but it had to be at least a 10k

Dodgers pitching contributed 12k yesterday, after all. They went the extra 1.24 miles!

1, 2 - Okay, that's fair - I can compromise :)

Fleece blanket night, first 20 fans to Bob's apartment to watch the game get a Dodger blanket full of cat hairs.

Most exciting player to watch in the NL West? I'm going to hold off on my vote until Lincecum gets called up. The guy has been incredible at AAA.
vr, Xei

I was looking at the Dodgers schedule today, and it seems its more extreme this year with regards to home/away trips:

I'm sure it evens out somewhere, but the end of the year looks tough:

The Dodgers finish the year with 22 of 37 games on the road, including a brutal stretch in Aug/Sept which has the Dodgers playing 16 of 19 on the road.

3 First off, congrats on the anniversary, in dog years, you would be close to your golden one.

Since I was persona non grata due to daring to question the greatness that is Russell Martin, I watched yesterday's 17K from afar.

4 From what I read yesterday, Bob will be busy unwinding from his new promotion at the library.

5 This week should be a good test of how we fare against "good" teams. The Snakes and the Braves, oh my.

Define trouble for Randy Wolf: so far, his patterns seems to be to throw about half his pitches in the first two innings, and then be stingy in 3-6. I'd think the bullpen would need to put in at least three innings tonight.

5 Nice that the Dodgers record on the road is so good... small sample size...

In the interest of full disclosure, I, Greg S. have changed my screen name to Branch Rickey. I felt the alias of Greg S. was deceiving so I figured I'd use my true identity.

I "got" to sit through all 17 innings yesterday. All I can say is I'm glad the Padres lineup had what appeared to be about a
.225 combined avg. The staium gun has bills at 95 (not the 100 that posters here mentioned that EI had him at). He completely overpowered a couple of guys. Martinez made as many good plays as I've ever seen a 3rd baseman make in one game so I'm glad we didn't lose on his error.

10 First Mike Penner, now Greg S. I can't deal with all these name changes. This is getting very confusing.

11. Shoot, I thought of saying something about being inspired by Penner to make a change but then I forgot. Thanks for picking me up on that one.

12 Uh, Mike Penner didn't inspire you to get anything else changed, did he?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

13. Well I did get a haircut the other day but I think that's as much change as I'm interested in. Besides, "Ms. Rickey" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

I loved the Giant's fan's explaination for cheering on Bonds-"he's like your uncle with five DUIs and a couple of possession busts; he's still family."

6
I will be at Chavez Ravine tonight. Time to pick up another blanket. It would be my fourth even though I've only been to three giveaways. One year, they gave away ones with the dates all messed up and celebrated Dodger World Championships in 1962 and 1966. I got to keep that one and they also sent out a corrected one.

Last year's end of April game at San Diego was when Lance Carter and Danys Baez blew Lowe's 5-0 lead in the ninth and let SD off the carpet after a dismal start to the season that saw their offense collapsing. I think if we shut them out that final game, they might have folded up in May instead of winning 12 out of the next 15 from us.

This year we leave town with a big win after a long 17 inning battle and a bullpen that seems to be without a question mark like a Carter or Baez.

If Brandon Webb is on tonight and we get down by 4 or more runs, I think Grady will let Wolf go seven as long as his pitch count isn't well above 100. While Tomko could pitch an inning, I think Hendrickson is more of a real option if Wolf gets knocked out really early. You can juggle the rotation or give Bills a start instead of Big Bird's turn if you have to go to BB tonight.

Just my thoughts. We hit the ball hard yesterday, some shots might have left the yard in other parks (Kent in the 16th), but we couldn't string the hits together to put it away. Still, winning a game when on fumes builds character. I like the way we bounced back after three tough losses to SF. I think we get some gutty efforts tonight from the pitching staff and this is a the start of a big move forward. Yesterday could be that spark....

16 Amazing that someone could make that mistake. I still get heartburn when I think about game 3 of the '62 playoff with the Giants. I did not see it but heard it on the radio.

Does anyone here really think that Arizona has the ability/capability to hang around and compete all year long? I happen to think they will tread water until the All Star break and then just completely be a non factor the second half of the season. I don't buy into all the hype surrounding their young players and their pitching staff just isn't good (with Webb being the obvious exception). For some reason though all kinds of people think they're a "Darkhorse" candidate to win the NL West. I don't think they can hang with San Diego or San Fran much less the Dodgers. Opinions?

19 - I think the hype on their young players is worth a reasonable purchase.

19 You don't leave much room for debate when you say their young players aren't that good, since that's what their team keys off of. It would come down to "yes they are" versus "no they aren't".

Before the season started, the over-under on the number of wins for the D-Backs was 80.5. Were I the gambling type, I would've made a large wager on the over.

I'm not quite as confident in that now, but I still think they're good for 83-85 wins.

(The Dodgers' over-under, FWIW, was 87.5)

14 You might try "Gin" as a first name.

Thank you, thank you, try the veal.

Let me clarify a little. I think that they have two to three young guys with a lot of promise. For arguments sake, let's say Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, and Carlos Quentin. Now those guys coupled with the veterans (O. Hudson, T. Clark, etc..) I don't think will be able to sustain production (equating to wins) for an entire season that will be equal or greater to that of SD, SF, or the Dodgers. What I meant about all the hype surrounding their prospects is that people are already counting them as money in the bank, proven status, when they are all anything but. With time I feel a few of them will be more than serviceable ballplayers but not now. Therefore I don't think that Arizona is going to be much of a factor in the division this year at all.

21
I never said their prospects "weren't that good". I said their pitching staff isn't that good.

25 You said you "didn't buy all the hype", I interpreted as you not thinking they were all that great.

I think Arizona has enough talent to stick around this year. They probably would have benefited from adding (or keeping, ahem) a veteran or two as position players to mix in with their youth, but they definitely have talent (as their 5 game winning streak sort of attests). I figured their pitching would drop off drastically after Webb and it sort of does but Davis is pretty solid, RJ is still RJ (sometimes) and they have a couple of good relievers. I wouldn't say they scare me exactly, but they're still dangerous.

(I should say "another veteran... to mix in more" since they do have Clark and Hudson - the former still scares me more than the latter.) Also, as a believer in the jinx, I'd rather not say anything too negative about them at least until this series is over.

Here's my complete take on the team: http://tinyurl.com/3xpk3p

I think that you're underestimating how good Arizona's prospects are compared to what the division offers. If Chris Young meets his projections, he'll be by far the best center fielder in the division. If Drew mets his, he'll be by far the best shortstop. The two big teams in the division, the Dodgers and the Padres, are below average offensively, so the Diamondbacks players don't have to make huge splashes to outpace the league.

A lot also depends on how Randy Johnson does. His numbers indicate he's due for a bounceback. If he stinks, then yeah, the Diamondbacks are in trouble.

26
Gotcha.

16 Hey cool, I forgot it was fleece blanket night. The wife and I will be at the ballpark as well.

The D-Backs are balanced and have enough pitching to make a run for the division if they don't sustain key injuries.

Each year there are teams that hang around until or just after the All Star break. They can tweak their teams to be competetive to the end. Arizona has a bright future (as does Colorado)but would have to make some improvements to dominate the division.

St. Louis and Detroit showed us again last year that the key is to get to the playoffs and if you play well then, you can win it all. Arizona is a team to not overlook.

Before the season started I had the Padres as being the top dog in the NL West with the Dodgers and DBacks a tie for 2nd best. As far as the DBacks were concerned I had them with a high variance on their final season outcome. Most of this variance coming from a lack of depth and the health of Randy Johnson. So far, RJ hasn't been healthy and the Dodgers depth (atleast when it comes to pitching) has paid dividends. The Giants have been the early surprise to me, I pegged them as the 4th best team, not contending for the NL West crown. I think they will regress downward, with the promotion of Lincecum and the health of their aging lineup being the wildcard. The Rockies? They are already right where they belong!
vr, Xei

29 If Chris Young meets his projections, he'll be by far the best center fielder in the division.

One should note, however, that the competition is:

Mike Cameron
Dave Roberts
Willy Taveras
And one other guy whose name escapes me for the moment.

34 - Tom Goodwin?

His name is now "the player."

Not to be confused with "playa."

33 The Diamondbacks depth is what pushed them over the edge for me. While they don't have someone like Kemp waiting in the wings, they have some very nice players on their bench. DaVanon is arguably the best fourth outfielder in the NL, Callapso is one of the top middle infield prospects in baseball, Scott Hairston dominated AAA last year, and Tony Clark is one year removed from homering every 10 at bats.

As far as the rotation depth is concerned is Micah Owings, Yusmerio Petit, Dana Eveland and Juan Cruz any worse than what the Dodgers would have if they actually used their best pitchers?

35

So will Juan Pierre be announcing spring training games in 2020?

38
DaVanon is arguably the best fourth outfielder in the NL

Really? The entire NL?

40 I might be biased because I love the man, but who's better? The only better ones off the top of my head are Wily Mo Pena and whoever has the job for the Devil Rays.

39 Allow me to add to the collection of kudos on your excellent handle.

42
Thanks

41
Matt Kemp maybe. If he was back in the bigs, of course.

Come on, is it really a marathon if you don't hit 20 innings?

Are those metric innings or statute?

41
No love for Steve Finley? Not saying he's the best or anything, but if there was a game on the line that really meant something, I'd rather have Finley at the plate than DaVanon.

19 - I think any of the Padres, Snakes, or Dodgers could win this division. The Snakes really do have some very good young players.

46 Finley's been useless since 2004. Last year he hit .246/.320/.394

I expect the Diamondbacks to compete all year long and I think the winner will be which GM makes the smartest decisions this summer. Which GM will use the depth of the organization to make the best deal? Hard for me to bet on either GM so maybe they both make bad choices and the Padres slip in. With Webb/Randy they can throw those two against anybody in the division. I think with the current crop they can pick and choose amoung Owens,Nippert, Gonzalez1 and Gonzalez2, and D Davis for two more servicable starters. Were starting Tomko/Hendrickson and the Padres are starting Wells/Henlsy so it is not like the back end of the Diamonback rotation has to be lights out to compete. The bullpen does not stack up against the Padre's and Dodgers but I think they have much more offense then either team. I would take all 3 Diamondback outfielders against the Dodger "starting" three. Come Aug/Sept when our best player is pulling a La Duca because Little decided he didn't need rest in April/May because he wasn't tired and Montero/Snyder are fresh as daisies someone can create a FGL web site. If Martin performs in Aug/Sept like he is performing now and the same rate of usage is still in play then I will gladly apologize to Grady for stating he was making a big mistake by not giving MVP at least one if not two days off a week. He's a catcher not a 1st baseman.

Andre Ethier is only 0.5 from being the best fourth outfielder in the NL.

Doesn't Davannon have to be healthy to count as the best 4th outfielder? How many at bats does he have this season?

[47)
The Snakes really do have some very good young players.

Agreed, but they haven't proven it on a major league level for a prolonged period of time. That is my beef with people thinking AZ can hang all year long. Giving too much credit based on minor league performances and about a month of baseball. It's too early to say one way or the other, but I just happen to think their young guys are just to inexperienced to carry this team to the next level in the NL West.

49 - Which GM will use the depth of the organization to make the best deal?

Don't buy it. Most of those deals are just window-dressing; in some wise, the Dodgers 2004 midseason deals didn't buy the team very much.

The real keys will be keeping the regulars healthy for the Dodgers, getting improved production out of the kids for the Diamondbacks, and keeping their rotation well-oiled in the second half for the Padres.

53
Normally I'd agree but in this case I think it will come down to deals. Both GM's could mortgage the future for the present and who or what they deal could be the key.

Anyone care to comment on the ease or difficulty of obtaining Dodger tickets from scalpers? I am a NYC baseball geek making my first trip to Dodger Stadium for the June series against Toronto and am curious what I could expect. Hope it's not taboo to talk about the seamy underbelly of ticket acquisition. Appreciate any thoughts.

51 Well, zero, but when he does no one will be able to handle the depth he provides.

Can Kemp play 3b?

So let me understand this..Nomar can't play 3b cause of throwing? So we spent 20 million one a guy who can't throw, another 47 million on a guy who cant throw fast anymore and another 50 million on a guy who everyone in baseball knows can't throw?

It looks like Bernie has moved on from collecting shortstops to collecting people who can't throw.

48
If you had no choice but to start either Steve Finley or Luis Gonzlez in LF for one half of the season, who would you start and which half of the season would you start him in? I know it's like being asked if you'd rather go to the Dentist or to the Proctologist, but I'm just curious.

58 Gonzalez. In a heart beat.

57
You forgot another 8 mil on a LF who's had Tommy John surgery and can't throw either!

58
Definitely the dentist.

How could I forget? I didn't mean to forget Gonzo and our collection of throwers.

55 It depends on what kind of seats you want, check out Dodgers.com site for the link to both Ticketmaster or the Season Ticket holders site.

The only game for sure that will be close to or sold out is the Friday night Beach Towel night (We love our giveaway games).

For a chance to see some "C and D" list celebs, Saturday is Hollywood Stars night.

55
Against the BlueJays it will be a weekend. Friday night is beach towel night so expect a large crowd. Saturday is Hollywood stars night and that also brings in a decent crowd. I would try using Ebay a head of time. You should be able to buy tickets for 1/2 the retail price of most games instead of relying on scalpers. If it was a weeknight game I'd recommend the scalpers and you'd really save some money but with a weekend game and a promotional game why take the chance.

The problem with using the SeasonTicket holder site is that season ticket holders are not allowed to sell the tickets for less then the retail value which is always much higher then what the season ticket holder paid which is why Ebay usually gives you the better deal.

Last year's Hollywood Stars MVP was Jonathan Silverman

I went into the season more unhappy about the Gonzo signing then the Pierre signing. At this point I'm okay with Gonzo but aghast at how our CF plays the game of baseball. Now I understand the wave of of negativity that crashed upon our shore when the signing was announced. I have lost a bit of faith in the Dewan Fielding bible and will no longer quote from it.

Let me be the first to say that I think Branch Rickey is going out on a limb with his name change.

Oh, and my favorite player to watch on the Dodgers would be Matt Kemp, of course.

66

And Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel were the hosts!

I went to a Hollywood Starts Night back when Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau played.

And you know what?

That event was equally boring as seeing Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel.

68 I wanted to limit it to people who were actually on the team.

Hey Will Carroll has a nice MLB.TV Original on the mechanics of the game.

Hollywood Stars Night in May? Isn't that an August tradition?

I have had nothing buy great luck with Ebay the day before or even the day of the game. I averaged 4 TD tickets for $9 total each time.

Can't beat that!

70 He's played for the Dodgers this year, he's on the 40 man roster, and I get to see him when the 51's come to Salt Lake ... so I figured I could count him. I think it actually says a lot that the player I'd most like to see isn't even on the team right now.

49 FYI - Games played leaders for catchers

Name Team GP GS Innings
Russell Martin LA 23 23 212.0
Jason Kendall Oak 23 23 209.0
A.J. Pierzynski CWS 22 20 183.0
Brian Schneider Was 21 20 182.0
Miguel Olivo Fla 21 20 181.1
Joe Mauer Min 20 20 178.0
Brian McCann Atl 20 20 176.0
Bengie Molina SF 20 20 175.0
Gerald Laird Tex 20 20 173.0
Ivan Rodriguez Det 21 19 178.2
Jason Varitek Bos 19 19 166.0
Michael Barrett ChC 20 18 170.1
Yadier Molina StL 19 18 166.2
Jorge Posada NYY 21 18 164.0
Brad Ausmus Hou 19 18 158.0
Johnny Estrada Mil 18 18 157.0
David Ross Cin 20 18 155.1
Ronny Paulino Pit 18 17 162.1
Paul Lo Duca NYM 17 17 148.0
Dioner Navarro TB 17 17 146.0

Its early yet, but most teams are generally playing their number one catchers about 70-75% of the time.

Hollywood Stars Night is June 9.

72 Actually its in June though if memory serves, it used to be an annual August event.

I wish the Dodgers would bring back Old-Timers Day but that seems to be something that is reserved for special events like the anniversary of a World Series team, etc.

69

It cannot have been as bad as last year. Didn't they play baseball instead of softball?

They've been playing softball for the past 3-4 years.

One year the event was hosted by Kevin and the Bean.

I thought David Eckstein met his wife at one of these events.

I would say Kevin Mench is probably better than Davannon

80. And right now i would rather have Josh Hamilton to.

Last year after Russell Martin came up, the Dodgers had 133 games left on the schedule, he started 114 (86%).

The only catcher to have a higher percentage of starts (and he is the leader in that position over the last few years) is Jason Kendall.

And right now, Martin has started 92% of the games so that figure would have to drop down just to match last year.

79 - Isn't it Kevin and Bean, but Pinky and the Brain?

The thing about the D-Backs is that they have the most variance of any team in the NL West and maybe even the whole major leagues because of how much young hitting they have. None of Montero, Quentin, Drew, and Young have more than 60 games worth of experience in the majors, so while they all have a ton of upside, they still haven't proven anything and might not be able to put it all together yet.

Basically, if they all reach their potential this year they will probably win the west (as long as their pitching doesn't totally stink). If all the rookies show that they're not ready yet, they'll be toward the bottom of the division. The more logical conclusion is that it will be a mix of the two and they'll be about a .500 team. Personally, I feel that Young and Montero will fall short, Drew and Quentin will meet their expectations, Byrnes will fall off some from last year, and their pitching will be sub-par, resulting in a .500 team.

Final prediction: 81-81 (3rd place in the NL West)

Randy Johnson wasn't very good last year (ERA up, K rate down, BB rate up); I don't expect him to be very good this year.

82 - Should be 88% after tonight!

75
It is very scary to see Martin and Kendall next to each other. While we'd all love for Martin to fight with McCann over the next 5 years for the best NL catcher what if he turns into Kendall who was kind of like Russ when he 1st came up. From age 23-26 he had a good avg, good OB, okay power, and he had speed with OPS > 800 every year. Now I can understand the broken ankle sapping the speed but why did the rest of his game go into the toilet? He is in Brad Ausmus territory these days.

How does one physically receive the tickets if they are purchased on Ebay? I might have to try it in the future.

79
Kevin and Bean actually hosted their own KROQ night last year during the Mariners interleague series. There was a post game concert from the Pink Spiders who were predictably awful. They let people onto the outfield grass to watch the concert after the game. Most of the people who stayed for the concert were more interested in playing in the outfield. I witnessed an overweight couple attempting to get grass stains on their clothes. It was some of the funniest belly-flop slides I'd ever seen.

87
In retrospect I'd take those 1st four years from Martin if he could emulate Kendall as long as he signs with the Giants as a FA and emulates Kendall's early decline phase somewhere else. Those were 4 dang good years.

You think Russell will be starting tonight? i was thinking they'd swap his day off tomorrow with today instead, given the marathon yesterday, and was expecting to see Lieberthal in tonight's line-up (and to catch his old teammate, Wolf). But, of course, we'll see.

Just a quick report on Padre fans... they were terrific. The park was sold out all three days and everybody, man, woman and children (lots of them too) wore Padre garb. They root for their team enthusiastically and over the three days I didn't see one fight or hear one swear word or see any ugliness of any kind. If you haven't been down there, I highly recommend it. You can walk from many hotels in the area to the ballpark and the Gaslamp district rivals any major league city for fun place to hang before and after a game. Perhaps there should be a DT road trip!

The thought of Martin signing with the Giants as a free agent, ever, made me want to cry.

87 I thought that too, I do think that as great it is to have a catcher who is an offensive threat, there is this reluctance to give him rest when there is a clear difference between the two catchers on the roster.

Now, Lieberthal should be fine as long as he is not batting 4th in the lineup, I would hope to see him more once the Dodgers start playing the NL East since he should be more familiar with those players.

While I don't see foresee a situation where Martin would always sit once every 5 days, I would hope that when they play 15 out of 16 days, he would get more than one day off.

88)

The seller emails them to you for a modest fee, typically $5. You print it out and take it to the game.

88
Two ways. If you purchase to close to the game to be mailed then if it is a season ticket holder they email the tickets via ticketmaster and you print them out. The bar code is what gets you in now that the Dodgers have joined the 21st century.
If it is far enough way then the old way of mail/fed ex works fine and you get the hard tickets.

If your going the hard ticket way make sure your Ebay seller has at least a 95% feedback and read his feedback.

I would never meet with an Ebay seller and exchange money. My 1st choice is the email since you don't have to give your mailing address to the seller but some people want the hard ticket in which I case I'd use my work address and never my home address.

ToyCannon speaks with wisdom on the address issue.

92
Padre fans are great. Great park, nice fans. Great city, God I wish I lived in SD:)

Age has only one advantage.

Overall, the team has hit
.267/.333/.384 clip
with runners in scoring position
.294/.378/.435.
You say clutch, I say unsustainable.
---
Normally I would agree with this but I think the type of hitters we have we should maintain it (somehwt maintain it). Nomar, Kent, Gonzo can be pitched around a little with no one on, but when they see fastballs they usually hit them and they see more fastballs with runners on. What do u guys think, too small a sample size, luck or is there something to it?

How does one physically receive the tickets if they are purchased on Ebay?

Either by mail, if it's early enough, or will call. I've gotten some great bargains by buying tickets on Ebay; if you want good seats but don't want to pay out the nose, it's a good place to try.

98 - Great city, God I wish I lived in SD

You know, the Germans discovered it in 1904. They named it San Diego, which of course is German for...ah, nevermind.

The Giants definetly could use more speed from their catching position . Perhaps a trade for A. J. Pierzynski involving Cain and Lincecum could bolster their pennant hopes .

95,96,101
Thanks.

You can walk from many hotels in the area to the ballpark and the Gaslamp district rivals any major league city for fun place to hang before and after a game. Perhaps there should be a DT road trip!

I'd take the MetroLink for that road trip. Forget the traffic!.

54 - Normally I'd agree but in this case I think it will come down to deals. Both GM's could mortgage the future for the present and who or what they deal could be the key.

Neither can afford to. Both are mid-market teams, Arizona tending toward small market, and a "go for broke" move makes zero sense for them, especially considering the total rejection of that approach by the current ownership group. They have done everything imaginable to distance themselves from the Colangelo era, even down to changing the uniforms to those "Really! We're Not The Astros" uniforms. And what do the Padres have in the farm or at the major league level that they could use to make a big trade with? You have 20 minutes to complete your essay.

100 Lifetime batting with RISP

Nomar .330 with an .954 OPS
Kent .305 with an .915 OPS
Luis .292 with an .880 OPS

107 well there ya go. I think Martin and Ethier are similar hitters to those guys as well.

103 Hah. File that one under "Wishful Thinking Dept., Major". I would actually feel sorry for Giants fans if they traded either one of those guys for about anyone, but I'd certainly welcome that sort of stupidity.

http://www.phillysportsline.com/getnews/928238

The Dodgers nominated Chin-Hui Tsao for NL Player of the Week.

>>>>Dodgers.com mailbag from Ken Gurnik With a slow start from Betemit, what are the chances we could see Tony Abreu play some third base for the Dodgers?
-- Brian V., Visalia, Calif.

Abreu already has played some third base at Triple-A Las Vegas, and the way he's been hitting down there (.400 territory), I'd say the Dodgers must be considering it. I'm guessing as to why management is appearing so patient with Betemit, but it's probably because if a move is made with him, it could be permanent -- meaning, to send him to the Minor Leagues involves the risk of losing him completely to another club via waivers. You don't make that move based on one bad month, but rather on the belief that the player is not likely to ever get it together. That's not so easy to do with a player who hit 18 home runs in the Major Leagues last season. So the issue isn't whether they have confidence in Abreu, but whether they've totally and permanently lost confidence in Betemit.<<<<

I thought that was pretty telling.

106
I didn't include the Padres in the GM discussion about deals because your right, they having nothing to deal.
It doesn't have to be a big trade to tilt the wheel when a game or two might be all the difference at the end. If Ned hadn't traded for Marlon would the Dodgers have tied the Padres? Or if he hadn't traded for Lugo and Hendrickson would we have won by more then one game?

111
Of course he's already dropped to 357 which is what happens in April when you have back to back o fers.

LaRoche is picking it back up again. He started off a bit slow, but is back on track. I think he should be called up if we are bringing in someone to play third.

I can't help but think that Ethier or Kemp (and probably Ethier) will be traded sometime this year. This town just ain't big enough for the both of them.

On the subject of Ethier and first pitches... he had four ABs yesterday and on every one of them he took first pitch fastball down the middle. He then went 0-4 while flailing at various other pitchers while behind in the count. That has got to stop.

114

i like your idea but his defense is kind of shaky, have you seen Etanislao play D?. Long term La Roche is probably the answer but for now why not play Etanislao there.

Last year's Dodger Monthly HR Leaders.

April J.D. Drew 4
May Jeff Kent 5
June Matt Kemp 7
July Andre Ethier 5
August Wilson Betemit 7
September Marlon Anderson 7

Last year's production by Wilson is buying some time but probably not much.

The other thing glaring about that list is the lack of power produced by the system aside from Kemp.

And another acquisition is going to lead the Dodgers in home runs this month unless Russell Martin starts and hits three homers.

115 Keep in mind Gonzo was only signed to a one-year contract. Looking beyond this year (or even to later this year, when Gonzo invariably gets hurt), I don't think the Dodgers want to suddenly find themselves short in the good young outfielder department, imho. (Unless a big trade for someone like A Rod came about...)

I think the greatest problem with Hollywood Stars Night can be expressed in two words:

Robert

Wuhl

114
Not sure why you think he's picking it up, he had a terrible weekend.

I know this is highly unlikely but wouldn't it be funny if the Yankee's were still in last place come the all-star game and they were the ones dumping Abreu and ARod. You guys think Betemit is slumping have you seen Abreu? 3 extra base hits????

118. Thanks for the reminder, I was thinking we signed Gonzo for two. Given that, I guess we can hold one of them back for one more year.

119 Was he lollygagging?

114- I actualy spoke to a couple of insiders this weekend who were not at all high on LaRoche. I don't follow the prospects so closely but I thought he was more universally liked. Anyone here (Nate?) more familiar with what the expectations on him really are?

Just play Betemit. The best we could hope for out of LaRoache in 07 is probably what Betemit will give us (which will get him almost released). Others get the benefit of the doubt, I don't get why he dosen't. He had 18HR's last year in less than 400 plate apperances. He hit .305 (to lead all rookies) and .281 as a brave. He has made no errors this offseason. If we just leave him alone can't he do this or pretty close to this for alot less money?

.270 .327 .455 .782 (beltre's career avgs)
.262 .330 .417 .747 (wilsons-2007 stats inc)

offseason above equals April!

116
LaRoche just had a bad spring training in terms of defense. He has not had those kind of problems during his minor league career.

LaRoche is generally regarded as our second best prospect, behind Clayton Kershaw. He is seen as a potential 30+ home run guy and a cornerstone for us.

122 I think you were thinking of Juan Pierre's 28-year contract. Understandable.

124

ToyCannon has gone on record as saying he sees a Ron Santo type career out of La Roche.

Game thread is open early up top.

127

fair enough

127
You said he was coming on strong which is not the case. He had one good week and then went right back into a slump. Of course he's our best position prospect but he's not coming on strong.

129
I think I said he reminds me physically of Ron Santo and that I'd be pleased as pink if he had a Ron Santo career. I don't think he will because that is a HOF career and I doubt that David Wright will even have that career. Course i say alot of things so it is possible I said that.