or so ago on campus and he's not a big guy. He could use a little more muscle. He's a great shooter, but I would question his size and strength and his ability to defend in the NBA.

89- I think he can go top 5, but his recent play sure isn't helping him. These guys will go ahead of Redick in the draft
Rudy Gay
Lamarcus Aldridge
Adam Morrison
That one euro guy..can't remember his name right now.

He will definitely go in the top 10 though. This draft is weak. Gay is the only guy with superstar potential who also pretty polished. Aldridge might be an all star. Morrison should be solid. Rodney Carney has great potential, but he's still a little bit raw. Teams will think that Redick will be an impact player when he enters the league. What some of them won't realize is that he's going to have a harder time getting his shot off in the pros because he's only 6'4. He's not great at creating his own shot and he's too weak to drive to the basket in the pros. He's also a below average defender and hogs the ball like Kobe Bryant even though he doesn't have an ounce of his talent.

nice draft knowledge miltie. im a huge nfl and mlb draft junkie. basketball not so much.

You would think that Dicky V is related to Redick. He keeps making excuses for Redick. "He's mentally fatigued"
"This isn't the JJ Redick I know"
"He's getting a lot more double coverages"
etc

Dick, just admit that Redick isn't the player you thought he was.

Get a TO, Baby!

79 --

Agree that Arizona's oung positional talent is exciting. But as a franchise, Arizona's upside over the next 5-6 years is no greater than that of the LAD.

Jon,

I agree that it's a reach by Plaschke to connect Lofton/Drew as he did. I do, however, buy the buzz out of STL and ATL that Drew's fire can wane at inopportune times.

But I don't think that fire will require fanning this year. Remember, Drew is in something of a walk year. With Boras clients, I tend to think that's a good thing.

Go back to Pudge's big year in 2003 that led Florida to a World Series title. Or Beltre in 2004. Or Drew in 2004. Or Beltran in 2004 (last year, Beltran appeared two gears slower, even after the sore hammy).
I think Boras breeds a certain amount of career management into his veteran clients.

One other thing about Drew: He has chronic patellar tendinitis. The best thing for it is rest. One bonus to his missing 90 games last year is that his surigical knee should be stronger, his legs fresher than they've been in some time. With a nod to Drew's injury potential, I expect this to be Drew's best year of the five years Depo gave him.

And then Lofton will get all the credit, of course.

Nate,

Who will the Rockies pick second?

How about the Giants?

Do you agree it's shaping up as an awful draft?

Anyone who saw tonight's UNC/Duke game saw how overrated Redick is. I'm going to feel sorry for whatever team drafts him because they will certainly being passing up some better players.

while theres no positional uber prospect, this draft has a ton of elite arms in the college and HS ranks. this draft isnt awful, its really similar to the 2004 draft.

i think the rockies will pick max scherzer. they need pitching and scherzer is elite. missouri's homepark is a huge offensive park and scherzer thrived there last year.

if longoria drops to the giants, they would snatch him up in a heartbeat. but with the way he has been hitting, hes not going to last that long. I think the giants go laporta or a college arm like joba chamberlain or daniel bard. if sabean is really stupid and want a early return on his investment i can see them overdrafting a college closer like blair erickson for immediate impact.

96
Regarding "walk" years: has anyone ever seen any research on players' performance in walk years vs. non-walk years? I know the assumption is usually that, other things being equal, players have greater motivation to perform in walk years than otherwise, but it would be interesting to see some analysis on this (beyond just looking at the stats of a few players who happen to come to mind).

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/deezulboy32/album?.dir=706a&.src=ph

photos of billz from ST

I really don't want the Dodgers to draft a pitcher.

Nate- are there any raw outfield prospects in the draft projected to go in the top 10 similar to Cameron Maybin and Lastings Milledge? I want the Dodgers to gamble on a potential superstar.

101
Purcey - Do your parents know you're looking at photos like that?

80. D4P
Hmmm...did Plaschke just say that chemistry is determined by winning and losing?

Or maybe it winning that neutralizes a bad chemical component.

//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/deezulboy32/detail?.dir=706a&.dnm=7440re2.jpg&.src=ph

look at that legkick and those thighs. he sure does have the thighs of a power pitcher.

Momma's, don't let your babies grow up to be first-year teachers... it's too much damn work with plenty of stress... better they make a living wearing a dress! (thanks, I'm hear all week).

Taking a break here to add my two pennies: has Paul DePodesta been anything other than first-class in his treatment of people? Witness his letter to Jim Tracy. Witness his quotes after he got fired: first-class all the way. And the press still treats his stay like Idi Amin was running the team.

are there any raw outfield prospects in the draft projected to go in the top 10 similar to Cameron Maybin and Lastings Milledge? I want the Dodgers to gamble on a potential superstar.

thats the thing, there really isnt. theres one OF prospect that is interesting and its devin shepherd.
here is a link of him in a homerun derby contest.

http://video.baseballfactory.com/video/HomeRunDerby.wmv

also in that link is chris parmelee who i LOVE. hes the best pure hitter in this draft class and his swing reminds me of nick johnson. I dont think i would draft either with the 7th pick, but the 26th pick definately for parmelee.

106
Bruin - What do you teach?

Nate,

Thanks for the report. With the amount of money Upton and Gordon got, I think it's a bad year to have a top 1-4 pick. KC put so much money into Gordon and now has to think about giving like $6 million. I kind of doubt either KC or Colo. will get good value from picking at such expensive spots.

That's one of the reasons I see Boras coming back to the Dodgers on Hochevar. The Dodgers pick early this year, and I don't see KC/Colorad and a few other playing ball with Boras.

Drew has always put up numbers. I dont think being in a walk year had anything to do with his producing. He's a good player that was injured early in his career. The Cards gave up on him and the Braves are penny pinchers.

He reminds me alot of Jim Edmonds. The Angels gave up on him due to injuries, failing to recognize the talent he truely was. The Cards reaped the benefits.

Hopefully the Dodgers reap those same benefits. Its ironic that if Drew does opt out, LA would probably choose not to resign him and could possibly go after Jim Edmonds. Then the following year go after Andruw Jones.

nate Shepherd looks good. Do you have any scouting reports on him and his high school numbers? Where is he projected to go in the draft. What's his position and size?

the link didn't show Parmelee.

the one criticism ive read about shepherd is that he is has peaked physically and there is not much projection left in him.

Parmelee is the left handed hitter going against shepherd in the homerun contest.

re 109.

its a bad year to have a 1-4 pick if you need positional prospects. but the 3 top college arms of andrew miller, max scherzer and ian kennedy are as good as any draft year.

nate- just watched it again. Shepherd's swing does remind me of Nick Johnson's. If we do draft him, hopefully he doesn't have Johnson's health problems. Any scouting reports on either of these 2?

some good draft links.
http://mb3.scout.com/flosangelesdodgersfrm1.showMessage?topicID=3425.topic

http://p092.ezboard.com/fbrewersfandemoniumfrm9

the brewerfan.net link is a GREAT link. patrick ebert, the guy who runs the draft forum works for perfect game and is really knowledgable when it comes to the college and prep prospects.

http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewDraftHistory.do?draftId=4

thats his top 30 board with scouting reports.

re 115

shepherd reminds me of frank thomas at the plate, especially when i saw him in the AFLAC all american game over summer.

my draft crush is over pitcher kyle drabek. its because he reminds me of a ton of billingsley.

Or maybe it winning that neutralizes a bad chemical component

Thats possible. I'm just wondering why people are claiming the chemistry is different this year, when for the most part there werent many problems last year. There was one problem.. Kent vs Bradley. Well Kent's never been the easiest to get along with on any team he's played on. How will that be different this season? Sure the team has Bill Mueller, but every story last year about chemistry centered on Jose Valentin being great for the clubhouse too. Being great for the clubhouse doesnt really matter if you cant produce numbers, so no one is sad about seeing Valentin gone.

Lofton's had attitude problems in the past.
Nomar had worn out his welcome in Boston.

The only improvement I see in 'chemistry' is that the GM and manager appear to be on the same page. But whatever page they are reading from, the stuff about patience being an 'oakland thing LA doesnt do anymore" is much more unsettling than possibly having teammates that dont get along (which with 25 guys seems inevitable)....

"Chemistry" just seems like an excuse that people use when they cant figure out why something happened. Or they want to argue a position that cant be proven. However, in baseball its easy to figure out why something happened. Virtually everything is in the numbers if you look hard enough.

"Chemistry" just seems like an excuse that people use when they cant figure out why something happened. Or they want to argue a position that cant be proven. However, in baseball its easy to figure out why something happened. Virtually everything is in the numbers if you look hard enough.

Or, perhaps some argue that the "numbers" are influenced (positively or negatively) by the "chemistry".

Bill Plaschke is anticipating what i'm anticipating, a dissappointing season from lofton (maybe i'm giving Plaschke too much credit) and since Plaschke likes those old fashioned type of players, you know those "winners" "heart and soul guys" "speed and defense", he's trying to give a reason why lofton is going to be good for the dodgers (to give drew a swift kick in the you know what).

Funny how the old fashioned, non "moneyball" players allways still have a place on the team when they don't perform up to par.
LOL!

Given that Kent supposedly lit a fire under Milton, and given that Drew supposedly needs a fire lit under him, why hasn't Kent taken it upon himself to be Drew's fire lighter?

Next thing that will happen is an excuse to keep izturis on the team, or better yet find a position for him.

maybe i'm giving Plaschke too much credit

That's to be assumed.

Plaschke's article would make an excellent fire lighter. Or birdcage liner. Or kindergarten art table cover. Or recycling pulp.

re: natepurcell
for this upcoming year. if we get hit with the injury bug again, we should call up all our prospects by midseason and hopefully get the #1 pick in next years draft because its going to be the robert stock draft. <<

Nate, tell me you did NOT just say that. NOBODY wants to see the dodgers get hurt and lose. And if they do, then they need to get over Depo. I want everyone healthy, and the dodgers to reach their maximum potential.

124.

What is with the hate for Plaschke? Is it just because he doesn't believe in sabremetrics?

So, did any beloved TV celebrities die today?

125

There you go again, twisting/spinning nate's words just like you did with me on dodgers.com (i think it was you, if it wasn't you then forgive me, there was too many over there against me).

Don't want to argue, just pointing out that you might misunderstand what some people are saying.

I come in peace.

What happened to Duke, D4P? Will another blowout of a mediocre PAC-10 school lead to UCLA's desperate overseeding? Will the battle over backup catchers between Jim Bowden and Frank Robinson lead to a 120 loss season?

Nate, tell me you did NOT just say that. NOBODY wants to see the dodgers get hurt and lose. And if they do, then they need to get over Depo. I want everyone healthy, and the dodgers to reach their maximum potential.

i dont want to see the dodgers get hurt either. i think we can win the division this year. i just said, if we happen to get hit with the injury bug like last year (it could happen, look at the fraility of our roster), we should call up all our top prospects and let them play the second half and let the youth movement get under way.

What is with the hate for Plaschke? Is it just because he doesn't believe in sabremetrics?

no. its because hes a moron.

Abreu or Bay? Pujols or Rodriguez? Cairo or Ramon Martinez II?

There you go again, twisting/spinning nate's words just like you did with me on dodgers.com<<

I am dodfan2, I don't think I was twisting your words, unless I don't remember.

Anyway, sorry if my message didn't come across right. I know natepurcell doesn't want the dodgers to be the worst team in the leauge, but I just don't want anyone thinking a high draft pick for this team. I should think people should be hoping for a division championship, maybe more.

132

O.K. Cool.

130.

I know, in my 132 post, I explained myself.

Ok, so you think Plaschke's a moron, why?

bay because hes younger. arod because he please a harder position to get offensive production out of. cairo because he isnt ramon martinez II

I knew my DVD collection would be incomplete without the first season of Count Duckula, and now, through the wonders of modern technology, all is now possilbe.

Ok, so you think Plaschke's a moron, why?

because:
1- he doesnt know anything about baseball.
2- he stereotypes people with stupid old cliches.
3- he constantly contradicts himself.
4- he doesnt know anything about baseball.

5- he writes in one sentence paragraphs.

You go where mere mortals fear to tread.

La Nina is coming. Sell your umbrellas on E-Bay.

119. Or, perhaps some argue that the "numbers" are influenced (positively or negatively) by the "chemistry".

Plaschke will say it was Kenny Lofton's mere presence that magically made JD Drew play 145 games and hit .280/.400/.520...Nevermind there are more logical reasons such as Drew's numbers have been good all his career, or that Lofton has absolutely no power of keeping Drew from breaking his wrist on a pitched ball...

If were to believe Plaschke's logic, then the following must be true as well. If Drew produces and Lofton gets credit, then obviously if Drew doesnt produce, its Lofton's fault.

If Drew stinks this year, can we blame Lofton for his poor chemistry-like effect? Can Lofton be blamed for Drew missing games and not producing?

See how silly that sounds?

The Plaschke's could never run a business.
But they are good for humor.

If "clutchiness" isn't real, how can "he'll play better in his walk year" be real?

Isn't it more likely the fact that walk years happen to coincide with the zenith of a player's development to that point? And isn't it more likely, too, that the poor performance that follows a big free-agent deal is just an extended case of the butterflies? Drew going 0-25 to start the season is just a foreshortened version of Beltre having a mediocre year. I remember this happening to a lot of the FA's the Angels and Dodgers signed at the dawn of free-agency. The Dodger free agents like Goltz and Stanhouse never got good again. Even Reggie Jackson got off to a lousy start with the Yankees in '77.

What happened to Duke, D4P?

UNC is surprisingly good this year. I've yet to be convinced by Duke so far. Even when they were winning, they seem to be lacking something. Not quite sure what. I'm kinda rooting for Duke to win the championship this year, as I think it'd be neat if both UNC and Duke won while I was here. But I don't think Duke has what it takes to go all the way this year.

If Plaschke had known that Tracy and DePodesta were so friendly, maybe he wouldn't have been so tough on DePo.

To Plaschke, it doesn't really matter how well Drew or Lofton play. It's all about whether they like each other. Do they dig the same bands? Do their wives exchange recipes? If Drew is out of deoderant, would Lofton lend him his? That's what really stays with you in life. Not stats.

Somewhere along the line, BYU played itself on to the bubble. If that's the case, they may be strong next year whether they make it this year or not -- they have a very young team I believe (well, as young as a BYU team ever is).

re 138, 139

You said "he doesn't know anything about baseball" twice. Is it like the three rules of real estate- that is the rule is repeated for emphasis.

You have a point there, but it is good to get some good press after last year.

Can one take a five-year-old into the right field pavillion?

139 has haiku potential.

145 Plaschke has the amazing ability to be wrong about almost eveything in retrospect. While you and I will disagree about his opinions on DePo, he also said the following things in the past:

It's a good thing we traded Mike Piazza
It's a good thing we traded Paul Konerko
It's a good thing we signed Kevin Brown
It's a good thing we signed Shawn Green
It's a bad thing we didn't sign Charles Johnson because now some scrub named has to LoDuca.
Why did we get Jeff Kent, we have Alex Cora!

This is just off the top of my head.

At least it has potential

Errr..It's a bad thing we didn't sign Charles Johnson because now some scrub named LoDuca has to catch.

scrub named has to LoDuca.

Oh BROTheR

Can one take a five-year-old into the right field pavillion?

A five-year old what?

120. Funny how the old fashioned, non "moneyball" players allways still have a place on the team when they don't perform up to par

Thats true. Its one of the reasons why I've grown to like football and basketball more so than Baseball. In Baseball, you can absolutely be horrid (OBP <300, go 8-24 in SB's attempts)...But some fans/sportswriters will still feel you should be part of the team...They'll even make up reasons like 'chemistry' etc...

In football and basketball, if you are a bad player, its hard to remain camoflauged behind the 'intangibles' link...Thats why football is my favorite sport. They cut guys left and right that dont live up to expectations. Just like the real world. Baseball is much different. I think a salary cap in baseball (although as a capitalist I'm against all of that, I'd rather there just be fewer teams to even the playing field), would make teams a little more accountable with which players they keep and why they keep them.

A girl, which further complicates matters.

148.

He really liked us trading Mike? Odd.
Well, the only thing he was right on, was the one thing you would have hoped he was wrong on.
That would be his doom and gloom before last year. He was right. Hopefully, he is also right on his optomism for this year.

(although as a capitalist I'm against all of that, I'd rather there just be fewer teams to even the playing field)

Awesome, i'm a capitalist too.

The thing with football and basketball is that i think there is much more luck in football and basketball vs baseball.

I only follow baseball, specifically the dodgers.

155 I have most of his Piazza article here http://dodgermath.com/?p=260 if you're interested.

You would think that it being opening day, people would be on their best behavior and wear ties and wingtips and not spit on the floor, and wipe their feet before they get in, and save their pillaging for August when The Dsfan Prophecy comes to bear and Repko, Cruz, and Grabowski (or whoever) are playing the outfield.

You would think...

I can't imagine being interested in anything Plaschke wrote, but Richard Ramirez is married, so I guess anything's possible.

158- It's a day game in the part of the stadium where they don't serve beer. Plus, since it's a sell out, you can expect some of the riff-raff to be priced out of going. If any time is safe, it's then. It's been a couple of years, though, since I've been in the Pavillion. Back then, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. I'd still be inclined to do it and not worry. But I imagine that'd be different (the second clause, at the very least) if I had a kid.

I can't imagine being interested in anything Plaschke wrote, but Ashlee Simpson is rich, so I guess anything's possible.

I can't imagine being interested in anything Plaschke wrote, but Jim Bowden has a job, so I guess anything's possible.

D4P- did you go to Duke? If so, like Dicky V, do you think JJ Redick is the greatest thing since Al Gore invented the internet?

141. If "clutchiness" isn't real, how can "he'll play better in his walk year" be real

Its my belief and I have no evidence, but I think those inflated walk years are due to steroids. From my logic, I dont think many baseball players would want to continually risk their health through years of steroid abuse. I think some would juice in their contract year, produce big numbers and get the contract, and then go off the juice the following seasons.

Timing contracts based on experience and progression curves is logical as well. A smart agent could definitely pull that.

I'm not a believer in 'butterflies' for seasoned experienced professionals, but I'm sure some sports psychologists have had cases of that. I doubt there are a lot though. Certainly not prolonged butterflies over a 162 game seasons.

TB, you have to look no further than this week to know why Plaschke is a horse's ass. He rips a 19 year old armature athlete because she comes in second in the world in her event. He accuses her of quitting even though she got up twice and finished her routine. Yet, he gives a thirty-something pitcher a free pass for running out on his wife and three kids, not doing his job and literally quitting while accepting an obscene paycheck. I am not passing judgment of Lowe's martial situation. I don't know much about it. (I suspect Plaschke doesn't either) But Plascke's writing a feature piece trying to justify Lowe's failures last season and try to convince the populace of the second largest city in the US, to give him a pass is, IMO, irresponsible and morally suspect. Moreover it is extremely unfair. Will Plaschke write an article this week featuring Ms. Lowe and the three kids and how they are doing. Will he talk about whether Lowe gets to his kids school conferences, plays and such. Of course not. He is a pot stirring hypocrite who isn't even a good writer. He shoud be writing for the National Enquirer.

Gotta go, just saw West Side Story is starting on Encore. (Why is that even though you own something on DVD and can watch it anytime, you still watch when it comes on TV?)

Cody Johnson is the guy I want the Dodgers to draft. He is got so much power potential and he already has a good eye. He just needs to strike out less and he is so young he can learn over time to change that.

Boy, boy, crazy boy - stay cool, boy.

Not that I do much Laker talk here, but I believe I just read they went on an 18-0 run to put away the Pistons.

168. Jon, don't you feel pretty, oh so pretty tonight?

LAT, you forgot that the very next day, he made silver medalist Chad What's His Name the face of the Olympic team. It was, even for an odious scumbag like Plaschke, a new low in hypocrisy and sleaze. It was a typical series of one sentence grunts, all for the sum total of "Chad What's-His-Face gave me an interview and that (I have no idea what word to use here that would accurately summarize Plaschke's portrayal and yet stay within Jon's rules) Sasha Cohen wouldn't give me the time of day."

Scum. Complete and total scum. Not fit for marrying Richard Ramirez, despite his Night Stalker-like relationship with truth and reality.

I guess I'd feel prettier if I got Encore. I did notice The Third Man is on, but I'm going to watch a little of the Independent Spirit Awards before bed.

I've found opening day behavior to be the worse of the year. Many fans who won't be there the rest of the year buy tickets for opening day so it is full of ignorant idiots who are just looking for an excuse to miss work and get drunk at a game. Most fights that do break out at DS originate in the pavillion and they are always lax about security in the beginning. If you get the unlucky draw and happen to sit next to someone who is wearing a non-Dodger hat that person will be pelted with obsenities and food and you will get the joy of being hit with it just because your in the proximity of the non-Dodger hat wearing person. My seats are the very last ones in the lodge next to the bullpen and so I have a birds eye view of the pavillion and my view of what goes on in the pavillion is not flattering. If your taking a 5 year old I'd be inclined to spend some money and sit somewhere between the bases but no matter where you sit you'll be surrounded by drunken buffoons. If the Dodgers are playing well it is okay but once they start playing crappy the drunks get cranky. Opening day prices are always silly, just go to the next game where everyone acts normal and buy a good pair of seats from the Dodger TicketMaster Season Ticket system where season ticket holders can sell their seats.JMO

Vladamir Nobokov had a word (I forget, actually, if it was his, or just a transliteration of a Russian word that I'd never seen before; anyway) for Plaschke's writing: poshlost. It's the confluence of vulgarity, inanity, and sham.

Just finished watching the Spirit awards. Felicia Huffman was funny, and Kevin Smith must be very secure with his marriage.

I can't believe I misspelled Nabokov. And Vladimir.

I'd rather sit next to Bill Plaschke than in the right field pavillion. But, that said, I purchased two seats today at face value. I may attempt to get tickets by other means; I may not go at all, at which time I will probably offer them up here to someone with a larger weapons collection than I.

Everytime I start to feel good about McCourt, I realize that I can't take a kid to half the stadium, and the good people of Ontario still can't listen to a Dodger game.

Two newer photos of Casey here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobt2/

When he closes his eyes, he's not as demonic-looking. He was a little rambunctious last night, but tonight he's a much more typical mellow cat.

DS was going to H in a handbasket long before McCourt took over, blame the people of LA not the stadium. Most games are fine, just opening day and anytime the Giants show up. You don't want to bring a child when the Giants are in town anywhere in the stadium. At least I wouldn't, some parents are more then happy to teach their kids how to chant "barry sucks" and all the other original chants that come with a social IQ of 80.

If Ontario can't get the Dodger game and Woodland Hills can't get the Dodger game who can? I long for the days of KFI but then I could get Vinny, now we get Stiener and his monkey so maybe KFWB is a good outlet.

If you sit in the right field pavilions for Opening Day, you can teach your child how to pronounce "Francouer".

Plaschke has 11 separate quotes from Lofton. Lofton uses the first person in 8 of them.

Bob thanks for the link to the pictures. I was looking for a public site to post some pictures and flickr fits the bill.

Hiding in the closet with demon eyes for Bob, but a woman shows up and the cat is suddenly regal and charming. You did say he was spayed, right? Good thing.

Casey, being male, is not spayed. But he is neutered.

Of course you're right. I think 173 was a Grabowski principle. I should have been pulled for my own good.

Like a spayed cat, Casey also has no ovaries.

I'm learning from ESPN2 that Kuo is pronounced sort of like "go".

186- that's not how Vin pronounced his name last year. I trust Vin Scully over Jeff "this guy is nasty" Brantley. Vin was pronouncing it Kwo- as in "Wo that's cool" but add a K to the front of it

xeifrank should settle the matter for us.

It's possible that Kuo uses a different pronunciation in the States. I don't think I've ever pronounced "Chang" correctly.

This pitcher has a funky arm angle. Let's see if Hee Seop can hit against him.

very encouraing report on greg miller by steve henson today.

Regarding Bill Plaschke: I've found that while it takes a bit of discipline (like driving past a wreck without looking), I am able to enjoy sports without ever reading Bill Plaschke anymore. Too much chaff, no wheat.

Ok, so you think Plaschke's a moron, why?

it's just one of those truths that we hold to be self-evident, along with all men being created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. we hold that bill plaschke is a moron.

[187] or like quo, as in "the status quo".

The Third Man is a movie I can watch anytime it's on. I saw Notorious last night at the Alex theater in Glendale. The woman who plays Claude Rains mother has to be the inspiration for Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein.

the third man has one of the best lines of any movie i've seen:

"In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

D4P- did you go to Duke? If so, like Dicky V, do you think JJ Redick is the greatest thing since Al Gore invented the internet?

I am currently a grad student at UNC, but I live right by Duke, have taken classes at Duke, and have had a number of friends who were/are students at Duke. As a result, I find myself rooting for both teams (which is blasphemous around here).

[196] ugh, i hate duke.

Another major beef with Plaschke on this site is that he ridiculed DePo from Day One for (gasp!) using a computer. Plaschke acted like the schoolyard bully who just found a kid with a pocket protector. EVERY column he wrote about DePo had at least a few idiotic references to this. (Extra points if anyone can remember some of the more egregious ones.)

If he didn't think DePo would be a good GM, then he should have made a logical case to explain why. Except he doesn't know how.

I grew up hating Duke, but my feelings for them have changed since we moved here.

A few examples of Plaschke's computer hatred:

"The kid's computer, once foolishly hailed by McCourt as the organizational savior, had become little more than a flashy box blocking the door."
--------
"[J.D. Drew] was the double sixes in Paul DePodesta's giant game of Strat-O-Matic, the scroll wheel on his baseball iPod. He was the ideal player for those who study the sport at a keyboard and play it in a basement."
---------
"It's a vision held by DePodesta, the general manager who believes he can break into the playoffs the way a hacker breaks into a corporation — with a few keystrokes, fewer dollars, and no conscience."
-----
Here from his column about DePo's hiring:

"The Dodgers have a new face, and it is dabbed in Clearasil.
The Dodgers have a new voice, and it speaks in megabytes."

hahahahah "the scroll wheel on his baseball ipod".

i'll give billy p this, he does have a knack for the hilarious turn of phrase. that one was a doozy.

"[J.D. Drew] was the double sixes in Paul DePodesta's giant game of Strat-O-Matic, the scroll wheel on his baseball iPod. He was the ideal player for those who study the sport at a keyboard and play it in a basement."

This one particularly bugged me because 1) you roll three dice in Strat-o-Matic, and anything with two sixes on a hitter card is usually bad, and 2) the scroll wheel analogy doesn't make sense at all. If baseball were an iPod, the scroll wheel could really only be a manager, GM, or some kind of decision maker. The ballplayers are the songs.

But I suppose by explaining that, I just made myself nerd-worthy of derision.

jon... you're taking the entirely wrong approach with regards to plaschke. if you're trying to figure out whether or not something "tracks" in one of his articles, or follows logically, or whether a metaphor is actually valid... you're barking up the wrong tree. you're trying to squeeze water from a stone. the only real way to think about what he writes is through the existential lens of absurdity.

204 - Frankly, I wouldn't care at all about it, except for the fact that that the general public - and that apparently includes the McCourts - just accepts his moments faulty thought without questioning it.

I suppose I'll get my just desserts the day more people start pointing out my flaws. It already began to expand with criticisms of my SI.com article on Colletti and DePo.

205 Yeah, you knew that was coming. Did any of the criticisms rise above the level of mindless ranting?

http://tinyurl.com/odgmt

MiLB.com article on Orenduff that some might find interesting. He wants to improve his change up this year and cut down on walks. Sounds like a good plan to me

206 - Yes and no. Generally it was a matter of degrees - about me overemphasizing similarities and underemphasizing differences. But certainly, some of the criticisms were phrased in a way some people here phrase their criticisms of Bill.

this is stupid, they said the game would be on mlb.tv and its not anymore.

209 It's not a big prospect game (although Guzman, Kemp, and Ethier are in there)

Lofton CF, Alomar C, Nomar 1B, Guzman DH, Ethier LF, Mueller 3B, Kemp RF, Robles SS, Martinez 2B, with Lowe pitching

Lowe had an easy 1-2-3 inning, although this is the Mets' B lineup

isnt pelfrey starting for the mets? blah im mad.

What the heck, I bought mlb.tv today and it doesn't seem to be showing. I want my money back!

Not only that, the Dodgers' spring training schedule makes it look like every game will be televised, but then on the mlb.tv schedule they hardly have any games. Are they really only showing 4 games today?

someone should call and explain... not me because im hung over but someone should!

211 Maine started I believe

oops, explain= complain

Sounds like Nate should have run out of alcohol last night.

208 Isn't it amazing that the baseball world has become as divided as American politics? People will demonize either side without even stopping to consider whether the point being made has any validity. In a way, it's encouraging that different schools of thought have arisen, but the level of discourse is disappointing.

I've been on hold for like 20 minutes trying to complain to mlb.com. Seems they have a pretty bad case of false advertising.

The Dodgers have 2 homers so, I believe the first 2 of spring.

Who hit them? Robles and Alomar

220
Add Eeee-theee-er to the list.

Now Ethier homers, Alay Solar is having problems with the long ball, especially when you're giving up homers to Sandy Alomar

219 I'm debating getting MLB.tv, so if you could, keep us posted on whether you think it's worth the money.

omg guzman walks!??! that is amazing. he needs to do more of that to impress me. and yes, impressing nate purcell is why you play the game.

on espn, mets vs puerto rico. i think pelfrey is pitching in this game.

it is worth the money for reg season, you get all the games unless you are in the teams market to be blacked out.

Finally got ahold of the technical support people. Apparently the mlb.tv icon shown for every game on the schedule is just so you can link to the schedule of games being televised. Since they only have a schedule for a few days in advance, it's impossible to know how many Dodger games will be televised. What a crock, these guys better give me my money back.

well tell them they the dodger game WAS scheduled up until this morning and it changed sunddenly.

edwin jacksons first outing this spring:

2IP 0H 0ER 0BB 3K - 2 ground outs and 1 pop up

:(

227 Eh, I'm over it, I got my refund. I was only gonna spend the $15 if I could watch the Dodger games every day; now that I have no idea if they'll ever be televised, I pretty much don't care.

Thanks for the recommendation, Nate. I'll probably pull the trigger for the regular season.

Here's a series of events Dodger fans will learn to love (maybe not the first part):

Bottom of the 6th. Loney in as PR, Guzman singles, Ethier walks, Laroche singles, Kemp says good-bye, 5 runs score and no outs recorded

did kemp go back home to the midwest?

pelfrey is pitching for the mets on espn. he has a good fb, inconsistent with secondary stuff. hes tall. i wish we had hochevar :(

233 He looks pretty polished, which is expected for a college pitcher. Looks like his fastball has some good lateral movement, something you don't always see from tall righties.

darn, matsui robbs cruz of a base hit.

Laroche connects for the 5th homer of the game, grand slam to center. 11 run 6th inning for the Dodgers, almost entirely prospects, still not over

Pudge needs a new nickname. He looks tiny these days.

Next Sunday when the game is on TV we'll get shutout.

this sucks. false advertisment sucks. since thursday, they had said the mets dodger game would be on mlb.tv and now its not and our prospects are shinning. boooo.

"The Shinning" was once part of a "Treehouse of Horrors" episode on "The Simpsons"..

240

...starring Groundskeeper Willie.

241
AKA "G.K. Willington"

Our pitchers aren't doing bad either. Lowe had 3 perfect innings, 4 Ks, 5 GOs. Perez had 3 innings as well, 3 Ks, a bunt single, and a walk. Lance Carter just managed to strike out the side, although gave up a hit to Victor Diaz

thats like 6 ks for carter in 3IP.

maybe is he an allstar!!!

Carter just managed to strike out the side, although gave up a hit to Victor Diaz

Inexcusable!

Cora with the bunt single.

maybe he is

man i need to wake up.

Can Carter strike out more people in Spring Training than he did in the 2005 season?

Current count is 22-6.

218 "Two camps?" You're right obviously in describing the polarization now, but to me it's not a true philosophical division like isolationism v. globalism, or socialism v. laissez-faire. It's more like the people we all knew who were saying 10 years ago or so, "I hate e-mail. What do you do all day on the Internet? I just love the sound of the newspaper plopping on my front stoop." The sentimental, mythical view of baseball is very comforting and difficult to give up. The clutch hitter -- that's a character out of Joseph Campbell or William Shakespeare, Prince Hal becoming Henry IV. The manager who manages with his gut -- who wouldn't like to live in a world where that really existed, where psychics could really tell you your future, or where someone could predict the weather because their bunions were throbbing. The idea that a sterling character and a great swing go hand-in-hand -- wouldn't that be great. You could get to the Hall of Fame by way of church and the 4-H club. Or that the pesky, scrappy little basestealing thief who keeps fielders on their toes by running all the time -- that's like the myth of Stagger Lee.

Sabermetrics is the 'no Santa Claus' of baseball. I'm no stat geek, but I consume its insights here and a few other places. It was painful at first. But then, it's liberating. The truth shall set you free.

246 Isn't Cora a Red Sock (singular)?

Carter is just resembling Carrara more and more. I remember Carrara would strike out the side only when the Dodgers were up by 5+ runs

Speaking of Carrara, he pitched 2 scoreless innings against Philadelphia yesterday for Venezuela

How many of the Carter 6 will actually be on a major league roster this season?

250 He's referencing the Puerto Rico vs. Mets game on ESPN.

250

Yes, he's also a Puerto Rican.

The infield for Puerto Rico aside from Carlos Delgado isn't particularly fearsome.

255 I take it you'd rather have Jeff Kent at second?

252 He just struck out Todd Self, Juan Tejeda, and someone by the name of Gomez that doesn't exist on the Mets roster or NRI list.

Jeff Kent would be a fine second baseman for Puerto Rico, but he's too interested in his motorcycle magazines. But if Kenny Lofton were around, he'd restore order.

258

I need to get Kenny up here to set some of my new co-workers straight.

schmoll in for the mets.

I think that's the first time I've ever seen Schmoll K a lefty. Too bad it was Cruz Jr.

Then he gets Valentin to pop out.

For all the prospect nuts (I'm looking at you Nate), what are going to be some of the better PCL teams to watch? Will any of Arizona's future studs start in AAA? My dad wants to go to some Fresno games, so he's wondering which teams he should target as opponents.

Steve Phillips says teams like Cuba want to score every inning.

Hmm... Bold..

264 Sounds like a team Kenny Lofton would want to be on.

Bellorin got another hit today, I think he's 3-3 now so far. Is he a prospect? I've seen his name thrown around, but never in the same breath as any of the other top 20. Is he old?

Game's over, Dodgers win 16-2, Baez closed it out and Loney had a double in his last at-bat.

264

I only like my teams to score in odd-numbered innings.

266 He's 24. He played 2004 foe AA, but with Navrro and Martin, was forced back to A. Could be a future backup I suppose. His hitting is completely dependent on average, as he has little patience or power

267

Scoring in the odd-numbered innings is a better deal than just scoring in the even-numbered ones.

obviously, vegas is going to the "it" team in the PCL this year.

tucson will have chris young and probably stephen drew by midseason. tacoma will have a couple by midseason in adam jones and jeff clement. the salt lake city angels team is going to be loaded- erick aybar, howie kendrick, kendry morales, jered weaver and brandon wood by midseason i think.

269

What, did you think I just randomly picked odd for the hell of it?

A good GM always does his calculations.

269
Scoring in the odd-numbered innings is a better deal than just scoring in the even-numbered ones.

Not so fast. I'd take 2 runs every even inning over 1 run every odd.

I think I'll be attending some Sacramento River Cats games this year when the 51s are in town.

Is Daric Barton supposed to be in AAA this year?

yea i think so.

Cool, thanks.

Josh Rawitch (the Dodgers PR Director) actually wrote the following:

For those who missed their Sunday morning reading, Bill Plaschke wrote a great article today about Kenny Lofton in today's L.A. Times

Lofton must've lit a fire under Rawitch, too. He's going to be very good for the PR department.

Hey Bob, just wanted to thank you. Last night, I had three different dreams about Thanksgiving. None of them nice.

Channel 7's pre-Oscar show has someone named Randolph Duke on it. I haven't seen him since his $1 bet with his brother Mortimer.

280- They had cameo's in Coming to America. But that's still a long time ago. I remember when Eddie Murphy was funny; good times.

I can't imagine being interested in anything Plaschke wrote, but people like award shows, so I guess anything's possible.

282 If Plaschke's columns regularly featured Halle Berry in low-cut dresses, I'd be willing to give him more slack.

So I'll catch up on the 500-some posts I've apparently missed since Fri night but...who wants me to link to my pix of Edwin Jackson striking out Adam Dunn?

284

I could probably strike out Adam Dunn. After he hit a home run off me in the prior at-bat. And after he walked the at-bat before that.

So, is this the Oscars thoughts thread now?

The Sundance channel is showing The Wrong Trousers as part of an Oscar winning shorts collection. Evil penguins are much coller than marching ones.

Two more typos today. I'm going to have to take Marty's advice to heart.

The Wrong Trousers is the best of the W & G series. I always laugh when the penguin takes off his chicken "disguise" and Wallace says "It's you!".

That advice was directed at our new friend.

Who remembers when the Reds were willing to trade Adam Dunn for Edwin Jackson, but Dan Evans rejeceted the proposal. Don't worry, we got 2 all star relievers instead.

290- Yeah, but it's sound. Especially given that I think I've advocated punishing apostrophe misuse with the death penalty. I'm off my game. The WBC has robbed me of many hours of sleep, and only the last three were really worth it.

291 -- The Reds were never willing to trade Dunn for Jackson straight up. They wanted a lot more than Jackson back. In a couple years time, the legend of "What we could have got for Jackson" will probably have grown to the point that Evans said no when Brian Cashman offered the whole Yankees' roster and Yankee Stadium too for Jackson. And is it Evans' FAULT that Colletti would eventually, stupidly throw away Jackson for nothing? From Devil Ray fans, I am hearing that Jackson is looking great in their spring training camp. Gee, maybe the kid wasn't washed up at 22-years-old after all.

Does anyone find final round Golf more entertaining than just about every other sporting event?

Or am I the only one?

Haven't read most of this thread so sorry if its old news (and not that you care anyhow), but mlb approved the dc stadium lease.

phew.

And is it Evans' FAULT that Colletti would eventually, stupidly throw away Jackson for nothing

It could have been prevented had Evans traded EJ for something good when his value was at his highest. Same could be said for Greg Miller. Same could be said now for Chad Billingsley.

I'd trade any of those guys for Adam Dunn.

I love watching golf, especially the final round.

gurnick adds an interesting tidbit:

If Kemp's impressive camp continues, the Dodgers might be tempted to jump him from Class A Vero Beach -- where he hit 27 home runs last year -- to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he could join LaRoche, Ethier, Joel Guzman, Russell Martin and James Loney in a loaded lineup.

theres not enough OF spots for kemp at vegas though lol.

Golf is a great sport to watch. Tiger is perhaps the most exciting and entertaining figure in sports today.

calm down Canuck. Yes, I remember reading in the papers that the Reds did offer Dunn for Jackson. Jackson was one of the hottest prospects in baseball, while Dunn was hitting a little over .200. I'm also not blaming Evans for Colletti's mistake. I'd take Evans over Colletti as GM any day. Evans wouldn't have thrown away 2 prospects for a 1 year rental. I wish we had been able to see what Evans could have been able to do with more financial flexibility.

to add, i dont think its a good idea for his development to skip AA.

Nice job bating the Yankee fans over at Primer Nate.

ha, yankee fans are so funny.

they arent as bad as the mets fans on primer though.

302
And "Strangers with Candy Maldonado" (whomever s/he is) deserves recognition for the unexpected Mike LaValliere reference.

now im going to piss off the cubs fans.

I'm not sure what you could do to them that Jim Hendry hasn't already done.

allstar GG SS izturis for fat hot head zambrano would be fair.. right guys? right?

Do you just visit message boards to cause trouble, Purcey?

298 -- That has to be Gurnick just talking out of his rear. Kemp cannot possibly be skipped over Double A. That is a more important development level than Triple A, and hitting in Jacksonville might be a stiff enough test as it is. Also, how crowded is the outfield in Vegas going to be? Guzman, Ethier, Young, Ross, and don't forget the Dodgers signed oldsters Jon Weber and Tydus Meadows without considering that Guzman and Young would be shifting from the infield. And of course the Ethier trade happened out of the blue. In Jacksonville, Kemp, Raglani, and Ruggiano make a full outfield so there is no room to put Vegas's spares in Double A.

Guzman, Repko, Young, Ross, and don't forget the Dodgers signed oldsters Jon Weber and Tydus Meadows

i agree, it doesnt really make sense. Now if kemp was showing excellent pitch recognition and walking a ton in ST, then maybe. But thats something he really needs to work on.

A) The infrastucture during spring training is rudimentary at best---so far MlB has not been able to provide box scores for the last two dodger grapefruit league games.
B) Don't be quick to minimize Isturis, who unlike JD Drew and Furcal is not seen gimping around Dodgertown.

So the Oscar thoughts never materialized. Or else we're all stunned dumb at how bad it is, this year. Either is plausible.

I thought you made it a point to record the biopoc montage.

Or else we're all stunned dumb at how bad it is, this year.

Reese Witherspoon has gone from starring in Legally Blonde 2....

To

Reese Witherspoon..Oscar Winner.

313.

A. THere are box scores on ESPN.
B. I'm not sure how you can categorize Drew as "gimping" around, seeing as how he just played in friday's game.

316 Bear in mind we can now say "3-6 Mafia: Oscar winners".

141

I wasn't definitive in my suggestion that a walk year can fan the competitive fires with certain players.

And again, I singled out Boras clients in particular. I tend to believe Boras is more apt to manage a player's career to in ways to maximize salary leverage.

I don't see any parallel between "walk years" and "clutchiness," which you introduced, but no biggie there.

For me, it's simply profit motive. It's strongest in a walk year.

And I agree with the other poster who suggested a player would be more apt to take PEDs entering a walk year -- or during one to abet recovery, a huge component of PEDs.

Nate,

I agree that Kemp needs to go to Double-A. Among other reasons, the Southern League ballparks are more neutral than the PCL. They're more in line with what Kemp would encounter in the majors.

I know where you're coming from on Kemp's selectivity and K/W ratios. But I think that gets overstated.

One of the reasons I said that Kemp will be the best major leaguer of all these LAD prospects -- including LaRoche, Chad and Guzman -- is that he greatly improved his K/W ratios last summer, starting about June 1.

None of what he's done yet, though, equates with doing it in the Southern League. That's why I'm a bit surprised Gurnick would be talking about Triple-A at this very early juncture.

Alright Bob, here's one for you. Have 6 different movies won Best Picture, Director, Leading Actor, Supporting Actor, Leading Actress, Supporting Actress -- before tonight?

Someone here likened Drew's arrival to LA to Edmonds going to STL.

Intriguing comp. Bother were 30sh. Both are supremely talented. Both had fragility issues -- although Jimmy twice had played at least 141 games in a season.

In his first season with STL, Edmonds played in 152 games, hit 42 HRs and scored 129 runs. And that wasn't a blip. From 2001-04 he played 150 games, 144 games, 137 games and 153 games.

I think Drew is capable of putting up a season like Edmonds did in his debut year with STL. But I can't see him playing so many games per year -- he's got chronic patellar tendinitis, and look how many surgeries he had last year alone. Jimmy had a rep as a showboater, but it was thought that he had a passion for baseball. STL and ATL thought Drew's fire waned too often at inopportune times. Of course, now that Lofton's around to light the pilot light....

s that he greatly improved his K/W ratios last summer, starting about June 1.

do you have any stats on that? i dont want to go through the box scores and mark them down right now.

The Best Picture winner has inspired me to get into an argument with each person I come into contact with at work tomorrow who is not white.

So I carpool in with a Latino woman. So I'll start with her. I will then work my way through the African-American and Asian employees and eventually I will be caught out in a snowstorm.

I hated "Crash" as much as Steve likes Repko.

So the Oscar thoughts never materialized.

Robles went deep today.

Actually I meant to say:

I hated "Crash" like Steve hates Repko.

Just to be clear.

It was like every Best Picture nominee was named Jason.

Personally, I liked Munich a lot. I don't think it got the attention it deserved.

Since "Munich" was not "Crash", by default, it was better.

For awhile, Jon Stewart made the Oscars seem like an especially expensive edition of The Daily Show.

Five years from now, 2005 will get marked down in movie history as the year of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." "Crash" will be shown primarily in high school social studies classes.

I didn't hate it as much Bob did, though. I liked some of the characters -- Matt Dillon's, Don Cheadle's. If you got past that dumb line about people wanting to crash their cars into each others' as a way of connecting with other human beings, the stories weren't bad.

How come LA is so frequently depicted in "anthology" style movies: "Crash," "Magnolia," "Short Cuts"...

Now, Magnolia, that is a great film. Robert Altman is amazing.

Nate,

Through June 22, Kemp struck out 57 times in 178 ABs -- once per 3.1 ABs.

Thereafter, he struck, out 35 times in 240 ABs -- once per 6.86 ABs.

Pretty strong improvement for a 20-year-old power hitter.

As I recall, LaRoche was promoted off the team midway thorugh the season, which probably made Kemp the No. 1 focus of opposing clubs.

Still, I fully expect Kemp to go through some brutal stretches in Double-A, assuming the Dodgers put him there.

And his walk ratios remained weak -- nine walks after first 178 ABs, 16 more walks after final 240 ABs.

(I'd forgotten that Kemp got a late start to season because of injury).

the K rate for a power hitter like kemp in those last 240ABs are outstanding.

331
I don't follow you here. Altman didn't direct "Magnolia", but he did direct "Short Cuts".

I'm surprised Sin City wasnt nominated for anything. I thought the visuals alone in it would garner something.

I thought the acting was great this year but the stories were weak. Given all that, "Sin City " was the most enjoyable movie I saw all year. Happy for myself that Crash won and Madea won the box office week for the 2nd week in a row since I'm economically tied to LionsGate. Here's to hoping they get an Oscar boost.

LionsGate is easily my favorite studio/distributor right now. Ever since American Pyscho I have liked this company. LionsGate is going to be the next Miramax.

Dumbest comment of the night:

"That's who I am, I can't be someone I'm not." --Terrance Howard

Uh, Terrence you are an actor. You make a living being someone your not. Why do actors say such follish things?

Ben Stiller being interveiwed on post Oscar show. Really, is this guy funny. I don't get him at all. Other than Meet the Parents, which was fair at best, what has he ever done.

Along Came Polly. . .flop
Starsky & Hutch. . .flop
Dodgeball . . .flop
Zoolander. . .flop

Yet this guy just keeps getting work.. His parents were light years funnier than him.

But earlier in this thread, I mentioned that Steve Phillips said that Cuba wants to try to score in every inning of the WBC.

We're all stupid.

i didnt like dodgeball. i thought zoolander was halarioous.

some other ben stiller movies i liked.
something about mary

...... crap thats about it.

Here are some Dodger prospect pictures from the AFL. Thanks to Bob and Flickr I just figured out how to share them with everyone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91066300@N00/

330 - "Stand and Deliver", "The Rocketeer", "1941"... :)

339, 341 - He was in "Happy Gilmore" also...

340 - Bob, I think we are all stupid only when we try to make sense of things like 338.

328. I didn't care for Munich. After the movie I went on line to try and determine what was truth and what was "inspired" by true events. According to many of the websites I read, very little other than the initial assult on the atheletes was accurate. A few Mossad agents came out to say they never questioned their mission and never felt remorse for the assanations. I recognize that movies are manipulation but I don't care for it when history is rewritten. I also didn't care for the message of the movie. IMO, the Mossad agents were not terrorists or on the same level as the Black September members.

Crash was ok, but certainly not best picture. Or maybe it is just a really weak year.

Ben Stiller is awesome in Heavyweights and his small role in Happy Gilmore.

"You will go to sleep or I will put you to sleep. Check out the nametag. Your'e in my world now Grandma."

*you're

341. Nate, I forgot about Mary. That was probably his funniest.

nm lol

Does the concept of a deadline even matter at this point for the NFL negotiations.

i think ben stiller thrives better in small roles then as the main character. As the spanish broadcaster in anchorman, he was ridiculously funny.

the NFL is really pissing me off. as a viking fan, I was super exciting for the clock hitting 12:01 AM ET because
1- we have the most cap space of any nfl team
2- we have a new owner willing to spend to the cap now
3- we have new and better management that arent big homer simpsons like tice.

but now i have to wait at least 3 more days to find out what new goodies the vikes will get.

How can you forget "Mystery Men":)

Stiller makes me laugh but he has made some terrible movies and his buddy Owen Wilson is really starting to annoy me.

Owen Wilson's nose really annoys me. other then that i dont mind him.

my favorite comedic actors rihgt now basically stemm from the whole crew of anchorman.

looking at the AFL picture of ethier compared to the spring training picture of ethier, it seems he has bulked up in the upper body considerably. Maybe thats why hes showing a lot of power so far this spring. i hope he keeps it up.

I didn't watch the Oscars. To me, it's a waste of a time. I'd rather watch a regular season basketball game. I just saw the winners. Crash was excellent as well as Munich. Syriana was pretty good too.

As for Ben Stiller, he's an ok actor. He was good in Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, There's Something About Mary (one of my favorites). I hated Dodgeball and turned off Zoolander halfway through the movie. My favorite actor is Denzel Washington. Too bad he's a bandwagon Lakers and Yankees fan.

So here is my Don Cheadle story (which I warn you is very uninteresting): As I have mentioned on occasion, over the last two months we have been in the process of applying to middle schools. At one of the open houses, Cheadle was there and was very polite and inconspicuous but during the Q&A parents kept asking about how much emphasis the school put on the ISEE (Independent School Entrance Exam) score and when the scores had to be in, etc. After about 15 mins of ISEE questions, Cheadle asks "what is this ISEE thing everyone keeps talking about."
It was the equavalent of trying to get into college and asking what is this SAT thing. Stopped the room dead. I'm not making fun, it was just a little odd.

Two weeks later, we are at a different school, an all girls school, and coincidently, Don is there again too. He has since figured out what the ISEE is. This time he stops the room by asking if the school provides counseling for "cutting." Kind of a sad question to have to ask. I hope he has no personal experience because his daughter is about the same age as mine, 11, and that would be a horrible thing to have to deal with. In any event, he again stopped the room cold.

Well that's my Oscar Best Picture Brush With Fame Story. Don't say you weren't warned at the beginning that it wasn't very interesting.

Denzel is a badass, i enjoy a lot of his movies.

I am a HUGE kevin spacey fan. he does so many roles well. American beauty, seven and the usual supsects are some of my favorite movies.

although he has pretty much stopped making movies lately.

American Beauty is one of the best comtemporary movies ever made. Thank God my wife doesn't care what I do to the couch or if I take a job at Micky D's. Okay, she might care about the burger thing. Chris Cooper was scary good. The whole cast was first rate. Great script.

Usual Suspects is probably one of my all time top 10 movies. Saw it years after it was released and was lucky enough not to know the ending. I can play the ending over and over cause it was just so cool.

i agree with you both.

to add, spacey was geniously evil in seven and that is one of the all time best suspense/drama/serial killer movies. The ending of seven was awesome as well.

man, ill probably make this week kevin spacey week and watch all those movies again.

Just saw the Usual Supsects last week. Great movie and great ending.

hey miltie did you go to those links i gave you on draft prospects? if so, any players that catch your eye?

wow, someone on dodgers.com board just called lance carter a great reliever and cited his two ST appearances as evidence.

im raising the white flag on that issue.

Speakin' o' Spacey, "Life of David Gale," another excellent Spacey movie, was just on TV tonight.

I think he's taken over as the artistic director of one of the major theatre (misspelled on purpose) companies in London. That's why no movies lately.

I know this is random but here are my favorite and least favorite announcers:
Baseball
Favorites:
Vin Scully
Dave O'Brian
Dan Shulman
Jon Miller
Least Favorites:
Rick Monday
Krukow and Kuiper
Gary Thorne
Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler

Basketball
Favorites
Ralph Lawler
Bill Walton
Hubie Brown

Least Favorites
Brent Musburger- I hate this guy!
Tom Tolbert

Can you post those links again, I didn't get a chance to look at them.

Carter is going to have a terrible year for us. I think he's a downgrade from Carrera.

http://mb3.scout.com/flosangelesdodgersfrm1.showMessage?topicID=3425.topic

http://p092.ezboard.com/fbrewersfandemoniumfrm9

the brewerfan.net link is a GREAT link. patrick ebert, the guy who runs the draft forum works for perfect game and is really knowledgable when it comes to the college and prep prospects.

http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewDraftHistory.do?draftId=4

thats his top 30 board with scouting reports.

Well, if we're having some Kevin Spacey talk, one of my favorite movies of the past 10 years was L.A. Confidential. Its director, Curtis Hanson made a "chick flick" in '05 that I rented for my wife but ended up thinking was a pretty good film -- "In Her Shoes." It's not a great movie, but it was more compelling than any of the Oscar-nominated films I saw this year.

Chris Marrero sounds good. So does Max Sapp.

Jared Mitchell- the next Carl Crawford? I'd definitely take him with the Angels pick. Crawford is one of my favorite players. Here's his profile
http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewAmateurPlayerProfile.do?playerId=516&draftId=4

If I am raising an old topic, apologize, just saw the Gammons blog entry he posted Sat. where he was talking to Grady (surprise Boston connection) and he said the talk of Dodgertown (his word) is Matt Kemp but he added that Little wants to give Guzman a shot at LF, Chad, the 5th starter's spot and Broxton, the middle reliever spot. Just thought that was interesting.

If Kemp's impressive camp continues, the Dodgers might be tempted to jump him from Class A Vero Beach -- where he hit 27 home runs last year -- to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he could join LaRoche, Ethier, Joel Guzman, Russell Martin and James Loney in a loaded lineup.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060305&content_id=1335747&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

This is the second year in a row that I haven't seen any of the nominated movies. Don't know if that says more about me or Hollywood.

I'm glad for Reese Witherspoon. She was great in Election and that is one of my favorite movies in the last decade.

I was happy to see Altman honored. So many great movies, but McCabe and Mrs. Miller is my favorite.

305
You don't remember Candy Maldanto? Highly touted Dodger prospect 35 years ago. Never lived up to expectations and was exiled to the Giants. Sic Semper Prospectus...

374 Make that Maldanado...

365 The Life of David Gale, are you serious? I actually saw that in the theaters on a date, and we were both highly pissed off that we wasted money to go see that movie.