At least there is a good hitter batting 7th:

Furcal SS
Pierre CF
Loney 1B
Kent 2B
Gonzo LF
Lieberthal C
Ethier RF
Martinez 3B
Hendrickson p

Why can't Ethier hit second when Martin rests assuming Kent and Gonzo have to hit 4th and 5th?

Ned and Grady can be stubborn and that stubborness is boring me. If Joe Torre can hit AROD 8th in the playoffs, Grady can do the same for Gonzo while sitting Pierre. I want to watch Kemp play and I want to see the future at the top of the lineup.

2- Well said.

Look's like Gameday again for me. It was really heartening seeing Kemp's catch which I watched several times. If JP or Lofton had to turn around like that they probably would have missed it, but Kemp seemed to have real control of his body allowing him to make the catch and not get hurt.
If I didn't know Grits I would wonder if Nomar was getting a rest or a message today.

I don't think Nomar is getting a "message" today. With LaRoche on the DL and Abreu still hurting in Vegas, the non-Nomar options at 3rd are Lucille II and Shea "This is a sinking ship" Hillenbrand.

Ramon Martinez is getting too much playing time for my tastes. Today will be the 9th start for him in the last 12 games. I think the Dodgers should invest in one of those hyperbaric chambers or something to make sure Abreu (and LaRoche) are healthy!

What??? Pierre's reward for his first-pitch popout in the sixth is to get his old spot in the batting order back?

When Grady took him out, I thought, "That's it, Little finally gets it, we'll never see Pierre again."

Pierre must have compromising pictures. He only looks like a nice lil' guy.

Mueller and Little should make an object lesson of him. "He's riding the pine for a week, and the next one of you guys who forgets to wait for his pitch, I don't care how much money you make or how 'valuable' you think you are, you're sitting."

As a Dodger, Ramon Martinez is hitting .241/.302/.306 over two years and 308 PAs, good for a 57 OPS+.

From May 31, 2006 to present, he's hitting .198/.257/.251.

I just found out Chone Figgins is "as important as Vladimir Guerrero."

I love Steve Phillips

6 ...the next one of you guys who forgets to wait for his pitch, I don't care how much money you make or how 'valuable' you think you are, you're sitting

Would Nomar ever start again if this happened? :)

Nice, Grady. What did that last, three whole days?

I hate The Player.

The whole Ankiel story is great, regardless if he keeps it up. I just wish it would take a day off today.

And you have to hand it to Ankiel -- he made LaRussa cheer like a little kid, especially on Thursday against SD. Anytime you can make the soulless LaRussa appear sympathetic and someone I'd want to root for, you've accomplished something.

I want Pierre to do well, because it would help the Dodgers. But, if he gets two hits or something similar today, I have a sinking feeling Grady will declare Pierre fit for the top of the order again.

I hate being in the position of rooting against a Dodger, no matter how much it will help the greater good.

It would be nice to have Betemit at third instead of Martinez. I can't believe Pierre is back in the second spot.

What happened to "I just write it down. The numbers determine the order"?

He's now a point below Juan .316.

No use to hate Pierre, there are worse players in the league, in our own lineup even; named Martinez. Or Saenz. And probably Sweeny... Your hatred should be reserved for our moronic Manager and GM. Some of you guys got to talk to the owner, why didn't you bring up these points? Not that any good would have come of it, but he would have stalked off without getting to play the nice guy. I hate B.S.

I'm looking forward to going to the stadium tomorrow night as the Astros will be in town.

In the three regular season games I've been to this year, the opposing starters have been:
Brandon Webb
Roy Halladay
Jake Peavy

The starter for the Astros Monday should be:
Roy Oswalt.

Hello, I'm Juan Pierre. You may remember me from other disaster films like, "Uh Oh, Guess Who Your Team Just Signed to a Five-Year Contract" and "Yes, That is Bengie Molina Going From 1st to 3rd (Without a Slide) on a Single Up the Middle."

16

Bob's an opposing pitcher snob.

So Pierre's new nickname is Troy McClure. I like it.

Leadoff homer for Brian Giles in Cincinnati. He's hit four in the last three games.

4 leadoff homers in 3 games? That is impressive.

Four homers total. You misplaced the modifier on your own there, Marty.

Goodbye, Merv Griffin.

I didn't know he was a big band singer.

23
"Ooooooh, I guess we won't be right back."

Does anyone else have problems with Firefox that the "block pop-up windows" box (under Tools-Options) gets unchecked on its own? It's really frustrating having to constantly check that box.

26
No.

In defense of Pierre: He's not the problem and any replacement not by himself the cure. He could do better, and that would help, but he's being singled-out too often. That's the sense I get from reading the posts in recent days. If his opposite field blooper finds the turf rather than the sliding leather of Duncan, he's part of the solution. That's baseball.

28 I disagree with the thinking there. A bloop by definition is a poorly executed batted ball. They should be caught the vast majority of the time. Any blooper that finds the field is pure luck. You seem to be arguing that because Pierre didn't get lucky, we should lay off him. I think he should be legitimately criticized for particularly poor hitting.

Today's post is blunt and ugly. I never dreamed that with six weeks to go we would not only be relegated to the wild card race but already be 2 games behind.

3-0 Padres now and old friend Ross looks to have gotten the worse end of a collision with Mike Cameron at the plate.

Ordonez just hit his 2nd homer of the bottom of the 2nd.

Sam, I am going to the 8/28 game with the Learners. Any thoughts, questions or insights I can adopt as my own to appear more knowledgable :-)

32
Ordonez joining the company of Julio Lugo, whom I believe was the last player to do it. Did anybody do it earlier in the year?

33
The Learners? Good thing they're also giving out a bunch of free tickets that night to students and librarians.

Duh. If I am going to the game with them, I ought to at least spell their name correctly.

36

Yeah, and also for next week when you go yachting with the Bus family.

34 Bob, I rely on you to tell me such things. I'm otherwise one Julio Lugo's biggest fan and even I don't remember that he also accomplished the feat.

8 - oddly, Figgins isn't just as important as Vlad, but he's about as important as Orlando Cabrera, making him the third most important player on the team:

http://tinyurl.com/34z7zk

26 - do not have that problem. What environment are you running under? (If you say Windows, I will not be surprised.)

The apotheosis of Julio Lugo's career.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TBA/TBA200607220.shtml

28's point is well taken. The problem with Juan Pierre is that the outfield platoon is Either and Kemp, instead of Pierre and Gonzales. What is so sad with the Bettemet transaction not that it would have solved all the problems,with Proctor pitching only at best twice a week in this horrid tailspin, Melon could have been brought up and probably would have faired almost as good if not better and given the Kent injury and La Roche injury Bettimet would have had many more at bats and the way he was hitting, his chances of contributing to a win seem far greater. Ironically now with Giambi back he is actually less valuable to the Yankees.

39 But he's not "as important" as Vlad. He's important, that's for sure. Figgins has turned into a heck of a baseball player, and he's had a great year.

WS/VORP
Vlad 25/48.3
Figgins 18/30.5

The closest I get to the Bus family is the RTD.

I just heard the Dodgers signed Shea Hillenbrand to a minor league contract. I know they're looking for help on the infield, but (bear with me) here's what wikipedia says about S.H.:

(Excerpted) Hillenbrand entered 2003 being the subject of trade rumors. The Red Sox had signed free agent Bill Mueller, another third baseman, and many believed that Hillenbrand's lack of strike zone judgment would not be compatible with the on base percentage priorities of new Sox general manager Theo Epstein. With Mueller hitting around .380 and playing a solid third base, Hillenbrand became expendable and was sent to Arizona for pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim on May 29. The move was arguably expedited after Hillenbrand had earlier made some disparaging remarks about Epstein on the Hillman Morning radio show by calling him a "faggot" while demanding he be traded from the Red Sox. Hillenbrand was also quoted as saying the Red Sox would deeply regret it if they let him go: "They don't know what they have with me. If they get rid of me, they'll know what they have. You've heard of Jeff Bagwell?" He finished the season with a combined .280 batting average and career-highs in RBI (97) and home runs (20), including a three-homer game with the Diamondbacks in month of July. Bill Mueller went on to win the AL Batting Title.

In 2004, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.

On July 19, 2006, Hillenbrand criticized the Blue Jays organization for failing to congratulate him on his recent adoption of a baby girl and not playing him upon his return. He was also disgruntled about sharing first base duties with Lyle Overbay and third base duties with Troy Glaus while being made to play as a designated hitter. Hillenbrand refused to sit with his team in the dugout during that night's game. After an argument in the clubhouse between Shea and manager John Gibbons over Hillenbrand allegedly writing defamatory comments about the team on the clubhouse billboard ("This is a sinking ship") after batting practice, tensions escalated with Gibbons challenging him to a fight and Hillenbrand being asked to leave the team. It was also reported that Hillenbrand ripped a Canadian flag patch off his hat after being removed from a game on Canada Day, though Hillenbrand denied this.

He was later designated for assignment that same evening, with the club citing irreconcilable differences. Two days later, Hillenbrand was traded to the San Francisco Giants with reliever Vinnie Chulk in exchange for Giants reliever Jeremy Accardo. He later admitted to writing the comments on the board.

Hillenbrand signed a one year contract with the Angels on December 26, 2006; some questioned the necessity of the move, as the Angels were not particularly lacking in the positions Shea plays. On June 27, 2007, he was designated for assignment a day after being quoted as saying, "If I'm not going to play here, give me enough respect to trade me or get rid of me." On July 9, 2007, having been rendered redundant by the emergence of Reggie Willits and first baseman Casey Kotchman, Hillenbrand was waived by the Angels.

He signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres on July 27, 2007. He spent 12 days with the Padres' Class-AAA affiliate, the Portland Beavers, before being released on August 8, 2007. He hit .147 during that span. He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers two days later on August 10, 2007.

41 Thanks. I was thinking of this year, but now that you provided the box score, I remember that game [one of the reasons why I was happy that the Dodgers obtained his services last year]. Utterly amazing to me that his was the last before today [I figured "rare", but not that red in the middle].

Why would the Fox Soccer Channel show highlights of a game they'll be broadcasting in three hours?

I would bench Pierre after that.

Pierre should have to do 100 laps around the field for every lazy flyball he hits.

Not seeing a whole lot of pitches there, gang.

Loney and Kent sure didn't waste any time up there.

50- I really don't understand it....If the coach says "take more pitches"......?

Active players with 2-homer innings:
Sammy Sosa
Gary Sheffield
Mike Cameron (he and Brett Boone did it in the same inning)
Nomar Garciaparra
Aaron Boone
Mark Bellhorn (DFAed by the Reds today)
Reggie Sanders
Juan Rivera
Julio Lugo
Magglio Ordonez

Eric Karros is the only Dodger ever to hit two home runs in an inning back on 8/22/00 against the Expos.

49 - Colletti should be forced to do 1,000 laps around Dodger stadium for every million dollars Pierre makes.

So when did Kennedy hurt his knee? Or was that the reason he was so bad all year?

Brian Giles has five (and not all leadoff) home runs in three games in Cincinnati.

wow, Figgins has about as many shares as Martin........while Pierre has about as many as kemp in much more playing time at well, ....we all know...... 1,000,000 times the cost

Will things ever get better?

Just another Hendrickson start.

I wish Dodger stadium had a party porch.

can we please just get a second at bat before the games are over these days!!!!!!!!!!!!!@########

Being a Dodger fan at this time reminds me of the musicians that keep on playing as the titanic sinks.

It's been a pleasure rooting with all you...

Generally, our society considers a person cowardly if they cannot/ will not admit to making a mistake. When it comes to playing Juan Pierre day in, day out at the expense of Eithier and Kemp, Grady Little and Ned Colletti define "cowards". Too much for Ned to admit this signing is an unmitigated disaster, too much for Grady to have the courage to fix Ned's mistake by sitting him. My heroes.

After looking at that lineup I couldn't care less about watching this game.

Luckily the Angel game starts in an hour.

60
What about a Big Mac land? What about big Luxury Suites named after each World Series winning team? What about a stadium people walked to? What if all the fans wore blue and had a distinct fondness for Budweiser and deep fried foods?

3-0 is not an insurmountable lead. We just need to score nearly as many runs as we have in an entire week.

62 Nearer my Ch-i to thee?

63- Well put....there are options that haven't been properly utilized because of bad baseball politics...

After looking at that lineup I couldn't care less about watching this game.

Luckily the Angel game starts in an hour.

Blasphemy :)

So we signed our 25th round pick, a 6'6 185lb RHP out of CC in Florida, Tim Sexton. He's 20 yrs old and he debuted for the Loons yesterday and went:

5IP 2H 0ER 0bb 6k

Just got in and of course I'm not surprised.
Our pitchers need to throw 2 simulated innings before each game at this point.

Reyes is wearing my little league socks.

Losing ToyCannon is the equivalent of Walter Cronkite declaring the Vietnam War "unwinnable."

Hi everybody -

Touche, 66 . I don't know whether to laugh or to cry.

72 Those leggings are the bee's knees.

I think they should be mandatory.

70. Bring him up. Couldn't do any worse.

Jake Peavy's shutout streak ends at 23 innings. The Padres lead 5-1 in the 5th in the Queen City.

Hillenbrand hopes to be big hit with 51s, Dodgers

>> Hillenbrand attended high school and junior college in Mesa, Ariz., and resides in Gilbert, Ariz., with his wife and their three adopted children -- ages 2, 1 and 10 months -- but he spent the first 14 years of his life in Los Angeles, where he grew up a "die-hard Dodgers fan."

"This is one of my dreams come true, to have this opportunity, and hopefully this opportunity comes true," Hillenbrand said. <<

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/9112751.html

Andre seems to be the only one hitting.

Ethier needs to start sharing his secret hitting tips with the rest of the team

This must be the earliest run in 10 days.

That was a horrible call -- I know shocking -- of the Ethier "triple" by Rick Monday.

Ethier has matured well as a hitter. I really enjoy watching his at-bats.

Ethier must not have seen Titanic.

Love that hustle by Gonzo and love that it worked out even more.

On Gameday I was relieved to see that Gonzo could score on a triple.

Now Giles gets an IBB with first base open and two out. Will he be the latest recipient of the Bonds Treatment?

My bad, Grady, you're right- why on the PLANET would I want Eithier batting ahead of your boy Juan? Are you really not smart enough to realize you're going to take the fall for Colletti's incompetence?

Ramon makes productive out. That's a huge step up. Could a base hit be next?

Let's not get carried away.

Ethier needs to start sharing his secret hitting tips with the rest of the team

I hope the secret is to bench Pierre and play anyone else than Martinez

I just realized why announcers for the other teams always say that Ethier is slow. The Cardinals' announcers just said it explicitly, they look at his stolen base totals. The man is not slow.

The only reason left to watch Hendrickson is pining for him to fall down again.

90

he's not molina brothers slow. But he's not fast. He's probably a better CF option then Pierre though.

The Dodgers scored single runs in the first and second innings on Thursday in Cincinnati.

How can that be the same guy who made two E in one inning yesterday?

Baseball Tonight Nominee? I think so.

88
Ramon is the last Dodger to drive in a run with a hit with a runner in scoring position.

93. OK, but two, count 'em two, runs in one early inning. That's something to write home about.

Jim Edmonds was never especially fast.....Andre could become a decent CFer....

whats wrong with the scoreboard? it doesnt show how many runs the Cards scored .... just a big 0

The Dodgers had not posted a crooked number in the first two innings since July 24 in Houston.

Juan Pierre is my hero

Charlie,

Not if your your manager is Grady Little...

he put is right in Pierre's wheelhouse

Gary Bennett throws much like Jason Phillips.

Bob, you are determined to let the facts get in my way. Don't you realize I am whirl on negative momentum careening downward. My Dodger season is climbing over the rail of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Reds have crept to within 5-3 of the Padres.

103- Jason Phillips throws much like Rick Ankiel.

91 Look, Hendy pitched well enough last outing. Granted, he had a lousy first two innings, but I think we should lay off him tonight, in the meanwhile. He pitched decently last inning.

104
I moonlight at a suicide prevention hotline. So far, only half of the people have jumped off the building.

The other half opted for hanging.

Bad call ump.

that wasnt even close

stolen bases dont add that many runs to an offense...... how many could throwing out an extra 10-20 % of runners? doesnt seem like much..... seems Molina is quite overrated

I would say that Andre Ethier is a guy who will have some very long hitting streaks in his career....

112
If you hit dramatic home runs that send your team to the World Series, you will be beloved for quite a while.

See "Monday, Rick."

Fortunately, St. Louis doesn't have a Spanish language broadcast, so Yadier won't be able to waste all that goodwill after he retires.

73 Bob Timmermann

ToyCannon is more believable than Harry Reid.

Eldrick just teed off at the PGA.

109. You have convinced me. I'll step away from the rail. . .for now.

Can you get a curtain call from second base?

114 Blue Monday

That I remember like it was today.

Hendrickson is so bad. What a gawd-awful pitch to ankiel.

114

Well, God forbid Molina goes anywhere else in his career.... like the Giants or say the Angles for example

Is it sad that the Cardinals converted pitcher is a better OF option than at least 2/3 Dodger starting outfield today?

I'm getting a little tired of the Rick Ankeil story at our expense.

Furcal just cost the Dodgers another out.

Looked out to me

118
Think of that cute little Shawn Green fan in your house! Do it for her!
Do it for all threads you will post at the end of that Jon will quickly make obsolete!

Hendrickson!... throw me a friggen bone!!

Hendrickson really has nothing....he gets ahead in a count, and then what...he has nothing even close to an "out pitch"....

What's with Hendrickson and all these belt-high fastballs right over the middle?

Hendrickson really has nothing....he gets ahead in a count, and then what...he has nothing even close to an "out pitch"....

he's the Pierre of pitchers . while Pierre hopes ground balls find holes . ...Hendrickson hopes balls find mitts

At least Raffy learns from his unbelievably stupid mistakes of 5 mins ago.

I had no idea Garrison Keillor was calling games for the Cardinals.

I like Kent, but I am looking forward to a sound fielding second baseman next year....

hendrickson is so awful but whats sad is honeycutt is even worse

131

So true. Its painful to watch this guy pitch. At least Doug Davis and Noah Lowry have some plus type of an offspeed pitch. Hendrickson just throws garbage up there.

137- I don't think you can blame Honeycutt for any of this....

Looks like Time Warner finally put me out of my Dodger-watching misery

On the bright side, we get the BSOD instead of the game.

Nice par save by Tiger after badly missing a long birdie putt. He extends his lead to 4.

At this point I would like to see Houlton, Hull and Stultz get some starts...

144
I'd rather see Stults. Since he's a real pitcher. Unlike the mysterious Mr. Stultz.

128. I've decided to stick around just to see how bad things get.

The Pirates started out today:
BB, BB, BB, K, FO at home, GO.

146- Seriously?

Zito walked the bases loaded to begin the game against the Pirates...and got out of it unscathed. As bad as it gets for us, at least we're not the Pirates.

6-4 Padres in the 7th.

Go 3-1 to the pitcher and give up a two out base hit.

Hi-larious

Stults.

Eric Stults!

"We're in the white pages!"

You misinterpet. I'm not giving up on the Dodgers, but I'm not wasting my Sunday watching this particular lineup.

This Cardinals lineup isnt very good today and Hendrickson's already given up 6 runs in 3 innings.

This has the makings of a 3 1/2 hour game.

Make that 7 runs in less than 3 ip.

uhhh, I think it's time to pull him

154- Adee-doo!

150 I don't know what you're trying to say there.

Would anyone rather watch a 23 year old like Edwin Jackson rather than bums like Tomko and Hendrickson?

HENDRICKSON IS DONE...
GO GET HIM GRADY

Is it that hard to spell "Stults" correctly? You don't want to make the liberian go nucular.

161
Translate into Greek, then back into English.

159- No, you see Grady manages for the marathon, not the sprint...better to leave Hendrickson in there, save the 'Pen....kind of like letting Lowe hit for himself....

156

Not only isnt it very good, its almost an embarassment to the game to trot out those guys on the field (other than Pujols and maybe Eckstein). Garbage lineup >>> garbage pitcher.

164
Liberrian!

Jackson, Orenduff, McDonald, Meloan etc etc.

Give the fans some hope for the future, or at least a reason to watch the game. Tomko/Hendrickson do nothing.

Every now and again my son comes into the room asking, "what's the score?" I'm tired of telling him because he laughs, saying "losers!"

The ship is sinking...

165 There is no way in Greek to express "worst than".

Eckstein tried to get rid of Hendrickson himself. That was dangerous for Mark. His bare hands kept that ball from hitting him in the face.

Good old Hendrickson - always the model of grace

I'd make Hendrickson pitch 9 today, even if he gives up 100 runs.

Maybe he broke a finger. (Did I just say that out loud?)

Will someone please tell me why Matt Kemp doesn't start for this team? I mean, someone, anyone please make up an answer or something to passify me a little. I just can't take it anymore! It's getting so bad that his not playing has me to the point where I can't even type or spell correctly when I think about it. See "passify" above if you don't believe me.

Don't type angry! Stay on the home keys.

So who will be the position player to get some time on the mound today? I'd pay $20 to see Pierre or Gonzo give it a shot.

Alright, friends, I have to go. Softball playoffs today. We will pitch better than Hendrickson.

Brandon Phillips lined out with the bases loaded and two outs in the 7th against Bell to keep the score San Diego 6, Cincinnati 4.

180 I only use two fingers! Would the home keys for me be F and J or should I go to G and H?

at the PGA:

Eldrick -6 (2)
Austin -4 (3)
Els -2 (3)
Ames -2 (3)

The inning's over, thank G-d.

184
F and J would be your home keys for hunt and pecking.

Based on what I've read in this thread, I'm thinking I probably don't want to turn the game on, huh?

at the PGA:

Eldrick -6 (2)
Austin -4 (3)
Els -2 (3)
Ames -2 (3)

181 I vote for Kemp. We have to get his bat in the lineup somehow. If he could sneak into the outfield 3 times a week and start in place of Tomko or Hendrickson, then that would be 5 games we would get him for some weeks.

Is Edwin Jackson turning the corner?.....Ned's legacy...

I would honestly take a moral victory out of this game if we can score 6 runs

Sucktacular.

Hendrickson's ERA shot up to 5.20 after that inning. That's positively Tomkoian!

187 Thanks for the help. Most people just laugh when I tell them I only use two fingers. I don't know why. I'm twice as fast as I used to be. It's also a big advantage on a Blackberry.

I went looking for this game on FSNPT when it was 3-2. I think I'm glad it's not televised out here.

Now I can go back to worrying about Flossie.

195
Don't they teach typing and/or keyboarding in schools anymore?

Another IBB for Giles in Cincinnati. Too bad for him, he will return to the Unfriendly Confines of Petco soon and all these home runs will disappear.

Alou hits go ahead HR Mets. 5-4 Second of the game for him.

Understandably, I changed the channel looking for some offense.

191

2.97 ERA since the all-star break. He was really unlucky earlier in the season, and coupled with his bad pitching and statistically the worst defense in the majors, his numbers sucked. He's pitching infinitely better and his luck is coming back down to the norm.

In his Cg yesterday, he was throwing 98 and 99 in the 9th inning.

Woody Austin just missed a very makable birdie putt on the 4th hole that would have put him within one stroke of Tiger.

Is this really only the 4th inning. How can that be?

Batting vs. Dodger pitchers during 4-12 stretch:
.247/.316/.369

Full season prior to that:
.255/.317/.384

Hey, at least we might finally see Jonathan Meloan in the bigs. Maybe even James McDonald.

204
Hendrickson vs. Reyes is not a matchup that is evocative of Koufax vs. Gibson.

I don't want to think about E Jax. Its a no win situations. If he succeds I'll be pissed we let him go for nothing. If he fails I'll be disappointed for him.

Clutching at straws, Ethier has a double and a triple; the other two are the easier ones. let's pull for that small victory.

I feel a little less crazy now that others are now saying they wish we had Edwin over Hendrickson and Tomko.

Henddy does luch box promo with little kid. Well at least he can pitch lunch boxes.

Why the game is taking so long:
Pierre's single now makes 19 batters reaching base in 4 1/2 innings.

Now it's 20 batters reaching safely in 4 1/2 innings.

i come home from my long beach sunday league to see this. anthony reyes in line to get his 2nd win.

Ive had enough. Off to buy new printer.

Cardnal fans are so good they didnt come out b/c of the heat

Aack. I can't take it anymore. I'm going to watch golf and then cook.

217
Drive safely! Keep your hands at 3 and 7 on the wheel.

Just to be different.

Wow, they're letting Delwyn play 2B. Show 'em your stuff, rook!

It looks really hot in Tulsa.

222

105 in the shade?

Young's glove looks brand new...

Eddie Guardado has inflated the Padres lead to 9-4 in the 9th. The Reds are now just picking relievers at random to get the last two outs.

I'm now staying over in the Unit 1 complex. I ate lunch at House of Curries, and my mouth was on fire from the spices so I stopped at Jamba Juice for a Protein Berry Pizazz. But they don't call it that here. They call it the "Nike Protein Berry Workout". Yes, "Nike" is in the name. Of the smoothie. That I am drinking.

It's not as good as the Protein Berry Pizazzes I have in NC, for which I hold Nike responsible.

How did that leave the park? He got absolutely no extension and it's not like he's a big buff guy.

This is it, folks. Rock bottom.

In the Busch Stadium press box, Tony Jackson is typing "making computer power cord into noose" into Google.

Watching a late in the season collapse is really numbing.

I now watch the games and follow this team but feel no emotion.

Player: Brendan Ryan
College: Lewis-Clark State

OK how many players from Lewis & Clark St
have ever hit hr's against Dodge?

My guess Ryan's the first one.

228 In more exciting news, Reading held ManU to a 0-0 draw behind a performance by Marcus Hahnemann that won't be topped this year. And Arsenal/ Fulham is on in an√ hour, even though I've seen the result.

226
How much did they inflate the price?

So when's this so-called regression to the mean going to kick in?

233
I actually think it's cheaper out here. Maybe Arby's is right...

Anyway, is it just me or is LaRussa getting a lot of production thus far out of his non-pitcher-in-the-9th-spot thing?

232 I have not seen the result. I'm looking forward to the match.

234 You're watching it.

Do you think Nike is paying the Jamba Juicers for the honor, or do you think the JJers are paying Nike?

236 Actually, I haven't seen the result, but I think I heard the Reading/ ManU announcers tangentially refer to it. In (now) 45 minutes, we'll turn this into a Prem thread. It can't be worse than the Dodger game.

237
Not sure. I'm wondering if the JJ at UofO calls it Nike too. Uncle Miltie will have to check on that when he gets there...

230
Doesn't saying you're feeling no emotion, mean that you are feeling an emotion, which is the absence of emotion.

It's not like you've suddenly developed Asperger's have you?

Jeff Weaver one out away from a CG shutout.

Bob - The Protein Berry drink at your JJ doesn't have Nike in the name, does it...?

242
No, it does not.

JABS for Gagne.

". . .the 'Protein Berry Workout' will carry Nike co-branding in all California Jamba outlets."

http://tinyurl.com/2dwwmy

Doesn't say whose bread is getting buttered.

245
I have not patronized my local Jamba Juice recently. I will have to stop by today.

I don't get the Protein Berry thing anymore. My new choice remains highly classified.

I tried something at Jamba Juice once, my first thought was, "Hmmm, needs vodka".

excuse me Dodger Fans.

Who is Chad Moeller and what does he do?
Why did Mr. Colletti sign Shea Hillenbrand,
now to acquire another backup catcher?

I just can't figure it out.

I've never been to a Jamba Juice. Paying five dollars for coffee is something I don't do, but that at least I understand. Why people pay five bucks for a sub-par milk shake, I don't get.

gagne gave up a two run jack.

Charlie really needs to update his box score for that Padres game

This would be a perfect time to get Loney or Furcal some work on the mound.

248 - Apparently, Mr. Moeller is a journeyman catcher, use to play for the Reds. To answer your question about Ned's signings and moves, my only guess is that he is trying to win the 1999 World Series...

They sell milkshakes at Jamba Juice?

Jose Reyes somehow scored from first on an infield hit. I know he's fast and all, but how the heck does that happen?

254- Not really. They put all kinds of stuff that isn't milk, chocolate syrup, or ice cream in those things. But that's the basic premise, right? I don't recognize the smoothie as an actual culinary accomplishment, just a shoddy imitation.

254
Andrew needs some remedial classes in identifying beverages.

Jamba Juice makes smoothies. They don't have ice cream in them. They are mostly fruit although there is a dairy base in some of them to add thickness.

A milkshake, aka frappe, has much more milk than fruit in it.

I have never paid $5 for coffee in the U.S. and I am not sure where you can. There are drinks with some coffee in them that may cost $5, but those aren't coffee.

253

LOL. Thanks for the input.

CBS is really going overboard on the slow motion replays. We just saw a couple super slow-mo replays of Tiger's fist pump after his birdie on 9. I was expecting them to go to the telestrator for a minute.

257- Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries. Yes, I have been thinking about dumping the D'backs to start rooting for the Mets. Why do you ask?

I thought Kemp got that one. Swing looked real nice and smooth, but just missed.

260
I minored in beverage taxonomy at UCLA.

257 Just making sure I didn't need any remedial classes. Thanks, Bob.

Martinez signing: Ramon Martinez will be signing autographs Monday at the Superior Warehouse Market at 3600 Cesar Chavez Avenue from 12-2 p.m. PT.

Milkshakes are also made with a special piece of kitchen equipment that few people have. You need a specially-made long agitator to make a proper milkshake. And a good motor that won't burn out because it has to turn at a faster speed because the ingredients are thicker.

Smoothies are made in regular kitchen blenders. Also smoothies have ice added to them, while milkshakes tends to use only refrigerated or quiescently frozen products.

265- I see I was way off. Just because smoothies are watered down, and made with cheaper equipment, doesn't mean they're crappy milkshake imitations, invented to make people feel better about themselves for drinking an inferior, more expensive, product. Because it has a tablespoon of some hocus pocus ground up weed in it. So it's good for you!

266
You forget the Jamba Juice "boost." I really wonder if any of those six different containers are actually discrete substances.

245-I had a "Nike Protein Berry" today. Great stuff. You now have a choice of Soy or Whey - got the Whey.

Bring in Pierre to pitch!

Has there been a ball hit to Young?

I personally think it's fun to make smoothies at home. Imitation or not, they taste good to me and are healthy.

I think today may be the day where I finally feel like our chances of making the playoffs are worse than 50%

Blended fruit drinks with booze in them are girlie drinks. But take away the booze and they are somehow less girlie?

Me no understand.

stupid Argentine soccer is still on. unacceptable.

273
So men aren't supposed to consume fruit in any form?

The difference between a smoothie and an appletini is sizeable.

275 Fruit in fruit form is acceptable. We will also accept cobblers and pies.

Over 100 games into the season, and I still have no idea what to make of this team or its direction. I want to believe that the future is bright with Loney, Martin, LaRoche, Ethier, Kemp, Furcal, and Young in the everyday line up, but at the same time, I have this sinking feeling that the front office is going to panic and make a move for some veteran superstar that has nothing left but his name in hopes of winning now.

Prediction for the off season, Dodgers make a play for A-Rod, move Furcal to second and then try and work a trade for a centerfielder who can hit, field, and throw.

275- Real men drink V8.

275 - yes but the distance between a smoothie and a daquari is much smaller.

Cobblers are the Y chromosome-iest of all desserts.

Things could be worse. This game could still be going.

281 - it's over? How fugly did it get?

Reading and Fulham both play live on Wednesday. Both feature some exceptional Americans.

The game lasted just 2:54. Something of an upset for a game with so many baserunners.

282- 12-2. But if the power chord noose Tony Jackson was reportedly rigging up held, it was worth it.

Cord. Oops.

0-1 FULHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't worry guys, thinks are looking up.

I am having Makhani Chicken tonight and it is delicious.

What does the season hold for Arsenal? And are they still wankers?

So it begins for Arsenal.

So, really, is it time to break out the classic Dodger line?

288- Did it have any ginkgo biloba in it? Since I don't drink smoothies, my ginkgo biloba intake is dangerously low.

I actually liked Arsenal's signings this year, but I liked Liverpool's more.

292
No, but apparently various Indian spices can help things like Alzheimers and Dementia. Can Jamba Juice do that?

293 That's why you wimp out and support two or three teams, like I do.

Go Arsenal/Liverpool/Man City!

Even though we lost, at least I learned why real milkshakes can't be made at home (usually).

Shutout for Tom Gorzelanny in San Francisco.

I've never been to a Jamba Juice either. Nor a Pinkberry. I've been in a Famima, but don't get it. I got dragged into a Beard Papa the other day and it was frightening.

It's not Famima. It's Famima!!

299 That was the attitude of Beard Papa. It was one in Arcadia. I walked in and three cute Asian girls with ValleyGirl accents came rushing out of the back shouting "Welcome to Beard Papa!!!" I almost ran out the door.

Wow, great save.

Despite the fact that sells a lot of Japanese products, I have never seen an Asian employee at one.

You now have a choice of Soy or Whey - got the Whey

I forgot about that part. In NC, you get Soy automatically. Given the choice today, I also got Whey.

Fruity alcoholic drinks are girlie primarily because you have to choose them over manlier alcoholic drinks. But buying a fruit smoothie is different: you're generally not choosing it over a manly alcoholic drink. You're choosing over OJ, milk, pop, water, etc.

Fruit smoothies are fantastic.

302 refers to Famima!!

I've never had a Jamba Juice. A friend of mine gets one with something called an "ecchinacia blast" or something like that when he's starting to feel ill.

305
If you're not drinking Jamba Juice, then I'm afraid the plan to share a home and also become a pair of crime-fighting detectives is a no go.

Okay, I think it's called an "Immunity Boost" which sounds quite scary and very much like a Nazi eugenics experiment.

People who haven't had Jamba Juice are really missing out. In addition to being cool, tasty, and refreshing, they count as 2 servings of fruit.

303 - OJ and milk are definitely more manly than smoothies. Depending on the soda, it could be too. With that, I'm off to the Chick's Sporting Goods tent sale and to grab a Rockstar...

307
You could also get a "Femme Boost" if you think that matters are not as regular as you would like them to be.

308 Smoothies are an incredibly efficient way of getting your daily fruit servings.

306 But that could be part of my schtick. I could be the one that doesn't drink the Jamba Juice.

Oh well: Bob and I are secure in our respective manliness.

On a related note, I saw a couple of very styley young men holding hands today. Don't see that very often in NC, even though there are plenty of styley young men there who presumably do a lot more than hold hands in the privacy of their respective homes.

312
You're already "Belle of the Ball" or "Belle" for short.

Wish the results were better today. One thing - people are really struggling with rules 1 and 8 lately. I could really use more cooperation. Thanks.

4th place in the NL West
4 games behind in the WC
7 games behind in the division (If Arizona's lead holds up)

Been a long time since the Dodgers were this far out of it on August 12.

Given the payroll of the team, not good.

I have a gift card for Jamba Juice that I hope to use sometime in my lifetime.

315--RE Rule 8: Given the make up of the team, and 115+ games into the season, I think it'd be most difficult to come up with an original comment about the team.

318
Try harder.

Brian McBride is the captain this year. He needs to make something happen.

but he's not doing that. Bocanegra is, however.

315 Sorry. I'll try to stop talking about the pros of drinking smoothies.

To save money after getting a bad Jamba Juice obsession last year I bought their recipe book and make 'em at home. Good stuff.

I had to do a similar thing a few years ago after getting addicted to Starbucks's Black Tea Lemonades -- did some spying on their process, and after experimenting in the kitchen, came up with a spiffy (and severely cheaper) replication.

318 - Commenting for the sake of commenting is not a solution.

316 - Two years?

Actually on August 12, 2005, the Dodgers were just six games out of first. But they were also 52-63 and 11 games out of the wild card.

Geez, there can't be too many people really disappointed about the Dodgers season. The main kids are up and playing (if not enough), we got savaged with pitching injuries, and we just flat weren't that great to begin with. I figured third place and out, but as long as the kids are still here and playing, I can live with it.

On August 12, 2003, the Dodgers were 12 games behind the Giants and four behind the Marlins for the wild card.

Watching the Gunners try to score is now like watching the Dodgers try to score.

Nous avons besoin de vous, Henry!

We have reason to be optimistic for the future. Heck this is kind of what I wanted last year, except I wanted to trade away the vets in the process.

You think your bummed now, just wait till the NBA season starts.

Warner owns the first half.

Tiger!!

325 That's pretty much how I feel. The kids are mostly here and they're playing. Some (ahem, Russell) are playing too much, but the foundation is being set.

I seem to only get smoothies when I'm really hung over and solid food does not sound appealing at all. I like 'em, but I don't buy them very often because they're so expensive.

ooh- Theo Walcott on for Arsenal. that's interesting

333 I'm at risk of getting way too excited about this. Dude's like nine years old.

334 no- that guy plays for ManU. Walcott's an old man.

335 Can you imagine a 17 year old playing for the Red Sox?

I can imagine Andrew Bynum playing for the Lakers.

336 Not anything close. I was overwhelmed when I got invited to the ODP. I played with a guy who was the first development player for the Rapids, and I was in awe.

337 Okay, now imagine he's good and that the team is good.

339 and then imagine that he's invited to play on the Olympic team.

The problem with Jamba smoothies is that although they are a good source of fruit, they are like a bizzilion calories.

339
Gonna be quite a stretch, but I will try.

Amobi Okoye is pretty impressive. At 19 he graduated from Louisville and is already playing defensive tackle in the NFL.

AAAAHHHH... so close, Dempsey!!!!

If this is what Arsenal will be without Henry, this is going to be a long season.

Theo just needs to become the best goal scorer not named C. Ronaldo in the entire Premiership. No problem.

331

I wonder how far Lucas May is from being a backup catcher in the majors. He has some pop.
Did we have a Delwyn Young at second base sighting today? Has the sky fallen?

336
Tony Conigliaro played for the Red Sox when he was 19.

Random thought:

If tomatoes are fruit then shouldn't cucumbers, squash, and other things with seeds inside be considered fruits?

PK!!!

36 346

Joe Nuxhall pitched for the Reds when he was 15.
In a related development Minnie Minoso played for the Chisox when he was 50.

347
Tomatoes are fruits because of the way they develop, not because they have seeds inside the flesh.

If there were a cucumber tree that grew cucumber fruit, then we'd be talking. Or even a cucumber bush.

eesh. this is getting ugly.

That was just plain silly.

Shenanigans abound after Arsenal ties it up.

Yellow cards for everybody!

350
What about zucchinis?

Not a bad foul, not a good foul, just disappointing for Fulham.

354
Zucchinis and cucumbers are pretty much the same thing.

Now Fulham is getting chippy. That won't be good. AAAH, so close.

Just get the point, Fulham.

At the Trade deadline the Dodgers needed Starting pitching, and Offense...
Ned got relief pitching in exchange for potentially our best offensive (if underused) weapon.

357 Arsenal will be disappointed with a draw and Fulham will be disappointed for missing out on a huge result.

Wow!

aw, crap.

Tiger has 3 putts to win.

Nevermind. I guess it was a matter of time.

Arsenal!

Like I said- Fulham got desperate. Warner should still be Man of the Match. Arsenal can't like this performance. Their passing has been garbage.

358 Needing and being able to get are two different things. The starters available weren't anywhere near worth the astronomical costs they would have required.

365

Aggreed...The answer was to stay in house.

The Nats have gotten the tying run to the plate in the 8th in Arizona. It's 5-3 Dbacks. Zimmerman hit a triple that bounced off the corner of the seats that jut out in centerfield.

That ball went very far.

Church ties it up in Arizona!

Doug Slaten came in and threw one pitch and Church parked it about 30 rows deep down the RF line.

Nice of Tiger to close it out at par so I could flip back for Church's home run.

Keep it up Nats, need all the help we can get.

356 You'll find out differently if you ever by cucumbers when you were supposed to buy zucchini. I was yelled at by my whole family when I did it.

Tomatoes are vegetables by a Supreme Court ruling, although they are really a fruit.
http://www.italylink.com/foodarticles/history_of_tomatoes.html

There's a lot of room still for the Nationals to give this one back.

And so it goes -- Snakes have runners on the corners with no outs.

But Gigantor comes up the big K. Now it's up to JD Light for AZ.

The Times is running polls of the best player at each position for the Dodgers while in LA. Right now it's Right Handed Starting Pitcher. Drysdale is running away with it (over 60%) Hershiser is in at 28%, Nomo is third with 5.5%.

I'm wondering if any lefties besides Koufax and Fernando get any votes, and if it will be as lopsided as this one.

I'd kind of like to see the line up and rotation that these polls result in

JASF for the DBacks.

Little Drew sac fly. 6-5.

The DBacks have now moved one ahead of the Angels for the major league lead in sac flies. They now have 48.

Correlation between sac flies and overall success?

The DBacks are #1. The Angels are #2. The Yankees are #3 and the Indians are #4.

#5 is Pittsburgh.

Jesus Flores for .... Jesus!

First Church, now Jesus. It must be Sunday in Arizona.

Tie game.

Don't mess with the Jesus.

Grady Little's patience has likely reached its limit.

From the AP:

"We're just trying to shake it up to get these guys going, because right now there are too many people in our lineup who are underachieving," Little said. "Something needs to be done, because this isn't good enough."

Nationals 7 Diamondbacks 6.

This game will do nothing to help Arizona's Pythagorean record.

385 Therefore...

It's not like they have a ton of options. CF, LF, third base are really the only positions they can mess with. And LaRoche is on the shelf.

Diamond Leung has a Blair update.

388 It's obvious, bring Hillenbrand up.

390 What's sad is that you're predicting exactly what will happen.

He'd bring more needed veteran presence to the team. Though I'm starting to think he brought veteran presents to Ned to get signed.

Two out walk in AZ. Chad Tracey to the plate.

It'll be tricky to get Hillenbrand, Sweeney, and Moeller all into the same starting lineup, but I'm looking forward to it.

Dbacks lose.

How does Jim Hill keep his job?

396 I was about to say the same thing about Eric Young.

BBTN is like watching Plan 9. There's something endearing about what a disaster it is.

What's the news on the Blair update? Any chance we get him signed?

399 The Dodgers threw a million bucks at him in the hopes of signing him. They are "in negotiations" at the present time.

I am mesmerized by an infomercial with David Carradine trying to sell a curved stick.

398

The way Diamond worded it in his blog seems like the Dodgers have a good chance. The way TJ worded it makes it seem the Dodgers have less of a chance then Diamond believes.

I would like to get him signed. The top 5 picks have all had decent showings so far and Blair would just cap off a pretty good draft class.

Me thinks Tony Abreu's days as a Dodger are over.

How is the 2007 season any different than the 2005 season?

Not counting of course the fact that the budget is $30 million more in 2007 than it was in 2005 and that productive players were available, in 2007, to be promoted from the farm system to help replace injured/ ineffective vets.

"Famima!!" means "Pockey Sticks Outlet Store" in Japanese. One way or another the Japanese are going to figure out a way to have those little sticks displace Snickers and Reeses.

402. Is there something new on that front?

If the Dodgers are looking for tsome punch at 3rd and feel La Roche is not healthy enough, they should then bring up Hildrabarand and tell Nomar he is now the back-up shortstop and play him at 3rd. Don't know if Martinez would accept a move back to the minors for 10 days but that would be one move. The other move I would make is for pitching and offer Hernandez a trip to the minors for two weeks and bring up whomever is the best starting pitcher and let them pitch. Hendrickson and Tomko as we all know have been exposed-they are not starting pitchers at this point and despite Hendickson's two last starts as a three innings relief man I believe he has caused less harm. But they need to do something-there is still a chance, but by not making any moves from your organization they are blowing any possible chance to go get into the playoffs.

405
According to Tony Jackson's blog, no one on the Dodgers wants to talk about it, but Ned seems mad.

If Abreu's agent is BORA$$ then that explains it all. It is a ploy by BORA$$ to get Abreu declared a FA so he can go somewhere else for more $$$$$. The NED should trade Abreu ASAP so that he may actually get some value (fat chance) out of him. Too bad I liked Abreu!

Hillenbrand had a homer and a double today...

However, Cory Wade continues to make himself look like a viable relief candidate. After an excellent 3.2 IP, 7 K performance today, he's at:
Jax- 20.1 IP, 0.89 ERA, 15 H, 0 HR, 7 BB, 19 K
IE- 66 IP, 2.45 ERA, 50 H, 6 HR, 17 BB, 67 K
Maybe a little old at 24, and I have no idea what kind of stuff he has (anyone know?), but I'd rather him over some guys (Roberto). He seems like another guy who really struggled starting but has thrived in the pen.

408 I have no idea if his agent is Boras, but I really doubt there's any chance of that. No one would offer more than a 1 year deal, considering that a player's contract is controlled by the team for his first 3 years. More than likely, Abreu's just mad he was demoted.

I think you guys are blowing the Abreu thing way out of proportion. It seems that maybe Abreu is trying to collect a major league paycheck instead of a minor league one, but I doubt that will get him exiled to the depths of the organization.

Ned and Grady are at a complete loss as to what the problem with the team could be.

Look in the mirror Ned/Grady.

Cut the dead wood. Play Kemp, Loney & Ethier EVERY game. Rest Martin for a COUPLE of games. Promote Meloan. Put Lowe on the DL where he may heal. DFA Tomko & Hendrickson. Bring up some AAA pitchers (Hull, Houlton, Miller etc. one at a time to replace Lowe, Tomko & Hendrickson. Throw them against the wall and see what sticks. It cannot be any worse than what we have now.

406--Swapping out Nomar for Hillenbrand represents what net gain exactly?

So who do DTers root for when Pat Burrell (or Jimmy Rollins, since Utley and Victorino are DLed) face Buddy Carlyle?

Buddy Carlyle on ESPN!!!

Oh dear, Buddy Carlyle on ESPN just walked the bases loaded.

Buddy Carlyle v. Jayson Werth!!!!!

Bases loaded. Two outs.

We're facing 5 RHP's in the first 6 home games, so that would suggest more sitting for Kemp. Now is the time for mgmt to get comfortable with Kemp as an everyday player for next year. Gonzo is 7-44 and hasn't homered in a month. Kemp should be given a 6 week audition for 2008 effective tomorrow.

Outfielders can throw out people at the plate without a cut off man?

413 Nomar for Hillenbrand? No way, it would be Loney for Hillenbrand with a Hillenbrand/Sweeney platoon (or far more likely, Saenz for Hillenbrand). Nomar is a starter for this team no matter how poorly he plays.

419
I believe Francouer is a special case.

New post up top.

Joe Morgan just said, "I have always thought starting pitching was the most important thing to the rotation."

417 - I can't watch.