Sorry KC. NO REFUNDS!!

He has started the 2007 season with an opponent's BABIP of .457, the highest among all MLB pitchers with 10 innings or more this year, which again indicates his performance will improve.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/sortable/index.php?cid=210278

This doesn't mean he will become great - just a way to possibly predict trends.

Boy loses parents.
Boy kills fiance of girl
Girl heals boy, thinks he's hot
Boy thinks girl is hot.
Boy brings girl back home to marry powerful friend
Boy and girl want to kill each other.
Girl's friend slips boy and girl magical love potion
Boy and girl get busy
Boy's powerful friend is pissed
Another guy tries to kill boy
Another friend of boy takes him off to get healed.
Boy, girl, friend, and other guy all die.

The end.

Toy, I hope you enjoy Wicked as much as I did. One of my favorite plays.

So basically it's a better way of analyzing regular batting average, cool I get it.

It's frustrating to have to strain when people mumble. Dusty speaks with the crystal clear clarity of a McDonald's cashier.

The type that when you say "sorry, what's that?", they repeat it again in the same exact indecipherable murmer.

Undertones everywhere. I'm undertoned to death.

My boss and I went out to lunch. Square table. He sits down. I sit next to him. He gets up. Then sits opposite me. Says, "wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

I always prefer to sit across the table from my dining partner since I look straight at his/her face when we converse, not at a 45-degree angle.

Green hits Mets first HR in Shea this season

Tarantino also has a thing for girls & guns.

Boston 8th Inning Summary

- K. Thompson at designated hitter
- M. Myers relieved S. Proctor
- D. Ortiz doubled to deep center
- L. Vizcaino relieved M. Myers
- M. Ramirez walked
- J.D. Drew grounded out to second, D. Ortiz to third, M. Ramirez to second
- M. Lowell singled to left, D. Ortiz scored, M. Ramirez to third
- M. Rivera relieved L. Vizcaino
- J. Varitek singled to right, M. Ramirez scored, M. Lowell to second
- C. Crisp tripled to deep right, J. Varitek and M. Lowell scored
- A. Cora singled to center, C. Crisp scored
- A. Cora caught stealing, catcher to second
- J. Lugo struck out swinging
- End of Inning (5 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors)

I thought Torre promised not to use Rivera in the 8th. Also, why does he waste his LOOGY on Ortiz leading off the 8th when he has a 6-2 lead?

I don't, I like to sit next to the person, so when you run out of stuff to say to each other, the awkwardness isn't face to face.

37 Most that are driven enough to achieve that sort of accomplishment tend to try again and again. If you are I were Bill Gates, we would have retired long ago (like Paul Allen). Gates is driven by forces I don't understand (or have.)

Actually now that I think of it we may have discussed this last season.

everything seems fine except for "la red"? you mean la internet right?

Thanks.

La red can also be seen as "the web"

good to know. I have friend i call red but it's because he has red hair.

I wonder about the etymology of the term "la red".

".500 Matt Kemp (.340 in 2006)"

La red = The net(work)

I don't want to jinx it or anything, because Wolf could continue to struggle and get an early hook, but struggling in the first inning seems to fit his pattern, from what I've seen. Hopefully he'll right the ship today, too.

Btw, I came home after a work reception and before everyone went to the Giants game. I just want everyone to know that I'm that loyal - I couldn't stomach watching the Giants, if they aren't playing the Dodgers, and now that I've seen the score there so far I'm kind of glad I did. (It's also freezing, and I'm tired.) But I'm much happier to be here watching the Dodgers.

Wolf now has 4ks in 1 1/3 innings.

It's the Game of the Night!

Intentionally taking a pitch is just fine, tipping your hand that you're doing it intentionally is stupid and rooted in vanity. Anyone who was paying attention would know that Piazza often has his mind made up to take the first pitch before it's thrown, so that gives you a tactical advantage.

Nate, did you say the Wolf Pack has actually been seen in LA??

---
Looks like Edwin Jackson had his usual, not terrible, not all that good, start. 3 ER, 5Ks, also 5hs and 5BBs.

http://alyssa.mlblogs.com/alyssa/2007/04/the_female_fan_.html

Perhaps LAT's daughter will relate.

His fielding numbers were...Not good. -7 RAA at second, but he was +3 at shortstop.

It's really hard to work "hand blowing" in to a sentence without getting some sort of double entendre.

Really, there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to blow on their hands.

But I did see 24 and does it fall to me to point out that former Dodgers made all three outs?

Insert questions and answers.

I'm gonna go catch up on TiVo'd programs right now since I'm less worried about this one (and if the Dodgers lose it I don't want to see it) - Lost, 30 Rock, etc.

Actually, Sanchez played 3rd last year. In fact, not everyone agrees that Pittsburgh is making a smart move by shifting him to 2nd this year.

And I hate the walk the bases loaded to face a weaker hitter thing. Acta just did that, then the pitcher went to 3-1, got a lucky call on a ball I thought was just off the plate, and got a swinging strike to end the inning.

:o)

Nothing against them, some of my best friends are bow legged.

But meanwhile, poor Wilson...

And Randy Wolf is Babe Ruth tonight.

in 8 AB

The Dodgers won the game 3-2.
http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B06090LAN1996.htm

Ethier has slider bat speed. Not a fatal condition but an impediment to becoming a stud hitter.

thats what they said about Loney. I personally dont think its going to be the downfall of the two if they know their strengths and weaknesses and play to their ability.

Is that 10K's for Wolf? I keep wanting to turn this game off to watch the telly and work for a bit, but I can't seem to. Wolf's been great.

2005 will remind you that its too early. although they are looking rather good right now.

Ryan Church is untaggable!

G'night.

It's said a bit more about Ethier, who is older and didn't have the wrist injury. Again, not a fatal flaw but it certainly adds to the challenge. Frankly, Ethier has to cheat a bit to waffle a decent major-league fastball.

Ethier's strength is to LF. He'll pop one out to right field, but usually that's when he cheats heavily on a fastball or, more likely, when a pitcher throws something offspeed into his bat (like Linebrink did with the changeup that Ethier hit for a home run last week. Not a fast bast. Not a short swing.

That's totally the #1 thing that makes me not want to have kids. I have enough trouble with the litter box.

I quit because everybody kept yelling at me to hurry up because they wanted to go to home. I just couldn't stand the pressure.

190
Ah, that makes sense. It was just that my first (admittedly alarmist) thought was that Nomar had hurt himself somehow, followed by excitement that perhaps Loney would get called up.

----

10-1. Mercy rule anyone?

They're just really scary looking.

The akee rice I had tonight was good.

I also don't understand how people pitch to him. I would just pound fastballs on his wrists all day. He can't seem to do much with that stuff.

101 pitches for wolf. Who pitches the 7th?

Has anyone seen Matilda? I seem to be short of cash.

http://tinyurl.com/2esu5t

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/archives/2007/04/cold_night_hot.html

>>> Matt Kemp is returning to Los Angeles after experiencing tightness in his right shoulder after making a throw on Wed. night at Triple-A Las Vegas. Not sure when he'll resume his rehab assignment. ... <<<

2004 11-6 (78 RS/78 RA)
2005 12-5 (99 RS/75 RA)
2006 8-9 (86 RS/77 RA)
2007 12-5 (84 RS/54 RA)

The first time the Dodgers reached 7 games over .500 in 2006 was game 47, when they were 27-20.

163 Love Zevon, but how about X's "The Hungry Wolf"? (But NOT "Hungry Like The Wolf" by Duran Duran.)

Checking over at WHYG Andy Van Slyke, the Pirates have struck out 36 times over the last three games.

"If everybody's doing it...That's a lot of people doing it."

I don't know why that line is so great, but it is.

that's from the Daily News, Vincent Bonsignore's story "It's not a typical night at the park"

I took advantage of the MLB-TV freebie offer to actually watch the game, and was rewarded with a laugher. Well except for when Martin got hit. At first it looked a lot worse than it apparently was.

Primarily, Snell strikes out a lot of people, 8.18 a game last year and up to 9 a game this year. His K rate has improved every year he has been in the show and he is only 25, so it is certainly possible that this is his new level of performance. His downfall in years past was due to a proclivity for giving free passes and home runs. Every year in his career he has improved his walk rate, from 5.14 per game two years ago, to, a mediocre but not terrible, 3.58 last year. He has only walked 2.7 batters per game this year, which combined with his excellent strikeout numbers would make him an elite pitcher (3.33 K/BB).

He gave up 1.4 home runs per game last year, but this year he has only surrendered one home run in 20 innings. This screams "fluke", but his GB% ratio is up, his FB% is down, and somehow 22% of his flies are infield flies (which the people at the Hardball Times think are akin to strikeouts). It is still early, but this is a promising sign that he may be able to keep the ball in the yard at a more normal rate this year.

All that is to say, that while the sample size is too small to prove anything, Snell looks like a much improved pitcher this year. Here's hoping we derail that progress tonight.

On scouts' charts, Dewitt's hit scores were as high as anyone going into the draft, but he dropped to the end of the first round because he was undersized, had no more than gap power, and didn't have a real defensive home. He was good-not-great in his full-season debut, batting .283/.333/.428 in the Sally League, but he seemed to take off last year--although his average dipped to .268 in the Florida State League, but his home run total up to 18 in just 106 games. That looked like a Vero Beach-inflated total when Dewitt collapsed following a promotion to Double-A Jacksonville, batting .183/.241/.221 in 26 games with just one long ball in 104 at-bats. Dewitt began his career as a third baseman, but was moved to second last year, where his reviews of his glovework by scouts considered is work there sub-standard. Back at third and back in High-A at the Dodgers' new California League affiliate, Dewitt is trying to get back on track, but is off to a slow start, .220/.258/.424 mark in 14 games.