JD Drew is the best player on the team.

Mike Davis, even un- sung -ier hero.

1
Better than the 13 million dollar man?

Drew just 30 games shy of the NL record for consecutives game reaching first safely in a season. Duke Snider in 1954 and Barry Bonds in 2003.

I assume Drew's streak is at least one game longer since he reached first safely in his last game last year (Retrosheet is down now.)

The MLB record will likely not be approached.

84 straight by Ted Williams in 1949.

Oh, sorry the 28 games is over two seasons.

Never mind....

I believe Williams streak if continued over two seasons would have been over 100 games.

Drew's streak is now at 29 according to the Dodgers and STATS Inc.

Lets all enjoy JD Drew's last year as a Dodger.

Its obvious he doesnt fit on a Ned Colletti team.

Does Pedro G. still hold the record for consecutive PAs reaching base? I think it was at 16, if I remember correctly...

No doubt it needed to be said twice.

That was one of the more eventful drives on the 10 that I've had in a while.

I have said before and I will say it again. Our offense depends on JD Drew and he is definitely our best player. After Nomar hit the grand slam I was explaining to my friend the greatness of Drew's walk and how he has such precise plate discipline.

Posted this in the earlier thread too...
*
Not sure if someone mentioned this...it's very early, but Matt Cain is having a special game against the Mets so far.

I am rooting for the battle of LA in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

14 - Thank you for your discretion.

It's that kind of open question that the New Kinder and Gentler Steve (TM) has to resist answering

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to use an apostrophe.

Three cheers for run-on sentences. I love Dodgers.com posters. I dont envy the clean-up job you have to do Jon.

Bradley was my favorite Dodger in 2004. I thought he was our MVP that year. Yes, over Beltre even though Beltre was a monster and I said so here on these boards at the time.

But I disagree with you [9, 10 now 18]

He wore out his welcome and Lofton will be pretty good in a platoon. Plus Bradley is hurt alot.

Now as for Choi, I wish he was at our triple A and A. Perez well, i know it's early but he is batting .000

The funniest part about the Giants game is the Kruko and Kuiper refuse to even mention Matt Cain's perfect game. They will not even acknowledge that he is pitching.

22 They can now, it's all over.

Oh well, it's over you K and K, you guys lost it with your shamless promotion.

17
Does "Kindler and Gentler" portend a shift in political party allegiance...?

*its over K and K

As a critic with extreme prejudice, all I can say is glory to JD, he makes me look petty.

D4P. Please.

Am I mistaken that Rick Monday did not say the words no-hitter until the seventh? I heard him say things like on a roll and pitching great -- as you all could tell earlier by my bunting snafu, I only had one ear on the broadcast.

I'm not sure which is sillier, obsessing over Antonio Perez, our $40 million man and his .220 slugging percentage, or the Dead Parrot Sketch.

23. Try yahoo or ESPN. THey have box scores for all games.

Why would you ask people here when its easy to look it up yourself?

I just looked it up tonite's games. Swisher hit his 9th HR of the year. He's developing fast, much better than how he ended last year.

Bradley has the tools of "The Dodger Player" but for character he is no Jack Robinson nor Jim Gilliam or even a Jason Repko.

How do you know what Jason Repko's character is?

D4P. Please.

Silly me.

So far, its a pleasant cartoon!

Also --Repko broke his back twice( once more than Campy) and still made the Bigs.

You know no slight to are best catcher intended!

I have an inflatable cage with a dead parrot in it, based off that sketch. Oh the things the English sell.

Its not dead--its just sleeping.

Today is not a day for petty partisan wrangling. It is a day for brotherhood and fellowship. Nomar has only eight homeruns and ninety-six RBI to make The Martinez Prophecy a reality!

39
It is a day for brotherhood and fellowship.

I can only assume you're referring to Project BROtheR-hood.

Angles called up Howie Kendrick. Dodgers respond...by trading Joel Guzman to the Rockies for Joe Table.

I have about 74 e-mails in my in box about what Omar Vizquel said about Joe Table.

Hey Omar Vizquel...Cassius called, he said "Way to be a good friend."

" it's more than high time that Drew get his due."

11 million dollars for 5 years. Drew is getting his due.

Honestly, I don't know why my friends would think I care about what anybody said about Joe Table.

44 - That's not what I mean, and I think that should be pretty clear.

J.D. Drew is one of the most talented players I've ever seen...And a total Cadillac (not in a good way) on the field. He's glass, and seems as though he'd rather be...Oh, I don't know...Sipping Lemonade in a hammock, reading a magazine. But man, is he a talented guy.

Answering an earlier question after I went out for a walk.

Most consecutive times reaching first safely -

Ted Williams, 16, 9/17-23/1957
2 singles, 4 homers, 9 walks, 1 HBP

Barry Bonds, 15, 8/31-9/5/1998
5 singles, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 6 walks

John Olerud, 15, 9/16-22/1998
6 singles, 1 double, 2 homers, 6 walks

J.D. Drew plays for the Dodgers, hops on a plane to Shea, throws on an awful black uniform, and plays center field for the Mets.

Watching Sports Center for the first time in what must be a long time, and I finally get how it is that booyah (and any other spelling of same) came back in to vogue. I would have sworn that it was long dead. But I guess not. Pity.

Lofton gets a ton of grief here (and I agree he's overpaid), but despite his low average he has produced more than I expected (at this point, anyway). 3 triples in a little over a week is nothing to sneeze at.

J.D. Drew... seems as though he'd rather be...Oh, I don't know...Sipping Lemonade in a hammock, reading a magazine.

That sounds kinda nice.

Just last night I had Sportscenter on for the first time in what must be years, and Stuart Scott came on and I said to myself, "He still works for ESPN?" Then I changed the channel.

48
What happened to Pete Guerrero? I would have sworn he was up there...

When Stuart Scott did that "Poetry Slam" about eight months ago, a little bit of my sould died.

Why do teams continue to walk Bonds?

Right now, Moises Alou is a better hitter!

Alou with a 2 run single. Nice job managing Willie!

Drew has been solid all year and i hope he cam keep it up.
Also with exception of Carter and Seo, the staff has calmed down from where it was at the beginning of the year. Props to Honeycutt too!
Now get rid of Carter!

I'm sure Guerrero had a long streak, but with Retrosheet down I can't check it. I would assume it would have been in 1985 when Pedro Guerrero was a god among men and Jon built a small shrine in his backyard in his honor.

401 in the last thread really nails bb tonight.

if drew decides to opt out at the end of the year, what would you do? would you continue to pursue him and give him a bigger, longer, better deal?

I wouldnt. Offer him arby, and the remainder 3 yrs 33 mil deal on his contract. There is no point in getting to another long term deal.

"why do teams continue to walk Bonds?"
-i heard he has a pretty good eye

59 14, Pedro Guerrero, July 23-26, 1985

61

I don't know if JD Drew likes Arby's.

61. Drew claimed that the only reason he wanted the out clause inserted into the contract was incase him and his wife didnt like living in Los Angeles and he didnt want to get stuck living in a city he didnt like for five years. He went on to say that he enjoys living here, i think he lives in pasadena, and have made friends and dont plan on going anywhere. It all sounds nice and good except when you remember that Scott Boras is his agent, so who knows. I think the real question is whether some other team decides that Drew is worth more than 3 years and $33 million, so in that case we're better off if Drew gets no credit for what he's doing. The last thing we want is for Drew to win an MVP award or something and decide that he could sign some mega-deal with the Yankees or Red Sox.

65

good point.

Stop making pro JD Drew posts Jon!

When did a guy having a big "Walk" year ever mean he was leaving the Dodgers for money? Oh, yeah, nevermind.

Aybar hit his sixth homerun today, surpasing his AAA total from last season and tying his overall total.

Pedro Guerrero...That Story about his defense and Lasorda is classic.

Awe hell, I'll just say it for the two people that haven't heard it.

Pedro's a total headcase at third, and Lasorda asks him "What's the first thing going through your mind when the ball comes to you?"

Guerrero: Please don't hit it to me
Lasorda: Okay, okay...Um, what's the second thing?
Guererro: Don't hit it to Sax

Priceless

66. ya, drew sucks. only a fragile pussy would take a walk when the tying run is at third and he represents the winning run. he's obviously doesnt care about winning, thank god we have a real winner in Nomah.

This is a little off topic but I had a dream last night that I attended the Dodgers opening day game in 2008 and the Lineup consisted of:
ss Furcal
2b Aybar
rf Drew
1b Miguel Cabrera*
lf ethier
cf kemp
3b laroche
c Navarro
P Penny

*bye bye guzman, martin and elbert.

Derrek Lee is such a marshmallow.

Elton Brand is a beast. Kobe is the Vladimir Guerrero of LA basketball and Brand is the JD Drew.

You want Ervin Santana on that wall! You need Ervin Santana on that wall!

70 - inappropriate language. Thanks for not doing that in the future.

According to dodgers.com, lofton won the game today.
LOL!

Matt Kemp is #6 on BA's whos hot list.

More power . . . Kemp found his power stroke this week, ripping three homers, driving in 10 and hitting at a .379 clip. He's also been proving himself able in center field after primarily playing the corner spots last year and strictly right field during the Arizona Fall League.

-i heard he has a pretty good eye
It was an intentional walk. They continue to intentionally walk him. It's ridiculous.

I remember something Jon said about JD Drew in his season wrap up last year. I'm paraphrasing, but it was something to the effect of "the man is an expert with a bat." That's just about perfect. There are few guys that look that way at the plate - guys with great discipline, contact skills and thunder in their bat. JD is one of those guys. We haven't had one in town since Sheffield left. He has hall of fame level talent. I wish he weren't made of glass.

76

And BIG NED was also credited with the win today.

76. well he's obviously reponsible for Drew's performance and Drew did represent the winning run.

Name that movie:

"They say that glass is made of sand. So how come you can see through it?"

Hull pitched the 9th for vegas and picked up 3 more strikes out.

thats 19Ks on the season in 10IP. wow

"the kids...they called me mr. glass"

OT: I'm taking my GF to her first Dodger game on May 3.
Are the red seats up high behind home plate still red? And, more important, are they still cheap?
I've always liked those seats the best - inexpensive, with a good view of the majestic symmetry that is DS.

84.
Unbreakable?

While Drew's OPS has been outstanding, he's flying a bit under the radar because he hasn't collected that many homeruns. But the way he's been hitting the ball over the last few days, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get more national press/props soon.

I love Willy Aybar so much. He was such a spark plug last September. I can't wait 'til he gets called back up. Can't WAIT.

Three of Drew's four homers have been solo shots, but I'm not about to complain.

86
that's right.

and, my favorite line from die hard (it's all in alan rickman's delivery):

"shoot the glass"

[16] why would we be worried about jinxing a giant's perfect game? jinx away, i say.

Shooot the Glosssssss

Sorry, best line from Die Hard is "I'm not the one who just got b......cked on national tv DWAYNE!"

[88] well maybe if kenny lofton had an OBP higher than .290 there might be some more runners for j.d. to drive in with his homers.

85 -- no. Though for the life of me I can't remember what color they are now.

90 -- I am disappointed in myself and all of us; every post should have included the words perfect game in them.

Great win for the Dodgers, and it is a familiar sight, seeing a #5 hit a slam, albeit from the right side of the plate. ;-)

John Kruk, on Nomar, "He's playing a great defensive first base. And if he hits, that's a bonus."

93 - Furcal shares some blame.
Then again, I'd rather blame the training staff which, I am convinced, has misdiagnosed his ailment, whatever it is.

it is a familiar sight, seeing a #5 hit a slam, albeit from the right side of the plate
Mike Marshall, I still remember ye...

J.D. Drew... seems as though he'd rather be...Oh, I don't know...Sipping Lemonade in a hammock, reading a magazine.

Why do people assume that if you don't jump around, pop your jersey and have a high five routine like a rodeo-clown (I'm talking to you Jason Werth) you don't care about winning or lack passion? If Drew keeps doing what he's doing, I don't care if he wants to sunbathe naked on the 405. Just because he goes about his business quietly doesn't mean he doesn't care. Indeed that is one of the things I like about him.

85 Seats in the Top Deck are now sky blue, and are still only $6.
Top Deck is also our favorite place to be -- behind home plate!

96 Speaking as someone who had Furcal on his fantasy team last year, he'll be fine. He always starts really slow.

Why do people assume that if you don't jump around, pop your jersey and have a high five routine like a rodeo-clown (I'm talking to you Jason Werth) you don't care about winning or lack passion?

I don't think anybody said that. I hate "fake intensity guy" as much as the next fellow. He just seems a bit too Cadillac for my taste. He is, however, one hell of a talent. Relax....LOL...I like the guy.

101 - I've never heard Cadillac to describe such players, but "thoroughbreds" instead. As in, they don't leave the paddock unless they feel absolutely 100 percent.

95 - Perfect games are too rare and beautiful to be undermined by a rivalry.

We've been subjected to a lot of JD Drew Silly Talk. It's a touchy subject.

Cadillac, as in "So smooth it always looks like it's coasting. And sometimes it is."

See: J.D. Drew, Carlos Beltran, Jim Edmonds

Carlos Beltran's tansmission is slipping.

Perfect games are too rare and beautiful to be ruined by a Giant pitching one.

Are we talking about the same Jim Edmonds that dives or crashes his body into the center field wall every other week?

73- Elton Brand is the JD Drew of LA basketball? Maybe talent wise, but Brand is on the court (field) a lot more than Drew. I don't think Drew has Brand's work ethic. On and off the court, Brand is the most complete athlete in LA.

Yes, the same Jim Edmonds that plays so stupidly shallow so that he can make amazing grabs...Just like about fifty major leaguers have said about him. Do you see Andrew Jones do that? No, because he just plays perfect defense.

105. see: Joe DiMaggio

I'm still wondering why people complain about how a player "looks"?

I guess its just a byproduct of the culture. Image is apparently more important than quality. You see it alot in the music business.

But since baseball is also a form of entertainment, I understand the opinion. I dont agree with it. But I understand why some feel that way.

Joe DiMaggio

Never had to dive for a ball because he was always prepared. Did he catch flak from Yankee fans? No, because back then quality was more important than image.

And now...well.

Darn you Andre Agassi!

Yup, it's a byproduct of today's culture. Except that people made the same complaints regarding DiMaggio and Williams...in 1942. Hey, it's always fun to blame the kids...LOL.

109. i meant in the sense that he is a spectacular player, despite never showing up on ESPN. Kenny Lofton = Sam Cassell? Obviously its not a perfect match, but dont undestimate the amount of work it takes to rehab from injury. Its not as if you just sit on the couch like you called in sick from work. And for the record, the most complete athelete in LA is Reggie Bush, at least until draft day.

I think of Lofton as more Jimmy Jackson. Bounced around, was once pretty good, now at the end of his career.

113. I think back then people could appreciate someone that played the game with such grace. really, i think that complaining about how a player "looks" is often an excuse for just not liking a certain player. If Drew looked like Vlad Guerrero, most of his critics would still dislike him because of the injuries and draft controversy.

116. at least lofton can hit a triple

Really? When I found out Drew didn't want to go to Philadelphia, he immediately became a favorite of mine.

Kid had more knowledge at 20 than most people have in a lifetime...LOL

There needs to be a middle ground when it comes to Drew. People need to concede that he's a tremendous talent who does make it look easy on the field.

And others need to concede that he doesn't always go balls to the wall every day. He's not a loafer, not even close. But he tries to get by a lot. Hey, 162 is a lot of games to play.

Off Topic, but did anyone see Jeff Kent give Lance Carter the riot act on the mound after he gave up the walk in the ninth. The camera panned in while both of them waited for Little to get to the mound to take the ball and it wasn't pretty. Kent was lashing away and Carter was quivering.

From Steve Henson of the Times:

"Right-hander Luke Hochevar, the Dodgers' first pick in last June's draft, has signed with the Fort Worth Cats of the independent Central Baseball League and will report next week, according to agent Scott Boras.

"The Dodgers have the rights to Hochevar until shortly before this year's draft June 6, but team officials are not optimistic that a deal will be reached. ...

"Fort Worth opens its season May 11 and Hochevar, who was 15-3 for Tennessee last year, could make four or five starts before the draft. A Dodger official said the team would probably dispatch a scout to those games."

The only time I've ever made a judgement based on "looks" in terms of sports, is probably my critique of Phil Jackson. He "looks" like he does nothing, but what else can you really judge a coach on? If he sits there looking half asleep as his team gets run out of the building without calling a timeout, its irritating. However, I dont like Phil Jackson to begin with, so maybe thats part of it.

101, 114 and 119, "LOL" your just cracking youself up.

And others need to concede that he doesn't always go balls to the wall every day

I've never seen Drew loaf on the baseball field. Maybe others have. But I havent.

124.
You certainly seem like a charming fellow.

121- I saw that. Was he chewing him out or was he offering words of encouragement? I hope Kent tells Ned that Carter is the teams hang nail and needs to be cut.

I highly doubt that Jeff Kent was getting in a teammate's face. Come on, this is Jeff Kent we're talking about.

122

it will be interesting if the dodgers even offer hochevar a contract before the deadline. IMO, its in the best interest for them to get a deal done.

110 - Tris Speaker played shallow, too. Because he had the ability to track down balls over his head, he did so because that positioning would cut down on singles falling in front of him.

Meanwhile, the guy DePodesta "traded" to get Drew, Adrian Beltre, is hitting .186, with no home runs, and an OPS of .478.

Before the 2005 season, Drew and Beltre had the two highest OPS figures among all free agents. We lucked out that DePodesta is so robotic, given the overwhelming sentiment in favor of our near-MVP, and the general disdain for Drew.

Can someone please explain how once again the Angels are last in the AL in walks, 11th in OBP and... yep... 1st in BA with RISP (.324)?? If you can teach this, then why can't you teach them to hit .320 with the bases empty too??

From a previous thread..

One movie that I never hear anything about but really like is Mumford. It's not super funny or super exciting, it's just a good heartwarming comedy with some interesting characters and a fairly original story. I recommend it to pretty much anyone.

Mumford is a very likeable type of movie. Kasdan (director and writer) has a pretty significant resume. He was one of the writers for The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jedi, Silverado, The Big Chill, and a few others.

I liked it enough to buy it after I rented it. Jason Lee (way before Earl) was pretty good. He played a character that was way different from his Kevin Smith Banky/Brodey type of characters.

Mumford's great.

I liked it enough to buy it after I rented it. Jason Lee (way before Earl) was pretty good. He played a character that was way different from his Kevin Smith Banky/Brodey type of characters.

I should add (despite folks saying that "Chasing Amy" was vapid or sophmoric) that I liked Jason Lee playing Banky/Brody. It was just nice to see him play something different.

I've been a big Jason Lee fan ever since I first saw Mallrats. He was great as the slacker philosopher, but I liked him just as much as the sympathetic character in Mumford. His use of the phrase "far out" was possibly my favorite part of the movie.

121 I was able to lip-read some of what Kent was saying, and he was mostly just saying the standard "you have to come in and throw strikes with a big lead late in the innings" type of thing. He seemed to be somewhat harsh, but not quite cruel.

132
and they are in 1st place again.

136 His character was just such a gentle type of guy that you couldn't help but like him. I'm gonna have to go through my DVDs and make the girlfriend watch Mumford.

Maybe we can bring David Glass in as our fifth starter.

As a Red Sox fan keeping close tabs on these Dodgers and a huge J.D. Drew fan to boot, this was as enjoyable as it gets without the hometown team involved. Thank goodness for MLB Extra Innings.

I'll feel pretty good if we get out of April at .500.

Once Kent and Furcal get rolling. WATCH OUT! Drew's been spectacular. Lofton has been better than advertised, but I don't see him keeping that OPS above .800 all season. Nomar looks better than I hoped. Only 2 games though. I don't need to get too PUMPED. But that slam had me waking up the whole neighborhood. LOL....

Penny, Perez, and Lowe have pitched like 3 aces. Baez and Saito have been lights out. Kuo will get there. Tomko's won 2. I hope he gets 13 more so my prediction od 15 comes to fruition. Seo needs to get his head on straight and pitched like he did in New York. Maybe Seo's one of those guys that excels in the 2nd half.

GO DODGERS!!!!

I had the pleasure of going to the game in Houston last night. I've been in town on business for 5 months now and I was counting down the days until a. baseball season started and b. the dodgers came to town. Luckily I was not disappointed.

I got a little worried as Pettitte proceeded to mow down everyone in his path. We also had a couple potential extra base hits robbed from us by some spectacular catches from Tavares and Lane early on that kept the no-no intact. JD Drew's homerun couldnt have come at a better time. The Berkman homerun was kind of ill-timed but Saito still looked decent irregardless and struck out the side.

When Brad Lidge comes out in Houston its a pretty big deal. Unfortunately his theme music is horrible and you have to sit through it for about 10 minutes as he warmed up. I had a good feeling coming into the inning, as I was at the game last friday and Lidge had to throw about 25 pitches to get out of the jam he created. His slider was looking like garbage last night. I had the benefits of decent seats, so you could see all of his sliders just dying and bouncing off the grass. The Nomar slam was a beautiful thing and completely deflated the hometown crowd. After the HR I'd say about 1/4th of the stadium up and headed toward the parking lot while myself and the other two dodger fans in my section went nuts.

Lofton has been better than advertised, but I don't see him keeping that OPS above .800 all season.

Considering he was at .683 before yesterday, I don't either.

If he's been better than advertised, he really needs a new marketing manager.

JD Drew, I agree, is the best hitter on the team. There's no doubt about it in my mind; whenever he is in the lineup, he performs.

Still -- forgive me -- Nomar is my favorite player. He's been my favorite player for a long time; he came up while I was in school in Boston and it was great to watch him every day when he was one of the best players in the game. It's been very tough rooting for him over the past several years, as his skills declined and he succumbed to injuries. Last night was a special game for him, his first special moment in a long time, and it made me happy for him.

I know it's the joke around here that he'll hit 9 HR and 100 RBI and I acknowledge that it's much more likely that he'll do that than return to any early-2000s form. But I'll root for him anyway. There's no explaining love.

I have to admit that JD Drew is probably the only position player I like on the team. Although, if Willy Aybar gets called up he might give me another guy to root for.

123-

Just curious, but what's wrong with Phil Jackson? Yeah, his system requires a lot of non-athletic spot up shooters, but the system seems to work. I'm a huge Lakers fan, but let's be honest, this team has Smush Parker and Luke Walton in the starting line up. They have no business being in the playoffs.

145 There's no explaining love.

That's part of what makes this game great.

The Tony Jackson Daily News column gave Drew and Kent plenty of credit for keeping the winning rally alive. Almost makes you wonder if he read Jon's column before writing his.

137 I agree with your assessment. The only word I was able to lip-read for sure was "perfect." I would bet Kent was repeating to Carter the very baseball cliche, "You don't have to be perfect [with a four run lead in the ninth]."

I actually thought Kent was trying to encourage Carter. I just think Kent almost always looks like someone who accidentally picked up his phone without checking caller ID only to find his mother-in-law on the other end of the line.

The 9 HR/100 RBI thing is not targeted at Nomar. It's targeted to the dumb radio guy that made the prediction. If Nomar got 100 RBIs (or say 90, since he missed a tenth of the season), it would be safe to say that he is healthy enough to have far more than nine home runs

I always find it funny that the remark, "You gotta throw strikes" is tempered with "You can throw it down the middle of the plate."

Aaron Sele pitched great last night in Vegas shutting down the vaunted A's AAA team. He may not get the call to the Dodgers but I wouldn't be surprised if Ned isn't able to flip him to a team in need of a starting pitcher.

The Nomar thing may be the result of some dumb radio guy, but plenty of DT posters have suggested that Nomar will post a sub 800 OPS and that his power is a thing of the past. Others had actually suggested before Loney swung a bat that the Dodgers would be better off with Loney then Nomar. Others suggested that the AAA Choi is a better bet then Nomar so it is not like Nomar has many supporters here. I think I can count on one hand the DT posters who have actually given Nomar support based on his historical stats and not on some made up future projections of a washed up star that they generated out of thin air based on his small size before his injury in 2005 while totally ignoring what he did after he returned from his injury.

Old friend Joel Hanrahan is actually pitching well for the Suns. Kemp is on fire but LaRoche/Ruggiano/Raglani have all struggled out of the gate.

I will now demonstrate the appropriate usage of the acronym LOL:

149I just think Kent almost always looks like someone who accidentally picked up his phone without checking caller ID only to find his mother-in-law on the other end of the line.

Great line, Inside Baseball! LOL!

think I can count on one hand the DT posters who have actually given Nomar support based on his historical stats

I assume you're saving a finger for me.

I thought I knew, but just what is the acronym LOL supposed to stand for.
Seriously.

155 AFAIK, LOL means "laughing out loud". FWIW. :)

154
While you gave me the opening hoping I'd chase it like Beltre going after a down and out slider I have to pass, less Jon ban me for using inappropriate symbolism.

Anyone have park factors handy? It seems to me that a lot of the HRs by non-power-hitters (Ross, Mueller, yes, Nomar, et al.) have come in HR-happy parks, but that's just an impression. So that's how weak power-hitting teams hit SOME HRs - get 'em where they're easier. But don't fool yourself that HR-power in PNC translates into HRs in most other places. And yeah, I know that DS is slightly above average for HRs, but probably not until the weather warms up a bit.

Steiner pointed out before the game (or early on) that last night was the first time that the team has played with the projected opening-day lineup. THAT to me is the bigger problem. THIS team is built to be injured, whereas most of last year's injuries were of the freakish variety (or at least unexpected). It'd be a nice surprise if Mueller could actually stay healthy.

154 & 157. Now that is funny.

A down-and-out slider? That was a Tomko Special!

158.

Park factors likely have something to do with it, but look at who the home runs by Ross, Mueller, Nomar have come off of. All have terrible ERA's, and all but Vogelsong have a pretty high HR-allowed rate.

Ian Snell: 3 HR/21 IP/7.71 ERA
Oliver Perez: 6 HR/25 IP/7.20 ERA
Ryan Vogelsong: 1 HR/11 IP (good)/7.71 ERA (not good)
Lidge: 3 HR/10 IP/6.75 IP

I was just thinking, noticing that Drew hit another home run last night, that Drew was quietly putting up really solid numbers. Eloquent post, Jon.

I was also thinking that Nomar was going to get a lot of props for hitting a granny so soon after coming off the DL. I guess life can be predictable...

Here in Chicago -- man it is arctic and despite my best efforts I didn't bring warm enough clothes for the game. So to deal with that I stopped into the North Face store across the street from my hotel. When I asked the kid working there what kind of jacket I'd need to go to the game at Wrigley tonight, he just laughed and pointed at the huge puffy things. Man they have nice but expensive stuff at NF. I didn't buy anything, and still expect I may not be able to make it. But the funny thing was, the kid at the Chicago NF turns out to be from Alexandria, VA and he's driving to Saint Louis friday to see the Nationals play at new Busch Stadium.

A good DC correspondent can find relevant news anywhere, you see.

161

The thing that was remarkable about the home runs last night is that they weren't of the cheap variety that you get at Minute Maid. I went to 2 games this weekend for the series with the Pirates and saw about 5 home runs. Every single one of them was hit to the short part of the outfield in the Crawford boxes which is about 330-350 feet. Drew's HR was hit to the opposite field which is a bit further out and Nomar's was hit right to middle left and was about 400 feet.

Speaking of the Pirates, I got to see old friend Mike Edwards strike out on Sunday. I didnt think I'd get a sighting before the series was over, but it happened, and the K was icing on the cake.

[143] what song does lidge come out to, out of curiosity? i tried looking it up, but found contradictory information.

and also, i try to refrain from correcting people in general, because it's annoying, but this particular one's a pet peeve of mine: there is no such word as "irregardless". you'd either use regardless or irrespective, depending on context.

So I just got an email from Roy Smith. That was really nice of him.

"(Carter) is fighting himself a little bit right now," Little said. "We're trying to get him to relax. We're going to keep putting him out there until he gets back on track. We have a lot of confidence in what he can do. He's just having a little trouble getting it done."

Say it aint so Grady, say it aint soo.....

163. It is freezing today, in fact I saw snow outside my window. I'm actually hoping that they cancel my daughter's softball game tonight.

166

Dear Nate,

What are your thoughts on Spike Lundberg and Jason Mooneyham?

Thanks in advance,
Roy

163/168 It is cold out here in Chicago. Hail pellets this morning after 73 degrees yesterday. Frost in the suburbs tonight.

If I were going to Wrigley, I would dress extemely warm and take a hotel blanket, too. 40's with some wind will be kinda miserable.

It will be 33 tonight in Chicago.

163/168. Wow. I was really lucky last week in Chicago. Beautiful weather (60s and 70s, no rain) Wed-Sat.

161. Of course, you're right. Weak pitchers are easier for any hitter. But I was hoping we could make the distinction between HRs hit by non power hitters not (just) because they're meatballs, but because middling power is sufficient in some parks. I don't know that that's right. Maybe anyone can HR in any park if the pitch is easy enough (BP fastballs). But I believe that lots of HRs are hit less than perfectly, at which point the hitter's strength and the park factors likely matter.

Indeed, since a home team's pitchers pitch on the road too, that's exactly what park factors are supposed to ferret out, holding pitching quality constant.

165. Amen. And since I haven't had my coffee yet, I'm in the mood to list a couple of mine, the sorts of things that otherwise smart folks often get wrong:

"more then" "less then" "then" != "than"
"revert back" (aarrghh! - redundant)

Ack, I'll stop now.

Oh yeah, and unifying two themes, my "Monday Moment" yesterday was when The Rick was doing the post-game highlights, and after stumbling all over himself setting it up with the no-hit story, revealed that the bid and shutout were broken up by JAY DEE DEW. I think he had that old plumber commercial in mind: A-D DO! Or something.

171. But it will feel like it is in the 20's.

So all of the sudden Lidge is a weak pitcher. You guys kill me with your cherry picked stats.

(172) The one that gets my blood pressure up is using 'career' in place of 'careen'. And I've seen some big name authors use it. Example: He went careering down the street, bouncing of cars. Oh yeah, here's one that gets me even more than that one. Using the article 'an' in front of any word that starts with an 'h' instead of only those words in which the front 'h' is silent. An honorable man, but a hard one to like. That mistake too is creeping into professional usage and in danger of being accepted as correct.

175. Uh no. I didn't mention Lidge as a weak pitcher. I was talking about park factors.
Or was Lidge not actually pitching at Minute Maid last night?

And PHilldodger, in citing Lidge's current numbers was just showing that the pitchers in question are struggling in the early going. If he meant that this means that they're all bad pitchers, then he's guilty of inferring too much from small samples. But I didn't see that he said anything of the sort.

So you come up with one, probably unintended, but theoretically possible interpretation of what someone said, then destroy it like the straw man it is, and declare victory? Talk about cherry picking!

176. Oh boohoo, if you don't like it switch to Spanish where the rules are constant and guarded by an academy in Madrid rather than a more democratic language like English that changes over time. Do you think someone living 100 years ago would consider many of the things we do the correct form of writing?

English: Has organic changes to grammar, vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation.

Spanish: Has a bunch of guys who decide that certain letters in the alphabet aren't letters anymore.

176. Wow, I've never seen the "careering" one. As for "an harmonica," I'm not sure that's wrong, although I agree with you that it sounds weird. I think it's just a regional dialect thing. Or maybe a residual Britishism, which might be the same thing, since regionally, I've only ever heard it it upper-crust New England.

179. Yup. And then there are the French.

165

I actually figured out Lidge's theme song last night. I dont know who its by, but its a cover song of a tune that Motorhead wrote as theme music for this WWF wrestler, Triple H.

179. I am still in shock that the letter rr no longer exists, I haven't even begun to acknowledge what happened to ch.

177 Lidge's ERA was just above 3 when Nomar took him deep.

Will Carroll in BP today:

Eric Gagne is getting ready to throw the ball again. He'll need a couple weeks to get his arm back into shape, but the nerve excision surgery appears to be a success. He's been able to stay in condition during the rehab and has been following much the same program as late-stage Tommy Johners. Since there were no structural changes, the only remaining concern is that the change (or lack) of sensation in Gagne's arm may change his delivery, even slightly. We should know soon.

184. Yeah, small samples are murder on 1-inning guys. Lidge WAS horrible last night, and well deserved that fate, but one bad inning does not a bad pitcher make. I try not to pay attention to ERA for short relievers in any case.

182

I actually figured out Lidge's theme song last night. I dont know who its by, but its a cover song of a tune that Motorhead wrote as theme music for this WWF wrestler, Triple H.

Time to play the game.
or
The king of kings.

He also had 15 K's in 10 innings which is a little more important then ERA which in the short term can be just as lucky as BA. I was just irked to see Lidge mentioned in the same breath as the Pittsburgh hacks. Sorry if I offended you with my cherry pick comment but I hate it when people use small sample sizes of historically solid players to make points.

I mentioned this yesterday, but the guys(s) at Fire Joe Morgan have a much more complete rehashing of one of the most idiotic baseball discussions you will ever hear. Yes, stupid even by Baseball Tonight standards.

The braintrust (Harold Reynolds, John Kruk and Steve Phillips) engaged in a game of oneupsmanship, each floating out a theory more preposterous than the one that preceded it about why some pitchers get better run support than others. It's a must read.

http://firejoemorgan.blogspot.com/

186 As I was watching Lidge implode, I remember thinking that previous Dodger teams would have swung away aggressively and probably would not have even noticed that he was having control issues. Some of those pitches were barely off the plate, and a less patient approach might have turned that Dodger win into a Lidge save.

175, 177 & 178, et seq. Things are getting kinda short around here today but I am no one to talk as I was giving someone a hard time last night. At least he had the good taste to call me "charming."

190. Good point. And what's up with that? That's the "Oakland thing," isn't it? I'd say it's good that we had our veterans up in that spot, because younger players (leaving aside that they're not as good) might have felt the pressure to be more aggressive. Drew and Kent knew what was going on.

Lidge's real failing was to go 2-0 to Nomar with pitches that even HE was not tempted to swing at. How often does Nomar go 2-0? OVer the last 3 years, in 1209 ABs + 75(egad!) BBs and 19 HBPs (I'm too lazy to dig up SHs and SFs, so we'll call it 1303 PAs, 108 ABs + 44 BBs + 2 HBPs came after 2-0 counts.

So, ignoring SFs and SHs, that's only 154/1303 (11.8%) PAs in which Nomar saw a 2-0 count, if I have it right. By contrast, fully 510/1303 of the PAs (39.1%) started 0-1. In other words, it's hard to make Nomar take two pitches, but Lidge found a way.

Incidentally, of those 154 PAs that started 2-0, Nomar OPSd .917, compared to .751 and .584, after 0-1 or 0-2, respectively. Someone needs to tell Nomar that he's better if he works the count.

I'm late to this party (and feeling not at all guilty that my fifth period class is watching "Radio" rather than reading "Memoirs of a Geisha") but may I say this?

As a Dodger fan, I needed that game last night. I miss the site, miss watching every single inning so it's fun to catch a game in the eighth inning and see so much go right.

166 Seriously Nate, what did Roy have to say?

183 Penarol: This is the first I've heard of this. Do you have a link to something that describes this? Thanks.

41 Re: Guzman for Table... Is that facetious? I can't seem to find any reference to that elsewhere.

The Under the Knife reports are part of BP's premium content.

195. Oh the rr elimination is something that my mother told me the academy did in the early 90's before I was on the internet, while the ch elimination is something I either heard ina Spanish class in college or completely made up, I'll se what I can find.

So how do you spell churro?

Of course, Wikipedia has the scoop:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_alphabet

Here is the link to the Spanish Royal Academy.
http://www.rae.es/

Not surprisingly, it's all in Spanish.

The "ch" and "rr" were "de-lettered" in the 1990s sometime. This made it easier for people like me to find their way through dictionaries.

However, I have an old one and the "ch" words get a separate listing.

And words like "chivo" come AFTER a word like "cumbre".

195.
Well this is the best I could do, I couldn't find anything on when rr was eliminated as a letter in Spanish, but I have many children's dictionaries in Spanish that list it as a seperate letter even though it isn't considered one on any of the websites I visited.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_alphabet

They got rid of "ll" too!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

201. You forgot about the "ll" being included in the purge, most of the focus seems to be on ll and ch, probably because there really aren't any words that begin with rr.

187

This outs me as a wrestling nerd, but I dont think its either. I think for a certain PPV (Wrestlemania or something) they did a reworking of the original Time to Play the Game track. It has a similar tune, different chorus, but there's the same "time to play the game" lyric in there. I also think HHH only used it once and went back to the original theme.

ch (che) is still a letter in the Spanish alphabet, but for alphabetization purposes only it is parsed between ce and ci. It is apparently a separate letter in name only.

I would assume that it's a whole lot easier to alphabetize things in Spanish now with a machine without having to think of "ch" as a separate letter.

203. They only got rid of the letter because everyone outside of Uruguay and Argentina was mispronouncing it.

202

I think it was 1994 or 1995. It happened early on when I was in high school.

201 There's also an academy that protects the Swedish language from the Finnish language. It makes sure that Swedish has a completely different word for "sauna" from everyone else in the world. On this topic, I am quoted in the bottom of this article:
http://tinyurl.com/oc7ep

208

Whenever I try to listen to Spanish spoken by someone from Uruguay or Argentina, I just nod a lot and think to myself "What planet did this person come from?"

I was surprised when I went to Chile a couple years back that I understood them pretty well.

About 10 years ago, I was in Vigo, Spain. I was waiting in a train station to catch my train to Portugal (trains in Portugal and Spain run on different gagues, but don't get me started on that.)

I sit down at a counter in the station to get some lunch. I say to the guy in my best attempt at Spanish "Quiero una pizza." And I look at the pizza that is sitting on display. Underneath a sign marked "pizza".

The guy gives me a quizzical look and starts to walk away. Then another customer says "Quiere pizza". And then I get my pizza.

To this day, I still can't figure out what I said wrong to that guy.

Later in the day, I went to a restaurant in Santagio de Campostela. I ordered pizza again.

I pointed to it on the menu that time.

211. Chile didn't have the huge influx of Italian immigrants that Argentina and Uruguay had, that's why its easier for people who learned Mexican Spanish to understand them.

Jim Rome was talking about Brad Lidge...

They were showing the homeruns that Lidge gave up in the postseason.

Rome described Pujols as the modern day DiMaggio.

He then called Scott Podsednik the modern day Mario Mendoza.

LOL

I thought there were some recent changes to get rid of the "enye." I don't know why the soccer club Espanyol Barcelona is not spelled Espanol (with an "enye.")

I recall watching a World Cup with some Spanish names on the jersey with some odd spellings, like "Goikotxea."

The #5 similar batter to Podsednik is a guy named Buttercup Dickerson who played from 1878 to 1885.

He lead the NL in triples in 1879!

214

They speak Catalan in Barcelona, which isn't really Spanish and it's not easy to pick up.

"Goikotxea" is Basque (Euskera).

Basque is one of those languages that linguists are stumped by because it doesn't seem to resemble any other language spoken in Europe.

214. Those are the Basques who use a lot of the letter x in their names, they don't speak Spanish, but some kind of Celtic language that predates the Roman invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
I believe that Espanyol is spelled that way because the Catalan language spells it that way.

176 You use "an" in front of words that start with a silent "h" because you go by the phonetic spelling, not the actual. For instance, "honorable" is pronounced (without the funky symbols) "onerebel", so it's only natural to use "an" in front of it. If you tried to say "a honorable man" people would think you have a stuttering problem.

197 So, not good for me to excerpt their premium content? I assumed a small excerpt was OK; sorry for any broken rules.

Double checking, Catalan doesn't have a ñ. It uses "ny" instead. That's the least of what you would find unfamiliar with that language.

You would think a trip to Spain would be easy if you know Spanish. Boy was I mistaken. And I didn't even make it to Barcelona.

The only place I could make myself understood was in Andalucia where the Spanish sounds much more like New World Spanish.

This chick on Rome Is Burning is pretty hot.

I just saw the Artest foul for the first time and there's no way he should have been suspended. It wasn't a thrown elbow, there wasn't even that much contact. Seems the league really does have it out for him.

210 Thanks, Ken. That article led me to discover the cot-caught merger. Now I realize that I have an awful lot to learn about phonological history.

Stupid Arsenal beating Villareal today, they should have had Forlan take the penalty instead of Riquelme, oh well off to my daughter's softball game, if I'm lucky it'll be canceled by the time I get home.

Thanks for the info on the Basques.

223

That was a horribly taken penalty by Riquelme

Actually, I think you do career rather than careen down a road. I've read a few articles that argued the exact opposite of 176

226. Luckily, I neither do so, nor describe others doing so. So the opportunity to screw it up, whichever way it goes, has never arisen.

What a charmed life I've led.

Though I can see the argument the other way:

To career is to go rapidly and even dangerously: I held the strap tight as the taxi careered down the steep hill. To careen is to sway or tilt dangerously to one side: The amusement park train careened first to one side then to the other as it hurtled round the track.

I've never ever heard of careering down a road, but it is in Webster's that way. Careen has a definition that is similar but not the same.

217 Correct on the letter "x" in names - anytime you see that letter in a last name, the person is probably of Basque descent.

My last name is Oxarart. Which is said just the way it reads, but no one ever seems to get it right...

Here in SF the Int'l Film Festival is going on right now, and Saturday I went to see "Obaba", which was Spain's Oscar selection this year (although I think it should have been "The Gronholm Method"), which is set in the Basque town of the same name. Fascinating place to look at.

From the OED:
career, v.

{dag}1. intr. To take a short gallop, to 'pass a career'; to charge (at a tournament); to turn this way and that in running (said of a horse); also fig. Also trans. with cognate object. Obs.
1594 WILLOBIE Avisa Fij, Shamelesse Callets..That..can carire the whores rebound, To straine at first, and after yeeld. 1611 SPEED Hist. Gt. Brit. IX. xv. 52 His horse of a fierce courage carrierd as he went. 1672 VILLIERS (Dk. Buckhm.) Rehearsal (1714) 87 How we Tilt and Career.

2. transf. and fig. To gallop, run or move at full speed. (Also to career it.)
1647 WARD Simp. Cobler 87 If's tongue doth not career't above his wit. 1679 Sc. Pasquils (1868) 248 Episcopie must quit the cause, And let old Jack carrear boys. 1795 SOUTHEY Joan of Arc I. 368 When Desolation royally careers Over thy wretched country. 1823 SCOTT Peveril v, The little Julian was careering about the room for the amusement of his infant friend. 1851 Househ. Narrative 13 Two heavy seas..careered towards one another. 1856 MRS. BROWNING Aur. Leigh III. 331 Sap..Careering through a tree.

3. trans. To make (a horse) career.
1829 W. IRVING Conq. Granada lxxxiii. (1856) 450 A Moor is born..to career the steed..and launch the javelin.

4. To move swiftly over. (Cf. 'run the streets'.)
1830 W. PHILLIPS Mt. Sinai I. 47 In living clouds careering the expanse, These fleck the firmament.

Hence ca{sm}reerer, ca{sm}reering vbl. n. and ppl. a., ca{sm}reeringly adv.
1844 Blackw. Mag. 691 Careerers of the skies! 1627 BP. HALL Heav. upon Earth vii. 80 All..fall to plunging and careering. 1817 COLERIDGE Sibyl. Leaves (1862) 66 The mad careering of the storm. 1599 NASHE Lent. Stuffe (1871) 48 The careeringest billow. 1667 MILTON P.L. VI. 756 Careering Fires. 1838 DE QUINCEY Wks. XIV. 295 Huge careering leaps. 1832 J. WILSON in Blackw. Mag. 272, I came down waveringly, careeringly, flourishingly.

From the OED,

careen, v.

Naut.

1. a. trans. To turn (a ship) over on one side for cleaning, caulking, or repairing; to clean, caulk, etc. (a ship so turned over).
1600 HAKLUYT Voy. (1810) III, A fit place to carene the ship. 1628 DIGBY Voy. Medit. (1868) 56 To stay att Milo to carine and fitt her. 1682 WHELER Journ. Greece I. 28 A Fountain of Pitch..with which they caren Vessels. 1687 B. RANDOLPH Archipel. 11 To carine his ship. 1747 Col. Records Penn. V. 71 His Sloop cou'd not go to Sea without being Careen'd. 1849 W. IRVING Columbus III. 25 Finding a convenient harbor..he unloaded and careened his vessels.
fig. 1763 H. WALPOLE Corr. (1837) II. 189 After an Irish voyage I do not wonder you want careening.

{dag}b. transf. Humorously to careen a wig.
1675 Character Town Gallant 5 He..pulls out his Comb, Carreens his Wigg. 1702 Eng. Theophrast. 53 He [the beau] is two long hours careening his wig. 1702 Poet Banter'd 48 Swiming Line careend with Flies.

2. a. absol.
1697 W. DAMPIER Voy. I. xvi. 443 A fine small Cove..fit to Careen in. 1790 BEATSON Nav. & Mil. Mem. I. 227 The Commodore..informed the Captains, that his orders were..to careen, and refit. 1821 BYRON Juan III. xx, He left his ship..With orders to the people to careen.
fig. 1737 M. GREEN Spleen (1807) 173 Once in seven years I'm seen At Bath or Tunbridge, to careen. 1874 Sat. Rev. 19 Jan. (Hoppe) We got him safe to Eskmount..There he is at present, careening, and the ladies take the best care possible of him.

b. intr. for pass. Said of the ship itself.
1667 Lond. Gaz. No. 145/3 Some that were driven to shore, were since forced to unlade and Carine. 1670 MARVELL Let. Mayor Hull Wks. I. 155 Liberty for our ships to careen and victual in any of his ports. 1720 Lond Gaz. No. 5827/1 The Barfleur..is now carreening.

3. trans. To cause (a ship) to heel over.
1833 M. SCOTT Tom Cringle xii. (1859) 281 Do you mean to careen the ship that you have all run to the starboard side? 1836 MARRYAT Pirate xi, The heavy blows of the seas upon the sides of the vessel careened and shook her.

4. a. intr. 'A ship is said to careen when she inclines to one side, or lies over when sailing on a wind' (Smyth Sailor's Word-bk.).
a1763 SHENSTONE Love & Hon. 99 The fleet careen'd, the wind propitious fill'd The swelling sails. 1762 FALCONER Shipwr. II. 32 Careening as if never more to right. 1863 DICEY Federal St. I. 4 The ship staggered, careened, and reeled, as wave after wave came thundering on her. 1883 G. C. DAVIES Norfolk Broads ix. 76 If the wind is strong then the yachts careen over to the very verge of safety.

b. transf. To lean over; to tilt.
1883 G. MEREDITH Poems 157 Now his huge bulk o'er Africa careened. 1895 CONRAD Almayer's Folly xii. 260 The big office desk, with one of its legs broken, careened over like the hull of a stranded ship. 1920 C. H. STAGG High Speed (ed. 2) ix. 152 A hundred times their throats choked as the car careened on a bank. Ibid. xiv. 251 The car should have careened until it almost turtled. Ibid. xv. 272 A sickening skid,..a careening lurch that brought a cry from Dan. 1938 British Birds XXXI. 333 The bird was careening from side to side as though there were waves.

5. [Influenced by CAREER v. 2.] To rush headlong, to hurtle, esp. with an unsteady motion. Chiefly U.S.
Quot. 1925 may belong to sense 4b.
1923 [see CRUISER 2]. 1925 T. DREISER Amer. Tragedy (1926) II. xxiii. 312 There came a contact..which set his thoughts careening in an entirely different direction. 1928 F. HURST President is Born xiii. 146 With terrible, terrifying, careening strides, that zigzagged crazily. Ibid. xxxi. 315 The tears jetted and careened down to her lips. 1940 Amer. Speech XV. 72 Careen of recent years has come to mean 'to rush headlong', or 'hurtle', doubtless because of its resemblance to career. 1957 H. ROOSENBURG Walls came tumbling Down iv. 91 A lot of Russians careening along the road on liberated bicycles. 1965 H. GOLD Man who was not with It (1965) v. 46 A shrill cry careened down the street.

Vegas played an early game today apparently. Juarez didn't have one of his better outings, and lost, but Loney went 3-4 (all singles) with a SB, and Guzman homered

This place is becoming over-populated with linguists. Jon should rename it "Chomsky Thoughts".

Yes we can discuss J D-structure Drew.

The 51's will be giving out 4.5" x 5" replicas of Dodger Stadium on Saturday, if you need an excuse to go to Vegas over the weekend

236 Yes, but will they have a couple of inches set aside for a housing development? How about a racetrack painted on the parking lot?

i wonder if (and how often) rick monday will bring up what he did 30 years ago today...

238
I doubt Monday will bring it up on his own. Reuss or Steiner or Lyons might.

Monday was honored at Sunday's game. He doesn't exactly toot his own horn about that event.

Apologies if this is ground that has been covered before, but can someone give me an honest assessment of Russell Martin's defensive abilities as a catcher? Does he throw out runners? I can't seem to find any defensive stats or scouting reports on him.

Also, Greg Miller has not given up a run in 10 innings of relief at Jacksonville. He has allowed 1 hit and 6 walks while striking out 11.

I'm already tired of hearing about Monday's heroism, so I can only imagine what tonight has in store (and yeah, it'll be one of his colleagues that prompts him...)

By the way, speaking of Basques and Spain, I saw an interesting film at the San Francisco International Film Fest this past week that is set there - called "Obaba." Really good. Great scenery, too, and lots of Cathtillian thpeak. Look for it at a film festival or eventually DVD near you...

240

People have posted here in the past that Martin is considered one of the top defensive catchers (if not the top) in minor league baseball.

240 About Martin, his defense is supposedly getting better and better (he was converted to catcher from the infield) and he's got a good arm.

I don't that this is the be-all and end-all but here was Sarah Morris' take at Dodgerplace.com earlier this year:
"The Dodgers have a 23-year-old catcher, Russell Martin, who is making a statement to be on the major league roster. Many people within the Dodger organization believe Martin is the future catcher. For two consecutive spring trainings, he has impressed me, not an easy feat. Reportedly he is a hard worker. This winter Martin worked with Eric Gagne, and this probably will help Martin to get more prepared for the major leagues. Martin, a converted third baseman, has displayed better than average defense. When he throws to second base, he throws perfect strikes and usually catches the potential base stealer easily. He can block pitches in the dirt. He is agile behind the plate, and this helps him to prevent wild pitches and catch foul balls." (etc.)

241 meet 230

241 underdog, we seem to have some things in common. See my comment 230 above.

I'm seeing "Le Petit Lieutenant" at the festival tonight. Have you seen it yet? Opinion?

245 I know it is immature to take one word in one language and remark what it means another, but allow me this one immaturity: "obaba" is an impolite term for a middle-aged woman in Japanese.

I found this at Aaron Gleeman's Blog. It is kinda of cool, and the chance to hear how strong Vinny's voice was 20 years makes it worthwhile. It is not Dodger related other then the fact that Vinny is the voice and Buckner has a staring role.
http://tinyurl.com/qb9nn

241, meet 230.

246
i seem to recall some issues when taco bell introduced the "chilito", as it was a slang term for a male body part in some regions.

kind of like mcdonald's "i'd hit it" ad campaign.

244. Oy. Need to refresh more often.

248, meet 244

Hey Ken, are comments closed over at Bronx Banter?

238, 239 - Did you guys see this at mlb.com?

http://tinyurl.com/r6lza

Funny how this "classic moment in major league history" is something I had never head about before today...

252
that's pretty cool - i had never heard vinny's call of the event

Not our fault that you're so young.

This event was so big that Rick Monday was a guest on the Mike Douglas Show!

Yeah, remember when Mr Zeta-Jones was "the other Mike Douglas?"

Ack sorry Christina (and co.) - I totally missed your post, amidst all the other dictionary entries surrounding it. ;-)

I really want to see Le Petit Lieutenant - it was either that or Obaba on Saturday. I haven't heard anything from anyone about it yet; just now that it looked interesting. I wish I could go tonight. Let me know what you think. Oh, and I enjoyed Grunholm Method/El Metodo more, too!

I wrote about the four spanish language films I saw at the fest if you, or anyone, wants to procrastinate further by reading them (on daily.greencine.com) See ya at the Fest!

249 Yeah, I used to work for The Toro Co., and I recall hearing that the Personal Pace lawnmower, a self-propelled lawnmower that adjusts the speed based on how hard you push on the grips, had to be translated very carefully in some European languages because a direct translation could mean something to the effect of "rhythm of hip thrusts."

Foreign, Unreleased Festival Movie-Talk.
Poor Xei is going to have an aneurysm.

(218) Isn't that what I said???

New post up top.

258 - No one seems to mind what effect South Park talk has on me, so I don't feel bad.

222 You're welcome. If you want to tempt me to drone on and on about linguistics, you can ask me about the Southern California vowel shift, a/k/a "Valley Girl".

234 The linguistics department at Cal is (or at least was when I was there) very much anti-Chomsky. Which on the surface is odd, since if there's any university you'd think would be sympathetic to Chomsky in the political sense, it would be Berkeley.

252 There's nothing I can think of that would close comments over there that wouldn't also close comments over here. Are you getting some kind of error?

256 Thanks for the link. I enjoyed reading your comments. And I'll let you know what I think of "Le Petit Lieutenant". I read a description of it being something like Helen Mirren's Prime Suspect(s), so I have high hopes.

So far in addition to the two Spanish movies, I've seen "Perpetual Motion", "Lili and the Baobab" and "The Life I Want". All good, but "Gronholm Method" has been the best so far. After tonight I have six more films to go.

261 - Ah, no it's showing up now, just didn't right when I posted. Oh well, no harm no foul.

I'm a huge Lakers fan, but let's be honest, this team has Smush Parker and Luke Walton in the starting line up. They have no business being in the playoffs.

Anytime you have the best player in the league in his prime, you should make the playoffs. Allen Iverson got to the NBA Finals with a whole lot less talent than the Lakers have this year. I dont think the Lakers are that much different (talent wise) than Phoenix this year, but Phoenix has a lot better record.

The problem I have with Phil Jackson is his system and draft picks while he's coached the Lakers. THe team isnt athletic enough to be a lock-down defensive team. It just seems the Lakers are wasting Kobe's prime years with inferior talent, mainly bc of the draft picks. The Lakers are still a Shaq-centric team filled with spot up shooters, instead of athletic wings that can play and run with Kobe.

260- Is it a happy effect, like alcohol, or an angry effect, like more alcohol?