But relax those of you who just want to hear baseball. You will get the radio stylings of Monday and Reuss during this road swing. On local TV, its Steiner and Psycho and across the country (at least for the Atlanta part of the trip), you can hear Joe Simpson and the Careys do games on the Superstation.

-
That's perfect Curtis.

And who plays Livian? I'd take a look at Cerano from Major Leauges/Palmer from 24 Dennis Haysbert

Selma Hayak as Ms. Apple Cheeks.

Dave Chappelle as Juan Pierre?

Adrian Grenier as Andre Ethier?

And (a little more obscure) Domenick Lombardozzi (Herc on The Wire) as Russell Martin.

I think one that made us laugh was the remake of Jaws, starring Russell Crowe as Quint, Kevin Spacey as Sheriff Brody, Richard Dreyfuss reprising his role. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who plays a cameo role as the mayor of Amity Island.

Not sure what that means but I do think that if you throw strikes, no matter how fast they are, batters will get inpatient and swing early. Sometimes the balls will avoid being caught but perhaps this might have to be looked at more closely as the season goes on.

http://tinyurl.com/2zsr6b

That little guy from Austin Powers, the son..whats his name..Seth Green as Randy Wolf.

BTW, I can't believe I didn't get a chuckle for 20.

Great-supposedly we are resting Kent as we face a team with a better record than us and Scmoltz(I think) pitching. Sounds like a brilliant move after a day off. I hope we don't lose due to lack of offense, for that would make us look like idiots.

Astonishingly, they noted that Pierre was struggling despite his .280 average because, and I'm paraphrasing, 'his On-base percentage is just barely over .300.' I was quite surprised to hear that from a broadcast team (also making an appearance was the concept of poor run support causing a lack of wins).

http://gfx.filmweb.pl/p/5467/po.67395.jpg

He's probably best known as the guy from Con Air that likes to cross-dress

No kidding.

It's Chip Caray and Joe Simpson now. Van Wieren and Skip Caray are on radio.

I have fond memories of the TBS announcing team since I used to watch a lot of Braves games growing up.

So unless I get their radio feed on the web, I'll never Skip Caray talk about some couple from Beaufort, SC who wrote in to say that they're big Braves fans?

The lords of baseball don't much care for superstations, although they have no beef with regional sports networks owned by teams such as YES and NESN.

Gotta go check the count!

Really, we couldn't just take a look at LaRoche?

Speaking of mitts, yeah, Andre hit ball and leather at the same time again. He's got to stop that bad habit of his.

I think a lot of that is because the stat doesn't appear in most sources, so it's hard to find out how many times it's happened.

Six more for the record Andre!

Short of some type of physical ailment, I don't know if you could say the Braves knew anything significant about Wilson.

at least Betemit isnt mentally ill like Aybar.

The Dodgers are in uncharted waters with their 3 CIs.

In 1972, Jim Brewer, who batted just twice all year, reached on catcher's interference one of the times.

Psycho Delenda Est.

actually, there was a quote last year by gammons or something on espn.com saying teams are very hesitant when trading with the dodgers because of Logan White and the dodgers scouts and their knowledge of which dodger players to keep and which ones to move.

How exciting now if only Martin could face Tomko then we'd have a clearer picture.

when was the last time he pitched?

when your team trades pedro for delino and you're talking to sox and expo fans, they tend to think your team still makes bad trades.

Though I feel a lot -less- happy about that decision now. Come ON, at least punch across ONE run.

K, I'm outta here for real, for now. Buena suerte, Dodgers.

essentially, yes.

The Phillie were the worst last year with the bases loaded at .229 (36 for 157).

The Cubs were the best in the NL last year with the bases loaded and that must have propelled them to their worst record in the league.

If he had options to go to AAA, that'd be great. But he doesn't. I don't think it's time to cut him.

123 He has 800 MLB plate appearances and overall, he is hitting .260 so its not as if he needs more seasoning. But now, I think it is the space above his shoulders that needs to be settled down.

Now you could try to have him sit out a whole week to refresh his mind a little bit, see things differently, think a little clearly.. have him come bat after a few games in a blow out game. There's so much more we can try before just cutting him based on a bad April.

Any chance for a plea bargain?

And like some others have said, could he really do that much worse than Betemit has done so far? Maybe all 'mit needs is a bit of time off to work on his swing.

On another note, Furcal is looking spectacular defensively.

im not really to worried about Laroche's lack of hitting so far. He has shown the ability to hit at every level he has played at. I just think it would be a good confidence builder and better transistion for him to call him up in the middle of a hot streak so hopefully it can carry over to the bigs and he can start off his major league career on the right path.

Though I'm just kind of thinking out loud here, as Tomko walks the bases loaded. Sheesh.

Tomko looked like he was gonna puke after Pierre dropped that one--tho it was a tough catch.

Now, I said this last week and I will repeat it again, Tomko's starts have been misleading since his first start, he is not striking out guys and the Dodgers need to figure how long he stays on the club.

great instincts.

In the meantime, Smoltz is throwing a heck of a game - apparently only up to 68 pitches at the moment.

Worse than allowing a fly ball to center?

jarrod parker's video is up on milb.com

Needless to say, I'm a big fan. Really fluid, easy delivery with the ball jumping out of his hand. Maybe the stigma of being a short, right handed pitcher will allow him to drop to us.

190 Yeah the non-homerism and knowledge of OBP are key, I think.

The power of the 'stache?

It also helped that Skip Caray was exiled to radio.

the 'stache provides power for all who choose to accept it.

205--I actually agree with you on this one. Betemit's minor league numbers are poor, he's been around a long time, and he just doenst have a great deal of upside considering his age.

1) This game isn't over.

2) It's just one game, and however much a metaphor it may be for your point of view, express your thoughts in a calm way.

Thanks!

205 - I think that's really the crux of the matter. I mean, unless it's expected that Betemit is going to end up better than the player that ends up at 3B (whether it be Abreu, LaRoche, or perhaps even just Nomar with Loney at 1st for the next couple years), it's not necessarily worth it to watch Betemit struggle in the hopes that he improves. You don't usually accept major problems from a guy who likely will end up as either a mediocre trade chip or a bench guy, if things work out as one hopes they do (e.g. success by one of the farm players).

But if you look at Ramon's career averages, and Betemit's...they really are close.

Or was I just seeing things?

220 - I think there is something to the point, though. Are we really sure Betemit can play multiple infield positions with success in the field? Even if his hitting is slightly better, it could be negated by troubles in the field.

Billingsley lucky to escape that one.

213- I think that's the 2nd time we've agreed today!

Ugh.

its the cutter.

Kouzmanoff being the German word for "Betemit"

When he's missing, though, he looks an awful lot like Brett Tomko.

His SLG% has been around .415 since last year's All-Star break. That is terrible for a first baseman, especially one who swings at everything.

It's going to be really sad if Loney is traded because management thinks we fans love Garciaparra so much.

It's marketing like that which scares me.

The Dodgers and Padres don't trade with each other, so that eliminates Branyan.

Tony Graffanino is Wilson Valdez with a longer name.

We could take Pittsburgh's own whipping boy, Jose Castillo, off their hands. He's very Betemitesque with his low BA and decent power. Probably wouldn't take much to pry him away.

Not that he's a great player, but again if we're talking trading middling pitching for a stopgap solution, he seems like a possibility.

http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B05070SEA1998.htm

or

http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1994/B05240SLN1994.htm

I think thats overreacting a little bit.

>>>"Before the game, the team banned alcohol in the clubhouse in what La Russa termed a largely symbolic move. The Cardinals were also considering banning alcohol on the road.
"It's meaningful," La Russa said. "But it's not a significant factor in our clubhouse because our guys don't stay in the clubhouse to drink.<<<

the drays would be all over that trade.

274 Why? You have to give up talent to get talent? Some here already want to toss Seanez, so what loss there? Tonight shows that Beimel will only be the pre-Broxton pitcher when the lefties are up, otherwise it's Tsao. Right now, Bills is only long relief and if one of the young studs that some here post on can be ready next year, then the loss of Bills won't hurt all that much. And Iwamura is a, was, did, and is still doing it, while LaRoche is a never has and so remains entirely unproven.

Would it be such a stretch to place Betemit on the DL and then let him rehab in AAA in a couple of weeks? He seems so lost at the plate right now that a couple of weeks off could only help his chances of improving. Also, as poorly as he is doing would it be that much of a surprise to find out that he has a legitimate muscle pull or bone chip or similar indescript ailment? It's more likely a mental block than a physical problem but I really can't see the Dodgers having much more patience with Betemit at this point. The only thing preventing a move is the desire to avoid losing him entirely if he gets claimed on waivers.

http://tinyurl.com/36vkma

On the positive side, I am otherwise hoping that we signed Pierre for 5 years since that's about how long it will be until Norichika Aoki will be available.

"Iwamura played for Japan in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and hit .389/.429/.500 for the championship-winning team while splitting third base with Toshiaki Imae. With the '06 season winding down, Iwamura is again in position to be approximately the 5th-best hitter in the CL with a .312/.388/.552 line through October 10, 32 homers and 124 Ks."

Record: 12-11
Sexton: .153
Beltre: .255
Weaver: 18.26 ERA

262 The Ty Wiggington Solution was one of my favorite Robert Ludlum novels. Gripping.

Hey if we're gonna trade with the D-Rays yet again, can't we pry a young player from them in exchange for one of our vets for a change? We'll give 'em Tomko or somebody (they wouldn't want Hendy back again, even if it's Hendy 2.0), but no more prospects to the D-Rays please. And Nunez... why would we trade for someone who is Betemit, East Coast?

Ah well, to ponder another day.

I'm happy to have a copy of the new Steve Buscemi film to watch tonight (Delirious), because there's nothing like a dose of Buscemi to cure the Blahs.

I think the Dodgers have to consider a big gamble if they have postseason visions in 2007.

We all know that LaRoche isn't the answer in the short term.

Beltre for Billingsley would probably save Bavasi his job.

I'm still loathe to give up Billingsley though. And short of A-Rod, and Eric Duncan, their equivalent to La Roche (and even farther from being ML ready), what would we reasonably get/want from them, and they from us? Hendy would definitely be an improvement over much of what they're throwing out there right now, but...

I wouldn't mind getting Beltre back, but a trade for him might have to include La Roche, I'd guess.

"Albright's translations are based on those players who have moved between MLB and Japan's NPB. Therein lies danger: by not considering those players who floundered in Double-A and Triple-A before finding traction in Japan, the sample is biased, and almost doubtless ends up making projections like these look pretty."

Is Iwamura, Matsui? And what do we make of Ichiro? I think we call the assumptions being made by BA, logical fallacy.

And we otherwise have a rather gaping hole at 3rd. We aren't trading to upgrade mediocrity to greatness, we are trading so that we might replace a zero for something a whole lot more tangible.

And weren't some here high on Zimmerman? Well, if so, from your linked BA article:

"...for now suffice it to say that these make him about equivalent to Ryan Zimmerman's 2006."

And never mind what he's actually done to date? Playing is playing, while projections untested by any meaningful peer review are just that. By the way, what was/is the projection for Okajima? From another BA article, and here's how much they don't know:

"Sully: Well given how good Boston's lineup and starting pitching should be, I think they will have the luxury of figuring out who the closer should be on the go (I see the bullpen getting the ball with a lot of 6-2 type leads). The value proposition of having Papelbon in the rotation is straightforward - better to get 200 innings out of a premium talent that 70. Between Brendan Donnelly, Pineiro, J.C. Romero, Devern Hansack, Mike Timlin, Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen, there is a decent chance that by mid-May or so one of these guys will have emerged. But if it is apparent that the back end of the Sox pen is costing them, I think they will move Papelbon back to Closer by June 1."

He's not even in the discussion. Of course, just like Saito, when Hideki pitched a year as a full time reliever, he had 25 saves in 62 IP with a 2.76 ERA and 70Ks. I was ridiculed and abused when I took him as a hold-guy in my fantasy draft, but some aren't ridiculing and abusing any longer. So too with Iwamura.

Lastly, the Iguchi comparison is simply absurd, as they aren't even the same type of ballplayer. But here are Tadahito's Japan numbers:

http://www.japaneseballplayers.com/en/player.php?id=iguchi

They didn't compare in Japan either.

Just move Nomar to third. Please. It's the right answer (and I know the team doesn't want to do it, and I am beating a dead horse, and that Nomar to third, Loney to first makes way to much sense to actually be implemented, and that this rant is far too long to be a paranthetical aside, and that nobody wants to talk about this anymore, and that my begging is falling on deaf ears).

Just move the guy to third base already.

Can you imagine how mad Loney has to be right now?

I should probably give more evidence, but I'm really tired. Even the front office has said that the kid has maxed out in the minors, but that there isn't a job for him on the big club right now.

I like LaRoche. A lot. I would love to trade Nomar, and play LaRoche at third, Loney at first, but that's not going to happen. The next best scenario, for me, is moving Nomar to the hot corner and calling Loney up to the Dodgers.

We don't have to imagine it, Kramer...We know. The kid is a bitter, bitter seed. And he should be.

We're not talking about two-time batting champ Nomar. Or A-Rod/Jeter/Nomar guy here. That train has sailed. He's a fan favorite (for a very obvious reason) who isn't particularly outstanding anymore.

It's not really a youth movement thing. It's a "getting equal production for 5% of the cost" thing. Playing kids with equal production, for less money, would allow us to sign a bona fide monster hitter one of these years.

No thank you on this deal.

Greg Brock has the correct answer.

Or, we could fool the Reds GM, what with his bullpen fetish, with a Beimel for Edwin Encarnacion trade or something. They seem to really undervalue Encarnacion over there. I think there's been talk of playing Rayn Freel over him.

I honored my dad (who was also born the same day as Audrey Hepburn) by eating dinner at his favorite restaurant: KFC.

Fortunately, I'm on statins now.

Ty Wigginton is a poor man's Tyler Houston.

His parent must have anticipated that people would say that. They didn't even bother giving him the full "Tyler".

That's like being the poor man's Scott Baio.

Re Wigginton, why on earth? His OBP is now .276.

I've never been in a situation where somebody has offered you the job, but can't offer you the job. It's pretty unreal.

I don't really even care about the job. I just hate the fact that somebody else may get it because they're a district employee. Boss Tweed approves.

Justice

The other upside is that it's a job teaching AP. Volunteering to teach AP, and doing a good job, looks great on the resume of a young teacher. So I'd like the job, if only for a year or two.

Which I am completely cool with. I prefer Advanced Placement. You have to do a ton more work as a teacher, but the kids are enthusiastic and hard-working. But the parents...Oh, the parents...

Mayweather will win, 116-112 on two cards, 115-113 on the third card. Unanimous decision for a despicable human being, who represents the very worst of the bling culture, and a man who would wash cars if he couldn't fight.

But it should be a great fight.

Plus, for anybody who's ever spent three minutes in a ring, it's the most painfully exhausting sport ever. Your hands feel like bowling balls after one round.

what part of torrance do you live in?

The problem is that Floyd is more talented, faster, has better movement, and can throw the jab, hook, or straight right hand from any angle. He's just a prodigy.

Southeast Torrance in the hizzy. Wilson Park representing.

Yet, they can only use their hands, and they must stand on their feet at all times. That somewhat arbitrarily eliminates a lot of options.

353 Again with the UFC stuff. That's just man hugging, choking, and kicking in the groin. The sweet science is so much more than that.

290, oh, how we wish Abe Nunez was really an east coast version of Betemit....

However, I don't begrudge anyone for liking boxing. It's just not for me.

I like it more than bull fighting, which is the single most appalling thing I've ever paid money to see.

Boxing has done a great job protecting fighters in the last few years, almost to the point where fights get stopped too early. It's gotten a lot better about that.

One of these days we're going to find out that those 19th Century quacks were right and we're all going to be heading to Battle Creek, Michigan again.

This just doesn't make sense. First of all, Mixed Martial Arts (not "UFC") is just that: a mix of martial arts, which includes boxing. Second, "Man hugging" is wrestling, which is as much of a "science" as boxing. Third, "Choking" is part of jiu jitsu and submission fighting, which again are sciences. Kicking in the groin is against the rules.

It doesn't matter to me one way or another whether you watch MMA, but your reasoning doesn't seem convincing. Boxing = Boxing. MMA = Boxing plus a lot of other disciplines.

Yup, that's all I got. Just not a UFC fan.

I bought this pen one hour before my bike was stolen. Why?
What's the significance?
I DON'T KNOW!

I've since moved on to South-West Torrance.

As I've said before ... Joe vs. the Volcano - now that's an underrated movie.

"You're coming into focus kid...Shazam!"