Passan column on Elijah Dukes is interesting. It would be a big change to see teams release players who become criminals. The NFL has taken the lead recentely, I wonder if MLB will follow suit.

He also infers an incident with Julio Lugo when he was with Tampa. I don't recall Lugo's indiscretion. Anyone know what he was accused of?

Lugo beat his wife in Tampa Bay IIRC.
Domestic Violence.

2
That is not correct. Lugo was playing with the Astro's when he was accused of wife beating. The Astro's released him and that is how the Devilrays signed him. His wife later dropped the charges.

New post at Screen Jam.

sure sounds like we're headed for smoker or mcgreary. the yearly tradition of drafting a high school lefty is about to commence.

If Devil Rays rookie outfielder Elijah Dukes feels the need to reach out for advice in light of his latest troubles, Gary Sheffield says he'll be there to listen.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2885512

dukes: "that's some very interesting career advice you've given me, mr. sheffield. by the way, what do you call your counseling service?"

sheffield: "the aristocrats!"

7-It's a hotly contested position, but this combined with the Nabokov referencing means you could be my new favorite DT poster...

Dodgers ready for draft's showy new format

>>> The new labor agreement that players and owners produced during last year's World Series all but eliminates the longstanding practice of "drafting and following," because teams now lose signing rights to the players they draft (except college seniors) on Aug. 15 instead of a week before the next year's draft.

In the past, most of the lower half of a team's draft haul consisted of draft-and-follows, players the club didn't intend to sign until its scouts saw them play another season of junior college ball the next spring. But with that now eliminated, some teams, including the Dodgers, might choose to shut it down early. <<<

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/7723547.html

The Dodgers, still stinging from their inability two years ago to sign first-round pick Luke Hochevar because Boras and Hochevar wouldn't accept a $2.98 million signing bonus, aren't likely to bite on any of Boras' guys.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/7723547.html

You know, I really don't like my face very much.

Ow! My nose!

My first Dodger game of the year is tonight!

Anybody else going to the game? Sam in DC? I'd love to say hi.

DT shirt record when wearing while watching the game.

Blue shirt - 0-1 (Wore to game on Saturday)
White shirt - 1-0 (Wore while doing errands and watched game at home on TV).

11
Is that an Edwin Jackson reference?

12
Strangely enough, Sam DC was at the Dodgers game Sunday.

And I met him in person yesterday.

He's a nice guy despite having 18 fingers and a prehensile tail.

One more new post at Screen Jam.

7 LOL

Here we have an NL West GM talking about making use of the best statistical methods out there. What a surprise, it's not Colletti. It's the former scout with San Diego, and he give some credit to Colletti's predecessor in L.A.

http://tinyurl.com/28ydll

Here we have an NL West GM talking about making use of the best statistical methods out there. It's the former scout with San Diego. He gives some credit to Colletti's predecessor in L.A. for helping him along.

http://tinyurl.com/28ydll

18
I've kinda been waiting for someone in the media to turn the Padres-Dodgers battle for first place into a DePodesta-Colletti battle. Whether that's fair/meaningful or not, I don't know, but on some level, it seems like an obvious storyline.

20-I pray that doesn't happen. It's an insanely tedious narrative angle, no matter how you view it.

18 I think the problem, if there is one, is the belief that there was an either/or issue when it came to choosing between what you saw tools (scouting) to stats analysis.

Even in the linked article, Towers admits that he uses all the information available which included going beyond the numbers to bring in such things as park factors. But he also makes it clear that he will always go to his scouts when making decisions.

I do think that there are reasons why smaller market teams try to use as much information as they can because especially if they make a miss when it comes to a free agent signing, they don't have the resources to correct it as soon as big market teams.

Also, in San Diego's case, unlike the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, they didn't capitalize on good draft positions in the past few years and certainly do not have any big prospects that are ready to make an impact this year.

I was a fan of Paul DePodesta when he was here and I thought he should have been given the opportunity to see what would happen had he been given more than 2 years in LA. But I also don't think that there is one way to be successful in baseball and using all the information that is available is just a smart thing to do.

21

Agreed but the pragmatism of the San Diego GM is interesting.

20 Depodesta did not build this current Padre team.

Players acquired by DePodesta on the Dodgers roster:
1. Derek Lowe
2. Brad Penny
3. Jeff Kent

As I recall DePodesta signed on with the Padres during the middle of last year.

The major players brought in since his arrival include David Wells, Greg Maddux, Jose Cruz, Jr., the aforementioned in the article Heath Bell, Marcus Giles and Kevn Kouzmanoff.

Its hard to know beyond what the article says about his work on the Heath Bell acquisition, what other input he had, certainly, I am sure that he had something to say about some of those signings, the players he signed/traded for the Dodgers are having as big an impact for them as those free agent signings for the Padres.

And finally, as Jon wrote last year, its really hard to determine how different the Dodgers would be if Paul was still the GM, he certainly didn't shy away from signing free agents and Ned hasn't dealt a way prospects like many feared he would.

Over the weekend as I was downloading material into my new IPod (yes despite the valued input by some who voiced strong opinions for other devices, I got the IPod, though I only got the 30GB video because I wanted to get a better head phone), I was listening to a story by David Sedaris entitled "Us and Them." And while I won't go into the story, I do think that for many, DePo represented "Us" in this conversation and now we are waiting for someone like "Us" to return to the Dodgers.

But, I don't think of Ned as part of "Them," so I guess I am waiting for it all to play out. It should be a fun summer.

8 - thanks, Dark Horse. i'm trying my hardest to fit in around here. Nabokov is at the center of my literary universe, and "Pale Fire" is my all-time favorite work of art.

everyone should read Jon's link to the draft roundtable. it is really infomrative and will get everyone ready and knowledgable for the draft!

21
When it comes to Slappy McPop-up, I become a DePo fan. He would NEVER have signed him.

Jose Cruz, who couldn't find a team after we released him, is a perfect DePo guy. He walks a lot, has power. He is cheap too. No long contract, etc. I'm sure DePo will be laughing about Pierre for all five years.

27 And who was the one who gave Drew his opt-out clause that was the root cause for the outfield moves this off-season?

Again, I think it is unfair to label a good or bad deal to a particular GM because none of them are perfect.

26 Also, Tony Jackson has a good story in today's Daily News about the draft with some insights (no players mentioned, of course) by Logan White including who will have the tie-breaking vote in the "war room" on picks.

Neither GM has done particulary well in my opinion but both have a division title to their credit. We could line up plenty of debits and credits on both of their ledgers.

I'd take Evans over both of them.

Ben Maller reporting that the Sox may trade Jermaine Dye...

Could he be the answer to our power bat problem?

I've seen lots of Laker fans here so I'd thought I'd post this. I've got Laker season seats that are split four ways. We've had these seats since 1991 and one of my partners is unable to participate for this year and is dropping out of the partnership. If anyone here is interested in owning a 1/4 share of a lower level season ticket contact me at molokai@yahoo.com and put Lakers in the subject matter. Your 1/4 share is 10 games(20 tickets). The seats are located in Section 116, Row 20, Seats 28 & 29. They are 4 seats away from Section 117 so the seats are to the left of the basket with a nice view. Being in the back row of the 1st section has it's advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:
1. Big wall behind you so kids can stand up without bothering anyone. In fact I can stand up without bothering anyone but I'm barely taller then many kids.
2. Leaving the game or hitting the food line or if you need a pitstop is easy as your steps from the tunnel so your not caught up in the stairways.
3. This row has an excellent view and even a Timmerman would not interfere with your ability to see the game. This is important at Staples because before we moved to these seats we were much lower but a 5'8 person could easily block my view.
4. You have many more steps to enjoy the view of certain types of people as they ascend the stairs.

Disadvantages:
1. Further back

You can't buy season tickets at the lower level or rarely gameday tickets from the box office since the whole lower level is sold out to season ticket holders. This could change this summer as they have raised tickets again while providing a less then stellar product. Game tickets are determined via an on-line snake draft.

I don't want to post the ticket price but if you go to the website below and look up section 116 you will see the game day ticket price which is the same as the season ticket price since the Buss's don't give season ticket holders any break on pricing. Multiply that times 20 and you have your 1/4 share cost.

http://www.nba.com/lakers/tickets/arena.html#Season

Today's lineup facing one of two righties in the next seven games.

CF Pierre
SS Furcal
1B Garciaparra
2B Kent
LF Gonzalez
C Martin
RF Ethier
3B Abreu
P Penny

Thanks to Tony Jackson's blog for the lineup.

30

Really? Evans? I recall his regime being memorable mainly for his inability to put a worthwhile offense on the field, effectively squandering a few years of great pitching, both starting and bullpen.

I wish Martin was still in the 5 spot

Josh Bell at Number 15 and Dewitt at Number 20 make the BA top 20 hot shot week.

33
Why do we keep shifting who hits one and two? Why was Martin dropped in lineup? Why does Abreu continue to play third?

37
Why does Nomar continue to hit third?

37-

I don't know if there really are any answers to those questions. It seems like common sense that Martin would hit ahead of Gonzo..but whatever.

Let's pick up Dye and have him hit fifth.

Why ask why? Your heads will explode. ;-)
I am surprised LaRoche isn't in there today. Give the guy a chance! But Abreu has been swinging the bat pretty well last couple of games.

Dye would be great - but where would he play? We can't dump Pierre anywhere this season, as much as many of us would want that, Gonzo's not getting benched, but I guess Ethier could hit the pine. Why not just call up Kemp for free rather than trade for Dye? Still, if we could swap Pierre for Dye, even if not directly, I'd be happy.

36 Nate should be happy with that development/

37 Pierre/Furcal switching spots, Grady says that's the way it will be for the time being.
37 Probably due to the righty pitching.
38 Because he likes Wilson as his first lefty off the bench, LaRoche will get plenty of at bats as the Dodgers play against 5 lefties in their 6 following games after tonight.

One interesting stat though a small sample size, lefties are hitting .216 against Jason Simontacchi in 22 IP but righties bat .346. More importantly, all batters hit .340 against him in Washington.

38
At least that has been consistent and expected.

Why not just call up Kemp for free rather than trade for Dye?

Because Dye is a 35-40 HR hitter with a nice avg while Kemp still can't hit major league pitching.

I love Kemp, but let's face it, the guy isn't anywhere near Dye's level right now. I like Eithier too, but if we had to bench him to play someone like Dye in RF then so be it.

also, what's the latest on Schmidt? I haven't heard anything on him in weeks.

32 The view on the web site makes me think that it is the same section as a friend of mine's season tickets. He also has a 1/4 share. I've used his seats a couple times and they are good seats.

Wow, I just checked the Dodger player stats over on EPSN.com, and I can't believe how far Nomar has fallen. His OPS is lower than Wilson Betemit's.

43

Why are you so sure? He had a .900 OPS before he got hurt. It'sa bit of a stretch to say, "He can't hit major league pitching."

From the BP "Unfiltered" blog. Not sure if this requires a subscription or not. I won't add editorial comment, but the title is there as fair warning for those who'd like to avoid the subject. Nothing particularly startling:

"Juan Pierre Redux"
by Marc Normandin
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=381

47-

I might be stretching, but to even insinuate that Kemp = Dye is absurd. One of these days hopefully Kemp > Dye but for now, no way.

And we really need some sort of pop in our lineup. Just a thought.

Jermaine Dye is hitting .240/.294/.468 so far this year. And he is 33 or so already.

what in the world did laroche do [or not do] to lose a job he never even won so couldn't really lose?

and he is playing in a homepark that favors homeruns.

49
He may not be the 2006 version of Dye but neither is Dye. It is not out of the realm of possiblilty that Kemp could do what the 2004/2005 version of Dye did and that is probably what we would expect Dye to do this year. Last year was his 2001 Gonzo year.

44 Schmidt is pitching his first rehab start tomorrow morning for the Dodgers Cal League team. Ned and Stan Conte are going to both be there to watch and observe.

28 I'm pretty surprised you'd take a shot at DePo over the Drew opt out. If the alternative was a no trade clause, it was a good move.

I don't want to go through all the particulars again, but signing out CF for five years because of DePo? Hardly. Should have just resigned Drew or gone with kids instead of having a hissy fit, whining about Boras, and making the dumbest offseason signing in MLB.

51

Not hit for avg, not hit for power, play suspect defense (with the 51's and the D's).

Yes, I know he walks.

56

whats wrong with laroche's D so far for the Dodgers?

Its funny how we get certain perceptions about players and forget the facts.

Here are two stat lines for the first month on the two Dodgers who came in and became fixtures for the most part on last year's team.

.253/.345/.387
.324/.395/.577

Ethier and Martin had over 80 plate appearances during their first month on the team.

Now both of them played from the time they came up because of injuries which is the main difference between last year and this year's team.

But it is also interesting that the one player who is now being considered as the best player on the team, certainly didn't come on with blazing stats during his first month in the majors.

I think that is a big enough hint for you to figure out whose stats are whose.

Is Pierre the worst everyday player in the league currently?

I mean all of baseball, not just National League.

56 - fair enough. i just think 35 at-bats is a pretty small sample size to make that judgment. i used to say it must be the defense, but we've already seen with this team that defense isn't necessarily a deal-breaker.

57

Well, with the 7 or 8 spring training errors fresh in the memory banks 2 more errors in 16 games (0.933) this year isn't a good start- albeit limited data. 4 errors in 24 games with the 51's (not TOO bad).
Hopefully he gets a little more time so we can get a better look.

61

Yea, we need a better look- it may have to come in AAA though.

62
Spring training means nothing. He has been playing good defense.

62

well, sprng training doesnt really count. In his limited time up here, he has looked fine to me. If he has been bad, it hasnt been noticable.

63

does his 2006 season mean anything?

55 Not so much a shot but the facts are that Drew's opt out was certainly a main factor in what happened this off-season and that was done under Paul DePodesta's watch.

Sure, its long road from that to Pierre's signing but I think to ignore the first part is not examing the whole story.

And again, aside from Jerry Buss resigning Phil Jackson for a lot more money, I don't think many teams will renegotiate a baseball deal like teams do in football and basketball.

And Drew certainly isn't off to a great start in Boston though when you have a double digit division lead, the signings of Drew and Lugo have not been cried about that much.

48 I'm more interested in Pierre-bashing than anybody, but that was just empty calories.

A better question: even with all of his fly balls, would Pierre's year be looking similar to his 2006 and 2005 campaigns if he played in a stadium more friendly to the double and the triple?

When I look at his numbers, I wonder if the only thing that's missing is his, um, "power," such as it is. Last year, he hit 32 doubles, 13 triples, and 3 homers. This year so far, he has 5, 1, and 0, respectively. If we were to turn nine of his outs into 5 doubles, 3 triples, and a home run, his stats would look like...

343 OBP, 405 SLG

...I think. (Somebody check my math.)

In short, I wonder if his struggles are really about ground balls vs. fly balls and more about his doubles, triples, and home runs not coming.

59 No.

http://juanpierreoutwatch.blogspot.com/2007/05/whos-worst-redux.html

Check out the comments for an enlightening discussion on Mr. Kendall of Oakland.

66

Definitely. Personally- Im really excited to see him play for us- I was just responding to the question of why he wasn't starting right now. Or at least why I think he isn't.

69
Oh yeah, well that is disappointing.

Jrue watch.

For the 2 or 3 interested, reports are he is making in an unoffical visit tomorrow with his AAU teammate and 2008 verbal commit, Jermine Anderson, at UCLA tomorrow.

I hope he commits tomorrow. I would then immediately go to Rivals Husky board and then proceed to cry with laughter.

I'm more interested in Pierre-bashing than anybody

Ahem ahem...

69

Yeah, Kendall combines awful defense with the "Black Hole" offensive style. It's sort of like a crappy Tiger/Wu-Tang style.

The interesting aspect, for me, about the San Diego GM embracing the cutting-edge statistical methods from the likes of DePodesta is that it shows integrity of process by a Dodgers rival. Is the Dodgers GM equally determined to inform himself as fully as possible, to avail himself of not only the best possible scouting reports and industry scuttlebutt, of micro and macro trends, but also the best statistical information, if such a person, or persons, within the Dodgers ranks supplies it? Can't say that I get the impression that's the case with this Dodgers GM. I don't want this to splinter into a Ned-Depo debate but in fairness, I had doubts about DePodesta's ability to mine non-empirical information from within the industry.
It appears that San Diego, under Alderson, has a capable front office devoted to integrity of process across a wide part of the spectrum. San Diego's draft selections earlier this decade made me skeptical about their ability to build a farm system, but that was pre-Alderson.
One example of what I mean when I talk about process is the willingness and ability to read the market short and long term. Setting aside the merits of Pierre, this is where I think the media needs to take a hard look at how the Dodgers go about things. Did Ned realize that so many CFs would be entering free agency after this season? If so, did he weigh this seemingly key variable before offering the $45 million to Pierre? Was there a vision beyond patching the CF hole? I haven't seen this subject addressed by the press. Maybe I missed it. If a capable devotion to rational process isn't there, hard to expect excellence from a franchise.

74 When you start a blog that keeps track of every single one of his outs, give me a call. I have devoted a significant percentage of my life to Pierre-bashing. I yield to no one on this.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Drew's opt out clause part of his contract negotiation? Perhaps without it, he wouldn't have signed at all, or would've only signed for a significantly larger price.
I don't think the opt-out was something Drew was handed for kicks and giggles.
vr, Xei

77. What's your blog URL?
vr, Xei

Hard to believe that at one time Jason Kendall was one of the most exciting young catchers playing this game.
It is very interesting that one of the brightest baseball minds is giving this guy 500 ab's.

79 see 69.

78 I'm sure it was, and it was successful because Boros was able to get a richer and longer deal with another club.

I will stop now to avoid a rules violation.

80 Kendall got worked into the ground in Pittsburgh, and had a disastrous injury to boot.

Physically, he's more like a 38 year old catcher.

Josh on Inside the Dodgers just posted a plea to vote for Russell Martin, speaking of whom, as he's currently 4th in catcher voting.
Vote often:
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2007/ballot_reg.jsp

The thing is, as we discussed here this weekend, Martin is not likely to win the popular vote, due to NY area LoDuca ballot stuffing; he'll need to be picked and who knows how fair LaRussa will be? But the more votes he has, well, it can't hurt...

[this is usually where Canuck steps in to point out that depo was the one responsible for losing shane victorino not once but twice.]

76
I was always comfortable with DePo's moves, because I felt he had a plan and was not just doing moves to do something.

I do not have that sense with Ned at all.

80 Agree, I have nothing to add.

Victorino's career EqA is .256. It's not exactly trading Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas.

We like Victorino, but let's get serious. He's having a nice season. He's not that good.

A's really believe that Kendall helps out their pitching staff, plus they like him as a person.

Jermaine Dye is hitting .240/.294/.468 so far this year. And he is 33 or so already.

kind of rough to dismiss a guy after a slow start.

I'm not saying we should give up the farm for Dye or anything, it's just a name to kick around. It seems like when anyone throws out a name for a possible trade everyone just dismisses it without even a discussion...it's kinda annoying.

But regardless, what do we do about our power outage?

>>> "He's, by far, the best hitting coach I've ever had," said Kemp, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple Monday in Las Vegas' 11-7 loss to Portland at Cashman Field. "He's taught me a lot. I'd say he was one of the main reasons, last year when I was in Double A, why I got to the big leagues.

"He just got my mind right and got me where I needed to be, and it got me to the big leagues." <<<

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/7723462.html

Maybe the Dodgers should consider calling up a hitting coach.

Dye becomes a free agent, so I think we should just walk away.

Just walk away...

why ask why, have a bud dry.

martin
.368 .435 .579 1.014 5 hole
.312 .395 .473 .868 6 hole

gonzo
.258 .359 .394 .753 5 hole
.381 .435 .619 1.054 6 hole

93-

Yeah, it's stats like those which make almost TOO much sense.

I wonder why so many managers don't see these things.

94 Isn't that based on like 20-30 at bats?

86 Ned's plan is simple, be competitive, have backup, vets yes, youngsters if necessary but don't force (in his opinion). Money is not necessarily a consideration.

And while it is certainly not a guarantee of success, the Dodgers are among the leaders in what ESPN calls the Beane Count, which measures homers and walks that the offense collects and the pitching staff gives up.

Even with their lack of power, the Dodgers are 4th in the NL (San Diego is first but then Cincy is second, so again no guarantees) while in the AL, Boston is first and Oakland is second.

KLAC 570 radio is reporting
Dr. Jerry Buss was arrested and charged with
suspicion of dui this moring and driving on the wrong side of the street in Carlsbad.

He's was released from jail early this morning and through the Lakers front office has issued a statement saying, 'it was an error in judgement.'

The 23 old lady with Buss was not charged with anything.

back to baseball.

88 You just don't want to be on ToyCannon's holiday card list do you?

98 Oh God. What did I just do...

97
Why couldn't it be Jim?

91

Interesting. I am wondering a bit about Eddie Murray. I was hoping he could help Betemit -- give him the perspective of a power-hitting switch-hitter who is a Hall of Famer. So far, if anything, it appears Wilson has regressed. According to the press accounts, the Indians were extremely disenchanted with Murray, that they were reluctant to fire him but felt they had no choice.

100 Heh. I just quietly thought the same thing. Man, a morning DUI... sad.

90 Just so it's clear, I wasn't dismissing the idea of acquiring Dye on the surface (not that you said I was), just asking about how he fits in, and the point about Kemp is that he's cheap and he's already ours. Not that right at this moment Kemp is a better player than Dye (though he very soon may well be) but he's pretty darned good and wouldn't cost us anything to acquire. And then we lose Dye after the season.

Now, if he could play third base...

Does anyone think that players read blogs or other internet articles?

Just imagine the self-esteem blow, some one like a Juan Pierre would have, if he, maybe, read Dodger Thoughts.

I cannot think of anyone out there (that is probably available) that I would want to trade for.

101 - In May, Betemit is .270/.357/.730.

For the season, his OPS+ is higher than it was with the Dodgers in 2006.

So I don't know that he's regressed. More plausible - he's a streak hitter, or a hitter who needed to adjust.

After a .154 BABIP in April, Betemit is at a more reasonable .278 in May.

103
Juan seems like a nice guy too.

Mets dominate early NL All-Star vote

>>> Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, third baseman David Wright and catcher Paul Lo Duca also lead at their respective positions. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/2snlz6

Martin's only hope may be that LaRussa picks him. And I'm not sure of his chances.

99
Nothing but it was me not Canuck who derides Depo for letting Shane go while keeping drecks like Grabowski on the 40 man.
Shane is miscast as a RF but put him in CF where he can play defense better then most and you have a player.
1. Strong Arm
2. Speed to cover the gaps
3. Actually gets jumps on the ball
4. Speed to take extra bases
5. Enough pop in the bat to make the outfielders play him honest. Not home run power but good gap to gap power.

This was the Depo move that caused up to end up with Juan Pierre in CF not the Drew contract.

This is why I could care less about being named an All-Star. It is like winning a Grammy.

107
There will be three catchers on the All-Star team at least.

If Lo Duca were to win, then two other catchers would get spots and the Commissioner's office would be picking them based on the need to get every team represented and who is playing well.

La Russa and Leyland get very little input now.

Sorry Jon if I violated Rule 8 but Greg asked?

109 Nothing's more pointless than that.

107 meet 84

Russel Martin will be an all-star catcher. The league loves him.

Just a reminder: Kershaw pitching tonight for Great Lakes. Sooner or later, he'll be here in Cali.

Jermaine Dye is not a solution in my opinion, reminds me of Devon White, a guy who had a few breakout seasons and we get him on the downside. I hate watching a strikeout guy. I would love Adam Dunn's 14 homers but I'd cringe at each of the 100 plus whiff outs. Dye is a right handed Luis Gonzalez with a bit more power. He might be a role player for a year, but I wouldn't give up much to get him.

I think LaRoche not starting again is an indication that Abreu can win the job, or at least a platoon with Betemeit, and a hot Kemp in AAA can get a call up as an attempt to fill the power void from within.

If neither LaRoche (less likely in my opinion) nor Kemp can add some pop to Kent's only real power threat, then a trade is something to truly pursue as teams that win with small ball don't do it for years. The ability to get a three run swing has to exist in my humble opinion and we have resources to work with.

I think we'll see Kemp in the bigs within two weeks. The roster spot that makes the most sense, without a trade, is to have Abreu or LaRoche return to Vegas.

108 This is entirely baseless speculation, but if I had to guess, I would say DePo thought that he had that in Repko and didn't see the need for two guys with that skill set on the 40 man roster.

111 - No problem.

110 That's a good point, Bob. Who else on the Dodgers is putting up All-Star numbers?

Penny. Saito. Broxton, but unlikely that they'd pick him. Then there's Wolf and Lowe, who are pitching very well, but All-Stars? Don't know.

On offense... who other than Martin?

By my count, three Dodgers have earned possible All-Star spots. How many of those three are likely to be chosen?

I much rather have LaRoche, Loney, Kemp etc in the future than the possible dividends of trading for a bat for the last two months of the year.

I have a feeling Penny will be an All-Star.

110, 107

Without an injury or a six week collapse, I cannot see Martin getting passed over for the All Star game. Even with McCann and LoDuca. The only real way for him to miss the game is that they have to have someone from each team and that team is so poor, you look toward a reliever or a catcher to fill their one spot.

I was a big Cubs fan growing up. We once had Steve Swisher as our lone rep. His son might be an all star one day, but he really wasn't one himself. Nice guy though.

http://tinyurl.com/272n2u
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss was arrested early Tuesday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.

A 23-year-old woman in the vehicle with Buss wasn't arrested, Kerns said.

I didn't realize that Buss had started dating older women.

After reading about scumbags like Jerry Buss and Donald Sterling, Frank McCourt doesn't seem so bad.

118
Right now: Penny, Saito, and Martin.

Furcal has a shot but SS is deep this year. If he hits like he has the last month, it would be hard to not name him to the team.

Broxton is the kind of guy who gets looked past because he doesn't close. We still have six weeks and then have to see who opts to stay home or who gets injured, etc...

122
What scumbag things has Donald Sterling done? I just know he is cheap when it comes to the Clippers.

Have people really voted for the All-Star team already? With a month to go?

Seems a little early to me. I'll vote at the deadline.

124

His son shot a person to death on the Donald's lawn. Shot him in the back.

120 And why not? His 2.26 ERA is 3rd in baseball. His 6 wins are tied for 8th. He doesn't have the Ks, but I doubt that anybody will be looking at that.

The only thing, really, that might keep him out is that people remember his mind-numbing second half of last year.

I'll point out that many times, when a team gets only one player in the ASG, the league chooses the closer. It is possible that Saito will be the only Dodger to make the All-Star Game.

126
Did he do it just to watch him die? Is the son in Folsom Prison?

125
Ahh, strategic voter...

124
He's been accussed of being a slumlord.

On the other hand his philanthropic donations are probably bigger in one year then McCourt will do in a year. And if you don't believe it, he'll tell you himself with his full page ad's in the LA Times every times he does something worthwhile.

126
Long story. The LA Times magazine did a great article on it.

The Man in Black would have written a song about it if he was still on his game in the late 90s.

Penny, Saito and Martin, in that order of likelihood, is my prediction. Other players mentioned - Wolf, Broxton - deserve consideration but won't make it. Kent deserves a shot as a backup, too. Furcal is likely to get shut out (which he probably won't mind - having a few days off is preferable I bet) given how amazingly strong SS is in the NL.

Kobe Bryant is on a LA radio station right now and apparently he is just ripping the Lakers organization hard. Said they lied to him and basically cannot evaluate talent.

Well this is not going to end well.

I realize it's not going to happen this year, but I would love to see Jonathan Broxton, the Bull, strike out some American League All-Stars.

Jon, maybe Betemit hasn't regressed, as your numbers show, but wasn't he playing more regularly last year for the Dodgers while putting up about the same OPS numbers?

On a related subject, I would like to read more about what Murray, specifically his work with Betemit, what he expects from him, but I guess Murray doesn't talk to the press. Would also like to know what other Dodgers hitters think of Murray. Could Easler be one of the reasons Kemp and Loney are in Triple-A? Kemp seems to think highly of Easler, and I recall Easler being popular with big leaguers when he worked in the majors. I have no problem with Kemp and Loney being in Triple-A, if the Dodgers think their hitting can benefit from them being around Easler and using a half season in Triple-A for trial and error.

133 Doesn't he have a PR person? Sheesh. What started as him saying some honest and innocuous things about the team has snowballed into this ridiculousness.

131The Man in Black would have written a song about it if he was still on his game in the late 90s.

Whoah, now. Johnny Cash was making great music almost to the moment he died. Some would argue his recordings with Rick Rubin are as great as anything he ever did.

I'm sure the guys in Radiohead would agree.

136 All I know is that people get mad when players just give no comment and than when a player says something, folks complain too. They can't win.

He said that no one from the organization has bothered to talk to him since he made his comments and that he has no idea how they will earn his trust back and that he is beyond furious.

It seems pretty obvious that he wants out.

135 - Well, I still think he had the rug pulled out from under him during a terrible but not terminal slump.

I used to write more about batting coaches, back in the Jack Clark days. They remain a big mystery for most.

Game thread's a comin'. It's rollin' round the bend ...

133 & 136

Can you be more specific on the details of Kobe's remarks and the reactions of the radio personalities. Thanks in advance.

woops, 139 came while I was typing. Sorry, and thanks.

I think Martin has a good shot at being named to the all-star team. Saito and Penny have a pretty good shot as well, but who knows what LaRussa will do.

I am only getting it second hand, so I am just getting random Kobe quotes.

He is beyond furious and he does not know how they will win his trust back are supposedly direct quotes.

Was Lindsey Lohan in Buss' car? Wait, she's only 20.

I think Mark Heisler's piece in the Times on the Lakers/Kobe/Buss/West summed up the surreality and the reality of it all pretty well.

If Kobe wants out -- let him. I think his ego wrecked the Lakers, forcing them to make a bad trade with Miami, and dooming them to being a pre-Pippin Bulls -- Kobe and "His Guys." Now, he's so obviously lobbying to get Bynum traded for a "seasoned veteran" -- mortgaging the future for the sake of his personal glorification.

I guess Kobe sells tickets, but what made the Lakers so lovable in their prime years was the teamwork, which he obviously doesn't believe in.

132, etc. Why not Broxton, as setup reliever? Surely they pick non-closer relievers? They don't expect "extra" starters to be relievers, or do they?