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7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
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Originally published September 11, 2003
Twenty years ago today, Dodger Stadium hosted its greatest game.
It began swathed in bright blue skies and triple-digit temperatures. When it ended, 228 crazy brilliant minutes later, shadows palmed most of the playing field, and every Dodger fan who witnessed the spectacle found themselves near joyous collapse.
The game was between the Dodgers of Steve Sax and Pedro Guerrero, of Greg Brock and Mike Marshall ... and the Braves of Dale Murphy, of Bruce Benedict, of Brad Komminsk.
In the end, however, it came down to one man. A rookie named R.J. Reynolds.
A Brave Battle
Los Angeles entered the game with a two-game lead in the National League Western Division over Atlanta. Their battle for the division crown came a year after a near-epic contest in which the Dodgers rallied from a 10 1/2-game deficit to the Braves in 12 days and took the lead, only to falter and have a home run by the Giants' Joe Morgan off Terry Forster knock them out on the final day of the season.
On September 11, 1983, coming off an extra-inning loss to Atlanta the night before, Los Angeles took the field behind starting pitcher Rick Honeycutt, making his fifth start for the team since being acquired from Texas in exchange for Dave Stewart, a player to be named later and $200,000. (Supplementary information in this article courtesy of Retrosheet.)
After a scoreless first inning, the Dodgers tallied two runs in the second off Braves starter Len Barker. With two out, catcher Jack Fimple, near the height of his brief but shining heyday as a fan favorite, doubled home Brock and Marshall.
Murphy brickwalled the Dodger momentum in the next inning, displaying the form that left his contemporaries certain he would become a Hall of Famer. In the top of the inning, Murphy hit a three-run home run, his 32nd of the season. In the bottom of the inning, he crashed into the center-field wall, glove extended above and beyond it, to rob Guerrero of a two-run homer.
Stunned at the end of the third, the crowd had no idea that the frenzy was only beginning.
Four on the Floor
With the kind of mathematical symmetry normally found in Schoolhouse Rock cartoons, the Dodgers used four pitchers in the fourth.
Honeycutt got the first two batters out in the top of the fourth, but then gave up back-to-back singles to Jerry Royster and Rafael Ramirez. Having seen his starting pitcher allow seven hits, two walks and a hit batsman in 3 2/3 innings, and with Murphy again at the plate, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda brought in Pat Zachry.
Ramirez stole second base, and then Zachry walked Murphy.
With the bases loaded, Lasorda made another move, bringing lefthander Rich Rodas - in his second major league game - to face Chris Chambliss with the bases loaded.
Rodas walked Chambliss to force in the Braves' fourth run, then allowed a two-run single to Komminsk that made the score 6-2 Braves.
The fourth Dodger pitcher of the inning came in ... a young, young-looking guy by the name of Orel Hershiser. Compared to Rodas, Hershiser was a veteran. This was the Bulldog-to-be's third major-league game. To the naked eye, Lasorda was trying to win the way Buttermaker relied on Ogilvie and Miguel in The Bad News Bears.
Hershiser loaded the bases again with a walk to Benedict. The ninth batter of the inning, third baseman (no-not-that) Randy Johnson, came up with a chance to bury the Dodgers, but popped out to his hot corner counterpart Guerrero to end the top of the fourth.
The score stayed at 6-2 for two more innings. Marshall and Brock, who combined to reach base seven times in this game, led off the bottom of the fourth with singles. Reynolds, however, grounded into a double play. Fimple followed with a walk off Barker, but future Braves hero Sid Bream grounded out batting for Hershiser.
Burt Hooton, a longtime Dodger starter who went to the bullpen shortly after the acquisition of Honeycutt, became the team's fifth pitcher in the fifth. The teams gave the fans a breather with an uneventful inning, and Hooton retired the Braves in order in the top of the sixth.
Then the surreal moment arrived.
No, You're Not Even Warm
After Marshall flew out to open the bottom of the sixth, Brock walked, Reynolds singled him to second, and the Midas behind the recent Yankee dynasty, Atlanta manager Joe Torre, replaced Barker with Tommy Boggs.
Rick Monday, his heroic days behind him, batted for Fimple and was called out on strikes for the second out. But Ken Landreaux, the Dodgers' regular center fielder, pinch-hit for Hooton and walked to load the bases.
Torre went to the mound and signaled for a pitcher to replace Boggs. None other than Terry Forster - the fall guy of 1982 - emerged from the right-field bullpen.
But then a strange thing happened. Torre signaled again - for a right-handed pitcher.
The strange thing was not that Torre wanted a righty to face Sax. It was that he wanted a righty when none had been warming up.
On the telecast, Vin Scully reported that Tony Brizzolara had warmed up earlier in the game, but in this inning, it had clearly been Forster who was backing up Boggs. Brizzolara had been cooling off for some time.
As a puzzled Forster stood on the edge of the warning track and the outfield grass, looking back and forth between the mound and the bullpen, Torre insisted that Brizzolara come in to face Sax.
In Brizzolara came. He threw four pitches to Sax - in the dirt, low, low and high. In the Dodgers' third run came, and out went Torre to replace Brizzolara with Forster.
Atlanta was rattled, a thespian who had forgotten his lines on Broadway, but Los Angeles got the minimum out of the comedy, as shortstop Bill Russell struck out against Forster and left the bases loaded.
Joe Beckwith, the losing pitcher in the previous night's game, laid anchor for the Dodger bullpen, throwing three innings and scattering two singles and a walk. Meanwhile, the mythic Donnie Moore provided a dose of calm for the Braves, retiring the Dodger side in order in the seventh and the eighth.
And then came the bottom of the ninth.
With a Flick of the Wrists, It Begins
Jose Morales, 38 years and 116 pinch hits old, led off, batting for Beckwith. Against a change from Moore, Morales' off-balance swing, arms well behind his hips, wrists trailing his arms, presaged Kirk Gibson's flick at the backdoor slider from Dennis Eckersley five years and one month later. Morales' ball flew into the left-field corner, and Morales easily won a battle of his old legs and Brett Butler's weak arm, cruising into second with a stand-up double, and giving the master improvisationalist, Scully, his modest opening line ...
He just kind of felt for the ball.
Dave Anderson entered the game to run for Morales. As Sax batted (with S. Sax on the back of his uniform, to distinguish himself from his brother Dave for the easily confused), the television camera found a much-in-need-of-SlimFast Lasorda, sitting near Dodger coach Monty Basgall.
Lasorda, Basgall dying a little bit in the Dodger dugout. Tommy's not feeling well anyway. He's got a cold for about a month.
Gene Garber, sporting the kind of beard you just don't see ballplayers wear anymore, was warming up in the bullpen as Moore went 3-1 to Sax. One inside pitch later, Torre was out of the dugout with a hook for Moore. As Moore, the victim of a devastating playoff home run in October 1986, left the game, Tom Niedenfuer, his October 1983 counterpart, began warming up for in the Dodger bullpen for the 10th inning.
Russell, sporting the kind of physique you just don't see ballplayers compete with anymore, then struck out in his second consecutive critical at-bat.
Dusty Baker, in his last season with the Dodgers before his acrimonious departure, was the batter with one out and two on. Even Baker, with more than 200 career home runs, was thin back then.
Baker swung and missed at Garber's sidearm delivery, then took one low and outside. On the 1-1 pitch, Baker hit a pop fly that fell between second baseman Royster and right-fielder Claudell Washington, a defensive replacement for Komminsk. The bases were loaded with the tying runs.
This crowd is on its feet and pleading. They're all getting up. It is that time of day. Never mind the seventh-inning stretch. This is the wire.
Cecil Espy came in to run for Baker, and Guerrero came up to the plate. His at-bat took more than six minutes.
'This Is Hanging Time'
Guerrero swung and missed at the first pitch, took one low and outside, then hit a grounder just foul.
Boy, what an exhausting finish to a long afternoon at the ballpark. Well, it figured the Dodgers and the Braves are gonna put you through the ringer, right down to the last day. So naturally, they do it right down to the last minute.
Guerrero took one low, evening the count, 2-2. Then he grounded one by third base, just foul.
The table is set and the big man is in the chair.
Pitch No. 6 of the at-bat was six inches off the ground, outside - and still fouled off by Guerrero.
Boy, he was late. He just did get a piece of that. After you get that palmball trickery of Garber ... it was almost in Benedict's mitt.
No. 7: another grounder, just foul.
And the tension remains ...
With Garber about to throw the eighth pitch, Guerrero stepped out at the last moment and called time. Vinny, laughing:
Oh yeah, these are tough to take, I tell you what. Guerrero just had to back out. I mean, this is hanging time. Woo!
Garber bounced the resin bag back and forth on the front and back of his right hand. Guerrero stepped back in, and Garber threw. Low - ball three.
It is almost too much to take ...
Guerrero went back in for the ninth pitch of the at-bat, then called time again.
You can just imagine the pressure - you'd have to be a block of wood not to feel it.
Here came the pitch. Two feet outside. Guerrero flung the bat away backhanded and strutted to first base.
Anderson scored the first run of the inning, cutting the Braves' lead to 6-4. The ballpark shadows have just reached Garber. Third-base coach Joe Amalfitano counseled the next batter, Marshall.
Garber slipped on his right foot in delivering the first pitch outside for ball one. The next pitch was outside as well.
Marshall then hit a long drive to right. Washington, with his glove on his right hand, went toward the wall with his back to the right-field stands. But the ball was slicing behind him, and Washington turned his body 180 degrees to try to find and catch the ball in the late-afternoon sun.
It didn't take. The drive landed right at the base of the wall. Murphy, coming over to back up the play, nearly collided with Washington as the latter threw the ball back. Two runs scored on Marshall's double - tying the game at 6 - but Guerrero was held at third. On-deck hitter Brock stood near home plate, raising his hands behind his head like he thought Guerrero could have scored, but the replay showed that Amalfitano probably was wise to hold Guerrero.
With the winning run on third and first base open, Brock was walked intentionally - the first wide one barely snagged by a staggering Benedict.
The batter will be the kid, R.J. Reynolds, with a chance to win it.
Holding Back to the Last Second
Reynolds stood at home, looking at Amalfitano, and stretched the bat over both his shoulders.
And now, with the bases loaded, the infield is up, the outfield looks like a softball game, and the batter is R.J. Reynolds.
The first pitch is outside. Reynolds looked at Amalfitano again.
Gene Garber is battling to stay afloat.
If this was a game of Bad News Bears moments, this was Ahmad's.
Reynolds didn't give it away. In slow motion, the bat doesn't even start to come off Reynolds' shoulder until Garber's pitching arm is all the way back.
But then ... Reynolds' left hand finds the barrel of the bat. He lays the bat forward, relaxedly, at a slight downward diagonal pointing below his waist, then corrects it to a straight horizontal line to meet the ball.
Reynolds pauses a millisecond to watch. Garber's follow-through carries him toward the third-base side of the mound, but the bunt rolls toward the first base side.
The SQUEEZE! And here comes the run!!
By the time Garber reverses field and lunges for the ball, Guerrero is 15 feet away from home plate. Before Garber is even upright, Guerrero touches home, banging his hands together in exultation.
He squeezed it in!
Backs of jerseys from our past - Yeager, Thomas, Maldonado, Landestoy, Rivera - come out to rain congratulations on Guerrero. Lasorda risks smothering Reynolds in a headlock.
By the way, if you are keeping score in this madhouse, not only did R.J. squeeze, he got a base hit and an RBI. And Guerrero brought the winning run home. BEDLAM at Dodger Stadium.
Replays and images of celebrations pass in front of us for several seconds, without comentary - you know this is Vinny's way, to let the moment be the moment. We catch Ross Porter, in short-sleeved shirt and tie, is in the dugout to prepare to interview Reynolds.
Finally, Vin is ready to speak again.
The pictures told it all. There isn't any way I could improve on the picture. What a story. The squeeze in the ninth. The Dodgers score four times and pull it out and beat the Braves, 7 to 6. They show the squeeze on Diamond Vision and the crowd, EUPHORIC in its joy, roars again.
R.J. Reynolds has put the Dodgers in the right direction.
And so he had. The victory put the Dodgers three games up in the NL West, and three games up in the NL West is how the Dodgers finished the 1983 season.
Reynolds was a hero. A baseball hero, at least.
And a game for the ages, a game worth remembering, I hope, even on the saddest of anniversaries, was over.
I always resepected the Braves. Sometimes not so much the slightly younger than me crowd that fancied themselves as Braves "fans" but that didn't know what Beaneater meant or why as a Dodger fan I knew something about the Braves.
Oh yeah, thanks again Jon for the memories of this game. I never saw it, as I was 7 at the time and didn't start to follow the team until 1985 in full force. This paints a picture well.
Phila Inquirer notes:
>>
Manager Charlie Manuel said that even with Victorino and Bourn available, he plans to keep playing Jayson Werth, who has hit .384 with three home runs and 26 RBIs in 36 games since July 30.
Manuel said he likely would play Werth against lefthanded pitchers.
Werth entered the season with three years, 102 days of big-league service time, which is not enough to qualify for free agency. He will be back next season unless the Phillies are not interested. They most likely will be interested.
General manager Pat "Gillick always liked him," Manuel said. "I've always liked his talent. Where he is right now . . . I think he definitely has a future for us. I don't think we brought him here for just one year."
<<
Nomar Garciaparra is back from the DL, but that doesn't change the fact that he hasn't hit all season. James Loney and Matt Kemp continue to produce, and Esteban Loaiza has already been an asset. Also, Chad Billingsley has notched four straight quality starts and lowered his ERA to 3.22 in the process. What's working against the Dodgers right now, however, is the schedule: they're about to play 16 straight against the Padres, Diamondbacks and Rockies. With a stretch like that ahead, it's going to be difficult to make up the necessary ground.
It's getting close to the equivalent of trying to draw on an inside straight.
That doesn't make sense. Playing SD, AZ, and CO head on is the easiest way to make up ground. Win and you're in.
Better than having to root for teams like Cincy and Florida to help out.
"The games that are the most important are the games that will put you on the verge of elimination," second baseman Jeff Kent said. "I don't think that that's coming this week. It frustrates me that it gets amped so much like that.
"It's going to be important for us to play consistent baseball without being emotionally involved."
This kind of talk frustrates me. The old veteran adage of "don't get too high, don't get too low" may apply over the course of a long season, but not now.
Right, Jeff. Let's wait until we are on the verge of elimination before we consider the games important.
It's time to get pumped and stay pumped for the rest of the season. We drop the next two series - we're pretty much done.
LA would have to go 12-7 to tie.
Philly would have to 11-8 to tie.
She's OK. Someone else isn't.
16 - "I don't think that's coming this week"... um, Jeff, you have three against the Padres and three against the Diamondbacks. Anything less than a 4-2 run this week and you are likely out of the playoffs. I would say this is being on the verge of elimination.
Our odds right now, in Hold'em terms, are like holding pocket nines and being all in preflop against pocket aces.
Of course, now that I put it that way, our odds don't seem very good at all.
He's just trying to take some pressure off the kids. Just play within yourself and good things will happen. I'm actually glad that Kent is showing some leadership. From a fans point these are do or die games but a player can't be so pumped that he's unable to perform, this isn't football where you can just channel that energy into physicality and knock the snot out of someone. Baseball is more elevated then that, it takes a relaxed energy.JMO
8
That really sound moronic to me regarding the schedule.
I'd say the Dodgers chances, given the remaining schedule, are a little bit closer to having a flush draw and a gut shot straight draw - about 24% or so. Not great, but just enough to call the bet on the flop.
In a way, we sort of control our own destiny. If the Dodgers sweep those nine games, who wouldn't like our chances to see October?
Dayn Perry: Usually smart. Not this time.
Of course, all she recalls was that it was hot and that we moved back under the shade (we were sitting first base side field level) for the latter innings of the game.
Of course, it would take a bigger miracle to sweep those nine games.
All this veteran talk and all... for the Dodgers to have a realistic chance, they need to go something like 6-3 in these nine games, or it is going to be tough to make it.
I just wonder what Kirk Gibson and Mickey Hatcher would say right about now. I've got a soft spot for the kind of leadership they provided.
Gibson: $#^&@^$ win, @#&$(&# NOW!
Hatcher: $#@(&$ win, @($&%# stop whining.
Gibson: @*$&%(# eye black!
Sure, but it has to be a controlled emotion that gets unleashed when you've succeeded.
I'm not saying I want a clubhouse of stoic Jeff Kent's, I just don't want them thinking every at bat is going to make or break the season.
My sense is that championship teams pick it up when it counts. Obviously, they shouldn't be so tight that they can't perform, but at the same time the circumstances now are undeniably different than the average June game.
I like the rah-rah. Now or never, boys. Time to face it and achieve.
I was hoping on seeing LaRoche get a chance to "own" Peavy.
Jon, that writeup makes me wish I was in the habit of keeping daily journals so I'd know whether I watched any part of that game. I know where I worked and I know that TBS was available on the tube there, and I know that my boss was as much a Dodgers fan as I was, so I'd like to think we sat on the couch in the bar at the Honolulu Club in disbelief watching all that transpire, but I just don't remember.
What a game, anyway, and what a good job of memorializing it.
368/500/737/1.237
Limited at bats but he does own him.
43 Is "Shea!" the new curse word?
McDonald, Blue Jays agree to $3.8 million, 2-year extension
September 11, 2007
TORONTO (AP) -- Shortstop John McDonald and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed Tuesday to a $3.8 million, two-year contract extension through the 2009 season.
McDonald began Tuesday with a .252 batting average, 16 doubles and 28 RBIs, and his .985 fielding percentage led AL shortstop who had played 100 or more innings.
He has a $750,000 base salary this season, earned $25,000 in performance bonuses and entered Tuesday needing five more starts to get another $25,000. He would have been eligible for free agency after the World Series.
The "this ain't football" quote is generally attributed to Earl Weaver.
"I am pleased to announce that we will be launching BasketballProspectus.com in the first half of October. BasketballProspectus.com's initial focus will be on men's college basketball. We have been able to secure some of the top names in the industry to participate in the project, including Ken Pomeroy, proprietor of kenpom.com and creator of the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings."
Ken Pomeroy and Prospectus combined? Sign me up.
This is a Red Alert.
Looked at those odds for the first time today, and realized this is one of the least interesting stretch runs in quite a while, league-wide.
In the AL, only Detroit has a puncher's chance of knocking out any of the current playoff leaders, and they could really only take out the Yanks.
In the NL, the D-backs and Mets are near locks, leaving essentially two races that are realistically competitive--the Cubs/Brewers fight, and the wild card, which the Padres are looking very good to win, with the Phils and then Dodgers hoping and praying. Seems possible the last two weeks of baseball could be playing out the string for everyone outside of Milwaukee and Chicago.
Has there been a point since the invention of the wild card when this few teams have been really battling for a playoff spot?
David Murphy is the outfielder on Texas, who used to be on Boston. Donnie Murphy is the infielder on Oakland and probably much of the time, Oakland fans wish he weren't playing so much.
This must be harder than it sounds.
Nice. Ken has really interesting research. Though, I went against his predictions and defensive stats and picked UCLA to beat Kansas, which ended up being the right choice.
Even if all the stats said to pick Kansas to win the national title, I still can't see Bill Self leading a team to the championship.
We appear to have a Wild and Crazy Kennedy Center Honoree: http://tinyurl.com/2gbbe8
And also one Who Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
Rangers 11, Tigers 0
Now
Rangers 11, Tigers 5
all right, who signed Paul Shuey??
Stand down.
Lineout
Home Run
Home Run
Groundout
Walk
Wild Pitch
From Phil Gordon, Rule of 4s and 2s.
If you need 1 card for a flush and there 9 live cards, then you have a 36% chance to draw the card in the next 2 cards. However if you miss on the turn, you only have an 18% chance to draw on the river (approximately).
So if you are drawing to an inside straight (4 live cards) then you only have a 1 in 6 chance on the last two cards and less than a 1 in 10 chance on the river.
Of course sometimes you can have flush, straight and even better pair draws that can take you to extremly good odds to draw a better hand. Flush draw (9 cards), open ended straight (6 cards), high pair (if you have two overcards, 6 more cards, that is 21 potential cards to draw a better hand.
That situation rarely happens and you can still lose but remember the rule of 4 and 2 for those quick calculations.
Lineout
Home Run
Home Run
Groundout
Walk
Wild Pitch
Wild Pitch
Strikeout
Double
Walk
Just wondering really, I would hope the conference isn't taken by the idea of a football conference championship game like all the other conferences have.
Colorado and UNLV.
86 - probably the best football and basketball programs available, makes sense.
I mean, under the table.
Yes, because soon we will only have a few major conferences that control everything and the Pac-10 will grab the top schools that are in the west.
I could see Hawaii or BYU getting invited to join. Not UNLV, though.
Fresno State has been in the NIT recently. They are also a decent baseball school.
Fresno State has been ravaged by scandal in both basketball programs, even moreso after Tarkanian left than when he was there.
Basketball does not drive this at all. It is all about football, that is where the money is.
I am getting this all from insider info and he says that Big 12 would not care if they lose Colorado, because they make get Arkansas.
For some of us, our intelligence is far more subtle. So subtle, in fact, that it's apparent only to ourselves.
33 Hatcher's would be more like "Why are you &^&%## taking so many %$@^%$#&%^$ pitches??
Under NCAA rules you cannot have a conference championship game with anything less than 12 teams for football.
You could have a conference made up of:
BYU
Utah
Nevada
UNLV
New Mexico
UTEP
Boise State
Fresno State
Hawai'i
TCU
which could probably be competitive as a BCS league.
Probably because they have the best city outside of Austin in the big 12 and the fact they have been in the Big 12 Championship game in
2001/2002 - Won
2002/2003 - Lost
2004/2005 - Lost
2005/2006 - Lost
unless the Buffalo web site is full of hooey.
105 - basketball drives the Pac-10 and ACC more than any other conferences.
Because they can make more money in the Big 12, because they are a bigger power in that conference.
116
Actually, before the SEC came to power, the Pac-10 and Big 12 were the top dogs in football. Pac-10 has plenty of power in football.
Basketball in general, is just not worth the same money as football.
So if the Pac-10 added BYU and Utah, what would the divisions be?
LA-Arizona-Utah vs NoCal-Oregon-Washington?
The ACC and Big East are the conferences that may be in trouble, when the dominoes start to fall.
It actually has a 10,000-seat on-campus arena. The average crowd is probably around 5,000 for games against other WAC opponents, and since the Mountain West formed UH lost its most hated rival (BYU), not too many WAC teams are big draws.
It has one of the premier b-ball tournaments (Rainbow Classic).
Wallace gave way (was pushed out, a little) to Bob Nash, who was a member of the Fabulous Five teams of the early 1970s and has been an assistant coach at UH for 15 or 20 years.
I'm in favor of it joining the PAC-10 because travel would be so much simpler than it is now.
Also, there is the chance that if the Big 10 finally accepts that Notre Dame will never join a football conference, they may poach Missouri to have a conference championship game
They already have 11 schools and they kept the name Big-10.
Arizona-USC-Stanford-Oregon-Washington-Utah
Arizona State-UCLA-Cal-Oregon State-Washington State-BYU
Ricky Neuheisel Division
Washington
Washington St.
Oregon
Oregon St.
Utah
BYU
Colorado
Bruce Snyder Division
Arizona
Arizona St.
Cal
Stanford
UCLA
USC
Hawaii
Actually, I heard Florida State may leave to go to SEC.
It is really not advantageous for the Pac-10 to add Hawaii, BYU, or Utah. Those schools do not have large fan bases and do not make lots of money.
Except for the Florida schools and maybe VA Tech (which got pounded this past weekend) it is a BB conference. For most ACC folks football is something to pass the time until BB starts.
I did say that Washington State could get the boot. From what I was told, Oregon State makes money for the conference.
133. Florida State won't make the move, primarily because the SEC won't want them. Virginia Tech makes the most logical fit.
The dominoes are when then Pac-10, Big 12, Big 10, and SEC bring in new schools. The ACC and Big East would probably end up basketball conferences.
SEC has courted Florida State in the past. They want them.
I'm of the opinion, that in many of these states with large in-state rivalries, they want to keep the other school out of conference, otherwise, Louisville would make more sense for the SEC than anyone else.
That just seems odd, because they have a huge, rabid fan base. They generate a lot of money and their football staff is made up of hired guns that get paid a lot. I would assume they have a big budget.
So I just got my Season 3 DVD of The Office. I've only seen a couple of episodes therein, both of which were almost totally ruined by the presence of Ed Helms. Is this whole season going to completely suck?
18. The bidding on Beltre between teams was not a back-and-forth, can-you-top-this contest, according to DePodesta, but more of a blind auction. DePodesta told Boras to contact him when he was ready for their offer, and so he did. And ultimately, the Beltre camp liked Seattle's offer better.
Is it possible that there was a conflict of interest here between Boras and one of his clients (Beltre)? Beltre claims he desperately wanted to remain with the Dodgers and that after receiving Seattle's offer he waited for a counter offer from the Dodgers that never came. DePo claims there was no back-and-forth, that Boras received offers from each team and a decision was made between those two offers. Assuming both are telling the truth, isn't it possible that Boras' agenda was different than Beltre's. What if it was in his best interest to get the most money possible for both of his clients (and thus more money in Scott's pocket). The Dodgers were willing to sign either Beltre or Drew but not both. So the question is, if the Dodgers had signed Beltre was there another team out there ready to offer J.D. Drew $55 million at that time?
I had no Ed Helms opinion prior to this season, and I thought he was really funny.
And that was the offseason where Magglio received his 5 year, $75 mil deal, after a season far worse than Drew's, so I wouldn't be surprised if Drew had received $55 mil from someone else.
Also, I'm beginning to think my intelligence must be extremely subtle.
This presumes, as 147 noted, that there were no other teams willing to offer Drew a similar contract to what he was getting from the Dodgers.
But if you have never seen the movie, go rent it, its very cute and sweet.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=235
R. J. stepped to the plate in a crucial situation with the fate of his entire team seemingly in his hands, undertaking a risky procedure as dictated by his manager. And he succeeded. I continued to produce my little subroutines for inclusion into a product I didn't understand. Soon, I would be transferred to a different, younger team, replaced by an engineer with 15 years of software experience more suited to working with the lead to drive this project to closure. R. J., two years later, would find himself traded to a Pittsburgh team preparing to get younger (Bonds and Bonilla would appear as rookies the following season) for the 34-year old Bill Madlock who was more suited to provide proven veteran leadership and fill a need at third base, to help drive the Dodgers' 1985 season to semi-successful conclusion, first place in the NL West.
Ultimately, R.J. would have some average major league seasons and play in Japan and Mexico professionally. (Is he coaching somewhere now?) I plod along in my strange career, now one of those grizzled, veteran engineers, hoping that my team understands better the purpose of those subroutines they are writing for our product.
Well, this goes nowhere – but that's what the R. J. game got me thinking about. It was a great and memorable moment.
* But I don't remember if I watched or heard the game. Strange.
The league is also looking into their radio communication setup.
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Loney, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF
Martin, C
Ethier, RF
Nomar, 3B
Loaiza, P
That was the highlight of the Andy character, in my mind.
Yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying. It's like fingernails on the blackboard for me.
I thought Kemp had played his way into a regular gig. Instead we get the Old Farts 'R' Us lineup today. That's OK. I didn't really want to make the playoffs anyway.
Kemp has never faced Peavy.
Gonzalez has great career numbers (over 1.00 OPS in nearly 60 PAs) but this year he is 2 for 12.
This year, Nomar is 5 for 9 with a homer and Pierre is 3 for 6.
No one on the Padres has faced Loaiza that much, Bard is 2 for 3 with a home run.
(I'm not trying to bash Grady; I'm legitimately curious.)
LuGo has, by far, the most experience with Peavy 58 PAs, .353/.431/.686/1.117, 5 2B, 4HR, but his '07 contribution to that is 2-12, both singles.
they wanna spare us the bone head plays Hillenbrand makes, I'm actually very proud of Grady for that.
I looked through the archives at Phillies Thoughts, and in 1928 many of the commenters (including das411's grandfather, and Marty) felt similarly about a young 23-year-old named Chuck Klein, who couldn't crack the lineup regularly despite hitting .360/.396/.577 (a 148 OPS+). They were especially harsh on the manager for wearing a damn shirt & bow tie in the dugout!
http://tinyurl.com/2lurxe
The Dodgers are 3-0 at Dodger Stadium with me in attendance, outscoring the opposition 21-1. The only run the opposition has scored was on a solo HR by Bill Madlock off Bob Welch.
http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/#mea=150375
Yes. And come to think of it, I had gotten up to use the trough when Madlock hit the jack, so in the 3 games I've attended at DS I never actually saw the opposition score.
vr, Xei
The Dodgers' last game in 1950 ended after the Philadelphia Athletics finished playing so Shotton outlasted Connie Mack as the last man to not have to wear sanitary socks in the dugout.
Dodgers 6.0 Padres -5.8
Phillies -0.8 Rockies 0.9
Giants 0.6 D-Backs -0.5
Since August 13, 2006 (including playoffs):
Peavy: 2.67 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, .677 Win%
Loaiza: 3.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .727 Win%
Jon attended: 285-227 (.557)*
Jon didn't: 422-341 (.553)
*includes road games attended
We need Jon at the game tonight!
Stupid Jack Clark.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN198707220.shtml
I was at the game were Saenz had his last HORRAH against the Blue Birds, 10 inning affair, I'm actually pretty humbled that I was there now that I think about it.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN199507140.shtml
However, I was 7 and disliked baseball, so I could have cared less about them winning.
The last few years have been tough as they involved games against the Cardinals...
I'd guess my record is somewhere around .500, but I couldn't even begin to guess how many games it has been.
You just sparked a memory, the first game I could remember attending was in '85 & I remember Duncan hurt him self on a foul ball right on the tarp, I think it was a playoff game no less! & like you I didn't care for baseball all that much then.
Though his two hits were rally starting doubles.
I was crushed.
And while it still is too painful to talk about last weekend's series, I do feel justified in stating that S.F. broadcasts are muddy beyond all get out (thing early '80's VHS on very cheap tape), and furthermore have an orange cast to them. Ugly.
And if I hear Krukow say `meat' one more time, I will go vegan. Seriously. Spinach borne e-coli or no.
157 - That 5/$75 deal for Magglio looks a whole lot better now though, doesn't it?
171 - So the Rays' relative hotness is not a function of the current Oriole nosedive? Coolio!
* Game 5 ALCS, I had a basketball game so my cousin took both tickets. By the top of the 9th inning, he had worked his way down from the View section to the lower level and was ready to rush the field when the Angels got that third out.
We all know how that turned out.
I have not been to an Angel playoff game since 1986. Last year was the first Dodger playoff game I attended since 1978.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN198810040.shtml
I have no idea how to find out if those players were involved; I do know that's what happened in the ninth inning.
'Course, I've seen clips of Armstrong stepping off the lander onto the moon so many times that I'm sure I saw it live, even though I was on Guam in 1969 and there was no television there at all, at all.
On an automatic double, it's two bases for everybody no exception.
The umpires only have discretion in the case of fan interference.
There's a surprise.
The Angels are on a road trip to Baltimore and Chicago. They might be able to come home with a division title in their pocket.
Or at least a playoff spot.
But you can join my "Walk-off batted balls that would otherwise have been ground-rule doubles should be ruled ground-rule doubles" crusade without qualm.
First chuckle from a Neyer chat since his constance railing about Darin Erstad's contract.
When you think about it it actually does make a lot of sense.
But then again, you're only talking about the times when a time gets an automatic double with a runner on first. The rest of the time it doesn't matter.
Nationals scored 5 in the top of the fourth (including a GS for callup Justin Maxwell's first major league hit) and Abreu was taken out for a PH.
Now Carpenter is talking, reasonably I suppose, about the possibility that if the Nationals hold on, the scorer may exercise his discretion to give some other pitcher the win.
Good! Hang 'em.
I just feel that if your at 1st or 2nd base you would have scored, I mean the ball is over the outfielders head for crying out loud! out side of David Wells, Jonathan Broxton & King you WOULD score.
32-34 overall (including 2-3 in the playoffs)
Pythagorean record is also 32-34
22-14 at home (2-3 playoffs)
10-20 on the road (4 NL West teams + 1 Angel game)
Notable games I've attended
-1988 WS, Game 2 (Hershisher allows only 3 singles to Dave Parker, collects 3 hits himself)
-1995 division clincher in SD
-2006 playoff clincher in SF
-The Lima Game
-a 2000 pitchers' duel in Colorado won 16-11 by the Dodgers, featuring 2 HRs and a 2B off the wall for Alex Cora
-the game after the Dodgers gave up 9 in the 9th against Philly (Dodgers exacted revenge 3-2)
-Brad Penny's 1st game as a Dodger, where he allowed 2 hits over 8 shutout innings yet was booed when he struck out while batting
Things I Noticed Looking These Games Up
-Brian Bohanon was a surprisingly good pickup in July 1998...he only went 5-7 for LA but had a 2.40 ERA (162 ERA+) averaging nearly 7 IP/start
-Brad Penny has a 2.53 ERA as a Dodger in 5 starts with me in attendance, yet is only 1-3.
-Dodgers have been shut out in 8 of my 66 games in attendance (they have thrown 3 themselves)
The Padres are really my nemesis:
8-22 vs the Padres (10-20 pythag record)
current 9 game personal losing streak to SD
6-19 in San Diego
Maybe I should stop going to games against the Padres!!! Dodgers are 26-12 against non-Padre teams.
Second, you are probably right.
His response back?
"The overall point was that the Dodgers are going to play a bunch of games in a row against winning teams. Regardless of divisional affiliations, it's better this time of year to be playing lousy teams. Just ask the Cubs."
Um... yes, but they could sweep two series against lousy teams and still gain no ground because the other teams ahead of them were also doing likewise. Yeesh. I give up.
1. Maddux wins game 1 of the 4 game series last September.
2. 4+1
3. Jackie Robinson Day 2007
Correct. What I found so strange about what DePo said is that Boras is known for raising the bids for his free agents by getting GMs into bidding wars. Heck, he even got The Sheriff to bid against himself for Kevin Brown. So why would he not give DePo the opportunity to beat, or match, Seattle's best offer. I have my doubts that DePo would have matched it anyway. But that's beside the point. It's just seems odd that he wasn't given the opportunity.
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