Maybe Soriano will replace Kent on the roster. But I find that hard to believe since Kent is under contract through next year, I just don't see how the parts fit. Unless Soriano can pitch (but we all know how he feels about changing positions).

If Kent to DL, then Nomar to 3rd, Izturis to 2nd and Loney to 1st. Yeah, okay, I know it won't happen. But Kuo is now starting. . .

Would Casey Blake count as a decent solution that wouldn't cost us much? He can fill our big holes at third and the outfield.

Regarding your last point, I took a look at some of the Dodgers' offensive components in relation to the rest of the league. Despite having no home run power at all (2nd to last in the NL behind the Cubs; 78 HR as of yesterday morning vs. 125 for the Mets), the Dodgers still rank in the middle of the pack in terms of Runs scored per baserunner by plating 37.4% of their baserunners (NL avg = 37.2%). I assume that this is a result of their ungodly batting average with runners in scoring position since the leaders in this category are among the more power-oriented lineups in the league (NYM, PHI, etc). I guess this is just another data point in the familiar "we're not likely to keep scoring a lot of runs unless we start hitting some homers" argument.

For fun, here's a list of how many runs each NL West team scores per hit, on average, and their NL rank:

SD - .5006 (16)
AZ - .5290 (8)
LA - .5306 (7)
COL - .5139 (13)
SF - .5380 (5)

1b - Loney
2b - Cesar
3b - Nomar
ss - Furcal

Just thinking out loud.

3 I'd love Blake even though I never heard of the guy before your post. But he plays rf. So...

1b - Loney
2b - Daniella's father or Aybar
3b - Nomah
ss - Furcal

lf - Ethier
cf - Drew
rf - Blake

c - Martin

And then Kent comes back and we can start this all over again. The point is, Blake gives us even more flexibility. I love the guys that can play more than one position; Blake, Kent (probably), Nomah...

(sigh)

Not easy being a GM. I'm going to the beach.

2 5 I guess it must be obvious. Even to Grady?

I think Grittle feels that he shouldn't screw around with a good thing and right now Nomar is a good thing happening at first base. Plus, Loney was very weak when he was called up and he's tearing up AAA now and maybe it's better to let be.

I like bringing on Blake or someone similar more than bringing Loney up but this is my cue to say what-the-heck-do-I-know while mourning the current five game slide.

Been hectic for me lately. And, well, just couldn't stand to wade through the comments lately. But I thought that I'd share what my wife told me my 4 year old said yesterday morning as soon as he woke up:
"Mommy, I can say Nomar Garciaparra."

I like Casey Blake, too. Is there word that the Dodgers are inquiring about him, or is this just wishful thinking/playing armchair GM? Just want to know how interested I should get in this idea. I really like what Colletti said in the papers, that people are asking for too much and the players available aren't worth it (so far). I respect that. As much as people want them to make a move, no one move or additional player will solve all their problems. They certainly need another pitcher, probably another hitter, but solutions to their current slump will more likely come from within - the current players playing better as well as potential support from the farm. Imho...

9 Pure archair GMing.

if Kent has to go on the DL again then we're in big, big trouble unless Soriano is coming our way. Also makes me wonder aloud why Flanders decided to give him that extension (ugh).

This team needs major offensive help if we're going to win this division.

8 :)

10 That's the best kind, IMO. Mainly because it's the kind I'm best at.

They're paying a price for failing to trade Kent in the winter, when his value was as high as it will get. And they'll keep getting punished for extending his contract, a bad decision that was compounded by terribile negotiating, evidenced by the total lack of reciprocity on Kent's end in terms of financial concessions. My only conclusion is that Colletti was holding up his end of the quid pro quo. Kent's recommendation, after all, was a factor in Colletti getting the GM job.

Collin Cowherd called us all baseball geeks and nerds this morning. Said the baseball nerds never get the cute chicks. Then went on to bash Babe Ruth saying he never faced negro and latino players, never had to hit a slider and would be lucky to make the majors if he were to play today. Then went on to say how many of the baseball stats were useless because some teams play in hitters parks and some play in pitchers parks. I guess he doesn't know what the term "park factor" means. Probably because the cute chicks aren't interested in it. :) I wonder what his thoughts are on how good Alex Rodriguez would be in the major leagues 80 years from now?? Morning sports radio is really bad these days. Almost as bad as network TV and Hollywood movies. This morning I had the choice between Cowherds hot air and another sports talk show where callers read faxes on the air. vr, Xei

My guess is Colletti will make one those classic spackle trades, dabbing some mediocre veteran onto the roster, or perhaps gambling on a pricier veteran rental such as Soriano.
The Dodgers seem likely to overindulge the idea that the NL West is "up for grabs." It probably is, but the better course is to make moves or non-moves that can firm up the foundation for 2007 and beyond, with present improvement a modest goal, at most.

San Diego appears as good or better than the Dodgers at handling a stretch "run" (or stagger) because it has the veteran closer and more overall solidty. Further, San Diego is rapidly building for a promising 2007 and beyond, thanks to a young nucleus and impending payroll flexibiliity.
Ideally, every July the McCourts would take a trip to Antartica with no access to internet or cell phone, increasing the chances that the Dodgers could really get progressive in their thinking and approach at a when the future is most likely to be shortchanged or damaged.

13 Seriously. The Kent deal is a headache that won't go away.

I got an idea. Why shouldn't we be sellers? We're 3 1/2 back, and obviously, its not going to take a herculean effort to win this division, but then what?

We've got pieces that are of no value to us in 2007 and 08, when we should be making a major championship push, but are of value to somebody else now. Veteran pithcer in the midst of a career renaissance? Aaron Sele, step right up. Gold glove shortstop with no natural position in LA? You know who you are. Proven winner, and speed at the top of the lineup? I've got a Kenny Lofton in near mint condition. Proven closer? Switch hitting on base machine? There's a very short list of players on the active roster who I wouldn't trade.

Come on. This team's got more tradeable pieces than any team I can remember. I know these guys aren't going to net us a frontline starter, but there's nothing wrong with stockpiling young talent. Maybe get some guys you can flip. Use some creativity.

The Dodgers have never been deadline sellers in my lifetime, and when you think about it, that's absurd.

14-

The amount of sports information and discussion has skyrocketed in this country, but I question whether the actual wisdom is on the rise. Case in point, ESPN, which has become one giant, smarmy bloated ego.

14 I once told my therapist that I kept hearing evil voices.

He told me to stop listening to talk radio.

16

Your plan is too progressive for the Dodgers to put it into place. Drove me nuts all winter that they failed to auction off Kent. You can bet a Beane or an Epstein would have stirred up the market there at the very least. With the Dodgers, nothing. Then the idiotic extension.

Call me nuts, but my belief is that San Diego is getting the jump on 2007-09 while also owning the pole position to win this year's ugly race.

With Alderson in charge, you can assume San Diego has a clear strategic plan that is heavy oriented toward 2007 and beyond.

My suspicion is that under the McCourts, the strategic vision changes by the day.

14

The only spouse of someone who posts here that I've met is Suffering Bruin's and I think he did well for himself.

So, there, let's extrapolate from that incredibly small sample size!

Well, I didn't really meet her as much as I saw her.

16 - This kind of post comes up every year. In fact, I've been thinking of pitching an SI column about it.

On a personal level, every year my response is the same - as much as possible, try not to view the team's options as a choice between buying and selling, but rather, just try to improve your team.

Being a "buyer" does not mean you have to give away the golden goose. And also, you can be a buyer and seller simultaneously. You can "sell" a guy like Izturis and also "buy" a starting pitcher, in theory, anyway.

This is always a quixotic battle for me, but I think the more nuance we can bring to this discussion, the better. I really would love to get rid of the "buyer" and "seller" terms, because they're just too confining.

I want to feel like you can trade away a veteran without it meaning you're giving up on the season. I want to feel like you can acquire a veteran without it feeling like you're giving up on the future. I don't see why that can't be the case.

Only 4 NL teams are above .500 and 9 from the AL. The hard charging Braves would still be in last place in the NL West.
vr, Xei

13- it was definitely a terrible decision, but isn't that what we've come to expect from Colletti? Trading him the offseason was a no brainer, but you since you aren't a big fan of Aybar, who was going to play second base. We had no idea that Izturis was going to come back this early. Our lineup desperately needs power. Drew and Kent aren't hitting for a lot of power. Nomar isn't a big hitter. This is how Ned screwed up. Instead of bringing in some power hitters, he brought in speed/scrappers like Lofton and Mueller. Is Andy LaRoche going to be ready next year? You can't expect a rookie to carry your team in the power department. The same thing goes for Kemp. I expect Ned to go hard after Jim Edmonds in the offseason. At this stage of his career, Edmonds is a platoon player, but he can at least average defense and is still an above average hitter for his position.
Kent's recommendation, after all, was a factor in Colletti getting the GM job.
I never heard that. If true, I hate Kent even more.

Next year's lineup:
C Russell Martin
1B James Loney (likely)
2B Jeff Kent
SS Rafael Furcal
3B __________________
LF Andre Ethier (probably)
CF ___________________
RF JD Drew (most likely)

Both positions can be filled through the farm system. But is it a good idea to rely on two rookies (LaRoche and Kemp) as your main power sources? A better year from Drew would help, but not be enough. Kent is going to be even worse than he is now.

16

I agree.

To add to that, do you really think Ned wants 5/8 of the lineup to consist of rookies and 2nd year players?

20 An ex-girlfriend of mine recently turned down an offer to pose for Playboy. Take that, Cowherd!

There, Bob, now you've doubled your sample size.

Call me weird or whatever, but i don't have a problem with kent.
Sure i don't like that he's going on the DL, but i can't think of many if any 2b's with his production when healthy.

Re: 16 - become a seller idea, combined with my agreement with Ned's comment about not trading people who will help in '07-'09... I mean, with 22 teams still in the chase of post-season, why not buck the trend and focus on building a team that won't just eek in to the postseason, but can put up two to four years of threatening to win the whole thing?

Trade people who's trade value is highest right now. How can we get a starting pitcher who will move Lowe back to #3 (where he belongs) and push Penny towards being his very best? (You can talk about Loney, Kemp, Guzman and LaRoche all you want, but the SPs are what I worry about.)

Hm. Garciapara and cash for Jered Weaver. Discuss.

I want to feel like you can trade away a veteran without it meaning you're giving up on the season.

Amen to that.
Why is it on other web sites people say that if you trade away a guy like lofton or izturis and replace them with guys like kemp and aybar you are giving up on the season?
Doing this is actually helping your team.
It blows my mind.

I'm sorry for saying this, but I am so tired of the hate. I know it's a figure of speech, and it's not like I don't have my own likes and dislikes, but it's just fatiguing to read it from so many people day after day.

Bob's list the other day really was a good lesson. When every Dodger (save one, perhaps) draws scorn and derision and hate, maybe some of us need to loosen up just a little.

Most of us felt all along that this team was a work in progress, and I understand the fear that this work will go awry. Really, I do. I've lived through every season since 1988 as an adult and I want more for the team. I understand that as a Dodger fan, the stakes are high.

So I'm not talking about being a blind follower of the Dodgers. But maybe what I'm talking about is having a little less arrogance on our parts. We disagree enough on this site - and we've all been wrong enough on this site - to know that none of us knows everything. So calling guys idiots time after time - it is just starting to rub me the wrong way.

This is not addressed to anyone in particular; it's addressed to the group. I know some feel the way that I do and some don't, but just think about it. Sometimes we're right and the management is flat-out wrong, but it isn't universal.

6 I guess it must be obvious. Even to Grady? You give him too much credit...

I have a quesion. I kind of assume that Kent has a no-trade clause and that between that and his fat contract, trading him is pretty much out of the question. Is that incorrect?

For the most part a "no-trade" contract means, "You can't trade me unless the team you are trading me to is one I like and they agree to give me a lot of money in addition to my regular contract."

33. Yes, I understand. But specific to Kent, that's pretty restrictive.

30 I agree with Jon, I don't want this to be some sort of Pollyanna, everything is going to be okay site but I know from experience of other sites that there is more of a tendency to get more complainers who can't wait to say I told you so than to have rational discourse.

But then again, I was the one who dared to be critical of Russell Martin.

30. I try to always remember that when a guy gets a job as a GM or a manager, there is a high likelihood that he knows more about baseball than I do. It doesn't mean he can never be wrong but I seriously doubt that he is as misguided as fans often believe. When I see a move I disagree with, I always try to keep that as at least one stone on the scale of judgement. Those who believe they always know better than the GM should apply for the job. I hear it pays pretty well.

32 I have not seen anything to indicate that Kent has a no trade clause.

Well, I should be clear - there can be some pretty misguided general managers out there. But that doesn't mean we can't have our own humility.

21 - I know what you mean. So if you take my post as it was, and remove the word "sellers," I think its still the right idea. There are guys who were brought in for the sole purpose of helping us compete in 2006 (Sele, Lofton, Baez) or even 2005 (Cruz, Ledee). I'm saying there's no reason to hang on to any of these guys provided they can fetch something of value. The fact that unloading these pieces could possibly make us a better team right now is an added bonus.

The key distinction, I think, is that Ned should not be phoning non-contenders for players we want, but should be phoning contentders to see how we can help them out.

re 32 I think that's basically right, although the real opportunity to move Kent has came and went this offseason, anyway, because teams like Boston (in perennial "win now" mode) addressed their second base issues.

I try to always remember that when a guy gets a job as a GM or a manager, there is a high likelihood that he knows more about baseball than I do

This should be qualified. While it's no doubt true that a given GM is privy to information that fans cannot access, that does not necessarily mean that (1) all of that private information is useful, or that (2) the GM pays attention to the part of said information that is useful. It may very well be the case, for example, that some of the information available to fans is actually more useful than the information (private or public) that a particular GM pays most attention to.

I reject the notion that those currently in GM positions are indubitably better at their jobs than the rest of us would be, if given the chance. I have no doubt that many DT posters would do at least as well as many of the current GMs at putting a "good" roster together.

30- my strong dislike for Kent is warranted. It stems back to his days with the Giants. I cheer for the Dodgers, but there's no way I can root for a guy like Kent. I kept my mouth shut when Kent was producing (it doesn't mean that I was openly rooting for him to do well). It's hard to attack a player when they are performing. I don't fault Kent for being overpaid, anyone would have taken that extension. Darren Dreifort is probably one of the least liked Dodgers in the past 15 years. It's not his fault that injuries sapped him of what otherwise might have been a solid career. Dreifort is a great guy who even when he was rehabbing, would spend time with the team. He was well liked and was respected by his teammates.

As much as I've been dissatisfied with Lofton's play this year, it doesn't mean I dislike him as a player or person. I never root against Lofton. I don't like his style of play and wish that he was on the team in a different capacity (as a bench player). I rooted for Gary Sheffield when he was here and he's one of the biggest jerks around. The one player who I've disliked almost as much as Kent was Kevin Brown. I met him once and all I can say is what a miserable human being. Bob probably knows what I'm talking about. If Russ Ortiz ever became a Dodger, Bob would lock himself into the closest in games in which Ortiz was pitching in.

I strongly disagree wiht the idea of moving Nomar off first base. He was brought in to play first, he's (presumably) only practiced there, it's the easiest position to play on the infield, and he's hitting the daylights out of the ball right now.

Nomar has played only 34 games at 3rd (in 2005 with Chicago, with an 83 rate2). Having him move now (as opposed to maybe the offseason) would seem to be hasty and wrought with potential for disaster.

I also wouldn't want to move 3 position players around to temporarily get Loney in the lineup.

I believe Russ Ortiz is supposed to be a nice guy. I just disliked him because he was on the Giants and always seemed to get lucky and had a W-L record much better than he deserved.

43 Jeez, Bob has been de-clawed wrt Russ Ortiz, not to mention the Frank Robby detente.

That cant' be what Jon was going for in 30, can it? I'm all for toning it down, but I don't want it to be like that Twilite Zone where everybody had to say nice things about the boy.

he was on the Giants and always seemed to get lucky and had a W-L record much better than he deserved

Seems like the Giants always have those kinda guys.

30 I, GoBears, am an idiot and a moron. I am wrong far more often than I am right. In fact, as a student of philosophy, I know that every statement I make about the world is either tautological or wrong. I only strive to be more subtly wrong than yesterday.

That said (and sincerely so), I was right about Kenny Lofton. ;^)

Mathematicians may spend hours just trying to figure out a line of equations. All the while, they feel dumb and inadequate. Then one day, these young mathematicians become established, become professors, acquire secretaries and offices. They don't want to feel stupid anymore. And they stop doing great work.

Professors get secretaries?

had a W-L record much better than he deserved.
The right handed Ishii

Why couldn't Saito be 5 years younger? He is so good, but this year will probably be the best season he ever has in the majors. It's a shame. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the team.

I am tired of hating. Our team is dead. Eric Gagne is dead. Jayson Werth is dead. The old men look to be dead. It is the young men who we love or hate. And he who led the young men is in Las Vegas.

It is hot and we have no shade. The team is sweating to death. My team, some of them have run to Tampa Bay with no hope, no prospects. No one knows where they are, perhaps bored to death. I want to have time to look for the prospects and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the Devil Rays.

Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My brain is sick and tired. From where the sun now stands, I will hate no more forever.

And it's hard to love, there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much too late
Well maybe we should all be praying for time

As a fan for over 30 years, the one player that I didn't like was Steve Garvey, not because he wasn't a good player, I just believed that:

1. Ron Cey could carry the club for weeks at a time.
2. Reggie Smith was the best player on those teams.
3. I liked Dusty Baker too.

But because Garvey got the publicity and seemed more concerned about playing everyday and getting 200 hits, I just didn't care for him that much.

After my the team of my youth departed, others like Guerrero, Piazza, and Mondesi filled some voids. I was a fan of Eric Davis before he was a Dodger, too bad he could not put it all together while he was here.

Flanders was an assistant GM for the hated Giants; really, how good could he be? McCourt wanted a door mat and that's what he got.

50- kind of like how I didn't/don't like Eric Karros. He went to a UCLA and was one of Tommy's guys. To the media, he was the Golden Boy. He was the poster child for mediocre Dodger teams of the 90s. His "games count more in September" really turned me off. You gotta love how he trashed the Dodgers and their fans on the way out. After playing a few months in Wrigley, he claimed the Cubs fans were the best in baseball (an obvious shot directed towards Dodger fans).

I don't want it to be like that Twilite Zone where everybody had to say nice things about the boy.

That was the one where the mean people were wished to Tampa Bay.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

Sometimes subscription based services seem to have their upsides.

Jon, you do a very, very good job.

Comments from a former front office guy:

JJ (Iowa): Is it possible that every MLB exec., who has judged the Reds-Nats deal a steal, is wrong? The Reds lost the bigger names but Kearns is injury prone and unfulfilled potential personified with a poor work ethic. Lopez is an error machine with a lot of talent but Brandon Phillips can play SS and both were due huge raises down the road.

Keith Law: It's possible that all those execs are wrong ... but it's really unlikely in this case. Kearns has been healthy all year, and you really have no idea about his work ethic at all. That's one thing that really bugs me - when people with no contact with teams or players try to impute personality traits (especially negative ones, like a poor work ethic) to specific players. You just don't know. Frankly, even when you're in a game, it's hard to adequately evaluate the makeup of a player on another team. You're heavily dependent on hearsay.

Even when I'm trying hard to be funny, I'm playing straight man for Steve.

48 How's that nose ring look, Bob? (Or should I call you Joe?)

46. Well, not philosophy professors. I think you need an endowed chair to get a secretary, my dad has 3 at the University of Missouri.

56 -- Your line was much, much better than mine.

56 I laughed at that one.

48 I knew there was some Bull in here :-)

I'm playing straight man for Steve

Aren't we all.

Booker T. Washington
I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.

Jon, your point on "hate" is well taken, and I agree with it, because that's my temperament. I also wouldn't paint my face blue, or decorate my house with Dodger colors, or even put a Dodger flag on my car. I often wear a baseball-style cap, but it is rarely a Dodger cap. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge fan, but I'm not so partisan that I can't appreciate a great performance on the other team. I get a little depressed after the Dodgers lose, but I can move on.

My point is, though, that there are lots of fans who are just like what I'm not. Insane partisans. Passionate, with long memories. I appreciate and sometimes envy those kinds of fans. Some of the commenters here are fans like that. I think there's room for them.

If you want to know what I'm sick of: The constant slagging on Colletti. It's as if there's a secret other Colletti who is committing these horrible misdeeds. The alleged misdeeds are usually the stuff of rumors, of trades that never happened.

What's he actually done? Was Baez such a bad idea? For two broken, worthless pieces, he got one of the better closers in the AL, just in case our great closer couldn't play. Baez is no great shakes. But the idea was the right one, and his presence has addressed a problem the Dodgers had. Hopefully, we can trade him off -- and believe me, if we do, we'll get something decent back.

Was Hendrickson such a bad idea? Are there are lot of lefty starting pitchers out there who could be gotten for so little? Seems to me he looked pretty good on Saturday. We've got a serious rotation problem, and this was a cheap-enough fix. The Yankees just signed Sidney Ponson! We know it's tough out there to find pitching.

In Dodger Utopia, Colletti can trade Lofton for Lastings Milledge, or some such thing. But I wish more folks here propose trades that the other GM might actually accept, and would ease off Colletti a little. I think there's a shoot-the-messenger quality to some of the criticism he gets. He can't get us exactly what we need, for much less than it's worth. Deal with it.

62 - No one did it better than one James Edwin Tracy.

Steve, I miss your site to pieces.

5

"2b - Daniella's father or Aybar"

I like this one. :o)

Another take

Lord Byron
Now hatred is by far the longest pleasure; men love in haste but they detest at leisure.

51 Before that, he was with the Cubs, the CUBS! He went to the Giants in one of those Nobody for Nobody exchanges they did. He was the Executive to be named later, sort of like a middle reliever named Carter we know all to well...

Padres just acquired Mike Adams from the Indians for Brian Sikorski. Adams has had one heck of a year, he was traded from the Brewers to the Mets for Jeremi Gonzalez in late May, was claimed off waivers by the Indians earlier this month and now is going to his 4th team this year.

[67] beautiful.

also, there are some professors who get the use of secretaries here. not many, though.

23

Just to be clear: I actually like Aybar, probably was his strongest backer during the winter and spring, when he had become something of an afterthought in the MSM amid all of the hullabo of BA's prospect lists, etc.
And I still like Aybar. If you inferred I don't like him, I suspect it was because of my posts commending the decision to demote him. At the time, I believed it very possible that Willy was in the midst of cratering at the plate and that both he and the Dodgers were better served by a demotion. Still believe that was the sensible move.
As for who would have played 2B if the Dodgers had done the sensible thing and tested Kent's trade value last winter: Perhaps a stop-gap such as a Loretta, or possibly a Howie Kendrick if you can get him for Kent (doubtful). Perhaps you get Minaya to give you something juicy that can be flipper.

Or Kent himself. My point was and is that the Dodgers should have seen what they could get for him. His value had peaked. My sense is that they were strongly disinclined to go that route. Then came the stupid extension. What's more, the extension was devoid of financial reciprocity on Kent's part.
As for the notion that Kent recommended Ned for the job, those quotes were fairly prevalent at the time Ned was hired.

64

For me, Colletti's done a decent job so far, with many of his moves subject to later interpration.
Am also with you on the Baez trade.
My greater concern is the McCourts.

64. The problem is that most of us are spoiled. We expect Paul Loduca for Brad Penny type of deals.

Not EJ/Tiff/Navarro for Hendrickson/Hall/Baez. Not giving Lofton/Mueller/Tomko 13 mils bucks. I honestly dont think Colletti is criticized enough. There's a stark contrast between being a good GM, and just being an average one. We had a good one, now we have an average one. Of course there's going to be complaining, when so many things that Colletti does make no sense statistically.

"It could be Jason Repko, whom Dodger manager Grady Little really misses, but Repko is only one hit into his rehabilitation assignment at Las Vegas (in 13 at-bats) and did not play Monday."

quote from up top.

I'm wondering if Repko is falling in the bad habit of '05 (trying to pull everything)

A high ankle sprain is a nasty injury, particularly for a speed player and a hitter, given the torque one puts on the ankle. Factoring in rust and confidence drain, Repko has a lot to conquer to get back to his form of earlier this year.

75

I hear you, I'm sure he will be o.k..

After everyone seemed so amazed that Pujols hit that homer on that one pitch that was kinda low, was anyone else thinking about Aybar's golf-shot homer?

So what does that make this lineup then,
Furcal
Lofton
Nomar
Drew
Aybar
Ethier
Izzy
Martin

But that's too predictable. I for one didn't really think they'd bring up Matt Kemp straight from AA. So don't rule out the possibility of Toby Hall catching a few games in a row, Martin playing third (he'll try it in practice at least), and then Repko being called up so we can have a centerfielder who has an arm, but still has speed, for the lineup

Furcal - SS
Izzy - 2B
Nomar - 1B
Drew - RF
Ethier - LF
Martin - 3B
Repko - CF
Hall - C

71 Sometimes I wonder if the Kent re-signing was for 'the fans'/marketing perspective since we didnt really have any marquee players to market the team other than new signings like Furcal and Nomar (who was unproven at the time).

Why not just DL Lofton and Kent?

Recall Aybar and Repko.
I really dont like Repko at all, but he hit so well at the beginning of the year that I think he deserves a chance to see if he can maintain his success.

My lineup would be:
SS-Furcal
C- Martin
3b-Nomar
CF-Drew
LF-Ethier
1b-Saenz
2b-Aybar
RF-Repko

No more Izzy.
No more Lofton.
Move Nomar to 3rd and put Saenz at 1st.
Put Repko in RF. He's got a great arm he just takes bad angles. I think he'd be ok in RF. Put Drew in CF.

If it were me personally, I'd probably just recall Kemp and play him instead of Repko in this scenario. But thats not likely to happen.

30 Jon, most of the time I just read here (although I get in a posting mood from time to time), but I think you are dead on with the feeling that things have gotten overly negative, and I think there are a lot of reasons for that a) obviously the poor play of late, b) the heat, which seems to be making everyone I know cranky, and c) lack of patience in what seems to be the overall plan right now for the Blue. Build for 07-08-09 when we look to be the class of the NL. Frankly, I am excited and love the kids (both the ones coming up and helping now and the ones who are making their way up from the food chain of the minors).

There are some very promising reasons to be happy as a Dodger fan right now, which I am happy about.

1) We have our catcher of the next 6 years at least, and probably longer, and he hits and plays solid D.

2) Andre Ethier looks to be an above average MLB outfielder for the next several years for cheap prices.

3) Matt Kemp will be the best CFer in baseball in about 2-3 years.

4) Chad Billingsely and Scott Elbert are two of the ten least hittable pitchers under 23, if only they would trust their stuff and throw strikes.

5) Andy LaRoche looks like he will be a bona fide 30 HR 3B, with plate discipline.

6) James Loney is leading the world (Non-Joe Mauer division) in hitting right now.

7) Brad Penny and Derek Lowe (two solid major league pitchers) are signed for the next several years to reasonable deals.

8) Nomar is having a career resurgance while playing for us.

9) Broxton looks like he will be able to be a really good closer in the Gagne type mold, possibly beginning next year.

10) Finally, the last time we lost five games in a row, we won 15 of our next 18.

79 Saenz' body will not let him play every day, and when he does he wears out and looks terrible. He is not the answer as an everyday player. He does what he does (pinch hitting, platooning against Leftys) very well, but he doesn't do anything else well.

Some Dodger related tidbits from the esteemed Jayson Stark:

On Soriano:
"The Dodgers couldn't say no fast enough when Bowden reportedly asked for catcher Russ Martin, outfield stud Matt Kemp and/or pitcher Chad Billingsley. "

On Maddux:
"Folks we've surveyed are betting it's the Dodgers. "They don't have a leader on that staff," says one GM. "So at the very least, he'd be a tremendous guy for [Derek] Lowe and [Brad] Penny and [Chad] Billingsley to be around." "

I think everyone is cranky because they bought into the idea that we could have our cake and eat it too -- hold on to all the good young prospects, fill in with some veterans, and still win the division. Since that is in doubt, no one wants to retrench to the "wait till next year" mode.

If you accepted the premise that this was never going to be "the year" for the Dodgers, I think it is easier to sit back, enjoy the good experiences we've had, and be content for now.

If you accepted the premise that this was never going to be "the year" for the Dodgers

Alert Ned Colletti to this.

82 Those are all good reasons to be happy. But isn't Loney leading the Mauer AND non-Mauer divisions?

85 You're right Loney has passed Mauer, I don't know why I assumed he hadn't, but Mauer is still more impressive, because batter .375 in the majors is better than .391 in the PCL.

If you are building a team to be stong for the next 3-5 years that doesn't mean you can't try to win this year. It just means you are a little bit hamstrung in your efforts. I think that describes Colletti and the Dodgers right now.

86 Agreed that Mauer is much more impressive. It should also be noted that they both play in great hitters' parks.

I love the way the grass is always so green at Dodger Stadium. The next time you see a member of the grounds-crew give them a high-five and a hearty THANK YOU!

89. The grass is always greener in our competitors parks.

88. I'll be happy to see Aybar back, if he does return. I like him, but his positional flexibility makes him the most obvious answer. My view of this season has always been as a chance to rebuild and intigrate the youngsters. For that reason I'd like to see Aybar, and Repko, get as much playing time as possible because (a) they dont have much trade value, so at least they can build some, & (b) they have a chance at being solid regulars that can help in the future. I may be in the minority, but Id guess that Aybar has ~20% chance at becoming Bill Mueller and Repko has ~10% chance at becoming Aaron Rowand. Id like to see if one of them might pull it off.

All I want to say is let Aybar plan. I am a big fan. And that I still think my girlfriend is unbelievably cute.

Just staying positive.

The grass could be greener in the competitors parks this year, except when the Dodgers were in Minnesota.

92 All I want to say is let Aybar plan. I am a big fan.

Has he been getting a lot of practice with Microsoft Project and Excel software while in AAA? :)

The Aybar Plan is this century's Marshall Plan.

The Baez plan is this century's Schlieffen's Plan.

is there anywhere I can check to see were Repko's out's are going?

96

Aybar's plan to stick with the big club didn't pan out.

Tampa Bay has a starter with a 2.70 ERA. I wonder what he would cost to bring over here.

96

what's Schlieffen's? I looked it up on dictionarydotcom & found nothing?

I work for a planning agency. We could do worse than Willy Aybar, especially if he's available for company softball games on Tuesday night.

On a completely separate note, it was so nice to get in the car on my way home last night and hear Vin Scully. I caught the Mariano Duncan Incident before getting out of the car, and Vin was doing all he could to not call out Angel Hernandez for rabbit ears. Just brilliant. I was getting far too accustomed to the Steiner/Monday/Ruess on the radio.

101
I work for a planning agency

What kind of planning agency?

100 It was the failed German plan to win World War I really really quickly. Instead of winning right away, they got bogged down into trenches and the war tooks years. And they lost.

www.wikipedia.org is probably the best source for random factlets like that. It also does pretty well finding things that have different possible spellings, like foreign words.

92 "And that I still think my girlfriend is unbelievably cute."

Dude, post a link to a picture.

Great first paragraph of Cliff's post up at Bronx Banter right now.

New thread up top.

I'd like to propose a new Dodger Thoughts nickname. James Loney's batting skills are almost identical to a former player named Tony Gwynn. And Loney rhymes with Tony. So we should call James Loney "Loney Gwynn" from now on.

104

agreed, hook it up with the eye candy bro.

102 Regional transportation planning.

109

R.T.P? easy as 1,2,3, ABC...(the Jackson5)

Sorry bad joke I know, but I couldn't resist.

I know that I wasn't the one who had the pic requested, but I think that my fiance is pretty hot. Judge for yourselves (btw I am the one taking the pic, not on the couch):

img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-7/1198838/CarolinaSchoolGirl.JPG