Here, here.

Very disappointing. I've been watching the deadline all day. Wonder if this is part of the ongoing Boras Vendetta. This is inexcusable any way you slice it. If you have the aforementioned money to burn, as well as tens of millions to throw down the drain at Garciapierre, you can find a million dollars to bring in someone who might actually pay off someday.

But they can't keep themselves from shopping for the shiny toys with the lead paint.

Brilliant Jon.

This is my biggest issue with the Dodgers right now. Everyone in baseball has seemingly agreed that Logan White is exceptionally good at finding players to draft and those players usually end up with good returns. With that obvious benefit as well as the money we are seemingly willing to sink into useless players, why not maximize your drafting advantage at this point in time. This is the perfect time to spend money in these situations, because the value of young controllable talent is higher than it ever has been before. Instead we decide to flush these advantages down the toilet, in a way nearly identical to the $44 million center fielder, who shall remain nameless.

White's announcement must have come around 4:00 P.M. ? That would be five hours or so before the deadline. How far apart are they? If Blair came down to $1.1, shouldn't the sides only be a couple hundred thousand apart at the most, since the Dodgers should have anticipated being at least near the million-dollar neighborhood when they make the pick. This is ridiculously small thinking.

Can we raise the money for the difference?

I pledge five dollars to sign Kyle Blair.

i'll give 150....seriously.

6
I got about tree fitty.

Jon, I am so happy you were able to verbalize this point so articulately.
Yet...so sad that it had to come to this.

A $200 pledge gets you a Blair Bobblehead and "Blair Pitch Project" t-shirt...! Operators are standing by...!

BTW, Plaschke had a nice comeback for Lowe regarding Derek's comment about a youth movement not being fair to vets. (paragraphing Plaschke's)

The Seattle Mariners, desperate for a closer at the trading deadline [ten years ago], dealt two of their best prospects to the Boston Red Sox for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb.

The Mariners won one postseason game that year, and have yet to reach the World Series.

Those two prospects who were traded to a Red Sox team that finished 20 games out of first place?

Future World Series championship players Jason Varitek and, um, er, Derek Lowe.

"Well, yeah," Lowe said.

Bob can sell the brownies he's making for the game today (tomorrow?).

Just food for thought:
What do these pitchers have in common:
Bryan Morris
Scott Elbert
Justin Orenduff
Chuck Tiffany
Greg Miller

All have been drafted in the first or supplemental rounds and gotten bonuses at or near the amount Kyle Blair reportedly came down to in his negotiations with the Dodgers.

They also have had some type of surgery and though its remains possilbe that Miller, Orenduff, Elbert and Morris will pitch in Dodger Stadium, there are no guarantees it will happen.

I agree with Jon that the team should not a let a few dollars stop them from acquiring good young talent but that is about 5 million in bonus money that is currently either waiting to throw again this fall or is back in Jacksonville so just because someone is highly touted, doesn't put him in Chavez Ravine.

Impromptu candlelight vigil tonight outside the stadium.

Dental Plan!

I like Derek Lowe on the mount when he is pitching for us. I don't like Derek Lowe the rest of the time.

Frank McCourt can temporarily raise the parking fee $1 for ten nights or so.

12
I'm only going to make the brownies if bhsportsguy gives me the go ahead.

Nothing more fun than baking on a 100-degree day. But it's a mix, so the prep work is next to nothing. It involves measuring, pouring, and inserting in the oven and that will be it.

I like Derek Lowe on the mount

So does Carolyn

13 But if one of those guys pans out how much is that worth? 40 million, 50? That's what it would cost to sign a number three starter on the open marker. Even if those guys keep flaming out if even one eventually makes it, it will all be worth it.

13
No doubt it is a risk, but at the cost it seems smart. I mean it was a huge risk to sign Schmidt and Wolf and they have proven things in the league.

18
How did I miss that?

I feel like I'm trapped in a glass cage of emotion.

This downward snowballing has got to stop.

First the ship sank then the sea dried up, all that was left were tears.

13
Sure they all could blow out their arms which is why you have to keep restocking with talent until one of them makes it.

I'd rather have one high upside arm make it then 3 rotational fillers. I understand your point, I don't agree with it. If this was a 2nd round talent asking for 1.1 then he'd be out of line but most draft hounds said that Blair was a 1st round talent. If Brackman gets 3.3, then Blair would seem to be worth 1.1. It almost seems like a no brainer to me.

13 - Completely true. But still a better investment than a year of Brett Tomko.

6
Maybe it should be the other way around.

How about -- the Dodgers are on probation. They don't get another dollar of my money until they show they deserve it.

Examples of not deserving my money:
Trading away young, power-hitting infielders
Choosing not to sign young, talented pitchers
Picking up stiff after stiff from the trash heap
The list goes on...

... players that anyone can see are of minimal help.

Thus the problem. Maybe you can see it, maybe I can see it, maybe all of DT can see it. But what if the deeply serious baseball people see different? Let's take it player-by-player.

Hendrickson: Relatively low contract, pitched well for his previous team and might pitch even better in a pitchers park like Dodger Stadium. Provides depth and he's left-handed.

That's not a bad argument to get Mark Hendrickson.

Shea Hillenbrand: A two-time All-Star who was OPSing over .800 with Toronto last season . He's not doing anything now but, of course, neither are we so why not get him and see if he can't help drum up a winning streak?

I think if the Dodgers were truly out of it, they would've passed on Hillenbrand.

Brett Tomko: Grady Little likes his arm. And if my manager says he likes his arm, I like his arm.

What do all of these players have in common? They have all (quite arguably) had success in the bigs and in the case of the two pitchers, they've enjoyed success with the Dodgers.

Oh yeah--I forgot one.

Martinez/Valdez: I haven't been able to tell the difference between these two since they joined the team.

"Now don't go offerin' the soul no tree-fiddy......"

I'm in for $200. I love bobbleheads.

26
Wilson Valdez scored the winning run in the last game the Dodgers won in San Diego.

Brady Clark drove him in.

And then the lead paint chipped off.

26 Define deeply serious baseball people. I think enough of a turnover has happened that most people didn't think Hendrickson turned it around last year, or that Shea Hillenbrand has ever done anything useful, let alone last year.

I think the image of the guys sitting around in Panama hats smoking cigars is fading.

Okay, Bob's on baking. Some of you played in bands. Grab your musical type instruments. I can juggle a little bit. I need facepainters, STAT. Does anybody have a dunk tank?

We're going festival tonight to raise money. We can do it!*

*We can't really do it.

23 That makes sense to me, you'd have to corner Logan White and Tim Hallgren and ask them exactly what they thought it would cost to sign Blair when they picked him to see if they were in the ballpark.

All I am saying is that they had two more months to look at him and maybe their projection changed, maybe they don't even see him as a first round guy in three years, again you'd have to ask them but I think it was more than just the money.

This extra cash better go to A-Rod....

32
I'm not baking any brownies until I get the go-ahead from bhsportsguy.

This extra cash better go to A-Rod....

Or me.

Btw, just outta curiosity, has anyone else confirmed this besides Tony Jackson?

Well said above Jon. I keep feeling like we must be missing some piece of information, something, other than that they cheaped out, but haven't seen it yet.

I think our biggest problem is that we do not have enough guys who were shortstops on the roster.

Kyle Blair -
About 7 hours left. I say this is all a big bluff by the D's and we'll sign him about 11:45 tonight........yes I believe in fairies and pixie dust.

Contreras - I'm sure we can get Pierre through waivers. Let's just trade him even up with each team taking on the contract of the guy they got. The White Sox need a center fielder for next year (and the three years after that).

Are your brownies better then Bhsportsguys cookies? That is a high standard you have to beat.

Also, does Blair really, really want to go to USD, to college? Maybe he wasn't all that into the idea of going straight to the bigs after all? I mean, who knows. Obviously they were still making offers, though, so it doesn't seem like he officially lost interest, and didn't exactly high-ball the Dodgers.

37
Yeah, Logan White.

I don't think Jackson made up the quotes.

Are your brownies better then Bhsportsguys cookies?

And how do they compare to the brownies that trainwreck wants me to buy in Golden Gate Park...?

37 - If it were unsourced, I would have waited, but it's on the record and definitive. Whatever level of importance you attach to this, I'm confident this is a mini-scoop for Tony.

40
I'm using a mix, so I doubt they won't be as good.

37 probably just wishful thinking on my part. Sigh.

For anyone who missed it - the end of last night's game:

http://tinyurl.com/2bzzzj

47 That's just cruel!

45
I should say, since I'm using a mix, the brownies won't be as good as bhsportsguy's cookies.

If it were cooler, I would make cookies from scratch and then there would be a contest.

Is it any coincidence that the play from last night invloved two of LAs most lackluster players?

Jon, you sum it up so well. One of the things that most excited me when Depo was hired was that the Dodgers were thinking about the box, challenging expectations, willing to be new and well, different. This was exciting. Now, that particular road didn't pan out, for reasons that have been exhaustively discussed.

When the Depo era was over, I still was excited because of the push for the youth movement. Colletti has by-and-large reaped benefits from that, and to his credit hasn't wasted it (yet). But my excitement dampens with each cruddy veteran that we overpay for, and every young guy we miss out on or trade (for any reason).

Rooting for mediocre veterans is not thrilling. It is not interesting. If the team isn't solidly in first, it's downright sad.

With the payroll they can wield, I honestly can't figure out why the Dodgers wouldn't take a two-pronged approach: keep the farm system crowded with tons of hot young talent (by drafting smartly and being willing to pay), and, by having a young MLB team with a relatively low payroll, targeting top-priced free agents that are the best in the game.

It just makes too much sense. Why wouldn't you take this approach?

50 -

Sorry, I don't think Sweeney has been here long enough to be at or near the top of the lackluster list. After all, he's hitting .400 and he was just showing a lot of hustle last night, going to second even though the ball was obviously foul.

So who would we rather have, Withrow or Blair?

Kershaw just pitched a perfect 1st.

I just hope the Dodgers don't bring this same draft attitude to the table when all the kids reach their arbitration years.

OF OF Jayson Werth hit a solo hour for the Phils in DC tonight.

Nats have the same game of chicken running with Jack McGeary who may go to Stanford. Twist is, the team has said (through "sources" that they can get agreement on the money but are unsure if they want to buck the league on slot issues - esp. since it'd be a 6th round pick somewhere above $1.5M.

They leaked last night that it was done and McG was to college. Then today other sources told the beat guy they were still working it, with the caveats described above. Crazy.

Is it worse to lose the prospect over $300G or over not wanting to ruffle Selig's feathers?

Kershaw vs McGee right now.

The Brewers are losing again to the Cardinals. They fell behind 3-0 in the first.

If the Cardinals win, they'll be just 3 1/2 out. The Astros are just 8 out.

So who would we rather have, Withrow or Blair?

Withrow has better projection but Blair has tad better present stuff. I'd probably take Withrow over Blair but Withrow hasn't pitched in 2 weeks..

DT Vs. DFO.

52 Yeah, I agree. Sweeney had a terrible brain-fart last night at a really bad time but I still think acquiring him was a good move. I wouldn't put him in the same class as Hillenbrand at all.

61 I think it's the difference between middling and useless.

51 totally agree. Many people have basically told me to shut up cause I feel Coletti is a disaster. To me not all disaster's happen all at once. They take time..Now most people won't agree with me until it's to late. Until a beloved kid is traded. I am cool with that. I respect their opinion. Nothing will change my mind though. It's the little things behind the big things that many of you have pointed out way better than I can that shows me Coletti is in way over his head.

How can it be too hot to bake? It's been 90+ and often 100+ all summer and I still bake. Or does Bob not have air conditioning?

64
I have air conditioning.

I just don't like to mix perspiration into my brownies.

62 Perhaps, though I think he's slightly better than middling. He's better than Manny Mota! Well, not exactly, but he's a good pinch hitter. Just not such a good baserunner, apparently.

I just don't like to mix perspiration into my brownies

Just blood and tears...?

6 ,7 ,8 ,10

I've got exactly 38 bucks in my wallet I'll pledge it as well.

So what you're saying is it was a coincidence. I apologize to Mr. Sweeney for putting him in the same boat as Pierre, Shea,Roberto,Tomko etc...

Maybe I should have asked if was a coinicidence that last nights play involved 1 of LAs most lackluster players.

kershaw getting hit hard because he can only throw his fastball.

69 -
What's your definition of lackluster? I am absolutely no fan of his signing but JP has been on base 7 times in the past 3 games. How many other guys on the team can say that?

70 - why nothing but fastballs?

Why does White keep drafting these players that drop in the draft because of signability issues when they (the team management)are not willing to pay the necessary price. If they are so afraid of Selig & Co. then they should just stick with players willing to sign for slot money.

Is BORA$$ Blair's agent? That would explain a lot. If so, why did White draft Blair knowing he would have to deal with BORA$$? Do White and Ned never learn from their previous mistakes?

59- Would you rather have Blair and the 20a 2008 pick, or Withrow?

72

Boras is not Blair's agent.

73

probably choice A.

Sweeney hasn't been here long enough to be lackluster, but Pierre can be ruled shiny based on his last three games?

73 I know you raise these questions because they make sense but no one thinks that way.

Except you, I guess.

why nothing but fastballs?

because he can't throw anything else for strikes.

71 - I'm saying he's not anything special and that most people I know feel the same way whether it be at the bar or on the net. Regardless of what he's done recently he still doesn't produce enough for me to notice his contributions to the team.

He is very lackluster.

Diamond Leung with a way optimistic Tim Hallgren quote.

http://www.beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/baseball/dodgers/2007/08/blair_project_finished.html

check that, its not that he can't throw his secondary pitches for strikes, he can't throw anything for strikes.

75 -
Just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt over the last 3 games compared to the play of the rest of the team.

Overall, I would say he definitely lacks luster.

"Hopefully he develops like we think he well, and he's there in three years. We'll make him a Dodger then."

that doesn't even make sense considering he will probably cost more in 3 years and a top 10 pick.

79

Yeah, just like we got Utley the next time around. Does that ever actually happen?

Another reason to pound my head against the wall: Gonzo starting tonight over Ethier. What is the point???

83 In an interview that appeared in the Union today, San Diego's scouting director said that Nick Schmidt was higher on their board than Rick Pocello.

You really believe anything these guys say?

Last year Kershaw only walked five in 37 innings. What happened?

85

No, I don't. What's your point?

79
That quote is just depressing.

Yeah, we really think he will be good, but we don't want to pay him for it.

86 Last year he faced mostly guys who were rookies or had limited experience, he is now pitching against guys who have had a lot more experience than he has had in pro ball.

85

well if that board took into account players they could sign, then i believe it. If it was strictly a talent board then absolutely not.

85 Tacitly accepting being lied to has never been a strong suit of mine. Folly of youth?

Will I get more used to it?

87 What's Tim Hallgren going to say, he is a horrible guy and I hope he has no success in college.

87
On the walk back last night, I saw an Indian/Pakistani restaurant on one of the streets off Leavenworth. Do you know anything about it? I might head up there for dinner...

91 Man, I think working in my field has just made so cynical that nothing bothers nor surprises me anymore and I guess there are others who believe people can be better not bitter.

i knew it, Dodgers' are wussies...

from TJ in the comments section

To answer npurcell's question, yes, it has a LOT to do with the commish's office. Not enough teams were willing to risk Selig's wrath by going too far over slot. The more teams that do it, the less the fallout is going to be for each one that does.

88 On the otherhand, the UCLA offensive coordinator said today the Olson is looking good, but I guess I won't believe him either.

96
From the various reports I have heard, Olson has looked real good at times, but at times still seems to take too long to decide.

Darrell Scott says he is going to take an official visit to UCLA and we seem to be among his favorites.

89 Still, you wouldn't think his command would slip as far it has. Whether or not the players he is facing are experienced or not, he should still be able to throw a strike.

What exactly is Selig's wrath?

92

I don't care what he says, and what you're referring to isn't even what I was commenting on. All I said was I doubt we get Blair next time because I've never really heard of that happening.

These management decisions are not just poor because we have Pierre patrolling centerfield or Hillenbrand at third. I am starting to ask myself if the Dodgers are becoming a joke throughout the league. Will these ongoing bad decisions start to affect whether or not players, coaches or front office people will want come to this organization? At what point does someone like Logan White realize this is a sinking ship and leave?

I realize we are in the middle of an epic slide down the standings but I have felt this way since McCourt fired Depodesta. At first I did not understand what direction this team was going and now I find myself disagreeing almost every move the front office makes.

99 No Roberto Clemente awards or All-Star games. OH NO!

Bud Selig and wrath don't belong in the same sentence.

93

There's a lot of them, but I've only been to Naan n Curry, which isn't bad. Do you remember the name?

99- He goes on Bryant Gumbel's t.v. show and calls you a jerk. A fate worse than death itself!

It didn't make sense that this was a money decision. That it's a fearing Selig decision makes it much worse, but more reasonable.

103
No, I don't think I saw the name. It had a yellow sign with black font and the words "Indian" and "Pakistani".

Yes, let's be a lousy team so Selig will give us a meaningless All Star Game. Hopefully that happens the same year McCourt builds his statue of the fans.

105 Was there a little Kashmiri restaurant huddled in the corner?

The Tigers and Yankees seem to be giving Bud the finger and they certainly are not hurting because of it.

I say we flip Bud a double bird.

One thing I wonder about is whether the Dodgers even realize how many of their fans are more educated (it seems anyway) about drafts and signings, and had awareness of the Kyle Blair situation. In other words, this looks like a failure basically, with some negative PR attached to it, but they may think no one cares that much.

And maybe we wouldn't if the team was driving towards a pennant.

105

Then my guess is probably as good as yours. It may have been Shalimar (on Jones St.), which is supposed to be good.

Selig said he was retiring at the end of this term. Unless the inside scope is that the next commissioner is going to be a Selig acolyte (hahaha) placating the man is as worthless as it is cowardly.

107
Why are people fighting over sweaters?

Rockies Acquire Ramon Ortiz From Twins

>> The Colorado Rockies acquired right-handed pitcher Ramon Ortiz from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for infielder Matt Macri. <<

http://www.nbc10.com/mlb/13903110/detail.html

105 Go to Shalimar, Jones near O'Farrell, or Pakwan (I've been to the one in the Mission, but there's one in the tenderloin, 501 O'Farrell)

Mmm, now I'm craving Indian.

109- The Blair pick was supposed to make us forget about the LOOGy sandwich pick.

110
It wasn't Jones, because that runs parallel to Leavenworth. I'm guessing it was either Geary, O'Farrell, or Ellis.

114
Haha, I've been eating home made Makhani Chicken all week.

Mmm, now I'm craving Indian.

Me too. Now I might have to go to Shalimar.

117

Do you put special seasoning on top?

118
I'm going to Shalimar right now. Maybe I'll see you there.

115 Hey, I like Adkins, you leave him out of this. ;-) I like Withrow, too. But Blair would have made this clearly an above average draft, whereas now it's an average draft with a few good players mixed in. (But some guys are sleepers, so you never know for a couple of years. See: McDonald, James.)

119
No.

120

I guess I'll probably work my way through the leftover Chinese. That doesn't get better with time.

Does Jackson have a quote to back up his Selig comment, or is he or someone off the record speculating?

122

"It'd be a lot cooler if you did."

This is not going to make me popular here but it needs to be said. I agree with you about the penny wise, pound foolish mindset they have. But, the next time you see McMoneybags or Flanders, why not get on them about it instead of sucking up to them for a photo opportunity or signed autograph. They need us! Owners and GMs come and go but fans are important. stand up for your right to criticize.

126

Who are you directing that toward? And who here has McCourt or Colletti's autograph?

126- I yell at filthy rich people whenever I get the oppurtunity. I also yell at young attractive women and pretty much anyone that keeps to themselves.

I promise the next time I'm at dodger stadium which will be soon, I will yell in McCourts general direction, "WE WANT SIGNED DRAFT PICKS NOT MEDIOCORE AGING VETERAN PITCHERS,MIDDLE INFIELDERS,OUTFIELDERS or TOMKOS!"

Stats 101: Going prospecting

>> In this installment of Stats 101, we're going to talk about minor leaguers.

More specifically, we're going to talk about how to evaluate prospects and get a better handle on what the future may hold for them. <<

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7125094

I didn't get a photo or an autograph. I didn't even say a word. He took like four questions and spoke for a very long time.

I'm trying to get Colletti's autograph on proof of service papers, for the "$63,000,000,000 billion dollar" lawsuit I'm bringing against him.

Yeah, I'd only get McCourt's autograph if it was for a check for $1.1 million made out to me, Kyle Blair.

126 - I haven't met Colletti. As for McCourt on DT Day, we didn't suck up per se. We asked questions and he gave PR- sensitive answers. It wasn't 60 Minutes, but it was about as good as we could do under the circumstances.

Had Colletti been there, we might have gotten somewhere. I don't know. Keep in mind McCourt defers personnel decisions to Ned.

People certainly didn't hold back on the Pierre bashing during our discussion with Josh Rawitch.

134 - Was there snickering involved?

Just as an aside - in 2007 the Dodgers are paying $15 million+ to players no longer in the Dodger organization. That is $15M out of a $119M payroll (salary & bonuses only).

135

No, there was outright criticism of his ability as a player and of the decision to sign him to a five-year contract. The best argument Josh came up with in his defense was that he didn't beat his wife.

$63,000,000,000 billion

Is there enough capital on the planet to cover that?

You're adding nine zeroes to $63 billion.

So, it turns out that Jeff Kent loves baseball after all.

lost in the midst of the Blair Fiasco is that Juan Pierre is batting 2nd...again. Wasn't it a couple games ago that Little said Pierre would be batting in the bottom of the order for a while?

who knew a while meant two games.

Talk about calling in favors. For years I had to sit and listen to a friend of mine (college baseball player yet stathead) rail against the Mets and everything they did (The Phillips/Duquette years). Now we get together over a pint and I rail against the Dodgers. Big time rants. And he has to listen. Ha ha.

Tommy Hutton is very upset about the automatic double rule after a Marlins player bounced one over the 434' sign at Dolphins Stadium.

Schmidt should donate 1.1mil to sign Kyle Blair.

137 "But seriously, there is no harder worker than Juan Pierre."

--Josh Rawitch, grasping at straws 07/21/07.

we have 2 hours til the deadline. Please, someone have a change of heart!

This will be the game chat thread.

Some first-rounders can change a franchise

>> in an era of escalating free-agent salaries, going above Major League Baseball's recommended "slot" for a top draft pick often is the right thing to do.

High-school players are a gamble. Even the best college players face a significant transition to pro ball. But talent comes at a price, and it's absurd that some teams are more devoted to the wishes of commissioner Bud Selig than the competitive desires of their own fans. <<

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7123784

144

Haha. Didn't realize you were transcribing all along. Hence the silence.

137
What would he have said if you talked to him after the Julio Lugo trade?

I wish the Dodgers would just start winning some games again so we'd all be less cranky! And preferably not do anything else to embarrass their fans.

149

He seems like a smart guy. I'd like to believe he'd know better than to even bother defending Lugo.

Cody Ross made one of the single worst dives for a fly ball I've ever seen. He dove and ended up about five feet short of the ball.

He might have pulled out of his dive early when he saw he wasn't going to get it.

We were guests of the Dodgers who didn't have to offer us anything. I would have been embarrassed for Jon if it had turned confrontational. You have to pick your fights carefully.

The Marlins announcers said that Florida signed Matt Dominguez.

I apologize if this is old news.

Someone asked about this earlier:

Dodgers not happy Sweeney taking heat over play

>> First base coach Mariano Duncan went over to Sweeney to make sure he was aware of the number of outs. <<

## I made a bad play. There's no excuse. I thought there was one out the whole time. But when the ball was hit, I thought there were two outs. It's not Mariano's fault. It's my fault. ##

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2976610

Out of curiosity what is the slot amount for a #5 draft pick?

155
In that same story, Duncan describes a play where he did something else when he was playing for the Phillies.

From the details Duncan gave (7th inning against Florida with Lenny Dykstra batting), he didn't remember it correctly.

153- No. You have a moral duty to speak truth to power at all times. Even if it's a month before they do the thing that irritates you.

And even if you do get them to admit wrongdoing somehow, what does it accomplish? It's not like anyone with any sort of power is going to listen to a couple screaming loons.

159 - You'd be suprised.

153 Amen.

To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ... a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; ...

he looked really safe.

dear lord, that wasnt even close!

hahaah he was so safe. unbelievable.

was safe by a foot!

That first pitch to Kemp was a ball and Pierre was safe.

158 continued- There's a story in Martin Amis's memoir about the time he brought Chris Hitchens to dinner with Saul Bellow and his wife. They'd agreed, in the car on the way up to the Bellow house, that there were to be no "sinister balls" (lefty propagandizing). But when Bellow said something less than respectful about Edward Said, Hitchens spent the rest of the night railing against him (while Amis wore out his leg, kicking him under the table). At the end of the meal, Hitchens said that he was sorry to have made the meal so unpleasant, but that Said was a friend of his, and he'd have felt bad, letting the slight go. Bellow asked, "How do you feel now?"

It would have been intergalacticly boorish for anyone to turn DT Day into a McCourt thumping session. Which is one of the several reasons it's a good thing I didn't go.

I think the Gameday operator is lazy today. Either that or Penny and Jennings have hyper-accurate control.

Oh Brother.

Kemp just broke his ankle or something.

just kidding, he lives!

Could be bye-bye Kemp for a few days.

Not now, not when they finally deciding to put him in the lineup without batting 8th.

I'm fascinated by how the human brain works everybody knows that Pierre was safe but that umpire still has a Nomar "hanger over" I guess, Let it go dude & do your JOB!

Your outfield has problems when Carlos Lee runs on you with no fear.

It's like watching the Keystone cops only without any authority.

Man, that is disgraceful baseball. I want to seeyoung ballplayers with talent. period.

171

I was getting Repko flashbacks when I saw him trying to make that catch.

I still remember the circumstances of the LaRoche signing. White and Dan Evans approached (as they needed to) Bob Daly and asked for him to approve spending the big money to get LaRoche signed, and Daly said okay. Asking for the money was just half of the favor they were asking. The other half of the favor was asking Daly to stand up to MLB when the inevitable complaints came. Now fast forward four years -- nobody in the Dodgers' organization who wants to continue working in the organization is going to say that McCourt won't come through like Daly did, but that is what it comes down to. The question has been asked, "Why even pick Blair?" Either White thought he might be able to talk down Blair's price, or talk McCourt into ponying up the money and showing some backbone to Selig this time, or a little bit of both, but it didn't work out, and now White really has no choice but to, as Jon put it, "sign off" on letting Blair get away. "You can't embarrass the boss" is part of every employee's job description, no matter what your line of work happens to be.

176 Are you saying that Lee gets held if Ethier is in LF?

Canuck,

What were some of those Canadian TV shows you suggested to me? I am going to see if I can get some DVDs.

171: Nate having visions of his glorious trading deadline prank.

"They're cleaning out his locker!"

181
No idea, but I bet it is a tougher decision and would have been a closer play at the plate.

Jose Offerman suspended after arrest for hitting 2 players with bat

http://tinyurl.com/3aj83b

That felt good.

Very Sexy.

Russell it's been a while, yes!

155 Interesting that it was LuGo and Tomko grousing. Think they might have some pent up frustrations regarding their own recent performances?

Golden God!

That's the way you do it, yeah. Give him another day off. (in a good sense)

as Gonzalez hit the double I was thinking hopefully that lit a little fire under the Dodger batters.

Well, I've missed seeing Martin and LuGo do that.

I wonder who's call it is to not spend the money for Blair. Colletti? McCourt? White? I'm only curious because if White drafts the guys hoping the Dodgers will pay, but someone higher up tells him it's a no go, it must be a bit frustrating for him.

ESPN just told me that the Dodgers are struggling without Nomar in the lineup.

193 I would imagine that someone above, like Colletti, sets White's budget. With his title, he should have some allocation responsibilities, one would think.

194 Well, that's true.

194

If ESPN told you to jump off a bridge, would you?

How was Shalimar?

194 ESPN should also tell you that correlation does not imply causation.

It'd be nice to have Hochevar, Blair, Price, etc...

I also think bhsportsguy should be hired by the Dodgers for PR. He's better than Josh at spinning news.

How was Shalimar?

I didn't care for the ambiance or the walk up there, but the food was very good.

Wow, Loney made that awful throw look easy.
I thought Penny was the one pitcher we had left who wouldn't be pitching with all kind of men on base, but no.

so what does this quote mean?

"We didn't have a meeting of the minds," said assistant general manager Logan White. "We knew it might be tough. They were up front with where they were at and never changed. We just couldn't get to where they wanted to get."

194 That's ripe.

200

Naan n Curry is walk up. I don't like that, either.

202 They wanted $X. We wouldn't go that high.

205

we couldnt go that high because of ownership or we didn't want to go that high because he's not worth it?

204
One of today's specials was lamb brain marsala. I chose something else.

202--

Translation: We knew what Blair wanted. We were never going to give it to him, but were just hoping he'd bring his demands down.

The Dodgers obviously dont value the picks by round. Maybe getting Kemp/Martin/LaRoche has lessened their thinking of the top 5 rounds. Add in taking Mattingly last year in the 1st, it seems they just dont care much about where players are picked.

207

How long did it take you to read the menu and decide what you wanted?

I don't think I've ever seen Brad Penny wear his pants at normal cuff he always wears them cuffed up, just a little observation.

209
Heh heh. The menu at Shalimar is much shorter than that Chinese menu.

gotta lay off the spinners matty

208

you're right. the dodgers obviously do the draft their own quirky little way.

208 I'd say that's fairly true of several teams, including the more scouting dependent Twins and Braves, as well as the Athletics. That's still far better than the Pirates, who apparently just draw names out of a hat.

211

I've heard that the Chinese restaurant in question offers a menu-on-tape, so you can start the decision process on the ride home from work.

Sweeney had been inconsolable after the game. He reportedly destroyed a couple of pieces of his own equipment in a profanity-laced tirade in the clubhouse tunnel

There seems to be a pattern here...

182 -- Trainwreck, I recommend getting The Newsroom on DVD. It is something I recommend to Americans who enjoy comedy like The Office or Arrested Development. All three seasons plus the movie, Escape From The Newsroom, are available at Amazon.com. However, Amazon says they have only two copies of Season 1 remaining in stock, and one copy left of Season 2. Both seasons are $21.99. Jon says he saw Season 1 and liked it. I tried to get him to order the Season 2 DVD, but I don't think I was successful.:)

I also recommend getting Twitch City. The DVD set contains both Season 1 and Season 2, all 13 episodes, and Amazon.com is selling it for $17.99. Did you ever get the Trailer Park Boys movie?

I've heard that the Chinese restaurant in question offers a menu-on-tape, so you can start the decision process on the ride home from work

They might want to offer a Cliff's Notes version as well, or even better, a Cliff's Notes version on tape.

That's maybe two runs that don't score with Ethier in left.

217
Planned to get the movie with those DVDs.

According to Gameday, this ump has a messed up strike zone.

Keystone baby! Of course with our pitching staff we probably should double the padding everywhere, and I notice that gate was nasty,with no padding.

217
Anything weird that I can only get in Canada? Relatives making trip and asked me what I want.

that play Martin just made is Hillenbrands or Loneys

ToyCannon would be proud.

Does anyone know what music is used for the FSN "What is your consecutive games streak?" Dodger promo? It sounds like Philip Glass... or something along those lines. Very familiar, but it's driving me crazy that I can't identify it.

Gameday is messed up tonight. It is showing multiple pitches being in the exact same place (with the dots on top of each other), it is showing multiple pitches right down the middle as "balls", and it is showing multiple pitches outside the strike zone as "strikes".

227

Perhaps the former Jacksonville Suns Assistant GM has found a new job.

What's this--all kind of men on base?
Of course I turned the sound down long age.

225

if what Marty? He hasn't been posting recently has he.

230

that should be of what Marty.

230- Jimmy Wynn got a shout out from Vin.

228 That gives the term "throwing smoke" a whole new meaning. ;)

230 Jimmy Wynn was the AFLAC trivia answer.

AFLAC, ask your employer.

I have spent the last 90 minutes getting my scanner to "work" with my computer.

It doesn't work well, but I'm amazed I got it to work at all. Samsung advertised the printer/scanner as Mac compliant. That's not quite true. But I feel like such a geek for getting it to work!

USA! USA! USA! USA!

That was almost a Shea Special, but Wiggington's an even worse third baseman.

So I played basketball for a bit, had dinner, caught Stephen Colbert's joke about Colbert's Formula 401, and caught up on comments - glad to know D4P found a less complicated menu tonight - and didn't miss much in the game except for the Dodgers daily run.

223 -- Anything "weird" you can only get in Canada?:)

I don't know, but you might ask them to bring back a can of soda pop or a candy bar for you. Americans often express surprise at how much sweeter soda and chocolate is in Canada, even the SAME brand names that sell in the US. I drink Diet 7-Up, and I can vouch that there is a big difference in how Diet 7-Up tastes in Canada and how it tastes in America. I found American Diet 7-Up to be foul-tasting swill when I tried it. As for why Canadian chocolate (specifically, milk chocolate) is sweeter than American chocolate, I read somewhere that American chocolate is made differently because of the hotter climates in the US. Candy bars with Canadian-made chocolate would literally melt on store shelves in many parts of the US during summer months. Oh, and it might be fun to try a bag of Canadian-made Lays chips (the plain kind). They taste quite different than the American-made Lays. Saltier.

If Hillenbrand had stayed at first on his grounder instead of going to second, should he have been given credit for a GIDP...?

Stop hitting the ball to people!

239
Again, the name Grounding into Double Play is not ironic.

241
I know, but if the assumption behind the error is that he "should have been out", and he gets an 0-1 in the box score, doesn't that mean it "should have been a double play" too...?

239

well if he's on first then he didn't make two outs therefore how could it be a double play?

Bob, welcome to the Fraternal Order of Computer Geeks. Dues are $60 per year.

242

you can't assume the DP. It was "assumed" he would be safe at first. the error is for the advacement to second.

238
I have been to Canada before and I don't notice a huge difference. My father was British, so I have had a lot of that and you can tell a real difference with their sweets.

well if he's on first then he didn't make two outs therefore how could it be a double play?

Well, it's possible to strike out without making an out...

238- Isn't it just the difference between making that stuff with sugar vs. corn syrup? Canada doesn't have a trade embargo against Cuba (or a band of malcontent sugar farming tariff seekers in the Everglades, gumming up the works). So they have real sugar in stuff.

you can't assume the DP. It was "assumed" he would be safe at first. the error is for the advacement to second

But I'm talking about a situation where he didn't go to second, and the error is what allowed him to reach first.

Ooh, the D4P-natepurcell bout takes an existential turn...

248
First you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women...

242
How do you know Hillenbrand wouldn't have beaten the throw anyway? Or Berkman wouldn't have dropped it?

Official scorers never assume a double play because there are so many variables.

What if Hillenbrand had hit an easy grounder to Bruntlett, which should have been a DP in any situation, but Bruntlett dropped it and could only recover in time to get one out?

It seems that all you want to do is pick on Shea Hillenbrand.

The GIDP stat is to show simply when a batter creates TWO outs with one swing by hitting a ground ball, which is something he presumably has control over, unlike lining or flying into a DP, which is the runner's fault almost all of the time. See, the case of Sweeney vs. Houston Baseball Team (Aug. 14, 2007, 9th inning, infra.)

249
The only time an error is awarded on a potential DP and the runner stays at first base is when the player covering first blatantly drops a relay throw at first base.

That happens maybe 10 times a year in an entire baseball season.

Ooh, the D4P-natepurcell bout takes an existential turn...

there is no bout. we both now stand on the common belief that Dodger management is incompetent.

252

I'm not sure I remember that Sweeney game. Do you have a retrosheet link?

255
I've got a baseball-reference link:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200708140.shtml

Blair has 7 minutes to change his mind!

245
Maybe that was Frank's plan all along. To bring us together!!

256

Hmm...let's look at this. Nope, still doesn't ring a bell. I have no memory of this game.

Thanks anyway.

*254

The only time an error is awarded on a potential DP and the runner stays at first base is when the player covering first blatantly drops a relay throw at first base

That's the situation to which I'm referring. Since the player "should have been out" and gets an out in the box score, it seems to me that he should also get a GIDP in the box score.

The Orioles announced a seven-figure signing of a Scott Boras client . . . but no, it's not Matt Wieters. Baltimore landed Texas Christian righthander Jake Arrieta for a $1.1 million bonus.

That's a new record for a fifth-rounder, surpassing the $900,000 that the Braves gave Matt McClendon in 1999.

That should have been Blair :(

Sounds like Pierre almost got his first HR there.

246 -- Most Canadian candy bars are made by the Cadbury company, and that IS a British company. But there is a difference in the milk chocolate the US company Hershey sells in Canada compared to what they sell in America too.

248 -- Yes, non-diet soda pop in Canada has real sugar, and the comparable pop in the US has corn syrup subsitituted for sugar. That explains the difference there, but what about the difference in diet pop? I know that both Canadian and American Diet 7-Up is sweetened with aspertame.

5 minutes for Blair to change his mind...

259
Then how about Loney vs. Cincinnati Baseball Team, August 8, 2007, infra.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN200708080.shtml

You gotta send Kemp right to avoid the DP.

2 minutes! fax over that last minute proposal!

How much do those invisible fence, electrified dog collar things go for? It would be humiliating to put a collar around Kemp's neck, but maybe he could wear it like a bracelet, or something. And it should be just a mild electrical shock when he gets too close to a fence.

Kent looked like he was glaring at Juan 316.

I'm not near a TV.... how come Pierre didn't tag up?

261
So why does the batter get credit for grounding into a double play when there's not a double play?

You really are going to have to overcome that hurdle in this fight. Grounding into double plays is not "grounding into plays where the defense would have gotten a double play if not for an error."

The batter already gets an at bat and no hit. Why do you wish to punish the batter further for something that didn't happen?

It makes absolutely no sense.

The GIDP is one of the most sensibly designed stats that baseball has.

271
Because the ball went about 170 feet.

271

The fly ball to CF by Kent was short, it was a good call by the windmill in my opinion.

Nationals apparently broke slot for McGeary.

The Tree weeps!

http://tinyurl.com/2jnn9a

271

Loneys fly ball was plenty deep, 3-2 Stros.

Houlton only threw 52 pitches today, despite pitching fairly well (one run in 3.1 IP). However, I would assume 52 is more than enough to confirm that he's not starting Friday.

Abreu went 0-3 with a walk, and Hu went 1-4 with a homer. It's a double header, but the second game appears to be postponed.

Warning Track Loney gets to do what he does best.

(just kidding)

271- Because Donnelly has completely ceded having any sort of judgment. If there's nobody out, he doesn't send the guy at third. Period.

275: I think they did it just for Greg Brock.

I suppose I should also break the news to D4P that if you ground into a triple play, usually of the 5-4-3 variety, the batter doesn't get credited with a GIDP even though he created at least two outs on the play.

273 , 274 Gotcha, thanks.

So, 6-99?

even the NATS!!?!??! went above slot for McGeary!?!?! OH COME ON DODGERS

So why does the batter get credit for grounding into a double play when there's not a double play?

I could say the same thing about strikeouts with wild pitches/passed balls that enable the hitter to go to first. If you can strike out while making zero outs, maybe you should be able to double play while making one out.

The batter already gets an at bat and no hit

But if the runner is out, and the hitter gets an out in the box score, doesn't that essentially add up to two outs that the hitter was responsible for...?

oh, Nelly!! Russell with 2 BOMBS today!

Wonderful. Really.

Ch-i bless you, Mr. Martin.

So the deal, according to sources, is for $1.8 million. That's first-round money for a sixth-round pick, showing that the Nationals were not going to succumb to industry pressure to stay in line.

so when the music stops, the dodgers are left without a chair to sit in.

Martiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!
Martiiiiiiiiiiiin!

He's back!!

I suppose I should also break the news to D4P that if you ground into a triple play, usually of the 5-4-3 variety, the batter doesn't get credited with a GIDP even though he created at least two outs on the play

Preposterous.

The Golden God is back with a vengeance!

Well, at least we know we have one real good player on our team.

Oh my goodness gracious.

Golden. God.

Well, at least we know we have one real good player on our team.

Martin hitting a homerun- not suprising. Except when you see that Kemp was on second base. A dodger hit with a runner in scoring position!!!

The Baseball Tonight guys just had a chuckle about the Dodgers driving in a run with a runner in scoring position when showing Martin's homer just now. Heh Heh. Feh.

I could say the same thing about strikeouts with wild pitches/passed balls that enable the hitter to go to first. If you can strike out while making zero outs, maybe you should be able to double play while making one out.

The dropped third strike rule has been around for almost as long as baseball has existed. You're too hung up on the word "out" appearing in the word. Strikeout does not always mean "out."

But if the runner is out, and the hitter gets an out in the box score, doesn't that essentially add up to two outs that the hitter was responsible for...?

On the play you've described, there is only one out on the play. The runner on second is out.

I would have to say that this idea of expanding the definition of a GIDP is a quixotic battle that only a Sancho Panza drunk on sangria would join in on.

Great perspective on this poor decision, Jon. It really just doesn't make any sense.

Welcome back, Russell!

292 ,294

double posts sandwiched in by a telemachos post.

Hey, Becks scored. Captain Becks, I am told.

How can you strike out against a guy named Dorkowski? Oh, wait, Borkowski. Still, my question stands.

Russ struck that blow for HFCS 90!!!!

Not to mention Dworkowski.

Ethier, better late than never. Especially now that Jennings is out of there.

The more I think about it, I really just don't understand how you let Betemit go for a reliever spot you can fill from AAA...and then sign Hillenbrand. I've stood by Ned for a while...even through the poor Pierre signing. This may have been enough to finally put me on the other side of the line.

It's good to see Kastens/Lerner actually go through with their plans to improve through the draft, and let Rizzo do what he does best. Now if only McCourt could do that...

Interesting Slate.com article (not an oxymoron this time!) about Bob's favorite feature of Enhanced Gameday:

http://www.slate.com/id/2172223/

Russell Martin still has a pretty good chance of being a 20/20 catcher.

307
That's been covered on Baseball Analysts for a few months now. It's by the non Baseball Prospectus Joe Sheehan.

305 Not to defend most of that, but I think all those dots were connected, the moves blew up in Ned's face, when LaRoche got hurt. LaRoche was as hot as you can be last month and the Dodgers were about ready to call him up when he got sidelined. Then Nomar's ailing. That left them without a decent 3b option, yes, because they traded Betemit. But I think LaRoche's status really put a monkeywrench in everything. Not that I'm tickled to have Hillenbrand mind you.

Looks like a win. Broxton, Saito, end scene.

Washington will allow him to attend Stanford as a full-time student and play baseball in the summers until he graduates. The Nats are also picking up the cost of his education, with $200,000 via the college scholarship plan.

that is something new and out of the box.

Proctor did something Penny was incapable of all night.

311 Argh, D4, you and your lack of faith in The Jinx!

312

Would he be allowed to work out with Stanford or use their facilities during the school year?

I still believe that Martin's homerun and tonight's possible victory is directly attributable to the relaxing effect of Sweeney's mistake and the good laugh everyone had about it. A fever has broken.

And I'm not even watching the game. I can feel it from here. (I'm in the desert where the cable TV doesn't pick up any baseball unless it's on Fox network, TBS or ESPN. I look to you all and Gameday.)

It's pretty sad that the Nationals are willing to stand up to Selig but we are not, and I bet they get an All Star game before we do too.

315
I would think the guy could use Stanford's facilities just like any other student. But he couldn't work out with the Stanford baseball team without running afoul of a dozen NCAA regulations.

...without running afoul of a dozen NCAA regulations.

I didn't know that ever stopped anyone.

317
Trust me, you don't want to go to an All-Star Game.

Seeing one in person will disabuse you of any idea that they are enjoyable.

310 I understand where you're coming from, but it can't have been unforeseeable that Nomar would get injured, and it still seems stupid to me to trade for relief pitchers if you have serviceable pitching in the minor leagues.

Well, Furcal can still swing the bat on occasion, apparently. Just not so sure he can run.

The Nats/Expos probably have a few favors in the bank from the years of MLB misrule. The baseball equivalent of affirmative action.

Has an opposing team ever bothered to bring in a new pitcher to face Pierre...?

Josh Bell does not like high-A. Currently 1-22 with 2 walks.

How many pitches will Pierre see this at-bat?

I say 3.

321 No, I agree with about Nomar. But again, I think they were counting on LaRoche. Which may have been dumb, too. Honestly, I would choose LaRoche over Betemit, too, if I had to, but I would rather they have kept Betemit and traded someone else less useful. I like Proctor, but I agree, never want to give up much for a reliever. And I love Meloan but he's pitched zero innings in the majors so when he does arrive he'll be up and down at first, just as Broxton was. Just playing devil's advocate here because, again I wish we still had Betemit, too. But I think there was a choice they made there about LaRoche.

Wow, an insurance run.

Knock me over with a feather.

I've been to two All-Star games. Guess the second.

327 All true. I'm with you.

Man, Furcal was really favoring that ankle, huh?

Holy cow! Another hit with RISP! And from Pierre of all people. I don't believe what I'm seeing.

I'm glad the offense is waking up, but how much does it mean against the Astros bullpen?

10 game winning streak starts tonight.

330
Did you go to either of the Anaheim All-Star games?

I don't believe you're old enough to have gone to the July 11, 1967 game.

Bison! That was a very nice at-bat.

Holy cow! redux.

I almost forgot how bad the Astros bullpen is, partially because the Dodgers had been so feeble this series until today, and late last night. Whatever, I'll take it.

334--Or, the Dodgers only win when Penny starts.

334 At the "Grady Little Lunch" I talked about in an earlier post that I went to today, Rick Monday said "This is a historic day. It's the first game of the longest Dodger winning streak of the season."

Let's hope he was right.

338 Do not step on my optimism. This is a corollary to our household rule: "don't yuck my yum".

w/o the sound it looked like Kemp driving in JP, and most of Loney's outs seem to be on beautiful line drives. Maybe people are beginning to loosen up.

The Padres are down 3-0 in the 9th. The Cubs are down 11-9 in the 8th.

The Dodgers have to catch the Cubs first.

Don't score too many runs, now, we don't want the Dodgers to bring in Hernandez.

Credit where credit is due, in fairness - Pierre's had a very nice series. Don't get to say that very often...

324- Clint Hurdle did it twice in one series this year! I remember it well.

Making the ridiculous acknowledgement that Bob may have guessed wrong, my guess for Jon's second ASG is Oakland 1987.

339 Belated thanks for posting that btw, Bryan. Was interesting to hear about Jauss and co.

---

off subject, but a skunk, perhaps commenting on the Astros bullpen or the Dodgers' month, has sprayed somewhere near my house. Ugh. I may have to step aside for a minute to close windows and light candles.

I'll think outside the box and say the other one was Chicago 2003.

346
Maybe D4P met up with the Golden Gate Park people after all.

320

I don't want to go to a game if we get one, but I imagine the team wants one. Doesn't really matter though, the Yankee's go over slot all the time and got their farewell ASG no problem. I know the Yankee's bring in more money than we do, but we're still a big storied franchise. The point is as someone else asked, what's the wrath of Selig we have to worry about incurring by going over slot?

349
As much as we love Dodger Stadium, the allure of having an All-Star Game in the most famous stadium in the history of the sport is pretty hard to avoid.

With the exception of Yankee Stadium, MLB wants its All-Star Games in new stadiums.

If McCourt said he was going to tear the place down and build a new one, there would be an ASG in L.A.

333 Hey, this team couldn't hit it off a tee if their was a runner in scoring position before tonight. Great game and has the signs of getting back on track. Whether they will remains to be seen. I'm going to the game on friday fwiw.

Does the slotting system still exist after this year's draft or has it been effectively killed?

I believe Mr. Weisman was in college at Stanford and could have gone to the 1987 All-Star Game in Oakland.

That was a thriller!

Icaros wins.

352

it never existed when the only wrath casted by MLB to teams was a scolding.

If they want to make it work, they need some sort of punishment for teams that go over slot. For example, if you go over slot, we take away your first round pick for next year.

352- It never existed. It was a chump fantasy all along.

I really should have read to the end of 345 .

But I got bored.

For the record, every time I get busy and have trouble finding time for commenting on this site (like I have recently), when I come back, I find that I really, really missed it. Maybe I'm just feeling happy that the Dodgers are winning...

353

It was an educated guess. And weren't you in Berkeley around that time? '88, maybe?

Hooray! I win!

357

Ouch. Am I that hard to stomach?

359
In the summer of 1987, I was in between undergrad at UCLA and moving up to Berkeley. Jay Howell lost that game and then lost his job as closer to Dennis Eckersley soon after.

Colorado beats the Padres 3-0. That's good, though either way one of those guys would lose. The Dodgers just need to start playing better and winning some games to get involved again - the other teams are going to lose their share.

361
I'm a busy man. I have no time for the likes of you.

361 You just forgot to toss in a Civil War or opera reference.

it seems the Angels couldn't sign Matt Harvey.

364

It was one sentence.

Jon should have found a way to take me to the All Star Game in 1987, and I should have found him a way to take him to the World Series in 1988. Basically, we should have known about each other at Stanford, at a minimum. Come on, Stanford's not that big!

366 Oh drats.

Jeez. Hillenbrand needs a caddy?

Did Saenz just get a base hit? This reliever must really stink on ice.

I was actually in Los Angeles in the summer of '87, doing my internship at the Pasadena Star-News. A friend of mine's dad got tickets and we flew up for the night.

In '88, I returned from the Seoul Olympics to Stanford a few days into Fall Quarter (also in the middle of the NLCS). I was catching up on schoolwork, so I didn't try to go to Los Angeles for the World Series.

Daniel, what did you major in?

367
Bah! No time!

I majored in EE, did a lot of CS too. Was Greg Brock-level shy so unless you were in that area or lived in my dorm, very little chance you would have known me.

Yeah, doesn't sound like we would have crossed paths much. Did you know anyone from Rinconada '85-'86?

Hillenbrand needs to take a hike come 10/1. No spring training invite, either.

Sure that was a ball, but do that Astros complain more than other teams? It seems like they've done a lot of it.

375 I don't think so. I was in FloMo.

A win! A Sammy smile! I don't know what to do with myself.

{sniff} I'm tearing up with emotion here...

Okay, I better log off for the evening. Let's try for - gasp! - two in a row tomorrow.

Dodgers win. I can go to bed now.

I just figured out who Mike Lamb reminds me of. I had a student in my first quarter of teaching, who didn't turn in his final paper. When I returned the papers, he meekly attempted to convince me that he had turned it in and that I had lost it. I offered to give him till midnight that night to email it to me, but he teared up and said "But that wouldn't be fair to the other students." It was strange.

It was my fault, though, because I had told my students about all of the times I cheated and lied as an undergrad. One particular instance was when my sister and I took Freshman Comp together. Our black ink had run out, and we were poor, so we had to print our papers in purple ink. But come the end of the quarter, neither of us turned in our final papers, sheerly out of laziness. My sister was ready to take the failing grade; I, of course, was not. So I went to the professor and told her that my sister and I had not gotten our papers back.

The professor looked perplexed and searched through her back for a few minutes, finally turning to me and saying, "I know you turned them in. I remember reading them, they were purple, right?" She offered to let us email the papers to her that night. Of course I told her that our computer had crashed. So she said "That's fine, it's my fault, since I lost it. I'll just average out your grades from the rest of the semester."

Life can be good sometimes.

The only LA Dodger pitcher who has thrown more innings in a season than Broxton has this year without giving up a home run was Jack Billingham in 1968. He pitched 70 1/3 innings.

382 - I pulled a couple of "extensions" in my day, by that right there may be the best move I've ever seen.

384 That was back in '01, and I don't think a "I had it saved on my computer and my computer crashed" would fly nowadays. I'm surprised it went then.

broxizzle is dirty.

You were so poor that you had to make print outs in purple ink?

A 21st Century lament.

I had to order a magenta toner cartridge for work. It cost $210!

374 "I majored in EE"

That's what she said.

387 Tell it to somebody who cares about ancient history not written in Latin or Greek.

Halelurama or whatever!

Is there an objective description of this "slot" business floating around the Internet somewhere?

We really did win? Hmm. Same meal again tomorrow night, then; Polish sausage, hash browns, fried eggs, rye toast.

"The Donner Party could survive for a month on one of his legs."
-- Astros announcer Jim Deshaies on Jonathan Broxton

388 I don't get it (I watch The Office). But then, when I think of EE, I think of Electrical Engineering. What I get for being an engineer and not having a dirty mind.

BTW, good win. Russ is 6 homers and 2 steals away from 20-20 right?

What was up with Charlie Steiner getting all excited after the game ended and announcing that "the winning streak was finally over!".
Was he really that excited about breaking Houston's modest win streak?
vr, Xei

Went to the game tonight. Nice crowd but a little quiet. Everyone seemed so greatful for a little offense that when we actually took the lead people were too dumbstruck to get really excited. I think there was that feeling of how are we going to lose this one. But we got the "W" and played the way we are supposed to. (except you Shea).

Penny didn't look great but good enough. It was a lot of fun to see Kemp, Loney and Martin swing the bats well. JP deserves a lot of credit, he had some good ABs. All in all it was the kind of game you hope for on a beautiful Aug. evening.

393- EE could also stand for Eric Enders.

393 Dig the initials.

Oh that's the lamest thing!

Just kidding.

On the Astros postgame show they're discussing the taillights visible during Gibson's home run. Aaaaagain.

399
And yet you could never see the taillights leaving the Astrodome.

Wow, Kent's "Before the Bigs" ended with an implication that he's leaving.

I'm sure its been said already in the thread, but good work Nate on your comment on Diamond Leungs blog. Nate doesn't give 'em hell, he gives em the truth and they think its hell.

ps: Was at the game tonight. Kemp had some fantastic at bats. Came through on the hit and run and also did a good job of taking a strike to allow Pierre to steal second, then followed it up with a hit of his own. I had to endure Tomko's start against the Giants during the Barry fiasco and this was a nice way to come back to the park.

I dug around a little and found this (free) article at Baseball Prospectus which explains the "slot" well enough for my purposes.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6545

404 Very enlightening article. Here's the nut of it:

"The only thing MLB can do is fine you if you don't call them first," said one scouting director, who then went into detail about the process, the annoyance in his voice coming through perfectly. "You call MLB and say you want to go over slot, and they tell you not to, and that they've worked so hard to put this system in place and that you are blowing everything up." From there, things get uglier. "Now, the process can't continue until MLB talks not to your GM, but to your ownership, where they will once again yell about your team messing everything up, but also often telling them that their own scouting director is doing the wrong thing here," he added. "Unfortunately, there are owners who listen."

The key to getting an over-slot deal done seems to then rely on having a supportive internal management structure. "In the end, you have to have a strong enough ownership where you can tell him that signing this player for big money is in the best interest of the organization," he continued. "When that happens, the owner has to call MLB back and let them know that their message has been heard and considered, but we're doing it anyway. Then after MLB yells at you one more time, you sign the guy. It's a bad process."

Obviously, Frank McCourt can't take the heat; Arte Moreno, George Steinbrenner and whoever owns the Tigers can. The fact that the negotiations took such a squirrelly path, with the player essentially conceding almost his entire position, suggests McCourt told White that no matter what, he didn't want to pick up the phone and find Bud on the other end.

404. Dodgers anyone?

>> "Any team that passes on some guy over 200 grand is killing themselves," he observed. "If you're not taking the best player on the board because you 'can't', you're just hurting yourself." <<

404. >> and the union knows that money saved in the draft is going to be redistributed to a union member <<

Can the union really be sure of this? What's to prevent money saved from going into the owners pocket?

Just saw the update to this post. The theory that McCourt chickened out of defying the pretend slot system makes much more sense to me than the one that Colletti turned into a skinflint, yesterday. Actually, it's an open question, even in the former interpretation, who the chicken was. Did Colletti decide it wasn't worth bothering McCourt with? Did Logan White decide not to push it in the first place?

The only way this is in the Dodgers' interest is if the bhsportsguy theory about White having second thoughts about Blair based on the, what? two weeks of summer league? is right, though that doesn't seem likely. Or, I guess, if they're doing it to gain hand in future negotiations (if a signability underdraft prospect gets picked by a team notorious for ignoring slot, they have good reason not to drop their price as much as they might for a team that lets Bud Selig boss them around). But the Dodgers must already have take-it-or-leave-it bona fides, given the list of unsigned picks that keep going at the top of subsequent drafts. Having hand isn't worth anything if you don't use it. And, anyway, it seems unlikely that it could be worth as much as a good pitching prospect. Or the next one, or the next one. . .

I guess this could just be conspiracy theorizing, and it could really just be about the cash. Either way, it's a structural problem. A costly one.

I'm just sickened by this whole draft nonsense. Not just Blair, but Fuller, Rasmussen, Cole, Koecheler, Coats et al. Is there anyone besides Sexten who we went over slot for? I just wish ownership would have had the wherewithal to have signed one or two of those guys. Oh well, at least Lambo and Gallagher are playing fairly well.

Being a pitcher, Kyle Blair is clearly no Vlad Guerrero, but is anyone having flashbacks to the time McCourt killed Dan Evans' deal for Vlad because MLB frowned upon it?

I'm trying not to make too big a deal of this Blair situation -- because TINSTAAPP, after all -- but it's becoming increasingly clear that McCourt is all too happy to be in Selig's back pocket.

Interesting to see (THT) that Dodger Stadium has had a positive Park Factor for almost two years now, though maybe not that surprising after filling that much foul ground with seating. Many writers still mention what a pitchers park it is, showing the strength of the myth in sports.

410. I am a little bit. I just think McCourt is a go-along to get-along type of guy. He doesn't feel as secure in his position as some other owners. What I find strange though, is that other owners that are probably indebted to Selig for getting their teams, like the Lerners in Washington and the Red Sox owner, have no problem with ignoring the commissioner's office on slots. It could be crazy, but maybe McCourt just really believes in the slotting process and trying to make a truly even playing field (which is so stupid and naive that it makes me want to scream, but that is a different story).

Haven't seen any comment on this, but did anyone notice what happened to the Astros draft yesterday. I read it described this way: "And it sucks to be an Astros fan today (from the draft perspective). They didn't make their first pick until the 3rd rd (#111 overall) and in the end the didn't sign him or their 4th rd (#141 overall). They ended up with only 5 players signed (8 total selections) out of the first ten rounds of the draft."

Kyle Blair as Kipling:

http://www.community-newspapers.com/archives/lgwt/20030827/

I'm now sufficiently disappointed. Next.

If the Dodgers really wanted Blair couldn't they have drafted him in an earlier round where the slot money was higher? If Blair's representative knew that Blair was willing to sign instead of playing college ball is it illegal to let Blair's favorite team know this so that that team might draft him earlier?

Blair negotiated himself out of the first round and then negotiated himself out of fifth round slot money. With admitted limited knowledge of everything I put the blame on Blair and not the Dodgers.

415. The only round where the Dodgers could have drafted Blair and signed him for slot money is the first, so it was basically a case of picking between the two.

The issue is, that basically, the Dodgers refused to take advantage of a flaw in the drafting system that would allow them to basically have the equivalent of multiple first round picks if ownership had any guts at all.

I also believe that many had said at around the time of the draft that Blair had any asking price for not going to college, it was just a matter of whether or not teams were going to meet it.

As long as we're shaking things up, why not this line-up for tonight:
Pierre
Martin
Loney
Kemp
Ethier
Kent
Hillenbrand
Furcal

Call me crazy but I think we should be batting our 5 hottest hitters in the first 5 spots of the line-up.

LA has 5 hot hitters? Loney, Kemp, and Martin are all OPS'ing well under 700 in August.

Ethier and Pierre are the only ones hitting at all this month.

Notice I didn't say hot, I guess I should have worded it luke-warmest hitters.

419 - It's all relative, I guess. Your order isn't far off based on Aug OPS's:

Pierre - .855
Martin - .682
Loney - .613
Kemp - .667
Ethier - .957
Kent - .194 (30 ab's)
Hillenbrand - .597 (8 ab's)
Furcal - .556

This may have been mentioned already but Tony Abreu's mysterious injury is no longer keeping him out of the line up in Vegas. He's played the last two days.

Perhaps, Logan White is a really ethical guy and believes that certain guidelines should be maintained for the good of the system.

If a budget is set for the draft, he sticks to it.

I'm not saying he won't explore it but in the end, he goes with feels right to him.

Having a set of principles and sticking to them is not a bad way to run a business.

The amateur draft and signing international amateur free agents is Logan's domain and I have not heard anything from him the past 6 years to indicate he has ever been held back from signing a player for lack of funds and in fact, he has said that he has a very good relationship with Ned (who did promote him last year).

Also, the organization backed Logan White in the Hochevar debacle.

Again, is it just possible that Logan White did not agree with the other "experts" about Kyle Blair being a first round pick, etc.

Can he be wrong about that, sure, but that why he get's paid to make these decisions.

Sometimes when you have to look for conspiracies and the like, you have to accept what is presented to you. I just think Logan believes in the system, he is not going to use it like the Yankees, Red Sox or Tigers.

If some of you disagree with that, I understand, but I just think he's going to run it his way.

James Loney

June:
50 at bats: .440/.472/.780

July:
94 at bats: .298/.356/.394

August
45 at bats: .222/.280/.333

Will the real James Loney please stand up?

JoeyP is right. BHsportsguy should do PR. I'm still very dubious of the Dodgers not signing Blair, but I don't think there's a better possible defense of the Dodgers than that.

422
A couple of days ago you told me there were no big boys in the draft. Has your position changed?

I'm not sure how sticking to a budget and ethics have anything in common. It us not unethical to realize that the budget needs to be increased if an opportunity presents itself to improve the organization and no laws or promises are being broken.

422. If he does feel this way, then why would he even bother drafting a player knowing what his demands are in advance? That is why he fell in the first place. If you're not planning on paying first round money for a fifth round pick, then pick someone who you suspect will actually sign for the money you are expecting to offer. I'm sorry, but I just don't think Logan White is that stupid. I also don't think that Colletti is that stupid. I think this goes up to the guy who is going to have to take the call from Bud Selig and defend the over slot bonus. It's not about stupidity, it's about wanting to be a part of the club and not get people angry at you.

422-That's an optimistic reading of the situation, one I'd prefer over other scenarios. Even so, I'd consider that White is not infallible, and we desperately need pitching. ALL teams desperately need pitching, but we can't afford another season of Tomko, Hendrickson, and so on while watching bright young hopes like Elbert and Miller g(u)o down with injuries. We need pitching. We need power hitting. We do not need Shea Hillenbrand, Ramon Martinez, and past-their-primers like Nomar.

I'm down on the team, but I admit such failures do not add confidence in our management. I've been a Dodger fan all my life, and yet begin to wonder if this kind of loyalty isn't a kind of idiotic attachment to a defunct "brand." If the McCourt/Colletti years aren't going to improve upon the Fox fiasco, then "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" begins to have a far less heretical ring. I'd like to root for a well-run franchise whose commitment to winning is something more than rhetorical. I will say: this off-season is crucial, far more than the past few have been, since our kids have arrived and we now know, I think, what the missing pieces are. (Hint: they aren't Luis Gonzales.) If we're going to win at long last, then we're going to have to do some things that aren't trading Matt Kemp or signing middling talent. We'll see, then, what happens.

I tend to agree with Jon's original stance in his post.

My feeling is that the decision not to sign Blair may have been poor one, but it's like any GM or team decision - it can't really be determined whether or not it was bad at the moment it was made. The argument that we are spending too much money on washed up players is a good one, but I think it's a separate problem. Perhaps the money we "saved" here could go towards signing an impact free agent next year, or something else.

Basically, if Blair signs with another team and becomes a star, we will all curse Colletti and Co., but if he turns out to be Edwin Jackson, I don't think anyone will remember this day.

426 But its not like he drafted Rick Porcello or Andrew Brackman at the 20th pick or Matt Harvey in the 3rd round. White drafts players that he can sign for the appropriate bonus at that level.

Kyle Blair was the one player he drafted because he had slid due to his bonus demands and signability becuase of his "strong" committment to San Diego.

Remember, he drafted Price, Savery, and White in the mid teens where he has said that he was taking a shot but never really thought he would sign them. I just think he did the same thing with Blair, he said as much in his chat (responding to Nate's question) the week after the draft.

Again if the Dodgers had drafted players like the Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers and then they didn't sign them, I could buy the scenario the McCourt does not want to buck to system, but they don't.

Now is that Frank and Ned dictating to White who to draft, pretty doubtful, I think its White's way of running things.

428
Ah, Ed Jackson at this point would be a sight for sore eyes for this rotation. His last game shows he's still got some dynamite in his arm.

I think it is White's way of running things because he knows who he's working for. Any director of scouting would rather draft the best player available all the time if he didn't have any restrictions.

Thought readers here would find this interesting. It is from a recent ESPN chat with Jonah Keri:

Question: So what do the Dodgers need to get back in the race. Pitching is dismal and the hitting, other than Martin stinks?

Jonah Keri: (12:46 PM ET ) The thing is, Martin has been pretty punchless over the past few weeks too. Between the Dodgers overworking him to death in the first half, and one too many workouts with Alyssa Milano, the poor guy's spent. I was talking about the Dodgers being a threat to drop out of the race weeks ago...just was never sold on that roster.
__________________________________________________

And then there is this:

Reader: I take it you are not a Ned Colletti fan? I mean who wouldn't want Tomko, Hendrickson, Schmidt, Gonzo & Pierre on their team for 40 million this year.

Jonah Keri: (1:09 PM ET ) I interviewed Ned Coletti a few years ago (searching archives to track this down)...Ah, here we go, Part I and Part II.

Anyway, he was fun to talk to. Used to be a writer, a bit curmudgeonly (in a fun way), pretty candid. One thing that struck me at the time: He was a big Neifi Perez fan. HUGE. When I heard he was the Dodgers' new GM, I couldn't help thinking about his Neifi fetish, and how that might translate into his first GM job. Just sayin'.

BTW, I'm not sure I appreciate the notion that I should be doing PR for the Dodgers, I too, call it like I see it, okay not into conspiracy theories but I do tend to be careful and try to back up everything I say here.

Let me be the first to say that I don't think bhsportsguy should be doing PR for the Dodgers.

416
If Blair said he would sign for first round money, why didn't any team draft him in the first round? If Blair were my son I would want him to go to college and accept the gamble that he might not get a $ Million when he is eligible again. If he can't get that $ Million three years from now he probably wouldn't have gotten into AA ball during that same time if he had signed yesterday.

If my son were a good student and wanted to go to college I am not so sure I would appreciate some MLB team trying to lure him into the low minors with more than slot money. Give the Dodgers credit for appearing to have integrity.

Put me on the side of the Dodgers on this one. My biggest complaint with the Dodgers is not who they have signed or not signed but with who is getting playing time.

I love Jonah, but I think using Alyssa Milano as a punchline has gone past getting old and all the way into truly insulting. Especially when, on her blog, she went out of her way to clear the air on her relationships with baseball players.

Kemp's got 19bbs in 310 career ABs.
He really needs to play CF in order to be an well above average player.

Put him in CF, and he can be really useful.
At a corner spot, he worries me.

19bbs in 310 is not exactly Encarnacion-esque, but its close.

433
Don't take it the wrong way, I think they are just saying you do a better job of arguing why the Dodgers are doing something then the people actually making the decisions.
I haven't agreed with you in over a month but you do at least make compelling arguements and make the rest of us try harder when explaining our distaste for the recent actions by Dodger management.

433
Don't take it the wrong way, I think they are just saying you do a better job of arguing why the Dodgers are doing something then the people actually making the decisions.
I haven't agreed with you in over a month but you do at least make compelling arguements and make the rest of us try harder when explaining our distaste for the recent actions by Dodger management.

433 - I'm just saying you have a very sincere and lucid way of laying out the Dodgers' point of view. Being careful and backing up everything you say are good things. Nothing personal against Josh or anything like that.

433 - I'm in agreement with ToyC and Jon here. I don't agree with your stance on a lot of issues, but I do appreciate the tactful and thoughtful way you present things. I think you should consider the "PR for the Dodgers" silliness a compliment.

433
He's just trying to add perspective. Bhsportsguy is management material.

A. Martinez said on the post game tuesday that Laroche would be playing this weekend in LV, and possibly in LA next week if all is healthy.

I can not confirm this in writing anywhere...anyone seen anything?

Its a compliment. In fact, I'd have to believe bhsportsguy is in some sort of marketing in real life.

Josh writes his blogs, and he just seems like a cheerleader most of the time.

Being tactful and presenting actual arguments, like bhsportsguy does, would improve his pr'ing IMO.

Nobody is ever going to like being associated with the term PR for something he is not hired to do PR. So, lets just go with oops, sory about that.

433 Thanks, and I was going to ban myself for repeating myself so often.

436 Also Alyssa Milano said on the radio last week the same thing and added she was not dating athletes anymore. I guess she can only prove that by not dating them.

Also, has JoshR said anything about her blog no longer being linked on the Dodgers.com site.

435. If they wanted to appear to have integrity, then why even draft him instead of someone who would have been willing to play in the low minors for slot money? I'm really not even sure what you are getting at here. It's not like Blair said, "I'm going to college no matter what." and any offer above slot would have been an attempt to try to steal him away from his dream. He said, he would go to college unless he got a certain amount of money, how is offering him that money lacking in integrity?

Alyssa's blog is the lead blog on the MLB blog page:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/blogs/index.jsp

I think it got bumped off the Dodgers.com home page to make room for this blog:

http://detrasdelosdodgers.mlblogs.com/

I can't recall if it was ever linked directly from Josh's ITD blog.

I'm just wondering how/what Selig could do that would hurt the Dodgers, if in fact they decided to go above slot money and sign every player they can.

Until there's a rookie salary cap (like the NFL has), or what the NBA has, I think the high revenue baseball teams should take advantage of the system and go all out to sign these guys above slot money.

Also, it is on this list of Dodgers blogs.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060625&content_id=1522396&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb#lad

It would be pretty lame if Alyssa's blog was dropped because of her "open letter to Grittle". From what I can tell, she hasn't said anything that was overly critical or unreasonably harsh. She's not a yes-woman, but she's also not, well, me.

Nice story about Wilson Betemits family over at Bronx Banter. The story is about 2/3 of the way down.
https://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/767332.html

449. The biggest penalty is to not award the team the all-star game or some other honor. It's about as voluntary as could be, and playing along, unless you really can't afford to do otherwise, is a sucker's game.

451 - I just don't think it has been dropped, given that it's still there and you can find it any number of ways.

As you can see in 450 , there are many Dodger MLB blogs that don't get linked on the Dodgers.com home page. It's not as if Alyssa has a right to a home page link (not that it isn't a good idea to have her there).

The slotting system has worked in keeping bonus's down. I'm going to post the study later but it shows that mid level 1st round draft picks bonus's are down from 2000/2001 levels while the major league salary has sky rocketed.
MLB reduced the slots 10% this year from last year and while it appears it didn't work it really did. Instead of bonus's increasing year to year the agents could say they got a win by showing the were paid over slot and ignore the fact the slot was the same as last year. This way the agents got a win and so did MLB baseball because even though a lot of teams went over slot they weren't spending more money then they did in 2006.

If 2 of the last 3 DVDs I've gotten from Netflix have stopped playing, is it more likely that I am just unlucky or has my DVD player come down with a case of the Weismans?

456

Perhaps you have a very intuitive DVD player which is no longer bothering to play films which might be too fun for your tastes.

456 It means Apple is about to buy out Netflix and the DVDs are working on Mac compatible DVD players only.

429 In that case White would not have drafted Blair in the 5th round. The 5th round is still an important round where valuable signable players are still available. It should not be wasted on a "maybe". I do not think White is that stupid. Ned and Frank maybe.

456

Last week I went to Blockbuster an extra two times because a) The first game was cracked in the middle and b) the second one was the wrong game in the box.

The guy at the counter became suspicious of me and told me he could not do anymore exchanges after the third time. I felt like saying, "I have better things to do with my time than driving back and forth to Blockbuster"

456 - The remote for my latest DVD player stopped working two weeks ago.

Just to show you that ESPN.com folks could actually agree with the Dodgers position on Kyle Blair.

Justin (Seattle): Hey Keith, I've read that at the end of the day the Dodgers and Kyle Blair were only $400K apart in negotiations. If that's the case, and the Dodgers believe that he's a 1st round talent, why not spend the extra dough? You know they have it. Is this pressure from MLB or what's going on here? To me this is ridiculous, Logan White is smarter than this.

Keith Law: (1:26 PM ET ) I don't think Blair was worth first-round money, and he was allegedly asking for a dollar figure around the slot # for the Dodgers' first pick (#20 overall). He was a second-rounder in this draft, and I can understand the Dodgers not wanting to overpay him by $400K or so.

The DVD played fine on my computer's DVD drive. So it's the DVD player's fault.

The DVD player has lasted only 1/3 as long as the VCR.

462
Nice find. I like being talked off the bridge.

463

Wow, Bob, which brand of DVD player did you get? I still have a model from Phillips/Magnavox that I bought when DVD first came out, still going strong at my Aunt's house :)

Maybe you need one of these

http://www.amazon.com/Memorex-CD-DVD-Player-Laser-Lens-Cleaner/dp/B00008EM7U

This is especially true if once you put your DVDs in, it just makes a whirring sound but no picture comes up.

463 The DVD player has lasted only 1/3 as long as the VCR.

VCR?

Free Tickets Tonight

3 in the loge

Email molokai@yahoo.com
Subject Dodger Game

Last chance to see future HOF Biggio play in Dodger Stadium.

465
It's a Toshiba SE-R0047.

466
The DVDs get stuck in the middle.

The zeroes and ones on Bob's DVDs can't be read by his player...

470 Smells like overheating.

470

welp, I've got the model number for the remote control. How about the dvd player itself?

472
But the "Check coolant" light never came on. Nor did the "Temperature" warning light come on.

470, 473

Actually Bob, it sounds like one of those '02 models like my parents have... also a Toshiba. I'd go for a new JVC or a Pioneer unit which should be more compatible. Again sorry to hear about the DVD player trouble.

It's a Toshiba SD-1800

I'm on my fourth DVD player in seven years. I used to buy more expensive ones but it was becoming ridiculous. This current one, which cost $29.99, has lasted longer than Nos. 2 and 3. Not counting the remote.

I sort of look at DVD players now the way I look at magazine subscriptions. Every so often I have to shell out to renew.

462 I know being tagged as a PR guy is probably seen as a bit of an insult, but in this case I think it is more of a compliment. Usually, I do not necessarily agree with your views, but I admire and respect your ability to make Dodger management's moves more plausible. The Dodgers have definitely done a poor job of defending/explaining their moves.

DVD players are so cheap these days, it's probably easiest just to buy a new one.

The DVDs get stuck in the middle

That happens to me on my laptop DVD player. Ever since I bought it (brand new), DVDs start getting stuck about 2/3 of the way in. I initially thought it was "overheating", but ruled that out when I discovered that I could start the DVD at the same spot the next day (when the laptop was not hot) and it would still have the problem.

Wow - Elmer Dessens just entered the Rockies' rotation.

https://badaltitude.baseballtoaster.com/archives/767371.html

Actually once I took all the stuff that I had piled on top of the player as well as cleaning the disk, it seems to be OK.

For now.

I wasn't covering any vents.

Back to the classic "Death of a Fruitman" episode from "The Bob Newhart Show."

477

I have come to same conclusion. I am happy to have one last over three years.

So, I guess the strategy here was to draft a guy who had "fallen" in the draft due to "signability" issues, and to then figure that he would reevaluate his own skills (or lack thereof) based on his lowered draft position, and agree that he wasn't worth as much as he thought he was.

The old "add insult to injury" gambit. Works like a charm!

I'm beginning to think the stupid move was drafting him in the first place. Either he was first-round talent that serendipitously fell into our laps and could be had for the right price, or he's not, and we drafted the wrong guy. Thinking we could have a first-round player at wrong-guy money is delusional. Has that worked even once?

Netflix, since it started becoming more popular among the masses, has increasingly sent out unplayable discs with scratches, foreign substances and who knows what else on them. They have basically zero quality control. I wouldn't be so quick to assign sole blame to your DVD player, even if the disc worked on your computer drive.

482 Sounds like you're having a wild vacation.

437 Matt Kemp's top PECOTA comparable: Juan Encarncaion.

Of course, at age 21, Encarnacion hit .323/.394/.560 in AA and got 33 at bats with the Tigers.

And now I find out that one of George Bush's daughters has gotten engaged.

My path to power is being blocked by such events. And a series of restraining orders and "shoot on sight" orders from the Secret Service.

486
I have a midweek day off. I have to work Fri-Wed.

"The DVDs get stuck in the middle"

Then stop renting so many Stealers Wheel concert DVDs!

I've had good luck with a Zenith DVD player. It has worked great for 5 years.

487 As self-appointed president of the Society For the Prevention of Unfair Impugning of Matt Kemp, I should point out that Kemp's top 20 PECOTA comparables also include Vernon Wells, Sammy Sosa, Frank Robinson, Carlos Beltran, and Orlando Cepeda.

I'd blame Netflix, too, but then I have to abstain from voting on this issue since I work for a NF competitor. But I can assure you they don't care whether the DVDs are clean or have unidentified substances on them.

I used to work in a video store back when it was all VHS and was often tempted to start wearing gloves and using tongs when people would return their tapes, just from all the gross stains they'd have on the boxes. So.. anyway... You can try cleaning them using rubbing alcohol and a clean dry cloth and wiping gently from the edge toward the center. Assuming they're not just hopelessly scratched. Some DVD players are indeed more finicky about that kind of thing. My gf's machine is constantly getting stuck whereas mine almost never does.

481 Ooooh. Do the Dodgers get to face him this weekend? That would almost be too good to be true - except for all the other bad pitchers the D's have made look good over the past month.

492 Oh, I love Kemp, I just thought it was interesting that JoeyP hit the nail right on the head with the comparable.

493 In addition to not caring whether their DVDs play or not, Netflix also has a less-than-desirable response when you report an unplayable disc. Basically their policy is: "Too bad, so sad." You send it back and when they get it back, they mail you your next disc -- which is exactly the same thing that would happen if you reported nothing at all. So there's no incentive whatsoever for people to report damaged discs, so more damaged discs get mailed out and the cycle continues endlessly.

Speaking as a UCLA fan, I found this quite amusing.

http://tinyurl.com/37b2r4

493 - My product of choice to clean DVDs has become Windex. I've found nothing more effective.

498 Opa!

498 - I use peanut butter and a utility knife.

But only on my Netflix discs.

500 That warms the cockles of my heart.

This is for Bob, especially:
http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec6.html

497 Not as amusing as the many many USC fans who will shut down his email box.

Joe Sheehan at BP on how the Diamondbacks overcome being outscored:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6597

461 My DVD player croaked a couple weeks ago. It was only 4 years old too. Pathetic!

The nerve of you complaining about a DVD player that lasted you four years! :)

469 My now dead DVD player was a Toshiba too. Hmmm. Both my VCRs, 20+ years old, are going strong. Not that I use them much any more, but they work great. That's the last Toshiba DVD player I'll buy... I have a Philips set to arrive tomorrow.

505 It's true, it's not like they're hugely expensive. At least the DVD player did outlast my dish/TiVo unit... Doesn't it seem like electronics should last at least 10 years?

I think the DVD problem was a combination of overheating from having the equivalent of Fibber McGee's closet contents on top of the player along with cleaning the disc.

503
I get so tired of guys like Byrnes still being called 4th outfielders long after they should have shed that tag.

>> Davis released

The Dodgers released veteran catcher Ben Davis, who batted .218 in 36 games at Las Vegas. The move was made to clear a roster spot for Chad Moeller, the catcher the Dodgers acquired last week from Cincinnati's Triple-A Louisville affiliate. Moeller made his debut for the 51s on Tuesday, going 2 for 3 with an RBI.

The Dodgers are expected to promote one of the 51s' catchers, Moeller or Ken Huckaby, to the majors for the September roster expansion. <<

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_6635040

506-VCRs were built like tanks in the 80s; no surprise that they're still working.

I sent you an email Toycannon regarding the tix if they are still available.

477 Sorry about all the notes on the same topic... That puts my loss in perspective, Jon. I don't even use my DVD player much. (Your idea is about the same attitude I've developed about the DTV DVRs. You just have to pay up every now and then.)

The disc which sits in my old Toshiba, probably never to come out again, is a CDR of the sixth Harry Potter audio book, MP3s, which now seem more interesting than the first time around. You know, you think you're being clever using all your resources, then one of them just stops! I've had pretty good luck with Philips CD players in the past, so I am hoping they'll be good for DVDs too.

Raise your hand if you felt the earthquake 10 minutes ago. vr, Xei
SFW, Earthquake info.
http://tinyurl.com/2jjp9c

Consumer electronics don't last as long since they went lead free. That tiny bit of lead in the solder made the connections last longer.

Turns out all the stuff built up on the DVD players were manuals for electronics that I didn't own anymore.

But I did find an old case for glasses that had a cloth for cleaning. So I put that on the DVD player. This is the momentous day in my life since I figured out how to get my scanner to work.

515. Were they scared that kids would eat the insides of electronics like paint chips? Or is it some kind of disposal hazard?

509 I like Sheehan's snark about how the D-Backs success certainly isn't because of Eric Byrnes, when Byrnes is 14th in the NL in WARP3 right now, ahead of guys like Russ and Ryan Howard.

Amazingly, Pujols is still tied for the league lead in a "down" year.

517
When I was a kid, I used to eat parts of my parents' 8-track tape player.

So far no me haf brain damug.

Also amazing is that Kelly Johnson is 5th in the NL in that WARP-3.

517 Concern for discarded products into the waste stream. Europe banned lead a few years ago and the companies that make the European stuff (in China) make them for us too so everyone just banned lead. Ironically the US govt wants lead in military products but is having a hard time finding suppliers and paying thru the nose because most factories are certified lead free.

Tony Jackson showing even more than his usual pessimism in today's game story:

"they remained ensconced in fourth place in the National League West, a daunting 62 games behind division-leading Arizona"

Note to Tony:

Try ½

Hey, that got converted.

I mean try "& frac 12 ;" with no spaces.

The Cardinals are 3 outs away from crawling to within 2½ games of the Brewers in the NL Central.

482 Back to the classic "Death of a Fruitman" episode from "The Bob Newhart Show."

Is that the one where "Mr. Gianelli's dead!"?

526
Indeed it is.

Elliott Carlin - "Gianelli didn't even show up for his funeral!"
Emily Hartley - "How was that?"
Elliott - "He donated his body to science."
Mrs. Bakerman - "Yes, I believe it was astrology."

514 No, but I felt the 4.5 one a few days ago that was essentially in the same location. I live in Santa Clarita.

492

For some reason the "Kemp can't hit a curve ball" mantra continued in the seats behind me on Tuesday night. Of course, his second hit was replayed on the big screen, and it was a breaking ball.

I didn't say anything because my wife hates it when I butt into conversations at Dodger stadium. I was very tempted to ask where he got such information.

So, Greg Brock will be delighted that the new Springsteen album was announced today. "Magic" will be released on Oct. 2, the day before the playoffs start.

1. Radio Nowhere
2. You'll Be Comin' Down
3. Livin' in the Future
4. Your Own Worst Enemy
5. Gypsy Biker
6. Girls in Their Summer Clothes
7. I'll Work for Your Love
8. Magic
9. Last to Die
10. Long Walk Home
11. Devil's Arcade

"The album, other than its atmospheric title track, is billed as Springsteen's return to rock 'n' roll after his solo "Devils & Dust" and the folk-inspired "The Seeger Sessions." Fans can expect Clarence Clemons' familiar saxophone, Danny Federici's soaring keyboards and Max Weinberg's pounding drums -- along with a lot of guitars."

Were David Price, Joe Savery, or Alex White worth what they were asking for when Logan White drafted them? Whether Blair is, right now, a true first round talent (whatever that means) is sort of secondary. The bet is whether Blair will be that good in the future. And maybe not even that; maybe the bet is just will he ever be perceived to be that good at some point in the future, since he could be flipped for something else, after a year.

There's a pattern of White's picking players who end up being monster prospects in somebody else's system because instead of signing them, the Dodgers don't. White's an employee of the Dodgers, not of MLB, or The Bud Selig Competitive Balance Through Cheating Teenagers Initiative. He has no ethical obligation to leave good players on the table for other teams. If he isn't getting a budget sufficient to sign all the players he wants, the budget is wrong (Jon's point). If he isn't getting support from management to go over slot, then management is wrong. If he has some theory of the platonic ideal price of each prospect and won't budge, then that's wrong. He's spectacular at the other parts of his job, so it's a flaw that's probably worth putting up with. But that doesn't make it noble.

Oh, btw. I have officially converted my wife to a Dodger fan. We normally watch an episode of Wonder Years at lunch, but today she said she wanted to watch Jeff Kent's "In My Own Words"

I have a Toshiba DVD player. A two-discer. I realize now it's seven years old.

532
That's both good and bad. It's good she's a Dodgers fan. It's bad that she has fallen under the spell of Jeff Kent.

Expect to be told to hustle more in your chores around the house.

532 Jeff Kent, in his own words? What's that, about two minutes long?

531 I think the consensus opinion is that Price was unlikely to sign for any amount, while White, like Blair, was signable at the right price, and almost certainly worth the money. Savery, I'm not sure about.

Watching the Brewers fall apart in the field now makes me wonder what horrible things would happen if the Dodgers played them now.

I think the game would be blocked by a lot of V-chips.

531 I wasn't nominating him for sainthood, I was just saying that there is as much evidence for the third option as there is for the other two but that one would mean that White isn't suffering with budget restrictions or lack of support from ownership and Ned, it would mean that he follows some type of valuation that he believes in.

And why is it wrong if he won't budge if he truly believes that player isn't worth what he is asking for, that is what he is paid to do, evaluate talent, put a value on it, and then try to sign them for the Dodgers. There will be times that it won't work out and I don't see why it has to be on him and the Dodgers to make it work out everytime.

Meyer-Briggs meets Starbucks: http://tinyurl.com/9i3d

BA said of Savery when the Dodgers drafted him: "Savery's secondary pitches are works in progress, but it's easy to dream on a tall lefty with such an easy arm action. He had a successful 2004 season, going 11-0, 0.77 with 97 strikeouts in 64 innings. He also is interesting as a lefthanded hitter, and is a poor man's version of Dodgers 2002 first-rounder James Loney, though he'd be used as a pitcher in the unlikely event he turns pro this summer. The Owls plan on taking advantage of Savery's power and using him both ways next spring."

Price: " A Vanderbilt signee, Price is an excellent student who is just scratching the surface of his prodigious talent. He'll either go high in this draft or replace [Jeremy] Sowers in the Commodores rotation."

Sounds like Price and Savery were both considered good bets to attend college (then again, so was Andy LaRoche). Alex White's scouting report, on the other hand, appears to assume he would sign; it makes no mention of the possibility of him attending college.

David Eckstein with 12 hits in his last 6 games is powering the Cardinals toward 1st place on guts alone:)

"Jeff Kent: In His Own Words" would be longer and more exciting than "JD Drew: In His Own Words"

538 My personality type is "Lame."

540
And Rick Ankiel drew a walk!

Thanks for the tickets Toycannon, much appreciated.

537- In White's shoes, the offer on the table for Blair is $1.1 million. Absent any budget, absent any concern for the downtrodden small market teams, absent any fear of Selig--would you sign him? Is a good pitching prospect worth $1.1 million dollars?

Just because the market has been screwed with to artificially depress the cost of these players, doesn't mean there isn't a true value. And it doesn't mean the refusing to take the bet on what Law reports was a $400k price difference is prudent. There are a finite number of draft picks for each team, so it's not like I'm demanding that the Dodgers go out and sign every last pitcher at a million bucks a pop. I'm saying, White liked him enough to draft him two months ago. He liked him enough to sign him, yesterday, for what is not significantly (in baseball terms) less money. It's a bad fold. And I'm not convinced you disagree with that.

545. I don't think that Law reported a $400,000 difference, I think it was the questioner. Also, maybe I'm confused, but I thought that the news was that Blair went down from his asking price of $1.5MM to $1.1MM, but it was never reported what the Dodger's final offer was. Could this $400,000 figure be coming from confusion about this, or did I miss the part where it was reported that the Dodgers were offering $700M?

Regardless, I think you are definately very right.

542 - I am "lame" for ordering a venti coffee, but became "high maintenance" by asking for room-for-cream.

But I add the cream myself!

It doesn't seem logical that LA would draft Blair with a 5th round pick (not a throwaway selection point at all, as someone mentioned before), and then attempt to grossly low-ball him with a sub-$500K offer. If Blair did indeed come down to $1.1M, it's hard to imagine the two sides being more than a half million apart, even if we don't know the "real number".

Didn't one or more of these sources report that the Dodgers went up to $1M?

546 "did I miss the part where it was reported that the Dodgers were offering $700M?"
If that's the case, then young Mr. Blair got some very bad advice from his agent. ;)

So who is this Sexton guy White stole?

538 . Personality type: Clueless

You don't go to Starbucks much; when you do you just tag along with other people since you have nothing better to do. You would like to order a Tazo Chai Crème but don't know how to pronounce it. Most people who drink medium caramel thing without coffee are strippers.

Of course I usually flip them the bird once their backs are turned. I have been known to strip on occasion though.

Earn your way to free tickets to tonight's game.

And in a much better section than where bhsportsguy, Vishal, and I will be sitting.

https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/767532.html

all day I have been having GM fantasies of Signing A-Rod, packaging LaRoche and Pierre, and feilding this lineup...

Furcal SS
Ethier RF
Kemp CF
A-Rod 3B
Loney 1B
Martin C
Young LF
Abreu 2B assuming kent hangs it up, or is moved to the AL.....

Ned would never do this....sigh....

546- Careless reading on my part; Law just repeated the questioner's number, and even hedged it with an "or so." Not signing White picks is like platooning Ethier and Kemp. It mitigates against the value of having somebody who's really good at what he does, if you don't capitalize, to the extent possible, on his being good. If Price couldn't have been signed (I'm not convinced this is so; most people have a price, but, whatever), then take him off the board. I didn't lump Hochevar in, because that's actually a marginally different situation. There is much more value in not letting White get publicly rolled by a reneger than in slightly depressing an already artificially depressed market.

And, really, I'm much more irritated that Colletti re-signed Nomar, and didn't offer Maddux arbitration, taking three more potential picks away from White, since three is more than one. Think of how many pinch hitters Colletti could acquire in 2009 if White had had three more picks in the first and supplemental round this year!

another interesting spin on Bonds
http://tinyurl.com/2bbcoa

*Packaging LaRoche and Pierre for a pitcher...

549. That's what I thought I had heard, but I wasn't sure, if that's the case, then it is frustratingly odd that they couldn't come together over such a small amount.

554. Could we include Hochevar from when we drafted him out of high school?

553 Probably because no one wants Pierre and taking LaRoche would just be considered fair cost for taking on his contract.

559-Unfortunatly...It's like giving ice cream to the kid for eating his brussle sprouts....

Orange alert for the cycle for Mike Piazza!

This is not a drill!

561- I am on my out to by electrical tape, canned food, and lots of water....

Thanks for the heads up....

561 - Can I go out on a limb and speculate that:

Orange alert = needs a triple?

Piazza is due up fifth in the bottom of the 7th for Oakland.

563 You can. But you would be wrong.

565 - So Mike is all the way up to 8 career triples?!? Run, Mike, run!

Bob's alert system is insanely complex, the result of years of intensive research, and not for the faint of heart. After much study, I can tentatively guess that yellow means he needs a triple or a homer, orange means he needs a double, and yellow means he needs a single.

Although I'm not certain if this is correct, because homers are much more common than triples and the two should really not be sharing a color.

567 - Probably red means a single, right?

568 Yes. Pretend I said that.

Foiled by the alert system yet again! One of these years I will get it straight. Especially if I can get Edward James Olmos to teach me some calculus.

If you need a triple, it's always yellow. Even if you're Curtis Granderson.

If you need a double, it's always orange. Even if you're Magglio Ordonez.

If you need a single, it's always red.

If you need a homer, it varies between yellow and orange depending upon how likely I think the player is to hit a homer. If Juan Pierre needed a homer, it would be yellow. If Cecil Fielder needed a homer, it would be orange.

If I don't think the player is likely to bat again, I don't declare an alert.

558- I always forget they drafted him twice. Nineteenth round out of high school. Man would that have been sweet.

567- Sometimes Orange means home run or double. It depends on the player. Bob's is a system as intricate as it is whimsical.

570 A team of experts decides these things...

How did Cecil Fielder hit a triple?

570- Which color is it if Shea Hillenbrand needs a home run?

wow, i've missed out on some interesting goings on here in dodgerthoughts land over the past week. but, driving across the country was pretty great, and now that i'm back in southern california i get to go to the dodger game tonight, courtesy of bob timmermann and the LAPL. anyway, great article jon! i'm glad you have such a clear, strident position here. and i completely agree with you.

573
Cecil was passed by Piazza on the all-time triples list today!

575
Are your seats in Section 56, Vishal?

574
It should be gray. He is the kind of player who makes it hard to decide these things.

Curse you, Jerry Owens! If you missed that catch, that would have been a double for Piazza!

And Piazza hits a line drive to the gap that could have easily gone for a double, but Jerry Owens made a diving catch.

[577 ] section 59 RS

550 Re: Tim Sexton, whom I like, this was from a website about the Valley League, which plays in Virginia:
>>BA had this scouting report on Tim: "Because of an unorthodox delivery and long, thin frame, Sexton draws comparisons to Bronson Arroyo. His delivery is best described as an exaggerated drop and drive, in which his right knee is almost completely on the ground before he vaunts himself over his front side. His fastball ranges from 87-91 mph and he can pitch at 88 deep into games. His fastball has average life with fair downward plane, despite his delivery. Sexton has feel for his secondary stuff as well, especially his changeup, which shows occasional plus movement. His slider has better break than his curve. It's unconventional but effective, as Sexton is able to show average command and plenty of deception."

Sexton has a successful season for the Braves, going 5-1, 3.94, with a 1.10 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, and 7.9 K/9. (His peripheral numbers are significantly better than his ERA. I wonder how that happened.) One of Staunton's front office told me that Tim works incredibly hard at his craft; the Braves' coaches were amazed at his work ethic. That, obviously, bodes well for his future.

And by the way, Tim has thrown in one game so far for the Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers' Midwest League affiliate. He threw 5 shutout innings in relief, giving up 2 hits, 0 walks, and striking out 6. Nice start!<<

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Kemp, RF
Kent, 2B
Loney, 1B
Martin, C
Ethier, LF
Hillenbrand, 3B
Lowe, P

581

OK, I'll meet you over there. The library has seats in a bunch of sections on that side and we'll all just find a place to sit.

Meanwhile, here's Josh with another "he doesn't beat his wife" momologue...

"Juan continues to be questioned. He's the first to admit that he hasn't had the type of season he's capable of or that we expected when he was signed, but try to remember that if the rest of the team was playing well this month, we'd be better off and if he had played well when they weren't slumping, we might still be in first place. The bottom line is, the Dodgers win as a team and they lose as a team, not from one guy in the lineup."

I love this place. Where else could I get the 411 on Springsteen's new album, why or why the dodgers couldn't sign a draft pick, starbucks etiquette or this Gem:

"Consumer electronics don't last as long since they went lead free. That tiny bit of lead in the solder made the connections last longer"

Or monologue.

[584 ] excellent! i'm looking forward to it. but section 59 is on the left field side, and 56 is in right field.

(also, thanks again bob)

582- Thanks for that bit underdog. The second coming of my boy James Mcdonald, sans the delivery?

588
But nearly everybody else from work is on the LF side. For some reason, they gave me one on the sunny side.

Since Jon said that Colletti does not read this site, I'm wondering if we each took the time to write him a letter and make the key points often expressed here would be an idea worth pursuing. Maybe they would have some impact on his thoughts going forward.

I know that earlier in this season I wrote a letter to McCourt telling him we need to bring up the kids such as Kemp and Loney, and also suggesting we get a new hitting coach. Needless to say I was pleased when my ideas were acted upon soon after writing him (probably just a coincidence).

In fact, based on that, maybe it would be more productive to write to McCourt.

I think Vishal, bhsportsguy, and I all need matching t-shirts that read "Hillenbrand's Heroes".

Then we can try to get the Dodgers to sell them at the concession stands.

I can retire early!

589 De nada. And maybe so, though it's a little too early to tell. Sounds like he could grow into a very good pitcher, though.

RE: 585 I will say this, Pierre can scarcely be blamed for the Dodgers' hitting/scoring woes over the past week, at any rate. He's been getting on base recently when few others have with any consistency. As for the rest of the season, or the rest of his contract, maybe not so much.

Mike Piazza is due up sixth in the 9th in Oakland. But since the game is tied, he can't hit a double in the 9th if he bats.

Thanks for the Sexton info, sounds like a keeper.

And the orange alert continues as Piazza is guaranteed an at-bat in the 10th. Will he become the second Athletic this year with an asterisked cycle?

If you believe GameDay, Jack Cust is getting the Matt Kemp treatment.

596
I don't believe in the *

But since the game is tied, he can't hit a double in the 9th if he bats

What about a ground rule double...?

I just recalled Diamond Mind's preseason predictions... http://tinyurl.com/3a25o8

Makes you wonder how much differently this team would be perceived if they played .500 ball all year long as opposed to camping out in 1st place then collapsing. The papers ran with the Bill Mueller story while it fit. Now you have the aging vets and the stumbling kids. We're pacing for 82 wins sans Schmidt so we were probably an 85-88 win team all along regardless of the ups and downs.

Piazza K's. No soup for you.

I can't get to the game tonight. If anybody wants my seats (32F 1-4) and is willing to pay the 8 bucks total for me to e-mail them, then drop me a line: ifallelse1@aol.com

599
It would have just been a single. You only get the extra bases on an over-the-fence homer.

599
And if Shea Hillenbrand had hit, he would have been credited with a GIDP too.

Shall we stand down?

603
Preposterous! If batted balls that fly over the outfield wall in fair territory are always HRs, then batted balls that bounce over the outfield wall in fair territory should always be ground rule doubles.

I'm adding this to my list.

605
Not yet.

602 please educate the ignorant, how does one email tickets?

606
They're only home runs if the fence is over 250 feet away from home. If not, they're doubles.

Now you can stand down.

Cycle alert canceled.

Stand down.

606 The contradiction cannot stand, it's true. Batted balls that go over the outfield wall in fair territory during the bottom of the 9th in a tie game or in the bottom half of extra innings of tie games should be singles.

Cf. Ventura vs. McGlinchy, 1999.

613
See also Adcock vs. Haddix, 1959.

612 613 I forgot to add the part about men on base.

Piazza could have doubled in the ninth if he'd batted. He just needed to homer and then pull a Robin Ventura.

593 Pierre has stayed mediocre to average while the rest of the lineup, except for Ethier and a little blip from Nomar, tanked.

Therefore, it looked like Pierre was doing well. However, it was only in comparison to the rest of the lineup.

Anyone else see the Uni Watch article on espn.com today?

Check out the Dodgers entry. What a trainwreck this would have been!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/070816

615
He would have been credited with a single though because the bases would have been loaded and only one base was needed.

615 Charge the mound and get beat up by Matt Thornton?

I now know what my nightmares will look like for the next month.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inA-36YRV0Y&

608 At the Stadium, they just scan barcodes so once you email the barcodes, the tickets are no longer usable.

So what you would get is four pages with the information and the barcode. A "ticket" as you know it, is not emailed to you.

621 Right. What he said.

621
Rendezvous in Section 55 now. The security question will be "Name 5 intersting things said by Karl Dorrell". If someone answers with loud laughter, then you've got the right person.

DBacks off to a 2-0 lead in the first before the Fish have batted.

DBacks up 2-0 early after the top of the first. Daniel Barone got lucky though, the snakes had the bases loaded and one run in with no outs and only managed one run on a sac fly.

625
That's a fearsome attack in NL West terms.

621 and the ticket "takers" (scanners) are smart enough to accept the barcodes sans physical ticket ??

627
The ticket takers scan every ticket regardless of its format.

I don't think there are many made now that don't have a barcode on it.

Some stadiums have systems where you get sent a barcode to your cellphone and then you display the barcode to a special reader for entrance.

No paper is ever created.

534

I am pretty sure that Kent's "porn-star" mustache pushes her away from being too much of a fan.

Chooch Ruiz says "Welcome to the NL East" to Joel Hanrahan...

621 and 627 the little less ignorant thanks you

631
You're welcome.

I wonder who will be first to use the cellphone tickets in Southern California: the Dodgers, Angels, or Padres?

The DBacks lead lasted five batters. It's 3-2 Fish.

Thanks to Mike Jacobs and co., 3-2 fish over the snakes.

634
You must be on a 29-second delay.

I guess I should leave the fish v snakes updates for Bob.

I'm not even watching that game. The Yankees vs. Tigers are in HD.

I'll probably get LAT'ed, but I notice no one has commented on the fact that Kemp, Loney and Ethier are all playing today - Gonzo is sitting. Kemp has played 3 games in a row now, and Ethier is back. This is what most of us wanted, at least since Gonzo has slumped, and Little has "taken our advice" of starting Kemp every day even if he was slumping, and it's worked.

They don't always do the wrong thing, and there is a certain flexibility there at work. Now if only Betemit hadn't been traded... But even there, Proctor had the right stuff yesterday, basically filling Tsao's shoes. If we still had Betemit, we wouldn't have Proctor and we'd have seen Hernandez out there instead. Or maybe Hull or Houlton, I suppose, but don't count on it.

OK, but how do I actually email tickets to somebody? I have the tickets in my hand -- what do I need to do to send them to somebody?

Tied 3-3 in Florida. Now let's see if I can beat Bob.

I've seen people ask it here, but I haven't seen it answered. When does LaRoche get off the DL? Will he be called up immediately?

639 based on what's been said here if you can scan the tickets to an image file, then send the image file as an attachment the receiver can then print the image file, or just the bar code and use it as your ticket...

642
You could try that, but the ticket takers would likely hassle you.

Because they are used to only two types of tickets: the paper ones and the electronic ones.

If you make your own, you're on your own.

Bob - Have three brothers ever homered on the same day?

So far we have two Molinas, I doubt a third will do it since Jose is not starting and short of an extra inning game, I cannot see him playing today.

643 So is there any way to take a physical ticket -- with a barcode on it -- and enter the information somewhere that will send that ticket electronically to someone else?

643 (feeling a little more ignorant again...) so you can only email electronic tickets ?

I don't know if three brothers have ever homered on the same day. There haven't been that many three brother combos. And Matty Alou didn't hit many homers. There were a bunch of Delahantys, but aside from Ed, they didn't hit many homers.

Jose Molina has a chance to play today. The Tigers are already up 6-1 in the second.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ticketing/printathome.jsp

645 646 Pretty sure you can only "forward" tickets if you're a season-ticket holder of some kind.

645 646
I'm pretty sure that only electronic tickets can be e-mailed.

For security, they will want the tickets to appear in certain formats.

648 Thanks. So that looks like the answer is no.

Back in the day, we had a pretty novel concept on transferring tickets to someone else on the same day. We used to call it "meeting somewhere".

When I was a kid, I always wanted to pick up tickets at the "Mutual Will Call" building which seemed to be about as far away from Dodger Stadium while still being in the parking lot as possible.

My parents told me that we didn't need to do that.

638 I liked the lineup, too (for the most part). Wish we had LaRoche up here already, and then it'd be okay. Maybe when people are quiet about a line-up when it's posted it means they're generally copacetic about it?

To this day I still get nervous if I don't have an actual ticket in my hand before I head to the event.

Even Will Call made me nervous, so you can imagine what e-tickets do to me. What if somebody made a copy of it before I retrieved it from the printer? And they beat me to the stadium?

Wow and all of a sudden Hanrahan has a career high 7 strikeouts through 4 innings...

638 Gonzo has sat vs. several LHP's recently so tonight is no suprise really. Seeing him sit against two RHP's in the last week is more evidence of "letting the kids play."

641. The Minor League DL is only a 7-day DL and, IIRC, LaRoche is due to come off this weekend. He would then be expected to play some minor league games though. When he would be called up after that I suspect only Ned knows.

Infielders (click column headers to sort)
Num Name Pos Bat Thw Ht Wt Age DOB Status 40-man MLB
5 Tony Abreu 2B S R 5' 11" 200 22 11-13-1984 Active Yes
8 Chin-Lung Hu SS R R 5' 11" 190 23 02-02-1984 Active No
23 Andy LaRoche 3B R R 6' 1" 225 23 09-13-1983 Disabled 7-Day Yes

http://tinyurl.com/2xr3fr

647 Of the three DiMaggio brothers, Dom hit the fewest HRs, 87. If they did it, it would have to be '40, '41, or '42.

647 And Matty (31) had only one less than Jesus (32) !

655
Every time I think I worry excessively, I always find out that someone surpasses me!

Thanks, Nagman! ;-)

bottom right hand corner of ESPNEWS

Report: LAD, COL, interested in D. Willis

652 Meeting somewhere does work, but when you sell tickets on Craig's List -- as I sometimes do -- you often meet people who, like, want to engage you in conversation. Shudder.

662 On the ESPN website, they're saying David Wells.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2978062

662 That's not really news, especially considering there's no way that both Willis and his return make it through waivers.

660 The Alous came close. On 8/12/65, Jesus and Matty both homered for the same time and in the same spot in the batting order.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196508121.shtml

Felipe hit one the day before.

Is anyone actually surprised that we have interest in David Wells?

663
I bought a pair of UCLA football season tickets from a guy on Craigs List. And he sold them at face value.

662 Willis may have already; that's a big contract to claim. The return could be one or more minor-league PTBNL. Try not to think about who they might be.

Pierre's consecutive start streak is longer, now, than it's been at any point during this season. Brady Clark started both of the games Pierre didn't.

668 Did you try to engage him in conversation?

And if so, did you make eye contact?

671
He mailed them to me.

I sold some tickets to the Hollywood Bowl and the woman came to work and gave me cash for them. She was very nice.

at this point, i'd rather just get wells, wont have to give up anything. have all that money we didnt use by failing to sign blair (ugh), and willis just isnt very good.

David Wells should only join the team if he can eat either Juan Pierre and/or his contract in return.

661 Guilty.

A Dontrelle Willis acquisition at this point has James Baldwin written all over it.

I didn't realize, for some reason, that Hu was older than Abreu.

I sold Angels v Yankees playoffs tickets once on Craigslist... more than face value.

I used to have a one-third stake in Dodgers seasons tickets up until 2004 and only went to 14-16 games and sold the rest on Ebay, usually at close to face value.

676
Go tell it on the mountain!

I hope this won't be the fire next time.

Hanrahan leaves with 8 Ks through 5 innings, two earned runs but against Cole Hamels that just might earn him an L...

676- Is Willis really that bad?.....he's younger than Baldwin was when he joined the D's no?

Without looking, guess the year of James Baldwin's final MLB season.

Willis will certainly walk out to the mound faster.

What's James Baldwin doing these days? Can we give him Tomko's starts?

2006

I believe Baldwin pitched for Baltimore in 2005.

Every contestant in the Griddle contest for the tickets to tonight's game ended up not being able to use the tickets.

If you want to two free tickets to tonight's game, you can just have them. You can even dress up in a multi-colored Astros uniform.

Willis just pinch hit in Florida.

678 --

He finished his career in Another Country, though he never actually recorded a regular season inning:

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5344

685 Dang, I thought that was last year. I have no concept of time.

687
"D. Willis pinch hit for R. Wolf"

683- Richard Wright could take Tomko's starts for all I care....at least he wouldn't smirk....

683- Richard Wright could take Tomko's starts for all I care....at least he wouldn't smirk....

680 - A lot younger - Willis is only 25. I just don't like the way his career is trending ... or, dare I say it, Odalising?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/willido03.shtml

I'm sure Dontrelle has a bounceback year in him - I just don't trust that it will start in September 2007.

This is hard to type... but, I would much prefer Tomko to David Wells. Gasp!

686 - If you can delay the game until after 845 then Ill take em. I work across the street from Chapman Univ. and should be able to make it to Dodger stadium by 830-845, if you could possibly convince the umpires that some kind of delay is needed I'm your man for those tickets.

Ralph Ellison will get the start on Juneteenth.

696 --

I'm afraid we've been fielding a lineup of Invisible Men for the past month.

Acquiring David Wells would be unforgivable.

Wells, bah. I'd try Stults, Houlton again first.

I actually attended what was probably Baldwin's best start as a Dodger:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200108040.shtml

Interesting Baldwin similarity scores:
1. Ramon Ortiz (974)
10. Brett Tomko (938)

At least the White Sox sent money with Baldwin and he only cost Jeff Barry, Onan Masaoka (best Dodger name until Alberto Bastardo), and Gary Majewski.

For some reason, that whole discussion on tickets and e-mailing them was the funniest thing I've ever read on this site. I was laughing so hard, the dog kept cocking his head sideways, wondering what I was laughing at.

694 But the real question is would you go back to Hendrickson or try Wells?

I'm afraid we've been fielding a lineup of Invisible Men for the past month

Will their be smokers and naked women? If so, I recommend we all wear really baggy shorts...

ok, off to the ballgame!

694 , 701 It just hit me. This season has become so depressing.

Stults last pitched on Aug. 10th, and Houlton started yesterday, followed by Eric Cyr and Dwayne Pollok in today's double header. Can I safely assume that Stults will start tomorrow?

This is where good major league scouting can make all the difference. There's a fine line between buying low on a good pitcher who's in a down year, and acquiring a declining pitcher who's about to hit the wall. Whoever we have scouting the Marlins needs to tell us whether Willis' stuff is still comparable to that of the 20-game winner he was a couple of years ago. His strikeout rate has actually improved slightly this year.

Can you bring Tupperware into Dodger Stadium?

707 The following items are prohibited from entering the stadium:
* Containers larger than 1 liter in size

I'm going to assume "yes" depending on size.

704 - That made me laugh, for some reason.

706 - Is that Kim Ng's department?

708
I'm assuming it's OK for Tupperware. I have my name on it too!

647 The Molinas came just as close as the Alou's. Yadier and Jose homered on 8/7/06 and Bengie the day before.

Liter? Outrageous. Further proof that Frank McCourt plans to move the Dodgers to France and develop Condos in Chavez Ravine!

708 Just make sure not to forget your juice box!

Still in demand? Pinch Sweeney, 'cause he must be dreaming

>> In 12 years, Sweeney has been traded five times, released three times, signed with a club as a free agent seven times and granted free agency four times. Heck, he's had three different stints with the San Diego Padres alone. <<

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/10297903

709 If you are in a discussion about which one of your two pitchers you wanna see replaced by David Wells, well, it is a pretty sad and funny moment.

Game thread is open.

I love the closing of the latest Dodger Blues missive:

"The only thing that gets me to watch a game these days is my sick desire to see if it can get any worse. Can they go 300 at-bats without a run-scoring single? Can a double-amputee shut them out? Will Grady Little bat Pierre in the cleanup spot? Stay tuned."

Enders wins again!

Ha! Figures.

On FOX Sports the caption on the photo of the Offerman tussle says:

Bat Man Begins

I couldn't help laughing. :-)

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb

#706: Though I recognize nobody is going to read this, I just quickly checked Willis' strikeout numbers. This year he's only striking out 15.3% of the batters he's faced, whereas last year he struck out 16.4%. It only looks like his strikeout rate is up because he's allowing so many more baserunners.

Fearing Blue! The prodigal son!