The two sports talk stations, both KLAC and KSPN have their pluses and minuses.

KSPN probably has more flexibility with their schedule since they will only have USC Football that will conflict with Dodger games, while KLAC will have Laker games in April and perhaps beyond (very pessimistic view of the Purple and Gold right now). They would also have UCLA football in the fall. But they also have other stations to farm out shows so that might be okay for those conflicts.

Both stations will not want to air exhibition games during the week, I guarantee that. KSPN did it for the entire Angels contract and I think their ratings took a hit, plus once the Dodgers move out to Arizona, it will be airing games during their local programming.

On the plus side, both stations would have more pre-game and post-game coverage.

Will any of these radio stations have an announcer who will tell me the score?

I filled out the survey a couple of days ago. I just got back from a trip to New York where I had the privilege of attending games at both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium for the first time. I know I'm speaking for a minority of fans here, but I hope they listen to one of the survey questions, the one about food suggestions. I keep Kosher and I noticed at both Yankees and Shea they have seperate kosher concession stands with kosher hot dogs, pretzels, kinishes, etc. I always see a decent number of orthodox Jews at Dodgers Stadium but alas all to be found are Farmer John Dodger Dogs (which I used to LOVE before I began keeping Kosher).

There are kosher hot dog stands on the loge. But it's really hard to find. It also sells turkey dogs, veggie dogs, etc.

At least I think it does.

3 That's a good point and I would call customer service at the Dodgers directly about that. 866-DODGERS.

I asked for "Smoothies".

I couldn't care less what station the Dodgers use for radio. Soon I'll only be listening to internet radio anyway.

4
I've never seen that concession on my level but then I didn't even know they sold root beer floats until this week.

The big benefit of either 570 or 710 is that they're sports stations... their Dodger coverage/discussion would go well beyond covering the game + brief pre- and post-game shows (like 980). Listening to the current sports-talk landscape, the Dodgers are lower-tier in terms of interest -- turning to 570 or 710 at any point during the day and they're probably talking:

Lakers
Clippers
Angels
Trojans
Bruins

and then (maybe)
Dodgers

Part of this is obviously because 570 is the Laker flagship station and 710 is the Angel/Trojan flagship, but it's annoying to have the Dodgers relegated to an afterthought. Admittedly, they're having a down year, but then again, look at the Lakers -- they've been slumming lately too.

7
It's in the high rent district part of the loge, not the ToyCannon District. ;-)

It's actually just a cart tacked on to a concession stand on the right field.

Just an FYI, most people don't know about the new Loge Barbecue area. It is at the furthest end of the LF Loge area and they have real barbecued sandwiches, hamburgers, knockwurst, picnic area, and with a full bar, complimented with plenty of screens.

9
But I spend most of my time sitting in others people's high rent cushioned seats.

8 I think in LA its the Lakers first, and then depending how close it is to football season, USC football. But after that its probably the Dodgers, Angels, general pro football, UCLA football, Clippers, etc.

But really its a Lakers town and everyone else trails big time.

Josh Bell hit his 1st HR in High A and banged out 3 hits. Hopefully he's getting comfortable. He was probably shocked to learn he was coming to the Cal League only to find the Inland Empire is about as Californian as Nevada.

10 - I didn't know that.

The Red Sox batters hit for the cycle in just five batters against John Lackey in the first.

4 When I filled out the survey, one of my requests was to have veggie dogs available at every Dodger Dog concession stand. I don't see why the same couldn't be true for kosher dogs, etc. From a consumer standpoint, why should I need to wander all over the stadium to get a hot dog? From a vendor perspective, wouldn't it also be simpler to have every type of hot dog available at every concession stand? That way, you don't need to worry about specialty stocking up.... just provide the same items to all vendors.

10 14 yeah thanks. I didn't know that either. That's what I wrote out in the Survey..I want real BBQ!

14
If you have Loge tickets and you enter from the Left field side you walk right by it, after you get your ticket scanned. It is not big, but it is a nice addition.

11
The cart that sells the veggie dogs, etc, is on the other side of the stadium from where ToyCannon sits, so it's likely he hasn't seen it.

I'm taking notes on this thread for the next time I go to Dodger Stadium.

My losing streak at Dodger Stadium ended last night!

If your going to eat a veggie dog wouldn't you just be better off eating a salad?

They do have a health food concession stand that sells salads and such just about right behind home plate on the Loge level. Also a Philly Cheesesteak place around the same area.

19
I'm surprised I haven't seen it. I usually go early and spend my time wandering aimlessly from one end of the stadium to the other.

From the AP preview of the Red Sox-Angels doubleheader:

Scioscia denied that the decision had anything to do with having Lackey avoid facing Beckett.

"John would welcome the matchup with Beckett," Scioscia told the Angels' official Web site. "That's not the reason we're lining him up this way. He went to Boston (early Thursday). To have him ready to go, rather than waiting around, is better for him."

It's already 6-1 Red Sox, and the Sox have six hits, including 3 doubles, a triple, and a homer. The best laid plans ...

Clay Buchholz is making his first start.

12 I see no empirical evidence that would rank the Lakers' popularity above the Dodgers or the Trojans. I would agree that's the top three, but the Dodgers' huge attendance advantage has to count for something, especially when you realize the team has been unsuccessful for most of the past 20 seasons.

I do not think the Lakers' fan base would stick with the team during a title drought of similar length. The Lakers' popularity is based on the impression of strength and resourcefulness the team earned during the Jerry West years, but has lost and will not regain for a very long time. I would be very curious to see what happens to Laker fan support once they lose Kobe. Also, while the Lakers do have a lot of loyal fans, I also run into a lot more haters. The Dodger don't inspire the kind of loathing the Lakers have lately inspired.

The Trojans are more like the Dodgers, with a more die-hard fan base, but during their wilderness years before Pete Carroll, their attendance suffered proportionally more than the Dodgers' has. And, don't forget, there is a significant minority of UCLA fans who root against USC every Saturday, as well as transplanted Cal and Stanford fans.

The Dodgers don't necessarily deserve all this loyalty, but it's a fact.

22
That's the place.

If Jon ever decides to make a DT event really glamourous, you can have an outing at the barbeque place, don't know the cost but it is same place where Nomar does his Carne Asada events.

10. Been to the loge BBQ--it's OK, but not super duper. The knockwurst and burger are both like 13 bucks or something, and as far as I could tell, the only thing actually barbecued was the grilled onions, which they send you outside to retrieve. And the game I went there, they had rented out the picnic area for a private party, which I can understand but was kind of annoying.

3. I'm Jewish but don't keep kosher--but I would absolutely LOVE a kosher hot dog stand and would buy them EVERY time. Going with the Louisiana Hot sausages now (which are pretty darn good), but I might switch it up if they had good kosher grilled dogs. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

18- Indeed, that is exactly what I did, and was pleasantly surprised . Those seats are really cool. Thanks Toycannon, I improved my DS record to 5-0 this year.

27 - It can be as glamorous as you want to make the effort for it to be :)

25 The Lakers have been near capacity at Staples since they moved their in 2000. Its been pretty much a Lakers town since Showtime.

Sure, fans attendance counts for something but I was really talking about what people call about on the local talk shows. I mean the Lakers lost to Phoenix in late April/early May and then all the Kobe stuff happens and they remain topic 1 throughout the summer.

And if they lose Kobe, there will be lots of calls about who the next superstar player of the Lakers should be.

30 2008, 50 years in LA, 20 years since Gibby's homer...hmmm, will have to think about it.

25
Laker fans did leave in droves between the Magic and Shaq years.

I could be wrong but I remember this town in the late 60's, early 70's being a Ram town.

It is always about success.

Chicken/turkey sausages - which can be incredibly good - would be a nice addition, for those of us who don't eat beef. (Not that that is necessarily what is in Dodger Dogs...)

Btw, Sgt, re: your question in last thread, I think Jon's right - I am pretty sure Lowe was pulled because of his recent hip problems. He pitched well but there was absolutely no sense in pushing their luck with that. Sometimes I think Grady is damned if he does (leave a pitcher in) and damned if he doesn't (leave a pitcher in). Anyway, I was just glad he pitched as well as he did. Maybe a CG next time.

looks like zambrano is offically of the market after signing a 90 mil extension with the cubs.

From Will Carroll: "The Padres' former #1 overall pick, Matt Bush, had his UCL "explode," according to one source. The recent convert to the mound didn't have a normal wearing down of the UCL, but he'll be having Tommy John surgery just the same."

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6602

Wall Street Journal has an article today discussing "Runs Created", "OPS", "Power Speed Number"; "ERA+" and "Strikeout to Walk Ratio". I'll bet Frank reads the Wall Street Journal. Maybe he will read it to Ned.

31 I don't think there is a "next superstar" for the Lakers, not for a long time. Kobe's going to make them trade Bynum, and then he'll leave himself, and that will be that. I think they're on the precipice of a Celtics-like two decade trip into sub-mediocrity, which Laker fans will not weather as well as Celtic fans have. Buss is morphing into the old Donald Sterling, happy to count his money, stay under the cap and watch his team get buried in the West.

The kind of attention the Lakers are getting on the sports talk shows nowadays is the kind of attention the Dodgers don't need. The fact that Laker fans are going crazy over the possibility that the last link to their last run of titles might throw another hissy fit over a situation that he basically created is the sports equivalent of gossip-mania. Movie "fans" aren't the ones who are following Lindsay Lohan's exploits -- they're train-wreck fans. Ditto with Kobe. Bling, rape charges, apology diamonds for his wife, and endless complaints about Shaq, Phil, Mitch, Dr. Buss, endless fingerpointing -- yeah, it exerts some fascination, but it's not about sports.

Obscure Rockford Files thing:

My brother has interviewed a high school soccer coach in St. Louis.

His name is Charlie Martel.

Anyone wish to guess his nickname?

I'm told the Nationals have acquired Willy Mo Pena for a PTBNL.

a couple more years we should have the complete 2004 Reds reassembled here in DC.

39: The Hammer!

29 Angel

39 Angel

36
Worse number one picks of all time:
Chilcott(R Jackson went 2nd)
Bush
Danny Goodwin-Drafted Number one in 1971 but it was a terrible draft as none of the 1st 12 picks amounted to squat. Frank Tanana was the 13th pick.
Danny Goodwin - Again drafted Number in 1975 and again it was a terrible draft. The whole 1st round was nothing but cow dung.

Evidently scouting has gotten a lot better since the early 70's.

Sure glad the Padres didn't have an Upton in the plans that year. Not they would have chosen him since they couldn't even afford Steven Drew that year.

Left on the board in the 1st round so they could pick the easy to sign Bush:
Verlander
Weaver
Butler
Hughes

41
I think my brother will start a groundswell of support to get the guy called "The Hammer."

38
Your wrong on that. Jerry Buss is still driven not by money but by success. The Lakers have always had luck on their side when it came to the superstars that landed in their laps and it will probably happen again. I wouldn't be betting against 47 years of luck.

40
Nice, stick him in LF, give him 500 at bats and lets see what he can do.

47 I was going to say the exact same thing.

We Nats fans are a happy bunch. We sign guys over slot and grab sensible gambles like Da Meat Hook and Willy Mo Pena.

44 Brien Taylor should be on that list as well. At least Bush was cheap!

This is how you end the summer.
http://www.livenation.com/event/getEvent/eventId/294853?c=dm-146193&p=32420926

22 Pshaw. The veggie dogs are delicious for those of us who do not eat the meat.

49
But Brian Taylor had talent and was defending somebody in a bar fight.

Pos on Boras/Moustakas.

For D4P.

http://tinyurl.com/28panz

51
Really, I should try one before I pass judgement.

54 I'm not saying it's every bit as good as the real thing, but I gave up meat ten years ago and I'm just thrilled to be able to eat some kind of dog at a ballgame.

A little spicy mustard and you're in the ballpark.

Do the Dodgers re-sign Wolf for 2008? Is it too early to ask this question?

46 This sounds more like a religion. I would agree that the Lakers inspire more of this kind of blind faith than any other religion in Los Angeles, except maybe for Scientology. But I stick by my prediction that a continued title drought will erode the fan base, unless the miracle you're expecting comes to pass. Without Jerry West to engineer it, I don't have your confidence in the next miracle ever occuring. It's a sort of poetic (in)justice that Garnett, who was rumored to be who Kobe wanted to play in his shadow, ended up in Boston. If Jerry West was still part of the Lakers, Garnett would be here.

52 I doubt that's much consolation to the Yankees, especially as they watch Brooklyn bred Manny Ramirez hitting for the Red Sox.

Veggie dogs essentially are a condiment delivery vehicle.

59: Like lobster!

The Tigers have called-up prized prospect, Cameron Maybin, after 20 at bats in AA.

57 I think there is an argument to be made that the Lakers are currently going through the same organizational struggles that the Dodgers went through when Campanis was fired. You can even make the parallel that their successors loaded up the team with free agents for one more title run before the wheels came off the bus.

Jerry West can walk on water.
vr, Xei

I thought this was kind of funny, from the Blue Notes blog (sorry if someone posted this already, didn't see it) - does anyone remember that game? Pretty amusing:
>>Most teams have various forms of entertainment squirreled away around the clubhouse. The Dodgers, having what can only be described as, at least relative to the rest of baseball, ancient facilities, are no exception. Guys might watch TV or listen to music. They also have at their disposal one of those old school video game machines that includes the classic "Track and Field". Anyone who grew up as an arcade rat (or with a Nintendo) likely remembers it well. Russell Martin (specializes in the hammer throw) spends a lot of time on it, along with Billingsley and Broxton. I asked Martin who was the T&F king. "Lieberthal and Martinez are the best," he replied. Makes sense. Old school game, old school players. Lieberthal acknowledged his prowess. Nobody on the team runs faster, he said, moving the index and middle fingers of his right hand rapidly up and down (if you've played the game, you know why that matters). "Quick twitch." Still, in Track and Field as in baseball, it's hard to stay on top forever. The young 'uns, Lieberthal says, "are catching up because they play so much." <<

61 I guess he beat the doors down.

65
And half the Tigers have the flu as well.

66 They could have signed a waived veteran.

Maybin's gonna be a good one, one of the best - maybe the best outfield prospect in baseball. Dunno how ready he'll be but they're lucky to have him.

When it comes down to it, almost all food is a butter and salt delivery vehicle.

Good news for FotC fans ... at Screen Jam.

57
I guess, but I always felt Jerry was overrated as a GM. He made one great move and that was to sign Shaq and trade Vlady for the right to draft Kobe. Everything else pales by comparison. If the Magic hadn't been stupid in their negotiations with Shaq none of that happens and then how smart is Jerry? He sure wasn't a genuis between Magic and Shaq.

It is not a religon but history:
1. Trade for Wilt and give up nothing
2. When Wilt is done, trade for Kareem and again give up nothing of note. Lots of bodies but not an all-star amoung them.
3. Trade an aging Gail Goodrich and somehow that trade turns into Magic Johnson by pure luck not by any design.
4. Magic screw up the negotiations with Shaq and we end up with the next great big man in basketball.
5. Able to get the Hornets to give up the rights to Kobe for a center we didn't need anymore.

Maybin and Upton should be dueling it out for years as the best CF in baseball.

I thought the right to pick Magic Johnson came from trading Don Ford to Cleveland?

Yankee's won't pursue ARod if he opts out.

http://tinyurl.com/3be3my

72
This year aside, I think Andrew Jones would have something to say about that.

73 From NBA.com

"But astute trading had given Los Angeles the top pick in the draft. During the 1979-80 season the Lakers sent Don Ford and a 1980 first-round pick (which became Chad Kinch) to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Butch Lee and the Cavs' first-round pick in 1982."

Butch Lee's Laker career consisted of one famous moment, he was the player that Magic is hugging after the Lakers won the 1980 NBA title.

73
"With the Lakers, Goodrich guided the 1971-72 team to a 69-13 record and the NBA title as well as an NBA record 33 consecutive wins while playing with fellow Hall of Famers Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain. His impact upon the Laker franchise extended far beyond his playing years, because late in his career, the Lakers traded Goodrich to the New Orleans Jazz for the Jazz' first pick in the 1979 NBA draft. When the Jazz had a poor record in the 1978-79 season, that pick ended up being the first overall pick in the draft; with it, the Lakers chose Earvin "Magic" Johnson."

Jon's colleague Jon Heyman with a Dodger-related column today:

"Questions will linger about whether they were overprotective of their impressive stash of top prospects at last month's trade deadline. The scuttlebutt around the game is that involved-owner Frank McCourt -- who's been conspicuously absent in a box often occupied by only a glum Tommy Lasorda and another less-known underling or two this week -- made all their many top prospects off-limits, or close to that. Word going around is there was a split within the hierarchy about how protective to be with their prospects, as well."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jon_heyman/08/17/scoop.friday/

77 The guy who oftens get no mention in the success of the Lakers is Bill Sharman, who was the coach of the 1971-1972 team and then due to health concerns, became the GM and was the man who along with West, built the Showtime teams and he was still involved in the Lakers into the Shaq/Kobe years.

72- If Kemp get's a chance, he could complete the trifecta....

73
James Worthy - another lucky move

78 I thought there was an owners meeting this week, he was there during the Giants series.

79
Yes, I think Sharman gets a raw deal when people think West is a genius and they don't mention him.

71. Exactly, and it's not like the Memphis Grizzlies have set the world on fire. They had one decent year and are pretty much the dredge of the Western Conference right now. I give Jerry West credit for being able to garner alot of respect from players, I am not sure even he could've kept the Kobe/Shaq Lakers together. And I'm not even sure that would've been a good thing given Shaq's age and contract demands. The trade was stupid, but I'm not sure what West could've done differently given that the Shaq trade orders probably came from the owner.
vr, Xei

Pretty soon, there will be four gospels devoted to the etiology of Magic Johnson. Scholars will obsess over the differences for centuries. Cathedrals will be built.

78
I could understand Grady wanting the kids moved for players he felt would help now. Managers don't care about the future because if they don't win now there is no future for a manager.
It would be interesting to find out how split upper management was. I wonder if Ned's lack of success with his veteran free agents might be a reason that Frank was able to saw no to dealing the prospects, if he indeed did so.

78 Did Frank McCourt give the Minotaur his blessed holy name?

The DT day at Dodger Stadium might turn out to be an historic turning point. Whoever it was who made the impassioned case for having a homegrown, stable team to root for might've pushed McCourt over to the non-dark side.

85
I will kneel at that cathedral. Watching Magic play basketball to me would have been like watching Jackie Robinson play baseball. I've always felt lucky I was able to see him everyday in Los Angeles. You can mock him but I know what he meant to me.

Thanks for the replies, I've looked for a kosher dog stand and never noticed it. I also did a search online and couldn't find any reference to a regular kosher stand. I did find some references to a kosher hot dog stand that makes appearances at certain games, perhaps that's what you're referring to. I wonder if it would be worth getting up a petition of sorts to present the Dodgers. I sense that there's more interest in Kosher dogs (even from people who don't necessarily keep kosher full time) than the franchise may realize (not that they're hurting for concession money).

If this has been posted already, my apologies.

http://tinyurl.com/2kfzla

The Thursday Heyman article at SI regarding the slot and the Tigers' disdain for it. (The article cited earlier is the Friday column by the same guy).

Ahh, so Goodrich begat Johnson and Ford begat Worthy.

88 It seems to me that 85 was not mocking anyone nor knocking Magic Johnson, just making fun of the fact that noone can seem to agree on how the Lakers acquired him.

88 Oh believe me, me too. Being a Laker fan during that era was incredibly rewarding. I was avid.

The Shaq-Kobe go-round, not so much. A negative vibe settled over the team then, and has only grown since then. At least for me.

93 I think the negativity was really a lot of disappointment because the media, fans and probably the players saw it as an oppurtunity for Showtime II, Shaq handing the mantle to Kobe like Kareem did to Magic.

But then, it blew up and we are where we are.

93
Me to, I'm barely a fan anymore. Hard to believe since I spent a good deal of my time playing with the Lakers from 1971-1976 in my backyard hoops. I'd been better if I'd had Magic dishing me the ball instead of Gail hogging it.

And a copy of the May 17, 1979 LA Times sports section has an article by Ted Green about Magic Johnson's signing (40 days before the draft) at $600,000 per year for four years.

Jerry West is described as arguing for Sidney Moncrief as the top pick because he thought Moncrief was a superior defender and would work better with Norm Nixon. But Jack Kent Cooke overruled him.

96
Yes I remember. When we went to the last game of the 79 season, the PA guy said, "come back next year when Magic will be in the air" or something to that effect.
We hadn't drafted him yet but we knew he was going to ours. It made the wait until the draft easier.

I wish Jack Kent Cooke had owned the Rams instead of the Redskins.

96 Chick told a story on how Magic, all of nineteen, did not want to eat Sand Dabs when he first met Jack Kent Cooke for lunch when the Lakers signed him.

The Magic/Moncrief debate did not last as long as the Wilkins/Worthy debate.

For me, I was riding on top of the world. I went into my Senior Year of High School with the Dodgers just winning a WS. The Kings just aqquired Gretzky and Magic just led the Lakers to another ring. Heck even Henry Ellard was catching touchdown passes for the LA Rams of Anahiem.

But then after that: Nobody told me there would be days like these...strange days indeed.

78 That's an odd article... for one thing, despite the general doom'n'gloom (including the headline), he essentially ends up saying that the Dodgers will be stocked well for the future, regardless of this year, and that competing GMs felt they did the right thing.

The anecdote I found disturbing (although typical) was Colletti's quote that the slump with RISP was "mathematically impossible". Um, no. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but most of his public quotes indicate a bizarre understanding of math and statistics, at best.

Mathematically impossible would be the Dodgers going 7 for 6 or -8 for 6 with RISP.

Or even better 6i for 8 with RISP.

Six line drives to left field, if indeed, left field is the imaginary axis.

Colletti's third base coach has proven some mathematically impossible equations, such as 1 + 1 = 0.

The Red Sox are bringing in Papelbon for a potential four-out save. So I assume that if they are ahead in the nightcap, Gagne will get a chance to close it out.

This is late, but I responded gleefully to the Dodger Survey. Here's a sample:

What other major factor do you consider when thinking about attending a Dodger game?

What I consider is the following: First of all, I hope to see a commitment to YOUNG exciting players. I do NOT like seeing OLD unproductive veterans. In fact one day I hope to see an ENTIRE TEAM of HOMEGROWN TALENT. I want a commitment to winning, but from a team on the field that's ready for a DECADE of dominance.

I also consider concessions...

---

FREE COOL-A-COOS!

COOL-A-COOS were the single best concession I've ever eaten at a Dodger game.

55

hear hear. some of us loves the hot dogs, just not the meat. FYI, the only stand i know of where you can get the veggie dog is in the reserved level, section 3/5. got one last night. ask for it chicago style, because bob's basically right -- without the condiments, there ain't much to shout about.

and those cool-a-coos were great. made in pico rivera, too! for crying out loud, mccourt, bring back the cool-a-coos!

105 In fact one day I hope to see an ENTIRE TEAM of HOMEGROWN TALENT.

So you wouldn't want to sign Pujols?

You guys are being too literal. Colletti didn't get to be GM of a major league team without having at least the rudimentary math skills of a first-grader. I read the "mathematically impossible" as simply a wry, sarcastic comment on the part of a flustered GM. YMMV.

104 So I assume that if they are ahead in the nightcap, Gagne will get a chance to close it out.

The Sox could be forgiven if they weren't in a big hurry to hand Gagne a lead at the moment. He's been pretty bad since he got there, aside from a dominant outing on Tuesday. I might give the ball to Timlin if it were me.

I've noticed that whenever Ned tries to be flippant it is scrutinized beyond what is reasonable.

105
Why would a team consisting of homegrown talent be committed to winning? Sounds like the cheap way to me. What if the homegrown talent was what the KC Royals were sporting these days?

110
Or the best relief pitcher on the team and it isn't Papelbon or Timlin or Gagne.

108

Actually no! by the time we'll get a chance to sign Pujols he'll be washed up and over the top.

but that aside, I was just exaggerating... I mean I said here on DT that if you get a chance to get A-Rod, go get him!

Which is another reason signing Pujols doesn't makes sense: we already will have A-rod by then (I hope)

112 Okajima pitched 1.2 innings today already. Otherwise, he'd be an easy choice.

Toycannon, to answer your question, if this team of Homegrown talent includes guys that can be signed over slot (sigh), by the way, a feat that is "mathematically possible," then it could well be a better team than anyone else out there. The idea is to promote young studs instead of older washed up veterans, although looking at my comment now, I think I pulled a Rule 6 violation.

While we're at it, let's say the Dodgers were offered a chance to pick between A-Rod and Pujols, assuming the rest of the lineup was about the same. Who do you pick?

Statistically, I'd pick A-Rod right now, but who knows?

113

I'd better explain the first sentence of that posting:

I don't mean that Pujols will be a "twilight veteran" after his current 7 yr contract is up... I just assumed that given our recent history, the Dodgers figured to sign him after the next term, when he'll be about 37 or 38.

113 From what I can tell, Pujols will be a free agent at the age of 32. I'm guessing he might have a few good years left in him then. :)

Just trying to make the point that the choice isn't only between "young studs" and "washed-up veterans." I cringe when I think of where we'd have been without Lowe and Kent the last few years.

118

That's a very good point... I think when I wrote that, it was the pinnacle, or nadir if you will, of the Dodgers struggles so I was acting mostly on emotion.

Notice that the two you mentioned were DePodesta Hires?

At this point, Kent is a Ned hire.

117 Saito is 37.

120 Hey, Toy, I'm just curious about your overall assessment of Colletti. I've seen you defending him quite a bit, but I wonder whether you are mostly just trying to bring an alternative view to a pretty one sided debate, or you generally approve of his regime.

Any word on who gets sent down the minors today to make room for Stults? Hull is the obvious candidate, but after last night I guess it could be Hernandez.

123
Booooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

;-)

I went back over the thread where I asked about LaRoche's DL status and didn't see any answer to my question. Does anybody know when he comes off the DL? Is there any word when he'll be called up afterwards? I can't imagine Ned is happy with Hillenbrand.

dumb question: if Ned isn't happy with Hillenbrand (after what, 4 days?) why did he bother with him in the first place?

don't mean to pile on here..

125-Best guess is this weekend. I would imagine he'll be in Vegas until 9/1, though.

126 Because it's better than playing 8 players?

126 Not sure what else is out there, but the Dodgers needed depth in AAA and Hillendbrand was, at least in Ned's opinion, the best player out there that could play third.

I've told this story before, but when I was at John Wooden Basketball Camp in the summer of 1979, we had a Q&A with John Wooden. And one of the questions asked, in all seriousness, was "Who do you think will start in at guard with Norm Nixon next year – Magic Johnson or Brad Holland?"

Of course, Coach said Magic. But I've always felt that the Magic phenomenon really took off in Los Angeles. People talk about the Magic-Bird college showdown as this watershed moment for college basketball, and perhaps rightly so, because there were a lot of people in this city, at least, that paid no attention to college basketball if the player wasn't wearing a UCLA uniform. We knew we had stolen something via the Goodrich deal, but I think very few people had any idea what they were really getting in Magic. I know I didn't, until I saw him hug Kareem after the game-winning shot to beat San Diego in the season opener.

And then, I fell in love. What a year that was to be a Laker fan. What a decade.

123 - Hull was optioned.

John Manuel of Baseball America reports that "Blair contends that he wanted $1.35 million and it sounds like he did turn down $1.1 million."

107 You can also get the veggie dogs at the Healthy Plate stand on the loge level, just to the first base side of the escalators. There's also one on the field level down by first base.

And yeah... viva la Cool-a-coos!

I'm assuming it's inaccurate, but the yahoo.com MLB schedules/scores section lists Hendrickson as our starter tonight.

Big Bird is back in the pen right? Stults tonight for sure? If Hull was optioned, that is what was assumed.

BTW, why not throw Hull out there for at least a batter with a six run lead last night if he is heading out today? Save the arms in the pen for tonight. Maybe he would have kept Saito fresh by having better control than Roberto.

130

Jon, my dad believes to this day Magic was the best basketball player that ever played the game, and certainly the best he's ever seen.

Like you, he was very excited about him from the beginning. He told me once about the time they broadcast the draft and Magic's pick was decided on a coin flip. He heard all this on the radio. When Jordan was at his peak, my dad said that Magic was still better because he was good at making his team mates better as well.

I wasn't born until about the time Worthy was drafted, but I've always been a Laker fan through and through, and Magic is a big reason why.

134 Stults' picture is at the top of Dodgers.com.

ps: I'll be headed to tonight's game, so while on the subject of cool-a-coo's are there any reasonable alternatives? the best I've got so far was those cool Dodger Cap Soft Serve sundaes

Baseball America has an article up today detailing all the major international signings so far. Significant players were signed by the Padres, Royals, Twins, Indians, Tigers, Phillies, Reds, Cardinals, Rangers, and Red Sox. None by the Dodgers apparently.

Wily Mo Pena and cash traded to Washington for a PBTNL.

Why can't we ever do something like this?

Baseball America also added up how much money each team spent in the first 10 rounds of the draft. The most was the Orioles at $7.7 million; the least was the Astros at $536,000. The Dodgers ranked 21st out of the 30 teams at $3.38 million.

135 - I'm also in the Magic's-the-best-ever camp, though, I literally grew up watching him (born in '78).

139 - which one do you want: getting Wily Mo or getting a player to be named later?

140 Does that only refer to signing bonuses? Porcello alone earned almost as much as the Orioles gave out, although the signing bonus only accounted for about half of it.

139. I don't know all the waiver rules, but my guess it has something to do with the Nationals having a poor record as to why they were able to get him and not the Dodgers. It's Ok to blame Mitch Kupchack though. :)
vr, Xei

at mlb.com there's a large ad for Alyssa Milano's clothing line.

I remember the Magic-Bird NCAA final and it seemed like Magic owned the court. I was really excited about him coming to L.a. that 1980 season was great. But don't forget how crucial Wilkes was that year.

139 Yeah, we have no idea whether the Dodgers placed a waiver claim on him, but given that Colletti said they placed about 40 claims on players but didn't win any of them, it's highly possible they did place a claim on Pena, too. But the Nats win by losing.

So, remind me, what's a Cool-a-coo again? Some kind of sundae? I must have had one when i was a kid but don't remember.

130
The Michigan State/Indiana State March Madness game cemented the start of the Magic era in LA. That was all we talked about. It couldn't have been scripted any better for Magic to end up in LA and Byrd in Boston.

Looking back I begrudge the youth of most DT posters but to live through that decade I know I watched something special that the kids here will never experience. Magic's game six performance against Philly in his 1st year is still my most cherished sports memory. And Wilkes hit goofy shot after goofy shot. No one had a better nickname then Wilkes.

I must admit I was having fantasies of A-Rod as our next SS or third baseman, a good article today( I think it was THT) left me depressed in that regard. It details how Boras and A-Rod will end the subsidy to the Yankees from A-Rods former team and force some team to gamble 30 mil a year on his post 35 years. I know its unlikely, but many good players go down fast after 35.

146 Pena cleared waivers.

http://tinyurl.com/35eaxm

Evidently they went out of business but they were a chocolate covered cookie with ice cream in the middle.

According to this, Pena cleared waivers before the trade.

http://tinyurl.com/33u288

138 140

a team in the top echeleon in revenue earned is in the bottom half in money spent on amatuer talent is disgraceful.

118 Pujols will be a free agent at the age of 32. I'm guessing he might have a few good years left in him then. :)

After watching Pujols this year, I'm starting to wonder about what Ron Shandler (in analyzing his early-career stats) suggested long ago: Pujols might be older than he claims. Of course, if that were the case, I'm not so sure he'd have a few good years left at "32." MLB has allegedly cracked down on this, but then again, they've said they've done the same with performance enhancing drugs :)

On second thought, the latter "crackdown" might help Pujols deal more effectively with the former "breakdown" :)

Well, we didn't really need an outfielder, unless you guys wanted to play Pena over Matt Kemp. And take Kemp's roster spot.

150 Kind of like an It's-It?

152 Colletti did come from the Giants, who generally hate spending money on the draft. Where were the Giants on that list?

122
You asked

I defended Ned in the past because it was usually a pile on, but with Bhsportsguy now doing the job on a daily basis I can be part of the pile on:)

I'm not happy with Ned but I wasn't happy with Depodesta either. Depo did some good things and I was on his bandwagon right up until he signed Gagne and Izzy to extensions at the height of their value and cut his own throat by giving Tracy a one year extension. I don't think he made a decision after that, that I agreed with. Given how hot he was for Navarro and how hard he tried to trade for Eric Duncan I'm not sure that he would have made the right decisions when it came to our kids and which ones to keep.

The difference is that I don't expect Ned to make the right decision and I'm sometimes pleasantly surprised when he does(Furcal) while I expected Depodesta to make the right decision and when he didn't I felt disappointment. After about the same tenure I think I was more disappointed in Depodestas moves then I've been in Ned's since I expected more from him. Still Depo should have been given at least 3 years and probably 4 to find out if he learned on the job or was in over his head.

I still think given time that Evans would have been a solid GM. He made plenty of mistakes but no more then his future replacements. After four years of his replacements I see no evidence that Dan Evans couldn't have done the same job.

156
They had to be high since the signed all 3 of their 1st round picks.

155
Since It's It ice cream sandwiches are from San Francisco, they should not be sold in Dodger Stadium.

Or in any place south of San Luis Obispo.

http://www.itsiticecream.com/

154 I wasn't specifically requiring we get Pena (though we would get some young, cheap power that Ned claims is so hard to find), just for once I'd like us to take a chance on a guy with some upside at no cost.

I think the only similar thing Ned has done in his two years is get Chin-Hui Tsao.

153
It is not like Pujols came over on a raft. He was playing local ball in Kansas City. How many guys after 9/11 are playing under the wrong age today?

"MLB has allegedly cracked down on this, but then again, they've said they've done the same with performance enhancing drugs"

And is there any reason to believe either statement is untrue?

---
The Giants spent the sixth-highest amount of any team on the draft. Perhaps Colletti himself was the one influencing them to write off the draft year after year?

160 You'd have to say Saito was another one, despite his age.

163 True, but it could be argued that he didn't have all that much evident upside to begin with. 36 year old Japanese middle reliever? Sign me up.

Even Ned couldn't have believed in him all that much initially, since he started his career in Vegas.

So we're near the bottom with teams spent on the draft, we don't sign Blair, and we don't make any big international signings. We really couldn't fork over 1.5 for Blair? We didn't have a Porecello to save up for and the money isn't going to the next JtD. I'm very upset with this.

162 And is there any reason to believe either statement is untrue?

I think that both of these statements can be true: MLB has indeed "cracked down" -- and both of these phenomena still take place.

On drugs, I find the Victor Conte interviews too compelling to think otherwise.

On age alteration, I actually played with a handful of Dominican teammates who told me once (on a long bus trip) all about how and how frequently it was done by desperate families who were understandably eager to improve their son's "prospectiness" (as Colbert might put it).

A fascinating road trip, to be sure.

159 Fine with me. More for us to love up here! Those are delicious. Of course, as someone with more and more issues with lactose intolerance, I occasionally try non-dairy ice cream, and now that there are some kinds that actually don't suck, was pleased to find a Rice Dream version of It's-Its that is actually quite tasty (if still not the same). Maggie Mudd's in SF makes the best soy ice cream I've ever had, tastes as good as ice cream.
---
Every time I see the name Porcello it makes me think we're talking about a type of mushroom.

146 Make your own coola-cool...get 2 big Mrs. Fields chocalate chip cookies and sandwich it with a heaping scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream, spread it evenly and enjoy the sugar rush!

According to Kevin Goldstein's article today, spending in the first round went up despite the fact recommended slot bonus went down. Even more concerning, most picks got less than their 2006 counterparts, so it appears that the draft is being separated into teams willing to spend money on top talent, and those that aren't.

I'm guessing the former group will be the ones dominating the league in a few years.

mlb baseball should divide teams into two leagues

Teams that aren't scared of Selig

Teams that bend over for Selig

I'm probably on the verge of violating rule #8 but this frustration has been building up over quite some time now and it seems the Blair situation popped that bubble.

I know that number one were hoping for Dodger victories this weekend but how about number two. Do we want Atlanta to win to revive our slim NL West hopes or for Arizona to win so that we narrow the gap against Atlanta for the WC?

With numerous teams ignoring Selig, I'm guessing the odds that Mark Cuban becomes a baseball owner have become lower (even though they were already so low). It's really too bad.

162 I'm guessing the Giants now are willing to spend money because the old build around Bonds strategy is starting to fall apart. I'm guessing Colletti has some effect on draft spending, but who knows how much. Still, spending 1/3 of Pierre's annnual salary on the draft is a disgrace.

And just out of curiosity, why does ½ and ¼ seem to work but the others don't?

Chris Ray underwent TJ, so now Baez is the Orioles' closer for the rest of the season!

*Since It's It ice cream sandwiches are from San Francisco, they should not be sold in Dodger Stadium.

Or in any place south of San Luis Obispo.*

Bob, this obsessive dislike of San Francisco may be the wedge that comes between us. It's It ice cream sandwiches are exactly what should be sold at Dodger Stadium. Don't stand between me and my favorite ice cream sandwich, Bob.

172 I think you always have to hope for the division, right? Until the WC is our only option, we gotta try to win the West. Of course, we need to try for a sweep regardless.

Sweeney starting at 1B tonight.

Tonight's lineup:

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Sweeney, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Martin, C
Ethier, RF
Hillenbrand, 3B
Stults, P

Ummmm.....

I guess I never thought we would have an infield that didn't include Nomar, Loney, Betemit, Abreu, or LaRoche at any point this season. I stand corrected. Too bad we aren't sitting Kent and starting Lucille II.

Why don't we just go with this?

Repko, CF
Lucille II, SS
Saenz, 3B
Lieberthal, C
Hillenbrand, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Sweeney, 1B
Penny, RF
Honeycutt, P

173 They aren't defined in whatever encoding system you're using. Every character you see needs to be predefined in somewhere, so whoever did this system only made the 1/2 and 1/4 characters.

And seriously, Sweeney third?

Sweeney and Hillenbrand together depresses me. One, okay, but not both. Guess Loney needed a rest? When was his last day off? At least Kent's swinging the bat a lot better now. Gonzo should really only get 2-3 starts out of 7 now, imho.

180 Because we all know that we need to stick a righty between Sweeney and Gonzo.

180 Hm, I wonder if Honeycutt's breaking pitch still works? Why not!

183 I think I just offended some people nearby with my moronic laughter. Such a great 1up.

Now this is funny:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293625,00.html

184 As long as he can get the tack on the ball.

Add Sweeney batting 3rd to the list of Lineup Crimes Against Humanity with Marlon Anderson DH, Saenz post-cliff dive batting 3rd and Martinez starting ever. I'm taking a Dodger day off. (that last line to be sung to "we're taking the afternoon off.")

Todays lineup looks like a white flag. Stults gets screwed before he even throws a pitch.

Jose Reyes is so great.

I thought, "maybe Sweeney owns Fogg", but no, just 1-4. Then I see LuGo is 1-16, a single. Hmmmm. I don't get it. Neither Loney or Kemp have faced Fogg. Given the lefthanded hit .300 career vs. Fogg, I'd like the chances of Loney breaking out of his slump against him.

BTW, Kent does own Fogg:
13-27, 4 2B, 5 HR, 1 BB, .481, .483, 1.185, 1.668

Pierre v. Fogg:
13-27, 2 2B, 1 BB, .481, .500, .556, 1.056,

Furcal:
5-18, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, .278, .316, .778, 1.094
(must be one HBP also)

Everyone else has extremely small samples sizes (as if these weren't small enough.)

Loney has stunk the last two months, but c'mon.

Mark Sweeney/Shea Hillenbrand on the corners just screams "SF Giants".

Not even bhsportsguy can defend this.

God, I hope Kemp isn't "day-to-day" with his knee tweaked from last night.

192 "Loney has stunk the last two months, but c'mon."

Yes he has stunk over the last two months. Stunk to the tune of .307/.360/.458.

Mark Sweeney actually made the start in the 3 hole at 1B once for the Giants this year. They won 13-0. das411 might remember.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI200706010.shtml

Perhaps Little wanted to give Loney a rest. I doubt it's anything sinister, but that's never stopped people here before from doing such things.

I don't really like this line up all that much either, but I have to say there's a little bit of overreaction to it going on, too. It's not like it's a line-up full of incapable hitters. It just doesn't have enough of the young guys we want to be in there every day. It's one game. (And I kind of thought Kemp would be given the day off because his knee was pretty bruised up, supposedly.) But, whatever. If the line-up's the same the next two days, then I'll revolt, too.

186 That guy's on a roll, filing a complaint against LeBron et al. yesterday for 83 billion. Looking him up on Wikipedia, he's been trying this for awhile, starting with a suit last year against George Bush, Paris Hilton, Mt. Rushmore, the Ming Dynasty, the planet Pluto, and numerous others (the list of defendants took 56 pages).

182 Loney was off on 8/3, 8/6 was an off day, and on 8/9 he came in in the 7th and finished the game. That's enough off time for the kid!

He's 10-49 in August, 2-15 this homestand. That's a bit of a slump, but Sweeney?

Given that Grady is forced by necessity to start Hillenbrand (or Lucille II), there is no reason to get creative to start Sweeney also.

First, on the amount spent on the draft, Dodgers spent more money last year on their first three picks, than they did for the first 10 rounds in the 2007 draft.

Why, because they had a two first round picks, including the 7th pick, and the first pick in the supplemental round.

This year, they had one pick in each round and it was in the latter third of the draft, thereby short of taking a shot at talent they may have fallen due to certain issues like signability, its no surprise that they would have paid bonuses toward the bottom of the teams for this draft.

Now, let's say they draft a player in the 5th round that was a 5th round player, they are still going to be in the bottom half of the amount of spent because every pick they signed was signed at slot level.

John Manuel said in today's chat, that he belives that Blair turned down 1.1 million because he wanted 1.35 million (same amount Withrow signed for). Again, if that is the case, I'm not sure what everyone wants White to do, its his call, if they are already going over slot (by about a million), I don't think McCourt is telling him don't spend the other 250K, its White holding firm on what he believes the player is worth. Again that is what he gets paid to do.

BTW - last year, Kyle Orr signed for $435,000 as a 4th Round pick, which was 165K more than was recommended for that slot.

192 It could just be a routine night off.

I think Grady Little has tied James Loney to the gold line tracks and is waiting to get Matt Kemp when he comes to Loney's rescue.

You should the mustache he's sporting these days.

Is James Loney is 'resting', what is Russ Martin doing?

198 the planet Pluto

Has no one told him?

197 It's not the lineup I would choose to start a series against the team immediately above me in both the division and wild-card standings.

Well, Stults is a lefty; maybe there won't be many right-side grounder into what I presume to be the maw between the rosebush and the professional pinch-hitter.

Aww great. The one rare game they show on KCAL and I get to see, Grady decides to put together a spring training lineup.

202
Which part of the Gold Line tracks? The Heritage Square stop has a nice backdrop.

The Lake Avenue stop is not so nice.

200 "I'm not sure what everyone wants White to do, its his call."

If this were truly the case, I wouldn't have as much of a problem with it. But nobody has made a remotely convincing case that it's actually White making the decision. And don't cite his quotes as proof that it's his call, because he wants to keep his job, which means he would be giving those quotes whether it was him or Colletti or McCourt making the decision.

White is a guy who has always tended to be very passionate about the guys he drafts. I have to believe that if he didn't think Blair was worth 1.3 million, then he wouldn't have wasted a fifth round pick on him knowing that those were his demands. Same with Hochevar -- I have to think that he badly wanted to sign Hochevar but was not allowed to by the bosses.

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck... etc etc. And it appears for all the world like the Dodger ownership is reluctant to incur Selig's wrath by giving above-slot bonuses. Kyle Orr is an exception, yes, but a very mild one.

205 Well I totally agree with you about Loney vs. Sweeney, don't get that move at all unless there's something about Sweeney's history vs the Rockies' pitcher I'm missing. I'd almost rather have Sweeney in over Hillenbrand, but God not both. Maybe Stults' starting affected the line-up too? I guess I just don't think this a tragic line-up either. But yeah, Loney should be in there. At least it's not Saenz!

209 unless there's something about Sweeney's history vs the Rockies' pitcher I'm missing
See 191 . 4 AB, 1 single, 1 K - what's to miss?

That lineup... Ugh.
If you had told me in March this would be our Aug. 17 lineup, I would've thought we were 20 games out.
And a meteor had flattened Las Vegas.

Grady wanted to put Stults in a position to succeed

208 I still think the Hochevar deal is a bad example because they made an offer that way beyond slot, no one disagrees that they offered just under 3 million and then all the mess happened. Than White was insulted by both Hochevar and Boras so what were the Dodgers supposed do, especially when Boras implied he was only going to deal with DePodesta after all that happened.

I have hesitated putting this in because it is still unclear what these quotes mean but take it for what it is worth.

Tim Hallgren, the director of amateur scouting, explains, "It came down to (Chris) Withrow and Blair. We liked them both and debated. We knew we could sign Blair for first-round money but we thought that Withrow had a tick more upside so we went with him.

"There was no point in taking Blair in the supplemental round because we knew he wouldn't sign for slot money there. As the draft went on we thought that maybe some team that spends a lot of money like the Red Sox might take him but they didn't. The fifth round was the final round the first day of the draft, if you remember, so when it got there, we decided to take him and see what happens."

207

I live right near the Lake Ave stop and it is crazy loud down there. I definitely prefer the Memorial Park if I don't mind the walk.

214 I used to live by what was going to be the Lake ave stop. On Catalina and Villa. You anywhere by there?

Japan's Ambassador to the US on MASN being interviewed at the Nats/Mets game right now.

If we put in our best line-up like:
Furcal
Ethier
Loney
Kent
Kemp
Martin
LaRoche
Pierre
Grady is probably thinking, that Stults will get lackadasical with the offensive support he'll get. Put in your 'C+' line-up and Eric will have to be sharp tonite. It's a psychological thing, or just plain psycho?

Dodger Sims: "The Rockies/Dodgers game will be simulated again due to major lineup changes by the LAD."

Positive thinking is called for here.

Two games in a row! We're going to the World Series!

217
You know Steve Phillips actually believes in that theory.

219 Grady has a hunch, just like Lasorda did with Vic Davalillo on May 30, 1978.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN197805300.shtml

219
Serenity now!

36 straight shutout innings for Webb.

i'm just glad you were at the game last night, Bob...to get things rolling.

220 Gee thanks Bob, that makes me feel better, to think Steve and I think a like...guess I'll be canned from my current job in due time.

223 - Wow.

NPUT

Doesnt' Orel holds the rcord for this?

Ervin Santana is having an interesting game so far and it's on FSN West in LA if you like watching interesting games.

Nevermind guess I jinxed it since it was broken up right away by old friend JD Drew

228 Princess Drew just made it not so interesting

227 - yes, I believe it's 59-1/3 1988 through the first few innings of 1989.