Even more meaningless stat: they are 10-2 on Fridays.

call up Withrow ALREADY!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/sports/29sandomir.html

Someone in the previous thread was calling for a Sicilian ... I don't sever horse heads, but I do skewer grammar mistakes.

http://kropserkel.com/horse_head_pillow.htm

No matter what team it be Greg it would be enjoying the fruits of success the Dodgers are enjoying. Or am i wrong on this?

It probably would have been an expansion team in the American League. The Angels. I'm guessing LA would be a one team town with the Los Angeles Angels.

Both the AL and NL were trying to get a team in LA, with the St. Louis Browns actually having an agreement for the 1942 season before Pearl Habor intervened. After the war, the AL and NL agreed to expand and place a new team in a city without an existing team. The agreement broke down, and the Mets ended up in NY, so the Angels went to LA even though the Dodgers were already there.

We also could have had just the LA Angels without any Dodgers.

The AL wanted to get a team in Southern California almost right away after the NL moved out here.

+Anyone But Tomko
++ revealing the depths of my 80s new wave geekitude

As Friday it may happen that a ballgame must be played
I've got a little list! I've got a little list!
Of the Dodgers great offenders who might well be DFAed
And who never would be missed! They never would be missed!
There's Brett "The Bombko" Tomko, who can't hold a eight-run lead;
Mark Hendrickson, the giant dude, as useless as a weed;
and Nomar G -- his bat and his routine, they both annoy;
and Juan Pierre -- I've just four words -- "search, and then destroy";
and any other players poor, stuck within our midst --
They'd none of 'em be missed, they'd none of 'em be missed!

What's the latest on Milton Bradley? Will be in a Padres uniform this weekend?

Now, everyone join in:
"I am the very model of a modern General-Manager,
I've information pitcher, salary and hitter...."

Um.

I know their VORPS and EQAs and Wins above Replacement Guy,
I'll go get Milton Bradley and not stop to answer questions why!

Man, those were ... not good.

There you go. You can take it from here...

Accordingly I don't know the final AL-NL W-L results.

Can you enlighten me--difficult as that sometimes is said to be?

Maybe the AL is not quite as superior as some think. Superior, yes, but...

Of course, Bill Murray has talked about wanting to film an adaptation of "Veeck--as in Wreck," with himself in the title role, for some time.

All I'm saying is that if such a thing were to happen, I would buy a ticket on the first day of principal photography.

"people get all weepy in Brooklyn still about the Dodgers"

... Perhaps if some of those weepy people would have bothered to come to the games from 1950-1957, the Dodgers would have stayed put.

The fact of the matter is that New York couldn't support three baseball teams during that time; in fact, they barely supported one (the Yankees).

Ok, now I really am feeling my age. Biggio's had an entire career since the Dodgers last were in, much less won, a World Serious.

Wow. That really puts things in perspective.

the L.A Browns?? it doesn't have a good ring to it.

You were working on that all morning weren't you? I gave up on mine after the first two sentences.

"Very well, Bart, I will send you to heaven before I send you to hell." - Sideshow Bob

"I just feel bad for people who don't get a chance to watch him as much as we do," Little said.

(Now you know how we fill about Kemp)

"It's really amazing what Loney has done since he's come up," Wolf said. "I think he's been a really big spark to our offense because when he's up there, it almost feels like he's going to have a good at-bat every time, at least hit the ball on the barrel. To have a guy like that, it does kind of impact the lineup."

The Padres own website still doesn't show the deal as "completed."

>>> A baseball source on Thursday said the Padres have agreed in to a deal in principal that would send a Minor League pitcher to the Oakland A's for veteran outfielder Milton Bradley.
<<<

http://tinyurl.com/2ftmdp

A friend of mine's daughter was petrified of Sideshow Bob when she was very young. She couldn't stay in the same room. She's 20 now and says he still gives her the creeps.

And he also gave us the Cobb Salad.

Two years ago the AL won at a 61% clip, but this year it dropped to 54%. Maybe there's hope.

But NL fans probably don't want to talk about All-Star games over the past several years...

Ah but that was before the All-Star game featured one Russell Martin!

>>> Last week the A's and Kansas City Royals reportedly agreed on a trade involving Bradley, but the deal was voided, apparently because Bradley wasn't recovered from an injury. The Padres aren't requiring a physical exam to make the trade. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/33cb3a

Also, Loney appears, from the outside, to be a very quiet and polite young man but he does all the things you ask a player to do, I heard this on the radio during the road trip and I would love to see this in person or on tape. Before the game, Mariano Duncan takes a fungo bat to the left side of the infield and hits liners toward Loney from 3B, SS hole and behind 2B. Loney does this to be able to react to the different throws from the infielders. And he doesn't miss many. Duncan says he hits the ball as hard as he can.

So when the rest of team see a guy work hard like that, I think it creates a favorable impression. Hitting near .500 does that too.

Brown is always linked to, while lets just say, emotional outfielders, as he was part of the Sheff deal.

I think Jeff Kent needs a kick in the posterior with competition. I thought the perfect way to do it was to acquire Milton Bradley and have him shag balls at second base. I think that would have mixed things up in the clubhouse very well... putting some fire into our future Hall of Famer.

Ahhh, Bradley and Kent dueling over 2nd base. It would be included in the outtakes section of the 2007 Dodger season DVD.

"3-0 to Loney- be careful, anything right down the middle you 'better hold your ears"

Now, Loney cant keep up what he did that that series- but that's exactly what our line-up has been missing!

The Padres pitching is 2003 Dodgers like. Except sometimes their hitting is too.

In his first start in 18 days, Johnson contended his back "is fine," but the Dodgers did notice something different in the pitcher many consider the best left-hander in major league history.

Them thar jest mite be fightin' words to some folk 'round these parts...

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/92409

But Lefty Grove was always angry.

Brandon Webb is no slouch.

Russell Martin - 2007 pace on actuals
540 AB 90 runs, 36 Doubles, 4 Triples, 18 HR, 107 RBI, 60 BB, 80 K, 25 SB

He is just about at his 75% Pecota already.

45
Thanks for depressing me.

Were Home
Were Home
good things happen when were home.

Agree, I am actually one of the few who isn't worried about AZ over the second 1/2. That 'pen has been way over its head. But Webb is as good as anyone in the NL, and James raked him- the kid was on fire.

To give Vin a break, I think he does that with every player when he recalls what school or city or country that player is from.

But Eric Byrnes the pride of UCLA, sheesh.

Also, does your girlfriend realize that she is seeing the best pitching matchup and a duel for the starting spot in All-Star game tomorrow night?

You mean you dont think SD is going to win 105 (I think thats about what the formula has them at) games this year? 7 or 8 better than franchise history, it could happen, but I doubt it.

http://tinyurl.com/2fjdts

>>> Of course, in evaluating anything to do with contemporary Padre teams, the tendencies of Petco Park must be taken into account. Since it came online prior to the 2004 season, Petco has been the toughest hitter's park in the game. <<<

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6968468

[sad tone]

It was diaper time...
It was diaper time...

And applause.

You can't live with 'em,
You can't live without 'em.
There's something irrestibilish about 'em.
We grin and bear it because the nights are long.
I hope that something better comes along.

---

It would've been nice if one of the games this weekend was on national TV, Fox or ESPN, but I guess no one east of the Mississippi cares about the two best teams in the NL, including the Penny-Peavy matchup tomorrow. {{whine}}

Q: DAVID from SOUTH GATE, CA asks:
Any good international prospects being linked to the Dodgers? Will they even be players on the international front, ($$)?

A: Chris Kline: Yo, David . . . the Dodgers are getting more active like they were a few years ago, which has been one of GM Ned Colletti's responsibilities since he came over from San Francisco--to bring the Dodgers back to where they were as the leader in international signings. It's going to take a while, but the Dodgers have Logan White shoring up that effort . . . and that bodes well for any club trying to get involved in scouting anywhere on the planet. Keep an eye on third baseman Pedro Baez in the Gulf Coast League--totally legit with power @ 3B. White stole him away from at least four clubs for less money--Logan White is no longer just a draft guru. Baez is for real and could be a monster.

>>> Padres acquire outfielder Milton Bradley from Oakland in exchange for Minor League pitcher Andrew Brown <<<

http://tinyurl.com/3an2nd

There's also a 1992 interview with Vin Scully that's worth viewing.

So weird that Bradley was traded for Brown, again. Really weird.

Is he still injured? I feel like even if this is now official, he won't be active this weekend, no?

Seriously, I think the best combo of "Good player at UCLA" and "good player in the majors" may be Troy Glaus. Jackie Robinson didn't play much baseball at UCLA.

{Shakes fist...}

They ought to give him a mental. Wokka Wokka

Another aspect of that could be that as great as some of the old-time pitchers were with just a FB and curve, they also might have been able to master sliders and splitters, at least well enough to mix in their arsenal.

(BTW, did many old-time all-timers throw more than fastballs and curves successfully? If so, who/what? I know Carl Hubbell was known for his screwball.)

Koufax isn't an "old-timer," but can you imagine him throwing an effective splitter to go along with that "rising" FB and knee-buckling curve? Or maybe a slider?

Hitters might have tried to file a petition for cruel and unusual punishment.

Looks to me like both rookie league rosters are full of international players.

Pedro Guerrero and Carlos Santana have got to make it to the big club for at least one game.

GOB is somewhat the patron saint of Dodger Thoughts. The matriarch, if you will.

Shockingly the Dodgers have outpaced the BP Pecota projection by a > margin then any other team. How is that possible you ask with the miserable performances of Pierre/Nomar/Furcal/Schmidt?

From Rand Richards Cooper in SI.com [May 25, 2007]:

One summer day 11 years ago, I'd just moved to Hartford, Conn., and on my third afternoon I found my way up the block to the park and a pickup hoop game. It was your typical city playground tableau, a bunch of African-American guys in their teens and 20s, plus me, thirtysomething white guy. And this little 11-year-old white kid. The kid was tiny. Why are they letting this munchkin play? I wondered...

...An hour later I was headed home, shaking my head. I just saw this tiny kid do some amazing things on the court, I told my wife. I'm gonna watch him and see what happens. If you followed college basketball this season, you know what happened. The munchkin who surprised me on the court that day grew up to be Jared Jordan of Marist College, a point guard with a brainy, aggressive style and a considerable gift for passing the ball.

"couplethree"
"sick'tm'stomach"
"GEE-tar"
And my all time favorite: "Are you hungry? Do you want me to fix you something to eat?"

Just
Another
Double
For
Abreu

I'm not down on all trades as I perhaps once was, a bit too fanatical.But only for a young pos. player who is really superior, and not a first baseman. We are in the catbird seat as someone once said, and shouldn't be looking to solve anyones salary problem and need for young players for them, unless very much on our terms.

Start a suicide watch if anything like what I've heard goes down.

:)

I'm a bigger Texiera fan then most here but he is clearly redundant with Loney now entrenched, unless Ned wants to give him a shot at his natural 3b position. As I recall he was moved to 1st base not because of any defensive shortcoming but because Blalock was already there. I don't see that happening so I expect if the Dodgers really are following Texas they are looking at other players. Millwood has been a disaster this year but he is normally a solid pitcher with a large contract so maybe they are thinking of unloading him. The price should be small.

does the pecota computer think we'll win today?

Furcal/Pierre must not be that far off their Pecota projections.

Lowe/Penny/Martin are carrying the entire team more than anyone thought they would/could.

I'm not so sure that's what Ned was saying at all. I interpreted his statement to mean he may need to find a middle reliever who would perform as well as Billingsley had in that role.

I'm guessing that Milton will not get a warm reception from the Dodger Stadium crowd. And I expect the LF area to have a lot of security.

Pierre, CF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Gonzo, LF

Nomar, 3B

Loney, 1B

Kemp, RF

Kuo, P

Only a minor one word change

2) Because Kemp is a more versatile hitter.

3) Because otherwise you'd have 3 lefthanders in a row, and they might get away with using a LOOGY for a whole inning.

4) Because Juan Pierre will cry if he bats 8th again.

Abrue--3rd, ss, 2b, sit, 3b, ss, 2b, sit

Kemp--cf, cf, cf, sit, cf, cf, cf, sit

Although #4 sounds more like it's from Despair.com.

The Dodgers like prospects or so it sounds.

Or we obtaind a true Lead-Off Batter that "Should Be" able to hit for average, and has speed and can field, and not be named Juan.

What are the sleeping arrangements?

Better OBP, better bunter, more power. He can throw.

Kemp .419 .457 .512 .968

Ethier .297 .423 .469 .892

Furcal .222 .282 .306 .588

Pierre .265 .299 .304 .603

Nomar .211 .228 .237 .465

Gonzo .321 .418 .595 1.014

Kent .250 .355 .388 .742

Wilson .200 .349 .457 .806

Abreu .278 .318 .430 .748

Loney .476 .500 .881 1.381

Martin .290 .330 .495 .825

I don't get it at some level, perhaps the childish level, i.e. "it's just not fair!"

Pierre deserves to be sat down. Ethier did not. Kemp has certainly played his way past Ethier, but Ethier has played his way past Pierre for weeks. Ethier is a better fielder, and his skills make Pierre's fielding tolerable. Kemp is not similarly skilled, it doesn't appear. Isn't Gonzo-Pierre-Kemp our worst possible defensive combination for the OF?

I understand what a great fabulous guy Juan Pierre is. What Little ought to do is bench him, then nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. If he did that, he could be Manager of the Year.

Well, if those numbers Jon earlier quoted are correct, we may be under-rating Pierre's defense. I'm not sure Either's lack of raw speed suits him well in CF, although his bat might be good enough that it'll wipe out the differential between his and Pierre's defense.

Now, Kemp does have the raw speed to play CF, but from his time there last season, I don't think he has the instincts for it. At least, right now he doesn't.

WWSH

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070629

>>> Ben Davis, a solid 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pound catcher who joined the 51s on Saturday, bunted for a base hit to break up a perfect game by Curt Schilling with one out in the eighth inning of a 3-1 win by the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Diego Padres on May 26, 2001. <<<

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/8242932.html

Say, DYoung had 3 doubles in a 5-5 game the other day. Not too shabby. Should get a Sept call up.

I am amazed at how well Gonzo is doing (and I am happy for him). Does anyone know why he didn't take the original two year deal from Ned? Worked out for us.

http://tinyurl.com/yt2kg6

http://xkcd.com/c276.html

I'f it's true that they're DFAing Anderson instead of Tomko, I'm disappointed. Neither is helping much but at least Anderson isn't actively sabotaging the team. Hopefully they come to their senses and trade out Tomko for Meloan soon.

Confarnit!

Bud Black is really doing a nice job with that caliber lineup.

I think 'X' is four. Carter, Hall, Clark, Anderson. Am I forgetting anyone?

238/238/857

lol

other notables...

baez 3-5 2b avg 351

lambo 0-4 k bb (2k:6bb)

orr 1-4 hr(2) k

http://dodgerblog.typepad.com/sports_baseball_dodgers/

And yes, because Tsao is activated tonight.

Although I guess they could still trade Anderson.

http://mingle2.com/blog-rating

On DodgerBlues, meanwhile, "No bad words were found."

how one earth is a low single A game a hot ticket?

Is there live nude dancing at these games, or what?

Incidentally, there's been a new post up top for quite some time but I don't think anybody's noticed it.

It's a real nice way to spend a day in Dayton, Ohio, on a lazy Sunday afternoon (1903).

I'm a little late, but I laughed out loud at your post, because if you asked my friends, they would swear that I use three of your grammy's expressions all the time: "couplethree," "GEE-tar," and "Are you hungry? Do you want me to fix you something to eat?"

I'm only 39, but I love my old-school ruralisms.