I agree whole heartedly. Although, I may have to really restrain myself from chanting "Barry sucks".

With minor editing, the title of this entry could have been directed at Barry himself:

Don't, Barry; be happy.

You'e a good man, Jon Weisman. If only a copy of your post could be required reading for each of the 50,000+ before they enter the gates tonight. Maybe Vinny could read it at several key moments over the PA.

Nevertheless, I don't wish to be in Dodger Stadium for any of the weekend series.

I don't expect good behavior from the fans judging from the one game I attended against the Braves.

I love the Just say no! chant idea from Hoffarth's article. That's fantastic.

Seo was auditioning for the DH role. Everyone knows that the designated heckler is the right hand of the heart and soul.

Personally, I think silence would be the greatest heckle of all. Just pure silence when he is introduced, when he comes up to bat, anything involving him, it would be like he doesn't exist, it would probably also be the thing that would drive him crazy. Yet another instance when I wish I could control the minds of masses of humanity.

Seo was trying to get traded to Pittsburgh, so he would have more chances to hit with the bases loaded.

I've got tickets to Saturday's game and am looking forward to it -- I always get a kick out of Dodger/Giant games (possibly because I've always had pretty decent tickets).

My wife and I will be cheering the Dodgers; my friend and her sister are die-hard Giants fans. Should make for fun conversation in the car!

8 Excellent suggestion. I will be silent while watching the game on TV.

Yet another instance when I wish I could control the minds of masses of humanity.

Hardly a day goes by... mwwwhahaha

4 I guess we can't get a serious answer to your question? I'd really like to know. Does anyone know anything further about this?

8 - I agree.

5 I share Bob's feeling about the Dodger Stadium experience these days. But I also suspect that the poopheads who make the trouble aren't much interested in baseball anyway, so we needn't worry on Bonds' account.

I also think the best taunt you could throw at him is the one about his middle name. :-)

"We are proud that Dodger Stadium is one of the safest, most family-friendly ballparks in the country," said Camille Johnston, the team's senior vice president of communications. Is there a single park that would not claim to be safe and family-friendly? I'd bet even Philadelphia and Washington would make that statement.

With the deterioration in classness shown by attending Dodger fans, it's hard to agree with Camille's statement. My opinion finally changed last year when, between each inning, two obviously over-the-hill pole dancer types would stand up and gyrate hoping to get on camera. Now maybe if they were 25...

16 I wasn't there and just vaguely heard about it on this site yesterday. Im just interested in hearing any stories about the players, especially about one sticking up for another.

13,4
A quick look in the Pitt., PA Press-Gazette says (http://tinyurl.com/synw8):

"Dodgers pitcher Jae Seo, a South Korean, hollered at Perez about pitching too far inside at times. Catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., born in Puerto Rico, sided with his teammate.

Perez, from Mexico, stretched out his hands in a "What?" kind of gesture. There was more abuse from the Dodgers.

...

"We had a Mexican pitcher, a Puerto Rican catcher and a Korean pitcher all yelling at each other," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "I couldn't understand what any of them said.""

I have a group of 60 guys for Saturday's game sitting down near the Dodger's bullpen on the field. We're taking the silence route - - we're thinking of either turning our backs when he hits or using our free Jackie Robinson posters as newspapers and pretend to be reading them. I'll do my part to keep our group civil.

17 Also, as I posted earlier, I saw a fight break out this year where three dudes were kicking one dude in the face for 2-3 minutes before a security guard (who could probably eat at Dennys at a serious discount) finally came to try to break it up. I understand that fights are going to happen, but the response time of this was ridiculous and many kids were severely traumatized.

16 - Profanity is not allowed here (and of all threads for it to appear)! Please be more careful in the future - thanks.

19 - Thanks.

20 - the problems with silence is that it doesn't work unless literally every single person in the stadium does it. Otherwise it sounds like just booing, but not very loud booing. I was thinking about bringing an oversized beach ball painted to look like his head to show the effect of steroids, but it may be misconstrued as a threat to behead him or something. And no, I wasn't really going to do it. Wouldn't that be a sight though? the crowd batting at Barry's oversized head as it floats from section to section?

Awesome idea Duece!

Wish I thought of it. : )

Newsday has an article about the Yankees' interest in Carlos Pena, and it mentions that the Dodgers, Red Sox, and Chiba Lotte Marines have all shown interest. If the Dodgers ever were interested, I doubt they are any longer, but I found it interesting

http://tinyurl.com/pl9cp

12 -

Pinky: Gee, Brain. What are we going to do tonight?
The Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!

MiLB.TV is free through April, and they're finally showing a Vegas game. Unfortunately, it's on at the same time as the Dodger game, although it starts a half hour earlier due to the Dodger game being a Friday night home game. According to the schedule, this is the only time the 51's will be on during the month of April

17.

The deterioration of class at Dodger Stadium (if that is indeed what is going on, which I doubt) is a good thing. If you want to sip on your Pinot Grigio with your pinky out while you watch a civilized game in a civilized manner, move to San Francisco and become a Giants fan.

30
thanks for the heads up.

31 - It has been going on, although not every game is the same. And although I realize you're being tongue-in-cheek, there are other options for fan behavior besides a) passive or b) nasty. You can be passionate without being nasty.

31 Being boorish and being hearty loud fans are not necessarily the same thing. Same with having class and being wallflowers.

"We are proud that Dodger Stadium is one of the safest, most family-friendly ballparks in the country," said Camille Johnston, the team's senior vice president of communications. "We do not condone misbehavior of any kind and are prepared to and do eject those fans that violate our policies."

Are we talking about the same Dodger Stadium that showered the field with baseballs on ball night in 1995? Nothing safer then having parents rip baseball from there kids to toss onto the field.

I am sure we can find a way to let good old Berry know that we are not down with his act without acting like a village idiot.

Larry

25. That's why if you just give me the power to control everyone's thoughts and actions it will all turn out great. The definition of disorder is people not doing what I want.

From what I've observed going to the stadium over the past few seasons.......Dodger stadium seems to be attracting more and more of the "raider fan" thug type in the bleachers (shaved head, mostly hispanic, baggy clothes). Not sure why, maybe its the cheap ticket prices, or whatever but thats what I've seen. I AM a Raider fan myself, btw and I used to go to many games at the coliseum when they played in LA.

As a Dodger fan just going to the game with a buddy, it didn't really bother me, but if I had kids with me I'd think twice and if you're a fan of the opposing team, you are seriously putting yourself in danger by sitting out there.....that is no joke. I saw some Giants fans literally almost get the crap beat out of them (or worse) at opening day last season, and they were showered with beer as they walked down the aisles. They also took a giants fan's hat off his head and tossed it onto the field along with throwing giant balco blow up bottles on to the field .......keep in mind that this was a game where Barry WASN'T EVEN PLAYING. Its gonna be ugly out there tonight.

If you're sitting in any of the non-bleacher seats though, the fans are just as they've always been at Dodger games as far as I can remember in the 25 years I've been going to games there.

The increase in "raider fan" out in the bleachers is something that has happened recently over the past 4-5 years, no idea why. Theories?

BTW, I doubt that any of the people I'm referring to in my post above read the Dodger Thoughts blog, or even know what a blog is, or even know how to read period.

Yes, what Jon said about fan behavior. Btw, it's true everywhere, not just at Dodger Stadium. And even at [PhoneCompany]Park up here in SF fan behavior (especially at Dodgers Giants games) can deteriorate in a hurry, more among the beer drinkers than the white wine sippers. It's certainly a better atmosphere than it was at Candlestick, of course... Meanwhile as for Dodger Stadium, I haven't been there in three years now, and it makes me kind of sad to hear fan behavior has gotten worse, although I shouldn't be surprised. (Judging by two recent, infamous examples of boorish behavior that was captured on television - and you all know what I'm referring to.) Still, it's hard not to think of this being "a few bad apples spoiling the whole bunch" and I try to remain optimistic about our people in general.

I agree that silence towards Bonds, complete and utter, would be more effective (and creative) protest than shouting obscenities... I'd be amazed if this happened, though.

As for me, if I was there, I'd rather boo the Giants as a whole than just one player anyway. It's a fairness thing. [g]

Any word on Kenny Lofton and what will happen to Cody Ross, btw?

Related to 40, how does the 15-day DL work? Once the 15 days are up can the player just stay on there til healthy or do they have to put him back on the 15-day DL thus restarting the term?

33 What Jon said.

When I was a kid (and I think Jon and I are about the same age, judging from a regular perusal of this site), I remember that when the Dodgers would get a rally going — especially late in a close game — people would cheer and stomp their feet and clap in unison and it got so loud that you could feel the stands under your feet shake. That's passion without profanity. I haven't witnessed it at the Stadium in a long time, and not just because the teams isn't as successful as it was 25 years ago. Nowadays, "enthusiasm," at least in the bleachers, takes the form of flashing gang signs and uttering banshee screams, or spiking beach balls as hard as you can directly at helpless-looking people.

37 - I wouldn't call the misbehaving element at Dodger games "mostly Hispanic." Plenty of idiot white folks to go around.

41 It's a minimum of 15 days on the DL. So the player can come back any time after 15 days.

Silence would be golden, but there's no way to organize a stadium-wide STFU. I like the idea of everyone holding up Jackie Robinson or Hank Aaron pictures when Barry comes up to bat. If the Dodgers were smart, they'd have a Jackie Robinson poster giveaway tonight. But the Dodgers aren't smart. This is not new.

I also attended the Dodger/Braves game during the first homestand where there was one of the longest serious blows thrown fights I've witnessed at a game. It did take security longer than you'd hope to respond.

At the same game, seated behind me were 4 Raiders type fans. They came to the game already ripped and they were loud and oboxious and constantly throwing out f-bombs. I had my wife and two kids with me. After a while I was fed up and begin to turn to "discuss" the situation. My wife kicked me and told me to forget it and let's just move.

I didn't move because darn it, I payed for these seats! I did wait until the 2nd inning when 3 of them left to refill their beers. I asked the remaining guy if this was the first time they had ever drank beer and maybe he could control his buddies! To my surprise this worked and the rest of the game was OK.

Ps - It helped when 2 of them dozed off in the 5th inning and slept thru the rest of the game!

Anyone know if it going to rain (weather.com says it might) and how to know if the game is cancelled? Driving up from San Diego and don't want to sit in traffic only to be rained out.

43 - Jon, it definately is mostly hispanic. Lets not be naive here, anyone that has gone to the games and sat in the bleachers over the last few seasons knows exactly what I'm talking about and I HAPPEN TO BE HISPANIC myself.

Dodger stadium draws a lot of hispanic fans in general for the most part, and there are just as many (and probably more) hispanic fans that act COMPLETELY APPROPRIATE at Dodger games, so its not meant as a shot at that particular race of people, don't get me wrong.

In addition to that, the race of these fans may not even be a relevant point to the discussion anyway, but I can only report what I've observed at the many games I've attended, and that is what I've observed.

45 Ummm, they are having Jackie Robinson poster night on Saturday...

Anybody else get an e-mail from the Dodgers saying Furcal is going to be at Toys R Us next Saturday? If so, did you notice that if you put your cursor over his picture it says that Ronny Cedeno will be at Toys R Us? Is the person who made the e-mail that stupid or did they just use the same template from a similar Cubs e-mail?

48 - Well, I won't argue with you except to maintain my "plenty of idiot white folks" stance.

I like having a good mix of people at a game. I don't want everyone there to be the proverbial "raider fan." There should also be some proverbial 49er fans there too. Otherwise, who would we throw batteries at?

(I hope it is obvious that I am joking)

That said, this discussion on the deterioration of class at DS bothers me a little. Dodger Stadium is the ultimate class stratification stadium, where you can't even hang out on the field level unless you have a ticket there. The separate entrances for separate levels have long served their purpose of keeping the rich and the poor apart.

Now that some people who look like they should be poor (hispanics with shaved heads and baggy pants, say) actually can afford to sit in the expensive seats, people start to complain about the deterioration of class?

Back to my original point, which was made in jest: I like a good mix of people at a baseball game. That was one of the great aspects of going to the WBC for me. If class deterioration means that people of all backgrounds sit amongst each other at baseball games, then give me some more of it.

47 I always go directly to the NWS, rather than a secondary weather site. The current forecast discussion says:

... AND THE STEADY RAIN OVER LA COUNTY WILL TURN TO SHOWERS DURING THE AFTERNOON

See http://tinyurl.com/od5hy and click on "Forecast Discussion" in the lower right box.

My non-expert guess is that the game will
be played. No refunds for this advice.

46 - This is pretty tangential, but ...

I had the kids (ages 1 and 3) on the slides and jungle gym at the park a couple months ago. There were a couple of older kids, about age 12 or so, that were pretty much terrorizing the place. Not with what they were saying, but just running and jumping around without much regard to the littler ones.

I hated, hated to do it, but I asked them if they could maybe take it somewhere else. All of a sudden, right before my eyes, their expressions changed, and they went from young adults wreaking havoc to kids who just weren't aware how big they were, who were just acting the way they always had, and who had now had their last hurrah on the jungle gym ruined by some spoilsport parent. With hangdog looks, they moved on.

It hadn't occured to me that they would have played more calmly - I really phrased what I said poorly. Really felt bad about that.

Which is not to say I would be optimistic that a bunch of drunks cursing and shoving behind me would stop if I asked, but I guess you never know.

52 - I don't think anyone's against races and economic classes mixing in the same sections. I don't think that's synonymous with people behaving without class.

17 I feel duty-bound to ask how come Washington gets lumped in with Philadelphia there? Is that really the CW on BB at RFK?

55.

I think I overreacted a little to an earlier post. But when people start singling out certain ethnicities (i.e. hispanics) for their examples of how life is not as good as it used to be, it strikes me as a bit Pat Buchanan-ish and scares me.

51 - No argument from me on that either Jon.

On the Bonds thing.......

I have no problem with anyone booing him at the game (as a fan you can boo anyone you damn well please), but am I the only one that thinks there is sort of a double standard when it comes to Bonds and other players that likely took roids? (Mark McGwire, Sosa, Giambi, Palmeiro, and while its a reach at this point you could even make a case for our own beloved Eric Gagne when you look at recent events) It seems to me that those players wouldn't draw nearly as much hatred from the visiting fans and the media as Bonds does for whatever reason.

I hear members of the media/talk radio/fans call for the Bonds records to be removed or have an asterisk be placed next to them, but why isn't anyone calling for McGwire and Sosa's records to be removed or have an asterisk placed next to them? Especially McGwire after his "I plead the fifth" routine at the hearings. Is it because Bonds comes off as more of a jerk than those guys? Is it because of something else? Why don't fans throw bottles or needles or whatever at Jason Giambi when he plays in Fenway? Do you think McGwire would be treated like Bonds is treated by the fans if he were still playing.....somehow I doubt it. I'm just curious as to why this is.

I'm a Dodger fan but I'd be the first one to tell you that Barry Bonds is a hall of famer and is one of the most talented players I've ever seen, whether you count his numbers from the "roid" seasons or you throw them out completely (and yes I'm definately guilty of booing him at the games).

58 - I think some people have asked for an asterisk next to McGwire or Sosa's name. But the whole asterisk or erasure of records concept is so untenable, I don't think the discussion goes very far - even with Bonds.

I do think that Dodger Stadium's lack of any central meeting point does lend itself to stratification. That's been a big problem in sports stadiums in other countries. But Dodger Stadium has a lonnnnnnggggggggggggg way to go to turning itself into Heysel.

58 I tried to get a "steroids" chant going for Jorge Piedra, but no one would join me. I'm an equal opportunity booer.

57. True, but the fact of the matter is, most are complaining about the class (as in behavior) of the fans more than anything else. I haven't been to Dodger Stadium in a while, but I'm still sure that it has not reached the depths of attending a game for Penarol, where behavior is so bad that the team has been forced to play games in front of empty stadiums and forfeit points because of poor behavior, and that was after they started having dogs at the entrances that were the to make sure noone brought bags of urine to throw.

52 - I agree with your observation about the "class seperations" at the stadim. BTW, its blatantly obvious at not only Dodger stadium but at Angel Stadium as well. As you move to different parts of the stadium (if you're even allowed to), you can definately see it.

I'm not endorsing this or endorsing that, again its just an observation (as uncomfortable as it may be to admit).

I've been going to DS since 1976 - had season tix for 13 of those years - and I have observed a rapid decline in family-friendly behavior after the O'Malleys sold the team.

Time was, the ushers would immediately warn fans who cursed, then eject them promptly if it happened again. And I'm just talking about cursing, mind you, but it definitely set the tone for all behavior at the park.

In my younger, wilder days, I used to scoff at this Disneyland-type of ultra-clean security. Now, with two young kids in tow, I'd give anything to see a return to those clean-living times.

Bottom line: the behavior is declining because management allows it.

I've always thought DS was more affordable than some other places. I had to get tickets to Busch for family outing, Nats@Cards, 4/29 (was that Jon's Anniversary, or just the bad movie night?) and ended up paying $600+ for 6 tickets together and still not that close.

54 I have a hard time asking kids to do that, but I've been getting more practice in. More often than not people will act nicer than you might think (young and old alike)-- but the 'drunk' caveat always applies. I'm more and more impressed with young kids, and I'm not even a teacher. :-)

49- YESSSSSSS!!!!!!

64. Ah, that's going with the Rudy Giuliani, broken window theory of behavior.

52 - I see bad behavior on every deck. Doesn't seem to be related to ticket price as far as I can see. Plenty of jerks with money...

67 - Yep. And the way it has worked in NYC, I think it is no longer a theory, but a fact.

69. Nope, still a theory, a very compelling one that most people believe explains much of what happened, but many other factors also contributed to what happened in New York.

58 I'd love to see all of the "Steroid Seven" looked at more carefully: Sosa, Canseco, Palmeiro, Bonds, McGwire, Sheffield, and Giambi, but I think the Barry hatred in large part is a response to his general arrogance and aloofness.

Palmeiro has become a national joke, Giambi admitted he took 'roids and then apologized, Canseco is another joke (but he admitted taking 'em as well).... but McGwire and Sosa deserve to be focused on if Bonds is (especially with their Senate "testimony"), and it'll be interesting to see if Sheffield comes back into the spotlight a bit since he has some connection to Bonds.

70. Agreed.

Being the opposing fan:

first off, I am a Giants fan (feel free to boo at your monitor). I live in LA (but was born and raised in SF) and my girlfriend and I are going to the game Sunday night and read this thread to see if things at Dodger Stadium are as bad as I've heard... they sound far worse.

I've gone to Giants' games wearing a Giants' hat at Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium, The Big A, Oakland and Chicago. I've never been assualted and never had anything thrown at me. In New York I sat in the cheapest seats in Shea during a playoff game and the worst that happened was someone pushing their Mets hat into my face.

I won't be wearing my Giants hat to the game because I value safety more than pride, but the fact that the atmosphere is that bad really bums me out.

I hope anyone reading this and headed to the game this weekend just does their best to demand more from the Stadium and their security.

See you at the game, (I'll be the one with the white wine spritzer and extended pinky reading poetry about Omar Vizquel).

LAT (or anyone interested) -- Tom Boswell did a chat at Washingtonpost.com today and handicapped the Nationals' ownership derby. Longish description of the Lerners -- ("The Lerners make Howard Hughes look talkative. It borders on weird . . ."). Link to the chat is at the bottom of the webpage.

Also, things seem to be turning a bit for Bowden. Boswell lays into him pretty hard in this chat, which is interesting since he's been mostly supportive up til now. His bottom is that the Lerner/Kasten group would dump him, but the Malek group would keep him.

59 - Jon, if you were to do a poll of the general public, what percentage of people do you think would be in favor of putting an asterisk next to Barry's records as opposed to McGwire's?

I definately happen to agree with you as far as the records concept being untenable, but its the double standard (at least by my observations) and the causes behind it that interest me.

I'm not that creative myself, but perhaps we can all make suggestions for the best, passionate, but not rude, crowd chants for Bonds. I'm not one to join in on the "Barry Sucks" chant and am inclined to believe that as a Dodger community we can come up with something a bit more intelligent than that.

(I'll be the one with the white wine spritzer and extended pinky reading poetry about Omar Vizquel).

LOL.

Have a good, but ultimately disappointing, time.

73 I say wear the hat, but I won't be there to stick up for you, so...
Like the Omar and poetry bit...

75
I'm against the asterisk as much as Jon is in favor of the fumblerooski.

73 - If you have good seats, you shouldn't have a problem, but it still might be a good idea to take your hat off while walking to and from the stadium in the parking lot.

73

At the game I went to earlier this year, they were heckling a guy with a Braves jacket.

I can't imagine that a Giants fan will fare better.

How about a little Hall & Oates for Bonds: "Private Eyes (clap, clap) are watching you. Watching your every move." O.K. not that clever.

64.

At the WBC semifinal between Japan and Korea, the extremely vocal Korea fans were chanting something unintelligible to me (sounded like HAIL BIGFOOT but maybe someone can fill me in on what they were actually saying) while banging their thunderstix in rhythm with each other. One fan in particular was shouting so loud that he lost his voice by the third inning, yet he kept chanting, even if he was the only one. This was so irritating to me that I (a neutral spectator initially leaning towards Korea) found myself rooting for Japan. Although that might have had something to do with the Japanese team's stellar play.

This would not have been annoying, except for the fact that they did this throughout the game. Likewise, I can handle a little bit of foul language here and there, and I don't mind exposing children to it if it's in moderation. They're going to grow up eventually and start using those words, so they might as well learn to use them responsibly. But if there was someone behind me who was cursing constantly throughout the game, I think I would take great offense, regardless of whether I had kids there or not.

I don't think I've seen any fans that belligerent at a baseball game, even in the bleachers. And I think if a fan showed up like that even current management would kick the person out.

The poor behavior is happening on both sides of the LA-SF rivalry.

I live in Palo Alto, and I've been to a bunch of Dodgers-Giants games at Pac Bell. I used to get all decked out in Dodger gear for the games, but the last couple of times I've been, I've had beer, and mustard, thrown at me. I was also shoved by a couple of Giants fans while riding Caltrain (commuter rail) to a game.

81 - This is exactly what I mean.

Back in the good old days, it was Giant fans who were the glassy-eyed, drunken, swearing, bar-fighter-types, and Dodger fans acted like Disneyland patrons - even toward Giant fans.

Now, Giant fans are getting shot in the DS parking lot, and PacBell (or whatever) has softened considerably - especially compared to Candlestick, in which I felt like Frodo entering Mordor.

Have I got stories...

Nick,

that sucks, believe me, I know. But all in all PacBell is still a really really good family environment and the Ushers are usually really responsive when people get out of line (and I mean dropping F-Bombs in front of kids).

84. I think the fan safety issue is overblown. There are tons of Giants fans at Dodger Stadium and tons of Dodger fans at SBCT&A&T&T park during rivalry games. Safety in numbers.

Although, I did almost talk my way into a fight at a Giants/Astros game here in SF last year, when I caught two guys decked out in orange and black leaving in the seventh inning. So I said loudly to my companion: "these guys must be Dodger fans in disguise," which provoked a nasty stare from one of them.

Aside from that, the worst that has happened to me there as a Dodger fan was in September 2004, where the kids behind me decided to blow magic bubbles directly on the back of my neck. I pretended I didn't notice, because it was a hot day and I kind of liked it.

s choir - the "hail bigfoot" chants were "Korea, Korea." My wife and I thought that was weird since it didn't sound like they were repeating any words, but my buddy who speaks Korean was our interpreter at the semifinal games. And I agree that the chants were relentless - even after Japan went ahead, they were dazed for a second, but the chants started again.

Living in NYC, I've already heard talk in local bars about the variety of batteries that will be launched at Barry's bloated head when the Giants play here. Apparently, Duracells are the most aerodynamic. I don't worry about his safety at DS as much as I fret about it at Shea.

83
The Koreans were chanting "Dai han min guk" (Your spelling may vary.)
It's the formal name for the country in Korean.

Turns out that it's really good for chanting.

At the WBC game I went to, Korea vs. Japan in Anaheim, the crowd was definitely pro-Korea and the Japanese fans were booed, but there wasn't any overt hostility shown.

And the Japanese and Koreans have a bit more to rile them up than the people in San Francisco and L.A. who are essentially arguing over laundry, to borrow Jerry Seinfeld's joke.

86-

Yeah, I've occassionally been to Pac Bell for some games against teams other than the Dodgers, and I've never noticed any sort of problem. It's a really nice park, so I still like catching a game there, but I'm gonna leave the Dodger stuff at home from now on.

Obviously I can't really complain, given the way that Giants fans have been treated at Dodger Stadium, but I just find it sad that the thuggish behavior is spreading on both sides of the rivalry.

87. Definately overblown, afterall, it's not like anyone has been shot.

It's kind of sad that the atmosphere at DS is bad enough that people feel unsafe wearing Giants attire there, because one of my favorite things as a fan of any sports team is going to games and seeing a vocal fan of the opponent decked out in team colors. Those are usually the ones with whom it's the most fun to watch the game. You yell, they yell, have a good time, go grab a beer after the game and argue about which team actually was better (assuming the game wasn't a blowout, in which case it can admittedly get rather painful to listen to their repeated cheers =P).

Anyone who feels uncomfortable with the behavior in the bleachers might want to check out the Top Deck. The seats are $6 and the fans are usually polite. It seems like a much better place to watch the game with your kids.

94 - He's got it right, in my opinion. When I go to the games, I'm almost always up on that top deck; it's also one of the last bastions of the radio-toting Scully fan.

88.

even after Japan went ahead, they were dazed for a second, but the chants started again.

And they kept doing it even after the rain delay.

In the ninth inning, I think everyone stood up and chanted what they thought they heard along with the die-hard Korea fans. The best interpretation I heard was from three teenage girls who had their arms around each other, swaying back and forth, chanting "Yay for baseball!"

But I'm sticking with hail bigfoot.

94 & 95

I love the top deck. I sit there almost exclusively. Maybe that's why my outlook on fan behavior is a little rosier than some others' around here.

94 Depends on the kids, though. Some really can't engage with the game itself when that far from the field; others can just fine.

My only SF experience was at Pac Bell in 2001, when a pal and I saw Barry hit Chan Ho's batting practice fastball for home runs 71 and 72. We were there that weekend because we had bought tickets for the series but then 9/11 happened and the series was rescheduled, biggest worry was taking a plane so quickly after 9/11.

We wore our Dodger gear and were pretty well received, although we had bought a stuffed animal for a friend of ours and someone stole it from under our seats during the game. The Giants' fans around us told us that the culture was much different since they left "The Stick."

I do want to go to a game at PetCo this year and check it out, my friend thinks that of all the parks he has gone to, Miller is the nicest, I would have to say that Pac/SBC/AT&T and Coors are nice examples of the post cookie cutter astro turf parks of the late '60s but you always remember your first love.

About the fans, I now have seats up in the reserve level behind home plate and it is a nice mix of small families and others. I noticed that when I have sat down on the field in the non-season ticket area that it is a little obnoxious but I also noticed that I was one of the few fans on Opening Day not buying 2 beers at the concession stands. Personally, and this is just me, spending $20 on top of what it cost to go to a game on alcoholic refreshments is not my idea of a beautiful day at the ballpark.

BTW - we sat it some sweet seats in San Francisco, whether that accounted for the lack of abuse, I'm not sure.

74. Thanks Sam. Interesting take on the Lerners. I can say this, Teddy is one of the most down to earth, non-showy guys you ever wanted to meet. He is fairly quiet and if you met him on the street and talked to him for an hour you would have no idea who he is. I would think Bud would like Teddy's low-key approach. The last thing Bud needs is a controversial owner (read Frank). In additon, there is no question he has the resources to run the team.

If it is the Lerners, I doubt there will be anouncement this week as they are out of the Contry. Regardless of who gets the team, Bud is really hurting this franchise by drawing it out this long.

94 - I sat in the top deck when the Yankees came out to play the Dodgers a couple years ago in interleague play. Even with a lot of obnoxious Yankee fans, everyone was mostly cordial and I didn't see any fights or anybody throwing things, I've only seen that kind of stuff take place in the bleachers at DS for the most part.

98
As a kid, we almost always sat in the Top Deck. My problem with it now is that if I set up there, it turns into a Hitchock film for me.

So, if you want help in killing your wife, buy me tickets up there.

I go to MLB games so rarely now (living in a non-MLB state) that if I go I buy really good seats, behind home plate or one of the dugouts. I usually visit a different stadium each time, because it depends on where I have travelled to. I have invariably had good experiences with fans, despite often rooting for the visiting team. I feel it is largely a function of where you sit.

98 - Good point. That was solved fairly inventively by one family sitting a couple rows down and to the side of me during one of the games I watched. They had brought one of those tiny little TVs, so you could get a good close look at the action. The kids, at least this group, seemed to be loving it. They could watch the pitches up close and then watch the ball after it was hit, everybody running around all at once, etc. I don't know if it'd work for everybody, but that was one of the most pleasant experiences I had sitting nearby a family with several young children (I think I give off psychic vibes that cause all humans under the age of 6 within earshot of me to begin crying/screaming/etc, and not stop for at least 45 minutes)

Sounds like the Top Deck is what baseball is all about...definitely a little different from the --OMINOUS MUSIC-- 700 level at the old Vet in Philly. THAT was a fun place to watch a ballgame!

99 - I think someone here may have a rather unique perspective on the whole *-on-records debate! Wow!

And in the Miscellaneous category, for those who Gameday'ed the recent LA/Phillies series, this was in today's Daily News:

""The win is the No. 1 thing," said catcher Sal Fasano, whose gentle, firm hand the Phillies appear to prefer for Floyd over starter Mike Lieberthal."

http://tinyurl.com/kqf5q. Interpret as you will. But try not to think of Fasano's Gameday pic.

99.

Petco's okay. They have this grassy area past the bleachers where you can picnic and kinda sorta see the game. I really wasn't that impressed. The concessions were good though. Aside from that, DS beats it by a mile.

As far as AT&T, I think the ratio of bad seats to good seats is too high. Also, the angles were made more for looking at the bay bridge than for actually watching baseball. I guess the designers took a long term approach; they knew that once Barry Bonds retired, no one would actually want to watch the team.

I would really like to see a game at Safeco Field. Does anyone else around here think that the Mariners are going to be a sleeper this year?

Another major correlation, as noted above, is whether you or the other party is drinking at the time.

the las vegas 51s will be on milb.tv all weekend. I think billingsley pitches on sunday so we will get to see him. cheers for everyone!

re 106

sal fasano belongs in a state prison (if you go by his gameday picture).

i've worn my dodger gear to fenway, wrigley, old busch, miller park, pac bell, jack murphy and angels stadium in addtion to dodger stadium, of course.

i have never been the subject of anything more than some good natured ribbing, but the trip to pac bell was in 2003, so it has been a while.

the red sox fans were probably the most fun to interact with, but the miwaukee fans were the nicest. could have been the fact it was a day game.

jack murphy seemed to be overrun by dodger fans, so it was more like a home game anyway.

we'll see what happens at coors field in june when i go there for the first time. i'll also be at the metrodome in june, although i go there fairly often and have never seen anyone even remotely care about what other fans are wearing. aside from assaulting knobby in lf for the yankees, these fans don't seem to have much to say about the opposing team.

SBC is just as class segragated as DS. I sat in field club seats last time and none of my friends were allowed to come visit, even well before the game.

The big diffrence I noticed was the ushers. Unlike DS, the average age of the usher at SBC was not 90+ yrs old. SBC ushers were 40-50 year old men (some women) who stood at the top of every asile asking to see tickets and scanning their section for problems. The DS ushers are too few, don't pay attention and reluctent to get involved.

109 Shoot, Bills pitches on Sunday? Right now, the weather up here in Sacramento doesn't look so good for Sunday. And to think I was considering heading to Raley field for that one. Billingsley...rain...Billingsley...rain. Maybe I could sit through it so long as they actually play the game.

111
Coors Field fans are pretty mellow. If the home team isn't normally good, then there isn't a lot of hostility built up.

I was there in 2003 and people knew I was a Dodgers fan and didn't care. Then again, it was the SABR convention so I wasn't sitting with a representative group of fans.

And I don't own a Dodgers cap.

103 - what if I want to avoid being buzzed by a cropduster?

111. The only parks where I would even think there might be a problem would be Pac Bell and maybe Fenway, although I doubt they care about the Dodgers enough to give you problems in Fenway. The fans in Wrigley who would give you problems don't actually know that any baseball team outside of the Cubs exist, if they even know that the sport of baseball exists, so I'm not surprised you had no problems there.

106 - apparently the Internet is not the only thing for porn...

116
fenway was great. i went to all three of the dodger games in boston in june, 2004. we sat pretty far up in the lower level on the third base side friday night, midway up lower level on the first base side on saturday, and then for the sunday night game we were in the centerfield bleachers. no problems at all - in fact, it was a blast in every section. the red sox fans were a lot of fun. for some reason, they sure liked their pokey reese.

116 - I went to a Dodgers game at Fenway during the 2004 season. I rooted hard, but cleanly, for the visiting nine, and I didn't have any problem. Heck, the surrounding BoSox fans even put up with me joining in with the other Dodgers Fans chants of "19-18". The only problems I saw were when a couple of Raider-type Dodgers fans started waving a big blue flag and taunting a whole section. They got some refreshments tossed at them. But other than that I didn't see much. Perhaps the home fans were somewhat dulled by the fact that the visitors were winning big on that day.

117 - What?

Ive sat everywhere around the ballpark, and I think the behavior gets worse as you move farther away from home plate. The Top Deck and Inner Reserve are always pretty mellow, with the outer reserved, outer field, and pavillions being the worst.

Anyway, Im going to Tonights game and Sundays game. Damn, its Passover. Anyone have any ideas of what to eat at the game?

121. Baseball trumps religion. Suck it up and eat a dodger dog.

i just want to say how disappointed i am that i missed the elementary school games discussion the other day. handball, dodgeball, steal the bacon, butts up... talk about the halcyon days. i think i'm going to have to throw a birthday picnic with a "recess" theme this june.

111 "The only parks where I would even think there might be a problem would be Pac Bell and maybe Fenway, although I doubt they care about the Dodgers enough to give you problems in Fenway."

I've never been hassled for wearing a Dodger hat to Fenway. They save their invective for Yankee fans. (I sat in the Fenway bleachers for a Yankees-Sox game once. It was nasty.)

89 "Living in NYC, I've already heard talk in local bars about the variety of batteries that will be launched at Barry's bloated head when the Giants play here."

The only time I've ever seen something thrown at a player at Shea was the first time Darryl Strawberry came back to Shea after signing with the Dodgers. Someone threw a baseball from the upper deck at Mets rightfielder Daryl Boston. I mean, there's being an idiot, and then there's being a complete idiot.

i must confess: sitting in the rf pavilion for game 1, i joined in the "ste-roids" chant aimed at canseco in the '88 world series. he responded by flexing his biceps. and by hitting a laser to cf for a grand slam.

121
So I'm guessing that for Passover, that a pepperoni pizza is wrong on so many different levels.

I would suggest eating before the game. There might be a specialty stand that sells kosher dogs, but with the park renovations, I have no idea where such a stand would be. There was a stand that sold a veggie dog, so I don't think a kosher dog would be out of the realm of possibility.

It's also Good Friday, so the Catholic fans will just not eat anything except maybe a Dodger fish sandwich. A dish I'm pretty sure doesn't exist.

So are they going to be able to get the game in tonight with all this rain here in Downtown?

The rain is supposed to stop by this evening. I would assume that the game will be played, although with the Giants in town, they do have the advantage of rescheduling the game later in the year.

126 - I dont keep kosher. I eat cheesburgers, bacon, and shelfish with joy. Ive eaten Dodger Dogs my entire life, so thats never been a problem.

Its the bread and yeast things that causes problems. You cant have any of it during Passover. I wouldnt be able to eat the bun, and eating a Dodger Dog sans bun just isnt right...I've tried it befoe. I'll probably pick up a salad or something at CPK and bring it to the game.

Luckily I descend from the sect of jewish people who eat potatos, corn, and legumes during passover. So Im hitting the Peanuts and Fries (Regular and/or Garlic) at the Stadium. This also means that corn syrup is allowed. So Diet Coke will be readily consumed.

The coda to the Arthur Winston story came more quickly than one would like.

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2006/04/arthur_winston_100.html

i guess the lesson learned is to not retire.

84 Nick, any relation to Shanto? I've been wondering this since I first saw your name.

120 Barkin - BYO Matzoh! I went to a game with a friend of mine and his family as part of his bachelor party a few years back. It was in June, and it was over 100 degrees that day. So hot that if you left your seat for 10 minutes, it would be so freakin' hot when you returned that you couldn't sit in it. Anyway, about the 7th inning, my friend's dad pulls out a box of matzoh, and offers me some. Now, this would be weird at any time, but it was 2 months after Passover! And did I mention that it was HOT? The last thing I wanted to eat was dry, flavorless, matzoh. I said no thanks. He asked me (knowing full well that I'm Jewish too) whether I was an anti-Semite. Funny guy, but darned if he didn't guilt me into taking one.

129. I've never followed any of the dietary laws, which means I eat bread during passover and I don't even fast on Yom Kippur. My philosophy is that what comes out of one's mouth is more important than what goes into it.

At least that's what I tell my mom.

I've taken in Dodger road games at Pac Bell et al, Ted Turner Field, Citizens Bank and PNC Park always with at least a Dodger cap (and three of the four wearing a jersey). My experiences:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I don't recall hearing anything from Atlanta fans. For very different reasons, I did not hear a single peep from folks in Pittsburgh (where I took in their opening day this year). Literally, not one comment. (The best part was that the Pirates fan next to me off-handedly remarked, "Hey, wasn't our manager your manager last year?" That gave me just the opening I was looking for to warn the poor man about just what he had to look forward to. Suffice to say, he was ashen by the time I was done.)

I took in back to back games in San Francisco last year, and my theory is this: for the casual heckler of out-of-town fans, the amount of heckling is directly related to the outcome of the game. The Dodgers dropped the first game against the Giants, and I got a lot of (perfectly harmless) "Dodgers suck", "take off that jersey" etc. The next night, a Dodger victory, things were markedly quieter.

I went to the doubleheader in Philly this year (sorry Sam, didn't see you :), and noticed there a pretty strong correlation between the amount of heckling and the distance from home plate. My buddy and I walked all over the stadium, and it was fairly quiet until we got to our seats in the outfield pavillion. There, a bunch of the expected demographic (i.e. males aged 18-30) were pretty vocal (but again just having stupid fun). There was one Philly fan who, in between games, looked at me disgustedly and told me, menacingly, to "Get the [bleep] out of my city." But hey, it's Philly. I expected at least one of those.

So I guess it's a mixed bag. A little taunting is to be expected, but I've never felt unsafe or threatened, and certainly never been assaulted (even by peanut shells or bubbles).

132 - I hate Matza. I detest it. It tastes bad. its dry. You get crumbs everywhere. It prevents bowel movements for lengthy periods of time.

Nonetheless, I am bringing some Chocolate-Toffee Matza with me for tonights game. And no, none of it will be thrown at Giant fans. That stuff is a deadly weapon.

111 - Went to Coors last year, we bought tickets on the 3rd base side, field level and there was a small contigent of Dodger fans there so there was no problem with the fans. I met Dodger fans from New Mexico, Nashville and Nebraska who all came for this series being held during the 4th of July holiday. I thought it would be interesting to follow the Dodgers around the midwest and see other Dodger fans and find out why they follow team.

135. Ah yes, the joys of matztipation.

Explains to me how they wandered in the desert for 40 years with no bathrooms available.

I caught a game at Petco park in 2004. I think that Park is really over-rated. its Ok, but nothing speacial. Padre fans try to start things, but once they realize that Dodger Fans couldn't care less about the padres, they shut their Yappers.

I was at a game at the Stick. Eric Karros hit a homerun and we were clapping. The guy behind us spit on us. No joke, SPIT on us.

I caught a Dodger game in Milwaukee in 2003. Brewer fans are cool. Super Nice and very amiable. It turned into a Pro-Dodger or Pro-Shawn Green Crowd because he ended up hitting 4 home-runs and I think the Brewer fans just wanted to see something interesting besides Hiram Bocachica.

"Mom, I have to go!"
"I told you to do that before Moses parted the Red Sea."
"But there was somebody else in the bathroom then and I couldn't go!"

o0o0o0o you guys will love the latest from everybody's favorite Sunday Night Baseball 'caster:

http://www.yard-work.org/?p=491

135. Are you kidding? Fried matzoh, pancake style with tons of strawbarry jam is one of my five desert island foods.

so . . . hot hand Cody Ross get the start tonight?

I wonder if the soggy field tonight will buy Bonds a night off.

Then it will be time to see old friend Steve Finley.

140 Beautiful satire. I actually believed for a minute that Joe was writing about a current team called the "Senators".

No, no Johnson. You were supposed to speculate about the effect of the soggy field on SF's lineup. Get with it!

145 Arrgh! I've been pigeonholed! ...Say, what's a pigeonhole? I bet Bob would know what a pigeonhole is.

Pigeonhole: It's just one of those little holes above a desk where you put stuff. Like in a mail sorting facility.

Except smaller.

120 - I wish I could find it, but Sal Fasano's handlebar moustache looks so 70's pornstar it's frightening.

interesting, chuck tiffany will be pitching against the jax suns today.

interesting, chuck tiffany will be pitching against the jax suns today.

Well, apparently "rarely" has a special meaning for Frank Robinson; Matt LeCroy gets the start at catcher for the Nationals tonight against Dontrelle Willis -- Schneider sits!

111 I lived in Chicago for six years, and never took any guff at Wrigley for rooting for the Dodgers when they came to town. They saved the fistfighting for the Mets games. Of course, I kept it subtle and was pretty well-behaved. And this was about a decade ago; I don't know if things have changed.

The Angels go boom-boom. Boom-boom is fairly effective.

Make that boom-boom-boom.

[151] left-handed men only comprise 11% of the population.... that's fairly rare.

How did Baltimore get so lucky that they drew 19 straight games in April without a day off?

im left handed. and a man.

Check out dodgers.com: Yhency is out for the season with a torn ligament, requiring Tommy John surgery.

I thought that throwing a toy syringe without the needle at Barry was pretty flippin' hilarious.

Well at least they now only have 11 pitchers on the roster and Yhency still has 2 options.

Just posted on Dodgers.com

"Reliever Yhency Brazoban will require Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and be lost for the season, the Dodgers learned Friday.

To replace Brazoban on the roster, the Dodgers activated outfielder Kenny Lofton from the 15-day disabled list, reducing the pitching staff from 12 to 11."

The Bull will be back up soon.

It's like G-d looked down from heaven and insisted that Flanders not carry 12 pitchers. While his methods leave much to be desired (why not Carter?), we can but praise his glorious name.

The story on the website says Yhency felt the elbow go during Burnitz's at bat on Wednesday evening.

Now we could have predicted trouble with the new signees and even Gagne but now other players are getting hurt, this is like UCLA basketball all over again. (Don't want to jinx it and say this is like last year)

So Tracy overused Brazoban too?

161 - I'm afraid that a deal involving Izzy and some prospects for some pitching is more likely.

164 - Another argument against Winter League Ball perhaps. I'm sure the Angels are watching Frankie very closely these days.

I tend to think that arm injuries are an argument against pitching. But we must have pitchers.

Since Spring Training to me is just praying that the wrong guys don't do well, I didn't pay much attention to Yhency. How'd he look this Spring?

well at least it wasnt the shoulder.

anyways you could just tell something was wrong with brazoban.

Didn't Will Carroll just tell everybody with K-Rod on their fantasy leagues to trade him?

[169] i'd be more relieved if it were the shoulder, since we knew that had likely been a problem this whole time. elbow means there are potentially two problems with his arm.

There is no Kenny Lofton.

[170] anyone ever wonder if any major leaguers play fantasy baseball, and if they have themselves on their own teams? or their teammates?

Who's Kenny Lofton?

No need to worry, Dodger fans. If Cody Ross can just continue at yesterday's pace, he'll finish the season with 306 home runs and 1071 RBI! I think they'll be alright.

175 -- There's some stuff about that in Sam Walker's new book, Fantasyland. He went around interviewing people and got very different reactions. It's a good book and worth reading for the entertainment value.

I agree, I had a feeling something was off with Yhency, just couldn't put my finger (or arm) on it. I wish him a good recovery.

And yeah, how long before Jhon Bhroxtabon is called up?

ummm...173...not that I have anything against 175.

PS: How's the weather in LA now? Any sign of the sun? It's been sunny all afternoon (and all of yesterday) in San Francisco - ironically.

If pitching depth becomes a problem, I personally would prefer someone like Mark Alexander over Jose Mesa, plus we wouldn't have to give up something to get Alexander. I just figure that Colletti may not feel the same. Any one of these guys could probably pitch as well, or better, than Mesa: Broxton, Houlton, Sele, Miller, Beimel, Gonzalez, Juarez, Stults, Hull, Alexander, Alvarez, Hanrahan, Hoorelbeke

July is really starting to scare me

179 -- It's not great, but they are almost certain to play. There aren't polar bears and penguins out like last week.

It's cloudy and a rainy off and on, but not very hard. There are patches of sunlight. I would assume that the rain is on its way out.

Markakis goes deep.

If we trade for Jose Mesa, I will slice off my own right arm and beat Ned Colletti to death with it.

Has Grady Little yet defined Jae Seo's role on the Dodgers for the season? Will he be set in the 5th spot or will he be more of a swing man from the rotation to the pen?

184

That's the sort of team effort that we expect out of you Steve.

I think Seo will generally start regularly, but there are several April off-days that make him a swingman.

184. If that happens, your severed arm wont be the only severed arm Ned has to worry about.

I note that I merely found the image amusing, and do not believe that Colletti would trade for Jose Mesa.

If you want to sip on your Pinot Grigio with your pinky out while you watch a civilized game in a civilized manner, move to San Francisco and become a Giants fan.
This is a very accurate (and hilarious) description of Giants fans.

Would Dodger fans still cheer Gagne if he was using steroids? I wouldn't.

190
What about amphetamines?

I'm watching Washington at Florida. Mainly because I know someone has to win.

Sadly, my Extra Innings package does not have the KC-Tampa Bay game.

190. If Gagne was closing in on the all-time saves record, would that change anything?

I actually find myself sympathizing with Bonds, sometimes, despite the fact that I have chanted BALCO! towards him many, many times from the pavillion seats at Dodger Stadium.

192 Was it banned for offensive content?

181 182 Maybe in your part of the county it's not bad, but in Glendora it's been slate-gray for the last few hours and raining hard. I went out to get my car from the mechanic a couple of hours ago and expected to see an ark stuffed with animals sailing down the street.

And in other news, Hee Seop is headed to Pawtucket for a rehab assignment:

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9377368

Hey kids, MILB.tv has 51's vs. River Cats (A's affiliate) for free tonight.

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/multimedia/video.jsp

I am going to miss tonight's game and tomorrow's. I am going to Irvine, because I am seeing the UFC in Anaheim. All my friends I am hanging out with hate baseball so I will not be able to watch it.

My "Ghame Over" T-shirt is relevant again!

this is going to be a tough test for the 51s offense, beane has stocked the river cats with a powerful pitching staff.

So, a lamb dip at Phillipe is not ok for passover?

I believe it is raining again.

192

The Florida-Washington game immediately led to a quick nap.

or Good Friday, or whatever....

lineup!

Furcal, SS

Lofton, CF

Drew, RF

Kent, 2B

Cruz, LF

Mueller, 3B

Loney, 1B

Navarro, C

Penny, P

The Hateds should feel right at home with this weather.

LaTroy Hawkins, doomed to repeat the past.

I look for a goose egg from Zig.

Jeff Mathis can't be stopped.

199 - except that at this point, it's more like Carheer Over.

209 - could be worse; it could be Mike "Rob Deer" Napoli.

211 -- Never mind.

I see KKKorey Patterson is still in the league, and hitting .091 to boot. What does it mean for your career if you're looking up at the Mendoza Line?

jamie moyer struck out 8 in 6 innings, wow.

I turned on an Angel game, and a Dodger game broke out.

Craig Wilson is determined to save Jim Tracy from himself.

How long until Kenji Johima is batting above Beltre?

Re: Don't Barry, Be Happy

Why should we stop or mitigate our protest against a player who has been living a lie? Think of what we are teaching our young ones by NOT protesting lying and cheating.

I also believe a robust protest against Bonds activities would be a solid message to send to players who are currently engaged in similar unscrupulous activites.

Thank you.

R.I.P. Yhency

Afflalo is holding a news conference this week and there are rumors Farmar is going to the NBA...

This is not the news I wanted to hear. I still think there is a good chance Aaron comesback, but I am more nervous then I was before.

Matt Merricks went 7 innings today, striking out 12. So in 11 IP, he's K'ed 19 batters, and hasn't given up a run. Not bad, even for a 23 yr old in A+ ball

Alberto Bastardo, who had 10 Ks in 5 IP in his last start, only managed 3 in 5.1 IP today, but he only allowed 2 hits and a walk without giving up a run

As for Hanrahan, he struck out more guys than Tiffany did (7 in 5.2 IP), although wasn't especially good otherwise (4 walks, a homer, 3 runs).

The hitters continue to absolutely nothing

219

Such is the way of college basketball.

UCLA players now dream of being drafted in the second round of NBA draft.

It's raining pretty hard up here in the foothills right now.

Why is there horrible music being played for the video feed of the 51's game?

224 I have no idea, I was going to ask the same question. I was a bit curious when during the national anthem, I was listening to a bizarre conversation regarding painting, ultimately ending in a request for a James Taylor song

I just heard a guy describe his rocky relationship on the Vegas feed.

I just heard a guy describe his rocky relationship on the Vegas feed.

Sorry.

Sorry.

228

It looks like true love does exist.

227 - WTF is going on with the Vegas feed? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?

Man, what is up with this sub-optimal 70's cover-band trash they're playing? And why no video?

Has the video disappeared as well? Now I'm getting a blank screen with terrible music. Hopefully this is all fixed by Billingsley's start

Gameday has Repko in for Lofton.

224 - you get what you pay for, I suppose.

And FSNPT has NBA basketball instead of the Dodgers. There are only two games left in the NBA season, and all the playoff pairings are set, right? So why am I being subjected to the NBA?

Grrr.

Doug Clark homered off Juarez to give the Rivercats a 1-0 lead. Too bad I didn't get to see it

Is there any thought that perhaps Brazoban injured the elbow while adjusting something mechanically to compensate for shoulder soreness ala Gagne and the knee/arm injuries? I guess we will never know, but I can't help but wonder.

234

Tonight's game is on KCAL.

[237} Thanks, but that's not on my (Hawai'i) cable system. ;)

238

Oh sorry lol

Im watching KCAL right now and I want to shoot myself in the head. What is this crap? Funniest Home Videos?

Are they delaying the start? Ther's some funniest home video program on KCAL now.

Guzman went deep, tie game. Still no video for me though

Joel Guzman hits a HR and the feed is still gone! Argh!

wow, just got back from school. Big night, Lakers try to clinch playoff birth, Dodgers vs. Giants, and now the Las Vegas game as well. This is going to get complicated.

rain delay, argh!

242 - I may check back in in a half hour or so once the Dodger game starts up. This is not encouraging me to send them $20 for the rest of the season.

240 - is "cr-p" a cussword? Jon don't like those...

Could someone please provide a link for the 51s video stream? Cheers

A bicycle built for two!

248

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/multimedia/video.jsp

[247] i don't think it is, techinally.

247

A good rule of thumb on what is permitted: If you can say it on network television then it's generally allowed here.

Crap may have been considered a "cuss" word during another century, but I don't think there's any reason to ban or censor that word here and now.

Thank you

er, technically.

250 - not so much. Last time I looked, it was an advertainment pitch for some matchmaking service (see 226, 229).

Dodgers rained out, 51's hijacked by milb.tv's difficulties; now i see why basketball was invented.

219 "Declaring" for the draft and leaving school are far different beasts. Players must declare for the draft by, umm, Monday I believe - however, they can return to school as long as they don't hire an agent, and indicate their decision not to stay in the draft by sometime around mid-May. This allows underclassmen to attend several pre-draft camps, and attempt to get a better idea of their draft position before making a decision on whether or not to leave school.

Farmar is the more likely of the two to leave, as he could go 7 or 8 spots higher than he would in a normal year because of the just-imposed age restriction, meaning a significant number of high school players will have to wait a year to go to the NBA that would have also pushed his draft stock down this season, and that will certainly affect how he does next year. This is more likely to change Farmar's decision than Afflalo's, because while Jordan is a borderline-first round pick, Arron (yes, it's spelled with one 'a' and two 'r's) is almost certainly mid- to late-second round this season and has no chance of hopping the magical line into the first round.

There's something to be said for returning to school and trying to get over that championship hump, but there's also a chance that Farmar will never go higher than he has an opportunity to go right now.

Hey all, just checked in. Any idea if this game is gonna happen tonight?

257 - See 255

258

I see. Yahoo still says delay.

254

Yeah, but now Tommy John can see for himself what is going on lol

255 - Gameday says rain DELAY, not a rainout.

In Sacramento, Juarez walks a pair but gets out of the inning on three consecutive groundouts. Pretty good considering this is his AAA debut.

Interesting. In ESPN's GameDay preview they list both the Dodgers and the hateds as having no significant injuries.

Huh?

The Rivercats had men on 1st and 2nd, no outs. They proceeded to have three straight 1-3 groundouts, and the runners continued to be on 1st and 2nd. How does that happen? Too bad I can't see the feed...

They took the 51's game off the MILB.tv video page:

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/multimedia/video.jsp

KCAL says delay, not rainout.

KFWB also just said delay, just a minute ago.

263 - you do know this is the A's minor league affiliate, right?

260

Thanks for the heads up. I bookmarked the link.

The Reds shut out the Cardinals, winning 1-0. Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen were 1-12 (a Pujols single). Carpenter was excellent, but the Cardinals can't do anything on offense without those 3 guys.

barry zito is demoralizing me.

269. This may be the end of the Cards run, they really pressed their luck by thinking Juan Encarnacion is a regular corner outfielder. Oh, and their starting 2B coming into spring training is in AAA.

270 - you mean, Texas has invaded Planet Zito?

Juarez surrenders a homer to Doug Clark. 2-1 Sacramento.

Doug Clark homers again, 2-1 Rivercats. Hopefully this means a Guzman homer will follow

Duaner Sanchez and Brady Clark just had a nice battle. With 2 on and down by one, Clark grounded out on the 9th pitch

2-0 count for Guzman

The KCAL weatherman reminds me of Lyons. The KCAL weatherwoman is a different story.

276 That didn't turn out well. Suffice to say, I jinxed Guzman. 2 straight strikes, before he grounded out. Didn't even get close to the walk

at least he didnt strikeout

Delwyn Young comes through with an RBI double. Still only one out with Nick Alvarez at the plate.

275 - and to think, Blogspot thought I was a spammer. Geesh.

Back in Sacto, men on the corners with Oscar Robles at the plate, still one out.

Alvarez picked off from first.

Oscar Robles grounds out. Score's tied, 2-2.

That KCAL dog-bite victim report should have been prefaced with a warning for graphic content. I could have done without that. I just want to watch baseball.

275- The link to buy advertising space is on the right side bar. Although, Jon might not accept money from people who think starving children are a funny punchline. Just a hunch.

Argh, they're showing this all mic'd up major league baseball highlight show on FSN Bay Area here during the rain delay, which isn't quite as bad as a funniest home video thing but gets old fast. I'm gonna pop in my Undeclared DVD and check back in a bit.

284 - we got the Extra Innings package this year. Good God, the A's -- all Barry Zito, so far -- are getting pounded.

14,000 people turn out to see the A's play, and they're supposed to be the favorites to win the division. Sheesh. Take the names off the jerseys already -- it's an embarrassment to the players.

http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/2006/04/genius-in-oakland-of-your-as-ownership.html

Jon Weber plates Bellorin on an RBI double that was nearly a homer. 3-2 Vegas.

Ah... One more Kuiper rain delay joke and I'll throw something through my screen. Seriously, dissing the dodgers history? Where's that .jpg of the SF Giants World Series Trophy Case when you need it?

It's video game time.

Do the news people live in the studio? I ask this because they weren't scheduled to the news right now but yet they're right there.

I wasn't watching -- what did he say?

287

I'll look into getting that. Anything would be better than watching Steve Lyon's twin brother give bogus weather updates every 5 minutes on KCAL-9. As long as Charlie Steiner doesn't do sports I can live with this for now.

293 - Helen tells me it was around $100 or so for the season. Only you can tell if that's worth it for the rare occaision where the Dodgers get rained out.

Delwyn Young makes a nice diving catch to terminate Keith Ginter's at bat with extreme prejudice.

attendance = winning = names on/off uniforms

youre going to have to explain this logic, because it doesnt make any sense to me

-on a side note, do baseball players wear uniforms or jerseys? i was always under the impression that basketball and football players wore jersey's while baseball players wore uniforms; kind of like how basketball and football teams score points, while baseball scores runs.

For what its worth the rain has stopped in West LA and it looks like its clearing (as much as you can tell at night).

As for those of you complaining about what's on TV, my daughters are subjecting me to Tivo-ed reruns of Full House. Think of me fondly after I kill myself.

"extreme prejudice"
-that phrase is vastly underused by sports announcers. Example, "... and Steve Finley ends the Giants season with extreme prejudice!"

298 - it sounds like they offed the batter.

51's knocked Shane Komine out of the game, one out in the sixth.

297 Yipes, my sympathies. Thanks for the perspective check, you're right, I'm definitely gonna stop complaining now. Heh.

Nick Alvarez GIDPs. Turkey.

297

Full House? So your daughters are Giants fans eh?

Yes GAME IS ON!!!!!

it looks like their taking the tarp off the infield! gotta love a 9:15 start time!

Who or what is a Nick Alvarez?

Can the Scullster stay awake past midnite?

First pitch at...9:40?!?!

304
... or at least 9:40

305 AAAA corner infielder/outfielder. Vegas' corner infielders currently are Aybar, Truby, and Alvarez

it sounds like they have to start by 9:40 due to MLB rules, lets hope its a earlier than that for Vin's sake.

so is this game going to happen or no?

303 Full House? So your daughters are Giants fans eh?

What kind of father do you think I am? :-)

Gonzalez greeted with a single and double. The double was from the lefty Barton, so he didn't help his LOOGY status

I wonder how many Luis Gonzalez's there are in Las Vegas that there is a need to actually include Luis E. Gonzalez's middle initial in the 51s gamecast.

Obviously there are a lot. But on the 51s? Really?

314 - no, but there's already two in the majors. And IIRC this Gonzo is a prospect as well.

312 - I'm sure Patty Hearst was a daddy's girl, too...

im not a luis E gonzalez fan, i would rather had carvajal returned to us then gonzalez.

315 He must be Turkey too. Cough. Cough. Up lead.

Ooh, Sacto plated two on a groundout and a single. 4-3 Rivercats.

After all this rain, I don't like Barry's chances at not getting heckled, and with "extreme predjudice" too, by all all the die-hard (or drunk), (especially the drunk) fans still at Dodger Stadium tonight.

so the games stating at 940?

Latest start-time ever at Dodger Stadium? Me thinks yes. I'm sure Vinny will have the stats.

Fans are now very drunk and this does not bode well for Balco Bonds. Expect to see umbrellas thrown at him.

Will KCAL still show the game, I wonder? Anyone?

322- Umbrellas are confiscated at the door.

Well, its 12:30 on the East coast.

324 - I hope to God you're kidding. First, that's just stupid, and second, getting everyone their umbrella back would be a logistical nightmare.

We are almost guaranteed to have After Midnight Dodger Thoughts (west coast)

Looks like it's going to start. Let's play two!

Choi started his rehab in Choi-like fashion. 1-3 with a homer and 2 walks

Is it just me or does the field look a little extra green tonight?

come on penny, become our horse!

only the die hards are still at the game. small in numbers but not in voice.

Repko's in CF. Lofton still does not exist.

330

Pass it to the left.

326- Unless that was a one time treat for opening day, I'm not kidding. Fortunately for me, I was dumb enough not to bring one. That's part of the beatitudes, right? Blessed are the stupid?

Sounds like a rowdy crowd. Why would they give Finly a hard time.

Milton Bradley finally hit his first homer of the year, but the A's still lost thanks to Zito

336

same reason they boo piazza.

Finley is batting third? Say what you want about the Dodger's problems, injury or otherwise, we dont have .645 OPS hitter batting third ... and Penny sits him down looking.

Man that splitty looked good.

that slider or cutter or whatever, has really been effective for penny so far this year.

336 I wondered about that at first, but I think they were booing Barry in the on deck circle.

or splitty. its like a mix between a slider and splitty.

whatever it is, its a nice pitch.

Why do they boo Piazza? Why do they give Paulie standing "O"?

hahhaha 334 made me chuckle.

336

I think they're booing Bonds in the on-deck circle. Finley's just in the line of fire.

can penny have a jason schmidt type turnaround now that hes developed that out pitch?

Does anyone know if TiVo will allow me to fast forward through the boring parts of this game, even though it's live? >>yawn<<

Uh oh, it's drizzling again.

Duane Kuiper just called James Loney "Looney" when reading the lineup.

Vin doesn't even acknowledge the "Barry Sucks" chant. Pretty loud.

344

I was hoping you knew.

347

Are you asking that question to the heavens?

Have the Giants explained why they bother starting Jamey Wright? Are their other options really that bad?

347. shhh, dont jinx it.

lol so that walk made the steal irrelevant... again.

Jamey Wright praying it starts to pour any second now.

furcal barely got in there. I really hope this isn't one of those games with 3 different hour long rain delays....

I'd imagine Kent is pretty worked up for this game.

this game sounds like it is being played in a prison yard. or wembley stadium(I have no firsthand knowledge of either).

Bonds' usual post-game hangover is gonna hit him around the 4th inning tonight. Let's hope he doesn't snap.

This crowd sounds like South American soccer fans a la Boca Juniors vs River Platte

357

he would probably prefer to out at Glamis.

After two straight walks, why did Drew and Kent swing at almost every pitch? They weren't even swinging at strikes

361 They want to go to bed?

Kent's OPS is now below .600

two on, no outs, and we get nothing.....how irritating.

Looks like another rain delay coming up...anyone know what time this is supposed to finally pass through....?

Nooo. it's not raining that hard. no tarp.

I swear if you look at the latest weather maps, the radar looks like there's one rain cloud left in California and it's over Dodger Stadium.

http://www.weather.com/maps/geography/southwestus/index_large.html

game back on. bonds up.

361-

those are the things that baffle me. You'd think that even though these guys are professional hitters either Murray or Little would give them the old "make him throw strikes" speech. I just don't get it...

Looks like Penny throwing extra hard to BB. Bad feeling about this.

I swear I'd give someone a thousand dollars if they ran around on the field dressed as a syringe right now....

It's comforting that Barry's just not as scary as he was from 2001 to 2004. I was always afraid for our pitchers to throw him strikes because there was a good chance he'd hit a homer, but he just doesn't seem to have the same batting eye as before.

as a baseball fan, i can appreciate Bonds' excellence. as a dodger fan, i cant wait for Bonds to just go away.

Never mind.

channel 9 has to get a radar gun. someone start an internet petition.

I need some opinions. I'm in a pretty serious fantasy keeper league, I'm thinking of going after Penny...

Would you guys give up Smoltz for Penny?

371. I think Bonds is still pretty scary. Don't kid yourself he is going to break out of this little slump and break out big. I just hope its not this weekend.

374- I emailed the programming department. No response. It's weird, but I can't help but wonder if they don't care what I think.

who is putting this lineup together, finley setting up for Bonds, who's protected by durham?

so if penny takes that next step, and if we trade for dontrelle without giving up billingsley and if we sign zito this offseason then our rotation will be pretty good next year!

only IF we do all the said things.

/end of humor.

375 That's a bit much to give up in perceived value, although I do think Penny will outearn Smoltz this year. You should be able to squeeze another less prominent player out of the other owner unless Penny throws a gem tonight.

375. I took Penny in my fantasy league (breaking my own rule against picking Dodgers) and I couldnt be happier right now. I would think Smoltz' age should worry you enough to go with Penny.

376 - hopefully that is on Sunday after the Dodgers have won the first two games.

Now that's scrappy

Go scrapko!

nice slap repko.

377

No response at all? not even a thank you for your e-mail email? that's unacceptable. I never expect any action but I demand a generic response.

375 How many players do you keep? I would figure that most keeper leagues don't have so many teams/keepers to make Penny (or Smoltz at his age) a keeper anyways. That said, and this may be influenced by my fan affiliation, I would give up Smoltz to get Penny straight up.

colletti is looking sleek in his black leather jacket.

376 I realize he hasn't totally lost it, I just don't see him hitting more than 30 homers this year. I don't know if it's rust, or the media circus, or that his skills are finally declining, but he just doesn't seem to be the same.

I understand Mike Matheny is a great defensive catcher.

Anyone wanna bet that Navarro now walks, after a SB?

Eric Hull just made 35 pitches, only 15 strikes, to get out of the 8th, and he did so without giving up a run. It took him a pickoff and 2 Ks. Now to the 9th, last chance for the 51's, down 3-4

380-

for some reason I just feel like Smoltz is in for a down year. I guess if I keep him I'm still getting a bunch of K's anyways. I'm not worried about his arm, just general decline...

its actually kind of nice to be on the other end of 5 stolen bases a game.

Er, or not. I'll shut up now.

I thought Matheny's big selling point is his stellar defense, are these steals because the pitcher's too slow to the plate or what?

386 - try writing a USPS letter. A lot of places pay no attention to e-mail.

i think wright is like derek lowe to the plate.

colletti is looking sleek in his black leather jacket.

That's the closest he can get to Giant garb since he was forced to take off his ring.

397 - it's always the pitcher.

Pretty funny watching Finley waving off Bonds, as though somehow Bonds could arrive in shallow center in time to catch anything.

LOB might be my ultimate pet peeve.

AL fans don't know how great they have it...there's nothing worse than getting a couple guys on base with less than two outs and hearing "here comes Derek Lowe to the plate"...shudder

393 I agree, I don't think he's gonna have that good of a year. My point is that his perceived value is still pretty high so you should be able to squeeze another player out of the deal. If it comes down to it, I'd do the deal straight-up though.

I don't know, but this pitcher looks pretty good damn it.

According to Vin, Wright doesn't slide step, making it easier to steal off him

Vegas down to its last out, Oscar Robles up

I don't think there's any other team where Pedro Feliz can be considered a "fine, young hitter" as Vin called him

Pedro Feliz a fine young player?

401 - and thus another American League fan is born. I tell you, first it was the DH rule. Then it was the infectious DH rule (i.e., if either club's parent is AL) in the minors. This spring it was the excuse of the WBC. The DH will be in the NL within a decade.

That's the closest he can get to Giant garb since he was forced to take off his ring.

Is that true? I hate that he wears the losers ring from a loser franchise that had the biggest choke in WS history.

406 Alzheimers? Or ironic sarcasm? Of course, at Vinny's age, damn near everyone's young.

penny is looking real good

Gee- Wrights career stats dont really look as good as he looks tonight.

51's with runners on 1st and 3rd, bellorin at the plate. Im expecting Russ Martin to come in.

I'm watching FSN Bay Area, and they have a gun. Penny was at 91 in the 1st and 93/94 in the 2nd and 3rd. The 1-2 pitch to Wright touched 95.

What's the NL curfew rule these days?

397- That's the thing--I didn't care enough to send a letter. I only barely cared enough to write three cordial sentences asking that they do something that's a)in their own best interst, and b)free.

But now, now that I've been scorned? I'm mad enough to storm their offices and set myself on fire in protest. That's just how I roll.

I'm "watching" the game on Gamecast until my kids fall asleep. I thought Pocahontas would do the trick fast. TV Viewers, what is the crowd doing to Bonds so far?

Vin talking about Yhancy. If you ask me its time for the Dodgers to be proactive. Either acquire only players who have had TJ surgery or require all players to have the surgery when they become Dodgers.

411 Yes he is! Lets hope it continues as it has for several apps. Now if Lowe can keep it going for starts.

416 - the usual.

With men at the corners, Edwin Bellorin swung at strike three, 51's lose 3-4

409. I think Ned said he would take it off as soon as the season started. I assume he has.

Good to see that (a) Drew can still hit, and (b) Finley has no range.

you did that at the wrong AB drew!

Drew couldn't do that in the 1st inning?

"Finley on a slow track". Aaaand when the field is dry?

408-

I actually can't stand the AL. I i REALLY can't stand the DH rule....it's just so so so so frustrating to put a rally together then have your pitcher come up...

okay, I'll say it: Jeff Kent looks absolutely awful this year.

Now would be a great time for Kent to break out.

you are testing my patience jeff kent!

417 - the Angels are drafting them with TJ surgery built in, cf Nick Adenhart.

This Wright guy is throwing almost all strikes. I didn't think the guys stuff was so good we could't take advantage. Especially an offenive juggernaut like these D's.

The only positive is you know JK has to get hot soon.

I think my TiVo is fast forwarding through the game without my doing anything! We may be in bed before midnight after all folks!

Looks like Kent is earning that extension...

421

I hadn't heard that. I guess that was tolerable.

417

Lol. Why even sign contracts? Unions are going out of style anyway. Lets just pay the pitchers per-game until their arms falls off and then import more.

Randy Freaking Wynn!!! Are you kidding me?

That might be the Winn-ing run.

Winn with the HR...JD might have had that with a better timed jump.

Angels are also drafting relatives of retired, syndicated TV clowns...

Theres goes the perfecto, the no-no, and the shutout..

Kobe had 50 tonight on 17-28 shooting. Kwame had 20 pts 9 boards.

oh come on. are you kidding!!?

I hope BP not hurt by that hit and now gives up weak pitch to BB

439 - actually, Bob Bell was Chicago's Bozo. In those days, there was no such thing as a nationally broadcast Bozo show; each city had its own, so it was actually a franchise.

KB54!!!

this better not turn out to be one of those games where we lose 1-0 and leave 15 men on base. Normally I wouldn't be worked up like this, but I just can't stand these Giants....

this is where you IBB (or plunk) Bonds

That was no strike to BB. I guess he doesn't get the calls like he used to.

and odom had another triple double. Hmmm

I love seeing Bonds swing through pitches, though, I cant remember ever seeing it before

I have to think BB will time those fastballs sometime soon. that was right down the middle of the plate.

maybe the lakers are clicking on all cylinders now.

Barry looks very friendly in his MLB Gameday picture. Playing pepper with Cruz tonight so far.

450 - rumor is Bonds can't catch up to mid-90's heat.

If Barry can't get 'em to the warning track anymore, it's gonna be a long year for my fantasy teams.

A couple things about Bonds and his slump:

1: Not on the 'roids anymore.
2: The full-time hollering in the stands has got to be a distraction.

It was a nice game for the Lakers, no doubt, but they played the blazers, the worst team outside of manhattan, and they left some of their best players behind in Portland

456 - (1) the three knee surgeries had nothing to do with it?
(2) like he's never had to deal with that before.

Bonds at the plate in front of the Posidon ad is classic.

Kwame's 20 and 9 is what pleases me most.

Bone chips, maybe?

http://tinyurl.com/evqxl

458-

Re: #2 He doesn't have a leg to stand on now, what with the book. Pun intended.

I just realized that I might actually fall asleep listening to vin scully call a game. It's like I'm seven years old with a portable radio to my ear. Oh wait it is the 4th inning already, I guess you can't go home again.

456.
1. If he was on roids before, he stopped when they started testing a while ago, or he's using things the tests cant detect

2. there has been full-time hollering in the stands for years, he likes it.

Bonds' real struggles are a matter of him finally showing his age or just a slow start to the season. He's one 2-2 2HR 3IBB game from scaring the crap out of pitchers again.

409 - You guys let a "the biggest choke in WS history" slide by without the obligatory mentions of: Bill Buckner, Luis Gonzalez, Jose Mesa, the entire 1998 Padres team, Mitch Williams, Dennis Eckersley (1988 version only)...

437 - Winn-ing run from a fine young outfielder?

Five words I thought I'd never utter: We need Cody Ross' bat.

460

Hopefully Mihm comes back but they should share the center position.

nice penny picture.
http://www.homeruncards.com/imagesrc/pennybow.jpg

Niekro please...

464-

What I meant was that everyone knows now, and he can't deny it with a smug smile. The hollering is now present in every road game, not just in DS. But everyone's right, this too shall pass, and throats will tire after a couple of months, especially if he starts going yard again with some regularity.

465

Matter of opinion, I guess. giants let a larger run lead slip away and boston didn't take the lead until the 10th inning. I think the Giant choke was worse.

Penny does look good.
Why does Wright look good-is he having a good game?

LAT 466 you could be (W)right.

465

You have an argument with Buckner(I think I'm right though) the rest of the your list is behind the 2002 WS.

Bunt him over, BP.

I would think even Giants fans would confess that the loss in 2002 was a choke of tremendous proportions.

Happiness is coming home from a late night out and seeing that the Dodgers were rain-delayed, and are just getting underway at 1 am EDT. Thankfully, tomorrow is Saturday.

MLB.tv is absolutely awesome, even if I have to listen to the Giants announcers, who are the biggest couple of idiots I have ever seen call a game. Jesus, these guys are bad.

Speaking of Buckner, there was a funny line at the unveiling of the Mets stadium plans the other day, according to Time/Newsweek:

(Paraphrasing) Somebody said to the Mets GM "Bill Buckner's on line 1; he wants to push the plunger when Shea's imploded."

can't someone teach pitchers how to bunt? It's really not that difficult..

And when are our guys going to stop swinging at sinkers that come in around their ankles?

Does anyone think the players on other
MLB teams are watching this game? Especially with BB playing?

That may have been Furcal's worst AB this young season.

480

I would think most players would only be watching this game if it's on the TV in the bar where they're drinking right now.

who's that skinny black guy sitting on the bench next to Penny? ;0

What's with the swinging virus all of a sudden?

So with Lofton activated and supposed to start tonight will Grady use him as a PH if needed? (I doubt it).

I might not be able to watch this much longer....it's beyond irritating watching our guys consistently swing at pitches in the dirt. It's really not that difficult...you know a sinker is coming, you know it's going to be low, so don't swing.

That call on Cruz was horrendous...

Dodgers now have 12 LOB.

Wright strikes out the side? Yikes.

what happened to our potent offense!?!?

oh yea it was just an illusion.

487 No, five. You're looking at the individual stat; the one you want is the team stat at the bottom of the lineup. It makes no sense to me either. They've only got three hits, so they couldn't possibly leave 12 on.

If this thing ends 1-0 I'm breaking open a bottle.

The Dodgers have 5 LOB.

482
Speaking of the 1986 WS and drinking, I just watched Reverse the Curse of the Bambino on HBO. Apparently during the game 6, Ninth Inning rally Kevin Mitchell was knocking back beers with Keith Hernandez in the clubhouse before his successful PH appearance.
Now that Amazin'!

486. By your rational D. Lowe would be completely ineffective. Oh yeah. Never mind.

486 - The pitches that Furcal swung at and missed were sliders at the back foot, not sinkers.

Wonder who would win a chugging contest on the 2006 Dodgers?
You would say Furcal or Lowe off hand, but my guess is Gagne could swill quite a few Moosehead...

Dodger pitchers take note, that is how you bunt.

intentionally walk Winn!

is it me or does it look like Cruz is getting a late jump on nearly every ball.

wasnt matheny out?

496

My money is on Penny.

500

looked like he was but called him safe. haven't seen a real good angle on that yet.

499

Not you.

im calling it here..

back... to back.....to back!

498 - Not that it helped, but yeah, that's how to do it.

501-

Not a bad call either. That might be the Final 4. (Don't sue me NCAA/CBS)

496. No way. Its Lowe. Any guy who responds to the question "Do you have a drinking problem?" with "No I have a drinking solution" is peaking in his binge capacity.

There goes a little more BB knee cartlidge.

On 2-0, I hope that was JD's pitch.
Wait it say lines out to Bonds....OK, good cut.

Finally...

Kent is ALIVE!!!

drew makes me look like an idiot.

Did Kent just laugh in the face of the catcher? Anyone else see that?

Somebody was asking Kent to reappear?

In this country, we pronounce that "MULE-er"

511 It certainly looked like that

511. I ran it back and Loney said something to Kent that made him laugh and while laughing he looked at Matheny as he turned for the dugout.

I loathe that Hummer commercial.

It makes me want to join Earth First.

why is hamulack in?

did penny get hurt!??!

506

"I don't have a drinking problem I'm just really thirsty"

Oh boy, is this when Grady Little manages the last 9 outs? Bringing in the guy with the 0.00 ERA looks like a sharp move.

Oh goodie... The bullpen.

well this is where we lose the game.

I sure hope Penny is OK, he's been great so far

516 I don't remember having seen it before, but it certainly is odd. Your loathing is completely justified

So my first day back in LA, I get to see the Clippers game, thanks to the Dodgers long rain delay.

I'll give Kent some credit for that home run.

Penny's out, so I don't think the Dodgers can win this game.

Kent sure is a complex guy. Does anyone know if he has a single buddy in the game?
I thought he finally found guys like him in HOU but I guess that wasn't ideal for him either.

Uh oh - is Penny okay? Was it that ball hit off his arm? That was a few innings ago and he seemed okay after that. I'm assuming taking him out is because of the odd circumstances and conditions tonight.

Hamulack and fingersicross.

penny only threw 78 pitches.

476 - you betcha

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/got-them-giants-fan-blues/

Finley and BB facing Hamaluck does not fill me with confidence.

The umpire has really been squeezing the Dodgers pitchers today.

I really don't want to watch this... Um... I think I'm gonna change the channel.

Hamulack is probably out there to get Finley and Bonds (the lefties). Saito figures to come in for Durham (or Niekro)

And Hamulack walks Finley. Here we go...

Hamulack is only on the team because Ned traded for him.

Bonds will get on base somehow, maybe even a....

walking guys in front of Bonds = bad times

I sure hope this isn't just in the name of getting these lefty-lefty matchups...oh boy walk the guy ahead of bonds...brilliant!

Gmaeday is so slow right now

Gameday is so slow right now

The umpire is really squeezing Hamulack

Walk him. I'll take my chances with two on, no outs.

Bonds walks

Tim Hamulack=Tom Martin

Can't make the club sandwich without the ham you lack.

Why take out Penny?!?

The Osoria special might be nice right about now, but no way Little has any confidence in Osoria. Too bad

every time honeycutt comes to the mound, a dodger pitcher gives up a homerun.

There is no defense against the base on balls. Absolutely none. Throw strikes.

541- he was hit on the arm by a come backer

Durham is probably going to bunt here

545- Oh, that sucks.

Durham strikes out bunting 0-2. It looked like he was trying to bunt for a hit, too.

durham just fouled a bunt attempt with two strikes.

Hamulack is a chicken. He could have thrown a strike to Barry, but clearly he didn't out of some misguided sense of respect.

Nice strikeout, Durham.

pitcher change

540 We're going to hear that line every time he pitches, methinks.

Re: that banner ad for BRICK on the sidebar. Saw it last night and it's utterly unwatchable. The dialogue is so weird they offer you a glossary when you go in like 3D glasses.

551 - if it is to be, it is up to me.

Double play. Nice job Saito (sp?)

HEH!

Nice DP!

domo mori gato mr. saitoh!

Saito certainly did his job, unlike Hamulack.

The 0.00 ERA continues.

I'll drink to that!

Sponsor of the 7th inning strech on FSN:BA:
Jack Daniels.

561 - amazing Lowe didn't end up in SF.

Ray Durham is mental.

Finally someone gets the first batter out, I didn't see the play where Finley hit the ball off of Penny's arm, how bad was it?

If you are at the stadium, last chance for beer.

Lofton? Why?

A good fielder might have caught that, but the Giants have BB in left.

OMG, he does exist!!!!

Kenny Lofton? Isn't this what we have Ledee for?

Was that "Kenny Lofton?"

Nice AB for Lofton, 1 pitch DP. I wonder if Ledee could have done that. Good way to make Wright work

Gotta love that scrappy first pitch swinging double play. I really hope he pulled his hamstring running to first.

wow, im glad i had to step out for that inning, it looked very stressfull. unfortunatly the favorable outcome will probably just embolden Grittle into making more bad decision.

Nice job Lofton, way to make a first impression.

Lofton made the last out of the 2002 WS, and the first AB of the season he GIDPs. Brilliant.

and he shall be shunned from the field of play for all of eternity.

I'll repeat: Why in god's name did we ever sign lofton in the first place? You're telling me we couldn't have gone after someone like Coco Crisp? Ryan Freel? ugh

One pitch, two outs. Kenny Lofton, you are already dead to me.

Swings at the first pitch and hits into a DP. Nice start to your Dodger career Kenny

565 - under the "you break it, you buy it" policy, Lofton now must start until he collapses into a pile of bone chips and artificial knees.

567

I bet you Bob's making a sandwich right now and didn't see him.

Hey where's the "maybe" answer for the text messaging?

So, after a cold night in Sacramento, a couple of things to note from th 51's. They lost, but they had their chances. They outplayed the rivercats but fell a little short. Joel Guzman has some raw power that is beyond belief. He basically hit a homerun off of a light swing, but it barely cleared the wall. Delwyn Young has got some pop in his bat....the quikest hands I saw tonight. When he hits the ball it goes, but his contact is line drive at the highest. He needs to learn how to elevate the ball. All and all it was a good game for a cold night and the 51s fought to the end. Not to impressed with Juarez, but everyone has a bad game. Either wa pretty solid as well.

I was playing "Collapse" on my cellphone, but I glanced up briefly and there was a player that Vin Scully was describing as Kenny Lofton.

Was that THE real Kenny Lofton?

Did he light a fire under JD Drew?

He burned down our win expectancy.

With Cameron out for a month, the Padres are going to need another CF. They've been playing Termel Sledge in LF and Dave Roberts in CF, but can you imagine an outfield with Lofton and Roberts.

Kenny Lofton for Scott Linebrink- Pull the trigger, Mr. Towers.

This is all hi-larious but I think I need to work on my MILB.com parser. Seriously.

when did this mythology develop that veterans make good decisions and do the little things? first durham bunts into a K, then lofton grounds into a dp on his first pitch of the season.

Beware of retarded managers bearing gifts.

Is Loney working for Sandy Alomar?

Why is Loney always on the ground?

Loney looked like he caught a shingaurd in the face on that popped-up bunt.

585 - Your spelling is incorrect. Veterans do the Little things.

Nasty pitch.

Nice job by Kuo. Next inning is probably our only chance.

OMG Doug Eddings?

The funny thing is you know Alou will pull Wright this inning so why didn't he hit for him. Says alot about his view of his bullpen.

Yucky... GameDay confirms Penny left with an injured arm.

(594) ...and his bench

592 - and if the Dodgers get the lead, it would be comforting if they had a really dependable closer...

I just got here last inning, have we just been swinging at Jamey Wright's crap the entire night? He wouldn't throw a strike if he was paid $10 for each one.

And we get hosed on the 3-1 pitch.

595

that really was a weak hit back to the box,. hopefully just a bruise and took him out as a precaution.

Watch Matheny tag him on ball four.

Baez will probably come in either way

That was definitely ball 4. This umpire has been terrible....and Furcal pops up the next pitch.

598. Furcal has, but this is the best ive ever seen from Jamey Wright.

come on, Vin. you can't call wright brilliant. Now he said "Penny went a brilliant six" oy vey

Jamey Wright and brilliant, two words that don't go together very often. . .unless you are playing the Dodgers.

4 pitches. Just mail it in.

First pitch swinging. Do these jackasses never learn?

someone needs to tell drew that he isnt jeff kent and he is getting paid to work the count and draw walks.

I lied a little bit. I watched Drew and Kent wail away in the first inning after the first two guys had walked and decided I'd come back later.

What is with all this first pitch swinging, especially with Drew? Do we need to fire Grits and Eddie Murray?

601 - this is Doug Eddings we're talking about here.

That was one of the worst calls i've seen recently--but we put ourselves in this position.

It seems to me, given all the alternatives, players would rather face a hard throwing pitcher than one who pitches junk. Junk guys take a little off here or there and really screw with your timing.

need the Finley DP here.

They better pay attention to Vizquel

606 - I'm telling you, I think Dreww is trying to change is MO this year, I'm not saying I agree with it but ir has to be a conscious decision on his part.

Whose bright idea was it to throw a slap hitter a changeup?

Wow a Dodger pitcher trying to hold a runner. Now there is something you don't see very often.

Why is Baez not in?

I hate gameday. Is it always this far behind?

Would have been a DP. Ugh!

Probably the right thing to do, sets up the DP.

Kuo needs to work on the intentional walk delivery.

kuo almost wild pitched an IBB. Bring in Bayez or you are asking for trouble.

That was scary.

Get Kuo out of there

Does this make all Dodger fans Kuo-dependents?

Grady with the NL Manager Acid Test here -- the double switch.

618 - only when the servers are stupid busy.

"I hate gameday. Is it always this far behind?"
-------

For me, Gameday has been several pitches ahead of the radio all night. It's freaky.

I'd take a Hummer commercial over that whinny chick in the charles schwab commercial. equating filling out a simple form to a second job.

Navarro really should have blocked the 0-1 pitch. Yes, it bounced on the plate, but all he had to do was drop, and it would have hit him in the stomach.

If that was Bonds instead of Slappy Ray Durham, that pitch would have landed in Montrose.

We lose this game becasue of a WP. Geez

Cursed by Finley's Olney!

I'll take the Hummer commercial over the annoying lady on the radio who talks about going to Dodger Stadium on a first date.

632

Have faith, my son. these are the Giants.

Gordon Lightfoot sang about Finley's Olney.

Who are the Giants using as their closer right now? Worrell? Wright probably would be more effective than Worrell

So I take it they scored? I still have Durham up with no pitches thrown to him on gameday?

634
Haven't heard it yet and I already hate it.

637 If I'm Alou, I keep with Wright. The Dodgers have not proved they can hit him.

Sac fly scored Vizquel.

632 To be fair, if the Dodgers lose, it's because they couldn't hit Jamey Wright, which is pretty pathetic

638

sac fly

damn

kent gets on, and loney goes walk off.

make it happen!

You don't even have to hit Jamey Wright. You just have to stand there and let him walk 12 or 15 guys.

If I'm Alou I pull the bullpen phone out of the wall.

640. If Wright stays in it should only take 3 pitches from here.

Kent, Loney, Mueller. Well, "heart of the order" up, anyway.

Alou has managed for us to win all night long -- no reason for him to change his strategy now.

Worrell's don't like dodger stadium.

Which Worrell is this? I thought they'd retired!

what a terrible loss

over-used word of the night=brilliant

walk, double, single

Kent, you bum, that was right down the middle!

nevermind.

"Brilliant"
You use that word a lot. I do not think it means what you think it does.

that was a brilliant double by Ledee

Kent just missed.

I meant bloop double....

we have new life!!

My, my, what do we have here?

Ledee and Loney are both lefties, right? What's the point of this?

... lets see furcal take a walk, and cody ross win the game ...

Please tell me Saenz will bat for Repko

Nice Parachute Job.

Oh, ok, as long as it worked. ;)

Run for Ledee! (no one left?)

666 No. Remember: Saenz gets eaten up by RHP.

666 - you get your wish.

ok let's have our WP.

Grits you moron. Why would anyone pinch hit for Repko?

Who on the bench would be faster than Ledee? Ramon Martinez?

But that's what Little does anyway.

How the (BEEP) was that a strike!!

that umpire is awful

You have to be kidding me. Is this really Doug Eddings?

is this ump serious?

658 The Cliffs of Insanity draw near. Inconceivable.

A bounty on Eddings head.

that strike was neck high

Terrible AB for Saenz and he knew it

Good Night Everybody

Olmedo stinks. This umpire is the worst I've seen in a while.

678 - read Gameday, Steve. Yes, it really is Doug Eddings.

Time to take Doug Eddings down to the docks...

I'm finally catching up and reading the book Juicing the Game, and one chapter is about Sandy Alderson's beatdown of the umpires a few years ago. What happened? Last year they were intolerable. This year, they are borderline psychotic.

Why would you pinch hit Saenz, a rightie, for Repko, another rightie?

689 Because Saenz is a better hitter. Our best left hander off the bench was Odalis Perez

Although, of course, it is already well known that Doug Eddings gets a special room in the SuperMoron Hall of Fame. Major League Baseball should be embarrassed to employ him.

690 Except Saenz doesn't hit righties very well and knows it. Repko doesn't know he's not supposed to hit righties.

If the Dodgers had tied the game, Saenz was going to have to go in the game to play first base. I don't know if Ledee or Ross or Drew would have played center.

Oh well. If we're going to lose 80 games, that at least means we have 74 to go. In the meantime, we can always enjoy tidbits like these:

"The team president [Tony Tavares] and [Frank] Robinson have barely tolerated each other for years, but made the best of it for the sake of the team. Tavares, whatever he says publicly, doesn't think Robinson is a good manager and never has. Robinson knows it and, naturally, resents it."

Tony Taveras is obviously a man of rare taste and refinement.

691- (very small sample size)
Olmedo vs RHP .222/.300/.222 .522
Repko vs RHP .320/.370/.400 .770

It didn't help that Saenz had a giraffe's strike zone. I have a sense that we did wail away all night, but three innings of Doug Eddings was enough to refine my hypothesis of cause and effect.

695 Your witness, counselor. ;)

695 was directed at 690

I never metacomment I didn't like...

I can't sleep with 700 calling my name

but who else is awake to bring the first Bonds game thread of the season up to 70*?

...wow, I seriously meant to type "708", funny how that happened...

In England even lunch can be brilliant. Talk about overuse.

Anybody pick up the details of the ticket exchange for the Rockies games in May? Hard to hear on the PA system.

[702] i like that kind of brilliant.