let's hope the "average" Dontrelle shows up tonight.

Russell Martin isn't batting eighth. I think I'm in shock.

The lineup, per ItD -

Furcal, SS
Lugo, LF
Garciaparra, 1B
Kent, 2B
Drew, RF
Betemit, 3B
Martin, C
Repko, CF
Lowe, P

Seems that A-Rod had a seventh-inning sac fly to take the lead in a tie game tonight.

Guess he can still be booed since it was just a sac fly.

And Donnelly has come in down by one in the bottom of the eighth and is melting down. Home run by posado. Single, single, walk. Now jeter up bases loaded no outs.

just forget you saw the many typos and wordos and capitalos above.

Can tonight's thread be a "No Chemistry Zone?"

6 Which are you, sam, archie or mehitabel?

7

Can tonight's thread be a "No Chemistry Zone?"

Does that mean that the posters tonight won't get along? Because that's been going on for awhile now...

My iPOD may be coming back to life. Or it may be dead. It's taking a charge, but it may not charge to full its extent.

That's the extent of my chemistry experiment tonight.

And for those who missed it earlier, I do not like Los Verdes GC.

10 Did you try giving it an old-fashioned pep talk?

9 I was thinking more along the lines of discussion. To be honest, I find the vast majority of people here to be quite friendly, despite the occasional snippiness (snippitude? Snipperation?).

Furcal, SS
Lugo, LF
Garciaparra, 1B
Kent, 2B
Drew, RF
Betemit, 3B
Martin, C
Repko, CF
Lowe, P

Gotta get that big bat in the lineup somewhere.

What kind of music is on Bob's iPOD?

I'm going with "Gregorian Chant"...

10 Rechargeable batteries seem to be an inexact science so far. Use that warranty and get the new battery, which will also poop out in another 6 months.

11 Yes. That was definitely established. No ambiguity there.

OK, iPOD, I've been concerned about your energy level lately. You seem to give a good effort for a while. Then you just stop. That's not acceptable. I need to you to give me 100% for as long as you can. I can't have you give me an hour here, four hours there, and then die. That's not acceptable. You know there are other iPODs there that are giving 100%. Some of them are even past their warranty. They do that because they know that they're pros. So why don't you just try to keep it going. Do what got you to where you are today. That's playing music consistently. OK, go out and get 'em!

13 You're right; this is probably the friendliest blog I frequent, come to think of it.

Whichever one's not the bug.

14 Righties! Get your righties here!

18 See, there's your problem. You didn't ask for 110%. People (and technology) only respond to physically impossible requests.

Bob's ipod: "Give me something besides throat singing and old hollywood sound effects records and I might try a little harder you know."

Saito has thrown 3 of the last 4 nights, is it time for another glimpse into the future for Broxton in the closer role? My fantasy team would love it...

So, is it just silly to wonder if Grittle is protecting Ethier's ROY campaign by giving him his night off v. Dontrelle Willis? Willis strikes me as real hard to hit the first time you see him.

I suppose it may not be the first time, of course.

Okay, I've got to get it off my chest. Geek rant commencing....

It's iPod. Not iPOD or IPOD -- as in, it's not an acronym for anything. The same way that a Mac is a Mac and not a MAC.

:)

18 And this is one you can use if you've had a bunch of iPods break down in sequence.

"You iPods... you lollygag the electrons to the battery. You lollygag the pixels to the screen. You lollygag the music to my ears. You know what that makes you? Lollygaggers!"

It's not the Mid-American Conference?

15

Yes you can find Gregorian chant on my iPOD.

Only one of the following groups/artists/soundtracks is not on my iPOD:

1. Bing Crosby
2. Johnny Cash
3. "West Side Story"
4. X
5. Don Ho
6. Tan Dun
7. Frank Sinatra
8. Petula Clark
9. Green Day
10. Harry Belafonte
11. Nellie McKay
12. New Christy Minstrels
13. Paul Robeson
14. Ernie Banks
15. USC Marching Band
16. Steven Reich

"There's no 'I' in iPod!"

USC Marching band better not be on there, Mr. Timmermann.

aww where is ethier

30 LOL

32 Ethier deserves a night off after a tough game yesterday and an end to his 16-game hitting streak.

Ethier and Loney I'd rather see. But I see no way Ethier can get enough abs for the batting title, so maybe a bit of rest is in order. But please, not as much as the old guys.

31

The USC Marching Band is on my iPod.

I'm going to go with West Side Story

Ernie Banks is on your iPod. I'll bet my life on it.

Don Ho.

Having just watched Reba McIntyre play Nellie Forbush in a "Great Performances" program of "South Pacific" with Alec Baldwin as the male sailor lead, nothing would surprise me about anyone's musical tastes, not even Bob's.

Green Day clearly doesn't fit with the rest of the selections...

Both Ernie Banks and the soundtrack of "West Side Story" are on my iPod.

Sam DC is correct.

A very good sign for our young player development. At the beginning of the season I used to complain when Kent,Drew and Garc weren't all playing (can I use the B word?).
Now I complain when they are all playing!

Lemme know when you want your iPod back, Bob.

What kind of music is on Bob's iPOD?

he has season tickets to the hollywood bowl, do the math.

29 I see a glaring lack of Dio.

For Hawai'ian music, I stick to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

46
I have season tickets to the Hollywood Bowl for a world music series and I scalped much of it.

I'm thinking Bob is a jazz man, am I wrong?

No Don Ho! I may have to get one of these devices. At least I have West Side Story on CD.

I see a glaring lack of Dio

And Dido, and (Celine) Dion, and (Ra)dio(head

I'm a little disappointed at the derth of Tuvan Throat Singing on Bob's iPod.

I need to get an iPod too. I've been resisting them because everyone in this town walks around with little white earphones in and doesn't talk to anyone else.

But now I realize that reclusion is really the way to go.

This game has already turned into the Ken Arneson Hour.

There's been a mention of Encinal High and the fact that Uggla is Swedish and means "owl."

Den uggla blandar inte vad de verka.

Why does it appear that the bill of Dontrelle's cap is several inches longer than everyone else's?

Nor Dion.

How do they not have a side angle on that one? I don't think he went around.

That call on Nomar was a poc.

50

I'm not a huge jazz fan, but I have some. Access to a large public library's CD collection means you can try out a lot of stuff.

In the dugout Nomar seemed to say there was a bull involved.

We're facing D-train? This is serious.
Make him throw a lot of pitches.

Why does it appear that the bill of Dontrelle's cap is several inches longer than everyone else's?

because he's cool like that.

63

I believe that is indeed the answer. I couldn't pull it off.

Don Ho might want to consider whether he wants his own name on his headstone. How could have parents have foreseen that their son's name would come to mean the head of prostitution for the Mafia.

Jon, I swear McCourt is shelling peanuts.

Frank McCourt's birthday! And I forgot to send him a card.

This also means that I forgot to send a birthday card to either of my friends who have a birthday today!

Access to a large public library's CD collection means you can try out a lot of stuff.

Lets get this up on a billboard, stat!

I have almost every Hank Williams song on my iPod.

I have an mp3 player, not an iPod. And I'm very happy about that.

Only six of the sixteen acts on Bob's list have ever appeared on my mp3 player. It would be seven if I liked the Fleetwood Mac song "Tusk," but I'm more partial to "Rattlesnake Shake."

Scrappy

55 Huh? That owl doesn't mix what it seem?

Let me know if they actually mention me on the broadcast.

Sorry...I mistranslated...

That owl doesn't mix what they seem.

69 Shh, your showing our age.

I did not pay for the USC marching band song. There is a site where you can download a bunch of college fight songs for free. They're not particularly high quality recordings though.

I did pay for a recording of "Conquest", but it's by an orchestra and I prefer to think of it as the closing theme to "The Captain from Castille."

That's a classic film. Cesar Romero plays Cortes!

I wouldn't recommend it for bluebleeder however.

Apropos of nothing, the Marlins had an opening day payroll of 14.99 million dollars. This astonishes me, so I mention it whenever possible.

Astros lose 3-0 to the Cubs.

29.

I hope Green Day is the correct answer.

73

That was a free website translation attempt at "The owls are not what they seem."

Looks like Vin has adopted the Betta-meat thing now.

I also have almost every Velvet Underground song on my iPod.

Repko is my pick to have a good game, let's see what happens.

69 I was just reading about how Mitch Miller convinced Tony Bennett to cover "Cold, Cold Heart" in 1952. This was when Mitch Miller was the Mussolini of popular music. But in this case, he was right; it's a great version.

Isn't Hank Williams the guy who sang the Monday Night Football theme song?

(Ducks and runs out of room).

I have both Mitch Miller and Tony Bennett!

I am firmly convinced "Snakes on a Plane" is the real life implementation of the plot from "The Producers".

Johnny Cash, the Kinks, Elvis Costello, Duke Ellington, Linda Ronstadt, the New Pornographers, Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Motown and the Rolling Stones are constantly pushing and shoving for space on my mp3. I only have room for 1300 tracks so I make many agonizing decisions each time I work on the playlist.

87

I feel like a baby.

Repko sure loves the taste of those outfield walls.

See, Derek Lowe won't get tired from having to run the bases.

I havent committed to an MP3 player yet. I have over 2000 pieces of vinyl at last count and converting them in to MP3's is going to be a herculean task, not to mention the loss in sound quality.

wow, Lowe seems to be the winning streak stoper. so far.

87 Our playlists are eerily similar, though I find your lack of The Beatles, Zeppelin, James Taylor, Cream, and Carol King disturbing.

91

I converted an LP to mp3. It only took me about four hours to get it right.

Then I just bought a digital copy.

I saw Steely Dan at Shoreline last month. They were awesome.

Willis is a national league hitting pitcher.

92 He gave up one real hit.

Well, I didn't want to go on and on. There are lots of Beatles and Zeppelin tracks, and for a long time I had the entirity of the Cream's recent reunion disk. But these things come and go. I am a subscriber to Rhapsody, which lets you download tracks onto your computer and mp3 player without buying them. So long as you keep paying the monthly fee, you can keep playing the songs. You just can't put them on a disk. So my mp3 is about half from my CD collection, half stuff I've downloaded off Rhapsody.

Carole King is the only artist you mentioned that I imagine will never appear on my mp3 player. Although, as a songwriter, she's there as co-author of the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday."

94.

So was it Green Day?

I need more Johnny Cash.

I have lots of Beck, Los Lobos, Replacements, Pearl Jam, Beatles, Stones, X, Clash, White Stripes, Dylan, Fatboy Slim, Lyle Lovett, Minute Men, Nirvana.

I'm particulalry fond of my Carlos Guitarlos tracks.

Giants have no hits yet tonight, and only 1 hit in their last 12 innings.

Is gameday not working for anyone else tonight? I'm stuck without cable or a radio until 9 pm.

Oh, and don't forget Wilco. I love Wilco, and Uncle Tupelo before that.

The correct answer was Don Ho.

101

I was about to comment the Giants had no hits after 4. Maddux really messed their minds up last night.

104. Get rid of the Green Day and replace it with the Buzzcocks. You wont be dissapointed.

102 - You're not alone.

101 105

Flirting with danger there, aren't we?

Perhaps this has been mentioned before but when did they start micing the outfield wall? Evert time a ball hits the wall followed by the outfielder, it's so loud you can't even hear Vinny call the play.

107. I got it to work by going through MLB.com.

105 Their minds were already messed up, I think.

Sorry for the jinx in 101

Is gameday not working for anyone else tonight? I'm stuck without cable or a radio until 9 pm.

long day at work? Yeah I had the gameday glitch as well.

108

Not me (105), 101 is the jinx!

110 - Thanks.

The Buzzcocks. That brings back fond memories.

115. They just played about a month ago in LA. It was a really fun show.

Maddux really messed their minds up last night.

agreed, there noodles are all tangled up because of Maddux.

111

You're correct, the Giants have been severely messed up for three weeks, but Maddux applied the coup de gras.

Good to see Furcal feeling more confident in the field. If I'm not mistaken his throws have a bit of attitude.

One of the bands I never got to see back in the day that I regret was Stiff Little Fingers. A great Irish band.

117 - "You're twistin' my melon, man!"

Piazza out of game after being hit in the right hand.

Looking at Willis' motion, you have to think his arm will explode pretty soon.

[120] We've come a long way since then. You can now say crap on the radio and hopefully DT as well :)

It must take alot of work being as nondescript as Wilco. Maybe that's the plan, I don't know.

Bob, So why do you hate Los Verdes?

I'm told by my audiophile friends that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is used quite often when judging audio equipment. The sound quality apparently is highly respected.

Because it takes a long time and twice I played there with incredibly rude and self-centered people.

Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson broke up? I'd make some snide comment but I've seen Robinson at a lot of Dodger games so we'll give him a break.

Marty,
Yes, and the same goes for Jerrod Weaver. Those mechanics lok like they'll be ont he DL a lot during his illustrious career.

Bob, I have never played in less then 5:45 minutes there. One time I teed off at 10:10 and played 18 in the dark. Granted it was during winter, but come on! 6 1/2 hours for a round of golf?

Ridiculous!

125. Agreeance. Wilco can bore me like no other.

However, if you do enjoy Wilco or at least their country/indie stylings allow me to suggest a band called Canyon. Canyon released two records on Gern Blansten, one called "Empty Rooms" which is really great.

Ámezaga!

Joe Table just allowed a 3-run jack to Eric Byrnes. D-Backs now lead 3-2.

Funny, I find Wilco fascinating. Especially their last two albums.

I used to go see Lone Justice frequently at nightclubs in LA in the mid-80s. They kind of faded out, but both the band and their lead singer Maria McKee have a significant wing on my mp3. Certain music holds up better than you might have thought at the time it came out.

But I'll tell you this, I'll take it over Dump National (Trump) anyday. Thatmaybe one of the worst golf courses I have ever played, pre and post avalanche.

And in a not so coincidental side note, Canyon performed as Jay Farrar's(Uncle Tupelo) backing band and support act on a tour a year or two ago.

Given the apparent number of golfers here, we should have a DT Golf Tournament.

Derek Lowe your sad attempt at looking off the runner does not help stop steals.

139

I will serve as a course marshal.

The Giants appear to be snapping out of it, hopefully just in time to take down the Padres.

Two hip bands that I don't get: Wilco and Radiohead. Not that they're bad; I just don't hear what's so good about them.

I saw Lone Justice at the Whiskey a couple of times during those years. I think I saw them at Gazarri's too

Maria McKee (Insert Bob Hope cat call here)

A weak donnybrook breaks out at Coors.

141
I was going to say honorary rules official but course marshal it is.

Greg,
I would be up for that. I can arrange it at Rustic Canyon with little problem. Yes, it's a bit of a drive out to Moorpark for some, but it would be worth it.

Kinda looked safe to me.

He looked safe to me.

145

So just a Pier 5 brawl? Or a donnycreek?

I totally thought Grady was going to get that call overturned.

lol. grady looks funny walking back to the dugout. like someone stole his ice cream or something.

150 A Donnycreek is a lot like a Donnybrook, only smaller.

Bob can be available for Random Swing Flashbacks....

150 - Donnycreek. Buncha guys milling around while Joe Table screamed.

Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson broke up?

just another hollywood break up.

139

I'll make sure all beer is propeerly disposed of before it warms.

I will spend weeks memorizing the Rules of Golf. Then all the Decisions. I will be ready to decide what happens if someone's ball rolls up inside the body cavity of a dead coyote.

I saw Lone Justice a bunch of times. The best show I saw them at was the Hollywood Palace. The Palace also hosted one of the weirdest shows I've seen. The Replacements were the top bill and came out so drunk they could barely stand. Westerberg mumbled his way through a couple Stones covers and then they packed it in.

I'll make sure Kristin the beer cart girl is properly informed of your presence. Treat her nice, she is a cutie.

Maria McKee was at my sister's sweet sixteen.

My crush (at age 12) was obvious and embarassing, though I didn't realize at the time that I was supposed to be embarrased.

And Ways to Be Wicked was just an exceedingly dirty song at the time.

Paging Dodger offense. Dodger offense, please report to home plate, Chavez Ravine.

when is D-Train gonna run out of gas, so we can get to there bullpen!

159. Paul Westerberg drunk? That's unpossible!

Bob, It will take you the better part of a year to get through USGA's Decisions. It's three times the size of War & Peace. (War & Peace is probably more interesting too)

If we were to have something at Rustic Canyon, the possibilty of hitting into a coyote or dead horse carcass from the 18 century is highly likely.

My brother had a crush on Maria McKee.

I found out after I went to the L.A. Times that Lone Justice was sort of the house band whenthey were popular. One of my workmates was living with a band member at the time and they used to play at unsanctioned Times xmas parties. I'm sorry I missed that.

I think that a pier 1 brawl consists of two guys saying "You know, I tend to disagree with your point of view...but not vehemently. You may be right."

164 Tommy Stinson was the biggest problem.

Even being a "A" student at Evelyn Woodhead University wouldn't get you through it in a year.

159 I have a weird show... I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers at a bar (a tiny bar) called The Palomino in Hollywood. The place was so small and the show so out of control that the police came in and broke it up during what must have been about the 3rd song. Everybody (including the band) went running across the street and in all directions.

Tied up in Denver.

139

I'll be the bartender.

nevermind I'll probably drink all of it.

Oooh, Derek Lowe just said a naughty word.

Didn't like that ball 4 call, apparently.

170 I saw the Chili Peppers in 1984 at a bar in Azusa called Oscar's Cornhusker. That was when they were coming out wearing only gym socks over their privates.

According to Vin's story, Uggla's father took "A Boy Named Sue" to heart.

Ratt -- you ever listen to Patty Griffin (thinking Living With Ghosts)? Think you'd like, though it's more folky and less rocky than most stuff mentioned here. Great storytelling; huge voice.

A Pier One brawl involves Kirstie Alley throwing rattan furniture at you.

Whoops, Raffy forget to pack the ball with him when he took the trip towards second there.

170 - Wasn't The Palomino famous back in the day?

177 I heard she once threw [Chris] Kattan at someone, actually.

174 During those years, they played crazy shows and you could see them every other weekend in some club or another. Hard to imagine then that they'd someday sell out stadiums around the world. Actually, I would have bet my life against it.

174 They made Army recruits wear full body socks? What a bunch of jerks.

I miss the Starwood. I saw a lot of great bands there.

Dr. J. Jones and the Interns, (aka Aerosmith) Soft White Underbelly (aka Blue Oyster Cult) and Judas Priest. (aka Judas Priest)

179

Yes, in the sense that Sandy Koufax was famous back in the day.

I saw a good X show at the Starwood. I miss the Hong Kong Cafe in Chinatown.

179 Maybe locally. Mostly a country bar . Out in the Valley.

well atleast they got it right this time (DP)

184 - That big, eh?

Kent is certainly with leather today.

A Pier One brawl involves Kirstie Alley throwing rattan furniture at you

That's fine, as long as she doesn't sit on me...

I saw Ratt many times at Gazarri's

I was once in a battle of the bands at the Santa Monica Civic, which the Plimsouls and the Buzzcocks were part of the competiton.

As Greg said, the Palomino was mostly a country bar. I saw Commander Cody there because a friend really liked them. The valley also had the Country Club. That had some interesting shows.

192 Did you ever get a chance to see The Tubes at the Country Club?

Madame Wongs and the Hong Kong Cafe were both great places. Esther Wong was one of the more unique individuals I have ever met. Almost like a Godmother in a mafia-like sense.

You never wanted to cross her. You'd never play in a club again.

Nomar!

It's about time...

SWEET

Holy craaaaaap.

NOMAH!

Sometimes I get irritated by Nomar's first ball swinging habits, and sometimes, it's perfectly all right with me!

This is all right.

Nooooooooo-maaaaaah!!

193 No. I saw the Tubes out at Cal Poly Pomona for some reason. I can't remember anything about the show.

It's about time...

winning is expected now... nice.

Greg, I'm a H-U-G-E Tubes fan like I'm a NOMAR fan!

I've seen the Tubes everywhere from Anaheim Stadium to the Country Club to some little dive bar right down the street from Knotts Berry Farm. Saw them at the old Perkins Palace too, Bob!

"Like trying to sneak a lambchop by a wolf," says Vin about trying to sneak a first pitch fastball to Nomar. May be an old baseball expression but sounds like something that just came out of Vin's kooky head.

Esther played her favorites. It seemed like for a time the Naughty Sweeties were constantly playing there and they were terrible. The Hong Cong across the alley had the real talent.

I even saw them once at Magic Mountain during my ex's grad night. (1985)

Uh oh, the D-Train is suddenly stuck in the station.

Im actually old enough to have been to Hong Kong Cafe in my rude boy days to see the Specials and a few other folks. The other places in this thread, not so much.

My Dad always told me that he took my mom to see Bob Dylan play at the Santa Monica civic auditorium. Would have been the early/mid sixties. Anyone know how to figure out if such a show occurred, when, playlist would be doubleplusgood.

He also took her to see Lenny Bruce.

My first experience at the Hong Cong was seeing the Blasters and X. I remember being impressed that the "bar" was a trash can full of Budweiser.

Sorry, Dontrelle. No amount of eyeteeth will save you now.

Lenny Bruce... is he that comic who looked like Dustin Hoffman? ;-)

I get a kick out of watching Dontrelle - he's such a character.

I can almost see the signage for the Hong Kong Cafe as I write this. What a greate place that was, and yes, they did have some good acts. If I can remember right, Esther hated them, and if she caught you playing there you would never play in either Wong's Chinatown or Wong's West ever again.

She was a vindictive lady.

204. Very cool. I saw them in many of those places (I'm sure I was there that night at Magic Mountain). One of the greatest live bands ever when they were doing their "real" show.

205 Both of those could be true. Vin has been around awhile.

i like the call of bringing in Saenz.

Sam, The LA Times archives might be of help. If I get sometime later, I will search it for you if Bob isn't doing it right now.

I believe the "sneaking a lampchop by a wolf" was first attributed to Henry Aaron and it might have been said by Bob Gibson.

Saenz in for Repko, bases loaded 2 outs.

My father went to school with some guys from The Association. He says that while dating the woman who was to become my mom, he got backstage passes for a show. I can't imagine a more placid scene than backstage with The Association.

205

A Scully take-off of the old Cardinal pitcher Curt Simmons saying, "Trying to sneak a fastball past Henry Aaron is like trying to sneak the sun past a rooster."

I like it, too, although I feel a little sorry for Jason Repko.

Rockies win (and D-Backs lose), 4-3.

Duh-er, does this mean they're gonna put Olmedo in centerfield now, duh-er...?

Good pitch by Willis

222

Yeah, Curt Simmons makes a lot more sense than Bob Gibson. Especially since Simmons had a sense of humor while Gibson didn't. Also, Simmons couldn't really throw a fastball. He was one of the first Jamie Moyers.

225 No, but prepare yourslef for the defensive stylings of Kenny Lofton.

And Repko gets the last laugh...

Saenz needs some more playing time.

Greg,
The Tubes were amazing with the full act. Probably one of the most underrated rock bands of all-time, simply because they were like a parody. The pre-Spinal Tap's Spinal Tap. They knew how to laugh at themselves.

An old rooomate who was from Phoenix went to school with half the band, and he got me tickets a lot of the times.

The one red head dancer I would find out later was actually married to Fey Waybill.

Well, gee, Repko could have done that.

No, seriously, that was a great pitch. When you can tie up Saenz with a fastball, you've made a good pitch. Trying to sneak a fastball past Saenz is like trying to sneak a juicy eucalyptus leaf past a starving koala bear, I tell you what...

223

Repko had not done anything against Willis so you can understand the change.

that pitch by Willis was nasty!

[210] Was it the Gospel stint in '79: http://www.bjorner.com/79-2.htm

Thanks Tommy -- looking myself has actually yielded some info:

One site reports a show on 12/19/65 with this Band (seems):

19th December 1965 (Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA)

Rick Danko (bass)
Bobby Gregg (drums)
Garth Hudson (organ)
Richard Manuel (piano)
Robbie Robertson (guitar)

Maybe I'll ask for info in the discussion forum of Expecting Rain. I'm now wondering if there's a bootleg I can get my mom to make her cry.

224 I bet your parents "Cherished" that concert for most of their lives eh?

Sneaking a fastball by Olmedo Saenz is like trying to sneak a reference to Sweden past Ken.

234. It was probably the 1964 show.

234 -- no, was earlier, maybe the show I just noted, but I'm still looking if there's others.

231
And the blonde dancer went on to be Cynthia Rhodes who married Richard Marx and co-starred with John Tavolta in "Staying Alive" (should have stuck with The Tubes).

Sneaking a Fastball past Olmeado Saenz is like sneaking Paris Hilton past an awaiting paparazzi.

Ooops, wasn't one of his bettah-mitt plays.

Whoops. 1965. Here's a link to someone's bootleg of the show, but I dont know if its complete:

http://tinyurl.com/ew876

'bout halfway down the page.

Cynthia Rhodes was in the Tubes?

I didn't know that! WOW!

227

Yeah, plus Gibson would never say anything remotely complimentary about an opposing player (or for that matter a teammate, family member, etc).

An interesting side note to Simmons-Aaron. One night Simmons was pitching his junk to Aaron and Hank ran up to the front of the batters box and hit one into the upper deck of old Sportsman park in StL. The umpire called Aaron out because he was out of the batter's box when he hit the ball.

i honestly would bring in the loogy to face willis.

She was also the dancer in Toto's Rosanna video. I didn't know she danced for the Tubes.

She was one beautiful woman.

Vin Scully sounds like we are loosing.IMO.

isn't 2-1 Dodgers?

I know Willis is a good hitter for a pitcher, but he's still only batting .114

Its no wonder Loria wants to fire Girardi. He's an idiot.

243 Hey thanks . . . that's a different date but also in '65.

I can't believe Willis stays in.

247
Indeed. I was about 17 at the time and was around her a bit. Made it very hard to use the English language.

Next time, you better field the ball a little Bettah...MEAT!

Sorry. I won't do it again.

In the 1960s, the LA Times would list when Dylan would be performing, but wouldn't review the concert. Not until the 1970s.

And Robert Hilburn was the pop music critic for a very, very, very, very long time.

[239] I found a bootleg for Bob Dylan at the Civic Auditorium (Santa Monica, CA); March 27, 1965.

http://tinyurl.com/fadr2

It is a free subscription torrent site.

Betamit has helpded us win all of his starts. He earned having the team pick him up.

Dylan seemed to peform toward the end of February in the 1960s at the Santa Monica Civic.

She was in Flash Dance and Staying Alive too wasn't she? Come to think of it she was in a movie with Tom Selleck too.

My darn connection has been bad and I have much to say, though I admit I've only skimmed the posts
Betemit shouldn't play against a left hander(Ethier should have) or fielded.
Seeing D. Willis pitch, I am surprised he hasn't had much better results.
I still would never give a pitcher a long gauranteed contract.

Willis seems to be a hardy lad with an open face and an emotive nature.The opponents fans should always dislike him. He knew with the D's luck he would have to do more than pitch a shutout and he made a fool of the D's by hitting a triple and driving in a run. He may have spent his load though.

Ramon Martinez sighting!

I would have pinch-hit with Cody Ross there.

254 - Did the Times write a nasty editorial after Dylan "went electric" at Newport?

256

I turned a blind eye there as well.

Is Willis a free agent after this year?

Hasn't Hilburn always been the Times' music critic?

258 And a small part in Dirty Dancing.

Guess Florida is worried about losing Willis' bat in case the game goes into extras.

Thanks all for the Dylan help.

Leave him in Girardi...lol

was that mike love of le beach boys with the little girl on his shoulders at the end of the last break?

265

Hilburn was finally bought out this year. But he still gets to write columns from time to time.

Giants driving Sutcliffe to drink in San Diego tonight (redux). Hillenbrand may be the worst player in recent memory.

Looks like my earlier prediction might be correct - Tomko's warming up to pitch the 8th instead of Broxton. Then again, it may be Broxton who won't pitch tonight, but with Saito throwing 5 of the last 6 days he's due for a rest.

270 But he still gets to write columns about Bruce Springsteen from time to time.

Had to fix that.

The Dodgers are playing pretty well these days.

Jim Tracy 101 very rarely works.

Another weird thing about Hilburn is that he used to be a high school football stringer for both the Times and the then Valley News and Green Sheet, presumably to pick up some extra scratch.

So he'd be at a prep game on a Friday night, file his story, and then head out to a club to go see some act.

274 I disagree

277

Edgy.

I've got to download the new Firefox. This one crashed again..

I agree with you about Hilburn and Hillebrand.
However, I thought Hilburn's send-off a few weeks ago in the Times was pretty cool.

You wonder why Dontrelle's ERA is over 4 and then you look at the manager. Girardi is bad, he's creeping into Felipe Alou territory.

Besides Springsteen, Hilburn also loved a ban featured on Bob's iPod: X...

281 - Of course that should be "band"...

Don't knock Girardi. If he goes, there will only be 25 Italian managers left in baseball. Pinella and Valentine arent't even around.

Is it me or does Dontrelle look like he's got the Jones for some sunflower seeds?

280 I think it's because of his mediocre peripherals.

I think Hurdle, Alou, Girardi, and Tracy are competing for worst manager in the NL.

280 - and he won't let his players have beards

At this point, any ending to this season for the Dodgers other than world series champs will be a letdown

Grits is slowly turning into Jim Tracy before our eyes. He brings in the Janitor over Tomko. Is the objective to win the game or to give everyone playing time?

283
Hey watch it!

(You've got something against us greeeeezy Eyetalians?)

Dodgers brought in the only guy that could possibly lose this game for them.

286 Dusty, Frank? None of those guys are even in their league.

Hilburn is one of the nicest people I've ever met. I was sorry to see him go.

289
I'm laughing hysterically.

as for Dtrain, keep in mind who caught him all year during those good years:

2003 - Pudge
2005 - LoDuca

I wish Gio was not in there.

289 You realize you just made a pro Tomko statement, right?

282 is that band or banned

Why the cracks on Gio?
He's got an ERA of 2.75, strikes out a batter an inning, has allowed only one homer in 20 IP and has a K-BB rate of 5-1.

Vin is very fixated on Hanley Ramirez's strikeouts as a leadoff man.

He should check Lou Brock's yearly strikeout totals. In 1966, Brock struck out 134 times, 101 in the #1 spot.

ESPN slobbering all over Bonds again tonight. Among other things, he is now a wonderful person for getting custody of his son (raises the question of how unfit is mummy), while completely omitting the fact that in '94 after he went out on strike he immediately went to court to cut his child support due to decrease in income. Judge kicked B-roid and his lawyer out of court.

I've never liked Gio. I thought he looked good in a Pirate uniform.

289 - Gio's had 2 days off, though I would have gone for a 2 inning save from Sele, personally.

Marty,
It took me a long time to understand what Robert Hilburn was all about. When I finally figured him out, it made a lot of sense after all of the years of not wanting to read him--even though I did.

But all of it really came together for me in his farewell. It was a really good piece on John Lennon.

So Robert, I hardly knew yee...

299. I tend to look at his entire career, rather than 20 innings.

299 Because he's Gio. I don't have any real faith in him making big improvements at 38.

Einar Diaz went 1-3 with a 2 run double in his Vegas debut before leaving the game due to injury. Looks like we could be searching for a new 3rd catcher.

Dodgers brought in the only guy that could possibly lose this game for them.

memories of the bad Carrara at brewers.

The "janitor" just had 2 K's.

I'm not a fan of the pitcher fist pump while up 4-1 in the 8th.

The Washington Post has a review up ripping Tony Kornheiser's MNF debut: "It wasn't exactly clear at times why he was there at all. . . . It was enough to make one yearn for Dennis Miller . . . ."

http://tinyurl.com/mbbvo

I never thought Hilburn was any kind of writer, but his and my taste in music was almost identical, except for Springsteen.

300 and they tried to crown him father of the modern stolen base. They(including some baseball people) ran and hid so fast I can't remember who it was!

Einar Diaz will be the 2006 version of Tom Wilson.

I have to hand it to Gio. He got the job done. But he'll always make me nervous.

310 Blame Dennis Eckersley for the overly effusive relief pitcher phenomenon. I hate it.

302 I like him just fine, now.

287 Someone should start enforcing an all-beards rule. Slide them into second enough, and you could give the infield crew the night off.

Is it me or does Russell Martin look like Turtle from Entourage?

Sorry I had the bad game thread link up top. Sort of found myself in a rush.

I feel like I'm the only person in the world who never met Maria McKee. And I'm feeling pretty bad about that.

http://www.all-baseball.com/dodgerthoughts/archives/014120.html

314- minus the ability to hit

Turtle to 2nd base...

I tend to look at his entire career, rather than 20 innings.

I tend to agree with that but we arent dealing with a regular baseball player, we are talking about middle relievers and with their unpredictability, you go with the hot hand. Obviously Gio has had a resurgence of some type, who knows how long it lasts. You can't predict these things but you can ride the hot streak to a division crown.

315 - 30 is the magic number. Danys Baez had 29 Ks while bringing demotions upon himself. If Gio gets 30 Ks, I'll feel fine about him

Does everyone think the plan was to have a quick hook on Gio in hopes of keeping Tomko from throwing 2 nights in a row on the eve of another Billingsley start?

316 You can't blame Eck. What about Hrabosky, Gossage, and Boyd. Those guys were way more nuts than he was.

and Gio's peripherals so far this year doesn't indicate his era is flukey or luck. he has been pretty legit, even if he only does top out at 85 mph

I had thought Bochy might be the best manager in the NL West, but then I'm catching some of their game and I see him invoking the Stupid Bunter Principle with Mike Cameron.

Grady Little really is the best manager in the NL West.

He who manages least, manages best.

Lofton's still the fastest guy we have.

I predict a 2-inning save for Gio tonight

325

At least Eckersley was really good. Gossage wasn't nearly as demonstrative as Eckersley from my memory.

No Play!

Trevor Linden just saved at least one run, possibly two with a great diving catch off the bat of Brian Giles. The Padre announcers said "Felipe Alou is going to manage this Giant team to a victory tonight..." and gushed about the defensive switch for Bonds.

311- Brutal. I wouldn't be drinking out of the water cooler in the Arts department any time soon. It was a t.v. reviewer, not a Sports guy, right?

Trevor Linden has always been good at the blue line.

325 Gossage got excited, Eck threw a parade. Bit of a difference.

330. I know he didn't start it but Carols Perez was who made me wish it would end.

305 - OK, then.
Since the beginning of the 2001 season up to this game, Carrara has pitched 353-2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.49. He has struck out 6.6 batters per 9 IP, K-BB ratio of 2-1 and allows 1.02 HR per 9.
(Before 2001, teams tried to make Gio a starter. That didn't work: 8.24 ERA in 110 IP.)

he really thinks Lugo is going to ground into a double play. Or that Nomar doesn't hit well with RISP. Sure first base is open, but does anyone else think that's dumb?

338
The former.

Where have you gone, long fly ball?

Two smashes by Ethier and Lugo on the lines, to no avail.

That was predictable. The one thing I was thinking was "Don't pull the ball"

336 Now you've gone and done it. Let's never speak of this, or Carlos Perez, ever again.

Following the link and answering my own question, yes it was a t.v. reviewer. The whole thing is very rough. I love it.

It will never cease to amaze me that you can even field a team for $15M let alone a team that doesn't get killed every night.

I like Mark's last paragraph in his latest Bad Altitude post:

Don't look now, but the Rockies are hot. They're not Hot like the White Sox or HOT like the A's or HOT!!! like the Dodgers, but baby steps are better than not walking at all. I feel like I've written it a hundred times this season, but the Rockies are not quite ready for prime time. But they're approaching basic cable status. They're not smokin' hot like the ladies in the new CW commercials (Kristin Bell: call me), but regular, approachably good-looking, like the girls on "Freaks and Geeks."

Where's Broxton dammit!?!?

Alright Dodgers, let's zip through this inning. Weeds is on in twenty minutes.

337. I dont think thats really helping your case. HR rate is high. Ks and bbs arent anything special. Plus he's 38.

He's just not a very good pitcher.

Did Broxton fall asleep in his apartment? Grits is now rewarding the Janitor for his good inning by giving him a save opportunity.

346 Bob, I've never seen you so candid about the ladies

346 - I love 'em both, but I'll take Lindsay Weir over Veronica Mars.

I'm fine with Carrara starting this inning.

348

I had the theme song to "Weeds" on my iPod for a while (from a different source). Then I realized it was the most annoying and irritating folk song ever written.

Malvina Reynolds is dead to me.

Why should Broxton be brought in unless it gets tighter? Why not save him another day? Or if Gio gets in trouble he can come in. I see nothing wrong with this at all.

349 On the whole, those numbers look above average for a middle reliever, to me.

351

Actually, it was more about the writing than the ladies.

334 - Oops, TODD Linden. Wow, Trevor Linden, a name from the past, when I used to actually follow hockey.

327--
I too thought highly of Bochy; how else does he get an apparent bunch of misfits to play pretty good ball?
But like you, I was amazed and grateful to see him deploy the stupid bunter principle. 1st and 2nd, nobody out, Cameron's been their hottest hitter and then is asked to bunt for maybe the first time this year? SBP.

352 I just hope he finishes it.

352 I'm with you, Jon - I {heart} Lindsay Weir (i.e., Linda Cardellini), not completely geek, or completely freak, just pretty darned great.

I'm beginning to wonder if we can call Grady a great manager. I say this mostly because he is rarely if ever ripped in here and if you think about it, that's truly amazing.

Andrew -- sorry, didn't see your question.

like the girls on "Freaks and Geeks."

Well, Linda Cardellini, sure. Whatever character of hotness you want to give her works fine. But who are the other girls from Freaks and Geeks? The freak rough blond girl -- Kim Kelly, I think -- and the seventh grade superhottie-to-be who terrorizes and demoralizes poor Sam?

ok, 2 outs now

Macha does the opposite of Bochy, and of course it works.

He's just not a very good pitcher.
Please show evidence backing up this statement.

Rally killer.

354 I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that a 3 run lead is potentially secure again.

Okay, now I think the Big Blue Brox gets up.

Clear the decks, they're going to the bottom of the 9th in San Diego.

Time to wake up Broxton

353 I guess they're doing a thing where they have a bunch of famous people sing "Little Boxes" at the beginning of each episode.

365 Timing is everything.

ok, Gio's lost it

Hmmm, part 1 of my bad karma wish came true, but Grady didn't oblige with part 2.

Uh oh, and Armando Benitez is in for the Giants.

Gio for a second inning is asking for trouble. Is the Dodger bullpen that dead?

Errorific hot corner tonight. Let's hope it's not a factor.

371

There's no way to make that song acceptable to me. Never. The song's theme is "You are a dismal failure in life for fitting in and not being a quirky folk singer like me."

362 - Maureen, the new girl

Now, I'd bring in Broxton.

We Win!

All good!

Sweet.

phew.

Amazing.

Fine, I guess I'll take the win, but I'm still mad about not getting that save.

At least the bullpen will be very well rested for a Billingsley start. If the game's tight I'm thinking either Broxton or Saito goes 2 innings tomorrow (probably Brox).

371 - We were doing that on "If Not for You," but getting canceled after four episodes put a crimp in our plans.

I think that might have to do with Lugo's inexperience with fielding bunts. How often do American League shortstops do that?

Leadoff base hit for Pads. Will SBP come into play?

I think I'll go watch the Giants' arson-squad bullpen now. Night all.

The Giants and Padres have used 9 pitchers tonight. Their combined offenses have 9 base hits.

Hoo Hum, another win.....

379 thx.

Fun night at Dodger Thoughts.

378 True. That can be said of many artists. "I Pity your conformity. I'm so different." Usually, their from the suburbs.

It is, however, a good show.

hello, rookie poster here...i enjoy this site very much... just wondering if you guys think dodgers will keep saito, even just for middle relief next year

And now I must concentrate on Poker. It's how I'm paying for my dog's rehab.

Never mind.

Game over.

---

I wouldn't kick Busy Philipps out of bed for eating crackers (Kim Kelly, "voted girl most likely to commit a felony,") but Cardellini's my girl.

Gio finesses the Marlins to death, barely. Ok Grits wins. I expect Lucille to start at 2B (with Lugo at SS) soon. He hasn't played in a while and we need every in the clubhouse to have a positive atmosphere. Everything is hunky dory!

385 Really, I would have never known, its team first buddy.

Bellhorn swings 2-0 and just avoids hitting into double play. Khalil Greene up.

393 *They're...Grrr...Homophones.

how are things on the farm?

362- No, that's alright; it was a dumb question since you included the link. I shouldn't expect you to drop by my place and click it for me. Although, if you want to, feel free. After a suitable period of quarantining.

Time to wake up Broxton

Broxton's gameday photo reminds me of when I broke something at home & my mom not being very happy about it.

394 They'll probably keep him. He'll be cheap.

394 Welcome, Jon will deliver your guest basket in the morning.

On Saito, sure why not, he's inexpensive and he's been able to perform this season.

Night all. Going to get ready to watch Weeds. (I have it Tivoed from the Eastern feed)

Benitez is bringing the big time suck right now.

399 I just feel a Greene 2 run bomb.

I can't believe I'm actually r...roo.... rooting for the Giants tonight. I fully expect the earth to split apart and to have the wrath of Dog visited upon me, but it's too late. It's already happening... I feel all funny inside.

And now I must concentrate on Poker. It's how I'm paying for my dog's rehab.

ill play with you, what site are you using?

I'd only use Gio in a mop up role in which the team is either up or down by 5 runs.

He cant be trusted in close games, given his poor periperhal numbers (especially the HR/9). That can be a killer for any pitcher.

I think the turning point of this game was Girardi's managing of the 7th inning. Tracy101- (letting your starting pitcher hit and then pitch at most 1 additional inning) never works. Killed their team.

Funny thing is that he did the exact same thing with Scott Olsen when the Dodgers faced the Marlins in Miami.

400

There are two other problems

1) I didn't like the show when I saw it, I found it uncompelling.

2) I don't have Showtime.

Benitez walks the slumping Greene on four pitches.

394 Hey, welcome aboard.

BTW with that at bat in the 8th, Ethier's hitting streak ends tonight.

412 I forgot about your torment. The torment that ruined us all. The torment that was Huff.

411 The league average HR/9 is 1.1.

Party Poker. I'm actually a small time player. 25-50 cent no limit. If I make 25-40 dollars I'm happy.

415 - it ended last night.

hello, rookie poster here...i enjoy this site very much... just wondering if you guys think dodgers will keep saito, even just for middle relief next year

Most likely yes. Saito is just like any other rookie so he is still under control of the Dodgers and will be on a minimum salary next year.

I doubt he will he this good but he will probably be a servicable middle reliever next year.

Barfield flies out on a fat pitch that Barfield just missed. Two outs, still first and second. Blum pinch hitting now.

394.
Welcome.
Unless I'm missing something, he's a true rookie and isn't entitled to any more than a tiny upgrade to his minimum (327K) salary. By the time he's free agent (or even arbitration) eligible, he'll be in an old person's home. So no need to even "take care of him". Just need to pay him enough so he'd prefer playing to retiremnet, Saito is a no-brainer.

Marty, is your PP handle "iluvbackstopbacon"

or something that refers to your crush?

Full count to Blum . . .

Ted Leitner's Padres just lost. Blum struckout.

Wow. Someone wake up Joe Morgan to give him the news - the Giants just won a game.

Gnats win. Benitez Ks Blum on ball four after running the count full. Benitez is a pretty crummy closer, although his splitter was working tonight.

kemp just singled, making him 2-5 on the night. no K or BB for him, and he also has a stolen base

young had the inning ending k, his second strikeout of the night, to end the top of the 9th. It's tied at 8. He's 1-5, but his hit was a solo homer (#15 for him this year)

laroche is 1-2 with a double and a run

Alexander threw 12 pitches for a 1-2-3 inning with a K, and is pitching in the bottom of the 9th.

2-1/2 game lead!

Gee this DTV feed from apparently LA has these sports chicks who seem to be having trouble with baseball. Far out.

417. Dont you want relievers better than average?

Gee this DTV feed from apparently LA has these sports chicks who seem to be having trouble with baseball. Far out.

425 Now that is really funny. Rarely do I get a laugh out loud. Now go down that firefighter.

423 Nah, it's pretty dull...mleadman

411 - also note that up until then, Willis had the only RBI for the Marlins

10 game swing in the standings in 18 days or so. Thats amazing.

431 JoeyP, everytime a manager let's his pitcher bat in a close game late in the game, I think of you.

Think of it like when a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.

Saito to spring training was the best move of the offseason

Has anybody heard as much as a rumor about Dodger games ever being broadcast in HD?

thanks guys, i feel very welcome, i feel like tommy in shawshank redemption

Alexander gave up 3 flyballs to Kemp in the 9th. Two of them were caught, one went for a triple. He struck out the next batter (the last pitch down and away way out of the zone), and it's free baseball in Fresno.

what table?

Great win, especially since we picked up a full game on both the Padres and DiamondBs. I got a little nervous with Gio-pet left in to pitch the 9th. I couldn't really understand why the Florida manager left Willis in to hit in the 7th with two runners in scoring position and two outs. Dumb! I know .140 hitting pitchers get hits once in a while but come on! Buttermit looks a bit shakey to say the least at 3B. vr, Xei

442 96921

Alexander gave up a triple with two outs but struck the next batter out. So two shut out innings for him in Fresno.

Man, I didn't realize the Giants had sent down not only Niekro but Jason Ellison, too. That Fresno team... it's still... not very good.

Vegas' starting pitching besides Kuo as of late, since Billingsley left, is pretty awful, but the bullpen's pretty solid.

And speaking of Kuo... he's now pinch-hitting (!) for Alexander. Sheesh, you give a guy a grand slam, he suddenly thinks he's all high and mighty.

Oops, sorry Monkey, I'll let you call the rest of it.

Broxton's gameday photo reminds me of when I broke something at home & my mom not being very happy about it.

mlb.com changed the photo, but most of you know what I was talking about.

445,446. Speaking of Guo.
vr, Xei

I'd let Saenz play 3b against LHP. I know he isnt that good on defense, but neither is Betemit and Betemit isnt very good at all against LHP.

It seems you'd gain more from Saenz vs LHP, than Betemit playing defense out there. Its not like he should get worn out playing twice a week for the next month and a half at most.

Saenz/Betemit platoon at 3b would be mega productive compared to what Izzy/Aybar/Mueller/Lucille accomplished there.

Updated standings from the "Friends of Dodger Thoughts" fantasy baseball league.

1. Holy Hedgehogs 138.5
2. HuntingtonBeachballs 111.5
3. ToyCannon 102.5
4. Los Longhorns 101
5. mpls millers 95.5
6. Customer's Orpheus 90.5
7. OldBear 88.5
8. E.N'ville WompusKats 86
9. Go Foulke Yourself 83
10. Xeifrank 80
11. the zimmerman note 79.5
12. Fairfield's Finest 78
13. Johnson's Aintrights 74.5
14. ju 74
15. gabedodger 43
16. Alex 7s 34

Battle for second best record in the NL:
Reds @ Cardinals - Harang vs. Carpenter
Marlins @ Dodgers - Sanchez vs. Billingsley

Dodgers are 1 game back in the loss column, but amazingly have the same number of wins as the Cardinals.

A win tomorrow will match their season high of 8 games above .500 that they were way back during the first weekend in June.

439 Something like 17 games are broadcast on FSW HD. I hope for more next year, but I haven't seen any plans to increase that number.

Here's a question: When Dessens comes off the DL (which sounds like it'll be this weekend, after he pitches once for Vegas), who goes? Does Loney get sent down for two weeks? Assuming Billingsley pitches decent in his next start, keeping him safe, and assuming no one gets hurt before the weekend, I'm wondering who goes next.

450 The next time the Dodgers might face a LH starter is against the Reds and then the Rockies at home in 2 weeks. They miss Lowry in San Francisco and the Padres only have LH relievers and the D-Backs don't have a LH pitcher at all at this time.

In September, they will probably face at least once if not twice a week, so we will see if Grady will platoon. But at least for the next 2 weeks, no LH starters against the Dodgers.

Will Matt Kemp take Repko's spot as 5th OF'er when rosters expand in September?

Against LHP, I gotta think Grits will go back to Kemp unless Repko shows something in the next couple of weeks.

452 We have one more win than the Cardinals (and one more loss).

The Cardinals are at .5299
The Dodgers are at .5294

Seems that they've boated the first of those pesky underwater pointy vertebrates. And as concerns the, this season is just so Maddux can win the World Series as a Dodger, alternative hypothesis watch, well, in addition today's boating, the two other teams we wanted to win, won, and the two teams we wanted to lose, lost. So the alternative hypothesis is looking just that much better. And the God of baseball has been most forgiving in that the team's recent mistakes have not come to haunt them. I would accordingly suggest that Ned imitate the king of Ninevah and issue the following proclamation:

"Let neither Dodger nor fan, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water; but let them be covered with sackcloth, both Dodger and fan, and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let every Dodger turn from his error-prone way, and from the error that is in his hands."

456 - Repko hasn't looked good at the plate, since he has come back, but I still think he is valuable on defense and as a pinch runner if his hitting doesn't come back. Kemp has hit well at Vegas, but only with 1 home run.

Nice night on DT, sorry I wasn't around to partake in the old clubs in LA. I know Marty and I were big old X and Blaster fans but it is good to know that there are others who had fun back in the day.

The Dodgers would do themselves a favor by moving Repko to AAA today to get two weeks of everyday at bats and bring back Kemp now. With the release of Cruz we are in dire need of a RHH outfielder who can actually hit. As much as any club who has won 15 out of 16 games could be in need.

I think Gio was so pumped because he knows he's pitching for his roster spot so every out is important to him, even in a 4-1 game. Glad to see Big 3 get some rest tonight.

I went to the game tonight - my first of the year (surprising, because I live and work pretty close by). Nice night at the park. I have a feeling Girardi got a lot of thanks on the board tonight. I went on the record to my buddies with my objection to Gio facing the tying run in the 9th. I liked him starting the inning, but I wanted to see Broxton after Olivo's home run. Even from the upper deck, his 84 mph "heater" looks like a beachball floating up to the plate. Lowe seemed to have his good sinker tonight. I'm liking our prospective post season rotation right now.

Hello fellow members of the blue kingdom, I had a weekend getaway to Laguna Beach with the lady going to the Pagent of the Masters, (got to keep a balance in life, I guess). I was able to keep up with our sweet 3 game sweep of the no-cal battery chuckers, including catching the last 7 innings on ESPN of the as advertised pitching classic Sunday night. Another great effort by Lowe tonight. As far as Betemit goes, wow one bad throw and one poster calling him bad on defense, (a little harsh). I am enjoying the moment. I am going tomorrow night to see Bills, if he struggles with his control, I can see him maybe going down when Dessens comes off the DL and Sele getting a couple starts until Sept. 1. (Coach Kennedy offered that suggestion as well on Dodgers Live tonight)! He's young and looks to me like he doesn't trust his stuff yet and tries to be too fine and he gets in trouble.

409 - I agree. I'm afraid rooting for the Giants will rupture the karma of the universe. Only thing that saves me though is the thought the Giants fan feels the same way that by his Giants winning is helping the Dodgers will ruin their day even more. Two more home games then the big road trip to SF, SD and AZ! Hold on to your hats folks!

463. One bad throw? Sounds more like a weeklong getaway, not a weekend getaway. :)
vr, Xei

460- Wilkin Ruan is better defender than Repko and he should be up in September.

Today's LA Times:

Jayson Werth has been sidelined for so long now that Manager Grady Little didn't initially recognize the name. Asked whether there was an update on the status of the outfielder, who has sat out the season because of a troublesome left wrist, Little said, "Who?"

467 You mean Jayson Werthless?

459 Which verse is that a take off of? I recognize it, but where is it?

463 Send down Billingsley. He's the only one who safely can be sent down, and I'd say he's very expendable (in terms of making a playoff run this year, not in terms of future value).

I'll tell you what Jayson ain't Werth, a spot in the Dodger's outfield.

Why on Earth would you say he's worthless. Guy puts up great numbers in 2004, and then comes back with a torn ligament. The man has patience, power, defense, and speed. At the very least, he's the right handed part of a platoon. How is that worthless when we currently have Repko on the rosteR?

468 - Never really understood the point of picking on an injured player - especially one who pretty much makes the minimum and who has had his career cut out from under him just as he was making it.

465- The only plays I've seen Betemit mess up was the throw last night and the botched rundown play the night the streak ended when he was a late inning replacement. I've seen Betemit make many more great plays and routine plays since he's been in the blue. The Dodgers still haven't lost with him as a starter, so he has value as a good luck charm right now. I do agree that his hitting from the right side is putrid at this time.
469 - I agree. In the long run, next season and beyond, Billingsley will probably be one of the anchors of the staff, but for now his BB/K ratio scares the living daylights out of me.

470 - Why on Earth would you say he's worthless.

Well, besides it being a pun that is "so played", it's pretty much accurate if not unfortunate. You really can't count on getting anything from him from this point on.

Just how long can you stash someone on the 60-man?

473 - Er...that would be 60-day

471 - Jon. I agree Werth received an unfortunate "break, tear". Posters should show some sympathy in that regard. The harsh reality of the situation is that he has been passed up in the depth chart and with the Dodger brass by the Ethier, Kemp's on the farm in terms of future success in the blue. Like Grady was quoted in 467 above, "out of sight, out of mind". Grady hasn't seen him play healthy or up on the roster, so Werth is out of sight and mind to Little.

Is time on the 60-day DL still considered service time?

In better news, my iPod seems to have healed itself.

But it's on notice.

You can keep a player on the 60-day DL for the duration of his contract, see the case of Albert Belle.

478
I like to think of him as "JoeyB"

Are players on the 60-day DL protected from the rule 5 draft?

480 I'd think they are, but there's no loophole to exploit there since you expose the player to waivers once you take him off the 40 man.

475 Perhaps Werth does not figure to be in the Dodgers' future, but he was a solid player pre-injury. Perhaps he'll draw interest from other teams after he heals?

475 True, he might not have a future as a starter, but it still seems like he'd be good as a fourth outfielder or the right handed part of a platoon.

If anyone has ESPN insider, go check out Lowe's advanced splits on the scoutin report...he has given up every single one of his runs on first pitches this year...I have abosutely no idea what to make of that.

484
Sounds like he should start off every hitter with an intentional ball...

484 - I'm guessing that's a misread on someone's part. Anyway, last night, Olivo singled on a 2-2 pitch and Willis tripled on a 1-0 pitch.

From Matt Herges:
"The fact that they brought in Ned Colletti was the best move they've ever made," Herges said. "He really knows what he's doing. He's worked under one of the best general managers in Brian Sabean, and he's a quality individual. I'm a huge fan of Ned's, and I'm sure L.A. believes in him now."

482. Trade value? Look at what OF-Guzman got us. vr, Xei

On July 29, first inning, Nick Johnson homered on a 2-1 pitch from Lowe. Etc.

Did Herges start hopping up and down saying "take me, take me" after that?

489.
Jon,
I knew anecdotally it wasn't true, I just have no idea what the split means on the scouting report. It does say that runs=80 on 0-0 counts, but RBI's are scattered among different counts. What is interesting is that his OBP and SLG against on 0-0 counts is by far, and I mean by far, his worst.

487 I think he's a bit biased. Not only did Sabean/Colletti think Herges was worth Clay Hensley, they were the only ones who thought he deserved more than the league minimum.

490

No kidding. Tell Matt Herges to beg for a job in private.

And if he gets another job in LA...then "Screw you guys, I'm goin home."