I'll take this rare opportunity of being first (if that holds) to remind everyone that Edwin Jackson is pitching tonight against Anaheim.

I'll take this rare opportunity of being first (if that holds) to remind everyone that Edwin Jackson is pitching tonight against Anaheim.

(and if this is a double-post, I apologize. The first time I hit submit, it disappeared.)

I will repost this from the old thread.

The best option for 2005 probably was to keep Dave Ross and give him a full season to see what he could do. He was fantastic in 2003 (10 HR in 124 ABs, .298 ISO), but terrible in 2004 (batted .170 in 170 ABs, many after "teh trade"), so Depo sold cheap (literally, sold) to the Pirates in 2005. He was terrible (68 OPS+), so the Padres got him for junk but hardly played him (only 17 ABs). The Reds traded for him (giving up someone I have never heard of), and after a stint in AA, his VORPpr (the rate of VORP earned) was higher than Victor Martinez's in 2006- his line was .255/.353/.579 with 21 home runs in 247 at bats for a 126 OPS+. He is off to a slow start this year, but I think he is just streaky and needs time to work out his swing. Fortunately, we have a better option now anyway, but he probably could have outperformed Jason Phillips if given a chance.

Tomorrow night's game will have a bad conflict with TV shows I want to watch.

Why can't the Dodgers have the day off?

3 - Since Baseball Prospectus allows anyone to see their PECOTA cards for catchers, I will also post that they think Ross will be a league average or better player every year for the next five, but wont ever get even 200 at bats.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pecota/rossda01.php

4
There's nothing on Thursday nights except for Scrubs

Hey Bob, how common is the game ending wild pitch? Bob Wickman just gave up one of those.

Went to the game last night and Paris Hilton was there. They flashed her on the DiamondVision, and the whole crowd booed her. I actually felt bad for her - she has a surreal life, but that can't feel good, no matter who you are. Then during the 7th inning stretch she went down and talked to Barry Zito - during the game. He must have gotten a lot of grief for that from his teammates.

Bob Wickman is the most annoying man in baseball. You'd never want him on your fantasy team, but if he is coming in to close against your favorite team (mine is the Mets) he always gets the frickin' outs. Grrrrr....

http://www.americanlegends.blogspot.com/

good article with kershaw quotes on his latest contest.

http://www.mlive.com/sports/sanews/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/117751083536710.xml&coll=9

They flashed her on the DiamondVision

Did she return the favor...?

I don't get why they show previews for the episode they are about to show. Why would I want to see spoilers for what I am about to see? Are there some people out there who are undecided whether or not to watch the episode and need to know it is going to be a good one before they tune in.

11 What's the point? It's not like there's anybody who hasn't seen that yet.

but he probably could have outperformed Jason Phillips if given a chance.

I didn't get that trade for that reason. From what I remember he was a good "catch & throw" guy, oh well.

7
I tracked down an old study that Dave Smith of Retrosheet did about game-ending plays that were not outs, hits, or an error by a fielder on a batted ball.

In frequency they were:
Wild pitch
Error on pickoff throw
Passed ball
Balk
Stolen base and error
Steal of home
Other

Randy Wolf seems to always start of slow

Well this is as bad a start as possible.

741

I'm checking my "worst case scenario" handbook right now....

Hmmm....

Yep, this one's in it.

20
This behavior is similar to people who are trying "suicide by cop."

Wolf becomes the first Dodger to give Bonds a homer this year.

I noticed that the last thread contained what one might term an extended conversation on whether or not this blog is conversational. QED, proven by itself, I think.

I might also point out that the Fairpole software used here makes it quite easy to reference a previous comment and that that feature is used heavily here.

As others pointed out, few blogs can claim anything approaching the conversational nature of this blog, which is a large part of what attracted me to it, along with the general intelligence level displayed within.

23 - Agreed.

great. just when i picked up randy wolf for my fantasy team.

29 - me too! Glad I'm not the only one

I apologize to trainwreck. I read the comment numbers wrong.

Yet another Giants pitcher with terrible peripherals.

Hey, let's play for one run, that'll work.

15 How many "Other" can there be? I imagine you're curious how many were Catcher's Interference. I assume Mr. Smith was also excluding bases-loaded walk.

No problem.

Definitely not ideal. If/when Bonds breaks the record, I hope and pray that it isn't against the Dodgers. I am trying to ignore it altogether, but that would be impossible if it is against the Dodgers.

23 When he starts that kinda behavior, I picture the cartoon Ned Flanders losing it.

Which team tonight has the worst defensive OF?

"Other" was one game that the Dodgers won over the Pirates when catcher Angelo Encarnacion was called for an error by stopping a pitch by taking his mask off to scoop up the ball.

38
To wit, this game:
http://tinyurl.com/2q9qlo

If Randy Wolf keeps the Jints at bay I really feel that we can chip away against Lowry

I do not approve of Martin taking one for the team when down by three.

37

Barry Bonds needs to make an error so all three Jints outfielders have errors.

The Giants were a Bonds error short of matching the Dodgers epic outfield performance in this game:

http://tinyurl.com/37rdwq

[30] me, i'm not so glad.

38 - wow.

And Bob, thanks for 15.

There often is a certain symmetry early in the year. We sweep in Frisco; they sweep in LA. I remember when the Reds were our main enemy, we often followed this pattern early in the year.
I was going to comment earlier that Wolf was the only starter I trusted to be consistent. Good thing I remained silent. Though our starters average out to pretty good, I am used to seeing most of them totally implode every 3 or 4 starts. Lowe's always having awful stretches, usually early in the year. Penny-god knows what could happen. Schmidt I haven't seen enough to say. Tomko and Hendricksen you are well aware of. But until tonight Wolf had been more steady this year although he did start slow a few times. Feels a bit like last year when you never knew who would show up.
They just dont make 10,000,000 pitchers like they used to

Okay, Bengie Molina is slower than Jason Phillips.

45
You're welcome.

Dave Smith's study covered a little over 30 years and there were 102 game-ending wild pitches.

So it happens 3-4 times a season I guess. You just have to be in the right place at the right time to see it.

is it just me, or do the giants seem to know what pitches are coming?

(that's a legitimate "is it just me", right?)

In the last thread, there was some concern raised about pitching opportunities for Billingsley. Now, I hope Wolf straightens this out, but....

47- I was just about to say that. Was Molina's in his HR trot? He barely made into 2nd on a ball off the wall in CF, with Pierre throwing it back in.

(is it just me or) does the blog look strange now?

[52] it's definitely different.

I think I broke it.

Well, Wolf got out of that. Down two, but with plenty of game left.

Probably has something to do with the deleted posts.

I actually like the smaller point size

49

are you suggesting he's tipping his pitches?

ummm...nevermind

And now it's back to normal; there is mass rejoicing in the streets.

why is picking the ball up with the mask an automatic advance? why is there a rule for that?

on the dodgers notes page on the website the link says "Notes: Little Likes betemit"...that has to be a bad omen.

49 That rule (and one other) seems to have disappeared.

[57] possibly. or maybe the giants just scouted him well and he's being predictable. i don't know.

48. Bob Timmermann
45
You're welcome.

[the companies computer guy]

I think I have an idea for when Randy Wolf pitches for the Dodgers. Bear with me here... We petition the league to skip the first inning on nights he pitches.

Huh? Huh?

60 Bob will cite chapter and verse, but essentially, it's sort of akin to throwing your glove at the ball.

Maybe Wolf can play CF and hit 2nd on days he's not pitching.

63

You got me thinking I'm gonna look at his delivery allot closer now.

Furcal should just take a vacation until May each year.

65 What if it's not the first inning, but Wolf's first inning that's the issue?

66
It's now Rule 7.05(j). The language was formalized this year. Before it was an extension of another rule and you got two bases.

Each runner including the batter-runner may, without liability to be put out, advance --
(j) One base, if a fielder deliberately touches a pitched ball with his cap, mask or any part of his uniform detached from its proper place on his person. The ball is in play, and the award is made from the position of the runner at the time the ball was touched.

56 On Firefox you can use CTRL- to make the text smaller and CTRL+ to make it bigger. Or you can use the entry in the View menu.

Last year, the Dodgers pitchers combined to draw 13 walks.

So far this season, the Dodgers pitchers have seven walks.

Thank you Daniel.

I decided to see how small I could make the type and still be able to read it. I made it through 3 Ctrl -'s

Tonight's "Lost" is fantastic. Maybe the best of the season.

Bad Nomar. Dig that on out and don't reach back for it. Yeesh.

70 Then if we discover that to be case, we petition the league to have there be a first inning but have it not actually count.

Er... or maybe Wolf just needs to pitch better in the first inning.

if you have a wheel mouse, you can hold control and move the wheel

No spoilers with Lost--but I just watched tonite's episode and its really boring and if you miss it tonite, you really wont have missed anything. Given only 4 episodes left in the season, I was expecting alot more tonite. The only remotely interesting development is the very last minute of the episode.

71 So if Pete Gray had worn a prosthesis for his right arm, he could throw that to stop the ball, eh?

From BR for Pete Gray:

Bats Left, Throws Left,
Fields Left as well

Jake Peavy in the 5th inning at Phoenix:

K K K K K K K K K K K

In the Angels' half of the third, it is three up, three down, with Edwin Jackson striking out the side. I'll just have to be content with IMAGINING he is in a Dodger uniform. Yeah, that'll work.

76--Wow! Are you serious? Its amazing how wildly opinions can vary on that show.

Argh. Lost, that's right. I hope this game speeds up - after the Dodgers take the lead, that is. Since my TiVo hasn't figured out how to tape on one channel while I watch another. (Guess I'd put on the MLB radio at that point.)

78 Come on, now. Be serious! If the first inning didn't count, then the first inning that did count would be a problem. Geez. Logic, people!

10 of 12 outs on the ground tonight, so far.

Now I have to watch and decide whether to throw Joey or Benaiah off the island.

I should have gone on to predict 11 of 13 would follow.

71

you just reminded me of coach Ron (Sandy Koufax League) he knew that stuff like the ten commandments

86 Logic? Whazzat?

90
I was at the game in 1995 and pointed out to my two friends at the game what happened.

Since it was 12:45 when the game ended, they were just happy to go home.

I need a new catcher in fantasy baseball. Should I get Jason Phillips, Rob Bowen, or Yorvit?

Joel Zumaya, not ready for prime time yet:

J. Zumaya relieved C. Durbin
- T. Iguchi singled to left
- P. Konerko grounded into double play third to second to first, T. Iguchi out at second
- A.J. Pierzynski hit by pitch
- J. Crede walked, A.J. Pierzynski to second
- A. Gonzalez walked, A.J. Pierzynski to third, J. Crede to second
- P. Ozuna walked, A.J. Pierzynski scored, J. Crede to third, A. Gonzalez to second
- J. Uribe walked, J. Crede scored, A. Gonzalez to third, P. Ozuna to second
- T. Jones relieved J. Zumaya
- B. Anderson grounded out to third

Rob Bowen, or just go without a catcher if those are the choices.

95 Yadier and Ausmus are also avialable.

This is just a question out of curiosity, I wonder how many DT'ers have Russell Martin on there Fantasy League.

Bad baserunning by Martin but at least he got Ethier to 2nd.

At least Ethier made it to second on the play.

I may develop a man-crush on Russell Martin.

oh i forgot how much i hated rich arillia

100 comment made after the double, prior to the baserunning mistake

I have Martin on a few teams. He is a backup to Martinez in one of my leagues.

Well, that was a crazy way to eventually get a run, but fine by me.

The Giants announcers, btw, gushed about Aurilia's play to throw to third as if it were one of the great plays of all time. It was a nice play mind you, but kudos to Martin for stretching that out long enough to get Ethier to second. Wacky.

Nice rip by Lucille II and we're one run closer.

And the hunch pays off (starting Martinez, not Valdez) !

104
Vin Scully was equally rapturous about Aurilia's play.

Peavy is at 14 Ks through 6, but he's also thrown 105 pitches. I wonder if Bud Black will pull him soon. It's not like his bullpen is likely to cough up the lead.

unbelieveable, 2 outs on the bases raffy where are you going?

More bad baserunning, but ties it up 4-4.

Wow, that was idiotic by Furcal. Still, he got the run in.

Wow, good play by Martin, he stayed alive long enough to let the man get to second. Of course the best play would have been to deke Rich to throw to third and not really go, but that is almost impossible, although Aurellia had his back to the play.
Though I like having Ethier play, why does Grits insist on the all lefty outfield against Lowry?

This team may have no power, have problems defensively in the outfield but they battle and will be fun to watch.

4-4 going into the 5th.

Tied!

And... scene.

Nice parachute shot, Raffy. At least it looks like a line drive in the box score.

So what is standard procedure with regard to a guy like Martin? When do the Dodgers lock him up long term?

106 Was he? Then it must've been a great play if Vin called it. (It really was a good play, but I don't get the orgasmic feelings...)

Thank god Ethiers out there.

It has been my observation that the Dodgers are scoring a lot of their runs in a "weird" and seemingly unlikely fashion

Vin discussing E=MC squared.

That was a great diving catch by tonight's one good outfielder.

116
Vin was pretty excited about the play. He is still taking about it now that Aurilia is batting.

115 What they do with Martin and Broxton next year will be interesting to watch. I don't think the Giants had a history of locking up guys when he was there so this will be a first.

118 Per Baseball Prospectus the Dodgers have scored 85 Equivalent Runs out of their 99 actual runs.

How was that not a strike? In fact, how were two of those balls not strike?

Peavy batted in the 7th, so he's going out for more. Peavy already holds the Padres record for Ks in a game with 16. He did that against the Braves last year and lost the game 3-1.

119 Einstein is all in the news nowadays, what with the new biography. Even the New Yorker has a cartoon about his sex life this week.

124 Refers to Aurilia AB...

The Giants broadcasters went back to showing a replay of Vizquel's "amazing" double play he turned last night, after replaying it about 10 times last night.

I think the fact that Peavy struck out 9 batters in a row is what is particularly amazing about that game tonight.

122 I wish I knew more about these things. I'll have to learn the details on my own about how long a team has rights to a player after they draft him. But when does Martin reach arbitration? When is he a free agent?

115 - If the Dodgers are doing what everyone else is, then I think they extend him to 1 or 2 years past his last year of arbitration, but there is no need to do so until he gets close to arbitration. I have a feeling that those deals aren't all that beneficial for the clubs making them.

16 Ks for Peavy through 7 and he's at 117 pitches.

That game is not "interesting"

A couple of infield singles and a couple of errors led to one Angel run. Jackson then gave up a double to Matthews Jr. to plate two more. 3-0 Angels over the DRays.

128
Peavy was one short of Seaver's record of 10 straight Ks.

Peavy strikeouts tonight = Houston-Pittsburgh innings tonight = 16

In 15 times at bat tonight, the Pirates have left just 5 runners. The Astros have left 17.

Edwin Jackson was great for four innings against the Angels. Looked strong and confident, and had a nasty fastball working.

But it's 3-0 LAAofA now.

3 outs on the bases.

Terrible call at second, close but Garciaparra was clearly in before being tagged and the ump's first instinct was the one he should've stuck with there.

on the other hand that looked like strike 3 to Kent on that same play.

3 baserunning outs in 2 innings. This one trying to steal a base that would have been handed to him a couple pitches later.

103

I don't know much about FL's but I guess it's more about offense i guess cause Martinez doesn't strike fear to my running game if I were a ML'er trying to steal a base against him.

Gonzo is slower than I'd even imagined he was.

So, I went out of my way, as you all know, to try to make Tskent, aka you-know-who, welcome here - almost to the point of insanity. I really tried to make it clear that all points of view here were welcome. I even defended him at times. And in fact, it did lead to a decline in the phony postings and the attacks against me at ITD. But as one might have expected, his real goal was to cause trouble here, and so I finally had to ban him.

The online repercussions have already begun - there's just no stopping the guy. I tried ignoring the guy, I tried making friends with the guy, and there's just nothing that can be done about him. He needs serious help.

I was thinking that Nomar steal attempt was on either a botched hit and run, or hit and run call where Kent just couldn't even get to that pitch, but it sure wouldn't have been my call...

138 I would have liked to have seen the reverse angle on that play.

Morgan Ensberg has stranded 10 runners on base tonight.

That's still 2 shy of the major league record for a nine inning.

129 Here you go:

When a player is drafted or signed as a free agent to his first professional contract, a team does not have to put him on their 40 man roster for 5 years if he is 18 or 4 years if he is 19 or older.

Once a player is put on the 40 man roster, he has 3 options, which means that he can be "optioned" to the minors 3 times (an option counts for one year so a player can move up and down during the same year and it still counts as one option).

After his third option, he must stay on the MLB 25 man roster or he will have to be waived, that was the situation with Cody Ross last year.

Now a player, once he is on the MLB roster, he can have his contract renewed without any negotiation until he has 3 years of service time. (In some special cases, there are Super Two players that become arbitration eligible before their third year)

At the 3rd year of service time until his 6th year, he is arbitration eligible. Once reaching his 6th year, he becomes free agency eligible, depending on his current contract.

There's the brief summary.

You did what you could Jon, for someone who was trying to violate most of the blog's rules; certainly #11...

146 Did I mess up anywhere with my explanation.

I'd be surprised if the Giants score any more runs in this game

146 - Martin will definitely be a super 2, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Dodgers try to sign him to a 5 year contract at the end of this year or the next.

Wow, that really carried.

Fortunately, every home run Feliz hits brings the Giants that much closer to resigning him.

149
That was typed mere seconds before Pete Happy's homerun

149
When did you post that?

So, for those of you who didn't see it, the trivia question on the Giants broadcast tonight was: Against which Dodger pitcher did Barry Bonds hit his first three home runs vs. the Dodgers? (Same pitcher for first three, not all in the same game of course.)

Oh, no... Rudy Seanez is up in the bullpen, right after Feliz hits one out. Mutter...

149 - What a jinx.

142 - Wow, he is one messed up individual. I've had to deal with similar, and I know it's not an easy decision to make, but you really had no choice. You gave him every chance.

152
You are a reverse Cassandra.

It took Feliz 3 HRs in 52 ABs just to crack the .700 OPS mark

Can someone explain the concept of The Jinx to D4P?

Peavy was taken out for the eighth and Linebrink got two Ks, as well as giving up a home run.

The 18 Ks ties a Padres team record for a game, which was the game last year when Peavy also struck out 16.

Let's try this again:

I'd be surprised if the Dodgers score any more runs in this game

The Pirates have had two different runners at third base in the bottom of the 16th and still haven't scored.

You are a reverse Cassandra

You mean, everything I say is false but everyone believes it...?

Now, it's time for tonight's "Coors Light Loaded Question..."

162
I take it they didn't get that Big Hit they were waiting for

163
Yes.

Raise the Jolly Roger!

Ethier looked hopeless in that at bat...

LaRoche wins it for the Pirates.

I always thought Cassandra wasn't very strategic. Why didn't she just prophecy the exact opposite of what she knew to be the truth?

Terrible at bat by Andre. Strikes 2 and 3 were just ugly.

If Grady puts Seanez in I am going to be upset.

170
I don't believe she had a choice in what she could say.

But I haven't been cursed by an Greek gods recently.

Sigh. I really don't want to have to back into work to listen to my coworker jabber on about how incredibly hot the Giants are and only 2 games out of first and yadda yadda... Of course, I could just pack my iPod and keep it in and on all day.

Would've been nice to make Lowry work a little more that inning. Would rather face their bullpen than him.

I don't believe she had a choice in what she could say

In that case, I've judged her too harshly. I shouldn't do that, lest I be judged.

159 Don't bother. He's hopeless.

I guess Benaiah and I are now upset.

159 If only the jinx would stop reading D4P's posts after four words.

174
I also think the story is that Cassandra went mad because she got so upset that no one would believe her.

My advice: Don't get Apollo angry!

This seems like an inappropriate time for Seanez.

What are the odds that Meloan replaces him at the end of the month?

Bochy with a very Grady-like move in letting Lowry hit.

I'm very happy that Steiner is no longer using the "See-ON-yez" pronunciation

On my cable system, the Pirates-Astros game had the EI slot for the Dodgers-Giants game.

178

It appears D4P has indeed made Apollo angry. Or some renegade deity.

Seanez has had 3 bad appearances and 5 good ones this season. Yeah, he's probably a shot pitcher, but maybe the Dodgers still have a 62.5% of getting out of the inning unscathed.

181

It's still better than Steve Phillips' "Shawn-ez" pronunciation

I guess allowing Seanez to face Lowry, Winn and Linden is tolerable, though it really seems wrong to bring him into a one-run game.

I seem to remember something about Grady having problems using his bullpen. Don't know why that just sprung to mind.

Little trying to conjure up some of that old mid-80s-no-hit-low-minors-Saenez magic. It explains so much.

I hope D4P makes an offering to Poseidon before he finishes his dissertation. Or else he's going to be driving a long time to find work.

"Shawn-ez"

Ouch. My ears.

No manager uses their bullpen the way I would, so I have to judge on a sliding scale.

184 You could say that about just about any pitcher.

Finally, now that the Pirates game is over, I can pick up the Dodger game in the 7th inning.

God bless Extra Innings and its dopey scheduling.

At least Grady didn't double-switch, knowing that Seanez wouldn't pitch more than an inning.

And Seanez, admittedly, looked about as good as he has all year.

That performance reminds me of the Notre Dame "Rudy"

190 The new automated batting robot that grounds out to second with the mere push of a button?

192 Yes, you could. 184 was supposed to be a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Lowry's only thrown 86 pitches despite giving up 6 hits and 5 bbs in 6ip.

1-2-3. No complaints.

193 Same here, although I was able to watch that fuzzy picture on MLB.TV.

In years past they always moved the game to an open channel. Not the case this year.

Jake Peavy's work goes down the tubes.

189 Hmm... did he poke the eye out of one of Poseidon's other sons? Not that I'd be surprised.

Nothing bad happened, but we have a fantastic bullpen. The third best ERA in baseball. It has six pitchers, four of them have ERA's under 2, two of them have ERA's over 4.5. In a one run game, why use the bad relievers?

Wow, Hoffman blows the save and Peavy goes home sad.

201
The Padres are never on EI.

I wonder how Ted Leitner is feeling right now.

Stephen Drew happy to see some slower stuff hits a walkoff 2 run homer to beat Hoffman and Peavy.

Dodgers to remain alone in first.

Is it odd that we have the third best relief ERA in baseball, yet am deathly afraid of all but two of the pitchers.

If 189 comes to pass, I will bide my time waiting to see if I can marry D4P's wife.

I hope D4P makes an offering to Poseidon

Maybe I'll drop him a huge ice cube, which could also help combat global warming

142 - I'm glad I'm not here all the time. Man, what a headache.

157 - So, that means he's wrong and people listen to him?

202 Did my explanation help out, let me know.

Yeah, I like some acknowledgement. Its like a gold star.

207 - It's all relative. What major league bullpens have three or more pitchers you aren't deathly afraid of?

207 - Beimel is a fine Loogy and Tsao seems promising. I think deathly afraid is a bit strong.

I will bide my time waiting to see if I can marry D4P's wife

I'm warning you: I once hit the very center of the archery target in 7th grade from the farthest distance back, prompting my science/archery teacher to yell out "GREAT shot!"

212 Touche.

Benjie is pretty good at pulling pitches back towards the plate.

107 Bob, do you have a Padres jinx that works? Would you use it more often, please?

It's not like [Peavy's] bullpen is likely to cough up the lead.

213 I really hate Joe Beimel. I he finishes the year with a sub three ERA, I might start to trust him.

I forgot Tsao was on the team.

211
How do arbitration rules relate to the Odyssey?

210 - Obviously you missed the discussion earlier.

Vin just passed along the comment that Peavy struck out 9 consecutive batters, "one short of the record held by Tom Seaver."

Somebody should tell him that there are two pitchers who co-hold that record and the other one was a Dodger.

I'm blacked out on MLB.tv again tonight. Last year this rarely happened (even though it was supposed to for all SF games) so maybe MLBAM has gotten much stricter (or better equipped?) at blacking out based on IP address. It still seems weird that Bay Area teams are blacked out here in the middle of Oregon, when there is local coverage of the Mariners (who are also blacked out).

217
There's an epidemic of reverse Cassandraism breaking out tonight.

I think I saw this covered on "House" last night.

juan for five

It still seems weird that Bay Area teams are blacked out here in the middle of Oregon

Wait: are you in Burns...?

It's all Greek to me. Sorry.

I like our bullpen. Beimel is a fine LOOGY, and Tsao has real promise, if his arm doesn't fall off.

Tomdrickson Seanez are the only guys I don't like.

Is Bochy going to leave Lowry in to pitch to Nomar?

146 - what happens if a player is not put on the major league roster within the 5 or 4 years?

Okay, now here is the time to see if Pierre is a clutch base stealer. I know you want Nomar to bat here but he is more likely to hit a single/double than homer so why not try to steal here.

We made a relatively smooth transition from the Iliad to the Odyssey. How'd that happen?

226 - Tomdrickson, so scary we promoted them.

225

I'm not quite the middle of Oregon. I'm in Eugene.

228 They are eligible to be picked off by the Rule 5 draft.

221
But only Seaver did it one game.

But he also did it against the 1970 Padres. And they struck out 1164 times that year.

228 I believe Rule V draft eligibility kicks in there somewhere.

I'm in Eugene

What, pray tell, are you doing in Eugene, and in what part of Eugene are you doing it in?

233 And if they stay off the roster for six years, they become minor league free agents.

No pitch out but he goes now.

Random question: Who leads the league in runners left on?

I am humbled.

Isnt Molina good at throwing out runners? That might be why he's not running.

I don't think Nomar swung at a single strike in that hackstastick at-bat.

I don't think it is unfair to say that Pierre is Vinny's favorite player, or at least his favorite player to watch. He loves it when Pierre is on first.

213, 226 - Such similiar sentiments!

Somebody should tell him that there are two pitchers who co-hold that record and the other one was a Dodger.

My head keeps on telling me it was one of the Worrell (sp?) brothers.

Pitchers don't.

236 "What, pray tell, are you doing in Eugene, and in what part of Eugene are you doing it in?"

Sounds like a "Being John Malkovich" outtake.

239
The Phillies are the leaders in team LOB. The Mariners are last in the majors., mainly because they've had a lot of games postponed. Toronto leads the AL.

The Dodgers are in the middle of the pack.

236

I go to the University of Oregon, so that is the big reason why I'm in Eugene.

I'm currently in downtown Eugene (if you can really call it a "downtown"), trying to avoid the street urchin kids that roam these streets at all hours of the day.

The answer to this, btw - "Against which Dodger pitcher did Barry Bonds hit his first three home runs vs. the Dodgers?" - was Orel Hershiser...

Aw, D4P meets a fellow Duck. You guys can assault Tajuan Porter together!

Ah, the sweet sound of Dodger fans and Barry Bonds at the plate.

Broxton's around 1/6 of the way to Orel's record.

You could never shoot Barry, he'd just foul off the bullet.

97/98 on the Dodgers radar gun is fast.

And pitching to Barry Bonds remains one of the dumbest things in sports. They were lucky to just give up a single.

Go ahead. Take Barry out. See if we care.

251

You can't "assault" Tajuan Porter. He just scurries underneath the floorboards.

Dave Roberts is the best stealer of bases in the game today. Juan Pierre is not second best.

I'm currently in downtown Eugene

At someplace like Cafe Paradiso or something?

The second base umpire is 0 for 2.

That wasnt Russ's fault.
He got a bad pitch to throw to 2nd.

He was out there though.

D4P, are you UO alum?

Balk.

Dang, there goes Broxton's scoreless streak.

I'll take the 253 jinx.

Is there a prevailing opinion that Bonds is using to this day? Because I've sort of assumed that he was clean now.

And if he's clean now, he is totally amazing. Again. Or still.

Roberts 2, Pierre 0.

He also threw Roberts out - the Giants announcers said "the Giants caught a break" on that one.

And now it comes back to haunt them. Swell.

Oh good. Just what we needed.

D4P, are you UO alum?

Yes. I was raised in Eugene.

That just makes Orel's record so remarkable. 59 straight scoreless innings--it may not be as hard as DiMaggio's 56 hit streak, but I doubt either will ever be broken.

260

I'm at my apartment but very nearby

Niekro literally hurt himself swinging on that 97mph pitch.

247 It's been years since I've seen it, so I may not have the quote exactly right, but I was fond of the quote that went something like: "I woouldn't go near him with a 10 foot pole."

I'm at my apartment but very nearby

Why do you live downtown? I don't remember that being a particularly popular spot for students.

Roberts was totally out.

268 I think he has to be assumed to be clean now. And he is indeed amazing and I think he's proving that it wasn't the steroids that made him great. I strongly dislike him. But in my opinion he is the greatest hitter who ever lived.

If the Dodgers can't at least make this interesting against the Giants bullpen then... then... I don't know what, I'll hike up my pants in a huff and throw something.

271

Are you still in Oregon?

Oregon U has the best basketball and football stadiums in the Pac-10. Are you a member of the Yell-O crew?

Are you still in Oregon?

No, I left almost four years ago. I'm now in Blue Devil/Tarheel country.

281 Not to mention weekly exhibitions in sartorial splendor.

http://tinyurl.com/2ul2z3

Drew Barrymore is the most beautiful person on earth. At least according to People Magazine.

277

watching the replay he stole that base off of Broxton IMO. he got a really gun jump.

The A's lost to the Mariners in 1 hour and 47 minutes. That was the fastest 9-inning A's game since the A's lost in Minnesota 1-0 back on August 12, 1979.

I think it was the fastest game ever for the Mariners. They had a 1:52 and a 1:51 game last year.

276

It's true, there aren't too many students around. And most of the students around here are grad students. I ended up here mostly because I had to scramble to find an apartment last minute. Before this year I lived in South Eugene.

284
Yeah, my friend and I had a good laugh about that.

Just a note, since the end of the game on Friday, the Dodgers have not had a lead in a game aside from Russell's walk off grand slam.

Last three games, middle relievers coming into the game have allowed one or more runs.

284- That's like saying Brett Tomko is the best pitcher in all of baseball. It's just wrong in a "how can you think that" way.

287
What are you studying?

LOOGY for LuGo.

Brett Tomko's been typecast into the "reliable veteran innings eater"--much like Drew Barrymore's been typecast into "girl next door in romantic comedy".

Hindsight is 20-20 but I'm wondering why the Dodgers didn't pinch hit Clark, or Saenz, for Lugo there...

281

I do go to all the games. But there isn't really a Yell-O crew. Those are just t-shirts they sell to benefit the band and cheerleaders. The Pit Crew (for basketball) is an actual student group that organizes the chants for the games. I'm personally not a member of the Pit Crew (mostly due to the reason that I hate most of the leaders, especially Marcus Kent, our coach's oldest son), but I always end up in their seating section when I go to the games.

I think Roberts was safe by a hair

LuGo, rather.

295 they didnt do it last night either against this pitcher and he hit into a DP

295
We discussed that yesterday. LuGo wouldn't likely appreciate being pinch-hit for.

Annnddd... Swung on and missed strike three.

292

Sports marketing

299 Yep, exactly. I don't get it. I know he's Gonzo and all...

Never mind.

300 So it's a character thing?

And here's Saenz, two batters too late.

Martin career split against LHP:

.391 .480 .563 1.043

I'm a little worried at how easily Ethier seems to lose it at the plate on a closely called strike. HIs swings look like he has given up sometimes

This exact situation was covered yesterday. Grady leaves Gonzo in but PH for Ethier.

Gonzo was at .314/.395/.504 coming into the game. I doubt Grits even considers pinch hitting for him until he reverts to typical Gonzo numbers.

Sports marketing

There's another poster around here named Uncle Miltie who is planning to transfer to the UofO to study sports marketing. You guys can be friends!

289

it's probably a #"s thing, Our top of the order guys not getting on base there for our middle of the order guys don't have anybody to drive in i'm just guessing.

I don't think there's any point in using Saenz to bat with no one on. You might as well hope that he can tie the game with one swing.

Gonzalez has looked bad against Taschner the last two nights, but historically he's not all that bad against lefties.

305 Olmedo makes more sense as the tying run than with the bases empty. Now, Clark for LuGo....

So I just got a note in the mail saying that in place of my Premiere Magazine subscription - the now departed Premiere Magazine - I've been given a sub to Us Weekly for the rest of the year.

Hooray!

I should leave a note for the mailman to just deposit those directly in the recycling bin.

ugh.

Way to work the count, Olmedo.

At my library, they make the History Department pay for the Us Weekly subscription. I always campaigned against that, but to no avail.

Could we take a pitch?

Olmedo got the "with one swing of the bat" part right, but he left out the most important part

I agree they shouldn't have hit Saenz for LuGo, but I stand by my thought they should have put Clark in there. He's a good hitter, he's right handed, and yeah, Gonzo looked lost vs. Tachsner in previous at bats. I feel like I'm gonna be a broken record about this same thing all season so I guess I should just quiet down.

on the other hand when olmdeo works the count he usually ends up swinging and missing at the end

312 Beaten to the punch by ten seconds.

Pinch hitting for your #5 hitter is probably seen as an admission of lineup weakness in some parts.

310

It's a really good program (both undergrad & grad) and I highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in sports business. I'm finishing my undergrad in June and if I decide to go for an MBA in the future, UO would be among my top choices.

317 ... the History Department? Um...

And, yes, paying for a subscription at all is a waste of money.

Ah, and there's Clark in there now. For defense. Better than nothing I guess.

I might have said this before but a team that wins 4 out of 7 games is probably in the playoffs (93-69).

Sometimes you get so caught up in Football and Basketball records, its hard to think that way when your team seems to be losing almost as much as it wins.

316/318 Why? How many times has he smacked first pitch? I guess we don't need to get into this every time but I'll just say I don't understand the benefit of watching a fat first pitch strike which is what that was.

Having Kemp back, and pinch hitting for Ethier, would seem to make more sense, too. I do look forward to having that extra option in the OF.

With Benitez coming in, there is a fair possibility that Saito can vulture a win.

This'll be the Giants 7th straight win if they hold on.

324
Us Weekly is of extraordinary historical value. Scholars will be poring over it centuries from now.

"What was hot in 1997? Let's go to the old library to check the ancient Us Weekly texts!"

"LuGo wouldn't likely appreciate being pinch-hit for"

I completely agree that that's why they would never do it. But that calls into question the value of him being a so-called "character guy." If a guy who's on the team mostly because of his Clubhouse Presence is going to create a stink in the clubhouse when a move is made for the good of the team, then why have him around at all?

I've never really bought into all the "Gonzo is a great guy in the clubhouse" stuff. He created problems in AZ last year by complaining rather loudly when the team called Carlos Quentin up to play the outfield. He still likes to jab at the AZ management through the media. He was a little overly defensive about his poor play the first week of the season. Admittedly I don't have a complete grasp on the situation, nor do any of us who aren't in the clubhouse every day -- but I just haven't seen much to convince me that his presence is good for a team's chemistry.

Gonzalez seems to be having a very hard time, even moreso than most players do, accepting the fact that his skills are eroding somewhat.

Was it that fat? I agree there's no need to worry about pitch counts for a reliever in there for only a batter or two, but seeing what he's got first isn't such a bad idea. Maybe it was a fatter pitch than it looked at first to me - looked like Saenz hit down on hit instead of getting his best swing on it. Ah well.

328 Is it vulturing if he enters the game behind? I thought it was blowing a lead, or maybe even a tie, then having the team come back before another pitcher came in.

Wolf is consistent, 5 starts and 6 IP in each one. He needs 25 more like that to guarantee another year.

In the games where he left losing, he was ahead by a run and tied in the 6th inning and he gave up a HR to give up the lead each time.

The games where he has won, the Dodgers blew out Barry Zito, Chris Young and Tony Armas Jr.

330- In the future, only ex actors will be eligible for the presidency and Us Weekly WILL read like a whos who of world leaders in their early years. Jennifer Aniston in 2032!

333 Yeah, you're right. It's also known as "pulling a Gio Carrara."

331
It seems like there's a double standard for veterans who complain about playing time versus young players who do the same

312 "Gonzalez has looked bad against Taschner the last two nights, but historically he's not all that bad against lefties."

I disagree. We've hashed out the stats here before. For two of the last three years, IIRC, his righty-lefty splits have been rather dramatic.

334 The Yankees could use a guy like Randy Wolf right now.

330 I weep for future historians and how we'll seem to them. This should be a short, embarrassing chapter.

337 That is life in no matter what game you play.

Wolf's been almost exactly what everyone thought he'd be I think. Good K numbers, average ERA, gives up too many homers. He's ok for a #5 I think. The Dodgers just have to hope Tomko/Hendrickson dont start pitching like #5's. Then they'd have three #5, one #2, and Lowe.

339 Isn't that a line in the All in the Family theme song?

Why Clark into RF instead of Anderson? Don't the Dodgers want a left-handed bat to hit 2nd in the ninth against Benitez? Or will Anderson hit for Martinez?

Peavy balanced out Wolf, lets see if the D's can get the win for Saito to balance out Hoffman ruining the game for Peavy.

Or Anderson and Betemit to start the ninth.

Wolf's been almost exactly what everyone thought he'd be

Dennis Green agrees.

Oh well, the Dodgers are going to have to do it without me.

I think the Harlem Globetrotters crash on the island tonight on LOST.

well, that's my fantasy team's take anyway

344 And you have your answer.

Has Marlon Anderson's batting music always been that Dick Dale song from Pulp Fiction? Pretty cool.

351 That was the Black Eyed Peas ruining that song.

348 And the Scooby Doo gang appears as well. The Others apparently would have succeeded if it wasn't for those meddling kids.

---

Sigh. Marlon.

With the double-switch, Grady committed to two innings for Saito if the Dodgers tie it up and go extra innings, yes? Saito made 20 pitches in the ninth.

Clark looked like someone who needed the tin man's oil can on his joints before that at bat.

Crud. I'd rather Clark be in Ethier's spot and Betemit hitting for Saito here, I think.

Well at least Russ Ortiz is pitching tomorrow.

Furcal walks and Pierre hits a game-tying homer...?

How did all these formerly sucky Giants pitchers suddenly become fantastic this week?

i didnt know it was possible to go out in order against benitez

Dodgers lose their first series since the Milwaukee series.

Now, hold your breath, Russ Ortiz goes for the sweep against the Dodgers.

If he does it, does Bob go into hiding?

The thing about the Giants that gives me some small comfort is that they have such an old line-up - of some good players, no doubt - but with the age and the lack of depth, it would be a miracle if they make it past the all-star break without having at least a couple of key players on the DL. Miracles can happen, of course, but I'll be very surprised.

Something Vin said last night has been bugging me all day. I think he said one of the Giant pitchers was a real workout freak and got the treasmill up to 25 miles per hour. Apparently there is a lot I don't know about tradmills. It finally soaked in on me that if you could run the hundred yard dash in 10 seconds, you'd be moving about 20 miles per hour. Is this Giant pitcher the world's fastest man?

358 Pierre is saving his lone home run for when we're up 8 runs against the Devil Rays in interleage play.

361 If he does it, I'll go into hiding.

Oops. Got "treadmill" wrong twice. At least I didn't repeat my mistake...

The D's are actually playing pretty well.
When your starter puts you in a 3 or 4 run hole is the first couple of innings, the opposing pitcher is going to be about twice as good as he usually is. And yet we are making all these games close.

361
I've made peace with Russ Ortiz in my soul. It was part of a spiritual reawakening I had after three weeks of intense meditation.

363 Maybe he meant a stationary bicycle.

367 A .650 winning percentage is nothing to sneeze at.

Here's a hard question, do I want the Dodgers or Lakers to win tomorrow?

Now with Penny against Russ Ortiz, the Dodgers have to be favored.

The Lakes were done before the series started and another loss just get this season closer to being over.

My head tells me to root for the Dodgers so that is probably where I am going.

368

i must say i did the meditation thing the other day it was forced upon me but it really worked. I haven't tried it again but i was pleasantly surprised.

368 And yet you will be first to cheer when he gets taken out in the 4th inning tomorrow.

371
Lakers are done. Dodgers are facing biggest rivals. It is a pretty easy answer.

From the last thread: Maybe, I don't know, we could trade the pitching surplus for a decent 3rd baseman? There's got to be someone with power and an expiring contract on a bad team out there somewhere?

I know of an MVP-caliber 3B on a last-place team who can opt-out after this season. And they need pitching.

368

Frank Robinson is a different story Bob?

Did you mean which game you'll watch?

Even if the Lakers are done (they are), I'll still watch playoff basketball over a regular season baseball game.

Plus with Ortiz pitcing, the Laker game will probably be over around the time the Dodgers make it into the 7th. Ortiz has one of the slowest paces of any pitcher, and Penny throws alot of pitchers too. Tomorrow's game probably be around 3+ hours.

375

they'd probably ask for to much.

377 Yeah, I know. Actually, I'll be out at a meeting to around 9:30 so I don't think I'll see much of either game.

378 Well, they should!

At this point, I'm sure the Yankees and Boras are very quietly hammering out a new contract/contract extension for Rodriguez. He may still opt out, because Boras loves to go on the market, but I'd bet there is some quiet discussion, or will be very soon.

381 - It's pretty astonshing that ARod stands a decent chance of putting his signature on not one, but two $200M+ contracts over his career.

How long until we see that again?

Dave Roberts was out. Nomar looked out to me, too, but I was up in the Reserved section, so I could be wrong about that.

But Roberts was out. Way out.

I really felt like I got my fifteen dollars worth of parking lot attendants waving at me. It worked out to less than a dollar per! I think they should institute a system where you get to give a dollar to each parking lot attendant who waves at you; that way you feel less like you're getting worked over, and more like Vinny in My Blue Heaven. And all attendants should be given Springfield Bear Patrol hats.

I was worried Pierre, or even Schmidt would be on the great big external banners, but they were both Jackie Robinson, which was great. Got there in time to see the tail end of batting practice. Bonds knocked one out of the stadium. It went under the eve in right, but all the way out.

I see (from reading through the comments) that D4P was responsible for the Pedro Feliz homerun. Way to go, big guy. Any hexes you want to put on Kent's knees? Penny's back?

Did everyone watch "Lost"? It was a good one. What was the general consensus? Sun is my favorite character anyway,so I knew I was going to love it, but it seemed to hit all the right notes, with some nice revelations and character stuff throughout and the ending took it to the next level. Joey didn't seem to like it, but, I think he is more into the island mystery than the characters. That is fine, but probably frustrating as there doesn't seem to be any hurry to reveal much about the island.

This was the first 3 game losing streak of the year... there will be more, but hopefully not against the hated ones.

I still think they will be terrible this year, but Bonds anchors the lineup and a few of the old guys can hit in the Jim Tracy model. Lowry kept the ball down and let us kill ourselves on the bases.

Early favorite for the Pulitzer prize:

http://tinyurl.com/3b2eb3

There is my token effort to get you through your coffee, Andrew.

384
I gave it one fuselage up!

388 - Is that good?

I like Sun and Jin, but I haven't liked there storyline at all in the show. I was dreading their flashback ep, but I thought it was very good.

They have some splaining to do about one-eyed Mikhail.

It was the rare backstory that was as interesting as the story on the island. The revelation (SPOILER) that Sun is ultimately responsible for Jin's debt to her father, and thus responsible for the affair she had, was very interesting to me. Especially in the scene where her father lays out the stakes and she chooses between saving her husband from shame or become a criminal. That Yunjin Kim is gorgeous and a great actress certainly doesn't hurt. Elizabeth Mitchell and her are the best of the female actresses (in my opinion) and their chemistry really worked for me.

390 - "Nothing stays buried on this island."

I am just waiting for the zombie episode where Eko, Nikki, Paulo, Libby, Boone, Shannon, Michelle Rodrigueuez and the rest haunt the camp.

Don't give up on the Lakers so quickly. Their strategy of tiring out the Suns by making them run up and down the court scoring at will is working. By the 7th or 8th game of the series the Suns won't be worth a darn! vr, Xei

384--I didnt think it was a bad episode. It was more, for me anyways--similar to the "buried alive" episode a couple weeks ago where if you missed it, you really didnt miss anything.

If you're interested in the backstory of Jin/Sun, then you'll enjoy the episode. If you're more interested in the central theme of the island, there was very little revealed in this episode. We already knew that the mothers die on the island. I guess Sun being pregnant from Jin (after they arrived on the island) makes her a possibility for being killed off.

I did like how they brought Mikhail back. Guess he didnt die in the magnetic fence afterall.

The episode was worth seeing for the last minute--when Naomi lets Hurley, Desmond, Jin know that no one from the outside world is looking for them. I liked that twist, although I think Naomi will end up being sent by Ben in order to make the Lost survivors give up hope of being rescued and accept staying on the island.

Good Morning from the East Coast. In deference to yesterday's posts I read everything since I was last here. It took about 30 minutes to read (skim) 450 posts. Andrew, enjoy your coffee. I am on my 4th now.

I heard on ESPN radio this morning (Mike & Mike) that there is a sportswriter that claims that Schilling's bloody sock was actually red paint. I only heard part of the story but I don't believe it.

394 - I have ceased to concern myself with the larger question about the island. Anything that is revealed is usually just reversed later anyway and I prefer the show for its characters and conflicts. Nearly every backstory this season has been a retread, but this one felt like it brought some new stuff. I knew from the beginning though that the blackmailer was Jin's mother.

396 - There is a huge group of people who think 9/11 was an inside job. Until I see the smoking gun, it just isn't worth speculating about.

New post up top.

Have to do my thing and not let a thread expire at #399. Must have 400.