Thumbs up for The Simpsons movie.

Binge Responsibly.

What's Andrew's high score on "Baby Blast"...?

The Rockies' Sunday jerseys are hideous. Black and purple? The players look like a giant bruise.

Dear Vin,
Please stop comparing Chad to Matt Herges.
Thanks,
everyone

I see that the Rockies employ Grittle's strategy of putting the worst hitters at the top of the lineup.

D4P saw a movie?

6 You've got to have hustle and heart at the top. It inspires the rest of the team.

7
I filled my quota for the year.

Nice 1st inning for Billz but i really don't like him falling towards the 1st base side, little pet peeve.

okay- that was a ridiculous catch.

Jimenez must be a mid season call up cause I don't really remember him, he can bring it.

Ummmm no swing.

He did not go around.

12 He is. He's the Rox best pitching prospect, pretty much since forever.

kent should be given 2 errors on that play.

Russell Martin has 9 errors this year (according to the Rox telecast)?

17 I would've guessed more than that.

16- And a wedgie.

19

with the camera pointing out the wedgie in it's full glory, another nice inning by Billz, stupid Kent though.

Wild one in Houston. SD with 11 in the top of the first, Houston with 7 in the 4th.

12-8 Pads.

All I can say is why hasn't this guy been pitching. The Rockies staff looks like the best we have seen in this admittedly limited view.
It's unfortunate, because we need to win this game, but the Karma feels like we won't do anything right today. It may take an individual effort to turn it around.

17

We're tide with the Marlins for most in the NL with 85, that's pretty darn bad.

22

Billz is pitching very good I think we have a pretty good chance today.

So what's with Billy Ray Cyrus having a hot daughter who acts and sings? I felt really dirty when I looked it up and found out she was only 14.

Where are they today:
Hu and LaRoche both started in Vegas, first inning, both singled, LaRoche drove in a run.

James McDonald has struck out 11, walked 2, given 3 hits, one of them a solo home run and he is trailing 1-0 through 6 1/2 innings. McDonald has now 24 strike outs in 22 innings in AA.

22 Like I said- Jimenez is the best prospect Colorado has to offer. Off hand, I can think of Jake Westbrook, Doug Million (RIP), and a pre injuries Tsao as comparable prospects. I spent my formidable years in Colorado, so I like the Rox when they're not playing the Dodgers, but I don't follow the kids the way that Nate or Canuck do.

24 Let's hope.

26

you mean 27Ks.

27 Jeff Francis was a pretty big deal.

27

they also have this left hander Franklin Morales who is suppose to be pretty good. He's down in AA though.

Oh --I forgot about this announcer. This could be a very painful afternoon.

Morales can bring it. In the futures game he was hitting the upper 90's from the left side. Funky delivery, but great stuff.

29 Actually 28 strike outs in 23 innings and a 28/7 K/BB ratio.

McDonald has done what you would hope a good pitching prospect would do in the Southern League so I would have to think that he would now be perhaps just under Kershaw and Elbert in starting pitching prospects for the Dodgers.

30 Francis was a huge prospect. I missed him. I still love Francis, so I'm an idiot for missing him.

31 Morales is touted, but not at the level Jimenez was. Honestly, Tsao was the biggest prospect I can remember. (once again- I'm speaking from not an analysis perspective). Jimenez was supposed to be the savior.

That should have been caught.

10 errors. Seems that most have been just like that - on tailing sinkers to second base.

Maybe Russell could teach that pitch to Tomko.

offically sick of matt holliday

Crud.

Umm why isn't Chad throwing the breaking ball?

ouch

36 It wasn't exactly the biggest effort by Kent.

Matt Holliday is pretty good.

He didn't that cutter in enough. Holliday was able to extend his arms. oh well.

25
You could not tell she was that young?

35 Biggest pitching prospect, I should say. The most touted prospect I can recall was catcher Ben Petrick, so what do I know?

Key play, Jamey Carroll's two out hit.

46 That's all about hustle and heart.

44 Eh, she looked like she was 16 or 17. I guess that doesn't help my case all that much.

I'm giving my vote to Major League. Bad News Bears loses votes for the Billy Bob Thornton version.

Run, Russell!

48
I'll give you the fact that she has a deep voice.

47 hustle and heart is exactly what's missing with Kent. He plays like a 9-5er who can't wait for quitting time.

Possibly Vin's most amusing verbal gaffe in recent memory -- he just talked on the air about how a couple of days ago the "Carmax Text Messaging" victor in the Dramatic Baseball Flicks category was...

"The Naturalist."

I have this terrible, disturbing vision of Robert Redford triumphantly rounding the bases. Nude.

i'm noticing Kent going the other way quiet a few times the last week or so.

52 To music by, uh, "Randy" Newman.

Minor League Update:
McDonald has a chance for a win as Suns score 3 in the top of 8th, 3-1 Suns.

I'm glad this ump has a smaller strike zone than last nights dude.

if we had the umpire from yesterday gonzo has struck out twice this at bat

52 I remember that movie, Edward Norton came up at the key moment of the game, waved his bat around and around and before you know it, there was a flash of light and then Ed was circling the bases with a home run.

"Old friend" Dioner Navarro just took Dice-K deep in the 7th for a 1-0 lead.

It is now 15-10 Padres, 2 on and 1 out, bottom of the 5th.

In case you have not heard, Jose Canseco promises to dish on A-Rod in his new book.

That's a Web Gemmy for Raffy.

Nice recovery.

walked the freakin pitcher

grabowski principle.

48- "In the British study, bartenders were shown pictures of people aged 13 through 22 and asked to guess their ages. They judged about one of every five 13-year-old girls to be over 18, while they correctly identified the 13-year-old boys 97 percent of the time."

http://slate.com/id/2169760/

92 pitches in 4 innings. This does not bode well.

WHY bunt right there? god u are useless.

a bunt with 2 outs? really?

68 - Not useless.

Dumb.

Just plain dumb.

He's bunting for a hit, he's not hitting a homer so why not try, folks this is what he does so I don't know why it should surprise anyone.

Wow, the Astros just DFAd Morgan Ensberg..

i'd like to see the look on grady face after that.

doesnt work the count.

doesnt let furcal try to steal 2nd.

yes. dumb.

There's something funny about this broadcast. I can't tell if the aspect ratio is off, or if the camera shots are overly tight, or if they're just positioned funny, but watching the game is making me a little claustrophobic.

72 - Made obsolete by the Wigginton acquisition.

Pierre has no confidence in himself. Period.
{71] It doesn't surprise me, but it doesn't make me okay with it.

73 First, Furcal isn't running this year, he only has 11 steals so chances of him trying to run is slim. Second, if he is going to bunt, he is going to try early in the count. And Pierre doesn't work counts anyway. Three, I am sure Grady thought that is what Juan Pierre does and has done throughout his career.

Pierre's 2007 Bunt Hit Average: .217
Pierre's Career Bunt Hit Average (minus 2007): .387

See Chad Run

75 Yeah, I got that part. It's just that if someone would have told me a couple of years ago that Ensberg would be DFAd, I would have been shocked.

.77

he hasnt been getting bunt base hits this year.

I am pretty sure Chad will say something like he didn't have command of his fastball today.

Bad Chad is on the mound today. At the 100-pitch mark in the 5th inning.

83 - And Tony Jackson seems to be enjoying it.

Dontrelle Willis in Blue by Tuesday?

84 - TJ did call out Pierre's bunt attempt though.

80 Only if that year was 2005. I was surprised until I saw that he was 31 with 1 good year.

82 How many first pitch balls were fastballs down and away? All of them?

thank you, Tony Jackson

Chad's ERA in Coors Field before today, 20.25

So i guess Derek feels okay?

80. Actually he had a couple of good years in 2003, 2005, and last year before he got injured. He would've had a good year in 2004, but then-manager Jimy Williams "Jimbo'ed" him in favor of Mike Lamb in the first half of the season. Luckily for Ensberg, Williams got fired after the All-Star break.

Again, if Juan Pierre is the biggest problem the Dodgers have, than I think they will win the division easily, but he isn't probably not in the top 3 or even top 5.

92 -
1.Lack of a 4th,5th starter

2.Juan Pierre

3.Defense

4.Rudy Saenez coming down to earth

92

Well said.

Pierre is just fine, maybe a tad overpaid but in a year the market will correct that.

I oscillate between a big stick and a 7th inning guy as THE big problem.

The one pitch I really got mad at was throwing Holliday a little cutter in the thin air of Colorado if your gonna miss you best miss WAY inside, it was just a HORRIBLE PITCH by Billz but that's beside the pint now, he's been great aside from today so it's o.k.

Chris Burke strikes out with the bases loaded in Houston.

Still 15-11, Pads.

93
Russell Martin's bad second half has to be on there.

93

Nice one.

Heh.

I take back what I said before about Kent in [510

I mean in 51

97 I think Russell's back is the story, if it means that he gets more rest, hopefully no big slide for the rest of the season.

I ugh! Kent there.

Loneys been surprisingly quite in this series.

What did Kent do?

Loney's young and due for a cold spell.

104 - Just got caught too far off 2nd after a comebacker to the pitcher. Not much he could do there...

106

he could have stayed still instead of pretending to go to 3rd, I thought it was a bad play but oh well.

107 - You could be right too. It was a pretty sharp grounder, and I think he was trying to get a good jump to score. Tough play.

Dang.

When Jamey Carroll gets two hits, its a bad a day.

the Rockies been playing pretty well didn't they beat the Padres earlier in the week?

TV off.

So how long until it's Meloan time?

106 Thanks.

I'm trying to watch without much sound. I would like to see Homer in a movie, not hear him in a broadcast.
I take it JP has not distinguished himself. And it seems like the D's pitchers are having a terrible time finishing off hitters, starting with Bills.
I have had a feeling throughout this series that nothing would go are way, and I don't get as upset as I once did. When Kent dropped that ball for the second time and Loney was judged to go around--I knew it was so. Things will turn around. I just hope Colletti doesn't make any panic trades.

Good news? Arizona down 6-0 in the second inning.

Padres now lead 18-11 in the 9th.

FYI,

I met a couple of Dodger fans in Chicago last week and we went to Beloit, WI on Tuesday to see Clayton Kershaw pitch. We sat right behind the plate in the "scouts area" and watched the whole game. A 27-year Cubs scout sat beside us. He said that he had never seen Kershaw before, but that when he threw 3 pitches in warmups, he knew he was special.

While this wasn't one of Clayton's best games, I saw enough to know that he has the tools to be a dominant #1 starter for the Dodgers:

1. He topped out at 97 (1 pitch), but threw many in the 95-96 range;

2. He throws a "heavy" ball and shattered 5 bats (4 of which were "bloop" hits);

3. His worst pitch is his curve;

4. He tends to get a little rattled by bad calls (remember he's only 19);

5. He just has a "presence" on the mound; and

6. He mixes speeds very well.

I talked to Josh Bell and he seems like a good kid - he's a few years away, but he bears watching.

It's really amazing to see how different the talent level is at Low A compared to AAA (I go to a lot of Indianapolis Indians games). The Cubs scout told us that this year the talent levels across the low minors is lower than it's been in some time.

well at least Zona is losing 3-0

I'm getting annoyed of Gameday's "in play run(s)"...and I'm getting annoyed at the Rockies running on Martin/our pitchers.

116

6-0 now, good news indeed.

118
His curveball is good, you probably just saw it on a bad day.

Is there anything in the rule book that explicitly states that a team must try to win?

I wouldn't put Pierre in the top three problems, but he's definitely got a spot in the top five. And he's the biggest structural problem, going forward (Nomar's close, but has only one year left on his contract).

124 - Depends on how many spots on the list of problems the "health of the rotation" can occupy. The health of Lowe, Penny, and Wolf are problems #1, 2, and 3 IMO, which does push Pierre out.

118 remarkably interesting stuff: Thanks.
Are you a Cubs fan?

Furcal's had a couple great ABs. (on the walks)

125- I'm counting those, though I've got them two, three, and four, after Nomar. Lucky number five has Pierre's name on it.

Despite our problems we haven't lost much ground. I think "happy days" will come again!

if anything the Padres bullpen must be exhausted.

129

Good man Gen3Blue that's the way I see it.

Walking Pierre to load the bases for Martin is an interesting gambit.

The best nickname for LaTroy Hawkins was the one Jim Caple gave him.

LaTroy "Screaming Line Drive" Hawkins.

Didn't the Giants trade somebody decent for Hawkins?

128 - The rotation is the biggest potential for a stupid trade, which is why I think it trumps Nomar. The thought of sending 2-3 blue chippers for Garland or Dontrelle has worse ramifications than Nomar singling his way to a .700 OPS at third.

128- I should say that not all of his being a problem is his fault. If Pierre were being platooned, it's possible not having a third terrific relief pitcher might edge him out.

The Dodgers can tie the game with one swing each of two bats.

134 - Jerome Williams and David Aardsma (one year after he was a 1st round pick of SF).

Classic Colletti-style trade, since both Aardsma and Williams flamed out after being acquired for a middle reliever.

134
Aardsma?

Golden Boy, Golden Boy. Where art thou, Golden Boy?

Motion to nickname this pitcher Ram-Ram

Amazingly again, the tying run comes to the plate.

Matt Schaub's hail mary pass to the end zone was knocked by the Chargers' secondary, and SD holds onto defeat Houston 18-11.

Given the fungibility of relievers, why do teams like the Rockies always seem to end up with bad bullpens...?

140

judging by the swing Russell was expecting fastball but it was not sow, it's only a 3 run game now with that 2 RBI single by Kent & it's only the 7th inning.

Martin's 2/4 today, both of the hits doubles.

126,

Nothing but a Dodger Blue fan. Since I live in Indy, I go to see the Dodgers in ChiTown, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincy and other locations (I spent 12 days in Vero this Spring).

So, No, I am not a Cubs fan!

146 I know, it's just that earlier in the season Russell seemed to thrive in those situations. As long as his back's not a big problem, I'm not too worried about him breaking out of his slump.

Munching on blueberries during the game and it occurs to me that blueberries actually taste blue.

124

Shouldn't the press do a story on why Pierre is terrified to hit with two strikes?
This is the crux of what makes Pierre so maddening.

Seriously. He is very good at getting the bat on the ball. He is awful at driving the ball, but he seems able to put the bat on almost any pitch, so why is he so fearful of making the pitcher earn his stripes?

Why is he so afraid to take two strikes?

Pierre is probably beyond help -- this is what he is.

But given how much the Dodgers have invested him and that they've suffered several hundred ABs of him doing it his way, shouldn't the Dodgers consider how they might be able to get Pierre to better apply his bat control and speed?

Why not require Pierre to devote an entire week to forcing the pitcher to throw two strikes to him every time he bats? It's Draconian, sure. I hate to curb a player's aggressiveness. My suggestion is somewhat whimsical. But what would be the worst result? Pierre would make an out after an average of four pitches? Is that any worse than what he is doing? Maybe it would be better.

I would also urge him, while he is standing there taking strikes one and two, to learn how to get his swing ready as the pitcher lets go of the ball, not after it. This is a major flaw to his technique. This is one of the reasons his swing is so defensive. He is trying to play catch-up.

It's maddening to watch. The man isn't devoid of talent, but he shows no trust in his exceptional hand-eye coordination. This isn't a failure of talent. It's a failure of approach.

This probably would strike Pierre as nonsense. The way he has gone about it brought him a $45 million guarantee from the Dodgers, so why change? His M.O. of being overly aggressive (fearful) tactically, defensive (tardy) mechanically is the same M.O. he's shown, ad nauseum, the last 2-3 years. The Dodgers had to know that when they hired him so Pierre could rightly tell them this is who he is.

Excuse me if this is repetitive.

147 Even better, Brother! As one in Ma. can know.

Go crazy San Jose, you are Arena Bowl Champs!

146 148 Martin struck out with the bases loaded (more than once I recollect) last week, and then I heard the news of his sore lower back. I wonder if his strike out last inning was related, or just that the pitch he swung at fooled him.

150
Pierre is afraid of striking out, which actually makes him a worse hitter. Not only does he not take pitches, but he seems to prioritize making contact and putting the ball in play over actually hitting the ball hard or hitting it a long way.

149
So George Carlin posts on DT?

155 Still in St. Louis?

Seriously, just a side comment, they taste blue.

Besides when I asked if there is anything in the rule book that says a team must try to win, people thought I was being a doofis. So maybe I decided to become an actuall doofis.

113. So how long until it's Meloan time?

Well, it actually is Meloan time (in Las Vegas :-) ). He has just been called on to save a 5-3 game in the top of the 9th.

154 --

Is is crazy to think the Dodgers should try to cure Pierre of his fear of striking out?

156
Back in Terra Cognita.

Look at Torrealba, the catcher for chrissakes, take 3rd base on that stinger to center. Yorvit had just touched second when Pierre picked that ball up in straight-away center. Pierre may as well just play one-armed out there.

whenever we have risp and pierre comes up, he kills the inning. or at least it seems....

159
The problem is that the MSM and the current regime are the kind of people who think that "not striking out a lot" is inherently good, regardless of other factors (e.g. also not walking a lot, not hitting for power, etc.).

So, yes, the Dodgers should try to cure Pierre, but no, the Dodgers don't think he's ill.

Meloan saves the game.

Pierre may as well just play one-armed out there

That would be an improvement.

160 Is that off the 101?

With all the talk about Pierre, the one thing I haven't heard (and the thing which drives me crazy) is his poor throwing ability. I think opposing teams take advantage of it in every game.

157- In his interview with the midget who knows [nothing] about baseball, Bud Selig said that if he thought the Giants were sitting Bonds just so he'd hit his record tying/breaking homeruns at home, he'd make a call. If I were on the receiving end of that call, I would be less than receptive to having the Commissioner of Baseball kibbutz on my lineup decisions. But, anyway, Mr. Selig evidently thinks there's a rule about having to try to win.

all right, i think it's pretty clear we've gotten everything we're going to get out of roberto hernandez. DFA.

Meloan gets his first AAA save:

Las Vegas
Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Pinango (W, 7-5) 5.0 10 3 3 2 3 0 4.11
Riley (H, 4) 2.0 0 0 0 1 3 0 6.43
Hoorelbeke (H, 9) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.35
Meloan (S, 1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.42

In 1974, Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to play Hank Aaron in a game at Cincinnati even though he was at 714 home runs.

Deciding if a team has to play certain players has always been a sticky issue in every sport.

I think the Dodgers should bring in Robinson Checo now.

Its just amazing to me that Juan Pierre still inspires this much attention.

Problems for the Dodgers:
1. Lowe's injury;
2. Wolf's injury;
3. Hendrickson and Tomko spots in the rotation.
4. Overworked bullpen.
5. Health of Russell Martin
6. Continuation of Nomar's struggles

For the last 5 weeks, the pitching is hanging on by a thread however, the team will probably be in a tie for first place when the game starts on Tuesday night.

Regrettably, I am coming to the conclusion that we may have to trade one or more of our younger, talented players to get some pitching. Martin (of course), Billingsley, Broxton, Loney and Kemp shoud be untouchables. However, I could see offering Ethier and/or Laroche in the right deal. Judging by our play this month, we are not operating on all cylinders. I would also say goodbye to Seanez and Hernandez and, depending upon what we get in a trade, look at cutting Martinez and Tomko.

167

when we signed him that's all we talked about (I know I did) Josh Rawith is a great guy but NOBODY is gonna tell me it was a great signing this dopey brain of mind runs on common sense & it screamed out blaspheme when we signed him.

The Cubs are 1/2 game out of first in the NL Central now.

154. I'm buyin' - but I think that dog only knows one way to hunt. Only four years and two months to the gold watch...

Said pre-season thought it likely we'd have a repeat of starter inconsistency/fragility, like last year, and consequent bp burnout. Seems to be happening, and a lot earlier than my most conservative guesses. Like many of you, hope this doesn't lead to owner/front office panic.
Use this time to let the kids go to school. Turn the injuries into quicker roster transition for '08 and '09.

173 The saving grace in all this trade talk is that there really isn't anyone available to even consider a deal like the one you are proposing.

I hate to see this fated debacle of a game also tax our pitchings staff. I remember fond days before all the injuries when this would have been duty for Tomko and Henderson.
But honestly, when this kind of injury streak hits you, There is no warning or fault, and all you can do is try to do your best through the crisis.
The D's have had so much experience with expensive pitching failing, that I think they should try and develop an overflow of pitching, and there draft strategy suggests they are thinking that way.
They also have the luxury of fielding a team of home developed players, and having most of their budget to spend on high priced pitching. Melding these strategies could lead to a very nice near future.

173 - Ethier or LaRoche gets...who? Someone better than Hendrickson? I'm not so sure in this market.

There are few quality starters available, and everyone wants at least one from your list of untouchables.

Ethier for Kyle Lohse (or the like) is running-in-place, if you ask me.

171- What would Kuhn have done if they'd told him to drop dead? Selig I imagine forming a commission, headed by former governor Dukakis, to investigate the horrible effect of teams being mean to him.

173

I wouldn't part with Seanez just yet he's had some bad breaks in hitter friendly ball parks, Roberto Hernandez is a different story though.

172--People tend to focus on problems that are correctable in-house. Juan Pierre is a problem, and the easy solution to to bench him and play the 3 best OF'ers in the OF everyday.

The other problems you mentioned are definite concerns--but there arent any solutions to them.

There's a small FOTC marathon on HBO Comedy East.

179 You may be right.

Let's not forget the Padres lost there best pitcher in Chris Young for at least 2 starts also, we're not the only ones running low on gas.

Tacky slide by Loney. At least don't be so obvious about it. He looked like he was trying to grab Troy's breasts.

172- I think problem number three is cheating, since it's a byproduct of problems one and two. The bullpen's just had a day off, and will have another tomorrow. When does it revert to not being overworked? Martin's health has not demonstrably been a problem yet. Obviously, if it does become one, it'll be worse than Pierre, but, by the same token, if Lowe throws on Wednesday and is fine, he'll drop of the list entirely. As will Wolf, if his next two rehab starts go well. Not saying I'm betting that way, but those are all temporary problems, that potentially aren't problems at all.

180
I imagine Kuhn would have fined the Braves a ton of money. That was pre-Ted Turner.

I meant to include Saenz on my drop list. I will now.

Plus, isn't Derek Lowe & Penny all set to go, Wolf is the only one still in the shelf.

190

actually not on the shelf but making rehab starts, my bad.

I guess my point is that unless Juan Pierre totally tanked, he was always going to play and I accepted that long ago. So any calls to bench him just seemed so far fetched, I figure why even continue to raise them.

He's here, he got a contract to do just what he has been doing, why should he feel any motivation to change, though apparently, no one prepares more than he does.

Yorvit, unsexiest name of all time.

192- I don't mean to be especially aggressive about this, but isn't Pierre having a worse year than you expected him to? Barring coming on strong in the second half, won't you consider this year to be, even by Pierre-ian standards, a disappointment?

192
But you forget the axiom that every Dodgers loss has to be blamed on Juan Pierre.

I guess my point is that unless Juan Pierre totally tanked

I just consulted the "Tanking" chapter in my book, and found that a .646 OPS qualifies.

Nice to see Russell Martin have a good day at the plate I guess the rest served him well.

That mascott says everything you need to know about Colorado baseball.

The Pierre being afraid thing, I know it has been touched on before (alot?), but that seems to be the same thing on defense. He seems afraid to charge the ball at all times. The Yorvit 1st to 3rd is as good an example of it as possible. He jogs up to the ball, stops to bend down and catch it, then waits until a middle infielder turns around so he can throw it to them. Surely an outfield coach could talk to him about catching a grounder on the run and making a solid run, plant and throw.

The Braves have scored in each of the first six half-innings, but they have 8-9-1 due up in the 7th.

I think Russell is frustrated, but its a bit late.

And Thorman homers to make it 13-0.

So the Braves have two more innings to go to put up runs.

Congratulations to Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken. Two of the greatest and most deserving men to ever play the game.

Martin and Kent came to play at least.

Or more accurately, at most.

194 Sure its down but if he never sat during the beginning of the year or at the low point in June, then what chance is there that he would be benched now?

But I guess there are those who like to rant about him because there is no chance he will get benched so I ought to consider that too and let it go.

Jeff sat down on the bench like a grandfather. You just can't be jumping around like that at his age.

203 Derek Jeter will probably join them as HOF who played their whole career with one team.

202

The D-Backs bubble was burst in a really bad way, wowsers!

207 - Don't forget Biggio...

Why is Nomar apparently so good with RISP? I guess it's probably because pitchers don't want to walk him and start him with a meaty pitch down the middle, which he always swings at.

Looks like the Dodgers might win this game after all...

205- Well, that doesn't address whether he's a problem, which was the original topic. And if everybody else on the team can sit once in a while, what makes it so unthinkable that Pierre should sit once in a while?

210
When Dave Smith's study is posted on Retrosheet, I will link his study about swinging at the first pitch.

211 I thought so too until we loaded the bases. We know how good the D's are in these situations...

If we win I'll lick the soles of all the shoes in my house.

Maybe we can trade Roberto H. to Colorado...

212 I agree with you Andrew.

if anything the Dodgers are making this exiting!

218
Indeed, it's time to exit...

To all of you who say "my bad". Quit it!
It's annoying.

I don't remember who said it (Bluebleeder, or bhsportsguy or Grady Little or all three) but it bears repeating: Despite the Dodgers current problems (of which there are many), and their losses of late, the Dodgers remain tied for 1st place in the NL West.

That's entertainment. with a day off tomorrow i'm sure we'll regroup & have a fun series against the Gints.

222...especially if Bonds is still searching for the tying homer

I wonder how Tomko will feel about being the man who gives up 756.

The Braves don't score. I think I should nap.

224
No doubt he and Colletti will be secretly happy about the whole thing.

No doubt whatsoever.

220 Mea Culpa is preferable.

[224} His name will live on in baseball trivia contests long after he retires.

Despite the collapse of pitching and defense, it appears the young D's did not want to go down, and I also must praise Kent for an unfeigned effort to make first.
I can envision a nucleus of young players whose patience and OBP mean that they almost always plum the depth of the opponents bull-pen. This effect is more than additive, if you stack players like this it snowballs ( I've lost the mathematical metaphor). LaRoche would make a great addition in this respect, so I hope he progresses.

222-224 And how will Ned feel? Now thats got to be complex!

Billingsley threw 114 pitches in 4.1 innings today.

Hopefully that exertion of effort doesnt give him a sore arm for his next starts.

227-Thank you. Even "excuse me" would be less obnoxious than this 21st Century drivel.

Bad news on Wolf:

>> Wolf out: The left-hander's workouts were again confined to the trainer's room and the club confirmed that he suffered a setback in his recovery from a shoulder impingement. He has been shut down indefinitely. <<

http://tinyurl.com/2vq46y

I know today we are in first...But with the way the injuries are going there is simply no way we can trade our way out of this. I hope we sit the trade deadline out, or become sellers.

On Baseball Tonight, the question was posed (with today's induction of Gwynn & Ripken into the HOF), "Who will play their career with only one team?"

The choices:

Peter Gammons: Joe Mauer
Steve Phillips: David Wright
Eduardo Perez: Russell Martin

So, we are trapped with the logical impossibility that no team in the NL West is good enough to win the division.

236 -- I believe that was one of Zeno's paradoxes.

236. I predict another tie. Maybe a three-way one this time. :-)

Has anyone else seen this from Will Carroll today:

"The team everyone is watching is the Dodgers. After they pulled out of talks on Mark Teixeira, the smart money had them coming after a pitcher. Instead, it seems like the turmoil in the front office is continuing, making other teams unsure what the Ddogers are looking for, and who, or what they should [be] talking about."

"Tumoil?" I have visions of Logan White holding Colletti in a head-lock, or in some other scenario possibly as dire as that of James Caan's in Misery. Keep fighting the good fight, Logan. Stage a coup if it has to come to that.

Weren't people at DT Day informed that Ned pretty much just listens to Kim Ng and that is it? What kind of turmoil could there be?

I smell bull and it keeps coming from Will Carroll.

If Ned can find another GM as uninformed as this writer, maybe there's a chance he can make a good trade after all....

Trade Winds: Few deals in the works
Teams appear unwilling to part with prospects at deadline
By Jim Molony / MLB.com

Excerpt---

"Perhaps no contender is getting more calls regarding young talent than the Dodgers. The Dodgers, who are looking for pitching, have fielded plenty of proposals, but have rejected any that include certain prospects, particularly shortstop Tony Abreu, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu or outfielders Delwyn Young and Mitch Jones. The Dodgers would rather not deal third baseman Andy LaRoche, also at Triple-A, as well as some of the young talent on the Major League roster, like Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp."

(Also doesn't mention Loney specifically, but probably an oversight, especially in light of saying the Dodgers are getting trade offers for Mitch Jones...)

http://tinyurl.com/2ocaxm

Mitch Jones is hitting a nifty .161 for the Nippon Ham Fighters, but I'm not going to mention that over at any Japanese baseball site.

240 -- The idea that Colletti does not "listen" to Logan White about possible player moves is preposterous, and I don't care who said it or implied it. The whole point of promoting White to Assistant GM was to acknowledge that his role in the organization had risen to one that involved advising the GM on things like trades. Neither Colletti nor Ng have any kind of scouting background -- they're both "negotiators" -- and Colletti is reputed to be a guy who listens to scouts, so White has to be advising him now.

This is not to say that Carroll isn't full of it, because Colletti could overrule objections from White if he is really hell-bent on trading prospects White doesn't want traded. At least so far, Colletti seems to be heeding White's advice. That could change by Tuesday, though.

Is it Turmoil or playing it close to the vest? I think BP/Will Carroll is just annoyed because he isn't getting any information from the Dodgers.

Does James McDonald remind anyone else of Chris Young?

Brett Butler hospitalized after having mild stroke.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7072012

172
Problem Number six wasn't much of a problem in July as Nomar had a solid month. July was his best month since last years all-star game and it was spread across batting average, on base percentage, and power. The 833 OPS wasn't vintage Nomar as the power is still not upto his old numbers but the BA/OBP were. He's sill not producing more then Betemit but I think if Betemit had 80 at bats in July instead of 35 his OPS would also be around 830. Going forward if our 3b can OPS between 825-850 we would take it no matter where the production is coming from.

This is just conjecture but I think Ned is the master of misinformation. After almost two years on the job every rumor that has had the Dodgers name to it has been wrong. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that we have a "Ministry of Misinformation" and that the HOP has a direct line to Will Carrol.

From Tony Jackson:

Bill Robinson dies

Bill Robinson, the Dodgers' roving minor league hitting coordinator for the past two seasons, passed away on Sunday at the age of 64.

245 -- Only in the sense that he seems to be more dominant than he should be for a right-hander who doesn't throw in the mid-90's.

I was expecting somebody to have posted recent comments by Logan White on McDonald by now, but maybe they went unnoticed by others with BA subscriptions:

"The kid has always had a heck of a feel for pitching. He throws from anywhere from 88-93 (mph), but he has a really good down-hill plane to hitters, good movement, a good curveball, and an outstanding change-up. For me, I think he can definitely be a middle-of-the-rotation to a frontline pitcher down the road. I'm not sure we know what his ceiling is."

248
All of them except Maddux. That one was talked about for a long time and turned out to be reality.

245
Your probably the only one who's actually seen him pitch so you'd be in the best position to judge. He must be the number one RHP prospect at this time which is quite amazing for a guy who got a C rating from Sickels and was not even in the Baseball America TOP 30 2007 Dodger prospects.

252
I mean top RHP prospect for the Dodgers.

250

sounds like my scouting report :)

When i saw him, he hides the ball very well like Chris Young with that over the top/downhill release point along with everything else Logan says about him. I didn't particularly see good movement on his fb though .

252 -- I ranked McDonald as our #16 prospect on my Top #30 prospects list in the off-season. BA, eat my dust.:)

252

He probably throws a tick harder then Chris Young but the way he gets batters out and batters guessing on his stuff combined with his flyout rates just reminds me of how Chris Young pitches in the bigs.

250

with those words from White, I assume the Dodgers hold McDonald in high regard and we (hopefully) won't see him being moved for a middle reliever!

255
Nice, I have to admit he wasn't on my radar. Do you have a link to your off season list?

So ESPN couldn't just let Orel fill in for Joe Morgan tonight, they had to insert Dusty Baker into the mix as well? Sheesh.

233--At least Wolf's option wont vest, so the Dodgers should have another 7.5 mils to play with this winter.

260

That should be enough to cover Tomko's raise.

260

depending on how he pitches when he comes back, i might just exercise that option if i had any say in it. There really isn't that much pitching on the market this offseason and this season has showed you need all the pitching you can get.

wow i just realized Orenduff is already 24 years old. That arm injury last year sure took away a lot of developmental time.

260,262 Wolf's option is $9 million ($500k buyout), so it's an $8.5m decision. I agree with Nate; if Wolf is healthy, I'd bring him back in 2008, and hope you can get 250-300 IP combined from Wolf & Schmidt to compliment Penny-Lowe-Billingsley.

264

hopefully some form of McDonald/Orenduff/Hammes/Elbert can contribute next year as well.

I'm probably banking on McDonald the most as a SP with Orenduff and Hammes doing some bullpen work and Elbert still needing time in the minors.

I forgot about Kuo...maybe I should just forget about him.

Are there any succesful pitchers that have had the same type of injury Elbert had?

Does this set his development back another year?

267

from a recent ask BA column...

The Dodgers shut down Elbert on April 16, after his third start of the season, when he complained of shoulder soreness. The initial diagnosis was tendinitis, and Los Angeles tried to rehab him for two months. When that didn't work, the club decided he should have arthroscopic surgery to remove some scar tissue detected by an initial MRI.

The Dodgers regard the surgery as minor because there was no damage to Elbert's rotator cuff or labrum. He'll miss the rest of the regular season but should be able to pitch again in instructional league. Barring any further setbacks, he should be able to regain his status as one of the game's top lefty pitching prospects next year.

no labrum or rotator cuff damage is good news.

193 (Yorvit name).

I was going to joke that I'm surprised that Vin hasn't told us 35 times about the name being derived from his parents not being able to decide between Yogi, Guava and Kermit, or something like that, since we've had to hear so often about Terrmel Sledge (every time he plays the Dodgers, at least 3 times per game).

Then I decided to look it up. There's only one Yorvit (this Yorvit Torrealba) in more than 10 pages of Google - he's unique. And guess what his Wikipedia entry says? And I quote:

"Yorvit's parents gave him his name when they could not decide between Yorman and Victor. They decided to combine the two into Yorvit." (with a source)

Jeez. These vacillating parents coming up with god-awful names. So we're lucky Vin hasn't latched onto this one yet.

What kind of a name is "Yorman" anyway? Apparently it's common in Venezuela. I don't think "Y" is used, at least not as a consonant, in Spanish anyway, is it? (Nor "W" as in all the Wilsons - Betemit, Valdez...) There's a Yorman Bazardo, a Venezuelan in the Detroit Tigers' minor league organiztion. And other Yormans (Yormen?) as well, all from Venezuela from the look of it.

Maybe in some circles using letters not commonly used in Spanish (Y, W) has a certain cachet? Or maybe someone misheard and transcribed some Scandanavian name like Jorvald, or whatever.

But Yorvit? Yucch.

Curtis Granderson is having a pretty amazing season. He has 29 2B, 16 3B, & 16 HR thus far this season. There have only been five 20-20-20 ("It Feels Good") seasons in history, the last being George Brett's 1979 season.

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/7thn

Granderson is on pace for 25 triples this year. The last time someone had as many as 22 triples in one season was 1949, when Dale Mitchell had 23. Mitchell also struck out to end Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

Did Elbert's scar tissue come from a previous shoulder surgery?

After working so hard as high altitude, Billingsley might warrant an extra day off before his next start.

271

I don't think Elbert has had any type of surgery before.

271

Any idea what produced the scar tissue? Wasn't Elbert a football star? One too many hits on the gridiron? Wear and tear of pitching?

270 I should add that Jimmy Rollins hit triple #14 today, and already has 24 2B & 20 HR. He is on pace for 22 3B, which would but him in "It Feels Good" territory as well.

Lets imagine Wolf is gone through early Sept. Lowe as well, and Penny for two weeks.
Do the Dodgers trade for pitching to stay in the race, and at what cost?

Arrrgh, someone needs to tell Will Carroll that any Dodger-related rumors are off limits to him. I can't wait 'til this trade deadline passes.

Arrrgh, about the game today, too. I missed it live, then just decided to read about it (and read your comments) rather than wait around for the condensed game to show up on MLBTV later, and I'm glad I did. Bummer, but it wasn't in the cards obviously. Another day off will do them some good. Bad news about Wolf, though. The Dodgers have to still be looking at acquiring another starter. I just hope they're cheaply had.

276 I really don't see Lowe being gone that long. Is that the latest on him? Penny should be back even sooner. I don't think the Dodgers should panic but it's clear they need more starting pitching depth, although I'm okay with Hendrickson as a 5th starter.

258 -- This was my Dodger Top 30 Prospects list from the off-season:

(01). Scott Elbert, LHP
(02). Andy LaRoche, 3B
(03). James Loney, 1B
(04). Clayton Kershaw, LHP
(05). Blake DeWitt, 3B
(06). Jonathan Meloan, RHP
(07). Preston Mattingly, SS
(08). Josh Bell, 3B
(09). Greg Miller, LHP
(10). Tony Abreu, 2B
(11). Chin-Lung Hu, SS
(12). Ivan DeJesus, Jr., SS
(13). Steven Johnson, RHP
(14). Zach Hammes, RHP
(15). Eric Stults, LHP
(16). James McDonald, RHP
(17). Mike Megrew, LHP
(18). Delwyn Young, OF
(19). Xavier Paul, OF
(20). Wesley Wright, LHP
(21). Jesus Castillo, RHP
(22). Bryan Morris, RHP
(23). Mark Alexander, RHP
(24). Javy Guerra, RHP
(25). Cory Dunlap, 1B
(26). Josh Wall, RHP
(27). Justin Orenduff, RHP
(28). Marlon Arias, LHP
(29). Alberto Bastardo, LHP
(30). Carlos Santana, 3B/OF/C

What news of late of Alberto Bastardo?

Is there a better name in all of baseball?

278
That is only speculation on my part.

Names starting with a Y are very popular in the Caribbean. Like with many names it's a fad.

And eventually there will be a lot of old fogeys in the Caribbean whose names start with Y.

275
No one has gone 20-20-20 since George Brett in 1979. Willie Mays did it in 1957 and Jeff Heath did it in 1941.

Btw, I'm sorry to see Hull fare poorly today. I've been rooting for him to help out, but this isn't going to impress management. Hernandez needs to go. Meloan needs to come up. This is a recording. {beep!}

Who's this Yorvit?
Granderson is doing well, and has a concievable name.
Funny, I was watching the conclusion of the Bourne Identity , thinking I might bone up on the series to watch the current one. But I put it on hold for a minute, and actually forgot I was watching it. This does not speak well of a movie, but I hear the sequals actually improve in this case. Can anyone vouch for this.

looks like my pal james mcdonald is doing quite well since his promotion. i remember way back when james had more of a three quarters pedro martinez type delivery. i really wish i would have had the chance to see him before he got promoted.

Ugh. Tomko pitching vs. the Giants on Thursday. That could be the day to sit in the bleachers if you want a chance at a very valuable souvenir.

279 Good. but what has happened to Jamie Hoffman? (I know he's getting older but he's a good CF, and I think he's hitting .300 this year.

286 Wow, thats making me ponder a cross country flight and a bleacher ticket.If Bonds gets up in the first, I'd say its a 60-40 chance, or better.

284-i thought the bourne supremacy was good. cant wait for the new one as well.

279
Thanks

The Bourne films love hand-held photography, so watch out for seasickness.

I've never figured out how the Julia Stiles character got such an important job in the CIA at age 21 though.

287 -- Hoffmann has rarely played CF this year. He's mostly been in LF or RF, and if he isn't a CF, he has too little power to impress as a corner guy at his age and at his level.

291 She's good bait - no one would expect someone so cute and young to be a spy!

Bourne director Paul Greengrass also directed the excellent Bloody Sunday, and it, too, can make you nauseous if you're not prepared.

286

probables for the Giants series?

(TUE) Lowry vs. Penny
(WED) Lincecum vs. Hendrickson
(THU) Zito vs. Tomko

I hope Bonds doesn't hit 756 against the Dodgers, but not just because I don't want him to beat the Dodgers. I have tickets for Friday's game in San Diego, but alas my tickets are not in the outfield.

Great, now Kent is hurt also.

http://tinyurl.com/257xxo

Comments like 275 are definitely the reason Steve has disappeared...

(...and yes the Bowies in Space is very cool...could FotC be the new AD??)

291 Long blonde hair and innocence of looks?
Or maybe just the total incompetence of youth? It seems total something is a qualifier lately!

297 Steve didn't like Tony!Toni!Tone!?

Anyone have a scouting report on Given Kutz? His name might not be Alberto Bastardo, but it's close enough. He's been doing reasonably well in Ogden, and I'm personally hoping he rises fast and acts as a fall back should Bastardo fail to improve.

296 Ah, I thought Kent did something with that sllpraaawwlll, or whatever it was, and I was on the verge of saying that some vets(and I was thinking Kent, Pierre, and Nomar), could help the team by taking an injury and letting some youngster onto the roster. But I realized Kent was really a solid player, and really never a detriment to the roster. So I am sorry, but with mixed emotions.

299 - Steve and Jimmy Rollins have never been seen in the same place at the same time. That is all I am qualified to say.

Did anybody catch any mentions of old friend Eddie Murray in Mr. Ripken's speech today?

302
The only teammates Ripken mentioned were Brady Anderson and John Shelby.

303 Bob, are you sure? I was listening on radio, and I thought for sure Ripken credited Murray somewhere near the beginning of the speech.

304
I was going by the transcript that the Baltimore Sun had. It's possible that he ad-libbed something to Murray when he saw him.

After rereading it, it's on the bottom of Page 1.

http://tinyurl.com/2fercx

303. Apparently you did not listen. Murray was the very first person he acknowledged, right before all of the fans.

307
No, I just missed it when I read it. The ceremony was going on while I was flying home.

Ripken has always credited Murray right alongside his Dad as his biggest influence in his approach to the game. Did it in his speech after breaking "the record" and did it again today.

Bob is mortal when flying at 20,000 feet.

I will apologize for my mistake several times over the next three weeks.

I'm surprised at how little (actually zero) talk there was today of Gwynn and Ripken. And in general, there seems to be so little interest in HOF induction speeches, even from guys as popular as these two. Seems strange given how much talk there is about whether someone is or isn't worthy of HOF status while they're still playing. I thought it was really special watching them today. Much more entertaining than the game.

There has never been a lot of interest in either Gwynn or Ripken in L.A. They were very much players who belonged to Baltimore and San Diego.

However, I know that at the SABR Convention in St. Louis, they set up a big screen TV for people to watch.

And there was a record crowd in Cooperstown.

The last two former Dodgers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame went in the same year, 2003.

Anyone know how much my Cal Ripken rookie card is worth these days? I wonder if I could pay off some debts with it - except I don't want to sell it. He was one of my favorite non-Dodger players when I was a kid.

I also have a new favorite Flight of the Conchords song. And Murray got one as well tonight!

313. Who was that? Wait, wait, I know!

As a baseball fan, no matter what city you're from, don't you admire and have a fondness for guys like Gwynn and Ripken? I remember how every time Gwynn batted it was almost a rule that you had to say what a great hitter he was and how he would always seem to prove you right. And that was true when I was 16 and when I was 35! If baseball was a big part of your life in the 80's and 90's it just seems like they were too.

Who were the HOFers not in attendance today? I didn't watch the ceremony, but cross referencing the living HOFers with the article here:

http://tinyurl.com/3bdovk

It looks like the living HOFers not in attendance today were:

Hank Aaron
Ernie Banks
Lee MacPhail
Stan Musial
Phil Rizzuto
Nolan Ryan
Red Schoendienst
Carl Yastrzemski

Did anyone see them at the ceremony? 53 out of 61 in attendance is a great turnout nonetheless.

314
Judging by eBay, if you're planning on paying off debts with a Cal Ripken rookie card, you might as well just tell your friend that you'll get lunch the next time you're at McDonald's.

314
It may not be the best song they have done, but having Murray do a song makes it so much better.

I think a lot of people have a fondness for Tony Gwynn, because he made it look like any of us could be an athlete.

I really like Tony Gwynn (and Ripken for that matter), but I'm not a fan of calling Gwynn "the greatest hitter since Ted Williams." Maybe its just a semantic argument, but it seems to perpetuate the overrating of batting average when such a statement is accepted as fact, seemingly without question.

I was a fan of Tony Gwynn. Not so much Cal Ripken. Maybe it was all those later years of being a below average hitter (look at his OPS+), whereas Tony Gwynn was just all around excellent every year. Maybe I'm naive, but can someone explain to me why Cal Ripken is a Hall of Famer, aside from that consecutive games streak and having an image as an all-around good guy?

Red was stuck here:
http://tinyurl.com/3a7z2u

Musial was stuck here:
http://tinyurl.com/2oegth

You see. They're not really statues!

296. >> The Dodgers were down to their last out and trailing by four runs when Kent slid head-first into first base for an infield single. <<

I've never understood why Jeff Kent, who has a reputation of being a "smart" ballplayer, made a habit of sliding head-first into first base. Since you don't have to worry about overrunning first base you won't arrive there any faster by sliding than by running all out. Or, at least, that's what I remember reading somewhere a long time ago.

318 I meant the first one tonight, the mother... er, you know, that one. Favorite until next week, at least. "Leggy Blond" was fun, too, though.

317 How do you know my debts don't amount to just $85? (The avg. price I found for that one after searching just now - I have the Topps rookie card: http://tinyurl.com/2pp972) Okay, how about a nice dinner out? Um, groceries for the week? Er, 4 large boxes of cat litter?

Sigh. I should just keep it.

321. Umm 3000+ hits and 400+ HR. MVP. WS Ring...and that as a shortstop... and the streak? Could there have been a question? Who else has stats nearly that good and isn't in?

324
Yeah, I knew which one you meant. My favorite is still "Boom King" and it has been my favorite since I saw their stand up. Though, "Bret You Got it Goin On" comes close.

Oh, and the Angels' Marcus Gwyn (one 'n') finally pitched in his first game today, at the age of 27, putting in a scoreless inning. I'd love to see him do well after the Angels acquired him from the A's for "cash".

What I like about Gwynn is that the second half of his career he was a better hitter even as his waistline expanded.

1982-1991: .328/.382/.434, 129 OPS+, 246 SB
1992-2001: .351/.396/.489, 137 OPS+, 73 SB

Speaking of old friends... Ex Dodger Chris Gwynn in attendance and unfortunately, he's heavier than Tony. Yikes. Chris was a GREAT guy and I always thought he could hit. History disagrees with me.

Okay, "Boom King" is still my favorite, too. But I enjoyed 'em both tonight. Mel was sorely missing though.

Okay, two more days til trade deadline. Then we can all sleep better.

New post up top.

321 Through 1981, only three SS (Ernie Banks, Vern Stephens, and Woddie Held) had multiple 20-HR seasons.

Cal Ripken came along and never had fewer than 21 HR in any of his first ten seasons! He was a HOFer (in my mind at least) after his first 10 seasons:

.279/.349/.467, 126 OPS+

Through 1991, the only primary SS with a higher OPS+ were Honus Wagner (152) and Arky Vaughan (136).