I know I've dogged Wilson all year...but Lefty or not, how can Grady sit a guy two straight times after 3+ hit, multiple RBI games....

I'm hoping that Betimit will get the Loney treatment soon...

Is the title of this post an homage to perhaps a Blockbuster™ deal is in the works?

2 - It's open to multiple interpretations - rewind so we get another victory, rewind to the days that Brett Tomko was pitching better.

Most of all, it hits me that my kids will have no idea what "rewinding" is when they grow up.

how can Grady sit a guy two straight times after 3+ hit, multiple RBI games

Because Nomar is a better hitter vs. LH.

Or not.

2007 vs. LH:

Betemit: .231/.286/.385/.670
Nomar: .200/.290/.255/.545

3 Very David Chase of you.

Three years ago on Christmas, one of my brothers was given a DVD player. He had never used one. When the DVD was over, he looked for the rewind button.

This story has become legendary in our family.

I don't have a problem sitting Betemit against LHP. He should play more against RHP though.

7. It seems like Wilson has improved as of late against righties....correct me if I'm wrong....

The Royals are having a hard time signing Mike Moutsakas.
http://tinyurl.com/2sz8ke

6- Don't DVD players have rewind buttons? Or at least rewind knobs....the feature just isn't iconic like it once was in the days of the VHS....

10 - DVD's can rewind and fast forward.

9
A Boras client being hard to sign. What are the odds.

10
Yes, they do let you go back. But the DVD was over...

My brother didn't want to review it. He wanted to rewind it before putting it back in the case to set a good example for his kids to rewind videos.

I think one of his kids corrected him.

It seems pretty clear that Management is not high on Betemit. Hard as it may be to believe, he is currently OPSin .846, which trails only Loney, Kemp, and Martin.

With his $400k salary, large ISOs and three-true-outcomeness, I've been thinking that he might be attractive to a team like Oakland, particularly since they have Chavez at 3B putting up worse number for $9.5 million/year. Oakland could either trade Chavez to someone else and acquire Betemit from us, or even trade Chavez to us for Betemit.

Anyone see this happening? I'm not saying I want it to happen, but rather that I could see it happening, given Management's obvious lack of faith in Boom Boom's ability.

8 - Perhaps more importantly, can we put to rest the myth that Betemit only produces as a pinch-hitter?

And with 15, I imagine Bojangles will be stopping by to put me in my place anytime now.

BTW: How long before Grittle starts talking "arm angles" in re: Betemit...?

Grady Little has the capacity to speak like a normal human being, which is refreshing. He doesn't use a lot of pointless baseball jargon.

Except he does like the way the ball comes out of Tomko's hand.

Most of us just don't like how the ball comes off the opposition's bat after Tomko throws it.

I love watching the DRays bang away at the Yankee's. To bad the middle relief will evenutally succumb to the inevitable. 4 shutout innings for EJ. The defense has made some nice plays behind him but he made Jeter look silly in the 3rd. Best 4 innings I've seen him pitch this year.

The advantage of having Vegas as our AAA team is that DJ will be available today.
D Young now with 54 EBH. Seems to be hitting a double a game these days.

74 pitches through 7 for Buddy in Atlanta. Braves lead 3-1. Will he get to go for the CG?

Isn't it sad that Ned probably has no clue that 400k for .846 OPS is a fantastic bargain?

Isn't it also sad that Ned probably considers Nomar's Clutchness© for $8.5 million to be an even better bargain?

You can't copyright "clutchness." It's a process. You have to get a patent.

Dioner is now 2 for 2 with a stolen base!

Navarro not taking kindly to slights by Bob is now 2/2 with a stolen base.

Evidently were enjoying the same game.

It seems that when Betemit spot starts he hit the cover off the ball. But the more regularly he starts, the worse he becomes. I don't know why this is, but it seems that Betemit is potent in small quantities.

21
I continue to find it amazing how you can read Ned's mind.

Well on the subject of feeling old, I went over to buy some groceries the other day, including a 6 pack of Red Stripe. That automatically prompts for an ID check, so the cashier punched in a birthday really quick. That was interesting enough since I just turned 21 in March, but on the receipt I saw he had punched in November 11, 1921 as the birthdate. I didn't think I looked 85.

Betemit has been leading the team in PrOPS for a little while, and now he's hitting .225/.353/.493, but his BABIP is still a mere .236 (.319 vs LHP, though). He's been pretty consistent in PrOPS, sitting now at .930, and if he got some playing time he'd probably still have some evening out to do to hit a very hard .260. Again, I was surprised Atlanta let him go, but I think they thought Baez was actually useful (ha!) and Aybar would be similar to Betemit but with an arbitration clock that starts a year later, so that probably helped in that deal.

Furcal, SS
Pierre,CF
Martin, C
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Nomar, 3B
Loney, 1B
Kemp, RF
Tomko, P

is today's line-up. Holten is back on the roster, as Tsao is now on the DL. (Holten to start Tuesday? nobody knows)

26 But when the people blocking him are Nomar and Abreu, I'm willing to live with occasional production.

Same thing with LaRoche, yeah, he might not be ready yet, but could he be any worse than what we have at that position now?

91 pitches through 8 for Buddy. Braves lead the Bucs 4-1. Will he go the distance?

28
You just turned 21 and your feeling old???

I wish I could swear on this site.

30 I expect to see Wilson play on Wednesday afternoon and again on the weekend when the Mets throw a rightie on the mound.

Should Matt's week in the lineup despite Ethier's production with lefties pitching today and tomorrow and then on Thursday and Friday.

28
I turned 21 just a few months before he was born. I actually went out to a bar and got a free beer that day when I showed my ID.

32 I realized I was one of the few who remembered Dodger Pepsi Fan Clubs and Helmet Weekend a while ago so let the youngsters rant about ID checks if they want to.

Willie Harris pinch hits for Buddy!

BOOO!!!!

26 - This strikes me as another attempt to rationalize recent history. Now we're going to piegonhole him as a spot starter.

Maybe Betemit is just what he is - a hitter who has good games and bad games, like other hitters - and we don't need to overthink it.

32 - when someone says on paper that you're 85, even if it's purely false, then yeah. That might even be older than you. :)

I think I like it more than when I went to a Wal Mart two years ago and the lady at the register thought I was 12.

BJ Upton - not ready for center field.

28, 32
I turned 21 last year and just graduated from college. Tomorrow I'm starting my first day of work at my first real job. I think I'm going to have an early-mid-life crisis.

40
Find out when you get fully vested in the company pension plan. I was fully vested in two different plans by the time I was 32.

40 Quit, go back to school, backpack across the Rockies, delay entering the workforce as long as you can.

Unless, it is something you love, then by all means, start working for the man or woman.

Edwin Jackson gave up a double to Wil Nieves. This is not good. It's 3-2 D-Rays now.

41 I stayed at my last job 2 1/2 extra years for that very reason.

Fortunately, this job, I was fully vested from day 1, but then there isn't much of pension plan.

Bob works for City so he probably can retire on library money in 15 years or so.

And then the 2-run homer to Jeter and it's 4-3 Yankees.

41 I don't think I'm yet eligible for the pension plan. I think I have to wait a little but I'll find out.

42 I plan on going to grad school in a couple years. But I want to make sure I'm in the right field first. This is as close to an ideal job for me (seemingly) as I know of, so I don't mind working. I graduated a couple months ago so I've had plenty of time off.

42
He speaks with wisdom. Put off as long as you can joining the workforce. Enjoy your youth don't get sucked in by a paycheck.

I started working for The Man right away because I wanted to save up money. Then once I had vacation time banked, I took the vacations I wanted, like 12 Japanese baseball stadiums in 15 days or going all the way to Easter Island.

It's an alternative route. It's not necessarily the best. It all depends upon what you value in life.

46 There are not many places outside of government jobs that have traditional pension plans, almost everyone has a 401K plan, one thing to consider about grad school, look to see if your employer or potential employer offers educational benefits that will pay for your education.

47 I think that is the hardest thing because to do anything "fun," or get a car, etc., you need cash and getting that first paycheck is tempting.

49
Has anyone seen the commercial for Chase Bank where the young woman gets her first paycheck and then deposits in the bank and then goes off and starts having fun.

She buys lunch for her friends (with a credit card), then she is with her boyfriend outside a movie theater (they used the Rialto in South Pasadena). She gets a text message indicating that another $220 was deposited (apparently she gets some other automatic deposits on Saturday nights) and then whisks the boyfriend away for more fun.

But if she were at the Rialto, I think all she could do for fun at that time would be either a trip to Jamba Juice or Starbucks.

Still waiting for Betemit to get a start at 2nd. Between Nomar and Kent's rest and pinch hitting, I think we can get him enough AB's to really utilize him. Everyone says he can play second, but have yet to really see it.

Given this I am fine with Abreu going to Vegas until Sept. callup. Still waiting for Pierre to get a rest in center so we can have an Eithier, Gonzo, Kemp outfield. Overall not a bad lineup (you can sub Betemit for Nomar for even more power).

Bob T. in regard to the previous posts, I don't think I'm going to be happy when I figure out what ESPYs are!

50 They could go to Pavillions and buy fresh fruit. Or they could splurge and go to Carmines, heavy pasta dishes is what defines fun for me.

52 The highlight will be Lebron James doing a Bobby Brown impersonation. Bobby Brown's solo career peaked around 1989, so Lebron would have been a pretty cool kid to be fan during pre-school.

26

Russ Martin should never be allowed to play in day games, where he has a 700 OPS. Also, he really sucks against the Angels, Blue Jays, Cubs, Mets, and Rockies. He shouldn't play against them anymore. Oh, and don't EVER let him hit cleanup; 250 OPS there. He's also terrible in the clutch with a 622 OPS in close and late situations.

So, I propose we forbid him from playing in any of those situations. He has HOF numbers otherwise. Then if he falters in any other situations we'll know more things he can't do and cut him back there as well. Eventually he'll be in a position where he can't ever fail.

No one should ever watch the ESPYs. Ever. For a single minute.

You can watch an infomercial by Kevin Trudeau for 24 straight hours and your life will be better than watching a minute of the ESPYs.

First Fox ruins a baseball fans every saturday, now ESPN is working on sundays. I hope the game goes twenty innings. If you see a flash of light far to the east it may mean Gameday messed up and my brain reached critical mass and went nuclear!

No one should ever watch (insert name of any "award" show). Ever. For a single minute.

Or that flash in the east may only mean Tomko's being typical.

Winn not in the lineup today for the Giants. Lewis gets the start. And it's Aurilia at third instead of Feliz.

I'm not sure what rationale Bochy uses to decide between Aurilia and Feliz at third base.

60 On a given day, which one looks least near death?

60- Maybe because the giants have only one day off untill august 30th??

60
But is there a pattern or do they just trade off each day?

It's not like either guy is setting the NL on fire.

Disclaimer, Joe Sheehan picked the D-Backs to win the West so his analysis should not be surprising.

Also, and again, Baseball Prospectus never claimed to be objective but they have not been above snide comments by many of their writers about the Dodgers since they fired Paul. But I am not sure I would say with any conviction that Kevin Towers vs. Ned is such a huge mismatch, you could not bet on it in Vegas because they would take it off the board. Last day for the free preview at BP.

http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6456

50 She could go across the street to Gus' BBQ...nevermind, she's supposed to be having fun.

I predict that Tomko will go 3 1/3 innings and give up 4 runs.

What does everyone else think?

Did Tsao's shoulder explode on the grand slam pitch? Or the one just before that.

64
The Dodgers appear set to play out the year with a .313 OBP in the leadoff spot, and the fourth-best third baseman in the organization as the everyday guy at the position. Good luck with that, guys. All the great relief pitching in the world won't make up for those two decisions

64 Since when did Pierre move back to the lead-off spot?

66 4 IP, 4 ER, but the Dodgers end up winning 7-5 anyway

I am currently knee-deep in delicious peaches in my backyard. Bob, do you want some shipped to you?

Who keeps Gus's BBQ in business? It has rude servers, poor food, grossly inflated prices, and doesn't have great access either.

Is that place just living off the fact that it has a cool neon sign?

7.08
Any runner is out when --
(a) (1) He runs more than three feet away from his baseline to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner's baseline is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely;

I wonder what the Giants starting nine will look like next year...I don't like it when they are this bad....no fun....

I wonder what the Giants starting nine will look like next year...I don't like it when they are this bad....no fun....

72-If your looking for good BBQ in the Pasadena area....go to Bill's Chicken on Lake Ave. right below Washington...

Dynomite!

74 75

Not his fault. Server hiccough.

What gives here? The Direct TV online schedule says that Dodgers/Giants is supposed to be on channel 745 today, and I have the blank screen. Why can I not watch the Dodgers today?

78
Curse of the ESPYs!

In play--no out?

Time for Nomar's clutchitude to kick in

or not

Dead man walkin'!

Time for Nomar to get a job at Home Depot.

I live just up the street from Bill's Chicken and have never cared much for it. Though to be honest, I haven't tried it in years.

Ugh, that missed sign by Martin (or whatever it was) really messed up the inning.

57-I get shafted every Sat. that a natioal FOX broadcast does a regional game. Living in the Gulf Coast, I only get Braves and sometimes Cubs games, which are already being broadcast on their superstations. It ain't fair, and since I already have exteme prejudice toward anything FOX (facist pigs), it's doubly aggrevating.

84 Geez, a guy can't make an out around here.

WWWD?
what would WILSON do? Nomar kills me with his first pitch swinging. I guess Betemit didn't show enough yesterday to deserve another start today.

I meant fascist.

88
No, you cannot.

88 When Nomar's only redeeming trait (clutch hitting) falls by the wayside, I'm not sure what defense you can give for him

Looks like a nasty at bat again for Nomar. One pitch!
Watching on gameday made me notice hwo station to station we've been. Partly due to Furcal's health and Pierres "barely hits" and bunts.

85- Had it on Friday....Beef ribs were excellent...

Carlos Pena is such a cool story this year. How great is it that he's the best 1st baseball in the AL right now playing against a team that has no 1st baseman who had him in AAA last year and let him walk.
On Bronx Batter someone suggested they trade Mat Desalvo for him. The arrogance or ignorance of such an offer left me typelist.

81

Looked like his suckitude kicked in instead.

That's a tough break for Tomko.

Let's see how many times I can type that today.

93 Unfortunately Kent's sacrifice fly would have been homer in almost any other ballpark.

Not sure what Russell was doing, even if he missed a sign, the pitch looked very hittable.

Oh Jeff...

When I look at Pedro Feliz's career stats is there any non-catcher or non-pitcher who has played so long with just one organization as much as he has without really ever producing anything in this day?

Our bad defense is getting very annoying.

Jeff Kent is BRUTAL at second base.

GREAT fastball to make it 0-2 on Bonds.

There was a place on Lake and Altadena in the 80's and 90's called Burnett's BBQ Palace that was my all-time favorite. Sadly, he retired. My favorite BBQ now is
1. J & J's on Adams, east of Fairfax
2. Jaybees on Avalon in Compton
3. Phillip's on Leimart Park in Leimart Park
4. Woody's on Slausen.
5. The guy on Lake Ave in Altadena on Saturdays in an old gas station parking lot.

Barry's struggles in this series have been a delight to watch

87 Total agreement. And ESPN is not far from being added to the list.

100 Chicks dig the long ball...and a sub-.300 OBP

Despite whatever the results may be Tomko has pitched very well this inning.

Not sure they could have turned two there but if the inning plays out, Tomko would be out of the inning.

Seems like Jeff's errors in this series have been because he was rushing for some reason.

I think Martin just thought it was ball four. Looked high and outside.

104- Woody's is #1 for me, I heard that Woody, and Phillip are cousins...Lived around there for three years....but now that I'm in the 'Dena I don't make that drive too often.....Bill's is the best in area IMO...

Have you been to "the Pit" on S. Vermont?

We have the power we say we need we just don't play it (Meat and Bison). The pitching well we can use some help. And this defense, Oy Veh.

And Tomko could make the list. Funny, he seem to change speeds very well today. Must be location

Tomko's stuff is actually looking really good....

113 Just tuning in here but I agree with you, at least for the last couple of batters I've seen. He might be right... he's a starter and not a reliever.

We shall see...

... Well, at least they are unearned runs.

Thanks a lot Jeff....This could get rough...

I swear it looked like Bengie knew that pitch was coming.

That was actually a pretty good pitch, nice piece of hitting by Bengie there

Don't look east without eye protection.

118- Seemed like it...cuz it was a good pitch...

That's a tough break. Curve ball that just hung up there enough for Molina to pull, a little lower and he rolls over to short.

... GREAT play by Kemp!!!

Nice play Bison!

Worst LA Dodger manager ever

^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ned???

Well, Tomko wasn't going to win 1-0. Still, he seems to be always pitching defensive which will kill you eventually.

Error by Kent. Great play by Kemp.

What a difference a letter makes.

125
Patsy Donovan and Burleigh Grimes are ready to dispute that.

125 ??

or two letters.

111 Never been there. There also used to be a good place on Western called Mr. Jim's. Their slogan was "You don't need teeth to Jim's beef".

And if you didn't have teeth, it rhymed.

Tomko pitched well the inning, the infield hit by Roberts and the error by Kent killed him.

Error by Kent. Great play by Kemp.

What a difference a letter makes

Which letter? Should the Dodgers start Matt Kenp at second base?

132- Remember the Slogan..but I think it was used by a few spots....

That BBQ spot on Fig. and Chavez is overrated...and it is run by Giants fans...

Kemp's hitting the curveball. Watch out.

125 126

What? Somehow I find it hard to be critical of a manager who despite what you may think, managed one team to a playoff spot and has his current team holding the best record in the league.

Maybe its because I have 35+ years of watching so I don't try to get too excited on the day to day or even year to year but since Grady is trying to do something that has only happened once in the last 30 years, go to the playoffs in back to back years and right now has as a good chance as anyone, I cut Grady a lot of slack and besides all that, the man is funny.

Who would win in a race, Loney or Piazza?

What's the "tough break for Tomko, there" count up to now?

Bunting with runners on 1st and 2nd never works.

135 That's BBQ King and I'm not a big fan.

131 just wasn't quick enough. Neither was Loney.

137
DT commenters would have crucified Chuck Dressen.

I feel like the Bench Nomar campaign needs to get some viral advertising a la the Fire Lavin t-shirts from a few years ago

Did I hear that right? During July we've had the best OBP in the majors?

Someone still has to tell me how Mueller did it, the numbers are there but was it that they faced sub-par pitching during that stretch, was it the kids or maybe Mueller is a genius.

Tampa Bay has had runners thrown out at second, third, and home today and an 8th inning rally ended when the runner on second was doubled off on a line drive.

143 I bet DT commenters would've had a field day with Uncle Walter. That guy did everything: IBB, H&R, Sac Bunts galore... there wasn't a lever he wouldn't pull.

The three-foot lane between home and first doesn't make a difference on a tag play. Although I thought Pierre did go too far afield to avoid Klesko's tag in the first.

My kingdom for a power hitter!

1 run on 276 hits...

Omar Vizquel just doing what he does. Make the routine look difficult.

We'd have roasted Lasorda too.

Having lived in Venezuela, I kind of have a biase against Omar Visquel, because I was told that he comes form a prominent right wing family in Caracas, but he really is the best defensive SS I have ever seen....

The Wizard was an old man by the time I was old enought to really "watch" baseball....

148
But in 1974, Alston called for 9 IBBs the whole season.

Just nine!

Alston hated the IBB as he got older. Game 3 of the 1962 playoff against the Giants would have been fun to read.

Jon would have been deleting a series of Rule 1 violations directed toward Alston, Roebuck, Williams, and Burright.

145 From the last thread.

Murray's team:
In a little over 2400 plate appearances:
0.261/0.329/0.383, 4.4 runs per game.

Mueller's team through yesterday:
In a little over 1000 plate appearances:
0.306/0.370/0.437, 5.2 runs per game

113 Just tuning in here but I agree with you, at least for the last couple of batters I've seen. He might be right... he's a starter and not a reliever.

We shall see...

151 Stupid Vizquel making that leaping catch from his knees

152
We still do roast Lasorda. He was the designated bad guy in DePodesta's ouster.

156 I don't know how that happened... I hit backspace accidentaly... maybe that was it?

156 Is that the record for gap between double posts?

Dressen, yeah right.

Don't understand why people are eager to willfully ignore Grady's mismanagement of the lineup and the pitching staff. Especially on a day where he's starting Tomko for no reason besides stubbornness. We should have the best record in the NL with at least a few games to spare.

137 I agree. Grady isn't perfect but he's my favorite Dodger manager since Lasorda.

154 That remains the most stunning stat I have ever seen (a trivia question I asked on this site from days gone by, by the by). Alston turned on the IBB so viscerally, you wonder what might've happened. Did he make some kind of discovery that it didn't work? It's not like he had markedly better pitching or anything.

154 Yeah, if Jon ever wants to do a retro gameday thread, I'd advise against using that one. Every time I think about it I want to throw things.

161- We do have the best record in the NL....

Sick of the Grady bashing.....

160 :)

I figured it out. I tabbed to the "preview post" and hit backspace to get rid of the check mark. I think what that did, besides getting rid of the mark, was recall a previous post. I tabbed again to hit submit and aren't we all richer for knowing this crap?

Perhaps we don't consider Grady Little the worst manager in Dodgers history because he is not the worst manager in Dodgers history.

Wasn't it just a couple years ago when Jim Tracy was the worst manager ever? People here accused Tracy of tanking games to spite DePodesta.

And now Little is worse? With the best record in the NL?

Grady is actually the first Dodgers manager I've ever liked. Of course, Tom Lasorda was the manager for most of my life, so that kind of narrows it down.

"for no reason besides stubbornness."

Just because you don't understand the reason doesn't mean there isn't one.

164 I swear, I love that idea!

Most of the difference in 155 is in batting average. I'm not sure if that's indicative of anything, but it seems to be the case. How do Mueller's numbers look without Loney/Kemp?

161 Who should he have started instead? Stults?

Jim Tracy, Jim Tracy...where have I heard that name?

Russ is playing so well

168
An old man like me, who better appreciates "Freaks and Geeks" than Greg Brock, only has one more manager to remember.

Kent is hitting .333 since Mueller took over as the hitting coach.

Somehow I don't see Murray and Kent having lots of talks about anything.

Houlton or Stults, yep.

I'm 10 years older than Bob and have the same number of managers to remember.

Tampa Bay is rallying thanks in part to a catcher's interference.

Great...more of Vin's mancrush on Visquel....

Somehow I don't see Murray and Kent having lots of talks about anything

Jeff Kent doesn't understand black people.

Tracy may not have been the worst but he made the most transparently obvious mistakes I have ever seen.

I know he cannot hit anymore, but I will be very happy to see Vizquel gone from the Giants.

Lugo's collapse was hilarious.

155. Can you or someone who is good at such things please take a look at how much of the difference is directly attibutable to Loney and Kemp? Of course, everytime they don't make an out they give others a chance to succeed but what about the direct numbers?

168 I grew up liking Lasorda, but that's mostly because I didn't know any better. I didn't really like any of the subsequent replacements (especially Davey Johnson) until Tracy, whom I liked at first but eventually loathed. Little has been good for the most part and I'll be even more on his side if he ever benches Nomar.

I've only ever wanted one man to manage the Dodgers. And his name is Robert John Valentine.

Tomko actually pitched a scoreless inning.

180 I'm kinda hoping the talk of trading Vizquel turns out to be true.

I was born in '82 so I obviuosly don't know that much about Alston's managing style. From what I read he seems to be somewhat like Grady with his laid back attitude. Do you guys think that they're similar as managers?

I'd like to see Orel take over after Grady leaves the money on the table and retires this winter (from what I've heard).

I still cannot believe how bad the Giants lineup is. It's almost like trying hard to put together a lousy lineup of has-beens. It takes a lot of effort.

189 - For Julio Lugo straight up? Lugo is hitting a stellar .209/.278/.305 on the year.

190
Little and Alston have much different personalities. Alston was not known for having much of a sense of humor. Alston was very quiet. A lot of people thought that Alston was generally clueless and just kept his job because he was a company man and didn't cause trouble.

Alston had much more of a temper than Little.

Lasorda was a great manager...just a jerk....

I'm telling you...youtube Lasorda's "audio stew" fabulous....

192
Just think: you too could make millions and get a contract extension for putting such a lineup together. Oh: and for paying Barry Zito $100 million bucks.

195
Which Tommy Lasorda were you watching? Which pitcher's arm did you not mind Lasorda shredding into ribbons?

190 Both Grady and Alston suffered setbacks that were laid directly at their doorstep (Grittle with the Pedro moment and Alston several itmes, most notably in '62). Both seem like players managers but both wouldn't hesitate to get in the face of of their players (Grittle has done it a few times and Alston once threatened to fight any player who stood up on a team bus).

Alston was more extreme that Grittle in that if there was a move to be made, he would do it. He could also turn on a strategy like a Creon turned on Antigone (thank you, I'm here all week).

Is it me or is Vin being implicitally critical of Nomar swinging at the first pitch?

195 Lasorda ran more arms into the ground than Dusty Baker could ever dream of doing. And he called so many vanity plays (hits and runs, etc).

Being a loudmouth phony and bigot is just the icing on the cake.

Wow. Nomar took 5 of 7 pitches in that AB.

You know, I've come around on Vizquel. He used to bug me, but now I see him more as a entertainer. If he likes putting a bit of wow into a play, to give the crowd a thrill, who am I to argue?

197, 200- I was very young, and may not have paid attention to such things...I just remember him winning....no sarcasm intended....

Hu is hitting like crazy. He hit another home run in Vegas today.

Previous comments about Loney hitting everything hard..sooooo true!

Time for Bison to go boom

Well, that was pretty boomy

Bison!!

I heart this duo.

197 Disagreeing with Bob is not a hobby I want to get into as I am usually if not always wrong when I do so. But...

Lasorda was a very good manager because he won. I was always resentful that Bill James stopped writing his abstracts after the '87 season. He wrote a book a couple of yars later and wrote an off-hand comment that Lasorda did something like twenty different things during the '88 season that made the difference between the team winning and losing.

Lasorda could've done many things to avoid wining. Some years, he probably did. But my favorite team has flags flying thanks to him. He did a lot of things very right.

Kemp is the man!

The 2 headed monster: Loney and Kemp

203
It's OK. The Dodgers did win four pennants under Lasorda, but for the most part the Dodgers won in spite of Lasorda. Managing the 1977-78 Dodgers was not taxing.

Good break for Tomko there!

Bison charge!!

Kemp takes a CURVEBALL the other way with authority.

Lowry dares get in the way of the Bison?

Maybe Loney and Kemp should hit higher in the lineup than Pierre and Nomar.

Is anyone else seeing the Kemp/Manny similarities yet?

Can't anybody here play this game?

Every time Kemp makes a great play or hits the snot out of the ball (that is to say, every time he plays) it magnifies the stupidity of certain other personnel decisions.

This is really a big problem.

The current marines.com graphic says Pierre is one of the leaders of the game. How so?

Pierre's been much less annoying lately. Even a lot of his outs seem to be line drives, possibly foreshadowing a 2nd half like he had last year.

Charley Steiner regularly fails the one basic task of a radio announcer - to describe the action on the field in real-time, particularly during exciting moments. I just felt that fact was important to record in a public venue.

219 No becasue, Kemp can field and has an arm! And don't think he'll be "Matt being Matt"

So far, Tomko has not been given an RBI on his bunt. Lowry is just been given an error for dropping the bunt instead of an obstruction call.

Every time Kemp makes a great play or hits the snot out of the ball (that is to say, every time he plays) it magnifies the stupidity of certain other personnel decisions

And every time he makes an out, it proves that he's not ready for the major leagues yet.

Wha?....Juan?...who are you?

I like how Juan Pierre walking is followed by a coaching visit to the mound

D4P, you still in North Carolina? I'm gonna be in Raleigh for about 18 hours and was wondering if you had any tips on things to see.

225- He he he....OK...how 'bout the hitting part....

A "Coaching visit to mound" is pretty much obligatory after a walk has been issued to Juan Pierre.

I guess Bill Mueller is getting smarter by the minute.

229-Then Russ swinging at the first pitch and popping out harmlessly...bizzarro inning....

185 Maybe an appropriate time to respond, not sure why Mueller doesn't get credit for Kemp and Loney but here's goes the numbers.

With Kemp and Loney:
.306/.370/.437

Without Kemp and Loney:
.299/.364/.423

Martin swung at the first pitch! He's a witch! Burn him!

227 To be fair, Kemp does make an out more often than he does not make an out.

He certainly needs to work on that if he's going to stick around.

Patience, patience, Russell. First-pitch swing after a BB to Pierre. Sure enough, he got jammed.

234 - Russell Martin makes outs every so often so people do not become suspicious, or to allow his teammates a shot at the spotlight.

Hu, Young, and Laroche all have big games once again.

Hu 3-4, HR
Young 3-4, HR
Laroche 2-4, 2B

224 Bingo. I've been a defender of Charley's for eon's but since last season the problem you've described has gotten progressively worse.

Its wierd. The only guy today notable for making easy outs is Nomar. He is not that kind of guy. Something is wrong, and I know he is not happy with this situation. If he can survive this, he will be avaluable assett.

Kemp and Loney since Mueller was hired.
Not counting today's game.

.342/.399/.510

230
Are you confined to Raleigh per se, or can you get out to Durham and Chapel Hill?

If the former, and if you're like me, I suppose you might want to visit NC State University, and the capital area. Both are more or less in downtown Raleigh, and not too far from each other.

If you can get out, Duke and UNC are worth visiting. Downtown Durham is kinda interesting too, as you can see all the old tobacco warehouses that are being converted into other things.

Kemp's OPS is creeping back up to the 1.000 mark, he's at .974 now

242 I hope you're right, I really do.

242 His value maybe spelling some relief for Betemit at 3rd, or Raffy at SS, or Loney at 1st, heck can probably cover 2nd for Kent once in awhile also.

Nonetheless, hope he does start to turn things around!

220

... Nice Casey Stengel reference.

240- Vegas seriously inflates numbers....that being said, these are very exciting times....

King: 240 This sounds a bit like yesterday. I hope its fresh, and Laroche can rise above his shoulder doldrums.

210 - Speaking from a bit of hearsay knowledge, what Lasorda did well was give his players confidence, perhaps best demonstrated in the Sermon on the Mound to Hershiser. But seriously, wins and losses for a manager are probably even worse than wins and losses for a pitcher as far as determining quality. It strikes me that the GM picks the personnel and the manager just decides what to do with them, which only allows for so much discretion, particularly since the GM can fire him.

Take some pitches and we could be rid of Lowry.

244 It's just a quick little business trip, so I'll only have a few hours to look around. Visiting the university sounds like fun, I always like checking out different campuses. Any tips for night life in case I'm not too tired once I land?

Jeff Weaver's magical run seems to be ending today against the Tigers.

Hey, Nomar got a hit!

Any tips for night life in case I'm not too tired once I land?

I have spent almost no time in downtown Raleigh, but in the little time I was there, it looked like there's a lot of restaurants and bars and stuff down there.

Do you know where you're staying?

That ball was exceedingly foul.

That ball was not even close to being fair, but I'm sure Nomar will take it

Wow. That is an unbelievably bad call.

It was a foul ball...

255
Nope.

OPS

Pierre: .655
Nomar: .655

I think Nomar only got into second by a hair because he probably wasn't running out of the box hard because he saw the ball go foul.

I like seeing Umps overturn bad calls....gives me hope...

256 Looks like my hotel's actually in Cary (Best Western)

235. In comparing "Murray's dodgers" vs "Mueller's dodgers" its pretty important to note that Loney was brought up only a few days before the change. I'm pretty sure that the bulk of kemp ABs are since the switch. Is mueller to be credited with this badly needed rostrer change that is clearly the main reason for the turn around?

Nomar finally hits one hard and it's just foul. Bad luck.

That's more like it Nomar.

Check that:

OPS

Pierre: .655
Nomar: .646

249 You realize that Hu has more homers than Loney and only one less than Matt Kemp hit in Vegas.

All of this Meuller vs. Murray talk must always come with the caveat that hitting coaches matter almost none.

Better players are playing now.

Whoever comes up with these Yahoo rumors needs to get his head examined: http://tinyurl.com/2r394d

Kemp for Contreras? Pleeeease.

266 But the numbers improved greatly without Kemp and Loney's contributions but again I don't see why Mueller doesn't get credit because it wasn't like James was killing the ball in AAA prior to his callup.

The rumors of Jeff Weaver's rejuvenation seem to have been vastly overrated

The rumors of Jeff Weaver's rejuvenation seem to have been vastly overrated

I blame Bob.

271 Partly, though Kent and Pierre are batting better during that stretch. Also, despite his OPS numbers, for batting average, Abreu and Nomar have raised up the numbers at 3B.

Also not giving a day off to Russell keeps the catching numbers up for now.

Everything about Tomko seems different...his pitches seem faster, and even is windup looks different...

Maybe Honeycutt put in some serious work...

271. I actually agree

Fantasy headaches: I started Abreu and Damon today because Edwin Jackson as on the mound. The Yankees scored 6 runs... and my guys went 0-9.

Kemp and Loney have 15% of the plate appearances during this time period. They are certainly better than the players who got those at bats before.

But unless the other guys were hitting too, the improvement would not be as pronounced.

I didn't like re-signing Nomar, but never, in a million years, did I think he would be out OPSed by certain other players.

I agree, Nomar isn't this bad. But the gooder Nomar won't be that much gooder.

When the powers that be evaluate Tomko's performance today and what it means for his future with the team, I hope they keep in mind that he's facing one of the worst offenses in the league.

282- Good point...I hadn't really thought about that...

Super duper little experiment today, Grady. Please let it be the last time

Bonds is yakking.

God doesn't like me this much, does he?

I an going to wait to comment about Bonds but all I can say is wow.

282 But he won't even have a quality start if he gets pinch-hit for.

Tomko isn't going anywhere. I've made peace with it. We all should.

maybe this will give Brett a little trade value...

kEMP!!!

Gotta love Tomko throwing a hissy fit at the end of the inning. Just another reason why I can't stand the guy.

Kemp has had a monster series.

"Let's tell him what he's won...It's...A trip back to the bench!"

... Realistically, Tomko should have given up only one run. He pitched pretty well.

280. Are you sure? Take a look at everone other than Loney/Kemp since the switch. And again, their hits create more opportunities for everyone else.

287 Okay, please note that Pierre, Nomar and Tomko have all reached Fredo status for GB.

Nomar has been declining for a number of years. His decline just became more precipitous after last years ASG break. He may be past redemption.

Unfortunately, that is $18M down the drain, not to mention the waste of a roster spot.

290- How do you know he threw a hissy fit?

5 innings by Tomko, 3 runs just 1 earned, we'll take that. But hopefully not on a regular basis.

They should have used Saenz there. I don't know why that don't use him against a lefty when they have the chance.

294 I like Nomar. I feel for a guy whose skills have diminished.

The other two just aren't very good baseballers.

296-He mouthed the "F" word pretty clearly.

Now Tomko stands to win, if the bullpen can hold.

290 If you're talking about what he did coming off the mound, I think he was upset he gave up a run. That's not a hissy fit.

Squeeze it in baby!

Raffy puts Tomko in position to win. Win - think about that.

293 By using the math I learned in elementary school plus a spreadsheet application, all I did was take the team's totals and subtract Matt/James totals and I got the numbers I got.

So, unless you are implying that there is some mathmatic formula that makes their hits have a higher value, I stand by the numbers that the team even without their numbers is hitting and getting on base better since the hitting coach change.

300

... Looked to me that he was just unhappy about the pitch he threw to Durham. I don't see what's so wrong there; I would want my players to be competitors.

Squeeze, please...

Since moving to L.A., the Dodgers have never had more than 3 triples in one game.

They had three triples in a game at Arizona last year on May 2. And they lost that game.

JP! Nice...execution

Way to go Juan!

Whoa Vinny!...Excitement!....caused me to jump...

Thank you.

... WOW. Little even surprised me with that. I thought for sure that they would put the take sign on with a 3-1 count.

313 Does Grady even HAVE a take sign?

Nice execution by JP on the Charmin play.

Does Grady even HAVE a take sign?

We bunt here 3-1.

The way Vinny set up that play and called that play is what separates him from 90% of the announcers calling games today. He didn't overdo it or give the idea short shrift. He called it perfectly.

314

... With Pierre, he had better.

305 Sorry BR, don't mean to sound so cranky, I just added the numbers and put them out there for everyone to take a look.

I get what you are saying, from a subjective point, Loney and Kemp have impacted the team much more their numbers say they have and their numbers are great but its not like their success alone boosted the offense, it has been a team effort.

I'm playing an online poker tournament right now. But there is another going on that has Daniel Negreanu in it. It's pretty amusing seeing all the comments from observers.

316 You take what you can get when particular hitters are at the plate.

But a meek groundout to second would have done the same job.

320 Full Tilt??

320 PokerStars, ahh I remember those days.

Poker Stars

300 If you don't like players that swear when they play then you would hate Russell

320 Is it reverence, or is it "Oh man, I can't believe he played those rags. I would have done better"?

The before and after included K/L. Dont know if the other numbers were what the team did when K/L weren't playing or the team all year minus K/L or what. I think adding two guys with freaky high numbers is a more plausible explination for success than is the hypothesis that Mueller is such a superior hitting coach that he can turn hitters around in mere weeks.
Im posting from an iphone so I'll have to defer for now.

A mixture. The weirdest thing is people are apparently emailing him money somehow.

Wouldn't the best the Giants have to offer include Tim Lincecum?

Kemp is listed as 6'2 no?...he looks even taller than that...

This Giants team sucks. There's no way the GM should be getting an extension. Their fans should be insulted.

327 Im posting from an iphone
Showoff! ;)

Have we heard yet that Rich Aurilia used to move sets at the Metropolitan Opera?

327 We can defer for now, if you are one of the 39 DTers and friends at DT Day, I will be happy to debate further.

331 Yeah, but the owner says he's sold on the plan Sabean presented so it's a good thing. I say this as a Dodger fan. :)

331 I would submit that no single player in baseball history has affected the construction of an entire roster like Bonds has with the Giants.

And since 2002, it's been a debacle.

Rich Aurilia used to move sets at the Metropolitan Opera

He shouldn't have quit his day job.

332 I let that comment go. :)

332 How are those things? Are they worth the hype? You love 'em? An inquiring mind wants to know.

I would submit that no single player in baseball history has affected the construction of an entire roster like Bonds has with the Giants

The thing I don't understand is why putting a bunch of .700 OPS veterans around Bonds was the optimum strategy for getting him and the team a ring. This seems to be taken for granted, but I don't get it.

339 should've been directed at 327 and not 332 so I'm using 340 to indicate as much.

334. Haven't decided yet. I'd really like to meet you and many of the others but if you can't tell, I'm a little bitter right now. Trying to get past it!

332. What's the fun of having one if you can't show off! Actually, I usually hide it in public for fear of looking like the guy who has to show off his iPhone. But I must say that this site is so totally accessible and it is so easy to view and post, it almost looks like Apple considered DT in designing the darn thing. Just sick.

331 Living in the Bay area, listening to all the Gnats fatalists and Bonds' cultist's, the path the team is going, puts a smile on my face! Read the sports page in regards to the Gnats for my 'joke'of the day'

I follow dodgerhoughts.com on my iphone instead of my blackberry. It's easier for me to use.

340 Because veterans produce more than kids and know ow to deal with playoff pressure. I thought we talked about this?

Nomar hit that one far.

340 Because vets know how to deal with post-season pressure. I thought we talked about this?

And no, I don't know how the double post happened.

(sigh)

One day, I'll learn how to use the internet.

My Blackberry is useless for DT.

My phone is a phone.

Gurnick seems to think that the next releiver to be recalled will be Roberto Hernandez. It doesn't sound like Gurnick is privy to any real information on the matter, although with Ned's history, going with Hernandez over Meloan doesn't sound too far off.

SB is getting lost in the series of tubes.

The BlackBerry has trouble with the long threads and there also issues with having the browser remember that you're logged in.

It also sucks up battery power fast.

353 Yeah, I can't seem to ever get logged in.

352 LOL. That remains the single funniest political soundbite I have heard this year.

352 Too bad it isn't a dump truck.

355 Ted Stevens, the pride (?) of UCLA.

354
After you log on, you have to refresh the page for it to show that you logged in. The BlackBerry has a weird way of caching pages.

The iPhone not only CAN handle DT, it's like I said, it seems designed for it. You can hold the phone vertically and keep the screen small and see maybe 10-12 posts at a time. When you flip the phone horizontally, it fills the screen with maybe 2-3 comments. When you tap on the comment box, it fills the screen with it and brings up the keyboard. After a week I can tell you I can type much faster on it than I can on a Treo (which I had for years). MUCH faster.
Flip it back vertically and hit refresh and you're back to the 10-12 posts with your latest at the bottom. Almost as easy as posting from home and a lot more fun! I must admit, I have read and even posted comments while driving... today.
Only thing missing is a spell check.
BTW, I'm home now so this is NOT posted from my iPhone.

Russ, would you cut that out!

Not a fan of trying to back-pick a runner on first with another guy on second.

The ball has a way of ending up in right field.

Vin can be so mean sometimes

357 I had to look it up. He graduated from Harvard Law School as well. Of course, back then, they actually used trucks and tubes.

Let's see if BH jinxed the Dodgers with his Bonds proclamation.

362 - what'd he say?

Most of that Visa commercial was shot in L.A. The store where everybody was buying stuff was actually a Famima!! at 6th and Grand.

365 Something like "the crowd cheering now for Bonds to do something... anything..."

I'm sure it's been said, but Beimel looks scarrier than last year, when you couldn't see his eyes in his gameday picture.

Ha-ha ha..Bonds did something alright

Bonds's longest hitless streak since...?

... Unbelievable the way the Dodgers have handled Bonds in this series.

yay!

Barry looks so good striking out!

God doesn't like me this much!

Bonds stinking makes me happy.

You stink, stinky!

On three pitches no less.....

We gotta hold and win this for the Tomko!

From the album "Treadmill to Oblivion" comes the smash hit, "Absolutely Humiliated."

We gotta hold and win this for the Tomko!

So Grittle will (continue to) think he's a good pitcher and keep him on the roster for the rest of the year!

Before that groundout, Kemp and Loney were each 35 for 91 this season. Kemp had had five straight hits, I believe.

I think this week he really was using flax seed oil.

381 - or eating trader joes peanut butter

Or the "cream" really was just cream.

Bonds had a 0 for 21 stretch in 2001 (4/5-4/12) and longer ones early in his career.

383 Dammit! That's the line I was looking for.

382
Thanks for helping me relive that nightmare.

I had to go eat a pizza with garlic, anchovies, and capers to get that taste out of my mouth.

379 No, but hopefully his trade value will go up

Should have left Biemel in...

386
So: what was the "Better than Peanut Butter" made of? Did it contain nuts, or some kind of nut substitute?

Goodness, the Giants aren't a very good baseball team. Some young pitching, but no farm system and Bonds on the way out and various and sundry veteran detritus.

The pitchers in that 2001 cold spell for Bonds included Luke Prokopec, Matt Herges, Jeff Shaw, Eric Gagne (starter version), Kevin Jarvis, Jay Witasick, Bobby Jones, and Dave Maurer.

391
Oh, and Chan Ho Park.

An LOL comment from McCovey Chronicles:

Free Greg Anderson!!!

389
I believe it contained recycled tires, peach pits, and brown food coloring.

... various and sundry veteran detritus.

My man GB is on fire!

Giants will push hard for A-Rod, or Andruw next year...

Not this again...

395 The Giants being terrible brings out the best in all of us.

There should be a massive firesale of this whole team. Trade everybody. Trade the bullpen catcher.

Seriously? We're going through this again?

can you trade a bullpen catcher?

Or a manager?

Hey, I'm with you GB. I just love the use of sundry and detritus.

Beimel looked terrific today - I probably would have left him in, but I don't blame Grits for bringing in Broxton.

I would bring in Saito now.

And everyone wonders why they keep talking about a bullpen guy.

I dont get it.

Is this a joke?

I believe it contained recycled tires, peach pits, and brown food coloring

Is this it...?

http://www.betternpeanutbutter.com/

Needed that first strike call. Needed it bad.

I'm imagining something like this in that coaching visit

"Jonathan, you need to trust your stuff. Now throw a cutter."
"But I don't throw a cutter."
"Of course you do."

405
EEK! NOOOOOO!!!!

Will Young get moved for a guy like Dotel?

403 I admit I am one of those in the "everyone" category.

Will Young get moved for a guy like Dotel?

Only time will tel.

Roberts can be overpowered...

396

Wouldn't that be funny if the Giants got A-Rod and then decided they needed to surround him with even more veteran "talent"?

I bet Bettern'PeanutButter goes well with marmite.

413 - like the Texas Rangers?

414- You eat the marmite to get the Bettern'PeanutButter taste out

It would be nice if Broxton had a changeup.

NASTY

Aw yeah!

Yay!

415

Yeah, pretty much. Brian Sabean might be the worst GM in baseball.

K.

Tremendous pitch by Broxton. I was waiting for him to throw the slider.

Dave Roberts is one of those starting centerfielders who's really more of a pinch runner.

Slider works!

I still wish he had a changeup.

409 I wish we would only have to give up Delwyn. The price of a Proven Closer™ is pretty high these days

Guess, Saito will get to face BB.

I like how Sabean and the Rangers GM both got extentions.

421 Who's running the Pirates? I forget his name but he's worse.

Littlefield, I believe

429 Dave Littlefield!

413-I can totally see that...The Giants aquire a hated slugger and then keep Durham, Aurililia, sign Shawn Green...etc...I love it...

The ESPN duo of Miller & Morgan are addressing the Sheffield comments right now. They sound like guys walking through a minefield.

regfairfield, are you planning on a rematch for the worst gm in baseball anytime soon?

Morgan will say Torre needs to be more consistently racist.

429

I don't know, the Giants have had the advantage of a bigger payroll and Barry Bonds. Anonymous Pittsburgh Guy has been pretty terrible, but he did get Jason Bay and Adam La Roche.

It wasn't exactly a secret, as general manager Ned Colletti and Sunday starter Brett Tomko sat on a sofa in the middle of the Dodgers clubhouse after Saturday's win and talked.

When Tomko spoke with reporters Friday, he hinted that he would soon meet with Colletti to discuss his future with the club, immediate and long-term. Tomko would not go into details about the conversation, but said it was productive.

I bet Depo never had sofa-side chats...

I've heard rumors that Shawn Green may be DFA'd if Moises Alou ever gets healthy again.

is Betemit on deck?

436- I agree...Littlefield is actually building a nice team...it's just that Pirate ownership HATES to spend money....

428 Jon Daniels is relatively new to the job. Sabean is just bad.

429 I have to go with every Pirates GM from Cam Bonifay to today as the worst.

Andy MacPhail is good at MacPhailing upwards as well.

Kevin Malone was the worst ever....

Who was the Oriols guy?...Sid Thryft?

Morgan will say Torre needs to be more consistently racist.

Excuse me while I wipe the water from my laptop...

435 Nice.

Joe actually can't comment on Torre's racism because he hasn't seen him be racist enough.

If I calculated correctly, Betemit's OPS coming in to today's game was .846.

442 - The Orioles' GM is leashed by Peter Angelos.

Run Russell, run!

Yes, they have to be patient... but should they be patient?

With LuGo starting to show his age a bit I hope he gets more days off to let the Kemp and Ethier show run through town

Nomar looks aweful...just aweful....

Good news for Giants fans!

Russ Ortiz threw a simulated game today and he seems to be close to coming back.

Gagne's in to close against the Angels if anyone wants to take a trip down memory lane

452 I'm checking it out. His fastball is at 92.

Russ Ortiz threw a simulated game today

Isn't that pretty much all he does?

Saito attempting to become the first Dodger to blow three straight save opportunities since last year when Baez blew four in a row.

Gagne's fastball topping out at 91, change at 83, curve around 68. He just got a k for the 2nd out.

Time for Saito.

455- Is he really attempting that feat?

Bob Welch blew three straight save opportunities but it took him six seasons to do so. He blew two in 1979 and then he had a save opportunity in 1984 and blew that one.

Abreu's got hands man....

458 He was saving it for Reggie

458 Oh my God!

Great stuff and where do you get it? Is this all baseball reference?

A little k looking to end the game and series by Bonds here would be fitting.

I mean, baseballreference.com...

Saito now with a 6" break on his fastball

A pop up works.

We win!

I'm off the Blair Field to watch exciting American Legion action.

Best. Series. Ever.

Now if we can only get the Pods to dress in black and orange next time we head down south to dog-food park!

When one team wins all of the games in a series with another team, I like to say that they "mopped" the other team.

Ahhhh, the perfect climax!

Dodger blown save streaks:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/bwm3

462 I like the harmless popups, too!

This is just too much fun.

Ice cream for everyone at Dodger Stadium tomorrow.

The human sub-woofer, Harry Kalas, is now behind the mike on ESPN.

I was just wondering "when was the last time Bonds when 0-5" and then realized it was yesterday, although he had a walk in that one.

This series should end all the talk about Bonds sitting out games during this road trip. Let him get to 754 first before you get to that kind of talk.

I just wonder when was the last time Bonds when 0-5 two games in a row?

Just to enjoy the history; feel free to crosspost this to McCovey's Chronicles ;-)

13 consecutive wins in SF:

8/1/1976, game 1, 4-1, Sutton beats Barr, Hough gets the save, Buckner goes 3-4 with a walk and 3 runs scored.

8/1/1976, game 2, 4-3 in 10 innings, Hough beats Heaverlo, Giants score 2 in the ninth off of Rhoden to tie, Dodgers get a run in the 10th on a sac fly by Bill Russell.

9/21/1976, 3-2, Rau beats Moffitt, save for Hough, Cey homers in the 8th to break a 2-2 tie. Another three-hit game for Buckner.

9/22/1976, 3-1, Sutton beats Knepper for his 20th win on a CG six-hitter.

9/23/1976, 4-1, Hooton beats Montefusco on a CG three-hitter.

4/15/1977, 7-1, Rau beats Halicki, Reggie Smith hits two-run home runs in the first and third innings.

4/16/1977, 5-0, Hooten beats McGlothen on a CG five-hit shutout, another two-run home run in the first inning for Reggie Smith.

4/17/1977, 7-6, Hough beats Moffitt, behind 6-5 after seven, the Dodgers get two in the 8th on a Cey home run, walk to Garvey, and double by Lacy.

7/1/1977, 10-5, Rau beats Charlie Williams, Dodgers get 17 hits, including 2 doubles, 3 triples (didn't Bob mentions this earlier in this thread?) and 2 HR. The triples were by Lopes, Yeager, and Reggie Smith.

7/2/1977, 10-3, Hooten beats Knepper, Hooten CG, Dodgers get 13 hits, including two more triples (Russell and Garvey).

7/3/1977, 10-7, John beats Barr, save for Garman, Cey went 5-5 with two doubles, 2 runs, 4 RBI, Garvey kept the triple barrage going.

7/4/1977, 4-0, Sutton beats Halicki on a CG three-hit shutout, triple of the day is provided by Reggie Smith. Cey is 3-4 with 2 RBI.

9/20/1977, 3-1, John beats Halicki, save for Rautzhan, Dodgers get all three runs in the second inning when Garvey singles, steals second, scores on a double by Baker, and Monday homers.

The next day they lost, 5-4.

For the record, except for the 1984 Tigers, the 1977 Dodgers were the best team I ever saw.

476 Bob can find it and then let Vin credit the boys in the truck for that information.

Ok, April 8th and 10th of 2001. The Giants won both of those games, acutally.

476
April 8, 2001 at LA
0 for 5, K, 8, 6 vs Gagne, K vs Nunez, 2F vs Shaw
April 10, 2001 at SD
0 for 5, K, 8 vs Jarvis, 5 vs Witasick, 7 and 6-3 ground out vs Maurer.

And the 2001 season ended up pretty well for Bonds if I recall.

There was no game on April 9th. April 8th was the last game of the series against LA, and April 10th was the first one against San Diego. The opposing starting pitchers were Eric Gagne and Kevin Jarvis.

480 - nicely detailed

468 - Swiffered?

484
Dustbustered?

479480 Gasp. Bob got beat.

I celebrated by giving my cat a dose of Vaseline. He's treating it like I treated my Trader Joe's peanut butter.

486 - 22 seconds for each out and pitcher is pretty good, though. I don't think I coulda done that

The Dodgers have morphed into the 2005 White Sox, according to the AP summary:

"While the Giants wait for Barry Bonds to hit another long ball, the Los Angeles Dodgers played small ball to beat their archrival again."

still bitter about the butter.

490
I think I need to send in the Miller Beer truck driver to Trader Joe's to repossess that peanut butter.

484
Swiffer Wet-jetted...?

489 Two successful squeeze plays will have on impact on lede writing.

If we're going to be the 2005 White Sox, we might as well trade Kemp for Jose Contreras!

I'm off to make a peach pie.

George Costanza: "That's pie country. They do a lot of baking up there."
Jerry Seinfeld: "They sell them by the side of the road. Blueberry blackberry."
George: "Blackberry boysenberry."
Jerry: "Boysenberry huckleberry."
George: "Huckleberry raspberry."
Jerry: "Raspberry strawberry."
George: "Strawberry cranberry."
Jerry: "Peach."

Wow. What a series for the kids. KLEM (Kemp,Loney,Ethier,Martin) went a combined 23 for 43. Add in Betemit and Abreu and it's 29 for 55. I have visions of rings dancing in my head.

Nomar badly needs to be released. His SLG is lower than Pierre's.

438 Bob, you just checking to see if I'm out here ;-)

"heard rumors" -- Does that mean someone within baseball or the Mets told you that as opposed to reading it somewhere. Can you expound on where you learned of this rumor. I have an inquiring mind in my house who would like details.

So silverwidow's "Sunday is now a guaranteed loss" comment last Thursday was followed up with the "hissy fit" comment today. Funny how he/she/it wasn't able to muster positive (or any other) comments during today's victory.

Good job Brett, the Giants may be a sad offensive team but he still did the job.
Hard to believe that Noah Lowry once was someone I feared.

D Young has to be the hottest hitter in the minor leagues right now. 57 EBH. He couldn't have timed it better as we head into trading deadline time.

I'm back from familial duties and revelling in sweet series sweep victory.
Could SW be a closet Giants fan?
Did Bob read it or hear it?
Will Doc. Technical make it into Battle?
Who knows? Who cares?
As long as the D's don't make a stupid trade, which probably boils down to as long as the D's don't make a trade.

i'm pretty frustrated with nomar, too. but, in contrast to many of the commenters here, instead of feeling disdain for the guy, i genuinely feel bad for him. this year can't be easy for him and considering what he did for the team last year and what a good guy he is, i really feel for him. i'm pulling for him to turn it around even if that means a stint on the dl.

491 - "This isn't the high life, this is the low life!"

496- That's not a proper joke!

Apropos of something a couple hundred comments back. . .I think it's unlikely that the BP team is willing to tank its predictions because they don't like that McCourt fired their boy. It's pretty easy to guess what Sheehan doesn't like about Colletti, without looking for ricochet grudges.

503 I understand your tilt, and was trying to convey this in (I think)242.

Though I love Nomar and feel very sad to see the level to which he's devolved (my second favorite team is the Red Sox having spent most of my adult life in Vermont), I can't agree that he should be the everyday 3rd baseman at this point. You can see it on his face, recently every time he looks impotent. I think we've got to play the guy who will give us the most production, now, and at least recently it seems like Betemit. I'd love to see Nomar turn it around, and I think it's possible, but if he needs to sit awhile, so be it.

The BP guys have rarely been clearer, or more abrasive. It will be interesting and also easy to follow this.

Can anyone help me with this one. I remember(perhaps as a teen or twenty) watching Eric Young come up through our system. At the time it was probably VB, San Antonio, and Albaquerque. He came up in step with another middle infielder and I don't think it was Anderson. But I think it was another guy with a one or two syllable last name. It's killing me.
Somehow it reminds me of Abrue and Hu, although the first pair probably weren't as good. Then cam a pair of successive third basemen, Hamilton and Hansen, I think. Always in pairs.

506 sorry, didn't see your comment. i wasn't saying that everyone was doing this, but enough have that it bothers me.

509- Rafael Bournigal?

Meloan picked up save number 18 today so he is not on a plane to Los Angeles.

Offerman was a little ahead, but would have spent part of 1991, at least, with EY.

Eddie Pye has a monosyllabic surname and came up a little ahead of EY, but would have been in Albuquerque at the same time.

511 Don't think so-it was a simple name like Young. Its so faint it could also be imagination.
510 No apologee needed; I think our feeling is the appropriate one, and hate to see him bashed.
513,514 Excellent ideas, but no. This could be imag. Or maybe it is someone even earlier. But I remember dreaming of this DP team that never materialized

Is there going to be an open thread on Screen Jam for tonight's episodes? JFC took it too another level tonight.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar is going to now be on the show. Dylan from 90210, Al Bundy, and Zach from Saved by the Bell all on the same show. It is insanity.

*JFC took it to

Shawn Green wants a hug

http://tinyurl.com/2w4gu6
N.Y. Times article on new Met's hitting coach.

But to say that a hitting coach is in charge of only hitting is to minimize the importance of one of the more multifaceted jobs in baseball. Almost in equal parts, a hitting coach must be a teacher, a friend, a communicator, a psychologist, a father figure and a comedian. At various times during the Mets' hourlong batting practice before last night's game against the Cincinnati Reds, Johnson resembled them all.

He tutored José Valentín on hitting to the opposite field. He reminded Carlos Beltrán to spray the ball to all parts of the field. He cracked jokes with David Wright. He put his arm around Damion Easley while making a point.

"A lot of the job is being a rah-rah guy," Shawn Green said. "We all know how to hit or else we wouldn't be here. Sometimes all we want is to be held and told that everything's going to be all right."

Things you learn from a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar youtube clip.

In 1928, Cab Calloway tried out for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Calloway made the team. He decided to follow music instead.

519 It was probably a blessing for both fields of endeavor. Although if he could get defenders to try and emulate his scat dribbling......

I don't have distain for Nomar, but I don't see how anyone can justify playing him at this point. If he's injured he needs to go on the DL. If not he needs to be released. It's one thing to go into a slump, but his performance is so far beneath anything reasonable over the past full season that even a vast improvement could be insufficient.

Can someone tell me why Delwyn got moved off second base? No range? Hands of stone? Thanks.

And tomorrow's headline will be?

Come on, you knew this was coming so you shouldn't be surprised.

"Little said Tomko earned another start while Wolf recovers from a shoulder impingement. It will come Friday against the Mets at home, where the fans have been very tough on Tomko. He'll worry about that Friday."

http://tinyurl.com/2n5d69

509 I think it was Jose Munoz.

I think I remember hearing somewhere he wasn't much of an infielder, but I don't remember specifics. We may have felt crowded with Abrue and Hu coming up.(and JtD was still at SS) It is a very good question.

524 Thanks but no. Now I remember fantasizing about our wasp sounding combo. Of course I hadn't seen Young.

Put Delwyns mind in Delmans body---wow.

Stiff hands is what the scouting reports said. He has a good arm so that wasn't the problem. Usually when an infielder gets moved it is a combination of bad hands and bad positioning due to slow feet. Abreu had passed him as a 2nd base prospect.

Did anyone post that Kuo felt pain today and he shut down his thowing program?

522 -- No range AND hands of stone, the double whammy.

523. Tomko gets bombed, DFA'ed and DT day turns into an impromptu Tomko going away party. And there was much rejoicing.

I'd much rather see Tomko pitch well and help us win a pennant.

At last year's DT get-together, Tomko started against the Pirates. Oliver Perez started for the Bucs and was awful and couldn't find home plate. Tomko lasted five innings before leaving with an oblique strain and Jae Seo came in to pitch a four-inning non-save.

Now Perez is the Mets ace. Tomko keeps getting reprieves from the governor. And Jae Seo is in Durham.

What will happen this year?

Beats me, I'll be working.

532 But you'll be commenting for all of us.

We can all use Branch Ricky's IPHONE.

528 First I've heard about Kuo and I don't like the sound of it.
Message to big pharma--if I experience anything for more than four hours, I will probably call my "physician" on general principles!

534- The password is: MurrayRulesMuellerDrools.

536 isn't meant to be a shot, by the way. I don't really care about who the batting coach is. In Colletti's shoes, I'd have used Mueller to replace Rich "Wicked Windmill of the West" Donnelly.

523 I apologize for attempting to justify the Brett Tomko start. I was assuming this was just to pass time until Houlton could come back to the big club.

537 I don't know what i would think or do if I saw Donnelly waving me in. But I would pray my equipment worked well and I was still wearing a helmet.

537 And I would ask for a second opinion.

531. I'd much rather see Tomko pitch well and help us win a pennant.

I'm with you. I can't see Tomko being DFA'ed. He's owed a lot of money and he has a long standing relationship with the GM. If no one will take him in a trade then we're stuck with him. So we may as well root for him to do well either way.

509 Juan Castro was a fairly significant SS prospect in our system back in the day, but he doesn't exactly fit in with your WASP recollection.

BBRef has the lists of every Dodger draftee since EY's time (and before). So, if it's bugging you enough, and you think you'd recognize the name on sight, without stats, you could page through those lists.

Here's EY's draft year (there are links to the year before and after at the top of each page):

http://tinyurl.com/ytku37

Thanks Andrew. I'll check it out tomorrow. If BBR had had its curent org. depth charts in the 70/80 period it would be a walk in the park.

On the BBRef Play Index front page is the promise:

"Coming this summer
The ability to search through minor league stats"

A nation waits with baited breath.

If I'm repeating, I apologize; only had time for a quick scan of the first 150.
16. Jon, Jon, Jon, Jon, Jon.....
Thirty-somethin'-or-other. Jon, Jon, Jon, Jon, Jon.......
Clear violations of 2,3,4,6, 7 and a host of unwritten others....
St. Vincent of the Rams, five or six or more years ago, was waxing enthusiatic about a fairly nice but repeatable catch by a well-paid professional named Hollandsworth near an outfield wall. Vin's first report (and so the one His Ego-Eminence was forced by his own flawed character to defend) was that Todd had robbed so-and-so of a home run, immensely aiding the Good Guys' cause. Those bothersome new-fangled replays insisted on contradicting him - the liftoff (unnecesaary, as it turned out, since the ball was snagged while on the return to earth) was initiated several feet short of the wall, and the rest of the drama nowhere near the altitude necessary to predict a ball over it that continued its refusal to climb higher with each dance of the humble electrons. I am happy to report to all of you who've been cured of terminal disease just by listening to Saint Vin that he budged not an inch from his original take, full-color contradictions, one after after another, notwithstanding.
Which, of course, leads me to the jaundiced comments of the Head Rascal re: the story of Sad Wilson's Redemption.
Wil was held in low esteem here (turn you away, Andrew Shimmin) because HE WAS STINKIN' UP THE JOINT!!!!!!! I, and others of the Impatient Ilk, as opposed to contrary seers like Grady and y'self, saw him, as the early - season regular sad third-sacker, creating new meanings for the term "Black Hole." In an offensively-challenged lineup, he obviously needed some sorting- out time (and I suggested the desert an estimable locale).
Then, God bless, if nothing else in his manager's bag-o-tricks, Grady's stubborn persistence (and the unimpressive play of everyone else they tried there) with Wilson and his astoundin' performance in the toughest role in the game, as a semi-late-inning pinch-hitter. There followed, roughly, sporadic continued failure as a spot regular, and some more impactful hits as a one-timer. I praised him to the heavens; I congrat-ed his supporters. I asked if there was any way we could get him to a shrink to discover the difference in his approach as the wildy successful one and the pretty dismal other.
Grady stayed with him, and yes, now, finally, there is some evidence to support his worth in the everyday lineup, and calls for patience with his failures. But before this recent run, the weight of evidence was on the side of the Impatient Angels, and before his pinch-hitting magic, almost all of it. On a great offensive team, he might have been wished and granted more time. On this one, calls for him to find his stroke without contributing four pathetic outs night after young-season night in the majors were entirely warranted (Andrew) BY THE THEN AVAILABLE EVIDENCE!!!!!!! We did not make this up, as Saint Vin often does; we did not tell it the way we wanted it to unfold (as you often do) but honored the day-in day-out actual flesh-and-blood-and-electronically-verifiable way IT WAS UNFOLDING!!!!!!!
So, I suspect, as in previous difficult circumstances, you will punish y'self for the aforementioned rules violations more harshly than you would any of the rest of the Woebegone.
PS: My doubts (continuing) about Wilson,
are generated more by respect for the extraordinary work done by the Braves in the last fifteen seasons (not so much whom they trade for, but whom they are willing to let go), and not by any disrespect for fans of the Flock who see him as a big plus. He was the Prize of Prizes in a system fairly rich in everyday players, and, needing him, from time to time over the course of his ascendancy, never could find him regular work, and let him go for what I still think was a suspiciously modest price (unless some Dodger ML scouts were part-timing for John S., re: Danys).
In this org, at this time, among Nomar, Tony, Wilson (and, as I've occasionally seen here, Olmedo), if I'm the manager,
the guy who gets the lion's share of the PT at 3b, for now, is Senor Betemit. Unless and until, as at the beginning of the season, he plays himself back to hero-off-the-bench, based on (Andrew) CONSISTENTLY
CLUELESS AT-BATS!!!!!
And for all those who love power baseball, and do diligent daily dirges about the absence of same, please inform me who has the best record in the senior circuit right now? And please, while at it, inform me of the flaws in the Great Walt's Game, such that his teams contended almost every year, absent that magic power, and occasionally brought a championship to your city. Please. Alms for the poor, enlightenment for those of us darkened by Walt's evil pall.
PPS - to the guy crackin' wise about sitting Russell in various low-expectation situations. I know you were stretching the limits in making your point, but the next great revolution in baseball will be to recognize and take advantage of those insights, and cultivate a culture wherein a bright strategist of a manager can rely on his guys to understand such machinations serve a greater good, and more importantly, give nourishing lessons to kids of all ages, about the One and the Many.
And lastly, I apologize that time constraints don't allow or encourage live exchanges. I try to honor the folks I read;
I pin my tales, mostly, at the end of the donkey, since that seems the best place...

545 "Baited" breath? Got a worm on your tongue there, son?

949 words!

It's somewhat like reading "Finnegan's Wake."

(509) Could it be Carey Ingram ?

On opening day 2009, this is the Dodgers' batting line-up I want to see:

Xavier Paul, CF (Bats Left)

Chin-Lung Hu, SS (Bats Right)

Russell Martin, C (Bats Right)

Matt Kemp, RF (Bats Right)

James Loney, 1B (Bats Left)

Andy LaRoche, 3B (Bats Right)

Andre Ethier, LF (Bats Left)

Tony Abreu, 2B (Bats Switch)

The only thing that really stands in the way of that line-up coming to pass is Pierre's contract. Sure, a whole bunch of other things COULD happen that would keep any or all of the other seven players from being there, but they are all things that are OPTIONAL on the Dodgers' part, like re-signing Furcal, signing other free agents, trades, etc.

I meant Garey Ingram.

547- I through in the towel on trying to keep homonyms straight some time ago.

546 -

So I was right with 16.

And I wasn't attacking you, certainly wasn't trying to encourage you to attack me (would have been much happier to have you not do so), wasn't arguing for the sake of arguing, wasn't using hyperbole and wasn't being sarcastic. I don't see that I violated any rules, written or unwritten. I made a declarative, unemotional, sincere statement.

Holy crap! We have the best record in the National League! And it's July 15.

Tomko starting on Friday is unspeakable, but maybe we could win three of four leading up to that. And maybe Nomar could take over as third-base COACH? He'd be good at that gig. Poor sad Nomar.

546 Brevity does not seem to be your strong suit

Can someone give me the Cliff's Notes version of that post? Main characters, significant plot points, themes, etc.

556- The people who thought Betemit was no good were right; he was no good. Atlanta doesn't give up good prospects. He's come around. For some reason. But only because every other 3B who got a shot was awful too; on a team with a reasonable option at third, he'd have been sent off, as he ought to have been.

I'm not sure what I have to do with any of it. Though, something, it seems.

The only argument all season long, the one that so often gets forgotten, was that Betemit was the best available option at third base. Nothing that happened in April changed that, unless for some reason you would count only April and throw out everything that preceded April in his career. Betemit was never "no good." He had a bad month - and yet even when he wasn't hitting, he was still walking, I believe.

Now, as then, I would not argue Betemit is an All-Star. I only have argued that he's the best option the Dodgers have at third base, at least until LaRoche ascends.

So this whole thing about what Atlanta does and doesn't do is largely irrelevant. The question has never been whether Atlanta gives up good prospects, it's been whether Atlanta would give up a better third baseman than the 2007 version of Tony Abreu. And in a trade for Danys Baez and Willy Aybar, the answer to that question is and has been yes.

546 We did not make this up, as Saint Vin often does; we did not tell it the way we wanted it to unfold (as you often do) but honored the day-in day-out actual flesh-and-blood-and-electronically-verifiable way IT WAS UNFOLDING!

So I may be taking a risk to dance with Mr. bojangles, but 5, 6, 7, 8....

I think those three things are called fiction-writing, analysis, and reporting. Analyzing and commenting on game action are practically a time-honored tradition in baseball, and other endeavors as well. Consider chess for example. (Bridge players can mentally supply their own similar comparison here.) What would chess be without kibbitzers? Are not chess matches analyzed and annotated with fine-toothed combs, complete with commentary, question marks, and exclamation points inserting the opinion of the analyst?

Is there something inherently wrong in analyzing baseball games, providing arguments and opinions on manager's moves, batter's approaches, pitcher's pitch selections, considering alternate decisions?

It is one thing to report that Wilson Betemit's batting statistics are significantly different when considering pinch-hitting appearance separate from the others. It is another thing to consider if there is or is not any causal relationship from situation to result and to opine whether or not this statistic should affect starting lineup decisions. Is there not room for both? Is a blog, with the system of initial post and comment in reply, not a medium that begs for both?

Machinations. Nice. So basically most agree that Betemit might be the best option at third.

I wanted to post this during the game, but I was called away, not to return until now.

Giants' position players on the current 25-man roster, through Saturday:

Player OPS+
Barry Bonds - 184
Ryan Klesko - 121
Fred Lewis - 115
Randy Winn - 98
Ray Durham - 89
Bengie Molina - 84
Kevin Frandsen - 84
Mark Sweeney - 77
Pedro Feliz - 74
Rich Aurilia - 72
Dave Roberts - 70
Omar Vizquel - 57
Guillermo Rodriguez - 40

Man. Not groovy.

Oh c'mon ESPN. It was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, not 10,000. Isn't there anybody there who's ever read a book?

562 -- Maybe nobody there read THAT particular book, no?

563- I think I must have misheard it. I don't think it's possible that nobody caught a mistake like that. It's not like they didn't see the Philly losing its 10,000th game coming; the piece must have been in the works for a while.

Wilson Betemit's year has been too weird for me to form an opinion of it. He's beating his 90th percentile PECOTA projection for EQA, right now. I was happy when LaRoche came up, irritated when he got sent back down, but the rest of the time, I've thought Betemit should be playing. One of the problems of giving up on people after April is that you end up with a player who doesn't have a full year's worth of stats, ever. Just pieces, split two ways with heavy benching. It's doubly frustrating, given what non-Betemit 3Bs have been good for. Not only do we go another year wondering what this guy is really good for, but we get to do so without having gained anything by it.

More Mueller stuff, player stats since the change:

Ethier .407/.507/.593
Gonzo .302/.394/.442
Pierre .297/.325/.356
Martin .375/.450/.594
Kent .326/.408/.465
Furcal .256/.318/.347
Nomar .263/.306/.313

Furcal is batting .321 with an .832 OPS in July while Gonzo has cooled down from his hot June.

Nomar is so bad on the road (5 for 37 in this study) that you do have wonder if he will be moved even further down in the order. One note about of Betemit's struggles is that while its true that historically he is much better hitter lefthanded than right, this year, outside the 9 to 1 homer ratio batting left to right, batting average wise he is about the same from either side of the plate.

My point is that you could start Wilson against lefties as much as Nomar because this year, Nomar does not lefties well.

I apologize for attempting to justify the Brett Tomko start. I was assuming this was just to pass time until Houlton could come back to the big club.

Tomko might be in the rotation for the rest of the season if Wolf's arm doesnt fully recover.

Unless the Dodgers acquire D-Train--which I could honestly see happening.

Willis isn't a good pitcher. Who are we going to trade for him? Why would the Dodgers make that trade? I'd put that idea in the same wastebin as Texeira for Kemp, Billingsley, and Kershaw.

Why would the Dodgers make that trade?

Why did the Dodgers trade for Danys Baez?
Why did the Dodgers trade for Lance Carter?
Why did the Dodgers trade for Mark Hendrickson?

That answers the second question, but reinforces the first. Who did we really give up for those players that we would like back? If we traded some spare, crappy parts like Hendrickson then fine, but realistically who would we trade? I could see an offer of Tomko, Mattingly, and Young for Willis, but not much more than that. I wouldn't want to part with Young, but there isn't any room for him on the ML roster.

I can see Willis being the kind of pitcher Ned would overvalue. I mean, the guy is a 20-Game Winner™! And he's got a popular nickname! And he's good friends with our centerfielder!

566, 570 -- No, Willis is one of the LEAST likely guys Colletti would get. Ned is a "What has he done lately?" kind of guy. Hendrickson was keeping runs off the board quite well when we picked him up, with an ERA in the mid-3.00 range, in the offense-heavy AL East. By contrast, Willis has been pretty ineffective this year. I'm not saying that Colletti wouldn't take Willis for a cheap price; there is just a huge discrepency between what Colletti would be willing to give up and what Florida would demand.

While Dodger fans focus on the troubles of Nomar another former elite 3rd baseman is also suffering a power outage. The 32 year old Rolen has a line of 266/340/378 while the soon to be 34 year old Nomar has a line of 270/318/327. The fall off similarity doesn't end there. Last year Pre-All Star break both of these players were two of the best hitters in baseball.

Pre All-Star 2006
Rolen - 331/398/577
Nomar-358/426/578

Post All-Star 2006
Rolen - 253/333/447
Nomar-229/286/408

Nomar has fallen further then Rolen but other then PreAllStar 2006 he hasn't been in Rolen's class for several years. The dropoff of both players over the last 162 games is an interesting sideline to the 2007 season. As Andru Jones has heated up after a first half of futility, Dodger and Cardinal fans have to hope that the cliff isn't on the horizon for their respective 3rd baseman but a revival instead. Chances of a post season may depend on it.

Dontrelle is a decent buy-low candidate. LA doesn't have the CFer that Florida wants, but a package centered around Delwyn Young and Jonathan Meloan would make sense to me.

571---Willis is a veteran inning eater--that also happens to be a fan favorite type of player.

That is right up Ned's alley.

Willis would be the Nomar of the pitching staff, and considering there's not much on the pitching market this month---I think he might be the guy the Dodgers will target.

I dont think they should, but I think they will.

Ned is a "What has he done lately?" kind of guy

I don't disagree, though Tomko and Wolf hadn't done much for anyone lately when they were signed.