Aaahhh the good ol' days of the 1-2-3 ninth...I miss those days.

I'll repost.
The negatives are obvious. But how about the positives? I'd take our current five man rotation over any in baseball. I'd take our bullpen (Bills, Brox, Saito) over any in baseball. I'd take our catcher over any in baseball (Mauer is brittle). Little showed tonight he's not afraid to sit Pierre. Kemp in in the wings. Nomar will improve at the plate. Loney is in the wings.

Nomar is dead to me.

Pierre's consecutive game streak should have ended tonight.

Ah, The Library episode is on now. Kewpie doll, Can't stand za, Can't stand za, wedgies (atomic too) and Folgers' crystals.

Well, I'm angry. This one was a good one. I was happy for Kuo, I was generally pleased with the way the game was played, and then the team played themselves right out of the game.

Privately, I've been flirting with the idea that Nomar is no longer my favorite player. He used to be, certainly, and he's shown flashes of the player he used to be, and those flashes make me happy, but really, I wonder if he might be done.

I don't hate him yet -- and there will never be a Nomar Garciaparra OutWatch from me -- but he is no longer my favorite. Russell Martin, you have taken the mantle (sp?).

Well, I'm angry. This one was a good one. I was happy for Kuo, I was generally pleased with the way the game was played, and then the team played themselves right out of the game.

Privately, I've been flirting with the idea that Nomar is no longer my favorite player. He used to be, certainly, and he's shown flashes of the player he used to be, and those flashes make me happy, but really, I wonder if he might be done.

I don't hate him yet -- and there will never be a Nomar Garciaparra OutWatch from me -- but he is no longer my favorite. Russell Martin, you have taken the mantle (sp?).

There's no place like home.
There's no place like home.
There's no place like home.
vr, Xei

4

Pierre, with all his deficiencies, had nothing to do with the travesty that was this game.

If you thought Pierre wasn't going anywhere, Nomar is safely in the lineup for the next two years.

What's my problem, punks like you, that's my problem.

I've been through these things too, and yet I still get angry. For whatever reason I was much angrier tonight than after Baez's meltdown.

Once again: Bring me the head of Nomar Garciaparra. As far as I'm concerned, they should release his worthless butt tomorrow. Perhaps this is an overreaction to one game; then again, perhaps it's an appropriate reaction to nearly half a season's worth of awful hitting and awful defense.

The Free James Loney bandwagon rolls on! Heck, at this point, I'd rather play the Venus de Milo at first base than Nomar.

What a bummer of a day to be a Dodger fan. First a rather, um, underwhelming draft, and now this.

Jon, You probably get these requests a lot, but is it possible to add a rule #13 (and fittingly so) - No typing "Dodger's Lose" in an emphatic fashion (caps, exclamation points etc...). Losing sucks and we all have outlets of expressing it, but it sucks even more so when it is pointed out with annoying emphasis.

EVERYBODY PANIC

But seriously, folks. We expected to lose the Peavy game, right? We lost the Peavy game. We just didn't expect a four run lead to turn into a Dominican appendectomy. Take out the extraneous stuff, and it's an expected loss.

A painful, disgusting, depressing loss.

9 I disagree. He managed to swing the entire momentum of the game just through his presence on the baseball diamond.

OK, not really. But maaaaaan.... Nomar should go home and get Mia to comfort him, because tomorrow is gonna be a tough day for him.

13 We just didn't expect a four run lead to turn into a Dominican appendectomy.
So what you're saying is that Nomar is pus oozing from the Dodgers' collective belly? Would that make Pierre a dull scalpel?

12. I don't think we need a rule for that. A warning and an IP ban would be suffice. The less rules the better. I just ignore posts like that. It's easy to do.
vr, Xei

3

i place Nomar on notice.

I bet Grady is taking a beating with the press during the post-game.

This is easily the worst week of the year for me. The Dodgers sucktitude just punctuates this. It's not fair... this is what I get for being so loyal for all these years? Its like every possible embarrassing thing that can happen happens to the Dodgers. Is this ever going to come around (meaning will the Dodgers as a whole ever be considered a serious contender again)?

I hear the song "Patience" by Guns and Roses on the radio, maybe it's a sign...

17 Nah. He's so special, he gets to skip the purgatory of "On Notice" and move directly to the real deal.

13 We expected to lose the Peavy game, right?

We expected to take one game in San Diego. Also, many thought that the baseball gods did not like the stacked odds of the Peavy game and would respond by handing them a loss.

19 Ummm they were the consenus pick to win the division and SI picked them in the World Series.

Its a bad series but stuff like this happens.

At least we aren't Pirate fans. We would have been numb to baseball years ago.

Things will probably even out. I've been around long enough to know. But if management keeps playing certain guys for some reason I can't comprehend,I could be wrong. Our offense from positions like first base and center field, could only be justified by perfect defensive performances.
Our defense at second and ss can sometimes be justified by the O we get from these players. This is not a good position to be in!

21 The baseball gods were busy ruining Schilling's no-hitter today.

I never pegged the baseball gods for multi-taskers.

And here's a fitting clip from Conan O'Brien. We can replace Conan's spot with Nomar's. It works so well.

http://tinyurl.com/2lul62

22

I do this usually once a year after a particularly bad blown game... sorry about that :)

I think Jon has mentioned it before, but this game really spotlights a key deficiency on this team. The defense is terrible.

Right now, Nomar is utterly pointless. I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that Loney could put up a comparable OPS without the futility with the glove at first. Hopefully he turns it around, but how long will it take for us to accept that this may be his new level of play, considering the second half of last year, and what has transpired thus far this year?

25
There are AL baseball gods and NL baseball gods. The gods are going to be confused this week.

29 I thought the AL and NL gods merged in 2000.

Anyone else happy with Furcal and Abreu at the top of the order? It seems kinda natural that you take the human out machine out of the 1-2 spot of the order and you score a couple of runs. Having Furcal batting leadoff was the (initial) difference in this game.

29 They're like the DH rule. You have to deal with the home team's gods.

at least you guys gave me the giggles & now i can sleep like a baby, good night all.

Jon, thanks re the Beimel. I thanked you for the correction on that other thread as well, and as I also reported there, I'll have to reinstate my criticism of Grady. No need to waste Beimel with no trouble brewing and so he wasn't availabe to pitch to AGo. Oh, and Jon, we're really in trouble if Bills can't be trusted to put down Branyan, and that's how ridiculous the whole thing was.

This is going to stick in my craw for awhile, just as soon as I figure out what a "craw" is.

This game will likely make people more aware of Nomar's lack of offensive production; he has been one of the worst 1B in baseball this year. This is more than a slump – it's already June.

Unfortunately, I don't see changes being made at this position (barring an injury)

Nomar is one of Ned's boys because he was one of Ned's first big players signed. Nomar "led" Colletti's first playoff team as a general manager.

Nomar is one of Grady's boys going back to their days with the Red Sox. Nomar has always been one of Grady's favorites. The two have a very good working relationship.

Nomar is one of McCourt's boys because he brings the Dodgers good publicity. Nomar is a hometown guy with star appeal. He is likeable and very marketable. He does positive things in the community. He sells jerseys.

Despite being a Dodger for less than a year and a half, Nomar is one of the untouchables. He has probably Tony Gwynn status in the organization for the reasons stated above.

25

ON BASEBALL MT. OLYMPUS

Baseball Zeus: ...ah, the ten of diamonds! Gin! I win again! ...Hey, Baseball Hera, what's going on in the Boston-A's game.

Baseball Hera: zzzzzz... huh? Oh, looks like Schilling is gonna get a no-hitter.

Baseball Zeus: Are you kidding me? Curt Schilling? Better put a stop to that. Look -- he's got to face Shannon Stewart for the last out -- how about a hard single?

[Stewart singles]

Baseball Zeus: Phew, that was tough work. I need a nap. Hera, don't forget to wake me in time to stop the Padres and Peavy from completely dominating the Dodgers. And don't let Bacchus anywhere near the game -- you remember what happened last September 18th. That guy is crazy!

26 - So you think he'll end up in a fight with Beimel?

I said I don't get "as angry." I didn't say I don't get angry. I think the fact that I have you all to commiserate with takes some of the edge off.

12 - I've now asked twice for that to stop. There won't be a third time.

Comment 19 was a Rule 6, though.

-- but to follow up; what bothers me is the lack of adjustments to these glaring problems. When Coletti signed JP to that contract I knew from the moment he signed it was a bad move. Pierre was on my fantasy team last year stinking up the joint... it was far too much to pay for a player with no arm and no power, you may as well have brought Lofton back.

However, it's great to see that so far Ethier and Martin are holding their own. I think Nomar and Kent just aged too quickly, so I don't fault the uppers for keeping them on for another year. I just hope there aren't any trades of Loney or Kemp or anybody else on the farm for a rent-a-player.

36 "he brings the Dodgers good publicity. Nomar is a hometown guy with star appeal. He is likeable and very marketable. He does positive things in the community. He sells jerseys."

He can still do all those things from the bench.

Damn, I hate posting in a dead thread when there's a perfectly good new thread going on!

I'd like to think I'm an evolved enough human to let games like this roll off like water off my back, but this game just makes me want to punch a cat.

Right in it's furry little face.

The worst of it to me is this. Nomar is not a positional first baseman and never was. He is a guy who is put at first base because he can hit. Nough said.

I wonder if the implosion of Jason Repko may have something to do with the recent CF trouble as well?

I'm not one to whine, but I couldn't believe that final pitch won the game. So I had to record it.

This picture was taken with a digital camera on a tripod aimed at the HDTV, picture frozen on the final call - you can see the ball, just off Martin's glove - it's over the plate, and belt high. The resolution is pretty darn good:

http://tinyurl.com/2u9uet

question for any one watching the Dodger feed . . . Does anyone find it a tad annoying the way Scully gets so pumped to see the pads come back? . . im not asking for a Hawk response just a little less . . . that being said he's still the best ever . .

I must say, some of the best comedy comes out of bad stuff. This thread is gold. GOLD, JERRY!

40 To borrow a phrase, you're hoping that the CINC-DOFO (Commander-in-Chief Dodgers Front Office) just "stays the course."

I concur.

46 Pumped? What you heard as pumped, I heard as disbelief, shock, and wonder that this game can still bring him disbelief and shock.

By the way, there seemed to be some confusion re: Billingsley. Even though the Dodgers scored to go up four in the eighth, it remained a save situation for him.

46 Scully elevates his excitement as the game is closer or something exciting happening. I don't think he's rooting, one way or another.

26 That would be entertaining to watch, especially if Beimel called Nomar "tiny nuts." (Hope that wasn't a Rule #1). However, if Broxton doesn't pan out as our future close (but I am sure he will, damn he can dial-up a fastball) I would like to see him in a UFC match. I don't watch UFC, but I would if he was in it. Imposing.

This game is also a testament as to how the team is missing Tsao and Brazoban. Our bullpen quietly took a serious hit over the last couple weeks.

46 - I actually thought when Vin said "Unbelievable," it had the slightest tinge of disgust. Or at least, head-shaking.

At this point, Ned is realizing that youth are better than the oldies.....hopefully the crap veterans can be gotten rid of...

I don't quite understand why Billingsley couldn't just finish it off. We've been told that he's not available to pitch two consecutive nights. So why not just let him close? he wasn't doing anything wrong. Who needed Beimel? Broxton obviously has bad nerves about closing, understandable. Wait another year before asking him to close again. Blah.

53 Brazoban? He's only thrown 1.2 innings of 14.20 ERA ball.

Not what you'd call key....

Before this road trip, I made a mental note that anything less than a 6-4 trip was unacceptable.

With tonight's 9th inning, the Dodgers ended the trip 5-5. Unacceptable.

I think Nomar will eventually improve, but he may need an extended "vacation" to spend time with the twins for a few days here.

Grrr...the Padres' postgame show are blaming this one on Broxton, saying closing is a lot different than pitching the 8th. Seems an awfully convenient excuse rather than the actual reason the Dodgers lost.

I would like to point out again that Chad Billingsley should have ended this game. As it stands now, I would guess Bills (38 pitches) and Broxton (28 pitches) are unavailable Friday, not to mention Broxton having to deal with the "not ready for closing" questions.

46

No. Homer announcers are the most annoying things on the planet, next to reality show "celebrities" and Joe morgan.

54 "I don't believe it!"

RIP Jim Healy.

Even a game like this can turn into valuable propaganda for Ned Colleti "Dodgers, win or lose, as a team."

Pumped isnt a good word . . im glad he doesnt root . .its just hard for me to get exited when all I want to do is crawl into a hole . im sure much of it is due to the fact that its just the opposite of what im feeling

so what did will carroll say about billingsley?

60 I was thinking the exact same thing.

Here's the audio of that:
http://www.johnspeedie.com/healy/believe.wav

I don't think Broxton is quite ready to close yet, but the blood of this game is not on his hands. I agree with [45} that Broxton's last pitch looked like a strike on the outside corner.

He threw so many hard fastballs. I feel like if he was able to pull the string with say a curve or a change-up with a 10 - 15 mph difference after throwing a previous pitch at 98mph, he would froze more of the batters. But what do I know. I'm not on the mound.

Nomar Garciaparra:

Post all-star break 2006 OPS: .694 with 201 at-bats.
So far this year: .670 OPS with 218 at-bats.

That's very close to a year's worth of an offensive sample. Just sayin'.

63 I wouldn't worry about it, I think it was resolved as a misunderstanding.

Sigh. That 9th inning was like a car wreck: it happens so quickly that no one can react, but to the participants, it seems to go on forever...

...I feel bad now for saying bad things about Nomar. But I still think it's time for James Loney.

"I think Nomar will eventually improve, but he may need an extended 'vacation'"

I totally agree. I'll call Phil Leotardo.

53 "This game is also a testament as to how the team is missing Tsao and Brazoban."

Not sure about that one. I think if those guys were on the roster, the exact same guys would have pitched the exact same innings tonight.

65

tonight wasnt a good example of how well Broxton can get out of trouble but, he really should of had a 1-2-3 9th inning

I'm still not willing to give Broxton the blame for this one. How many outs should a closer expect to be forced to get?

63 Nate, Will Carroll said:
"Here's a little thought experiment: If you have a rotation like the Dodgers with two low pitch count guys (Schmidt and Penny), a sinkerballer who says he pitches better on short rest (Derek Lowe), a guy still coming back from Tommy John (Randy Wolf), and a young, injury-prone pair of fifth starters (Hong-Chih Kuo and Chad Billingsley), how do you best put together a rotation? I'm guessing that it doesn't involve a set rotation, but I'll bet that several readers could put together a better model than my guess."

Then, in response to Rob M, Carroll said "He's very ... what's the word. The guy is never 100%, at least saying there's this or that. I don't want to say prima donna, but it's not far off."

71

apparently 6

65 - I don't think Broxton is quite ready to close yet, but the blood of this game is not on his hands.

How do you not blame the guy who walks in the winning run?

Fangraphs gives him all but sole ownership of this loss.

http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?gameid=270607125

Saito's bum hammy caused the bullpen to hiccup three times and they lost twice due to it.

71 Is anyone blaming Broxton? Even 65 goes out of his way to say that he doesn't deserve the blame.

In my opinion, Broxton gets fault for the single to left and the double... maybe one run scores on his watch. But there are two out at that point... it's hard to say if the Bull would have pitched the same.

Nomar takes the bulk of the blame.

OK, scareduck is blaming him.

I watched that debacle on MLBTV.com tape delay of sorts, having paused it to go out and play soccer. After coming back from my soccer team choking, I got excited as I watched the Dodgers get some key hits vs. Peavy and get that seemingly hefty lead. Then, to make things worse, my net buffer kept stuttering the connection so I'd get this snippet of the Padres' annoying announcer getting more excited in the 9th, the fans getting excited, a ball dropped... blackness... "Nomar dropped it..." ... cheers... darkness... Repeat until done. Arrgggh. That was truly the most frustrating game of the year so far.

Anyway, y'all have said most of it already. But from what I could see (when the net wasn't stuck) Broxton made a few bad pitches but was mostly doing okay, the defense was porous and everything just collapsed around him. I thought Billingsley should have gone deeper, too, but separate from the fact that they obviously missed Saito tonight, I didn't think it was such a big deal, having Beimel come in and then Broxton. It seemed okay at the time. It was just a big choke-a-rama.

They really need to start thinking about calling Loney up - not for his bat, to have a capable firstbaseman who can spell Nomar in late innings and give him occasional day off. Saenz is a pinch hitter and rare first baseman. It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that Nomar needs more time off, both in late innings and for a day here and there each week. Though I'm not feeling as extreme as Eric is above, re: Nomar. ;-)

72

billingsley is a prima donna? hes had one injury his whole professional pitching career and it wasnt even arm related.

anyways, in regards to the draft, logan white raves about withrows arm action and yada yada yada. But when 4 of your first round pitchers have already gone down with either shoulder or elbow surgery, maybe you need to re-evaluate "arm action".

shocker i know, nate being critical of logan white.

I think the last pitch looked like a ball.
vr, Xei

This is easily the worst week of the year for me. The Dodgers sucktitude just punctuates this. It's not fair... this is what I get for being so loyal for all these years? Its like every possible embarrassing thing that can happen happens to the Dodgers. Is this ever going to come around (meaning will the Dodgers as a whole ever be considered a serious contender again)?

Happens to us all when our team is in a bad stretch. Every possible embassising thing either has happened, can happen, or will happen to every team in every sport as long as there is sport competition.

Great thing about baseball is, after a game like this, coming back with a strong effort tomorrow will heal a lot.

However, in any case, we have some serious problems on the right side of the infield. Sure, tonight was an anomoly, as some incredibly lucky bounces went the Padres way, but if the dodgers had an even adequate defensive left side of the infield, this inning never would have resulted in what it did. If Kent had any range and agility, he throws out the runner by a step. If Nomar was a real 1st baseman, it becomes a double play, and if Nomar would maybe pay more attention, either he feeds Broxton the ball, or yells at Broxton that he has the play, and Broxton never gets in the way.

However, the reason we put up with Kent and Nomar's mediocre defense, is they are supposed to be the big bats on the dodgers. Besides the recent slump, Kent has mostly lived up to that. But Nomar, ever since last year's all-star break, hasn't been all that great of an offensive first baseman besides his clutch moments in the second half of '06

Basically, what I'm saying is just pointing out the obvious, we need Nomar, we need him to go back to at least his OPS of last year, which were even below his career averages. I mean, sure, Nomar has aged, but this is drastic. Is there any hope Nomar will improve from the not-much-better-than-Juan-Pierre level he's at right now, to at least a the decent threat he was last year?

Last year I was witness to the Lance Carter/ Baez debacle in San Diego when the Dodgers blew a five-run lead in the ninth. Again, tonight. I think I'll take a holiday for a while on the Dodgers. Flanders has pissed me to no end as he pays millions for veterans, the veterans who blew the game for us. Kent, and particulary Nomar lost this one. Sorry to jump on the bandwagon, but those fellows had great careers. They need to retire. Sure, Broxton could've struck out the side, but he made the pitches he needed to make, the Pads just got too many free passes.

77 - that said, I think this may be one of those situations where WPCT doesn't accurately reflect the causative nature of fielding errors.

74 "Fangraphs gives him all but sole ownership of this loss."

C'mon, that's silly and you should know better. Fangraphs didn't see what happened on those "hits" and doesn't take them into account.

Look, can we put a moratorium on the "Broxton isn't ready to close" hokum already? Even if you believe in the existence of the "closer's mentality" (which is akin to believing in the existence of the tooth fairy), the fact remains that Broxton has blown one save. And he didn't really even blow the one.

(And I do think Broxton deserves some of the blame for this loss. Just not all of it on his shoulders, clearly.)

Btw, I'm sorry if this was mentioned in previous thread - I read through much of it but was too depressed by the game itself to read through all of it at that point - but in the first inning, the Padres announcer made one of several dumb comments tonight when he said that Kuo's major league debut as a starter was that previous game, and went on to talk about it in detail. I guess they don't have any statisticians or fact checkers there on staff who can remind him that Kuo made his first start last fall vs. Mets.

84 - see my 83. BUT — I think there is a case to be made for the "closer's mentality".

broxton 20% of the blame. Nomar 70%, kent 10%

81 - we need Nomar

The Dodgers need the old Nomar. He may not be available.

74 Sole ownership? I think people on that site are violating rule #11.

Yes, he walked in thee winning run, on a pitch that looked to bite the outside corner, but I feel like why did he try to blow hitters away with consistent heat above 96? The bases were loaded, but th the time I bet a part of him is thinking "Gotta keep the ball from the right side of the infield."

He is responsible for the hits, and yes I will retract and say some blame, but the majority of the blame??? Nomar and Kent, please accept you awards.

Sigh. We could change the subject to talk about how my soccer team lost 3-2 to a team we should've beaten, after giving up two late goals. There, too, was I witness to some defensive lapses. At the end one guy on my team had a conniption fit and yelled at everyone for our own ineptness and stormed off the field. The rest of us felt we'd played okay but made a few mistakes, but the fingerpointing just didn't feel good at all. Again, that seems to be the theme of the evening. I'm gonna go put my cat on my lap and watch Futurama now. Sports can be yukky sometimes.

88 I agree. We really could use the old Nomar. The one who's always on the DL.

87 Sounds about right. Hey, you may have said this earlier Nate, but what grade would you give the Dodgers' draft today? B?

91 - heh!

I fell asleep very early tonight but by that time, the game was in hand. Worrying about my last week of school has left me wakeful so I figure, what the hey, a glass of water to wet the whistle, guess I'll check the internet and see how the game ended up...

Holy (word we can't say on DT).

I'm gonna be up for a little while longer.

We have the old Nomar. That's the problem. We need the younger Nomar.

Also, if we could find a way to throw a few blamecentage points on Ned, you know, just for general Nedness, well, I'd appreciate it.

78 Think about what you wrote. Saito is not available. There might be trouble, no one knows. So why waste a pitcher, bringing him in for 1 batter, when there was no, nada, none, zero, zilch, trouble brewing? What was the point of that exercise? Did Beimel need to get in some work? Then we have the trouble, and our lefty wasn't availabe to pitch to AGo in time of crisis because we'd used him to face Branyan with no one on and two outs in the 8th.

The reason why Broxton stayed in for his destruction is otherwise because with Tomko appearing for 2 and Hendy for 1 the night before, they might not be available tonight and so there was only Hull and Seanez left, and if this game goes extras, where does that leave us? So Grady not only took took himself out of the position of being able to have some help for Broxton if need be, he more specically ensured that if we ever did need to have a left face AGo, their best hitter, it would have to be Hendy or bust.

Sorry, but it was Grady's fault, and next tp Clint Hurdle, there is no worse manager in all of baseball. Oh, and for the cherry on top, we make defensive replacements in the late innings, we don't use them so that no hit, no field, souls like Juan Pierre get to extend some consecutive game streak. We're just lucky that that replacement didn't come back to bite us in the rear.

79--Nate, what do you think of the Dodgers draft so far? Have you heard of most of the players they have drafted?

So, I wanted to bring up the key 3-2 walk by Wilson in the 7th to let Furcal come up. . but, I guess it doent really matter anymore:(

We sure could use the old Nomar, but it appears we are stuck with the old Nomar.

Following up from an earlier post, Nomar's stats since the 2006 AS break:

112 games, .255/.307/.374, 18 2B, 10 HR (but, shockingly, 74 RBI).

96

Lets face it the move was very Tracy. . . I was thinking to myself if the four games in Pit rubbed of on Grady a bit

98 Those were two righteous at-bats in a row by Betemit and Furcal.

91 - There are a few different old Nomars. I'd like the 1999 Edition, but I don't think it's gonna happen.

Actually, I agree with you that Bills should have finished the inning rather than bringing in Beimel. Then Beimel could have been available had Broxton faltered. So I agree that was a mistake. I don't agree with your rant about Little, though I suppose you're entitled to it. I guess I've watched too many other terrible managerial moves by other managers this year to think anyone's perfect or that Little's comparatively incompetent.

Btw, speaking of the draft, re: Adkins from Tenneesee, I actually saw one of his games from a couple of months ago - this one:
http://tinyurl.com/2kdv97
He was extremely impressive to me. Extremely.

90

well if they can get blair signed, maybe a B-. Hes not going to take 5th round money and we'll see if he takes 2nd round money. I do like Withrow but again hes one of those "check back in a few years when ive filled out my frame" type pitchers. adkins surprised me only because hes not a power arm. but he is a big hoss of a lefty with a delivery that i actually really like. maybe the dodgers think they can tinker with some stuff and increase his velocity. the next 3 picks seem like logan just gave the middle finger to the rest of the scouting world with a "im smarter and a better scout then the rest of you" smirk on his face. We'll see how it works out but it wasnt something i would have done.

There are some positive from this game, which were already mentioned before: Furcal, Billingsley, No Pierre, Kuo settling down after the first inning, getting hits off Peavy, Gonzo's deep homer, Abreu had a couple of good at bats. They really did blow this game. But hopefully the positives will carry over from here and the negatives can be solved and forgotten. Hopefully.

Okay, that's enough for me. I don't want to go to bed agitated. Night all.

(I agree, Nate, I think the key to the draft's grade will be Blair)

Have you heard of most of the players they have drafted?

never heard of gallagher but from reading up and watching his scouting video, dodgers player development have their work cut out for them. Watt goes to a HS 15mins from me. hes an excellent athlete but again, present velocity is a little bit of an issue. at 6'1 or so, its not like he has a frame to add that much more mass. Lambo is a nice hitter but from what ive heard, hes a shady kid; or has been in the past. Like i said before, I like Blair alot, hes really comparable to Withrow actually and if we could land him, it would be a nice get.

So "Dodger Blues" is a good read for anyone who is still a bit frustrated . .

one really interesting thing about Watt is that the major league scouting bureau gave watt the highest grade out of any pitcher in california.

i was really hoping for some toolsy outfielders since our system is exactly filled with them. Chad Jones is still available and hes probably going to need top 2 round money though. I like Cole Abbot and Taylor Cole, two pitchers signed to BYU. And a switch hitting Yasmani Grandal is still on the board.

Gallagher's got great size- 6'4.
If he throws left handed, he's probably going to be put at 1st base although he played at 3rd in HS.

Thats a good point about White picking pitchers that end up having arm problems. Orenduff, Miller, Elbert, Tiffany....all major surgeries.

Ok, on to the Blue Jays series. I wonder if Frank Thomas will attempt to play first base or if he will be used strictly as a pinch hitter? The Blue Jays are already missing some pop with Overbay and Zaun out. Dustin McGowan doesn't look like anything special. The Blue Jays have a solid top of the lineup and Accardo, Frasor and Downs are three solid arms out of the pen. DodgerSims are running the sim for tomorrow's game right now. Should be over a 55% win probability for us. vr, Xei

110
morris...

at least the padres didn't win it on back-to-back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the ninth.

111 I think the Blue Jays will be Thomasless. He hasn't played a game in the field in three years.

111--Halladay will probably be tough on Sunday. But Penny/Lowe the next two games should be wins.

Plus the Dbax get the Red Sox this weekend, so definitely chance to go back in front of them at least.

I can't get over this freakin' game. I left with some friends during the bottom of the 9th after Broxton had given up the "infield single" to start the inning and still assumed everything would be fine. It was much to my chagrin to see the ticker on ESPN say that we lost 6-5 and even more ingratiating when I saw how we actually lost. Of course I put some of the blame on Nomar for his hideous defense, but I still find it alarming that Broxton couldn't put the game away.

On a less serious note, my fantasy team lost a win and got rocked in ERA and WHIP after Broxton's disaster.

Dustin McGowan is really GOOD. Don't let past rookie struggles fool you. He is just now putting it together in the majors, and he is quite capable of dominating a game.

The game story in the Times puts everything on Broxton's shoulders and completely glosses over Nomar's brain fart on running to the bag.

Talk about missing the entire point. I miss Steve Henson already.

Meanwhile, a Lo Duca watch update from today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"The Dodgers' recent high-school selections include catcher Russell Martin, the heart and soul of the current club, and righthanders Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton."

113 Actually I think that's worth something. The Padres didn't win the game nearly so much as the Dodgers lost it. Bumbled it. It won't hurt as long. And the Padres have no reason to feel particularly proud of this win. It was handed to them.

The night was really full of good news, from the perspective a couple hours later.

No Pierre worked. It was made demonstrably clear that a mediocre hitter with a decent arm is so much better than whatever it is Pierre offers. Colletti could cut his losses now and be seen as a genius. If he needs the ego boost, he can say, "Well, that Luis Gonzalez thing worked out."

Kuo was really exciting to watch. Scary, but like Jon said "resilient." Billingsley was great.

From the Dodgers.com notes:

Little was asked his main reason for sitting Pierre and whether he would be back in the lineup on Friday against the Blue Jays.

"It has a lot to do with matchups today," said Little of his decision to sit Pierre, who is 2-for-18 against Padres starter Jake Peavy. "We intended to give him a break, and he'll be back in there tomorrow at the top of the lineup."

"Whether I am hitting fly balls or not, I haven't changed my approach," said Pierre. "And, no, I am not reading anything into having the day off today.

"I have only one plan. I don't analyze whether I'm swinging more or taking more pitches.

Well, thats nice Juan.

118 Tony Jackson predicted doom once Nomar dropped the ball on the first ground ball. I still think that was the play that changed the inning, if Nomar just scoops up the ball, which he did and go to first, you have one out and a runner on second.

Giles gets two strikes and Brox with one out already knows he can blow Giles away and before you know it, 2 down and a runner on second.

I thought it was a mistake to even try for a double play.

113 That would actually be easier to accept than losing in this fashion. And so, where oh where were you Joe Beimel, to face one Adrian Gonzalez in the bottom of the 9th? In a word, unforgivable.

118 I understand your point, but what was it that Koufax said, something about how the great ones reduce the fielding miscues to the irrelevant and so maybe one's earned runs come close to equalling one's runs allowed? Oh, and Eric, I don't think that the point is that he can't close, I think that the point is that he's a little immature out there and so 8th, 9th, whenever, he loses his mental edge at times.

Jon should rename this blog to dealing psychologically with Juan Pierre.

Well I was really hoping that the draft would be something that could get us all happy, but that did not exactly happen.

At least we did not buy Orlando Magic season tickets.

Either you boys are too young or you've lost perspective on the strange turns of tide brought on by the month of June.
I started following the Dodgers in the mid-60's, during the days of the great rivalry between the Dodgers and the Giants. Each year during the month of June, and for reasons known only to G-d in Heaven, the Dodgers would lose cames they ordinarily win. It was as though the players decided to leave their minds in their lockers before taking the field. Vinny used to call it "the June Swoon"

typo = "games" not "cames"

As I suspected, Pierre was just getting a day off.

"I'm just giving Juan a day off," said Little. "We're going to see if he can't regroup here and get it going again. We talked to him earlier today. I think he just needs to get some better results than he's getting right now, and he will."

Can someone explain the mentality that leads one to believe that having a player sit out most of a single game will be enough to change that player's performance in subsequent games?

What's exciting about this loss is that the whole game highlights Ned and Grady's problems with young ballplayers and how much they have wasted them. Kuo comes through with a solid start even though he has been moved from starting to relief more times than I can count. Billingsley pitches well even though he should be starting too. James Loney, who would probably be as productive offensively as Garciaparra if he were given a chance, would have made it a routine 9th (at 6'-3", I'll bet he makes the Kent grounder an out). Does anyone else think someone other than a 39-year old left fielder might have caught that ball to left? But the Times says the problem was Broxton's inability to pitch "in the ninth" - all those hits were really stroked, weren't they? (well, the double was) - All Ned and Grady give us is more tired, but reliable veterans while they try to stretch the season a week each year. More draft picks today? Just more grist for Grady and Ned to screw up. I wonder if Logan White will get an ulcer this year.

Pythagoras tells me that the Padres will have roughly a 17 game lead on the Dodgers by the end of the season.

I told Pythagoras that 17 games is a lot.

He gave me a knowing nod, indicating agreement.

James Loney, who would probably be as productive offensively as Garciaparra if he were given a chance

I think it is safe to conclude that Loney would exceed Nomar's .667 OPS, and be better on defense as well. I have no doubts about that whatsoever.

Nomar came into last night's game with a WARP3 of .7, by far the worst of any regular position player.

Tomko's WARP3 is .9

Nomar came into last night's game with a WARP3 of .7

Quick, someone tell Ned!

133 - "I'm sorry son, I don't have time to play with rocket ships. I have to trade for Armando Benitez."

Benitez4Broxton. Giterdone, Ned.

129-- Reliable veterans couldn't make the routine plays in the ninth.

129 Clark was in left field for the 9th. Grady put Pierre in center for the 9th and shifted Clark to left.
I said to my wife that the Dodgers were going to lose as soon as Nomar flung the ball out of his glove trying to get a force out. I know everyone makes mistakes, but those two boneheaded moves by Nomar in the 9th were incredible. Bad things happen when players make bad decisions. Even had Nomar thrown to second for the force out, it would have still been the wrong play in that situation since there was no way to get a double play on that ball.

122 Going for the double play was th right play. The ball was sharply hit, and Nomar didn't have to move too much. Nomar's error came because he hasn't had nearly as many reps at that specific play. It's not just throwing to a base. It's fielding the ball, spinning to the right and throwing. The vast majority of Nomar's reps in games and practices over his career have been fielding, spinning left, and throwing across the infield.

A natural, or even left-handed, first baseman probably completes that DP.

I am not sure which I dislike more:
1. being stuck with no alternatives and thus having to play out the season with the current team or
2. having better alternatives but not using them.

Good defense best supports good pitching and good offense best supports poor pitching. The Dodgers seem to be mismatching. Loney at first and Abreu at second would improve the defense.

Moving Nomar to third would not help the defense but it would allow the Dodgers to hold on to a popular player. Trading Kent would be cruel but it would be interesting to see if what a Kent and Pierre package could get in return.

That was a tough one.
Nomar didn't help matters at all, but after the last month- its not clear Broxton is closer material (at least yet), he looks to be over throwing now and uncomfortable in the 9th. Hopefully being back home will get things back on track.

137 - So, everything was just fine until Pierre came into the game?

141 Darn tootin'. There's no question in my mind that Pierre, and Pierre alone, is responsible for last night's loss.

140 - I wonder why he looked uncomfortable in the 9th. Hmm...

I've been thinking a fair amount about the draft, partly in order to not think about last nights game. I'm no scouting expert, so most of my reactions are actually based on the reactions of others.
Almost everyone seems to be underwhelmed by the Dodgers draft, but nobody has panned it like others. It seems to me almost the Logan White was out-thinking himself, or buying into his own hype. He'll take guys nobody expects rather than the obvious choice because it doesn't really mean anything if you succeed with people you were expected to succeed with. If you succeed with people nobody else saw coming, well then, that is how you maintain your reputation as a genius, plus he's done it before, so why not again. Of course, because of his track record, nobody in the draft-watching board is calling him out, because he has made them look foolish in the past, hopefully he is as great as he has previously shown.

"He'll take guys nobody expects rather than the obvious choice because it doesn't really mean anything if you succeed with people you were expected to succeed with."

That conclusion is pretty hard to support. Maybe you can ask him on his next Dodgers.com chat if there's any truth to it.

At least last year Kershaw and Morris were seen as obvious picks, while Mattingly seemed like he was a sleeper to a lot of teams.

I was disappointed by the series in SD also, but the many positives from this trip are going to help us in the long run.

1. Schmidt and Kuo are upgrades to Tomko and Big Bird. That will keep us in more games the rest of the year than the three tough losses in SD.

2. Abreu can play in the bigs. He has that look. He got good swings off of Peavy. He is fast and can slug the ball too. He also belongs in the two slot and that will allow Grittle to hit Slappy McPop-up 8th tonight and hopefully for the long haul. Now for trying to take third with two out on a ball into the left field corner .... he has to have learned from that.

3. A 5-5 road trip in June isn't the worst thing in the world.

4. No serious injuries this trip. Saito should be back tonight.

5. Martin is the best catcher in the league. He is also human. I saw it with my own eyes. He had a tough at-bat last night against Peavy and waved pathetically while striking out, threw a ball away, and he also slipped on Tuesday. Martin is a human. I was beginning to wonder...

6. Loney should get a long look before the season is over if for no other reason than a late inning defensive replacement. I am now confident that we'll see both Kemp and Lonely before the trade deadline. That would be a good upgrade. Ramon Martinez is on the bubble I think, Abreu belongs and Betemit has power, Martinez is a veteran and solid, but he might be odd man out with the youngsters ready to contribute. Injuries can change all of this of course.

7. The last positive is that I'm a teacher and I only have one more week to work and then I get the summer to hang with my own children and watch a lot of baseball!

144 That philosophy is at the root of Colletti's trades too. There is no glory, no sense of achievement in taking a kid with potential and having him blossom; but trading for an old vet and having him have a career month like Anderson last year, really pumps your self esteem. It's like buying an old pair of jeans at a garage sale for two bits and finding $10 in the pocket.
Nomar with his uncanny luck in hitting with runners on base would seem to be an ideal late inning pinch-hitter. Replace Saenz with Nomar. There would definitely be interest in Kent at mid-season but enough to tack Pierre onto him, I don't know... Ain't going to happen anyway; it would be looked upon as giving up on the season although as we know it would be strengthening the team.

Since 5/25 Broxton's last 6 appearances:
6 Appearances
5.1 IP
11 Earned Runs
14 Hits
8 K's
6 Walks

Two good appearances with 1 blah and 1 bad and 2 very bad.

Sure last night wasn't completely his fault but no one can say the Broxton since 5/25 is the same Broxton we saw before. If this was Tomko no blame would be put on Nomar but all on Tomko. He's the golden boy so blame gets shifted. Nomar played lousy defense, but Broxton had a 4 run lead, gave up two key hits and walked in the winning run after being a head of the count 1-2.

Learning experiences, not the end of the world. I don't get the Nomar hatred. He has stunk, so what, lots of credible players are playing lousy baseball right now or would you all be releasing the A Jones of the world right now because they aren't meeting your standards. Check back with me on DT night and if Nomar still has a sub 750 OPS and Loney has gotten his game together then we might have something to talk about.

144,148
Are you implying we'll be sellers at the trade deadline? If not, then Kent is who we want to have on our team. I think that is so obvious. He is still crushing the ball at times. He came up big for us last October.

129 - What's exciting about this loss is that the whole game highlights Ned and Grady's problems with young ballplayers and how much they have wasted them.

"Googleboy" tried and was fired for his efforts. I think one of the prime issues with this team is Colletti's frequently-voiced mandate from Team Brittle above to Win Now, Win Always. Patience with kids is a virtue, but it isn't one that Colletti owns much of. Part of that is for historical reasons: the Giants teams he helped construct in San Francisco were all really about finding complimentary players for Barry, so he is doing what he knows. That it merged neatly into the McCourts' thinking on the subject was probably one of the reasons Ned got the job.

149 At least Andruw's OPS is 100 points higher than Nomar's

145. Of course it is hard to support, and I'm not really sure I believe it, I'm just trying to figure out why he made some of the picks he made.

The draft is rolling again and we got a very nice pick ups in the sixth and seventh rounds.

We got Justin Miller in the sixth round from Johnson County CC. Here is what BA has to say about him when they ranked him:

2. Justin Miller, rhp (National rank: 159)
School: Johnson County (Kan.) CC. Class: Fr.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 180. Birthdate: 8/2/87.
Scouting Report: One of the nation's best junior college players who's not under control to a big league team from the 2006 draft, Miller offers high risk and a potential high reward. He's a risk because teams didn't get to see him pitch much this spring, just 18 innings because he doubled as Johnson County's right fielder and he came down with a tender arm in mid-April. Miller pitched just once afterward, a two-inning stint in which his fastball parked at 90 mph and he didn't throw a slider. Yet he's intriguing because he's a projectable 6-foot-3, 180-pound athlete whose fastball went from 86-87 mph as a high school senior to 88-90 last summer to regularly touching 92-94 earlier this spring. He also showed a mid-80s slider that was inconsistent yet promising. He's not polished and looks like a position player trying to pitch, but the raw material obviously is there. Miller committed to attend Wichita State, but a snafu with his core classes in high school prevented him from joining the Shockers. As a nonqualifier, he can't go to a four-year school until he receives his juco degree, and thus is considered very signable. Few teams got enough good looks to feel comfortable taking Miller as high as his ceiling would warrant, but he still could go in the first five rounds.

We got Danny Danielson (great name) in the seventh round from Russell County High. Here is what BA has to say about him when they ranked him as the 10th best prospect in Arkansas:

Although Alabama's secondary group of prep players isn't deep, two players in particular made significant improvements from last summer to their senior seasons: Danny Danielson and Ross Wison.

Danielson, a righthander who transferred to Russell County High prior to his junior season, was the team's No. 3 starter last year, but after Kiker and Rasmus graduated to the minors, Danielson seized his opportunity. He pitched the Warriors to the state finals with a one-hitter against a strong Daphne High squad, a shutotut of Prattville High in a showdown with Bailey, and seven strong innings in a complete game in the opener of the 6-A finals series against Hillcrest High of Tuscaloosa.

Even before Danielson's postseason heroics, scouts were beginning to take notice of his improvement, and one said he could be better than Bailey once he fills out his lean, 6-foot-4 frame. Danielson's delivery is clean and his arm works well. He logged more than 95 innings, and perhaps as a result of his workload the 92 mph fastballs he was dealing in March and April were more 88-89 mph down the stretch. His changeup is a plus offering and his curveball is average. He made strides in his feel for pitching, and he shows solid-average command of all three of his pitches, indicated by 128-20 strikeout-walk totals this spring. He could be taken as early as the third round.

I believe Nomar will correct himself and soon. He is a streaky hitter. I sure wish he'd work the count a bit though, but he has had success as a free swinger.

He drilled a ball on Wednesday and got a key hit off Peavy with two strikes yesterday. He really frustrated me in the 9th inning, but it all compounded itself into the loss.

I used to go out at 10:00 PM and now at 36 I am fighting to stay awake at that time. I'll chalk it up to that and move on.

149--People are giving Nomar a hard time because he's been bad for almost a full season. Post All Star Break 2006, Pre-All-Star Break 2007 his OPS is around .680. Thats covering 440 ABs or so.

Plus he's old.

He might have fallen off the Steve Finley cliff.

149

In general I have observed that younger players get lots of slack and older players get lots of flack.
I suppose its b/c the potential of younger players is more appealing than the know quantity of vets.

Its been a while since I posted here,as my time is so limited that I barely have time to stop and read the posts now and then, but after suffering through the debacle of the 9th inning last night I really need to turn to Dodgerthoughts for therapy. Man, that was depressing, especially after the thrill of knocking Peavy out of the game, and watching Gonzo hit a deep HR. In my view, Nomar & Broxton are equally to blame for our late collapse last night.

Moving forward...

147 - I agree completely.

I feel much better with Kuo & Schmidt back in the rotation.

I just hope Grady discovers that our lineup will be much more effective if Pierre gets more "rest", and is making his outs in the 8-hole instead of leadoff or the 2-hole.

I think at this point resting Nomar is more important than resting Pierre

158 It's because (for me, at least) the younger players are equivalent or better than the older players, at a fraction of the cost (which allows you to spend money elsewhere) and will improve as they gain experience and exposure to the major leagues.

Let's suppose Nomar is in some kind of 450 AB slump. So, where does the pendulum swing if he does improve? .410 slugging? .350 OBP? That's still not a quality major league first baseman. I'm not on the "Kill Nomar" bandwagon, he's just not very good anymore. Being 33 (34 next month) with a substantial injury history will do that to you.

159
"I just hope Grady discovers that our lineup will be much more effective if Pierre gets more "rest", and is making his outs in the 8-hole instead of leadoff or the 2-hole."

I so totally agree but I just read that Grittle said Slappy will be back at the top of the line-up tonight. I know Jon keeps saying dropping him to 8th isn't a solution, but it makes so much more sense to me if Abreu continues to hit the ball and Juan doesn't. I think that Furcal has shown he belongs in the top slot, I hope that flip-flop with Pierre in the one and two slot is over.

160
Nomar will sit at least one game this weekend.

Anybody have any thoughts on day 2 drafts thus far?

Mike Lowell at age 31 fell off the cliff and posted an 680 OPS after posting a + 800 OPS for the prior 3 years. He was considered done and no one wanted to touch him and take on his salary. Since that terrible year he is back to his normal plus 800 OPS and is even exceeding that having a career year at this point at age 33. It is very possible that Nomar is done, but I don't think it is probable and I think when he gets hot he will get very very hot.

162 How many runs do we score with Pierre hitting lead off last night? Maybe 2. Granted we lost anyway, but still.

Wow, I just noticed that the (last place) Giants have now scored more runs and allowed fewer than the Ds'
Its never a good time to panic- but now might be.

I believe Nomar will correct himself and soon. He is a streaky hitter. I sure wish he'd work the count a bit though, but he has had success as a free swinger.

That's one of the reason i don't get as moody with him as i do with Pierre, but he really is lagging it this year so far.

164 - Day 2 strikes me as more interesting, mainly since it's much more rapid fire.

167 The Giants have been pretty unlucky this year. Their Pythagorean Record is 33-26, and they're currently 28-31.

165, 168

I agree, he doesn't upset me the same way as the other guy. Lowell, Magglio Ordonez, Frank Thomas, they all show that a hitter with some pop can come back and perform at a higher level after an injury or a poor stretch.

The other guy has a game that just doesn't impress when he is performing. I can't get excited about a Texas leaguer pop-up that drops in front of a flat footed outfielder.

167
So is it time to crack open each other's skulls and feast upon the goo inside?

166 I don't know about that. Pierre is actually pretty good when the pitcher is forced to feed him strikes. Would he have come through as well as Furcal did? Maybe not -- Furcal was awesome last night and Pierre is not awesome to say the least... but it's not inconceivable that at least one of the two situations (in the 3rd and especially in the 7th) would have seen a Pierre base hit.

I so totally agree but I just read that Grittle said Slappy will be back at the top of the line-up tonight.

i'll be paying premium dollar to see Slappy MCPutout tonight at Dodger Stadium. after yesterdays debacle & watching Pierre everyday i really feel we must be masochists (sp?) Sure enough i'll be there rooting though.

Mmmm... skull goo... OOoooo....

So, can y'all add a disclaimer when you talk about Nomar, or anyone, as "old" - I request that you add "for an athlete" to the end of that. Thus: "Nomar is old, for an athlete."
So those of us who are 3-4 years older than him won't feel so old in real life, only if we were playing major league baseball. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get my hearing aid repaired and then get my sciatica looked at.

165 - That's an interesting perspective, but how much does Fenway play into that? Lowell's numbers perked up after moving to Fenway where Nomar's numbers peaked in the past.

I share your hope that Nomar will rebound. If Ned could clear some roster space to promote Loney maybe that would lite a little fire in Nomar. Competition for the position never hurts.

Yes. Yes I would, Bob.

165 It's possible. But Lowell's story is the exception rather than the rule. His resurgence is a story because it so rarely happens on the wrong side of 30.

167 - A good part of that is that they don't have a whole lot apart from Bonds in terms of offense.

PLAYER OBP
Molina 0.338
Klesko 0.403
Durham 0.320
Feliz 0.300
Vizquel 0.300
Bonds 0.485
Roberts 0.283
Winn 0.349
Aurilia 0.282
Lewis 0.323

Basically, they have a lot of dead spots in the lineup.

So should I go see Knocked Up or Ocean's 13 tonight. What would you guys do?

141 Didn't mean to imply that Pierre coming in the game in the 9th was the cause of the loss :) And if you were being sarcastic, disregard. I was responding to previous poster's assertion that having a 39-year old left fielder in the 9th contributed to not catching the ball hit by Giles.
On Broxton, wow he's been bad lately. Still seems to be throwing hard. Perhaps he's tipping pitches?

180
Clark was in left in the 9th, Gonzo was on the pine.

For me, its not worth debating Nomar 'till Loney is at least outplaying him VS AAA pitching in 'Vegas (by a significant margin).
When that happens, its time to think about a move.

182 James Loney, last ten games: 15-for-44 (.341) with a walk. Three doubles (no 3B or HR).

182 Also, even with his terrible start, Loney's AAA OPS is 50 points higher than Nomar's MLB OPS. What would you consider a "considerable margin?" 100 points of OPS? 200 points?

Dodgers just drafted this guy: http://www.lemoynedolphins.com/sports/bsb/2007/bios/BobbyBlevins .

179---Dodgers-Blue Jays not that appealing eh?

179. I can't imagine any reason to go see Ocean's 13, so make it one vote for Knocked Up.

185 Dude looks like hes 40.

184--I'd consider at least a 200 point increase of AAA OPS, in comparison to the major leagues, especially given Vegas.
I doubt Loney would hit better than Nomar, but he is cheaper and would probably play better defense.

187 When I went to see Ocean's 12, I was reminded of a story I heard about UA executives who saw early screenings of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night. They watched the movie, the lights came up, and somebody said, "I don't know what I just saw, but I think we're going to make a lot of money."

The Ocean's movies are like that. If you can ignore the fact that they don't make any sense, they're fun. If you can't -- and I don't blame you if you can't -- they are a waste.

This is not to imply that the Ocean's movies are as good as A Hard Day's Night. That movie makes EVERYBODY forget that it doesn't make any sense. It's completely enjoyable.

Jason, Knocked Up was great fun (if a little overlong). I enjoyed it immensely. Haven't seen Ocean's yet, though I've heard it's better than 12, which isn't saying much. Depends on what you're in the mood for I guess. Could always read reviews on metacritic.com. Knocked Up has one joke that people in baseballtoaster land will enjoy in particular.

184

Considering that Nomar plays in one of the better pitchers parks in probably the best pitching division in the MLB and Loney plays in one of the better hitters parks in the very high scoing PCL?
More than 0.50.

I want to see loney take over and play first also, my only point is there's no reason to do it now based on how the year has gone. Unfortunately.
As a manager (IMO) you can't move players around based on 10 game stretches players are having in the minors. Hopefully James can keep it going, maybe that will get Nomar going, or maybe they split time.

192 Sure, I'd agree with all of that. I'm just saying that it seems (and I hope) that Loney is starting to turn it on and perhaps a change could be in order sooner rather than later.

I'd also agree that I'd like to see a greater-than-50-points difference in their OPS before Loney gets that callup. When it happens, it will be an unpopular move, and Loney will need to hit to make it stick.

Dodgers are drafting much more college than high school players.

I think Loney is more likely to significantly perk up in the Majors as opposed to a AAA situation he is less than enthusiastic about.

He's shown he can have consistently good at-bats against Major League pitching, and both Langer and the line drive numbers shared here earlier in the week attest to the fact that Loney has been hitting the ball hard.

If he's in any kind of slump, it's certainly not because he is over-matched by the competition. And the numbers also show that he is starting to see better results.

Getting the push to the big club may be just what he needs to really get it going.

And man, can he flash the leather.

193

The .299 gap between Pierre and Kemp should be enough, however.

List of players sorted by the most difference between their current OPS and expected projected OPS for remainder of season. As you can see from the list we still have a large group of underperforming hitters. JD Drew, Delgado, Abreu, Baldelli, Atkins, Huff, Giles, La Roche, Dellucci, Crisp, Dye, Sexson, Jones, Cano, Cameron, Sweeney, S Drew, and on and on. The first 4 columns are current data, the next 4 are projected for rest of the season. If you believe that JD Drew is going to come out of his slump, why not the same for Nomar? Age, maybe but then how about Carlos Delgado?
Name BA OB Slug OPS PBA POB Pslug POB Diff
Marte,Andy 180 196 300 496 250 325 450 775 -279
Gordon,Alex 173 254 281 535 263 337 460 797 -262
Lieberthal,Mike 231 259 269 528 265 309 435 744 -216
Martinez,Ramon 153 231 186 417 244 304 320 623 -206
Delgado,Carlos 222 291 380 671 269 356 514 870 -199
Kendall,Jason 194 227 204 431 259 316 303 619 -188
Drew,J.D. 224 346 311 656 264 380 435 815 -159
Baldelli,Rocco 204 253 358 611 275 313 452 765 -154
Abreu,Bobby 252 345 339 685 285 400 439 838 -153
Barrett,Michael 244 304 409 713 299 354 506 861 -148
Atkins,Garrett 242 313 374 688 284 354 478 832 -144
Quentin,Carlos 222 291 382 673 268 335 482 816 -143
Huff,Aubrey 257 286 383 669 289 342 460 802 -133
Garciaparra,Nomar 280 329 344 673 301 349 452 802 -129
Giles,Brian 276 339 347 686 287 388 426 814 -128
LaRoche,Andy 211 434 263 697 282 366 458 824 -127
Aurilia,Rich 243 280 362 641 283 332 434 767 -126
Dellucci,David 248 304 389 694 272 352 468 819 -125
Roberts,Dave 216 283 371 654 289 359 419 778 -124
Crisp,Coco 229 288 312 601 272 323 401 724 -123
Figgins,Chone 220 276 297 572 262 325 369 694 -122
Navarro,Dioner 191 250 277 527 243 313 335 648 -121
Patterson,Corey 214 263 297 560 248 290 390 679 -119
Dye,Jermaine 224 284 418 702 262 325 495 820 -118
Sexson,Richie 197 284 383 667 235 323 462 785 -118
Anderson,Garret 243 250 387 637 281 316 437 753 -116
Barfield,Josh 239 268 333 601 269 311 398 710 -109
Piazza,Mike 282 339 379 718 288 349 476 826 -108
Murton,Matt 261 339 351 690 297 361 437 798 -108
Edmonds,Jim 241 311 392 703 254 347 462 809 -106
Konerko,Paul 232 321 399 720 272 352 473 825 -105
Jones,Jacque 236 293 333 626 263 316 410 726 -100
Hermida,Jeremy 217 309 386 694 266 366 424 790 -96
Cano,Robinson 271 307 416 723 305 335 482 817 -94
Cameron,Mike 236 295 382 677 252 325 446 771 -94
Sweeney,Mike 243 295 401 696 268 332 449 781 -85
Drew,Stephen 238 302 335 637 256 318 400 718 -81
Lugo,Julio 221 285 320 605 256 318 368 686 -81
DeJesus,David 260 327 384 711 289 352 438 790 -79
LaRoche,Adam 221 318 387 705 249 330 453 783 -78
Pierre,Juan 269 295 317 612 292 328 360 688 -76
Sanchez,Freddy 298 329 358 687 304 342 420 762 -75
Kendrick,Howie 248 276 386 662 288 309 429 737 -75
Kubel,Jason 243 289 367 656 263 316 415 731 -75
Hernandez,Ramon 244 338 378 716 278 340 450 790 -74
Zimmerman,Ryan 245 303 411 713 282 335 450 784 -71
Kouzmanoff,Kevin 212 279 364 643 242 304 409 713 -70
Biggio,Craig 229 276 374 650 251 299 419 718 -68
Freel,Ryan 251 309 363 672 267 342 397 739 -67
Young,Delmon 252 291 396 687 279 309 444 752 -65
Hall,Bill 255 312 412 724 258 318 469 787 -63
Kearns,Austin 253 307 394 700 263 337 426 763 -63
Lopez,Felipe 243 287 346 633 264 325 368 694 -61
Greene,Khalil 221 260 428 688 250 297 449 746 -58
Encarnacion,Edwin 270 333 384 717 275 337 437 774 -57
Casey,Sean 274 335 343 678 285 344 386 731 -53
Young,Michael 264 307 401 708 286 330 429 759 -51
Encarnacion,Juan 250 270 431 701 273 318 434 752 -51
Crosby,Bobby 244 286 366 652 256 313 389 702 -50

Regarding oldness on the part of athletes: among other things, I think the steroid era (however long it was/is) has messed up our impressions of how long baseball players should be "good enough" to stay in the major leagues. Assuming we're in a post-roid era (which, of course, we may not be), 33-34 might be "old" for baseball players now.

went to sleep after beimel replaced billingsley, woke up, turned the tv on and as im walking to the restroom i hear Carlos on ktla news saying, "MY padres again swept the dodgers" I seriously thought i misheard what he said until i hear Carlos again raving about HIS padres and the subsequent highlights being shown.

I thought Grady was trying to avoid any and all chance of the Padres coming back, BY DOING what he did. Get Beimel vs the Lefty, bring in Broxton with a comfortable lead;shutdown the door without giving SD a chance for anything remotely close to a rally in the 9th. I thought he did all this to make sure there wasn't going to be a rally, if not he may have just left Chad in or replaced him with Seanez or something. But to say he should've left Billz in and blaming Grady for replacing him with their 2nd best relief pitcher for losing the game is kind of easy for anyone else to say. sorry about my grammar, i kno it sucks....

I don't know how many of you guys watch the morning news(ktla), but everytime Carlos does his "sports stuff", it's very annoying to hear him rubbing it in LA'S face when "HIS" Padres, Clippers, and Chargers beat either OUR Dodgers, Lakers, and Raiders. (majority in LA, mayb not on DT)
why doesn't he go get a job in SD!!

Knocked Up it is! I need to laugh after last night.

I do like the Ocean's movies, not cause they are that good but they are fun and lighthearted.

Oceans and Knocked Up have depth in common and lack thereof.

180 - Agreed--just making light where light might be made.

I don't know a thing about the guy, but I sure hope that 15th round pick, Cal Stanke makes the club. I love the name.

195 I agree, and my more immediate desire to get Loney up is to have an actual firstbaseman available to spell Nomar on defense, both late in games and maybe as a starter once or twice a week. While I think it's a little unfair to judge Nomar solely on last night's game, and he was surprisingly good there last year, the fact is the Dodgers defense isn't all that good all around both in the infield and outfield (Furcal excepted) so any advantage we can get, wherever we can get it, is something that should be a consideration. So while I think Loney's bat will be a plus, I also think Nomar will come around there (though it's clear by now that his power is really diminshed this year); but to have a capable backup at 1st would be a real help imho.

If Kemp, Gonzo, Ethier, and Peirre would each play three our of every four days as has been suggested many times it would be a good transition.

Maybe if Nomar played some third base the same could be done with Loney, Kent, Nomar, and Abreu.

201 I'd say Knocked Up as slightly more depth than Ocean's, fwiw. Maybe not as much as it thinks it has, but there's some emotional weight and depth to it. Not even in same ballpark with the purposely superficial Ocean's movies.

One comment on Little's managing last night - a moot point now, but a comment nonetheless.

In the top of the 9th, after Seanz draws his walk, why didn't Little put in Pierre to run for him? It was obvious he was going to put Pierre in CF for the bottom of the ninth, why waste that speed? I thought of this in the top of the ninth, then thought, well maybe Grady feels he doesn't really need any more runs. He did have Raffy and Abreu coming up, so there was a good chance to score from 1st at that point in time.

And then they outdo themselves with Given Kutz. Though it is an unfortunate name for a pitcher. If he were a hitter and his name was Takin Kutz I'd figure him for a surefire HOFer.

Yeah, heh. I just saw that. My new favorite Dodger draftee name, Given Kutz. Glad his last name isn't Thyme.

Someone please refresh my memory. Did Colletti ever say that he expects the 2007 Dodgers to make a run to the World Series?

Dodgers' 19th Round pick

Sean Koecheler offers little more than arm strength at this point, but a 6-foot-4 high school righthander flashing 94 mph velocity will get play in the fourth to sixth round, and possibly earlier if a club believes he can improve his breaking ball and create more movement on his fastball. His iron-mike arm action prevents him from getting much life on his fastball and offers no deception, but he has improved the tempo in his delivery. Occasionally he has flashed usable breaking balls.

210--I think he probably told the McCourts he expected to make the World Series.

If not, why would they let him up payroll to 120 mils?

If Ned has no expectations of the World Series, then why sign Nomar/Pierre/Gonzo---why not just play the kids and get them experience?

I'm a bit late to the show, but the picture in 185:
http://www.lemoynedolphins.com/sports/bsb/2007/bios/BobbyBlevins

reminded me of this:
http://tinyurl.com/23xw3a

Can Nomar really fall off that quickly? But, playoff spot depends on starters and bullpen, and they're locked in. If this Padre series was at the beginnig of the 10-day trip, instead of the end, they'd get one or two off SD. They still had a .500 10-day trip, which is not bad. It just happened to coincide, unfortunately, with steaming D'Backs and Padres.

Anyone take Hunter Ovens or Seqouyah Stonecipher?

Will the Dodgers keep picking players through round 50?

In the last 5 years, they have signed 28 out of 150 picks from Round 21-50.

The Dodgers just drafted in Round 22, Tim Wallach's son, a catcher for Cal State Fullerton.

I had the pleasure of experiencing last night's game in person and it was a swift kick in the groin.

207 I noticed the same thing when Pierre did not pinch run for Saenz and I convinced myself that Grady had decided "to hell with the streak" and was going to rid himself of that particular concern from here on out.

The sweep at the hands of the Angels bothered me much more than this one, as the Dodgers were just dominated by the Halos. This sweep was just a lot of luck catching up to the Dodgers, they easily could have won two of the three.

The Dodgers just drafted in Round 22, Tim Wallach's son, a catcher for Cal State Fullerton.

if anything they went for blood lines there. Anybody know what happened to Bert Blylevens (sp) nephew? we drafted him a few years back.

Their 23rd round pick, Nathan Carter from No. Cal high school sports powerhouse De La Salle is committed to the Air Force so my hunch is that he will not be signed.

Awww, my high school rival De La Salle.

I'm glad to see the Dodgers drafting some catchers, actually. That's three so far, right? Separate from Russell Martin with the big club, the system seems barren for young catchers except for Lucas May (converted from another position) and lots of filler. Can't hurt, especially since they won't sign everyone.

215 Wait, can this be right? No one's drafted Sequoyah Stonecipher?? Is he a Boras client?

As far as I can tell from searching MLB.com, no one's picked him.

And no one's picked Hunter Ovens, either!

218 "Anybody know what happened to Bert Blylevens (sp) nephew? we drafted him a few years back."

Bryan Pilkington, like most of our top pitching picks prior to Logan White, had surgery on his shoulder and never amounted to anything. He's been out of baseball since 2005.

In the baseball America draft chat today:
"Nate from Washington DC asks:
Did Logan White and the Dodgers over-draft their 1st 3 picks? It seems like Withrow, Adkins, and Watt would have all been there later on. Thanks for the great work
A:
John Manuel: Watt is interesting; I did our Calif. reports and couldn't find a scout who really liked him, but he is lefthanded and has hit 91 fairly regularly, if not better, so there's something there. Logan White knows pitching, but for me that is a reach. Withrow and Adkins make sense--Adkins can really pitch and there weren't many lefties left, if you wanted one you had to reach a bit. And the Dodgers did with him and Watt. Then Withrow might have gone 25 to the White Sox, his stock had risen late so no, I wouldn't say he's a reach. But I do think Watt is a bit."

224

thanks Enders, sounds like Logan White has the magic touch.

Manuel also said: "Kyle Blair could make the class a lot more interesting. My understanding is he's signable."

Bill Plaschke has to hope that this guy signs with the Dodgers.

In the 25th round, the Dodgers took 5th year senior second baseman Parker Dalton from Texas A&M.

Dalton, who had his own personal health crisis last year, getting treated sucessfully for skin cancer, was named as a finalist for the Wooden Cup Award, which is given to a collegiate and a professional athlete who have made the greatest difference in the lives of others.

Dalton was involved in assimilating and supporting six Tulane University athletic teams to A&M after Hurricane Katrina as well as a multitude of service activities. He has also been named Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year.

As Nate mentioned earlier, Logan White's also picked some pitchers that have ended up getting hurt.

Elbert, Orenduff, Miller, Morris, Tiffany.

Broxton/Bills--knock on wood that they stay healthy.

221 Tea,s always needs catchers to fill out their short season teams.

We needed a good person to counteract Andrew Lambo.

What ever happened to the Luzinski (sp?) kid, a catcher, son of The Phils/White Sox strike out slugger?

197

Again, Nomar has put a consistent 680-ish OPS since the All-Star break last year. Do any of the players on your list have a similarly long period of futility?

229

you can't win 'em all JoeyP, Albert, Miller & Morris are still very young i wouldn't count them out just yet.

Dalton's a good pick, worth a flyer. Seems like a good kid.
http://collegebaseball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=678349

232 Ryan Luzinski? That was like 1992 he was drafted I think, and he never made it. That was another pre-Logan White wasted pick. Sigh.

234 JoeyP likes to counter all who give Logan White diety status on DT.

I just like to point out the guy could be wrong now and then, JoeyP wishes he would pick someone who could make the team within 2 years of being drafted.

A judge has ordered Paris Hilton returned to jail to serve out her 45-day sentence for a parole violation in a reckless driving case.

She was taken from court screaming.

"It's not right!" shouted the weeping Hilton. "Mom!" she called out to her mother in the audience.

It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad. Or should that be the other way around...

235 I was going to point out something I saw that made me think he would have been a good pick for Colorado but that could have been a rule violation. But you might get what I am talking about anyway.

Well, he took more college players this time around so the odds are there could be a couple (like Adkins) who make the team within two years.

229

Isn't that sort of the nature of pitching, though? I wonder if you looked at other teams around the league, they probably have similar difficulty keeping pitchers healthy. I don't want to say TINSTAAP, but there ya go.

238 The, um, finding the Lord thing? ;-)

237
That's right. Bend to public opinion courts.

Normally I would be outraged, but not this time.

Ooooh, the Dodgers just took Taylor Cole. Intriguing. Worth a shot though they are unlikely to sign him.

That's right. Bend to public opinion courts.

I'm as cynical as the next guy, but I'm not sure that's what's going on here. Maybe I'm naive.

I thought Hilton wanted to do "The Simple Life." What could be simpler than a jail cell?

244
Well I heard the judge did not even have the jurisdiction to do anything and it was the sheriff's decision. Then again, I heard this on Larry King so who knows.

haha dodgers just took rob rasmussen...23 rounds later then me!

Sweet.

247 They finally started reading your mock draft. :)

I am starting to see the pattern that we set up for this draft now. We sure have been loading up on the tough signs in the later rounds. Hopefully that means we be able to sign our early picks for reasonable prices and then spurlge on on some of the high upside tough sign guys and hold on to them.

Rasmussen and Cole most likely wont sign although if we cant sign Blair, they might make a run at those two.

Nathan Woods would be a great pick - if he wasn't already determined to go to Belmont U.

251 Rasmussen is the 4th UCLA recruit to be drafted but most likely will not sign and go to UCLA.

UCLA will lose 2 recruits, Jason Heyward, nephew of former UCLA Basketball player Kenny Washington (member of Wooden's first 2 championship teams) and Ryan Dent who was picked 62nd.

They were the highest profile recruits for the Bruins, both made the High School All-American team.

Aww, that explains why Heyward committed to UCLA. I wondered how Savage pulled the best player out of Georgia.

254 Also, most schools will not commit a full scholarship to someone who is projected to be a first round pick.

Savage said at the time that it was a longshot that he would ever play at UCLA. Probably only an injury would have sent him to UCLA.

Nate, what's the deal with Stonecipher? Did I miss something?

255 Actually that's not correct, as players will use their commitments as leverage but I think when someone is known to be someone who is going pro, it does limit the schools that will sign them to a LOI.

I think the Blue Jays are the first team to stop drafting.

Going back to earlier, I don't think Broxton's recent struggles is evidence of a double standard. Before that, Broxton has been pretty good for us. This is his first rough patch in his young career. Tomko on the other hand has never consistently done anything good for us. We get all over Tomko because he has a history of sucking. We let Broxton slide because everything other than this has been all gravy.

Dodgers 32th round pick: http://www.okstate.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=200&ATCLID=226954

Baseball America wrote something about Rasmussen that made me pause for a moment. If you are familiar with UCLA's majors, whenever you hear someone majored in business at UCLA, you know that is wrong. Well BA wrote in its draft blog that Rasmussen wants to major in business/economics. I do believe you can major in Economics but Business?

KEMP HAS BEEN CALLED UP!

Kemp racalled. Thats a good thing.

Matt Kemp will join the team tonight and Ramon Martinez, who has been battling back problems, is going on the disabled list.

Hooray! Best news I've heard all day, or week.
(It's been a slow week, admittedly.)

I wonder if Martinez's injury is one of those phantom injuries they concoct to create a roster spot. Whatever, I'll take it!

For those wanting to see the Lakers when they used to be playing in June.

ESPN Classic airs a 30-hour NBA Finals marathon Saturday and Sunday, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday with Game 4 of the 1987 series when the Lakers, on Magic Johnson's hook shot, beat Boston and Larry Bird.

Other games involving the Lakers during the marathon include: 1988 Game 6 vs. Detroit (11 a.m. Saturday); 1989 Game 4 vs. Detroit (1 p.m. Saturday); 1991 Game 5 vs. Chicago (5 p.m. Saturday); 2000 Game 4 vs. Indiana (11 a.m. Sunday) and 2001 Game 1 vs. Philadelphia (1 p.m. Sunday).

I still have the '85, '87 and '88 games on tape, I should convert them to DVD for archival purposes.

Kemp. Awesome.

253 Hey bh, is the basketball Kenny Washington related to the more famous Kenny Washington? The one who was Jackie Robinson's football teammate at UCLA and later became the first black player in the NFL?

Knowing Grady's tendency to immediately play callups, does Kemp start tonight? I think he does, but (unfortunately) I bet it's Ethier who takes a seat.

258 Of course, for all practical purposes, the Blue Jays actually stopped drafting around 2002.

265 Hah. Last time we speculated that Marlon Anderson had surgery. Might be right this time, however.

Yes!!! Hopefully Kemp forces them to keep him.

I am thankful. This is great news.

Now: hit, Matt. Hit like you never hit before.

I'll go a step further and throw out my (optimistic) guess at tonight's lineup:

Furcal
Abreu
Nomar
Kent
Martin
Gonzales
Kemp
Pierre

My un-optimistic lineup:

Pierre
Furcal
Nomar
Kent
Gonzales
Martin
Kemp
Abreu

269

the blue jays had a productive first day yesterday.

Well I've known for awhile now Kemp's playing time will come at the expense of Ethier.

Anyone read BP today? They have the Rumsfeld Number for NL, the percentage of plate appearances going to below replacement level players, we're near the top with nearly a third. JP and Nomar are the main culprits, both under replacement level. Lucille II is our biggest Vorp offender at -6.3, so nice to see him go to the DL to make way for Kemp.

272 But don't draw walks, as that doesn't impress anyone.

275 Maybe Lucille II pulled his lower VORP; thus the DL.

273 How about an even more optimistic line-up?

Furcal
Abreu
Martin
Kent
Gonzo
Nomar
Kemp
Pierre or Clark or Ken Landreux

KEMP HAS BEEN CALLED UP!

cool, i just purchased my Ticks for tonights game. It should be fun i've never seen Penny pitch at Dodger Stadium.

Sublime new post up top.

278 I'll out-optimistic y'all!

Furcal SS
Abreu 3B
Martin C
Kent 2B
Kemp CF
Gonzalez LF
Ethier RF
Clark 1B (!)

Okay, maybe I'm crazy. Internet connection is free from work.

267 I do not think so.

Cool on the Matt Kemp news, hope to see him out there tonight!

267
I believe the two Kenny Washingtons at UCLA were not related. The football player was from L.A. and attended Lincoln High and a friend's mom went to elementary school with him. She said he was the king of the playground.

Kenny Washington had a son named Kenny Washington, Jr. who signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers in 1963. But I believe, that the basketball player was a JC transfer from some other part of the country and he never had "Jr." after his name.

The Orioles picked Eric Perlozzo in the 35th round, is he son of Sam?

261:

I remember there were two Economics majors at UCLA, one is the regular Economics and the other is Business Economics.