6 Pure empathy for you.

Actually, I don't know how many they have. Not as many as the Yankees do.

I am not kidding.

Pujols actually played in the field tonight. La Russa wants him to get RBI #100 and then sit him down.

I'm sure that sacrifice was a real help to get one run back.

Even Pepper Rogers would be an improvement.

I am ready to change the term to Endersed.

They are going to go with an outfield of Scott Hairston, Brady Clark, and Brian Giles down the stretch.

Just get this funny feeling...

Brady Clark
Brett Tomko
Marlon Anderson
Wilson Betemit

Am I forgetting anyone?

The Mets are doomed.

Also this looks like as good a thread as any to mention that I think the Cubs are the best team in the National League heading into the playoffs. The Mets are banged up. The Padres are down two outfielders and the stellar pitching staff is even starting to crack. The D'backs have been smoke and mirrors all year. The Cubs though have a solid rotation top to bottom even if lacking as ace as well as a line-up with the likes of Ramirez, Lee, and Soriano. Postseason series often end up being toss ups, but the Cubs have got to be the favorite for the penant.

Regardless of what the official did or didn't say, it's something you can take to the league after the game with your first-base coach.

There's NO legit excuse for running wild on the ref. Especially now! The only reason I can imagine why the press is hoarding the official angle so much right now is due to the recent scams in the NBA.

Bradley has provided many examples of what he is. I tire of reading about what a "great person" he seems to be. What is this, the third team he's ruined? Yikes.

I'm just not a huge fan of out-of-control babies. I'd love to read something positive about him so at least I can think he's contributing something besides DL time to his team.

He hit .314/.414/.580 for them or something. Without his contributions, they wouldnt be close to the playoffs.

His getting hurt shouldnt take away his contributions to the team. He was outstanding for them.

The Dodgers would be much better off with Werth/Ross/Bradley collectively in CF this year, than 1 year of Juan Pierre. Not to mention, that Pierre makes about 3 times what they make.

Then, in their version of rookie hazing, the Yankees made their newcomers dress up in Wizard of Oz costumes for the bus ride to the airport and flight to Tampa Bay. There was plenty of hooting and hollering, and the rooks all posed for pictures.

Joba Chamberlain drew the Cowardly Lion, Edwar Ramirez was the Wicked Witch of the West and Ian Kennedy was Dorothy.

"I think I got the short end," Kennedy said, stepping into his sparkly, ruby red slippers. <<

Except give it oxygen:

http://tinyurl.com/2uq22x

Before a game on the last homestand, an attendant placed a trash can too close to Kemp's locker in the Dodgers' crowded clubhouse. But when the outfielder got up to move it, one veteran complained aloud -- but not to Kemp -- about how rookies today are different from those of the past.

I suppose rookies of the past just tripped over trash cans.

For an old, curmudgeonly dude David Wells at least makes some sense. Whatever happened to keeping things in-house? What on earth is Grady doing through all this? Where is all the "communication skills" that these savvy vets supposedly have?

It's one thing to tell a young kid that the "right way" to play is to show up early, practice hard, and then be willing to talk to the media. It is hypocrisy of the highest order to not do these things yourself and then criticize others for not doing it.

I pray we see a team in '08 with Martin as the clubhouse leader for all the young'uns. I worry that we'll get a bunch of additional washed-up vets and end up with significantly fewer kids.

Fill in the blanks however your imagination desires.

These latest stories are why I don't read the newspaper. BECAUSE IT'S GARBAGE!

And this is leadership?

Hopefully the plan does not involve trading any of the young guys.

Kent and 34-year-old Nomar Garciaparra addressed the team after its sixth consecutive loss Friday, stressing the importance of finishing the season strong.

So, you trash the most productive hitters on the team, turning the last weeks into a trainwreck (no, not you) and then stand up and hold a team meeting about finishing strong? I'm so confused.

{Heavy Southern Drawl}
"I'M TERRY BOWDEN!"

NOW I understand management's continued playing up of Pierre's work habits, including that he always shows up early.

Regarding Kemp and the trash can, who wouldn't want to move a trash can that was right next to them? Hardly makes him a jerk or disrespectful.

If Baxter saw l'affaire de la poubelle himself, and this was the best anecdote he had to explain what was going on, doesn't that pretty well mean he thinks the young players are getting dumped on for no reason? Or, at least, that he hasn't seen them do anything to deserve it? Maybe they're just sneaky.

Grady Little can make some dumb quotes, but wow.

Yeah, the team would have been a lot better had Loney/Kemp been in the minors all year.

Also, nice job of sucking up to the GM.

It's not dumb, just wistful.

Maybe he's not. He might be really bitter about the Betemit trade.

If all that had happened we would be shuffeling our pitching lineup to be ready for October 3rd. Sigh!

Flanders and Grittle made a commitment to the Veterans from Day One, and Grittle appears to be indicating that he would have preferred starting the Veterans all year over starting the Kids.

1. Is Grittle just indicating a preference that the initial lineup (regardless of how it's constructed vis a vis Vets and Kids) work out with no need for tinkering, or
2. Is Grittle indicating a preference that this particular initial (Veteran heavy) lineup workout because it was Veteran heavy?

Even if you think #1 is the correct interpretation, you still have to keep in mind that Grittle put the initial lineup together, and made it Veteran heavy in the first place.

i think he would have been starting betemit if that were the case.

I thought this latest article from the Times was much more balanced (surprise! it didn't come from Plaschke or Simers) and fair to the kids. It gives me some hope, combined with how the Dodgers used the younger players so much this year, that the Dodgers will do the right thing next year.

In the "old" days the veterans might joke around by getting the clubhouse attendant to put a trash can next to a rookie's locker and sniker while the rookie left it there because it was understood that they had to putup with such fun.

Freshman ans Sophomore hazing rituals should be done on the last spring training game and not during the the tail end of the season. Just a thought.

Does this mean:

1. Grittle generally prefers Veterans over Kids
2. There was something particular about this situation that inspired Grittle to prefer Veterans over Kids

I hope it really happens.

If we could've operated the entire season with the lineup we came out of spring training with, I would've loved nothing better.

Translation: I had lots of veterans in the lineup, but they sucked. "I would have loved nothing better" doesn't mean he prefers veterans over the kids -- it's a tactful way of saying there wasn't anything he could do about the veterans playing so poorly that they quickly needed to be replaced.

"D4P, I would have loved nothing more than to hire you for this open position, but your publication record is lacking in a few key areas."

There would have been time to work in the kids and get them playing time here and there.

Translation: Our kids are good enough I would have found time to play them too. I could have given them more or less playing time, depending on how they responded. I would have had flexibility. Instead, I had no option but to play the kids full time, even if they stumbled a bit.

Bottom line: A manager can never have enough good players, so it would not have been a problem if everyone was playing fantastically.

83 Good morning from Auburn, Alabama. True or not, I don't know, but that has been the rumor.

I also heard that once Matt Kemp called Jeff Kent "Jeff". How immature can the kid be?

But why did he have lots of veterans in the lineup in the first place?

If Nomar and Pierre hadn't been signed (and re-signed), Grittle would never have started either of them.

Which speaks to my #2 in 96 .

Martinez was in the lineup replacing Furcal who was injured.

The Dodgers still had Martin, Betemit, and Ethier starting on opening day.

Kemp started the second game of the season.

Those were the cards that Little was dealt. Most people didn't think Kemp would make it out of spring training.

I'd really like to know.

If you want a preveiw of who Ned will acquire in the off season, look for the player who has a career .265 average but hit .300 this season or the former Cy Young canidate who has been out 2 years with an injury.

I don't know how anyone can bother with Grady complaints when there is Ned who is a disaster.

112 - Anderson was a case of bad timing - I recall they needed to get rid of him to make room for Loney. It was only after Betemit was lost that the Anderson gap seemed big. Sweeney has essentially replaced Anderson.

They could perhaps have gotten rid of Martinez instead of Anderson, though. I have to go back and check.

New post coming up in about five minutes. Just a couple of links.

Never mind that he undid it, but he acquired Betemit for Baez. Just getting rid of him was a good move.

He apparently signed Furcal

He traded Izturis and some other guy for a good stretch run of Greg Maddux

That doesn't excuse him from all the other bad transactions, but he should at least get credit for the above.

Plus it was just Izturis for Maddux and cash. That was easily the best move Ned made.

You are correct about acquiring Maddux but the decision not to re-sign him was a mistake.

I can't remember but couldn't Brady Clark have been released and Marlon kept.

How good would Maddux be if he weren't in PETCO? Good enough that it would be worth giving a 41 year old a multi year deal?

Instead we got Randy Wolf at $8M. I think the timing of the arbi deadline had something to do with it (ie had to act fast to get Wolf at a discount) but he should've offered arbitration to Maddux.

I think arbitration is debatable enough where it's not a boneheaded move. I think 10 million is his low end arbitration figure, he was coming off a year where he had a 3.30 ERA for us and made nine million, it could have easily been pushed up to the 12-13 million range. Combine this with the fact that he's 41, and I can see that being a risk that you can't afford to take.

Colorado did a great job of pitching to Loney and it appeared that he was the guy they were going to most careful with in the four game series. More or less taking Loney out of the offense and Broxton's hurting arm was enough to sweep the Dodgers.

The Dodgers were in the playoff race until only ten days ago with a young team. Pierre wasn't the problem. Perhaps weakness at third base and Furcal playing hurt all year and no innings eaters were the culprets.

When teams win every decision looks much better and when they lose most decisions are second guessed.