Cheeky cheeky cheeky.

I violated rule 2 yesterday.

I apologize for that.

Don Stanhouse. Beer in hand; innertube around waist as he, ahem, "plays out" a then whopperesque 600K-a-year contract to pitch for the 1979 (I think) Dodgers. That's a photo from the Times of that era. And it's the image I keep seeing when I blink between Schmidt pitches. Obviously, Schmidt could have a bad leg. Or tired arm. Or... something. But he's a smart guy and a long-time competitor who wouldn't A., pitch without telling anybody he's hurt or B., not be at his peak as he starts a new, big-money contract in a new city. So... yeah, I'm worried too. It could be we're due to have one of these; an upper-middle-class free agent lemon.

I don't recall anyone breaking #9, unless "interesting" constitutes a violation.

Somebody did post "no-hitter." It was pretty early in the week.

Rule #10 violations are always the toughest cases to make.

the Dodgers have signed a latter-day Frank Tanana

Jon has turned into Jayson Stark.

Frank Tanana. Now there's a name I have not heard in years. I forgot all about that gas-can. I got him when I was living in N.E. and he played for the Red Sox. He stunk.

Is anyone else going today? And if so what time are you planning on getting there?

Tanana was nasty before his arm injury. Not to a J.R. Richard level, but man he was good.

I hope to have the new HDTV set up and ready to go by gametime.

This will of course require me to go buy one.

I was told that, of all places, Sears had a good selection and knowledgeable sales people.

10 Oooh, that's awesome!

Are you going LCD or Plasma?

Did someone say bar? Would that make Jon the bartender? I'll take a Tanqueray & Tonic. Oh wait, it's before noon, isnt'it? In that case, make it a beer.

Tanana wasn't as bad for the Red Sox as his W-L record would indicate. He had an ERA+ of 97 and was 4-10.

In 1977 with the Angels, Tanana put up an ERA+ of 154! Ryan had one of 141.

The pitching staff for the Angels that sharply declined in quality after those two guys. Paul Hartzell was OK. The Angels bullpen had 26 saves that year.

I hear you about the comments, Jon. I haven't broken anything yet, but only because I refrain from commenting here. For the most part, I have nothing to add.

That said, the atmosphere in the Stadium is WRETCHED this year. The prices have gone up for everything, the parking situation is insulting, and McCourt sold the naming rights to Take Me Out To the Ballgame.

Dodger fans, to some extent, are just responding to how they're being treated by management. The atmosphere in the park last night was a weird mixture of depression and anger that I haven't seen before.

11
LCD.

15 How big? I saw a 37" LCD at Best Buy for under $1000. That's about as big as my room could handle.

14 - NPB, the point I'm trying to make has nothing to do with complaining about management. It has to do with how people treat people here.

10 & 11

What size Bob? I mean your TV. I have a Panisonic plasma and a Samsung LCD and I like my LCD much better but if you are going 42" or bigger LCD gets a lot more expensive. I bought one at Costco and the other at Circuit City. Check the internet price before you go whereever you decide to buy. The Circuit City price listed at the store was $40 bucks more than their internet price. They gave me the cheaper price but only cause I was aware of it. Obvioulsy, you know you need an HD cable box. And get ready for the fact that the necessay cables generally do not come with the TV and they can run you another $50-$100. Also invest in a good surge protector, especially if you live in an apt. building. Finally, if you can, buy it with a credit card that offers protection. My friend dropped his plasma taking it out of the box and cracked it. It was a very sad sad day for him.

That was painful to watch Schmidt last night. At this rate he could become the wealthiest long-reliever in history, and Hendrickson could take his spot in the rotation.

Just kidding, of course.

[Over the past two weeks, I've seen every one of the Dodger Thoughts guidelines for commenters violated. Every one. Considering that things haven't been going all that badly for the team this season, that's a little discouraging.]
I'm glad I didn't show up, then.
I agree with Jon about Tomko and Henrickson. They've "brought it" in low-key, workmanlike fashion.
The player I think who is the most inspiring so far is Russell Martin. Grady switches him around in the batting order, yet he's produced from every spot. He runs full tilt every time he puts wood on the ball. My goodness he's even got a couple of steals! He stepped up as team leader offensively as well as inspirationally during the critical time that Furcal was out of the lineup.
That's my 0.02

Listening to Carl Crawford talk about choosing baseball, they happened to mention another top prospect that attends Crawford's former high school.

That would be Jefferson Davis High School.

Bob,

10. In a totally un-political statement, try Walmart for your HD TV needs. I picked up a 37 inch LCD, who cares brand name, for something under $750. They also have the name brand stuff.

You did not mention programing source, but if you've got a cable box or sat box with HDMI connections, buy the cable (not cheap) and go for that too. The picture is much much better.

Understood, Jon. I appreciate the fact that you keep things orderly here, believe me. That said. Am I the only one who detects a change in atmosphere in the Stadium this season?

23 - Uh oh ... you just violated the yet-to-be-made official ban on "am I the only one" posts.

I think people have observed a steady decline in stadium atmosphere for years.

Oops. My bad. I still feel like this is the season that the McCourts close the vise...the advertising in the park is simply oppressive.

Remember that caught stealings are brought to you by the LA County Sheriff's Department!

[23-25]
I don't see the stadium atmosphere you mention on my MLB.TV screen. What shows up are white towels being waved by the fans. Is this something new? I don't remember seeing that in years gone by.

I don't mind the advertising. In fact, I would rather they generate additional revenue through advertising than increased ticket and consession prices. Unfortunatly, they have opted for both. Paying more for a declining staduim experience is also troubling. In my opinion, they need more ushers and they need to be more effective. Nothing against 70 yr old men or 5'2" women, but they are not going to deter, or even confront inappropriate behavior. To my mind, this needed to be addressed more than parking.

And strikeouts are sponsored by the California Pizza Kitchen.

I don't mind the ads, as long as they don't encroach onto the field, such as putting ads on the bases. That would cheapen the game.

I actually don't post much, so I'm not aware of the guidelines (don't know where they are) other than they probably entail common sense, courtesy and hopefully, something unique to say. However, at the risk of being redundant and perhaps violating a guideline, #23 is absolutely correct. I go back to Ebbets Field; my Dad took me to my first game in 1954. Then we moved out to L.A. in 1958, where I spent a lot of time in the Coliseum, then Dodger Stadium where from the 60s till the Millenium I went to 40-50 games a year. That number has decreased drastically under the McCourt's reign. As a matter of fact, I thought I'd never say this, but the stadium 'experience' is now such, that I will watch the next Bobby Welch strike out the next Reggie Jackson on my couch. However, I won't go into a Wal-Mart for the TV.

30. They did that already:

Spiderman, Spiderman,
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size,
Catches thieves just like flies
Look Out! Look Out!
Here comes the Spiderman. . .

31. I just found the guidelines myself, way at the bottom under "Thank Your for Not ..."

Anyone else notice the 51s had Abreu at 3B Saturday? Don't know whether they had done that before or not, but it looks they're trying to expand his opportunities for moving up, just like Loney and LaRoche playing OF. Abreu is staying hot, hitting .472, I think. At least one hit in every game so far.

Protocol for Jackie Robinson Day Observance:

50th Anniversary: Nobody wears Jackie Robinson's number.

60th Anniversary: Everybody wears Jackie Robinson's number.

70th Anniversary: The players wear no number in commemoration of Cap Anson, who made this observance necessary. Every player is hissed as he comes to bat.

75th Anniversary: A new color bar is established excluding white players from major league baseball. There is no white league established during this period, as that would be racist.

90th Anniversary: A white player is allowed into the major leagues, breaking the color bar. He gets to wear Jackie Robinson's number.

100th Anniversary: The white player who broke the color bar relinquishes Jackie Robinson's number. Now nobody wears Jackie Robinson's number.

By the way, Happy Jackie Day to one and all. It really is worth celebrating.

Mark Hendrickson has pitched 11.0 innings in 11 team games. This qualifies him for the NL ERA title. Hendy ranks 10th in the NL with his 1.64 ERA. LOL..

Brad Penny is 3rd.
Jason S***t is 57th of 60 qualifiers.

It was just mentioned on TBS that the Braves areplaying in their "traditional home whites rather than their tradiltional Sunday home reds" because the 42 jerseys will be auctioned off and MLB wanted the white jersey.

For Jackie Robinson day, MLB insisted on the white over the color. I laughed a little.

abreu walks again! wow, this is insane.

and then promptly gets picked off by colon at 1b. oh well, at least he walked though! thats 4 BBs in less then 40ABs.

38. On 13 pitches, no less.

36. The first 3 lines of your post are interesting. The last line, however, is Not cool (per rule #1). Why undermine your own interesting observation with a sophomoric attempt at a vulgar pun? That it comes in the comments to this particular post (Jon's appeal for civility) and on the heels of his request yesterday or the day before that you take a little time off is particularly galling.

Really, why is it fun for you to tick people off, and to continually poke Jon in the eye? It's like he's built and maintained a nice public park for Dodger fans, and you get some thrill out of littering in it. I just don't get it.

It's one thing to let your own fun and exuberance impinge on someone else accidentally. But to do so intentionally, repeatedly, and with callous disregard for others, especially after having been told over and over again that this sort of behavior is unwanted, is antisocial, pathetic, and particularly unkind to Jon.

If you find this public park too boring, or alternatively, too infuriating for your tastes, there are plenty of others out there that have different rules and norms. If you do stick around, please stop littering.

Jon, I apologize if you see my comment as throwing gasoline on the fire - feel free to delete it if you prefer.

Isn't this becoming a disturbing trend with Little/Colletti? Certain guys (Schmidt, Pierre, Gonzalez) are going to get trotted out day after day, regardless of their performance, while the true rising stars (Eithier, Kemp, Loney, Billingsley)are platooned, demoted, or apparently buried. It seems that the braintrust only has loyalty to guys who are 40+ years of age, and would rather rely on tired arms and legs that will be worn out by August.
I am at a loss to explain why Ethier has been buried so deep. The guy is a young star in the making, and without question the best all-around outfielder on the roster, but Little seems intent on destroying his confidence. Same can be argued with Loney. I can see this trade deadline come around- Ethier, Loney and Billingsley swapped for "Little-type players" such as Julio Franco, Craig Biggio and Randy Johnson. Maybe Boston was right about this guy.

How's Abreu's arm for third? I'm liking this idea. I find it intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I still think Betemit should be given more chances, and maybe work with Eddie Murray a little on whatever he's pressing about.
I think 42 raises some good concerns but I think you're being a little (pardon the pun) paranoid. Or at least we should really wait a few months before determining the fates of the younger guys. Kemp was starting, too, remember, before he got hurt. Ethier will get his licks, but he also has to step it up.

42- At the risk of being in violation of 8, I would suggest that your frustration is a little misplaced. You can argue the validity of the signings in the first place (and they have been argued) as blocking prospects, but I hardly think benching your three big offseason acquisions after 2 weeks (and 2 fairly successful weeks at that) is a realistic expectation. Especially Gonzalez, who's been our most productive hitter.

Wait - didn't the Inland Empire team have to face Colon earlier this week? That's unfair. Ah well, a good test for the AAA team.

Delwyn Young just nailed a runner at the plate, inning over.

And Bigbie just doubled and Loney singled off of Colon. Nice.

Since I live in the East Bay I've seen Schmidt pitch quite a bit. It seems to me that he started to lose his velocity about 2+ yrs ago. At the start of last season he was only throwing 85-87 and topping out at 89.(Per the SF gun) He claimed that it was a mechanical problem. (I don't think so) The SF announcers were saying that he would have to go through an adjustment period to learn how to pitch without a dominate fastball. Somehow, by the end of the season his fb improved to 90-92 topping out at an occasional 94. Also, he developed a very good change-up that helped him a lot.
The question is again, can he get his velocity up to a decent number to keep the hitters honest? If he doesn't, the Dodgers might have signed Russ Ortiz.

I found this article that tells how things were going with him back in June, 2005.
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20050623&content_id=1100863&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf

I'm in business. The hardest was getting sound to come out.

And Andy LaRoche has apparently made out while also breaking GameDay.

What is everyone's expectation of Delwyn Young seeing as he continues to rake in AAA? Maybe Kemp, Young, and Pierre sooner than later if Gonzalez gets hurt or in 2008.

LaRoche forced an out at home, reached safely, Young reached safely on an error, bases now loaded vs. Colon. I'm bored, did I mention that? Hope I'm not boring anyone else with this.

For anyone keeping score at home, I was fouled badly in my soccer game this morning, drew a yellow card, bloodied my knee badly, and am infirm for the rest of the day. Was it worth it? Not really.

I wouldn't mind a Kemp, Young, Ethier OF (and occasionally Gonzo) but with Pierre's contract that's not gonna happen. Not to kick a dead horse or anything. But I'd love to see Young at least get a shot at 4th OF this year or next.

And Jones and Barnes do bupkas, and the 51s score nada.

Btw, where was today's Ben Sheets when the Dodgers face him? He looked like Nolan Ryan then; today his part is being played by Dave Goltz.

In particular, many have recently abused guideline No. 8, "Thank you for not making the same point over and over again."

What about making specious if not entirely spacey claims based on little or no evidence? That's still okay, right? If not, I'm in trouble.

48 Excellent food for thought. If there is nothing specific physically wrong I expect he will improve but not to the extent of 2005. There is a definite case for some nervousness here.

Man, the Extra Innings channels play some killer tunes once the game is over.

Hollies, Beatles, Zep...Good stuff.

If Schmidt is gassed it's a drag although the alternative signing, Zito doesn't seem to have much either.If Lowe,Penny Wolf and Tomko throw well Schmidt flaming out isn't .There's also Billingsley and Greg Miller in the wings.A brighter pitching scenario than some years.
Nate Purcell,what happened to the Orr kid from Canada? Is he in extended spring training?
I'll see the Suns on thursday and friday and will report on the prospects like Luke Allen.Just kidding although I wonder if Bill Bene or Kiki Jones can be spotted in the system.Actually looking forward to seeing my second favorite position prospect(behind Loney),Xaviar Paul.

41. Very very well said.

'In addition, some of the language used, while not profanity, has gotten a little cheeky. Please remember that children do come to this site, and that this is not a bar. Thanks.'

OK Jon, to help out I'm changing my on screen name.

old: FN Bevacqua
new: Kingmans Performance

57 Thats the music they play on their sports schedule channel and corresponds to DTV 833( XM-radio channel called Top Tracks, I think). I often check the schedule and find myself leaving it there for hours for background music.

60 as in Louie, Louie?

Lineup:

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzalez, LF
Martin, C
Ethier, RF
Valdez, 3B
Wolf, P

63 I love Nomar Kent and all, but can he really play 1B and 2B?

I was watching the Red Sox-Angels on FOX yesterday and McCarver made an interesting comment. He noted that Schilling has not given up an unearned run in hs last 80+ starts. I looked it up and the last year he gave up an unearned run was 2004. He gave up 2 that year and 3 in 2003 in AZ.

Then McCarver attributed it to the fact that Schilling throws a lot of strikes so the fielders are always on their toes as opposed to a pitcher who throws a lot of non-strikes and the fielders lose focus.

I attribute his lack of unearned runs to the facts that he strikes a lot of people out and Boston has a good defense. There have been 133 unearned runs in MLB this year. 4 teams, including the Red Sox, have given up only 1 unearned run. (Dodgers have given up 2).

McCarvers comment sounds like "conventional wisdom". Has anyone heard this theory before and has anyone put it to statistical analysis?

65
It would seem to me that Schilling not giving up unearned runs is a function of good defense, good pitching, and luck.

65 Well don't forget Boston's "good defense" had Renteria at short in 2005 and he committed 30 errors alone.

65
I would guess that groundball pitchers give up more unearned runs than flyball pitchers. For every year from 1995-2004, Schilling's G/F was greater than one. Then,

2005: 0.78
2006: 0.96
2007: 0.77

I looked at the correlation between Schilling's G/F ratio and his unearned runs, and sure enough, there is a significant positive correlation, meaning that his unearned runs allowed increase as his G/F ratio increases.

Isn't Schilling also a fly-ball pitcher? More HRs (earned) and probably fewer errors on fly balls than grounders.

Actually, bad defensive range in the IF could matter too. If IFers are so bad that they can't get close enough to make errors, runs will be earned.

But the bottom line is that the stat "unearned run" relies on the stat "error." Since the latter is a subjective joke, I wouldn't worry too much about the former.

I'd just look at Run Average.

One thing I love about this site is access to people who know more about baseball than I do and they love the Dodgers.

70 Hear hear to that comment. Enjoy the game today everyone, especially those who will be at the Stadium. For me, as well as Jackie Robinson Day, it's my own little opening day - first Dodger game on ESPN International (and only one for the month). Game starts at midday here so I'll be leaving work soon to get home in time.

Anyone near Altadena want 4 tickets and a parking pass to the game to night??

I will get to watch tonight in HD for the first time!

Joe Morgan's voice will sound so much better!

Ack, is there a Joe Morgan-free version somewhere? Can't wait to hear all his wonderful comments praising the Dodgers' franchise. (Guess I could turn on MLB audio but that's delayed a few seconds.)

71 Midday? Wow, I'm guessing you're overseas then... Where at?

When Bob wants something, he just goes out and gets it.

75

He comments on other sites under the name Bobby Moneybags.

74 New Zealand. And yes I could do with the Morgan-free version too.

75
I knew I wanted an HDTV and was ready to go and get one, but I can't reveal why I got the go-ahead until Tuesday.

So I've got an extra TV around my place? Should I move the smaller LCD into my bedroom and take the CRT set from there and give it to Goodwill or should I try to sell the LCD on Craigs List for $50?

77 Oh right, sorry, you'd mentioned that once before (when it made me think of the All-Blacks shirt I got as a gift). Well, enjoy!

Hm, not the greatest pitching performance from the 51s today. Good to see Loney go 3-4, though, and hey, they were up against Colon, as mentioned earlier. I guess we're seeing, too, why the Dodgers don't get too amped up about Mark Alexander as a legit relief prospect?

78

Move the LCD. I never liked how the CRT went with the rest of your room.

One move in last night's game that I found "puzzling" was the TIMING of Grady's substitution of Saenz for Nomar. The Dodgers were trailing 7 to 1 and had 6 outs left and Nomar's spot in the order was due up 4th. That meant had the Dodgers gotten any kind of rally going Saenz would not have been available to pinch hit for someone in the lower third of the order and Nomar is already in the clubhouse. Did Grady just give up on the Dodgers chances of winning that game? Have we forgotten about that 4 + 1 game already? :-) What about a 6 + 1 game? :-)

Does anyone know if Vin will be doing radio for this game? I can't imagine the Dodgers are going to have him stay home on a big day like this.

But you can't turn on the radio and then watch because the radio broadcast is delay.

You never know when Rick Monday is going drop a bunch of f-bombs on the air.

Two out, 3-run walkoff homer by Scutaro against Rivera in Oakland.

Scutaro with a 3R game winning HR off of Rivera.

I knew I wanted an HDTV and was ready to go and get one, but I can't reveal why I got the go-ahead until Tuesday

"go-ahead" from whom...?

85
That information will be revealed Tuesday.

There are numerous violations of Rule #1 on Bronx Banter now. Of course, Bronx Banter has different rules.

That information will be revealed Tuesday

How intriguing. I'm hoping there's some kind of Oregon connection...

62

As in Dave, Dave Kingman a one-time NY Met who in 1976 mashed Burt Hooten knuckle-curves all the way to the old Union 76 gas station in the Dodger parking lot.

Tommy Lasords's post game comments on 'Kingman's Performance' are legendary among many Dodger fans.:-)

87 They have more like "fight club" rules over there.

The first rule of Bronx Banter is that you don't talk about Bronx Banter.

I can't wait to tune in tonight to hear what effect Jackie Robinson's legacy has had on the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.

Re McCourt squeezing blood out of every possible rock: On the official Dodger site, one can get $50 off for the privilege of going to Earl Scheib ("I'll paint any car for $19.95!" - circa 1953) and getting your car painted in Dodger Blue, along with a catchy slogan and logo as well. Try negotiating that at trade-in time. I think I'll stick to the I Heart Walmart paint job on my Jag.

I'm jealous of Bob's big screen.

In the meantime, I'd be happy just for a medium screen -- on my computer. Does anyone else have trouble with Gameday, etc. fitting on your screen? Half the info I want to see is off to the right or below the bottom of my page. CBS Sportsline seems a little better, but lacks some of the info. Anybody out there help me? Thanks.

The second rule of Bronx Banter is - you DO NOT talk about Bronx Banter.

Third rule of Bronx Banter, someone yells Stop!, goes limp, taps out, the posting is over.

74. underdog

Try XM 188, ether Padres or Vin...probably a bit out of sync with the action, but there you go.

72 I'm in Altadena but can't go to the game.

Out of curiosity, which part are you in?

I am up by Farnsworth Park, just east of Lake
and north of Altadena Dr.

Can't stop a thread at 99 comments.

99 We are close, I'm on Mariposa just east of Santa Rosa

Not a lot of posters today... must be a lot of fans at the game... as for me, I went to two games (Tuesday & Friday) during my spring break and liked what I saw... not a big fan of Coletti at all, but his Grady Little hire was a solid one. No signs of any Jim Tracy... yet