No links to Gameday?

Does that mean Saito is ready for action?

First post.

Yay! Saito's shoulder is back.

Is Kuo out for the rest of the year? Isn't arthroscopic surgery generally a pretty quick heal? 6-8 weeks usually

From last thread:

101. Yep, based on Martin's statement I figured we'd be prudent and rest him today. But Grady thought otherwise :-)

>>> Russell Martin is expected to be available, even though he left Tuesday night's game in the eighth inning with a tight buttocks muscle. Martin said he originally felt discomfort several days ago and aggravated it on a swing just before his eighth-inning RBI double. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/yqladj

My LATed breaking trade news:

Linebrink to the Brewers. Padres receive minor leaguers being pitchers Will Inman, Steve Garrison, and Joe Thatcher. The Brewers got screwed if you ask me.

Got LAT'd:
Greg, I play violin, french horn, trumpet, tuba and kind of piano in addition to vocal music. I read music as well.

6 I saw that. And I'll be going back from time to time to look if anybody else wants to share. Thanks to everybody.

I hate it when I have to remove loose bodies. From any place.

2 - I assume they'll see how he feels Thursday. He did throw 40 pitches today, after all, so maybe he can go on Friday if he feels good.

It's surprising that the Brewers traded Inman.

Tour De France leader Michael Rasmussen has been kicked out of the race... by his own team. From ESPN:

"The expulsion, which Bergsma said was ordered by the Dutch team sponsor, was linked to "incorrect" information that Rasmussen gave to the team's sports director over his whereabouts last month. Rasmussen missed random drug tests May 8 and June 28."

I hate it when incorrect information catches up to you.

Who is this Will Inman that you guys are raving about?

11 http://tinyurl.com/3dxtgt

Just caught an ESPN radio interview here in Las Vegas with Will Carroll of BP. It was the same old tired "buyers and sellers" trade deadline stuff, and Carroll claimed that he's "talked to every team at least three times over the past week." Then he got to the Dodgers, and my heart just about sank. He couldn't hide his sense of disbelief, and he said "Ned Colletti is the new Sabean -- apparently, if you're not 30 years old, he thinks you're worthless." He went on to marvel at the "names (he) keeps hearing," saying that both Loney and Billingsley are being shopped, and implying that we're going to look back longingly at the days we watched all of the Dodger prospects in LV who went on to stardom with other teams. Lots of talk this time of year, I know, but it sure didn't make me feel good.

11 Basically, a class A pitcher currently doing his best imitation of Bob Gibson.

11
http://www.rotowire.com/baseball/player.htm?id=8796

He's good. Real good. I can't believe the Brewers traded him and two other prospects for a set-up man. This would be like the Dodgers trading Meloan - except Inman's a starter - and two other guys for Dotel. (And if they do that, I'll tear out my hair.)

13. If Colletti does anything with Loney and Billingsley, the net results had better be a Dodgers WS appearance this year.

I see that Inman was the Single-A Starting Pitcher of the year in 2006.

13 I wouldn't take much Carroll says about the Dodgers seriously at this point. Given what I've heard from him before, and what others mentioned in previous thread, he has a mix of blissful ignorance and some manner of distaste about the Dodgers for some reason I can't quite figure out. Ever since his confusion about Chad Billingsley I've stopped listening to him. And I can't believe for a second they're shopping Billingsley around. They need another starter, not to subtract their best young one. Sounds completely implausible.

13 Key quote: "Ned Colletti is the new Sabean -- apparently, if you're not 30 years old, he thinks you're worthless."

Notice that word "apparently." If Ned traded Loney and Bills for age 30+ players who aren't damn close to immortal in ability, he'd be run out of town on a rail. I think Ned has made mistakes. I don't think he's stupid.

I think that mixing young players with Veterans is somewhat of an adjustment for Ned. I don't doubt that if he were the GM of the Giants, he'd had done the same thing Sabean did (i.e. trade young players for Veterans to surround Bonds).

The Padres traded away a commodity they could afford to lose, a commodity that is both unreliable and fairly easy to replenish, for something that will give them great value down the road.

Damn you, DePodesta!

12
15

Where are his 2007 stats?

22
http://tinyurl.com/386ap6

Loose bodies... didn't know it was a medical term. Where is Dr Timmermann when you need him! vr, Xei

will carroll is becoming increasingly irrelevant to me as well. who thinks the braves got a shot at tex? it makes absolutely no sense to me...

Billingsley is NOT being shopped, no matter what he says. Totally illogical and ridiculous.

20 I like this perspective. Of course, with the Giants, Ned and Sabean never had this caliber and depth of young'uns to fall for. Speaking of which, is there a chapter in recent Dodger history that was more suited to starting a blog for those of us who are infatuated with "Dodgers" at every level of the organization? What a moment -- and a medium to match. Thanks (again) Jon!

23

thanks! looks like he's struggling a bit in AA

13 That goes against pretty much every single quote I've heard from Dodgers brass about trading the youngsters. I have a feeling the only reason those names were even mentioned was to see if we could get a franchise player for one of them.

24 Sounds like something that goes straight to video.

28-He WAS struggling. His last few starts look pretty strong.

If Ned Colletti calls up the Twins and says, "We'll give you Chad Billingsley for Johan Santana and $10 million," then he has shopped Billingsley around. That's why all this talk is so meaningless. It's just lost on me how people get so interested in what others might do, when what they might do has no bearing on what they will do.

Inman was getting hurt by the longball (7 HR/39 IP) but has since settled down. Even when he was struggling, he was striking out over a batter an inning and had a 42/16 KW ratio.

31 judging by his height, is he one of those short, quirky windup, flame throwers? it looks like hes starting to turn the corner a bit, but he is still 1-5...

anyone got anything on inman's pitch reportoire?

And now Cofidis is pulling out thanks to Cristian Moreni testing positive for testosterone:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/6916422.stm

34-I don't have my Prospect Handbook handy at the moment.

32 Wait... you want us to pay attention to what is real as opposed to what might be real?

I won't do it. (Holding breath in corner, turning blue).

aw, the last thread was just getting warmed up!

Aaron Cook's 74-pitch gem today was only the 9th game of nine innings or more with fewer than 80 pitches since 1957. The 74 pitches matched Carlos Silva for the fewest in a 9+ inning CG since 1957.

Bob Tewksbury made the list twice. John Tudor made the list in 1988, but it was 3 months prior to joining the soon-to-be champions.

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/nUJp

40 - Wow.

I bet those are the players other teams are asking for, not us necessarily offering them.

Loney plays everyday, I doubt we are getting ready to ship him off.

40- that was one of the worst offensive displays ive seen in quite some time. i knew aaron cook had a sinker but geez.

40 That list made me think of Greg Maddux last year. Maddux made only 68 pitches in his 8 innings in last year's great 1-0 over the Giants on Sunday Night Baseball, a game that featured Maddux vs. Schmidt, and a walk-off HR by Russell Martin in the 10th.

Linebrink's FIP era is 5.69 this year. Although the 9 HR allowed looks flukey given his 16% HR rate on FB vs. 9% career. SD has clearly read Jon's column on middle relief volatility. Heath Bell? Kevin Cameron?

A Rotoworld article back in April had this to say about Inman:

"Will Inman – RHP Brewers – Not a lot of noise has been made about their progress in developing youngsters, but the Brewers have quickly developed an impressive yet top-heavy minor league system. Yovani Gallardo and Ryan Braun are among the 15 best prospects in the game, and Inman is an up-and-comer who has the potential to crack the top 50 in short order. The club also has a number of interesting pitching prospects in Jeremy Jeffress, Manny Parra, and Mark Rogers to go with promising hitters Cole Gillespe, Angel Salome, and Lorenzo Cain. Add in that they've graduated Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, and Rickie Weeks over the last two seasons, and scouting director Jack Zduriencik probably doesn't get as many accolades as he deserves.

While Braun and Gallardo are potential All-Stars who should break into the majors this season, Inman is still another year or two away. The 6'0", 200-pound Inman was a third round selection in the 2005 draft out of a Virginia high school. He signed quickly and jumped into Rookie ball, posting an ERA under 2.00 with a 59/12 K/BB ratio in 47 innings of work. Inman was allowed to work out of the bullpen for a portion of those outings and it was a small sample against weak competition, but the debut still qualified as excellent.

Assigned to Single-A West Virginia to begin the 2006 campaign, Inman continued to overmatch hitters in the low minors. He posted an excellent 134/24 K/BB ratio while giving up just 75 hits in 110 2/3 innings of work. Overall, he went 10-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 20 starts and three relief appearances. The one negative in the season was that Inman missed most of May and June after going to the disabled list with a shoulder strain. He was as dominant as ever after returning, but even relatively minor injuries are a red flag for pitchers this young.

The Brewers thus figure to be cautious with the right-hander, and he's going to spend most of 2007 at High-A Brevard County regardless of how well he pitches. Inman, however, will do his best to test their patience. He's already off to a fast start for the Manatees, striking out 15 and giving up just one run over his first 10 2/3 innings. With excellent command of a fastball that can reach 93 MPH to go with a pair of above average secondary offerings in a curve and changeup, Inman's relative polish for a 20-year-old will further tempt the club's front office.

Inman shouldn't have much difficulty dispensing of High-A batters this summer, so the biggest key to his prospect status is staying healthy. If he can make it to August without experiencing any arm injuries, perhaps a late season promotion will be in order. Double-A will prove a better test for Inman due to his lack of exceptional fastball velocity, but he throws plenty hard enough to succeed and I'm expecting him to pass with flying colors. Should he remain healthy and effective, Inman will enter 2008 as one of the game's top 10 pitching prospects. He's on track to break into the majors late in 2008 or early in 2009."

Why do GM's feel the need to give Kevin Towers good players for mediocre players?

I think it's all a small market conspiracy.

So was Inman pretty much the Brewers Kershaw? or Macdonald?

[7] I hate it when I have to remove loose bodies. From any place.

that's just begging for an off-color joke to be made. but since this is dodger thoughts, i will leave it to our respective imaginations. ;)

40 Upon further review, it seems Baseball-Reference.com is missing some pitch count data from various years, so Cook's 74-pitch game might not be as rare. It's still amazing, but maybe not as amazing.

48 You'd think they'd be suspicious given that SD is in a race and their trading the "name" guy in their pen. This deal has 'exploit the deadline trade market' written all over it.

This will be the game chat thread.

51 Andy Ashby had a 75 pitch CG in 1998- oddly enough a July game between COL & SD:
http://tinyurl.com/yw3bay

wait, so the padres got inman AND two other pitchers for... scott linebrink?? he of the almost-4 ERA and declining peripherals? i thought the brewers were smarter than that.

i was wondering why we were talking about inman.

49 Somewhere in between

Anyone see this from the BA Jim Callis chat today?

Jem (Westchester): According to ESPN, the Dodgers might consider trading Chin-Lung Hu to the Royals for Dotel. If so, is he a guy the Royals would be able to pencil in at second or short for the future?

Jim Callis: He can play shortstop. That would be a good deal for the Royals.

Believe it or not the Phillies have a single A starter by the name of Josh Outman. An Inman vs. Outman matchup may only 2 years off. I'm going with Outman.

I would think, given the year Furcal is had, the Dodgers would hold tight to Hu for 2009 as insurance that Furcal won't be worth resigning at whatever he asks for.

Dodgers could have given the Brewers a plethora of better pitchers for that package. Ned needs to take some creativity seminars.

Does anyone else find it strange that Ethier-Nomar and Kemp-Betemit seem to play together these days? I would expect Ethier-Betemit and Nomar-Kemp instead...

I do not get the infatuation with Octavio Dotel. Sure, if we could get him for scraps go ahead.

61 why is that?

I swear someone once wrote something there is no such think as a pitching prospect.

From BA's midyear prospect report on Will Inman, No. 91 in their top 100 (note that Kershaw is now in the top ten overall prospects in baseball)

"Brewers righty Will Inman has done what scouts feared he might do—run into a wall in Double-A, giving up five homers in his first 22 innings. He'll have to adjust to avoid just being a Class A phenom."

Of the other two pitchers, one in the Florida State League (soon to be Calif)as 21 year old lefty starter. The other pitcher will probably be called up at some point, he's a 25 year old lefty with scary numbers but right now, don't know if he compares to Meloan or Mark Alexander.

60 I don't have Ned's trade record in front of me, but has he even once acquired a young player that wasn't major league ready?

[63] platooning.

65 - Ethier.

I don't have Ned's trade record in front of me

It's probably best if we all leave it behind us

Has Ned acquired any young player aside from Ethier?

69- Betemit

64 Sure, the Brewers didn't exactly give up any blue-chippers, but all three players acquired have a legitimate shot of becoming major leaguers. The only solace for the Brewers is that Linebrink will probably be a Type-A free agent so they'll get a couple draft picks.

65 - Mainly besides Ethier he got that one minor leager from the White Sox for Sandy Alomar. But also mainly he needs Creative Thinking Courses.

60 The Brewers are thinking today, so who on the Dodgers right now, has established record of getting outs in the 8th inning? Broxton.
That's it.
Okay maybe Joe Beimel but he is still more effective against lefties, anyways the Dodgers don't exactly have middle relief to deal right now.

I truly understand the fascination with young players but the Padres got two guys that are still in High A or just entering AA, that's great for their minor league depth, which is pretty poor but this deal outside of the PCL lefty they got, is not going to help them this year unless they spin these players within the next week.

And its a risk for them especially if Young goes down, they may have 4 starters who can only pitch 6 innings, if Heath Bell moves into the 8th, Meridith and Ring become your 6th/7th guys, etc. Now, the other thing is that Linebrink was in is arbitration year so the Padres did not want to pay 2 or 3 million for a middle reliever, which makes sense but for now, they will miss Linebrink more than you think.

70
Oh yeah, forgot he was on our team.

Here is tonight's lineup, with each player's stats since the AS break (small Billy Sample caveats apply):

SS Furcal - 339/356/482
CF Pierre - 306/358/347
C Martin - 261/346/326
2B Kent - 395/478/816
LF Gonzo - 282/300/385
3B Betemit - 474/545/737
1B Loney - 327/370/469
RF Kemp - 406/441/813

Tonight's eight starters have combined for a robust .335/.387/.512 in the 12 games since the AS break.

73 - Um Beimel.

73 - Sorry for 76.

Really nice write up there, I like your perspective about how this might be detrimental considering Youngs injury. I was just getting a little frustrated considering that they got Young/AGonzo for Otsuka/Eaton and from the scouting reports about Inmans Class A success I was angry that they might have done it yet again.

I stand corrected, Linebrink will be a free agent, last year he ranked 7th among NL relief pitchers per the Elias player ratings so unless his stats explode, he will probably still be a Type A free agent.

He is making 1.75 million this year so he is owed 40% of that for the rest of the year.

75
So basically our two best players before the break are now our two worst players?

I had suspected as much just from observation, but never dared to rip on Russell.

73 Ring just got optioned to AAA. Besides Bell and Meredith, they still have Hampson and Cameron who may not be the sexiest names but have been very effective this year.

77 Cool, that Young/Gonzalez deal will give Kevin Towers a lot of credits in the great deals column (and is Bradley deal is probably just a shade under that one, Barrett, I just can't shake the won-loss record (I want to say its now 6-13 when he starts) from him though I am sure it is totally unrelated.

Regarding this item at the start of this thread: "Mark Hendrickson is 0 for 40 as a Dodger hitter, putting him within two at-bats of setting an NL record for greatest batting futility with one team, according to Andrew Grant at True Blue L.A.."

In 1962, pitcher Bob Buhl was 0 for 1 with Milwaukee before being acquired early in the season by the Cubs. With Chicago, he went 0 for 69 that season. Wouldn't that top Hendrickson's record for futility?

Hmmm, with the Dodger game starting in 20 minutes I'm tempted to stay awake, especially since I took about a 5 hour nap earlier. On the other hand, the game will most likely keep me up until 5 am or so and I have to check out by noon.

Eh, screw it, I'll sleep on the train.

Last thing for a while but remember when the Padres run differential record was so much better than their actual record?

Well, its beginning to catch up, its now only two games better.

TJ said Meat might play 2B tomorrow.

65 BJ LaMura, the return from the Alomar deal.

If Ned wants another veteran pitcher, Scott Elarton was just released. Let's hope he avoids this opportunity to add veteran-ness to the pitching staff.

86 - Thanks,I knew he was Italian.

[82] yes, it would. interestingly he had an RBI, a stolen base, and scored two runs in his 0-for-70

82 - Not if he eventually got a hit with the Cubs in some other season.

Charlie Steiner shaved off his moustache?

I just noticed.

hmmm...

Nothing new, but Evan Grant seems to think that the Dodgers are still heavily involved with Teixeira, or at least that's what a source has told him. Also interested in Gagne or Benoit. I'm not sure how new the article is, but it's dated about 4:13p today.

http://tinyurl.com/yuujfr

85 They're showcasing him!!

Based on the comments in Diamond Leung's blog, he has cornered the market on DT commenters.

well, it still wouldn't set a record for futility to begin a career with a team, then.

i think part of mark hendrickson's problem is that he presents a fairly generous strike zone.

84Overkill, so are you in Bologna now ?
It's dangerous to start watching the game at 2am, but I'm even so, going for it too…

umm, why is martin catching?

At first I thought 93 refered to 91. It's much funnier that way.

96 Yup, last night in Bologna before I head over to Rome tomorrow.

I'm watching the game on KCAL-HD tonight.

only the 1st inning and D Lo is sweating like he's been playing for 2 hours.

97 Because he's our starting catcher, and is much better than Mike Lieberthal.

98 I meant it tragically anyway.

gah, kent didn't hustle all the way and it cost him.

99
don't sleep too much on the train - the tuscan - followed by the umbrian - countryside is beautiful… chianti vineyards…

Question for the group:

Which Baseball columnists/reporters do you (in specific or general) prefer or trust?

I like Kurkjian, Gammons and Rosenthal, but I'm probably in the minority here...

99 I'm envious. I'm 44 and I've never been out of the country. My wife has a passport that looks like a primer for a Geography final exam.

Enjoy the trip!

105
I like Larry Stone with the Seattle Times.

Through five complete, Fausto Carmona has an unmentionable against Boston. I mention this because:

a) He's on my fantasy baseball team and
b) I came thisclose to benching him today.

105 Gammons tops the list for me.

Tony Jackson says "Betemit might play 2B tomorrow night against Rodrigo Lopez. It would be his first start of the season at the position, which he played a lot in the minors."

I may not always agree with him, but I like Peter Gammons a lot, especially as a person.

GO LONEY GO

CRUSHED!

If Loney is being shopped, I'm calling my congressman.

Streaks alive!

Again he just misses a Loney Bomb.

Gotta love Loney.

Hope Dayn Perry is way wrong.

117 Dayn Perry--who is he and what did he say? I just logged on. Thanks...

Is Loney the slowest guy to have 8 triples in his first 230 at-bats?

I must be losing it. How long have the Dodgers had that stripe on their pants?

118 meet 13

13 meet 118

The Astros broadcasters think Derek Lowe looks like Steven Segal.

man, albers' 2-seamer running inside to right handers is just nasty.

Gotta bring the run home after a leadoff triple!

117 What does Will Carroll have to do with Daryn Perry?

121 Thanks...

120 I just noticed! What the...?

101

i hate to break it to you, but mike liberthal is a very capable backup, and martin hasnt exactly been tearing the cover off the ball of late, and even looked injured last night. he should'nt be back there tonight.

yeah, that stripe's gotta be new.

105
1. Jon Weisman
2. Joe Posnanski
3. Dejan Kovacevic

nice at-bat from furcal, no matter what happens here.

That was uneventful.

123 Nice observation. I think against the lefties he stays away from it; Furcal got mostly down and in breaking pitches.

If I were a believer in omens, I'd say it isn't good news that we get a leadoff triple and can't score.

Derek Lowe, 2005, makes a cameo... we hope it's a cameo.

I hope Wilson handles second base well enought to be considered for the job next year...

What will be done with Nomar?....that's the question that has run through my head when thinking about next season....

[132] he showed furcal one of them but missed badly and furcal laid off it for a ball. he made kemp and lowe look pretty silly with it though.

133 - Mainly that but also mainly Lowe got Munsowned.

We just got Munson'd.

Poor D-Lowe. The Dodgers waste a leadoff triple and then he gives up a home run. Man, I really want him to win this one.

Is that Adam Everett in the booth with the Astros announcers? He sounds like Rain Man. "Definitely been good for the team, definitely."

133 And then a homerun!

New rule: No allusions to bad omens of any kind for fear that such allusion may turn out to be true! :)

I should listen... last night, I wrote how the Astros weren't playing with any emotion and we had the game in the bag. That was the bottom of the sixth. Ouch.

140 Hey, I used the subjunctive (I think) case! I prefaced it with "if!" "Not Guilty," I plead!

Is Alberts really this good?

142- So far he is....but they said he has not been starting, and may flatten out as the game goes on...

141 Dang subjunctives...

Okay, not guilty by reason of grammatical correctness. Freedom to post but you get to sub one day for me and teach my 9th graders the subjunctive clause.

A light sentence, I'd say... :)

As long as the two-seamer doesn't flatten out against the RH, Alberts will be trouble.

Er, Albers I should say...

146 Feeling a little wistful for our injured blue-chipper?

Dear Left-Handed batters for the Dodgers,

Stay off the breaking pitch.

Regards...

Dear Left-Handed batters for the Dodgers...

i wonder if there are any yankee scouts watching betemit tonight.

Hmm, are the Dodgers destined to flair around like dying fish against the likes of J.D. Durbin and Matt Albers?

those were three pretty filthy breaking pitches that wilson swung at and missed.

64 This is the article that mentioned "there is no such thing as a pitching prospect" (tinstaapp), if you were wondering where the saying was from. It's from baseball prospectus, so you may only get the first part without logging in.

http://tinyurl.com/25v839

149 Seriously. Betemit looks like he has no chance up there. Just lay off 'til you see a straight, or fast ball. Sigh.

144 Er, that could only be done via video-conferencing, and I'd be no good at it. Notice I predicated my statement with the parenthetical "I think," thus indicating doubt as to my own accuracy.

155 "Mr. Landon! We get to watch a video? Coooooooool!"

I'll send you a roster.

it'll be nice not to have to see linebrink as much.

Can someone explain to me how the rumored Loney and Eithier for Texieria makes us any better?

155 "Mr. Landon! We get to watch a video? Cooooool!"

You're in. I'll send you a roster.

Double post... sorry.

156 Video day at my school meant one thing- hungover teacher.

Gameday has the pitch that Lamb hit as a foot over his head!

Did Loney switch to he high socks? He hasn't always had those, right?

157 I don't think it's even worth explaining, because it's just something a couple of bored sports columnists cooked up basically. Plus, it's clear the Dodgers are looking for pitching only at this point, if anything.

Nice job getting out of that one, D-Lowe.

158 Wait! The time zones are all off! It's 3:15pm out here right now. I'd have to be presentable in front of a (non-existent) webcam at O-dark-thirty!

Help! Mr. Wizard!

... Did Lowe jump up about two feet, sail through the air toward first base, throw a pitch a foot over Lamb's head at 56 MPH, and Lamb singled to right on that pitch?

Because that's what Gameday's telling me.

Carlos Lee stole a base!?

160 It really means "lazy teacher" or "I don't want to write a lesson plan for the sub because the sub will mess up"

165 Don't know what's happening with Gameday but Lamb hit a sinker to right.

160 Too true. And ouch.

curse that ballpark.

169 was meant for 168 though 160 is not exactly unheard of. I've never been hung over heading into work but there have been days where I thought I was prepared... and wasn't.

My goal this year is to not show one video that isn't academically relevant.

this game is getting really annoying

Haven't seen that in a few years. Ugh.

aw, suck!

167-

You're probably right, but as a teacher every now and then stuff piles up to the point that you just have to show a video. Only times I show videos are when I need to just take a step back...but it's usually a documentary.

Sadly, that has happened to me twice.

Dagnabbit!

9-3 putouts are sad.

Okay... 168 was meant for 167.

Some of my students think I have organization problems. I'm not sure why.

Charlie Steiner in the bottom of the 4th:

'...the Padres have JUST MADE a trade...they send Scott Linebrink to Milwaukee for 3 unnamed minor leaguers...We'll find out who those 3 players are...'

C'mon Charlie don't you have internet access in the TV booth? MLB.com posted the full details of the trade almost 2 hours ago.

Lowe must be really slow, or he was just loafin.

Astros' announcer Jim Deshaies on Matt Kemp, "how far does he hit it when he gets it all?"

I almost got thrown out 8-3 in little league!

175 I remember feeling pretty guilty about it. My neighbor--veteran teacher, reputable--told me "everyone does it once or twice during the year but if it's habitual, it's a troubling sign."

Crud. Well, if it's any consolation, the pitcher's probably done. 90 pitches and he comes up 3rd in the inning.

171 175 Videos aren't bad. The History Channel's doc on the French Rev is off the charts. There are good ones all over the place.

But man, some teachers run some random movies. And they do it a lot.

It is probably just as well we got the pitcher out of the way for the lead-off next inning. Of course you always look a bit stupid being thrown out on a line drive to an outfielder. But this pitcher is hot and he is killing us. The only reason I would mind losing is if it encourages a stupid trade. And at this point in the season with our deep personel, that is the only kind of trade I can envision.

Uh... what's this?

186

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying.

Darnit, now this game's getting even more annoying. Lowe just got pulled for overextending himself? Did he pull something? Whatever it is doesn't look serious. But he throw his glove against the wall in anger.

Sigh.

179 You have to collect a lot of papers. That's the stinker in your subject.

English would probably wreck me too.

derek lowe is visibly unhappy with the circumstances of his departure.

Wow. Those of us watching the Houston broadcast just got a fun parting gift from Derek Lowe.

185 I had a teacher show Sixteen Candles. I think I was in third grade.

185 High time we exchanged e-mails. Send me one: chl0690@lausd.k12.ca.us

Hey, if it's not safe to post an e-mail address on Dodger Thoughts, it's not safe anywhere.

oh boy.

another pitcher on the dl...?

189 That cutaway shot of him throwing the glove was rather upsetting. I believe there was at least one Rule 1 violation in there too :)

(looks like lowe tweaked something, either running to first in his last at-bat, or on one of the earlier pitches of this inning)

Threw, that is. Anyone see who's coming in? I'm afraid it's probably Tomko, but they cut away quickly on the TV broadcast before I could see.

One time our sub in English had no idea what to do so he just played us Bananas.

Late addition for Greg Brock:

My story is similar to Linkmeister's 67 in the previous thread, only time-shifted:

I studied four years of accordian c. 1970 - 1973; I still have that chest compressor in the closet somewhere - taught me how to read music though.

Sophomore in college in 1980, bought myself a guitar and taught myself to play it, but I'm just a hack chords and rhythm accompaniest.

I turned down the headhunters who offered me jobs in Kwajalein in 1986.

I have a piano in my home that I cannot play, just plunk out melodies and bang out a few chords.

My bachelor's degree reads "Mathematics / Computer Science" and I work as a software engineer.

183-

I felt guilty too, but if you use it to your advantage once or twice it'll be fine. For example, one day this year I just freaked out on a Sunday night...I was putting together my lesson plan for monday, I had a TON of work to do for my grad classes....I looked over, saw my History Channel documentary on Pearl Harbor and decided to show it.

Sure it isn't the best thing to do, but at least I wasn't showing them some random movie. They took notes and we had a discussion the next day on Pearl Harbor combining what they learned from my lecture and from the documentary. It worked out, and I got a much needed day to get some of my grad stuff done...jumping through hoops.

Doesn't look serious. He looked quite healthy when he flung his glove and cursed. Good sign!

192 Do tell?

houlton on in emergency relief

Houlton comes back to face his former team - or franchise anyway. Hopefully that motivates him.

[203] a curse and a fling into the club as he disappeared into the clubhouse.

I work as a software engineer

At Initech or Initrode...?

[206] er, that should read "fling of the glove"

They showed us Freaky Friday with Jodi Foster at least 3 times in the 6th grade.

200 Um, are you the younger brother I didn't know I had?

i saw 1984 and romeo & juliet in high school english. both had nudity.

I saw "The Red Balloon" several times in elementary school.

194 Will definitely do after the game.

201 Yeah, I'm not knocking videos. I'm knocking the abuse of them. The Cosmos segment on the Library at Alexandria is something kids should see.

lol, houston announcer: "probably the most important thing for houlton to realize is that's not his runner at first base, so just go ahead and groove a fastball to munson..."

Was there any connection between Lowe's non-single and his injury? Did he pull up lame?

210 Twin sons of different mothers ten years apart, or something like that.

[215] not visibly, but it may have affected him.

Sweeet. Nicely done, DJ.

218. Yes, DJ did a good job.

That's the way to deal with inherited runners D.J.

D.J's curve is a beauty....

216 I'll bet inflation had an impact on what you were offered to go to Kwaj in 1986. I went out there in 1975 as a teletype op at minimum wage ($3.65). I still managed to save about $12K during the not-quite-three years I was there. I got a few raises and a ton of overtime, though.

So I'm ready for the team to score some runs.

Are you sure this isn't Roy Oswalt?

Maybe the offense didn't get the memo.

These guys are getting way out in front of every piece of junk that the Stro's pitchers are flinging up there.....

Where's the offense tonight? I stayed up for this?

furcal, pierre, 0 for 6

Is it me, or Juan not looked very fast going up the line lately?

225 Yep.

Watching Pierre hit < Dentist visit.

Tony Jackson says this:

Betemit might play 2B tomorrow night against Rodrigo Lopez

this is easily the worst the dodgers offense has looked all year, this is pathetic.

Looking forward to Loney's at bat...he never gives them away....

222 I don't recall; I was engaged so we weren't interested in the job. Some guy did take the job, I think, for a pretty decent salary, plus other things like 6 weeks vacation or something, housing, whatever. I heard he banked a lot of change - little to spend it on I guess.

I'd like to apologize for my jinx of the Dodger offense by mentioning in 75 how good the lineup has been since the AS break.

Well. That was futile. I seem to recall Borkowski being fairly... not good. Was he replaced by a clone or are the Dodgers just generally not hitting today?

225 This is like when you're a teen, and you see the opposing pitcher chuckin' poo in warmups before the game, and everybody gets excited because everybody's gonna get fat on the slow pitcher!

And he shoves and you lose 4-0.

230 Do you have that backwards?

The Dodgers's grounders just aren't finding the holes tonight. On some nights like this, they'd have 10+ singles by now.

it feels if the astros get 1 more run the game will be lost

I guess I was redundant with just about every posting made before me in the last few minutes. But, hey, teams get hot and teams slump, it happens. There's still some time left in this game, too.

238- Maybe he means "well, it's not as bad as a dentist's visit"....

Biggio's wrinkles in his Retro Gameday photo seem unnatural.

Now that was impressive!

Wow....Raffy...wow.....

I just put Jimi on high volume.....feeling better....

233 James Loney's swing is so sweet that Ted Williams defrosted and reattached his head to a body in order to stand behind the cage and watch Loney take BP.

238 Well I don't like the dentist and I don't like Pierre even more than that.

that was a major league quality play from furcal.

I predict James Loney bats three times in the next three innings and goes for the cycle.

242 I think you're right.

The irony of Pierre is that in spite of his speed he's not all that much fun to watch.

246- James Loney's swing is so sweet, that cotton candy's teeth hurt just looking at it....

Russ buzzed the fro.

Kenny Lofton hit his 7th HR tonight.

246 Loney is so cool that Martin would rather visit his hometown than have his way with Alyssa Milano.

lyons just mnetioned a red sox scout in the stands.... i dont like it when the sox are scouting the big league team and the AAA team.

253- I knew that Lofton would outperform Pierre offensively this season...but I am glad I don't have to watch him play CF anymore....at least Pierre has range....

255
Now I am going to get paranoid.

What in the heck could we want (and get) from the Red Sox?

Tony Jackson just blogged this: "after watching Betemit predictably whiff with runners on first and second and two outs to end the fourth, I'm still not sure why he is in the lineup -- or on the team, for that matter." (emphasis mine)

Betemit, even after his 0 for 2 tonight, is hitting .237/.364/.487.

255 He could be scouting the Astro relievers too. But I think there are scouts at every game so again, I never feel the deals that I hear about because Ned's MO is to make a deal we don't know anything about.

I wouldn't be surprised if a Dodger goes deep soon.

258 Want and get are two very different things.

254 That one wins.

255 Well, with all the Sox rumors, let's just look at it for a second. If the Dodgers were going to acquire someone from the Red Sox, presumably a pitcher, who would we want, or be okay with? And that's knowing Palpebon and Okajima are not available...

wow. Kent misses Texas.

oh my

Crushed.

maybe we need kent for next year.

Wow, that Kent HR was Pujolsian!

Wow!

That ball...Holy smokes...

Crushed.

Moses smell the roses!

Oh MY. That was a monster shot. Thank you, JK.

Someone's been eating their Wheaties. Wow.

WoW....

get the tape measure out for JK.

Oh my jeez.

262 You are the man tonight.

Kent looooves the Juice Box

261 Nice call.

The baseball equivalent of dunking over the opposing team's center.

Actually, this is much better.

I just rewound MLBTV a few seconds just so I could see that one "live" again.

261- Hey....how 'bout that!

that might have been over the pavillion at home.

That had barely started to come down. Is that out of Dodger Stadium?

263
I can't think of a Red Sox I want that would be available.

261 Sorry about that, nice call.

I think Qualls doesn't want to be traded to the Dodgers.

Brad Lidge, however, is not impressed

Maybe Kent decided to Juice up for his 40's;)

Nice hustle, Wilson!

Did anyone notice Kent saying something to Biggio as he rounded the bases?

I don't see any obvious Ned bait on the Red Sox roster, other than maybe Julian Tavarez.

263 Lester? Delcarmen? Craig Hansen?

285 Relax, just remember 138 hours to go until the deadline.

Betemit with the Juan Pierre Special there.

288 Perfect.

It would help Loney and Kemp's cause to get back to back hits here.

292- I think that because Lyons recognized the scout, and pointed him out, that we all got excited....someone already pointed out that there are scouts at every game....

Or maybe he does. Y'all jinxed Loney!

This team just doesn't score runs without Nomar in the lineup.

I find myself rooting hard for Betemit, if only because he's really under-appreciated. He shouldn't have put up with crap like Tony Jackson saying he shouldn't be on the team when he's been one of the team's best offensive players.

Ian Snell is not on the Red Sox.

302- I really don't think he is going to be on the Dodgers either....

aw, jeez!

who didnt see that coming

You just knew DJ would come with a weak fastball 2-0.

Houlton's high 80's belt high fastball + Carlos Lee=....

rats.

Fastball called for low and away.

It wasn't.

Poop.

nice location on that pitch

Alright, it's time for Kemp to go yard.

Still- good job, DJ, you hung one pitch.

300
It's what makes us root for ARod this year, all of a sudden.

No one say a word about a certain future superstar's at bat coming up in the top of the next inning!

I'd like to thank Andre Ethier in advance for his pinch HR in the top of the 8th.

312- Doh! I was too late....

Pshaw. Lee hit a little wall scraper. That thing barely got out.

I'd say 450, tops.

There's only one way to describe what Jackson wrote about Betemit. And that's stupid. What an inane thing to say.

315- you guys are killing me....we need a new rule...

314 316 sorry sorry sorry...

Poor Wilson does not even get to play an entire game.

With the double switch, it's gonna be a hell of an inning for Ethier to pinch hit in the 8th. But I stand by my prediction.

Um, is Nomar an offensive or defensive substitution for Betemit...?

322 Or he could just PH for Pierre. No idea why Grady would do that, but you never know...

323- Offensive....as in I am offended....

Wow, the Astros' trainer looks like he should be carrying trapezoidal weights with the weight printed on the sides, in the 1890s! Awesome 'stache!

323 One would have to assume defensive, because Nomar could easily just PH in the top of the 8th without ever playing 3B.

318 What I like about Tony is that he writes like a fan--reactionary, from the gut. I wouldn't be surprised if he corrected himself after looking closer at Wilson's stats.

Then again... anytime a writer is that bold with their opinion, I wonder what else they know. They talk to the players, they talk to the coaches... is this in any way an opinion colored but what he knows and we don't know?

Would you let this pitcher date your daughter?

323 He's a chemical substitution.

329- As long as the house is sticked with plastic cups...

Okay, I don't say this often, but that was a nice read and jump and play by Pierre.

Speaking of Tony Jackson, he had this on Derek Lowe's little injury:
"He apparently hurt himself when he had to accelerate -- something he wouldn't have had to do if he had run hard out of the box -- trying to avoid getting thrown out at first on what should have been a gimme single to right -- something he wasn't able to avoid. Not only did he suffer that colossal embarrassment, but he also had to leave the game after throwing four pitches in the bottom of the inning. He responded when he got to the dugout by heaving his glove against a wall in disgust, right in front of a TV camera with the red light on."

This could give a clue as to why the Red Sox are scouting this game:

"Red Sox special assistant Allard Baird has been scouting the Las Vegas 51s, the Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A affiliate. Baird was recently in Tacoma watching the 51s which are a talented team.

The Sox have always liked third baseman Andy LaRoche, a strong right-handed hitter who is hitting .302 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs after a stint up with the Dodgers earlier this season.

The Dodgers have been looking for relief help."

http://tinyurl.com/2tzgpx

good play by JP.

I did not expect that ball to be caught. I'm glad it was.

Nice play, Juan.

[329] no, he's got a drinking problem.

330 You mean like DDT?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

333 Thanks for that.

328 I don't think Tony Jackson's alone. I'm sure there is a feeling within the organization that Wilson is disappointing despite his production, because they only see the low AVG and all the strikeouts. And that chaps my hide.

Betemit gets treated like he just brought a Pace Picante fan some salsa made in New York city.

(in other words: J-Roll just SERIOUSLY clutched up, INSIDE THE PARK home run with two strikes, two out, down one in the bottom ninth...it is also time to end the AlfonMesa experiment up here in Phila, and Brock, if you are still looking for musicians I can read alto clef as well as the two piano ones. Just fyi.)

332 I don't think that's fair. Lowe may not have been running flat out, but he wasn't loafing. It was flawless play by a rightfielder playing short on a ball hit in the perfect spot for him to charge and throw.

barry not in the Giant lineup tonight...

340
New York CI-ty...!?!?!?

340- New York City!?

340 - De - La - Ware?

341 Thanks. There are a lot of musical types here, which surprises me not one bit.

231. And Diamond Leung says this: :-)

>>> Wilson Betemit is penciled in to start at second base tomorrow, and Takashi Saito is expected to be available, too. <<<

http://www.beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/baseball/dodgers/

"Get a rope..."

{344],345 Get a rope!

Yeah that was reported on MLBtraderumors.com this morning and the subject of much hand-wringing and worrying around these parts. If it's LaRoche, it's got to be something better in return than just a reliever (unless it's Okajima or Palpebon, which it isn't). Of course, just because the Red Sox are scouting Dodgers doesn't mean the Dodgers care or are doing the reverse.

347

I used to play shows with satanic death metal bands.

The Sox have always liked third baseman Andy LaRoche

they had their chance in any of the 38 rounds in the 2004 draft.

Pace Picante Sauce Thoughts tonight.

And I've never even eaten the stuff...!

248. Sounds like the Dodgers are showcasing Betemit.

Time to hit the road home. As was pointed out yesterday, I am forced to rely on the Rick and Jerry show to follow the game.

342 Yeah, Jackson tends to exaggerate - it wasn't a "colossal" embarrassment" for one, and then Jackson goes on to mope and worry about having another Dodger pitcher on the DL when it seems pretty clear that he's not that badly hurt, they were just being precautious.

352 I bet they were good at math and reading.

And sacrificing chickens.

328 You mean he writes like a dumb fan.

err... 348.

That ball was tatoo'd man....

323 Offensive

i hate this stadium.

I still wonder if showcasing is real or a myth. Does Ned call Grady and say, "start Betemit at 2nd tomorrow - the Yankees will be scouting."?

358

Chickens are child's play.

Garsingleparra

Nice rip by Nomar. And wow, that has to be one of the longer singles I've ever seen. Man, I hate this ballpark, and Carlos Lee for knowing how to play the park.

358- Most death metal bands are made up of sulky suburban kids who probably wouldn't know how to sacrifice a chicken....

354 I found that stuff in spring break 1971 and have never bought any other brand since then. I did just notice earlier this year the jars have different colored lids depending on degrees of heat.

332. Colossal embarrassment is a bit of an overstatement, to say the least. He's a pitcher for crying out loud.

man, that was a 91mph fastball RIGHT down the pike and furcal didn't even touch it.

364. No but, if Betemit shows he can play 2B decently, it would increase his trade value to teams that have a 3B but need a 2B (Royals).

Tony Jackson also harps on the Dodgers often for leaving runners on, but the Dodgers as a team this year are hitting .292/.376/.420 with RISP, and .296/.365/.421 with men on base.

As long as we're going to make every park different I think there should be holes in the outfield that the ball can fall into and count for extra runs or bonus outs.

368 First you go to El Pollo Loco, .....

Ya killing me Raffy!

Well, if the Dodgers are showcasing Betemit, lets at least get 5 more starts from him in the 5 remaining games before he gets shipped off.

looking foward to the Chin-Lung Hu days at dodger stadium

374 and multi-ball play!

K so what happens next is the 2 hitter has an at bat then Martin gets on and Kent hits another shot this time breaking the glass(is that glass?)

333 Maybe Laroche for Lester? I read somewhere yesterday the Sox were shopping him. I still hate that deal. Matter of fact I hate giving up Laroche for just about anyone.

374 Yeah, how about adding spinning windmills over those holes, and maybe a wind machine in one corner, and a koi pond behind second base?

Where is it written that your worst hitters have to be given the most PAs...?

Roberto Hernandez is from....

New york City!?

Oh, Roberto...

Trade Betemit to the Red Sox then. If I had to see the guy do well elsewhere, New York is last on the list.

I'm becoming resigned to the fact that Betemit is going.

Roberto Hernandez, this is your final chance.

Urgh, I can't watch this.

374 379 Blernsball?

383 The Gospel According To Juan

Biggio kills our old relievers.

Biggio, you had your day yesterday. Knock it off.

386- Is Lowell in a walk year?...Not sure what the Sox would have planned for Betimit...

Nice!

388 There you go. Put the ball on an elastic string. I liked this blernsball rule, too:
"Relief pitchers are conveyed from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound by means of a giant tarantula wearing the team's cap."

The Gospel According To Juan

Which suggests yet another good nickname:

"Juan .316"

{peeking through fingers} Whew, it's safe to look again. A double play.

Okay, one more chance. C'mon guys!

Jackson pours it on:

After the home run, Grady pulled a double switch, bringing in Joe Beimel and Nomar at 3B. Betemit was taken out of the game. Now why would you want to take Wilson Betemit out of the game?

386

who do you think we'll get in return?

395 Holy cats.

392 Lowell is in a walk year, and Julio Lugo has underachieved just a tad.

Maybe the Dodgers should trade Tony Jackson to the Red Sox for a minor league blogging prospect.

There definitely won't be a statue of Tony Jackson in front of Dodger Stadium any time soon.

Lidge made a lot of pitches yesterday.

398 Oh, I don't have the slightest clue. If Lester was available, that would be nice. But it'd take more than Betemit, if Lester is all the way back.

I like inventing deals out of thin air. I expect this to be on ESPN tomorrow.

Save us Russ

Way to make Lidge work right there.

400- Lugo has been on fire lately...but the Lowell's impedning free agency puts it together.....Betimit for Lester?...or Gabbard?

394 Bring on Hank Aaron XXIV!

The Slappy McGroundout of old has returned.

c'mon russ, park one in the crawford boxes!

No predictions please!

395 Sold. Okay, I'm using that from now on. I elect Humma Kavula to create the actual Gospel According To Juan.

Why did I waste my early evening watching this game again? Remind me... this game can be fun, right?

Juan .316

That's my new favorite.

Lidge's slider is much better tonight than last night.

Well, at least this game went by quickly so that I can get some sleep. The offense better get their act together tomorrow.

407et al... I'd do Betemit for Lester in a speed freak heart beat.

Redux from Tuesday night: Grady, give him a day off.

414- A funny t-shirt for sure...

I missed the original post but Juan .316 is what I'm calling him.

J:316

off to do laundry...have a good night folks....

Top 9TH B:0 S:1 O:1
Juan Pierre grounds out, second baseman Mark Loretta to first baseman Lance Berkman.

Top 9TH B:1 S:3 O:2
Russell Martin strikes out swinging.

And the Dodgers maintain their one-game lead in the torrid National League West race...

Aw, Frappuccino.

Time to take the dogs for a long walk.

Good conversation as always. I miss this during the school year.

Cool,

Beaten by a geriatric(Saenez) and some guy named MunsonLee.

419 You know what's great? You could sell to both sides- proponents would point to OBP, and opponents would point to SLG.

But doesn't that imply that he'll actually hit .316, or is that referring to his likely OPS?

juan .316 is an awesome nickname.

also, i couldn't care less what tony jackson thinks. i want to use more disparaging terms but i will refrain.

[428] OBP?

Or that God so loved the Dodgers he gave us his only begotten son?

furcal, pierre, 0 for 8

We lost 2-1, Kent hit a little bloop shot to Carlos Lee to end the game.

413

... This has been the most un-fun year I've ever had watching the Dodgers over 27 years. Only 1999 comes close.

430 His OBP was .315 at gametime. Works for me.

428 by the by- I'm going o see The Simpsons Movie tomorrow afternoon. Initial returns say that the first reel is the best single episode ever, and after that it suffers the same fate as all TV shows stretched out.

IT's all on the wide wide wide shoulders of GIGANTOR up in Phila...Sam DC, maybe you know why these ExpoNats always play the Phillies so [rule 1] close??

So shall it be done. It seems that we've finally got a solid nickname for our center fielder ("and I helped").

434 Seriously? I mean frustrations aside, the team's in first place - this is less fun than the season they were 20 games under, or some of those other bad ones? I wouldn't go that far.

But I'm happy to forget about this one as soon as possible.

430/435 - Right, I meant OBP. But the other's pretty funny, too. Either way, I'm buying t-shirts.

Initial returns say that the first reel is the best single episode ever

I think that alone is worth dishing out some cash

NL West in July (not including tonight's Giants' and DBacks' games):
Rockies 12-8
Dodgers 11-10
Padres 8-13
Diamondbacks 8-12
Giants 7-12

Overall -- 46-55

440 crap- but I'll post my review on Screen Jam. Unless there's a Tommy Lasorda cameo. I don't want to get in trouble.

441 - It's all chemistry. See what happened when the Padres added Barrett and Bradley?

Update on UCLA WRs coach Eric Scott scanadal:

The current accusations may not stick on Scott, but it turns out he has been arrested 4 times before and UCLA did not know about this.

Oh vey! Goodbye top 10 recruiting class.

444 That would never happen at USC :)

444 Good usage of oh vey, but I'd spell it oy vey.

Nats Phillies is some game tonight, with the Nats getting three in the top of the ninth to go up 5-4 and than Rollings getting an ITP HR (OK, a triple plus an error, er 3 errors) in the bottom to tie it. In the 11th now. Gigantor pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10th, then took his turn batting in the top of the 11th, and then was replaced before the bottom of the 11th. Why did he hit? No other position players left, and no Jeff Weaver on the Nats pitching staff.

Meanwhile, Don Sutton just burped into the mike w/o muting it.

Then he apologized for missing the "cough" button.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Nats start a rookie John Lannan who began this season in high A ball. It was almost Joel Hanrahan. He is a maybe to start half of Saturday's double header v. the Mets.

So ends this edition of Nats Notes.

439

... The 71-91 in '05 was largely due to injuries; I mean, only one guy (Kent) played over 135 games. Injuries are part of the game, and I can accept that and move on.

The teams in 1992, 1986, 1987; they were poor teams that didn't have enough offense and made a lot of errors and mistakes in the field.

This team, this year -- they have the horses to run away and hide from the division, but they won't commit to any of the young players besides Martin, who they are determined to run into the ground. They put Ethier, Kemp, and Loney in the lineup reluctantly, kicking and screaming, and even then they continue to bat at the bottom of the order. They have a guy who has batted nowhere but first and second -- and has been unable to get on base 32% of the time -- they had a guy who got on base close to 44% of the time, and sent him down.

They continue to fight the other teams in the division with one hand tied behind their backs, and it's become so un-fun to watch them struggle in this manner.

from Rick Monday on Dodger radio:

'..Derek Lowe has a strained left groin...he'll be day to day..'

449

I was just gonna post "what happened to Lowe" but it sounds like it's nothing serious.

447 - Any word on what's wrong with GIGANTOR, Sam?

And did anybody else get today's email from ESPN.com to their fantasy owners? One of the three trades it suggests is the following:

>>
"Trade No. 3: Carl Crawford for Juan Pierre

One gets tons of love and one gets no respect, but over the second half of the year, Juan Pierre is going to be the better fantasy player. I'm sorry. Continue to be the better fantasy player. You saw me mention Pierre briefly in last week's newsletter but let's put those numbers into even more of a perspective.

From June 1 through July 22:

Juan Pierre: 27 R, 24 SB, 0 HR, 12 RBI, .335 average
Carl Crawford: 32 R, 19 SB, 1 HR, 23 RBI, .278 average

The power is better for Crawford, but it's not significant in the grand scheme of things and that's not why you have either guy. Otherwise, they are basically the same, with Pierre hitting over 50 points higher. You could get Pierre plus something else for your Carl Crawford and not suffer any drop-off at all. Again, we play with numbers, not names. "
<<

448 You nailed it! Loney and Kemp, batting seventh and eighth, are both hitting over .350. Huh? I thought I had forgotten that 1987 team, but the interesting thing is that it included most of the key parts of the championship team of 1988. Of course, adding Gibson, Griffin and Jay Howell, moving Belcher and Leary into the starting rotation, and having an awesome season from Hershiser didn't hurt.

but they won't commit to any of the young players besides Martin

Since being named starting 1B, James Loney has played 24 complete games out of 25 team games, and came in during the 6th inning in the other one. I'd say that's a commitment.

453 It is a commitment, but they are not committed enough to bat him higher in the lineup on a regular basis.

453

... Wake me up when they bat him third, where he belongs.

444 If he lied about it during his interview, that could be cause for termination but if he wasn't, not sure it cause for his dismissal.

The way the rotation lines up, Lowe doesn't have to pitch until next Friday so hopefully with some treatment he will be okay and they can avoid the DL.

It doesn't seem possible that Selig is really as scummy a doofus as he comes off being, but I don't see what he'd get out of just pretending to be. And I definitely don't understand why TBS thought I'd give a rip what he thought about anything. For most of an inning. Instead of play by play.

So, let me understand, if Loney and Kemp were batting higher than 7th and 8th, the team's pitching problems would be better?

Bases loaded, one out, bottom 12th in Phila, and up to the plate strides....Clay Condrey??

454455

you can find your commitment where you will, but an everyday position in the field for a rookie equals commitment to me. I'd like to see Loney hit higher as well, but it's not like he's questioning his spot in the lineup.

Showcase?

Little was evasive when explaining why he would start Wilson Betemit over Nomar Garciaparra at third base on Wednesday night against right-hander Matt Albers.

"It's Betemit's turn to play," he said.

Little said he also was thinking about starting Betemit at second base on Thursday night in place of Jeff Kent in Colorado.

http://tinyurl.com/ysdwwg

457
I just heard his interview on Costas Now and I really do not like Bud Selig.

458

... They lost 2-1 today. They got six hits yesterday. Both games the Dodgers faced mediocre to poor pitching. That's an offense problem. Ethier didn't play with a right-hander on the mound tonight. That's a problem.

With Loney, Kemp, and Ethier in the lineup, batting 3-4-5, at the very least they would have more at-bats.

The pitching issues can be attributed to injuries. That I can accept, of course.

>>> He's (Kuo) likely out for the year and the Dodgers might even find themselves having to talk Kuo out of retiring. Kuo has hinted to teammates that would be a consideration if he needed another operation. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/ysdwwg

That would be very sad to see Kuo retire at such a young age.

Jimmie Rollins CS to end the 13th with Chase Utley at the plate.

??

Schilling calls out Bonds and McGwire

http://tinyurl.com/2ruosb

Maybe they figured, better to have Utley lead off the 14th in front of Howard and Rowand next inning than bat in the 13th with 2 outs.

Meloan is pitching in Las Vegas. Two scoreless innings so far (4th & 5th).

I would obviously like to see Kemp play more, and not just at the expense of Ethier. This could be accomplished by simply sitting Pierre once every six games or so.

However, I do like how Little uses his bench just about EVERY game. Since Kemp was called up on June 8, part-timer Kemp has played in 40 of 42 games and part-timer Ethier has played in 39 of 42 games.

Here's how the OF playing time has been split up since June 8 (Kemp's call up):

Pierre - 42 starts, 193 PA, .299/.337/.362
Gonzo - 37 starts (+1 at DH, 40g total), 158 PA, .298/.373/.468
Ethier - 24 starts (39g), 116 PA, .347/.466/.505
Kemp - 23 starts (40g), 113 PA, .352/.398/.581

Give Pierre 5 or 6 games off, and that's a much better distribution of OF playing time. Ideally of course, Pierre would play sparingly at most, but that's not realistic to expect.

464 If it's true, Kuo will have been one of the great teases in Dodger lore.

471 meh. I was never a Kuo fan. never. To me, he's Darren Dreifort without the Boras.

Sam, I have a feeling tomorrow is going to feel a little like that legendary Game 7 of '91, a handshake to recognize a hard-fought series and then as many innings as the starters can go....

472 Kuo has always had a lot of support here. I liked Kuo, he had good stuff. I just didn't see what a lot of people saw. It will still be disappointing.

Randy Wolf's re-hab start in San Bernoo is over. 4.0 IP, 6 H's, 3 ER's, 1 BB, 4 K's, 2 HR's.

Randy Wolf's re-hab start in San Bernoo is over. 4.0 IP, 6 H's, 3 ER's, 1 BB, 4 K's, 2 HR's.

463 Since Kemp was called up June 8 (Loney was called up right after, on June 10), the Dodger offense has been much better.

In 42 games, they have hit .300/.363/.445, and averaged 5.14 runs/game.

In the 60 games before Matt Kemp's final call to the show, the Dodgers were hitting .260/.330/.377, and averaged 4.35 runs/game

Wolf's night: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR

474 I know, and I never saw it. I'm sad for his surgery, but I never expected anything good from him. I've never understood why people here held him out as a hope. I would've preferred he prove me wrong.

can we do that izturis for maddux trade again this year?

479
The end of last year it seemed to click for him.

480 Nomar for Jamie Moyer?

480 I think the only equivalent is Nomar for Jamie Moyer.

482 I was Nomar bat speed slow on that one!

483- we rule

just some 2008 thinking...

for sure in the rotation...
penny
lowe
billingsley

pitchers with team options
wolf
tomko
hendrickson (arb i think)

coming back from season ending injury
Schmidt
Kuo

unlikely permanent fixtures
Stults
Houlton

prospects brewing that could help sometime in 08
Orenduff
Mcdonald
Elbert

Well it looks like exercising that option on Wolf is a given. What I'm really worried about is that Colletti might exercise that Tomko option as well....

Do people think we will make a hard run at Zambrano?

483 I'd be more amazed that we rule, but some Bulgarian almost reached the end of Ninja warrior.

486 I would bet Hendrickson is back barring total collapse in the 2nd half. He is arb-eligible in 2008.

The big prize FA starter is Carlos Zambrano, who is affordable as long as Gonzo isn't resigned.

475 Hey Canuck, what do you know about Ramon Troncoso? What kind of stuff does he have? Will he be able to help at all this year? Thanks.

He had 2 more scoreless innings and now has a 2.87 ERA in 31.1 IP with 27/10 K/BB in Jacksonville after dominating the Cal League earlier this season.

473: The guy the Nats are running out tomorrow was in A ball four months ago. John Lannan.

Have fun with that Chase Utley and Ryan Howard!

According to the blogger who always has an apology, TJ reports that Lowe strained his groin on Sunday during his relief appearance. He'll fly to Denver with the team and have an MRI tomorrow.

He apologized for saying Lowe loafed, since he could not run due to his sore groin, he said it only hurts when he lands after he throws a pitch.

Ouch.

478 The key for Wolf won't be his stats, just did he get out of the outing with no unusual soreness.

492 I think the box that Little was thinking outside of just closed, in regards to using starters on their throw day.

The combination of Furcal, Pierre and Nomar are now 0 for 18 in the last two games.
vr, Xei

495 Nomar got a single tonight, albeit off the wall.

495

nomar got a single off the wall today!

496,497. Thanks, missed that. Make that 1 for the last 19.
vr, Xei

Not to open up the whole Schilling on Costas NOW can of worms, I found this retort by Bonds amusing:

Bonds also said Wednesday that [Bob] Costas was a "midget who knows [nothing] about baseball."

Always buttering up to the media Barry.

491 - See they would, but Kyle Kendrick (from Tues) came up from AA this season and lefty Mike Zagurski (who played a part in blowing that 9th inning lead) also started this season in single-A. Wouldn't surprise me at all to see Utley and Howard rest tomorrow and the Nats steal the getaway game...

Um...but how bout those Dodgers?

Quick takes: 454 and 463: you seem to imply that stats accumulated in 7 and 8 holes are readily transferable to 3, 4, 5.
The one thing present management has done almost entirely well is not rush the kids to pressure they might not handle. I was all for a rest for Nomar and Jeff in June - but I don't think James and Matt would have been my replacements in those positions (Andre, maybe, 'cause of last year's lessons).
457. I often turn games off entirely these days, since the wet-behind-the-ears producers/directors seem to think the play is not the thing. ESPN, Fox, TBS - all guilty. On a side note, maybe I can get some of my Dutch relatives to suggest Rabobank call Bud, and explain how to break free of crippling legalisms, and just do the right thing. Amazing how many of us here adopt the fragile and often destructive tenets of a very arbitrary system of law to deal with simple ethical issues.
Franklin Gutierrez (sp?) has The Big Hit in Cleveland tonite.

Jon,

I would love to see you write a piece on why the Dodgers should retain Laroche. I get the sense that Little and Ned are down him. Laroche really stunk it up the last two spring trainings. Those impressions can be powerful. I fear that Laroche is a goner.

This kid can mash a good fastball, really turn on it. Right-handers won't be comfortable coming in to him and if they aim away and tail it over the plate, he can really hurt them. He is absolutely deadly on pitches middle to inside.

But that's only half of it. He has a great eye. This is a special combination. The shoulder hiccups appear to be behind him. No small thing to come back from two shoulder injuries.

Hey, he's not a sure thing, who is? But this isn't a hitter who, if it goes like it should, will need to be platooned. He can be an everyday guy who hits 20-25 HRs, 30 2Bs and draws a good number of walks.

Sure, he'll look bad on the outside pitch. But it's a huge deal that he has plate discipline and the fast bat. Scouts will tell you it's more important for a RHB to have a fast bat (put it this way, LHBs can get away more with having slider-bat speed).

LaRoche in short order could be the best 3B in this division. I'd take him over Kouzmanoff (slider-bat speed, nearly 26, suspect D, history of back problems -- but a smart hitter). I think Tracy goes back to 1B where he belongs. Poor Feliz never developed pitch recognition. Atkins is OK.

503 - As soon as I get my McCourt wrapup out of the way, the minors are my next project.

That was it for Meloan tonight, two scoreless innings:

Las Vegas
Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Wright 3.0 5 6 6 2 5 2 8.53
Meloan 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2.08

Batters faced: Wright 16, Meloan 8,

504 Jon, I do not envy your task of the McCourt wrapup. Just transcribing the long-winded answers would be painstaking enough.

That said, it was remarkable that McCourt was even there, so I'm not complaining. Much.

Joan Collins was good in Star Trek.

40 years ago.

Okay, now I feel really really old.

506 - Rest assured, I'm not transcribing anything.

The stadium answer alone would take 2000 words

490 -- About Troncoso, he is our second-best reliever prospect. 91-95 MPH fastball, hard slider that lacks depth, has developed a change-up that he throws with a splitter grip, like Gagne, but he is still working on that pitch. He throws strikes, but spotting his pitches to particular parts of the strike zone is something else he is working on. I doubt the Dodgers see him as being ready in 2007. Maybe 2008. I wouldn't trade him, but some team might ask for him as part of a package.

The Cubs and Dodgers along with the Padres are all even in the loss column. Just another team to muck up the wild-card race. Looks like Bob is waiting for me to perfect his script program to automate the wild-card standings for him. Life would be easier if Bob had a PC. I guess he doesn't think much of Mr Gates. Right up there with Russ Ortiz?
vr, Xei

A bunch of milestones are coming up. Which of the following will come first?

a) A-Rod's 500th HR (the favorite)
b) Glavine's 300th win
c) Bonds' 756th HR
d) A day off for Juan Pierre

461 Little was evasive when explaining why he would start Wilson Betemit over Nomar Garciaparra at third base on Wednesday.

This is irritating. If the writers were paying attention they should be grilling Little whenever Nomar starts vs a RHP. These guys just contribute to the idea that benching Nomar will cause a LoDuca-like PR implosion.

510 Thanks. Do you see any other minor league pitchers (other than Meloan) helping this year?

506 508 509 Listening to McCourt, I couldn't help but think of a beat reporter had with Bill Clinton in 2000. The interview was conducted in a limo and the reporter said Clinton answered each question in detail, always looking the reporter in the eye and was anything but evasive. Clinton seemed like he truly cared about the answers he was giving. The reporter said he couldn't help but be flattered.

Attentive, detailed, seems like he truly cared about who he was talking to... that was McCourt with the Dodger Thoughts crew. I, for one, was flattered.

With "The Simpsons Movie" coming out, lots of Simpsons related stories out there.

Here's an interesting note to one of the best sports-themed Simpsons.

"The weird thing," Mattingly said, is that he did his scene about Mr. Burns benching him for his long sideburns before the Yankees benched him for not getting a haircut in July 1991. "Everyone thought they wrote it in later but they didn't."

http://tinyurl.com/2n2rr9

Did McCourt pass out koolaid cups before his speech?
vr, Xei

516 Another baseball-related Simpsons moment:

"And here come the pretzels"

"Hall of Famer Whitey Ford now on the field, pleading with the crowd for, for some kind of sanity."

"Uh oh, and a barrage of pretzels now, knocking Whitey unconscious."

"Wow, this is a, this is a black day for baseball."

517 Nope. But we did get media guides. Possibly laced with some hybrid Kool Aid.

519. Were they shiny? :)
vr, Xei

515 You've got mail.

McCourt could have sung the hoochie-coo and I would have thrilled about getting the media guide. I know a 12-year-old Dodger fan who lives in Dubai who will love having this.

McCourt struck me as both well-trained and passionate. He had a script, but the script ultimately derived from the heart. This is his baby now.

He's like other developers I've known. They get completely vested in their project. They fall in love with it.

Put it this way: No need for any of us to be served Kool-Ade. McCourt already drank it all. His conviction is what sells his message.

520 McCourt come off better in person. About eleventy trazillion times better. He's not nervous and calculated. They may have been stock answers, but I didn't get that impression. Stock answers usually aren't ten minutes long. And he was pretty honest about the state of the franchise.

He's competent. But if that's the standard...

The LAUSD just shot blocked an email from me. It wagged its finger like Mutombo and said "rejected by anti-spam software" and laughed at me.

I'm guessing it's because I used a swear.

524 I thought you meant me, I was so excited to see a message from you that I skipped getting my laundry from the dryer.

525 Ha ha. But we use the phone! And I noticed you haven't broached to subject of Harry Potter Thoughts yet.

510 -- No, with Houlton, Stults, and Hull already in the majors, and not counting Meloan, I don't think there is any other pitcher in the minors that the Dodgers would call up this year. But if it were up to me, we would give Zach Hammes a try, at least as a reliever. He is already on the 40-man roster.

526 I was waiting because with this crowd, to suggest to do something on Monday this early is bound to get lost in the thread.

But I will begin the Countdown.

Monday is an off-day and it is also the day before the trade deadline, so Greg Brock and I decided to have a Trades or Harry Potter night, feel free to comment on trades or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

We figured by next Monday, anyone who really wanted to read the book would have done so, so why not combine two great things into one fun-filled night.

So get ready, Monday night will not only be Mark Texaria for the Las Vegas 51s roster talk but it will also be filled with phrases like "Thanks Big D."

Now back to Frank McCourt and his DodgerThoughts.

527 Does anyone here think that Elbert could have contributed this season had he not gone down with a shoulder injury or was his control still too wild for the majors?

Are there a lot of baseball team owners who don't love their teams? There were some hard core Machiavellian theories flying around when he bought the team but they were pretty fringy right?

Not to take anything away from his showing up for DT Day; that was a class move, even considering that Jon, no doubt about it, deserved the attention.

527

I've been meaning to talk about Hammes and what the Dodgers are doing with him. Clearly with Hammes, he seemed to have "gotten it" in the bullpen last year at vero beach and in the Hawaiian Fall League. His stuff played up and he seemed to have attacked hitters better in that roll. So any reason why the Dodgers switched him back to starting? His numbers are not the same which would imply his stuff isn't nearly as good as when he was firing bullets in 1-2 inning stints.

He should be switched back to the bullpen and groomed as a 2008 relieving option for the Dodgers.

528- Where?

528 Er, yeah, here? Fine by me; I finished it Sunday morning about 2:30. Yes, I'm 56 years old and I read a YA book for 6+ hours Saturday night. Sue me. ;)

533 Nobody would sue you. At this point, most people who haven't read the books are adults who suffer from Serious Adult Syndrome.

531 -- Yes, I think Hammes is better as a reliever than he is as a starter. The historical record tells us that he does better in that role. But obviously the Dodgers are determined to make him a starter. Why? When you look at Broxton and Meloan, you see two guys who had issues that made the Dodgers think they are better suited for relief. In Broxton's case, it was the heavy-set body, in Meloan's, a maximum effort delivery. In contrast to Broxton, Hammes has the body of John Lackey, a body that makes scouts think a guy could be a real horse as a starter. And in contrast to Meloan, Hammes throws without effort. Put the two things together and you have a package that scouts want to see starting games.

Put the two things together and you have a package that scouts want to see starting games.

Eh I guess. Just that the numbers are so drastic in one direction that it seems like all the Dodgers are doing is prolonging the inevitable. The place where he is going to make his greatest impact on the Dodgers is in the bullpen.

I just watch the movies, because I saw the third movie and really liked it.

I guess I am just not into the actual story enough to read the books.

The Saul Bellow character in Herzog said he was saving Ulysses for the rest home. That's my Harry Potter policy. Seems like the sort of thing a little dementia might improve.

528 & 534, if you want a spoiler-filled thread discussing HP7 and the books as a whole, here's the place to go:

http://tinyurl.com/2pmybt

There are a slew of professional writers and hard-core SF and Fantasy fans who hang out there, and 99% of them were excited about the Potter phenomenon and the books.

538 You dislike Wagner's music and like Saul Bellow.

I must say, the D4P/Shimmin wars are getting quite nebulous. For whom do we root?

That's a little embarrassing, it wasn't Herzog, it was Ravelstein. Dementia might not be as far off as I'd hoped. . .

539 Great thread. Though I really disagree with some people there.

BH and I spent a solid hour talking about the book over the phone the other day.

542 At least the parts you could talk about.

542 Yeah. There are certain lines, or quotes, or moments that I can't talk about, or read out loud. I'm soft.

I accept that. I wear no shame.

538 Have you read "Henderson the Rain King" by Bellow? Great book.

I made it to the 66ers game tonight to watch Randy Wolf pitch. He had his customary rough first inning (including giving up a homer to the very first batter), but here was his pitch breakdown (accurate to +/- 5 pitches):

* 1st: 19
* 2nd: 8 (27)
* 3rd: 16 (43)
* 4th: 10 (53)

53 pitches, 4 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 HR, 4 K, 1 BB

Randy looked in pretty good shape, albeit perhaps not going all out (from this not expert eye). No obvious difficulty or pain. The 66ers post-game news item seems to suggest there might be more rehab -- "Making the first of what could be a limited few Minor League rehabilitation starts, former All-Star Randy Wolf took the mound for the 66ers."

Mario Alvarez took over in the 5th and went the rest of the way and took the win. The 66ers won the slugfest 11-5. Adam Godwin in left field made two Web Gem-quality defensive plays (and almost made a third) in the later innings, drawing cheers and standing ovations.

Heard about Derek Lowe from a couple of guys sitting behind me. Such a bummer.

I should have a few pictures up at Trolley Dodger soon.

545 I have not. I read "Seize the Day" and said to myself "This is one of the guy's most celebrated works, and I hated it. I didn't dislike it, or find faults with it, or fail to connect with it. I hated it. I'm using the word 'hate' here."

And there are other reasons. I'm the furthest thing from a pol as you'll get, and BH can attest to that, but I can't abide pure nonsense. But rule 5 violations abound, so I need not expound.

Here's your UCLA WRs Coach Eric Scott update:

It appears Scott was convicted in the last 10 years of battery, concealing a firearm, and resisting arrest.

548 Last year almost gave me an ulcer. I've never been more negative in my life. UCLA football killed me, and made a bad person. I'm not going to do it again.

Go 10-1. Go 4-7. I don't really care anymore. I'm not going to follow the team with any kind of confidence. Honestly, I've written the program off.

545- Yeah, I have. But given its recently acquired political undesirability, I'm circumspect in praising it publicly. And my favorite will always be Herzog. Every time I read Herzog in public, when I was reading it the first time, I'd end up embarrassing myself, laughing till I choked. Herzog and Money are the two funniest novels of the 20th century, and I'll box the ears of any man who says different.

The only novels of his I've not gotten to are the first one, because I'm always disappointed by first novels, Humboldt's Gift (I admit it; I'm afraid of it), and some of the stuff from the 80's, for no good reason.

I'll box the ears of any man who says different

Do nay-saying lady friends get a free pass...?

551- Yes, O.J.

528 I appreciate the advance notice. I will be sure to avoid DT on Monday. I have the following books lined up to read with my kids: Physik, by Angie Sage; the last two books for the Lemony Snicket series, then book 6 and book 7 of the Harry Potter series. I will be reading them in this order and clearly won't get to book 7 until sometime this fall. I of course don't expect the rest of the world to avoid me, so I will avoid it as best as I can.

533 There is nothing to be ashamed about reading young adult fiction. Most of the good YA fiction is better than the adult fiction coming out these days, particularly when it comes to fantasy. In addition, popular adult fiction often includes either graphic sex or blood and gore to an extent that I don't enjoy reading.

550. Get ready for some boxing, becuase while I love Herzog, and Bellow in general, A Confederacy of Dunces is the funniest book of the 20th century, by far.

Was noone else excited by Uruguay's win over the US in the PanAm games yesterday. Bit sad for my man Roy Hibbert, but since my dad helped coach the Uruguayan National team in the early 60's, I've always been a little partial to them.

If you want, I'll set up a separate thread for HP chat. But as 553 indicates, I don't want people who haven't had time to read the book yet to be shut out of DT.

554 - This tends to anger people who worship the book, but I didn't finish "A Confederacy of Dunces." I was enjoying it at the outset but it just got redundant - I felt like I was reading the same joke over and over again. (See, redundant - like that sentence.) I might give it another try someday, but I brought it with me on vacation once and more or less just got bored.

556. Perhaps if I was like Shimmin and boxed the ears of those who disagreed with me, I would be more upset. The biggest problem I have with the book is that it takes so long to pay, but the last couple of chapters are absolutely great, but it still plays on the same joke. At what point did you put it down?

557- I'll box his ears for you, if you like. For a price. I've seen evidence (on the HBO documentary: Entourage) that people can walk right into Variety and shout at its employees without anybody's saying boo. I bet they put up with ear boxing, too.

I love A Confederacy Of Dunces. I have a copy of Herzog that I have just never gotten around to reading (boy, do I have a lot of books that fit that description). Is anybody here a reader of the comic novels of Peter De Vries?

Has anyone seen the poop that Tony Jackson has been writing in his http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/ blog?
I thought this guy was supposed to be an OBJECTIVE sportswriter. He's more opinionated than the K Brothers at the LA Times, but at least they're funny. Tony Jackson just sounds bitter or at least that's the tone of his blog entries. I'm really growing tired of him and his ill-conceived conclusions. No more visiting that blog for me.

A small sample from Tony Jackson's blog yesterday:

although after watching Betemit predictably whiff with runners on first and second and two outs to end the fourth, I'm still not sure why he is in the lineup -- or on the team, for that matter. Dodgers are 0 for 5 with four strikeouts tonight with RISP. Nice situational hitting.

557 - It was more than five years ago. I think I read about 250 pages.

560 - I've discussed this before. It's an understatement to say Jackson overreacts to single events.

I absolutely hated Confederacy of Dunces.

563. Yeah, the book kind of does that to people. I'd now make a snide comment about how it divides people between those with taste and those without, but I'm not sure whose camp that would put me in.

Red Sox sign Brady Clark, according to WEEI via MLBTR.

If Nicolas Cage starred in a film adapatation of Confederacy of Dunces, Marty would move to Canada.

566. Marty hates Nick Cage, too? Well then maybe he isn't all bad.

So the Dodgers and the Reds have both played 102 games. In the same number of games, each team has scored the same amount runs, 477.

The Dodgers have a 20 pt. lead in OBP and BA, while the Reds make up for it with a 20 pt. lead in slugging %. The Reds have 17 fewer walks. Their lead in strikeouts of 225 does not seem to have hindered their run scoring.

568 - So if we traded Juan Pierre for Adam Dunn (hypothetically) it would have no effect on our wins? That would be a good counterargument when we propose that trade.

Dodgers started the season at 31-21.
Since then they are exactly 25-25.

New post at Screen Jam.

528 I finished the book already. I've been very much in a Harry Potter mood lately. I've had the main theme in my head for the last week and a half.

Biggest One Season Turn Around:

Fausto Carmona:

2006: 1-10 5.42 ERA, 1.59 WHIP
2007: 13-4 3.31 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

The main theme from the movies, of course.

573 With a strikeout rate in the low fives, I don't his success is probably fleeting.

I loved Dunces. That would be a real funny movie. To bad most of the actors i can think to play the main role are dead. (Jackie Gleeson, Dom Delouise, Belushi and Farley would have been excellent).

Horatio Sanz or Jack Black or whoever Americas funny fat guys are right now just wouldnt cut it.

Possibly John Goodman I guess.

Uh oh.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Dodgers, Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees are interested in Ty Wigginton.

I thought we'd all agreed the Dodgers should be looking for pitching, or nothing, and not dealing with the Devil Rays again. I'm sure they got the memo, so this must just be another "toss it out there as a rumor because it's fun" column.

577- Maybe him and Evan Grant can get together and come up with trades whereby we get Texiera, Texas gets Kemp, Loney, and Billz, and Tampa gets our AA roster.

The trade deadline is exciting, right up to the point that your team gets mentioned. Then it's nerve-wracking. Can't figure out if I like or dislike the trade deadline.

Evan Grant may not be done with the Dodgers. This item appeared on SI.com today, sourced to the Dallas Morning News:

The Rangers are heavily involved in talks with Atlanta on a deal that could send Mark Teixeira to the Braves, major league sources confirmed Wednesday. The deal, however, could also expand into a blockbuster. Both Atlanta and the Dodgers, sources said, would like to get Teixeira and a reliever from the Rangers. Eric Gagne and Ron Mahay are of interest to Atlanta; the Dodgers are more interested in Gagne and Joaquin Benoit. Further complicating the scenario is the Rangers' interest in keeping Gagne on a long-term deal. The club and Gagne remain conversant about such a possibility.

And this from Will Carroll on BP:

Here's an interesting possible move--while everyone's looking at the Red Sox needs now, maybe they're looking to deal Moneyball-style. If everyone is currently overvalued at the trade deadline, maybe someone coming up will be undervalued. Does a Wily Mo Pena for Andy LaRoche deal make sense? Maybe not at first look, but for me it does. The Dodgers could use the power, and it would free up an outfielder to trade for a reliever like Octavio Dotel.

580

I saw that on Dodgerdugout Dot Com, & like Robert said it would be a little odd/awkward having him back.

ps wasn't he gonna give the Rangers a "home town discount also?"

580
I see a Big red flag there. Gagne, and his agent willing to sign an extension during the season?

I don't like Will Carroll =(.

I see a Big red flag there. Gagne, and his agent willing to sign an extention during the season that he will be eligible for free agency again?

581

we have nice young strong talent in the farm i really hope upper management goes with what we have instead of dealing for the sake of dealing. Deadline trades can come back & bite you in the rear.

If only the Dodgers had another OF who couldn't get enough playing time. That's really our top need, I'd say. And I like the Ethier for Dotel aftertaste. That's good rumor mongering!

581 More evidence that Carroll doesn't follow the Dodgers at all. What would Grady Little do with WM Pena? Have a 3-man rotation in RF?? Come on.

587 Throw in that we'd be trading away a top need in a power-hitting, high OBP 3b, and that makes it really special.

If everyone is currently overvalued at the trade deadline, maybe someone coming up will be undervalued.

Hmm I wonder why LaRoche is undervalued. Maybe because everyone associated with the Dodgers thinks he "hasn't hit as expected" (.967 OPS) and "didn't show much in his callup" (.436 OBP). Makes me wanna just bite my pillow!

What I like is that 99% of the rumors every year turn out to be false leads but everyone hangs on them every year as though these writers have some special insight when all they have is the need to file a story.

Well, I was never for trading for a relief pitcher, but in light of Lowe getting hurt, I've never been more against it. If we have to make a trade, we should get a decent starter in the process.

i have zero interest in harry potter. i saw the first movie but that's it. i don't get what the big deal is.

591 First, every interview that I have heard from Ned in the last two months has indicated to me that unless he gets a position player who is better than the prospect we give up and will be here for a while, he doesn't see trading any of them.

I agree with BryanF, there is a need for a starter but the pickings are pretty slim, not even a Maddux out there.

If they don't make a move, here is your possible rotation if Lowe has to go on the DL.

Penny
Billingsley
Hendrickson
Tomko
Wolf (as long as he is painfree)

Bullpen
Saito
Broxton
Beimel
Seanez
Houlton/Hernandez
Meloan (replacing Lowe)
Hull

Not exactly what you want heading for the stretch drive.

593
You already stated that before, why state it again? The final book was a big deal for those of us who enjoyed the series, so just let us enjoy the moment.

591 - It boggles my mind.

Heck Jayson Stark is telling me that the Dodgers have a real gem in some kid named John Malone.

Uh, not quite sure of your detective work there, Lou.

577 The source for a rumor published in St. Pete regarding Wigginton could be disinformation from the DRays front office. If I'm selling, it's to my advantage for there to be a perception of demand. Or is that too conspiracy theory?

[595] hah, did i? i'm absent-minded enough to forget these sorts of things. it was an honest sentiment though. if someone wants to explain the phenomenon to me, i'd benefit from the insight.

598 ... and similarly for Teixeira, Texas and the Dallas Morning News.

also, i don't consider myself a sufferer of Serious Adult Syndrome, as greg put it.

Does anybody feel like the Brewers got fleeced a little bit in the Linebrink deal? I know how much they need to make the playoffs, for that team and finances and the city and all that jazz, but man, three pitching prospects?

596 I've got to admit, this is one of the most exciting times of the baseball year for me. I think it's natural for fans to want to ponder the rumors.

I also agree there's no sense getting worked up about them until they happen.

Vishal,
(this is all my personal opinion) I think you'd have to read the books to get an idea. The movies are generally inferior to the books and I've felt that the only movie that could stand on its own as a movie was the third one. The books themselves are great page turners, especially Book 3 and on. The stories are compelling and the characters are worth caring about. I've found that most of the books start out "pretty good"... but after you hit a certain point, you just can't put the book down until you finish. And personally, imagining a world of witchcraft and wizardry makes me feel like a kid again.

602 Those minor leaguers all have mediocre "stuff". I think Towers is looking to turn 3 ho-hum minor-leaguers into Petco pitching gods. All 3 from what I understand have plus command.

I can't imagine trading three young pitchers for a guy who throws one inning every other game. Mediocre stuff or not, it doesn't seem smart.

Actually Inman is quite a prospect. I think the Padres did a great job for the future but I also think the may have whiffed on an opportunity for this year.

607 Linebrink's peripherals took a massive hit this year. His strikeout rate almost got cut in half and he's allowed more jacks. I don't think he's the pitcher that he used to be, and I think the Padres believe they can replace him with someone like Royce Ring.

From the Don't Do It Department of Trade Rumor Central (Post-Gazzette)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been scouting the Pirates' games in the past week. Though there is no specific information as to their pursuit, the Dodgers are seeking bullpen help, and the Pirates are offering as much as anyone: Damaso Marte, Torres and possibly Chacon if no contract is signed soon.

Los Angeles has a wealth of young players it is open to discussing, among them third baseman Andy LaRoche, brother of the Pirates' Adam LaRoche.

599 604 - Vishal, I think it is the last sentence of fanerman's post that is they key. The books, even in their darkest moments, are innocent and sweet and imaginative in a way that not much else is these days. It is a richly imagined world that leads to lovely bit of escapism. I think for adults, or at least for me, it recalls those worlds they created for themselves when they were young.

And this is the 26th. July 30/31 will be a baseball writer's bonanza, with almost nothing actually happening.

606 607 The Padres prospect's cupboard was bare, they were obviously looking to upgrade their farm system. I don't know that its a good move in the middle of a pennant race. I tend to agree with Toy Cannon, they may have shot themselves in the foot for 07.

603
Oh, I agree it is exciting but I'd just like people to use some common sense when looking through all the rumors. You would be better served to look through each teams rosters, decide the weaknesses and strengths and come up with better trade scenarios then the rumors that are placed by GM's and agents for their own purposes.

609 Here is an interesting trade proposal regrading, which I am not sure who gets the better end of: Andy LaRoche for Ian Snell. That is the type of deal, I could see us making, and one of the few times I would willing to actually give up LaRoche. What does everyone else think of that.

608 I think Meredith moves to the 8th, Heath Bell to the 7th.

608
True, but other teams still valued Linebrink even has his peripherals fell through the floor. A key trading chip has been used for the future not the present.

615 Either way. Linebrink seems to have suddenly become a very replaceable commodity, and I think the Pads sold him when he still had a reputation.

609 LaRoche for any of those three guys is ridiculous. Snell, maybe... but Salomon Torres???

616 But the teams that would be interested in Linebrink are likely also contending. Would they be willing to give up anything of present value for him?

[604] [610] i guess part of it was that i was never into wizards and witches as a kid... i was more into robots and spaceships. the other thing i am skeptical about, seeing as how the series targets the "young adult" audience: is the writing of sufficiently high quality? i had a friend who had me flip through his copy of cormac mccarthy's "the road" recently, and while i found his descriptive style to be quite vivid, i was put off by his reliance on sentence fragments and so i didn't feel like really sitting down with it. not that i'm a snob, but i like some some sophistication.

by the way, thanks for responding, guys.

614 I wouldn't be upset by that deal. But I'd like LaRoche to play third here for a long time, so I would prefer not.

I think it is more likely a player like Wilson Betemit gets moved because:
1. He is not arbitration eligible for anothe year.
2. He has shown that he has power and now can also perform off the bench.
3. For teams that value the 3 outcome player, he fits rather well.
4. Versatile with his infield skills and switch hitting ability.

I also think it opens a door for LaRoche to play during the stretch drive.

With Andy, you get a younger player with no service time issues but he has some issues with his shoulder and his stock is probably down just a little.

622 We do have some other 3B prospects and possibilities, in Dewitt, Betimit, Bell and possibly Abreu. Additionally, the best 3B in all of baseball (possibly its entire history) will likely be a free agent this offseason, and although I would not necessarily want to pay the cost, he could be a huge upgrade over anyone over there, and give us the power we need. Young, cheap, good starters don't come along very often at all.

I think most baseball people are still what have you done for me lately and with La Roche's surge in AAA I think his stock is very high. It helps that players like Braun and Pence who he compares with have torn it up since being recalled. Of course it doesn't help that Marte has been a big washout.

614
That is the kind of deal that benefits both teams and while the Dodgers might be giving up more value, they can afford to. I think I'd do the deal even as I'd regret losing La Roche. Snell would slot in nicely behind Penny/Lowe/Billingsley and he'd be around for a few years. If Snell is actually available I'm sure Ned is on his trail because we are a good fit for the Pirates and what they need but I agree with BHsportsguy in that Betemit is probably being the guy offered around.

620 FWIW, I wasn't into that stuff either. This is different. With respect to the writing quality, we've actually watched somebody become a great writer before our eyes, which is fascinating.

My hat goes off to any author, film director, musician who can create a unique and interesting story/movie/song. Of course what meets this criteria is open to interpretation from the individual. I've only read a little bit of the HP series, but it meets that criteria for me. It's not my personality to go crazy over such things, like lining up the night before, chatting about it on the phone for hours etc..., but my hat goes off to them. I can't stand cookie cutter movies, books and music, that's the main reason why I can't stand network TV and 98% of the Hollywood movies out there. I'd much rather spend my spare time with my family, or watching the Dodgers! :) vr, Xei

615 I think it's Heath Bell as the 8th inning guy now, they seem to be quite high on him. Meredith has been appearing in games earlier and earlier.

625 If you just look at LaRoche's last 31 games (June and July), he compares nicely to Braun's short season in AAA.

we've actually watched somebody become a great writer before our eyes, which is fascinating.

That's how I felt about reading James Ellroy.

627 - Yeah, her writing has certainly improved quite a bit over the years.

628 - I lined up for book 7, mainly because I had never been to one of the book parties before and this was the last chance. It was totally worth it.

620 To me, a sentence fragment style can work, although it usually takes a few pages to get used to. "The Shipping News" is another one like that. Once I adjusted, I loved the book, and "The Road" was the same way. Both of those writers are adept enough to pull it off.

Instead of flipping through, just read it. It doesn't take long.

I don't mean this sarcastically, not at all: It sort of says something about the Dodgers and baseball that they merit Xeifrank's interest, if not devotion.

New post up top.

630
Exactly, which is why I think his value is as high as it ever has been. Maybe I didn't communicate that correctly.

630 And to take that a step further- who is the more valuable commodity today, Braun or Kemp? LaRoche has now compiled the same # of minor league ab's as Kemp (granted a year older at each level).

.294/.374/.521 LaRoche (29 HR per 550 ab)
.310/.358/.518 Kemp (21 HR per 550 ab)

Even if LaRoche projects a 25-28 HR guy and Kemp is a 32-35 HR guy, LaRoche should be more valuable. And Kemp is the better sell high candidate. Heresy I know.

A little late but here is a quick rundown of Linebrink and three guys the Brewers gave up:

Linebrink turns 31 in early August. Trade rumors swirled around him this offseason, especially involving the Phillies. His strikeout and walk numbers over the past three seasons have been consistent. However, in 2006 his less controllable numbers like hits allowed and home runs spiked somewhat. He was still worth a good 3-4 wins last year according to Baseball Prospectus.

However, Linebrink fell off a cliff this year. From Day 1 his strikeout rate has been way down; he's allowed a ton of home runs. You almost have to wonder whether he's healthy. He got by for the first two months with the reduced strikeout rate, but it caught up to him in June and especially July. Even as a seventh inning guy his value is very questionable. The Crew should recoup a draft pick or two when he leaves after the season, so that's something.

My trusty Baseball America Handbook tells me that 20 year-old righty Inman is clearly the jewel of the trade. He's a tough competitor; his 1.71 ERA in Low A ball last year was ridiculous. He does not offer dazzling stuff or projectability, however. He succeeds on the strength of his command and breaking stuff rather than velocity. He breezed through High A this year, posting a 1.72 ERA in 13 starts.

However, Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein questioned how his "below-average stuff and elite-level command" would play at Double A. The results in his first eight starts at that level have been mixed at best. He's taken a couple of shellackings, but has looked solid in his last three efforts. Goldstein wonders whether he may be a Yusmeiro Petit type, a guy who used deception to post some great minor league numbers despite mediocre stuff. Petit fooled the Marlins enough for the Mets to snag Carlos Delgado, at least.

Inman is very young for Double A; put him in PETCO in 2009 and I don't see why he can't keep his ERA under 5. Doesn't blow you away but innings eaters are fetching $8MM annually these days. Great move by Kevin Towers, because he won't miss Linebrink. He can't lose.

Didn't know much about the other two prospects. Thatcher is a 25 year-old southpaw reliever, another guy with average stuff. The results have been excellent through Triple A though. He's got a cut fastball, sweeping slider, and fine control. He was ranked 23rd among Brewers prospects by Baseball America.

Garrison is a 21 year-old southpaw starter, ranked 27th on the Brewers' list. He's working in High A currently. He too has average stuff without great velocity, another command guy. See a theme here? The pitchers plucked by Kevin Towers don't light up radar guns or make scouts drool, but still look like big league contributors.

You have to give this one to Towers, who traded from a position of strength to snag three pitchers known less for projection than probability.

1. I'd be in favor of a separate Potter thread for those who want to avoid spoilers or just don't give a rip about the books.

2. The writing evolved as the principal characters evolved. The first two or three books were written with "tweens" in mind, but as the kids got older and the moral dilemmas got clearer, the writing got more complicated and the books got darker and darker. I've seen a comment from someone quoting her mother,a long-time childrens' librarian, as saying she'd never seen that done in any series for kids.

I'm with Linkmeister on the separate thread. I also think the writing improved over the series.

The separate thread for HP is for sure.