Did Eric Gagne have any idea who you are?

Two people close to me have taken neurontin. One found it very helpful in easing the severity of post-operative pain. The other found it less than useless, and it made her extremely sleepy. Go figure.

Josh arranged the interview and probably told him I was with SI.com - for which I'm doing another story. It was the first time I met Gagne. He was very nice.

I can't translate 3.

You just tilt your head a little. . .

I will admit to feeling awkward about putting some quotes on DT when I introduce myself as being from SI.com. It just seems too complicated when I'm down there to say that I write for both. I do hope they don't feel misled.

If more Dodgers had heard of DT, it would be easier to mention it. But I don't want to have to start out an interview by explaining it.

The Kings traded Pavol Demitra. I guess they are rebuilding. At least I still have the Dodgers, Clippers, and UCLA basketball.

The VGoW has a much different approach at the plate this year. Maybe with all of the downtime, he watched a lot of video and realized that he needed to be more patient. He also could have seen how his hero Omar Vizquel walks at a decent rate. I think he realized that because he has no power, he needs to get on base more.

By the way, what does IC1 and IC2 mean for the ladies I brought?

It also clears up some money for FA. Still, I'm not sure how many would want to come to LA to play with a bunch of young guys (who are mostly unproven).

Just kidding Jon.

Without the hat I am much older. Shocking what a hat does for diminishing the perception of age. If you wear the hat backyards it will drop another 5/7 years off. Other then Don I'm sure I have at least 10 years on everyone else who was there.

Course when the Twins throw Santana and Liriano at us next week none of that will matter as they are both so on their game right now it is scary.

Erick Aybar.

Seriously .... I'm going to raise my hand as one who hasn't watched a hockey game since before the strike and can't remember who's still on the Kings. Such is life.

Just wanted to call my shot on this one.

I liked this line: "Why couldn't he be on the mend?" I'll hope for the best.

"Trying is the first step towards failure"

I would guess, however, that Aybar is trade bait for pitching.

Again, just calling a shot.

Did anyone see the Ethier play? It looks a little complex on Gameday. Getting his RBIs the hard way, I guess.

in other news, i went to the twinks/cubbies game at the dome tonight. 42000 strong indoors, but i'd say half at least were cubs fans.
inexpicably, there was a lot of cheering for jacque jones - twins fans should remember what cubs fans have learned: he's not good.
prior looked ok at first, but was throwing straight fastballs at about 93 most of the time. the second time through the lineup, most of the twins had a bead on him.
boof bonser looked good, but he was facing a pretty anemic lineup. what a trade terry ryan made with the giants...

Although Seo initially received credit for a save Friday night when he allowed four runs in four innings of relief, official scorer Don Hartack ruled that Seo did not pitch effectively and no save was awarded.

Sele's poor K/9 and K/BB still have me expecting a (sharp) regression on Sele's part. For example, before tonight, he hadn't struck out a batter since June 4th. However, I think most of us expected Lima in 2004 to eventually fall apart, and he didn't.

Well, he did, but luckily he wasn't on the team anymore when the implosion came.

I will continue to call Duke a quality lefthander if only in appreciation for his performance last year for my fantasy team.

If he's still a Dodger when karma comes calling, the only concern we will have is who will take is spot, not what we'll do without him.

70ABs
BA- .386
OPS- 1.027

I find that decision by the official scorer to be utterly and completely full of the stuff I have to clean out of the litter box.

Seo had a huge lead to work with. He didn't walk anyone. He struck out four. What does he expect.

On May 28, Julian Tavarez of Boston was given a save in this game with this sequence:
After 8 innings, Boston led Tampa Bay, 5-0, then:
Top 9th: Tampa Bay
- R. Seanez relieved T. Wakefield
- J. Gomes walked
- J. Gomes to second on fielder's indifference
- T. Wigginton struck out swinging
- R. Branyan lined out to first
- T. Lee walked
- J. Paul walked, J. Gomes to third, T. Lee to second
- G. Norton hit for T. Perez
- J. Tavarez relieved R. Seanez
- G. Norton struck out, reached on passed ball, J. Gomes scored, T. Lee to third, J. Paul to second on passed ball
- J. Gathright walked, T. Lee scored, J. Paul to third, G. Norton to second
- J. Lugo walked, J. Paul scored, G. Norton to third, J. Gathright to second
- C. Crawford singled to left, G. Norton scored, J. Gathright out at home, J. Lugo to second

4 runs, 1 hits, 0 errors
Tampa Bay 4, Boston 5

Was Jay Seo less "effective" than Don Hood was in this game in 1982?

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08200KCA1979.htm

That official scorer should be strung up from the highest yardarm!

Well, the Pirates are in town and I'm feeling nautical

McCann's a shoe in.
Then probably Estrada.

But if they carry 3, I think Russ has a great chance.

"If he's still a Dodger when karma comes calling, the only concern we will have is who will take is spot"

Agreed. But who does take his spot? Perez? Seo? Not a pretty picture when Sele comes back down to earth. But I'm enjoying Sele's performance while it lasts.

My comments about Canada are made in the spirit of Colbert. The are Colbertesque if you will. Don't get the wrong idea about me :)

Tommy John is my nom de guerre

That 1993 game vs. the Giants is still one of the fondest baseball memories of my adolescence.

If they have to take three, it would be LoDuca from the vote, then Barrett and McCann are more deserving.

I cited precedent in my case for Seo. Note the reference to the landmark 1979 Don Hood vs. The Kansas City Royals case.

I'd definitely take Martin ahead of Barrett. The only two I can see making a case for are Estrada and McCann.

Tiant had a 1.60 ERA in 1968! Teammate Sam McDowell was second at 1.81.

Any guesses on Dodger reps? Nomar will probably make it on reputation even though the 1B corps is stiff competition (Pujols, Berkman, Howard, Delgado, etc). Penny and Lowe both have a pretty good chance of making the trip (at least one will be chosen). Martin has a slight chance. Kent could be a reserve simply because NL 2B aren't very good. Besides that I don't think anyone else has a chance.

The only times blackout restrictions make sense are in the case of the NFL I think.

You know what I hate? Those activist official scorers who keep trying to make new scoring rules from the press box. The official scorer should follow the original intent of the people who wrote the rule book!

I did repent twice, just for good measure though.

I guess we'll all know how it turns out.

I'm betting the answer is no.

This season will be Jim Tracy's last as a major league manager, notwithstanding the hearty recommendations of Gagne and Saenz.

Bob Timmermann, that's who.

Then they gave a pitcher a save in a game in which he retired no batters, and nobody cared.

Then they took away a save from a pitcher, who through four innings, and nobody cared.

Has it been explained how these two are brothers? How would this be biologically possible?

Papa Izturis was generous with his time to women.

Yeah, that's a lot nicer.

The Molina brothers are pretty close in age, but at least it's more than 9 months between Bengie and Jose.

Bob, I'm surprised you're not in N.O. for the convention. There are a whole lot of librarians blogging it; links from the ALA site. Mom had a great time reading them this afternoon.

I'm not a member of any library professional organization. I even tried to quit my union!

My union told me they wouldn't back me on the Jae Seo situation.

I think the Ethier trade has worked out pretty good...

Also, why does everyone STILL call Ethier a fourth outfielder, DESPITE his excellent preformance?

And I wonder why there aren't as many people posting there...

Then I realized that AD is gone, and I cried a little bit inside.

http://tinyurl.com/z9xsq

Suns(AA)
Win 10-0 with TJ Nall tossing a one hitter over 7 innings with 10 k's. Brazell had a big day with a HR and 5 RBI. Abreu had 3 hits, Hu 2, and Ruggiano 2.

VB(H-A)
DeWitt slammed 2 more HR's as VB wins 6-5. Xavier Paul collected 2 more hits. For some reason ELbert is now pitching out of the bullpen.

Columbus(L-A)
They lose 9-7 but Perdroza hits #17 and Denker gets #1.

GCL
Win again and are now 4-1.

Ogden
THey win 11-2 with number one pick Bryan Morris making his debut throwing 3 innings, 0 runs, 4 k's, 2 hits. Jensen and Martin
pick up 3 hits a piece. Martin is a catcher so maybe we can have our own Martin/Martin like the ole Molina/Molina even if ours aren't related.

*Duquette said the Orioles aren't close to signing first-round draft pick Billy Rowell, the ninth pick overall. The Orioles are offering a $2 million bonus. Rowell, who has committed to attend the University of Alabama, is asking for $2.1 million.

The Orioles are basing their offer on the $2 million bonus signed by Drew Stubbs, the eighth pick by the Cincinnati Reds. But seventh pick Clayton Kershaw signed a $2.3 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Based on the bonus amount suggested by the commissioner's office, Rowell slots in at the $2.1 million he is requesting.*

How can the $100K difference between the slides, where the player is only asking for slot, be "not close"?

In the 33 inning game, they postponed completion game (though I realize that was minor leagues).

I believe the game could have suspended if the rain delay had been after 1 am. But they would have to have started playing and then have the game suspended.

But they don't like to suspend games much either.

So, Hanrahan went 6, and allowed 3 right?

Also, is Elbert hurt? Why is he throwing out of the bullpen?

Well, how many hits did Joel give up?

The Yankees and Marlins have a doubleheader scheduled and that's delayed. And it's a day-night doubleheader to boot. Those two are both off on Thursday.

because that's what he is: a 4th outfielder.

http://tinyurl.com/ndagj

It's the Game of the Day!

Tell me about it.

Furball
K-Lo
Lucille II
VGoW

The Dodgers donation?

An autographed baseball by ....

wait for it ....

Odalis Perez!

So, how much should I bid?

If a&&holes and homophobes were excluded from the MLB Hall of Fame, they could fit all the trophies in a two-car garage. But maybe the Canadians want to promote their well-known affinity for politeness.

From this article, it sounds like Lasorda could be a good candidate for a Kitty Kelly-type biography.

To say Tom Lasorda is far from perfect is not a news flash. But here are some things I know:

a) His son was gay and Lasorda loved his son. Yes, he denied his son died of AIDS and perhaps denied he was gay but if we read the Peter Richmond article closely, we see a father and mother who loved their son dearly. Lasorda grieved terribly for the loss of Tommy Jr.

b) Lots of "alleges" in the article. Glen Burke alleges, Billy Bean alleges... I've told some gay jokes in my time. I've also told some straight jokes, sexist jokes, ethnic jokes... I don't know if that makes me a racist, sexist homophobe. In the world of the guy who wrote the article, I probably am and I hate my gay sister. Whatever...

c) Lasorda has said often and loud that his greatest moment in baseball was winning the Olympic gold medal.

Mike Scioscia said he thought he was the most intense competitor of anyone he knew--until he met Tommy Lasorda. I imagine that intensity could rub people the wrong way. I imagine that if you ask Fred Claire and Bill Russell, they would have less than fond things to say about Lasorda. But he was a great manager, he has done some wonderful things for this game and if I ever need someone to make a motivational speech to a team I'm coaching, Lasorda is on the short list.

I was never embarassed to have Lasorda as a manager of my favorite team. I disagreed with him plenty of times but I'll take Tom Lasorda over a dozen Jim Tracy's.

I believe the term is "Damning with faint praise." Knowing next to nothing about the journalist in question, I submitted the article to gauge the response of my beloved DT brethren.

As for me, my feelings about Lasorda are reflected in the words of Irwin M. Fletcher, A.K.A. Jane Doe..."Hey, that's you and Tommy Lasorda...I hate Tommy Lasorda."

I think it's common enough knowledge among better-informed Dodger fans that Tommy isn't actually a saint. Around here, there was plenty of bitterness over his reported involvement in DePo's firing.

That being said, SB has a point when he says the article in question wasn't well, very well supported, on the face of it. It can hardly be construed as very firm evidence of anything, especially with all the conflicting accounts SB has brought up.

WWSH

Yeah. There's maybe lots not to like, but at the same time why can't Lasorda just be "devoutly Catholic" as opposed to homophobic? Bob's comment makes that story a little more understandable... everybody has their own fish to fry, axe to grind, whatever, not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's good to know.

Personally, I no longer visit 6-4-2 no matter how good the baseball talk, because it's been clear "my kind" are not wanted there.

That is a joke.

I'll never forget when the Dodgers won the NL championship in 1977, and Tommy went into his Big Dodger in the Sky act on the national stage. It made a great moment for Dodger fans even more fun, to have this wild-eyed clown as the team's public face. Compared with the bitter sociopathic Billy Martin, it was easy to root for Lasorda, who seemed to embody what baseball was all about.

By the late 80s, it was apparent that a nastier side to his competitiveness was coming out, and by the mid-90s, it felt like the Dodgers needed a coup to get rid of this out of touch jerk who hurt the team by playing favorites.

But I'll stand by my affection for the Lasorda of '77-'88. He's also the only manager to have won two titles in the 1980s, and he played some role in the maintenance of a competitive squad through a period when you had a lot of the players at each others' throats. I can't think of a season in which his being manager cost the Dodgers, but his style helped them to overachieve in 1980 and 1988.