Shameless plug for myself:
https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/441105.html

Won't get a chance to see this game in any fashion I fear. But it's all for the best. Off to say goodbye to my aunt who is moving to Texas and wishing goodbye the last relative from the generation before me who lives out here.

how much did you have to dish out for those seats?

great article about the McCourts, loved reading it.

i don't know if anyone has pointed this out recently, but "old friend" and putative depodesta boondoggle jose valentin is OPSing .876 with 11 homers, 15 doubles, and 3 triples in 213 at-bats. meanwhile, we have cesar izturis playing 3rd base.

5 You mean DePo didn't acquire Jose Valentin just to destroy the team? My mind is blown.

Breaking news: Antonio Perez has finaly got his average into the triple digits. He's hitting .101 after his third inning double.

5 - https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/397161.html

have for the most part allowed the rebuilding of the farm system to continue

A carefully stated truth, but is it really something to brag about? It's also true they fired the most over-qualified young general manager in the game and hired an anti-intellectual dweeb with a knowing smirk and a Jeff Kent-matching moustache. Why? Who among us believes the front office average IQ went anywhere but in the sewer, unreturned phone calls notwithstanding? I can't help it; I hate 'em.

Or have we covered this previously?

[5] ah yes, i remember that one now. well, his 100+ plate appearances since havle been even better than those first 100. he'll probably hit about 25 homers and knock in 90 runs before the season is through. it just reaffirms the notion that his signing was another example of a good idea that just didn't pan out because of the dodgers' phenomenal bad luck in the health department last year.

Has the DT software been acting up today or was it my computer?
At the player's meeting last night, you don't suppose Nomar volunteered to play third base, a position he played only last year, do you? That would allow them to bring up Loney who's hitting what, .380?
Character is a word that gets tossed around a lot, but it should be tossed out. A talented player gets told how great he is all through high school, maybe college, the minors and even in the majors. After all those years of hearing it, he is convinced. Character is completely replaced by ego. To Hell with winning, I got to protect my average...

I see Martin's hitting in front of Ethier today, right after Drew. I swear I just can't follow Little's thinking at all. It must be those hunches again...

The McCourts are victims alright. Victims of their own greed. Victims of their lack of baseball experience. Victims of their own egos. Victims of their inablity to develop a plan and stick with it.

Point me to where any of the executives fired by McCourts have trashed the McCourts the way the McCourts have trashed them.

This is all anyone really needs to know.

Why would they even give this interview?

Why would they even give this interview?

Because they're very concerned about how they're perceived by the public, due in large part (I would think) to the fact that they want people to keep coming to the games so they can keep making profits.

14

it's a business of course they wan't people to go to Dodger Stadium, you can't folt them for that (atleast I'm not)

and hired an anti-intellectual dweeb with a knowing smirk and a Jeff Kent-matching moustache

Come on, Colletti's mustache is much bigger than Jeff Kent's. Kent trims his more, while Colletti has that big old bushy thing.

Today's lineup from Inside the Dodgers

Furkle
Izzy
Birthday Boy
Drew
Martin
3.5
Cruz
Martinez

Man I'm glad I was wrong about J.D.Drew, going on the 15 day DL. would any of you like to see Martin batting 2nd?

5 - The middle infield might be a better place for Valentin. He can't lose balls in the chalk there.

I think Tommy Hawkins voiced his opinion of the McCourts.

16

Colletti is old school that's why.

When George Steinbrenner axes executives or makes trades, he's called a shrewd baseball owner. . .

When did this happen? Somebody thinks Steinbrenner is shrewd? Must've been some stat geek, like that Bill James character.

Izzy batting second? I might boycott today's game in favor of a movie...

18 - I like Martin in the 5 spot.

You know what's really amazing, it's that you could easily win a world series if you had a team entirely made up of the best players that make less than $1 million.

This would be it's starting lineup, if it's an NL team

Jose Reyes
Grady Sizemore
David Wright
Ryan Howard
Nick Swisher
Jason Bay
Robinson Cano
Russell Martin

The rotation would be

Liriano
Kazmir
Verlander
Weaver

with the likes of Chien-Ming Wang, Chad Billingsley, Kyle Davies, and Matt Cain competing for the 5th starter job.

grady sizemore, nick swisher, and robinson cano are in the NL?

and not brian mccann over russ martin?

26 - Not all NL players, but an NL lineup, meaning no DH.

Good point on McCann. He is OPSing .959. That team's even better than I thought!

It does tell you something that the 4 top young starting pitchers are in the AL though.

Frank McCourt "Finally, Frank says: "Other groups who wanted to buy the Dodgers had an agenda, so they assumed we did too. We were gonna build condos on Dodger land, or put an NFL team there. But we just wanted to make the Dodgers work. A lot of rich people here couldn't figure out how to make the Dodgers work. I mean, if Fox and Murdoch couldn't figure out how to make the Dodgers work, how could we, these strangers?"

What he leaves unsaid is his belief that his dreams of Dodger greatness do not conflict with his dreams for the future development of Dodger land. They are both part of his one grand dream for his L.A. enterprise, which is not unlike his grand dream for that 25 acres of Boston land that he never developed while waiting for the perfect moment. Frank McCourt will always be an Irish Romantic, with all that implies, a touch of doomed fatalism.

"I'm willing to fail," he says. "I'd rather go down with the ship than play it safe."

I like that quote from Frank McCourt.

Frank McCourt "Finally, Frank says: "Other groups who wanted to buy the Dodgers had an agenda, so they assumed we did too. We were gonna build condos on Dodger land, or put an NFL team there. But we just wanted to make the Dodgers work. A lot of rich people here couldn't figure out how to make the Dodgers work. I mean, if Fox and Murdoch couldn't figure out how to make the Dodgers work, how could we, these strangers?"

What he leaves unsaid is his belief that his dreams of Dodger greatness do not conflict with his dreams for the future development of Dodger land. They are both part of his one grand dream for his L.A. enterprise, which is not unlike his grand dream for that 25 acres of Boston land that he never developed while waiting for the perfect moment. Frank McCourt will always be an Irish Romantic, with all that implies, a touch of doomed fatalism.

"I'm willing to fail," he says. "I'd rather go down with the ship than play it safe."

I like that quote from Frank McCourt.

Oops sorry about that.

just tossing this out there, because there's this thing on mlb.com about "hometown heroes", where you vote for who's your team's greatest player ever.

so: who's the greatest dodger of all time?

i think we've had this discussion before (how could we not have), but instead of making lists, i think everyone should limit themselves to just one name, and maybe a short explanation of their rationale.

(my prediction is, jackie r. wins in a landslide)

32

Brian Bohanon

34
Jackie would be my pick.

A very good sign this team was jinxed and doomed to failure was Cody Ross. He came off the DL, hit two homeruns and drove in 7 RBIs in one game; less than a week later he was DFAd. We should have known then.

Kershaw sure is tearing it up in Rookie ball right now; in 16 IP he has 21 K's, 1 BB, and 2 ER allowed. Another couple weeks of this and he may be headed to low-A already.

I think you get a better sense of the man Frank McCourt by reading Angela's Ashes.

The ballot makes a nice topic of conversation for when you go to the game, though some of the nominies are weird (Brian Schnieder makes it for the Nationals but Pedro Martinez doesn't, even though Gary Carter's presence suggests it's means the Montreal-Washington franchise) it is fun to debate on who the thirty nominies should be.

I went for Koufax for L.A.

[40] where do you see the list of nominees for each team? i didn't find it, though granted i didn't look very hard. i hope you don't have to register first.

41 In my case you get one at the game like an All-Star ballot. Sadly, it looks like you have to register to vote online.

39 I hear his brother Malachy McCourt is negotiating to buy the Clippers.

Today's lineup does not fill me with optimism.

The Hometown Heroes debates that I thought were the most intriguing:

Baltimore: Cal Ripken Jr. vs. Frank Robinson

Cleveland: Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, Bob Feller

Oakland: Reggie Jackson, Rickie Henderson, Lefty Grove

Cincinatti: Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Frank Robinson, Pete Rose

St. Louis: Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith

Houston: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Nolan Ryan

Of all the books about baseball I have read, there are very few that are better than "A False Spring," Pat Jordan's deeply personal account of his own minor league baseball career and his life. It was published in 1975.

44 I keep assuming the Dodgers are gonna turn it around every day, but every day I just end up disappointed.

my uneducated opinions on those choices:

ripken
feller
rickey
morgan
gibson
bagwell

though, to be honest, i don't know a heck of a lot about nap lajoie and tris speaker.

Miles was out!

I'm wishing Chad the best today, of course. But that play at first defines the team's current struggles i.e. a little bad luck combined with a failure to perform the fundamentals.

It's getting harder and harder to watch the missed covers and cut-off men, the weak DP grounders on the first pitch, etc. etc.

Sorry to start off on a negative note, but please Dodgers, let's start playing some ball.

The McCourts should care less about building a brand and more about building a successful long term team. Once the team is a year in, year out threat, the brand can be built easily. Stop worrying about what others think.

Billingsley gets out of runners on first and second with a GIDP. What's his stuff looking like today?

Fastball looks good again, off-speed he was trying to throw for balls. Not enough evidence to make a good assessment yet.

Why is Drew hitting 4th again? 3rd or 2nd is far more appropriate.

Last year, the Times reported that the naming rights to Dodger Stadium were up for sale by the McCourts. That should have been addressed in the article. Are the McCourts in line for any money from the sale of the Nationals. If so, where will it be spent? Puff pieces are only good for starting campfires.

Damn Juan Encarnacion.

32

Jackie Robinson for me.

56

that's the first thing I saw when I tuned in.

Juan E. now has more HRs than any Dodger player.

38

great to know.

the toaster is acting up.

Speaking of Repko's return, he's not starting today. He sat out of Firday's game, so I'm going to guess this isn't a routine day off.

any news on why he wasn't playing?(Repko)

I'm guessing alot of DT are at the game today, to see Pujols mad hitting skills.

Billingsley throwing a little slower today compared to his last start.

65 -- What's the gun reading on Billingsley's fastball? Aside from the home run, he must be doing something right. Only 61 pitches through 4 innings, so he is continuing last's game's tendency to be more efficient than he had been in the past.

66

you gotta love seeing the progess of the rooks.

This kid I had classes with won 2 WSOP bracelets.

66- Sitting around 91, the first pitch this inning was 89.

Billingsley is throwing 91-93mph.

Well that was a busted double play.

Some, if not all of you will remember that Vin used to constantly refer to Chad Fonville as "Little Chad". So, when we picked up Chad Curtis back in `96 I immediately dubbed him "Medium Chad". Now, thanks to Mr. Billingsley, after all these years we finally have a "Large Chad" to complete the ensemble. He's really a moose, isn't he?

Weaver was allowed to swing into a DP, but Marquis isn't allowed to swing on a 0-2 count? Does LaRussa realize Marquis is a better hitter than Miles?

nice cutter by Bills.

Marquis career hitting starts: .229/.247/.327. The concept of Marquis as a good hitter is largely a myth. He's good for a pitcher, but he's not someone who should be willingly used off the bench. By comparison, Jeff Weaver isn't much worse (.221/.240/.264)

Furcal you cost us and Chad two runs!!

Because they're very concerned about how they're perceived by the public, due in large part (I would think) to the fact that they want people to keep coming to the games so they can keep making profits.

14. D4P, I completly agree with the first half of your statement. They are indeed very concerned about how they are percieved. That said, they should be more concerned about how the team is percieved than how they are percieved.

However, the second part of your statement I don't really agree with. I don't think anyone is going to continue to come to Dodger Stadium becasue of anything Frank says. With some exceptions, I think fans in general do not like or identify with owners. Usally owners only hurt themselves in the press. Excluding charity work, only two things win the fans admiration. i.e., field a winning team or lower prices. Otherwise there is nothing an owner can say which will keep fans coming out. And this is as it should be. Its about the team not the owner.

Don't like the IBB to Albert

He hit that off his shoetops!

Rolen finds ways of beating us.

81. Heck, not just Rolen. We find ways of beating ourselves. (Yes Furcal, I'm looking at you.)

I hope Neddie realizes that trading away prospects for one hitter, won't make a difference.

Why didn't you do this when you played at Dodger Stadium everyday Encarnacion!

that HR my Encarnacion was like geting punched by a pro-boxer.

I think that will just about do it.

Juan E. now has two more HRs than any Dodger player.

But that doesn't mean we won't hear a lot of nonsense about how we're only ___ games back between now and whenever we get there, a la 2005.

Aside from Encarnacion, Billingsley really wasn't that bad. His defense totally failed him and the Cardinals hit some crazy pitches.

84 Wow, you actually believed we could have scored five runs.

I begged Colletti, and DePo before him, to bring back Encarnacion. I proposed a seven year $84M contract, when he was FA before this year. I was ignored. Now, with this 2HR game, Encarnacion has proved that I'm the smartest DTer of all. I'd just like to say in your face to all of you bums.

We don't play the cardinals again this year do we?

88 -- Misinterpretation. That should just about do it for "a lot of nonsense about how we're only ___ games back between now and whenever we get there, a la 2005."

90 No, but of the 63 games we have left, 35 are against teams currently over .500. And we don't play the Pirates, our previous slump-buster, until the end of September.

Is Marquis that good? or are we that bad right now?

Dan Kolb is a closer!

I don't like seeing Furcal aim for the fences.

Marquis gave up 12 runs in the last game he pitched.

Billingsley really needs to learn how to strikeout batters.

lot of nonsense about how we're only ___ games back between now and whenever we get there, a la 2005."

It also might quel the "Cardinals really arent that much better than the Dodgers" attitude.

It also might quell the

"the way to build a winning team is to combine proven veterans who know how to win with speed and athleticism" attitude.

We're only seven games behind the Cardinals.

97 Would you be happy if you were a Cardinals fan? They have four really good players surrounded by 21 bad ones.

Andre the Assassin almost took out Edmonds.

While we're on the topic of the McCourts, who in the "new" organization gets credit for all of the empty seats behind home plate? I'm watching today's game, it's the 6th inning, so I don't think it can be chalked up to a late arriving crowd. Not (just) the heat either, as it seems that way most of the time, day or night. People back east must scratch their heads when they see Dodger attendance figures and try and square that with what they see on TV. 40,000+ sold, but you'd never know it by watching the game on TV.

They have four really good players surrounded by 21 bad ones.

The 4 good ones obviously impact the team more than you are giving them credit for.

they left when they scored the 5 runs bro, I saw they were full when I tuned in.

Finally finished the article about the McCourts. I'm not sure Jordan is at all sympathetic to them. Unless every last thing either of them says really is irritating, he picked out the irritating things to reproduce. He paints Mrs. McCourt as one sports car short of a mid-life crisis. McCourt is a foul-mouthed, vain paranoiac. Or maybe I'm reading too much in to it.

I know virtually nothing about PR, but wouldn't the best move, for these people, be to shut up and go away? In ten years, if they're still around, then that'll be what it is. But there's no way to skip the ten years.

100 Pujols, Rolen, Carpenter for sure the top 3... and then,

Edmonds or Isringhausen?

106- Encarnacion!

Actually, there's a lot of paralell between the Dodgers and the Cardinals right now:

A lot of chaff, some doing decently, some are terrible.
One starter you can actually count on.
An unrealiable bullpen.
A star player that's underperforming.
A star player that's putting up a studly year.

The difference is that the Cardinals have Pujols, and we don't.

The difference is that the Cardinals have Pujols, and we don't.

105

it's funny how people see things, I don't see them like you do.

106 Edmonds was who I had in mind.

They have four really good players surrounded by 21 bad ones.

Hendrickson, Hall, Baez, Carter.

Check and mate.

I think whenever you have a .370 OBP leadoff hitter, and then Pujols/Edmonds/Rolen everyday in the lineup, it doesnt matter who the other 4 guys are. Its similar to Barry Bonds and the Giants scoring so many runs, with a cast of nobodies surrounding him.

As for pitching, Carpenter, Reyes, and if they get Wainright into the rotation..Thats a bright future.

This is clearly a remarkable slump and a test. The baseball gods want to see if they can make the D's give up their prospects.
8 days left to resist!

109- I don't necessarily see either of them in the way I described; that's how I thought the writer was trying to portray them.

So when do the Dodgers return from the All-Star break again? I'm confused.

114

oh I see.

we need Tommy to motivate these guys.

why is stop 'um Saito in there?

there's nothing to stop!

102 - So Bud Furillo isn't still dead.

In today's game, it was the heat. It was a sweatbox out there today, even in the shade. I'm sure many people with tickets stayed home.

So when does the media start turning on Ned?

Hmmm...I'm starting to question whether a 4-shortstop lineup is a surefire offensive juggernaut...

120
I've been wondering the same thing. When will they start blaming him for the injuries, particularly those to the older players (e.g. Mueller, Kent, etc.)?

122 If we can use the "it's not DePo's fault everyone got hurt" line, we have to give Ned the same courtesy.

What was our record after 99 games last year?

look peeps we got on the score board.

123 Agreed. Of course having stock in a few less injury prone veterans might be good, too. If the Dodgers don't make a trade for offense at the deadline (and we won't really know what might go down there until towards the end of the week) do you think even if they're still relatively close in the standings they'll call up more youth?

Next week Repko will be back but he's not going to help the power failure all that much. Kent will be back a week later(?) which will help but it's hard to know what they'll do - or, in fairness, what they should do.

Flanders is reminding me a lot of Frank Thomas in recent years. He's less than a .250 hitter, but when he has a hit, it's a home run. The Nomar signing and the Ethier trade were great, but not a whole lot else.

Good non-roster invites too.

I'm not so sure the media will turn on Colletti anytime soon. As long as he continues to placate the media, and "improve" the roster with his vets that know how to win, the media will like him. Colletti hasn't really done anything to turn the media against him, and they can easily blame this year on injuries. Colletti just needs to keep the media on his side until the rookies take over.

Larussa brought in a lefty to face Ethier. Andre, what do you think about that?

Haven't been watching much today, and saw the 6-0 score. Yet I'm still watching the 9th and figure you never know.

124 45-54

120 Who do you define as the media? Newspapers, in today's age, not as effective and for the most part, I think Ned unlike his predecessor has done a good job in his relationships with them.

Sportstalk radio is just not a big deal in LA, local sports anchors get a few minutes on the air, Fox analysts like Ned too.

I heard "Home DePo" wasn't that good with the media.

how about the blogosphere?

Way to swing at a ball in the dirt, Cruz.

I dont consider the Ethier for Bradley/Perez trade a "home run". For a trade to be a "home run", it must involve giving up nothing, and getting something great.

Bradley's a key piece (in his prime CF'er making small change) that the Dodgers right now, and possibly next season if Kemp isnt ready, are missing.

Nomar was a good signing, but he hasnt improved the 1st base production over last season that greatly. It would have looked great however if Nomar was signed to play 3rd or SS. For a first basemen, he's just another guy.

Midnight Run is on Cinemax right now.

136 - that's a tough standard. Have the Dodgers ever done that?

131

I hadn't rememebered how truly awful we were from this point on last year. There's hope yet. Of course, we'll have to win more than 1 out of every 11 games to improve on last year's record.

The problem with Bradley is that - no one questions his hitting ability - but his attitude we all know about (whether fair or not he'd quickly worn out his welcome in LA) and even more important in my mind he's consistently injury-prone. We would have had yet another injury prone (and more of a malcontent) player to deal with. Instead we got a great corner outfielder for years to come, who has great character and is a rookie of the year candidate. While you may not be right that it's a "home run" I'd give it a double or a triple at least.

As for Nomar, I wonder if it is ever discussed about moving him to 3rd - I wonder how he feels about it for one thing. Calling up Loney and moving him over wouldn't solve all the offense woes right now either, but it could up things a notch. Or not.

137 Dodgers first baseman OPSed .825 last year. Nomar, despite his huge slump, is somewhere between .940 and .950 right now.

Padres- Giants now tied at 5 in the 9th. Is there a way that both teams can lose? I guess I'm rooting for the Padres, but "root" is pushing it. Actually, I'm going to not care at all and go do some work for awhile.

137 Our 1Bs are OPSing .937 this year, and .828 last, so there actually is a fairly large gain.

Beltre breaks a tie with the Red Sox with an inside the park HR. Manny in the outfield is so funny. Picks up the ball and somehow underhand tosses it BEHIND him, toward the wall, then he points at it to let the center fielder know it is HIS turn to do something with the impertinent spheroid.

Ned should be on the phone trying to ditch anyone he doesn't plan on offering arbitration to.

This means you Kenny Lofton and Danny Baez. If we still have these guys after the deadline I'd be shocked...well, actually I wouldn't with the way Ned works, but you catch my drift.

Read a rumor about Aramis Ramirez. Probably has no legs to it...by why in the heck would we be going after that guy anyways?

141. I'd move Nomar to a position that he can help us for next season, if he's going to be resigned. I dont really want him playing 1st base next year for what he's likely to be making salary wise.

Maybe try him at 3b or in LF for the last two months, sort of as a tryout to see if he'd be worth signing for next year to play those positions.

I think the funk we're in right now will tell us a lot about the McCourt-Ned relationship.

I really wouldn't be all that surprised to see Ned hold his current cards and not make any substantial moves, if he felt he couldn't make a good deal.

On the other hand, the publicity-sensitive McCourts would not be very likely to stand pat, even if it meant making a stupid deal. They would want the fans to see that they are "doing everything they can to bring a pennant to L.A." That could lead to something like renting Soriano for two months and giving up half the farm system. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Will the McCourts insist Ned make a big deal, even if it's a bad deal?

What's with this Putz guy? He strikes out Ortiz and Ramirez, but then gives up a homer to Varitek.

146 He's 28, and hits home runs at a position where we desperately need production.

147

Makes much more sense to me to play him at 3rd. He has some experience there and we already have a good left fielder.

142. I understand that, however LF, SS and 3b all had much lower cumulative OPS's last year than 1st base did, and upgrading those positions with Nomar would have had a greater effect than the nominal impact at 1st.

I think Nomar will end up OPS'ing around .900 for the season. Thats a 70point improvement at 1st. But could have been a 200+ improvement in LF or at SS. Around 180+ at 3b.

152 LF has already improved around .300 (from .600 to .900). Although I do agree, as the improvements at SS and 3B are negligible, and completely offset by the fall in 2B OPS.

150-

yes, and he's a rental AND we have one of the best 3B prospects in all of baseball.

Doesn't make any sense...give up top prospects for a rental? No thanks.

Ned Colletti has made a trade!
And its actually a good one I think.

Dodgers traded Sandy Alomar Jr to the White Sox for minor league pitcher BJ Lamura.

Lamura is old for his league, but he's put up decent numbers. I'm just shocked Colletti was able to get anything for Alomar. What was Kenny Williams' thinking?

155
That is some David Blaine/Lance Burton stuff right there.

is that for real? Well, good for Ned, and good for Sandy, too. I sincerely wish him the best because he's had a great career, was a good person to have around and didn't complain. On the other hand, it is amazing we got anything for him. I figured he'd just be DFA'd when Repko came back.

well done.

155-

wow, not a bad one...I can't believe he got something. He should be sending lofton and baez next.

Its sort of surprising he dealt the happy backup catcher, and kept the unhappy back up catcher. I guess Toby Hall is here to stay.

Btw, Lamura went to Clemson U. Sounds like he has had some good strikeout numbers, and some control issues.

I even found a WSox discussion forum from awhile ago where someone was asking about him.
http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-37331.html

I'm just shocked Colletti was able to get anything for Alomar.

This just goes to show that everyone other than pure garbage has value.
Now not saying we can get the moon for certain players but we can definately dump some veterans for minor leaguers and we need to, because we need to open roster spots for loney, kemp, laroche, aybar.

155
Ned got another BJ...? That sly dog...

159 Yes and no. I mean, Hall, for all his malcontent-ness (not a word, I know) is obviously the one to keep as far as age, talent, ability to hit, over Alomar, so I guess they're going to try to deal with his unhappiness and get him PT when they can.

Or they'll trade him, too, and call up Edwin Bellorin or something.

Ned should stick to dealing for prospects, he succeeds on those trades.

There's a chance (albeit small) that we may have underestimated Flanders. Wouldn't it be great if:

1. Prior to the season, he had secretly written off the team's championship chances in 2006 and had decided to focus instead on improving the future by
2. Stockpiling "proven veterans" while their value was low (i.e. during the offseason) with the intent of
3. Trading them to contenders looking for "veteran presence to put them over the top" when their value is high (i.e. at the trade deadline).

I agree, very small chance that was the plan.

Sorry if someone has already posted this but the Dodger website is saying Repko is being activated tomorrow.

Repko in - Alomar out

The last time the Cardinals had a season sweep of the Dodgers was 115 years ago.

165 - Are you calling a Baez-Lofton-Martinez-Alomar-Cruz-Ledee-Saenz dump in the next 8 days?

It'd be a trick if Ned actually turned a group like that into something (or even tried), but individually each one of those players would be an asset given the right team.

Repko in - Alomar out

Yep, and lets hope grady's love affair with lofton has come to an end.
I'm not high on repko considering his minor league stats but i'll take a guy with power who has shown some signs of offensive production over a 39 year old no power guy.

These 2 guys need to be promoted:
Laroche 958 ops
Loney 983 ops (has played in the outfield this season)

I don't know where to put loney considering repko is coming back (ethier, repko, drew).
Now if drew is injured, maybe DL him and put loney in his spot (loney, repko, ethier).

Baez is an extremely tricky case. If luck breaks his way, he can still salvage it.

Did I mention that Dan Kolb is a closer?

You mean 1891? The Dodgers weren't in a league with a St. Louis team that season.

They were in the AA together from 1884 through 1889.

St. Louis didn't join the NL until 1892.

Did I mention that Dan Kolb is a closer?

Why do you keep including the "c"?

164 - Could be. I like the idea of adding a college pitcher to the minor league system, too. If this is Colletti's secret plan, and he's masking it by saying he doesn't want to put too much pressure on the prospects, then I'm encouraged.

So here's a question - when Tomko is activated later this week, which pitcher goes? Assuming he will indeed start out in the bullpen at least for awhile, another pitcher has to go. The Dodgers could be trying to trade someone like Baez (or Perez) or they could DFA someone like Perez... but hard to know right now.

169 Also, I know you're not suggesting this, but I'd be especially surprised if the Dodgers had any interest in trading Saenz, whether dumping or not - too valuable off the bench. Martinez has proven valuable as a backup IF and they wouldn't get much for trading him. Ditto Ledee and Cruz (but one of them could be gone, too). Someone may want Lofton. Gonna be an interesting week.

168
I think you read the story wrong. The Cardinals had never swept the Dodgers and they have been playing 115 seasons against each other in the NL.

There were also no sweeps when the two teams were in the AA for six seasons.

My favorite line from the McCourt article is Jamie describing how cool she is and how cool her sons and their friends think she is. lol

So humble.

PS: At least the Giants lost today. In the Extremely Small Comfort Dept.

[what about trading Nomar]

Did I just say that out loud?

176
I actually didn't read it I just saw the headline.

175 I'd expect either Odalis or Cruz is on their way out of the organization, and it depends on whether we want a 6 or 7 man bullpen.

Are you calling a Baez-Lofton-Martinez-Alomar-Cruz-Ledee-Saenz dump in the next 8 days?

if he did this I might take back all the bad things I've said.

[what about trading Nomar]

if we plan on going with Loney this wouldn't be a bad idea. He could bring a couple really good players back.

181-

instead of eating all that contract we need to get someone to take at least 1 or 2 mill of his contact....I don't think that's an absurd notion either. Someone takes a chance on a formerly decent pitcher for 1 or 2 mill while we pay 8-9? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Steve, say 10 Hail Marys and bite your tongue! Nomar is a Saint! We can't speak of trading him, much less ask him to play another horrible position. Seriously, I'm not advocating trading him, but if I were the GM, I would tell him flat out the only way I'd even discuss a contract for next year is for him to switch to third base, that we have a hot firstbaseman that we can't keep down any longer. Play for the name on the front of the jersey...

[what about trading Nomar]

For a top starting pitching prospect that will be ready next year or ready now, and save some money by not having to sign both zito and schmidt, just 1 of them, and making it easier to shore up the rotation, because it will be hard to convince both zito and schmidt to sign.

I still can't believe we got a player for Alomar and a decent one at that!!

Are you calling a Baez-Lofton-Martinez-Alomar-Cruz-Ledee-Saenz dump in the next 8 days?

Alomar is down, and I'd trade off everyone listed but Saenz. He's a useful ph, and has power.

I'd throw in Drew into the mix, because he's not on the DL, and he'd be a good substitute for someone looking for Abreu. Besides, he's kinda gone, but who else knows that? Isn't his value higher than Shawn Green's? That will help ensure that Kemp can be clear for the majors, too.

If anyone is dumb enough to take on Odalis Perez' contract, that would be great. Best case scenario is Odalis and cash for Gonzalez. But if he just got DFA'd, that would be fine too.

Ned should be trying to deal Hall, Baez, Saito, Beimel, Lofton,Ledee, Martinez, Saenz and Cruz. I think Saito might have alot more value to a contender, than to the Dodgers. If Ned can sell high on him, it'd be great. Same thing with Baez.

Any mediocre veteran thats on a 1yr deal, that Ned has no intentions of offering arbitration too, should be dealt now.

Play for the name on the front of the jersey...

So he can see his on the back.

LaMura is Italian for Hamulack

I still can't believe we got a player for Alomar and a decent one at that!!

I feel the same way, which reminds me of a movie quote:

"Just when I thought you couldnt get any dumber....You go, and totalllllllly redeem yourself"

Any mediocre veteran thats on a 1yr deal, that Ned has no intentions of offering arbitration too, should be dealt now.

Flanders has a chance to redeem himself. If he doesn't take advantage of it, he'll earn the new nickname "Nediocre."

190
What is "BJ" Italian for...?

LaMura is Italian for Hamulack

No, he's gotta be in the minors for at least 6 more years for that to be the case.

As much as we all rightly hate the Cuban Missile Crisis (I mean, really, would you want those things pointed at you all season long?), I am not so convinced that offering arbitration is not the right move here. I can see a lot of different end-games, but there are a lot of moving parts. It's not a decision I would want to make -- on the other hand, I wouldn't have gotten myself in that position in the first place to acquire a worthless middle reliever being paid by Tampa Bay simply because they had to pay somebody, anybody, at all.

B.J.'s career minor league stats, 3 years, also the baseball cube shows he didn't play in 2005.

Career:
9.48 h/9
0.56 hr/9
4.34 w/9
7.47 k/9

This season so far at age 25 in AA.
53.1 ip
32 hits
2 hr
31 bb
67 k

That have him listed as william lamura

And Hamulack's numbers at AAA last year?

LaMura was once a starter, but is now a reliever. But at 25 and only 3 pro seasons, he's not totally washed up. His peripherals for this year are terrific.

Baez has had such a bad year, that I dont think he'll get a multi-year deal in the off-season. That would lead to him accepting arbitratin from the Dodgers, which would really stink. Baez is this year's Jeff Weaver.

Was there a reason DePo didnt deal Jeff Weaver last season around the deadline? I cant remember.

His peripherals for this year are terrific.

Strikes out a lot, but also walks a lot.

197 Much better:

35.3 IP
8.66 K.9
3.77 K/BB
.25 HR/9

196 -- LaMura did play in 2005, for Double A Birmingham.

In ten years, if they're still around, then that'll be what it is. But there's no way to skip the ten years.

This is very wise, and has many applications to problems other than baseball team owner GM.

I'm not saying turning Alomar into something isn't fine. Deck chairs, however, are deck chairs.

LaMura for Alomar represents hope.
It may be faint, but its something.

I have no disagreement with the facts that

1) Baez has had a truly, disturbingly, pathetically bad year. Attempts to salvage it are a waste of time.

2) Baez accepting arbitration would be an outrage and a disaster of epic proportions.

3) Any deal that Baez signed after accepting arbitration will be a far worse deal at the end of it than Jeff Weaver could have ever dreamed of getting in the same situation.

All of that said, rewards come with risks. Ned put himself in the position that we have to deal with the situation. It may be that he has to reap what he sowed to give it a shot at working out.

The best part about the trade is that we now have BJ I and BJ II.

Nationals fans are abuzz that Diamondbacks Scouting Director Mike Rizzo is to be hired as Bowden's number two.

The Diamondbacks' sparkling farm is much admired out here. (Though Nationals scouting director Dana Brown is also beloved and there is wondering if there's room for him and Rizzo in the front office.)

176
That will teach you read to the whole story!

By point 3, I mean in relative terms. Baez, being a bad middle reliever, is valueless, and a gum-stained penny is too much for him. Weaver, on the other hand, was a mediocre starter, and therefore inherently had some value. In fact, he had to be truly this bad to make that contract a bad deal for the Angels. Good on ya, Jeff.

From Ned's perspective, Baez still had 41 saves in 2005, and is thus capable of being a "great closer." This season was probably just "bad luck."

LaMura can help the 65-34 Jacksonville Suns win a second consecutive Southern League championship. As for the Dodgers, the more they lose over the next week, the less likely Colletti will be to "buy." The universe's benificent plan is coming together nicely.

210 -- why do you keep including the "c"?

Kenny Williams' thoughts:

"This was a specific request, and I followed suit and made the acquisition," Williams said. "The coaches thought at this juncture of the season, with Sandy's experience, especially with certain members of our staff, combined with his ability to give us quality at-bats against tough left-handers and move runners and put bunts down, it was a definite upgrade.

"We think Sandy has done a great job of keeping himself in shape, and he's not going to have to play regularly. Sandy has been after me for two years to bring him back. I don't have to ask him how he feels about it."

How can it only be the third inning of this 1-0 ESPN game?

214

What game are you watching Sam? The game is in the sixth inning.

And it's 1-1.

215 Very strange -- I think there had been a tivo pausing early while I was putting the kids to bed.

So, I was slow in responding to Bob because I just had the craziest phone call. A cousin I've never met (probably a second or third or fourth or something) just phoned -- he is working on a family tree and collecting info. So we're talking about the family and stuff, and then he just mentions that 30 relatives died during the holocaust, and he has their names and some other information. I've always assumed, that family members were lost in the holocaust, but I've never known for sure, and certainly never had a specific number or names. Yick.

Also, this fellow's name is Weissman; I didn't know I even had a family branch named Weissman (not related to any "one s" weismans, however).

You can find out who died during the Holocaust without two much trouble since the Germans were dedicated record keepers.

I think Jordan lets the McCourts hang themselves with many of their own comments. Where I think Jordan slanted it was his ridiculous description of the things they were criticized for in LA -- all of which are stupid and most of which I've NEVER heard (the length of her skirts, Wha huh?). He misses the fundamental point that when McCourt arrived in town he was extremely loose with the facts regarding the payroll and to this day has not shot straight about how much money he'll put into the players on the field. Also, taking shots at Evans while making him twist in the wind until he finally hired someone to replace him was disgraceful. His derogatory comments about DePodesta after he canned him were similarly nasty, unnecessary and classless.

Wow, this Myers kid can pitch!

...and Nate, notice how the LAD now have an open slot for a certain backup catcher...

The Vlad situation never gets mentioned, but I think that was huge. Fans were told we had Vlad in the bag and tthen we hear the new owner vetoed it for monetary reasons or whatever it was.

He also didn't just fire people, he hired people and then fired them very quickly as well. He doesn't seem to make moves that scream stability.

The whole thing with the publicist was very telling. They care way too much about their public perception. My assumption is that they want to be associated with the Dodgers like Steinbrenner is associated with the Yankees. They want to be as big as the Dodgers themselves.

*public persona.

um...somebody just showed the Yankees that all of his SBs are an illusion.

Thanks Bobby, thanks.

I think my goal should be to become rich enough to afford the Dodgers.

221 - the Vlad deal was axed because Selig told them that their deal might not go through if the team made an offer on him before the vote. That is, Selig was pleased to interfere with the operation of the team prior to Frank's purchase of it, thus establishing

1) he was Frank's daddy
2) the shaky nature of the deal wasn't an illusion of bad press (according to the Times, it violated the Basic Agreement terms on debt service)

Maybe one of the most underreported things vis-a-vis the McCourts was their hiring of Sitrick & Co., a PR firm that specializes in crisis management. It says a lot about them that they believe their problem deserves such treatment; but then, they seem to believe that anything negative said about them is a lie to be stamped out.

In the Times piece on the McCourts, Frank actually comes across as an Irish-American mobster out of some old crime movie or the old Untouchables TV series. Very self-conscious about being perceived as a "respectable businessman," but instinctively, and at bottom, an uncouth street fighter and thug.