Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
Dodger Thoughts, July 19:
In an interview with NBCSports.com this morning, I was asked which Dodger was most likely to have a big stretch run. And I thought, there's Russell Martin, but you'd expect him to taper a bit under his workload by season's end. There's Rafael Furcal, but we don't know whether his ankle will allow it. There's Nomar Garciaparra, who is too due. There's Matt Kemp and James Loney and Andre Ethier, but they're already doing so well that it's almost impossible for them to kick it up a notch.As it happens, Loney had a monster September and Billingsley got only four outs in his final start of the year Saturday. Still, Billingsley had a 3.12 ERA in the second half this season, capping a fine sophomore year and adding to the promise of a great career. As I like to point out, Billingsley is ahead of Don Sutton at this stage of the game.And my thoughts turned to the pitcher who struggled to get through five innings Wednesday: the one and only Chad Billingsley. He's young but improving. Overall, he's not overworked – in the season's first 95 games, he has thrown 65 2/3 innings and 1,145 pitches. And the closer we get to the end of the season, the more he is going to face NL West teams whose strengths are mostly on the mound and not with the bat.
Not to dismiss the importance of averaging five innings per start as opposed to fewer, but Billingsley is not reliable now. So stipulated. But something more than wishin' and hopin' tells me that he's going to start seeming reliable before the season's out. He's learning, and the difference between him and the likes of Brett Tomko and Mark Hendrickson is, at age 22 23/24ths, Billingsley is already ahead of the curve.
* * *
From my vantage point at Saturday's meaningless game, thanks to great seats passed to me by Dodger Thoughts commenter LAT, Andy LaRoche looked agile at third, and Matt Kemp hustled. Call me crazy.
The crowd seemed like it was ready to fall in love with Chin-Lung Hu. He wins people over: first with his name, then with his game.
* * *
There is no tomorrow:
* * *
NL Smackdown
89-72 Padres
88-73 Mets
88-73 Phillies
88-73 Rockies
His only other starts in his pro career were rehab starts in the minors.
It's too bad about Chads last game, but In most of the second half, when our pitching seemed to collapse he was our "stopper" and you could count on a good effort almost always.
It looks like I'll see this last game on DTV. After yesterday I was afraid Extra Innings had decided there wouldn't be any LA or SF fans who cared. I can't remember where I have directed myself at the end of each season, but I seem to have survived.
Anyone else going to today's finale?
Pierre, CF
Valdez, 2B
Kemp, RF
Loney, 1B
Martin, C
LaRoche, 3B
Ethier, LF
Hu, SS
Stults, P
Russell will probably get an at-bat or two and then sit, maybe even the same for Pierre.
I might expect Tomato sighting and maybe Lucille too.
Maury Wills had a season where he got into 158 games (1965) without a homer.
The suspension is over!
4-0 Fish in the 1st.
2. go brewers!
3. go... only one of new york and philadelphia!
Out of a sheer sense of spite for me.
your the best Bob thanks for the heads up, that's pretty crazy, starting!?
I don't like their philosophy. ;-)
Actually, I have a visceral and irrational dislike of the Giles brothers.
He's batting over .500 this month.
I really hope he gets his 20th home run today though.
D4P is a secret Padres fan.
my divisional hierarchy in terms of dislike:
1. GIANTS
2. arizona
3. san diego
4. colorado
i used to hate the rockies a lot more, but now i kinda like 'em.
I hear you Vishal, I kind of have the same thing with Hillenbrand as well, everything he does is pretty much minus points.
Ok forget about the Mets. Go Nats.
In 1989.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN198905160.shtml
All the Cardinals pitchers bat 8th. La Russa has been doing that for the last two months of the season.
It's actually worked out well. Except that all the Cardinal players got hurt.
I go Giants/Pads/Yankees/Mets. AZ is working on me. I have a fondness for CO for some reason.
Yeah, even Bengie Molina scores from second on a bases-loaded double. ;)
I'm sure the Mets appreciate it.
They better knock Willis out for Green to get a chance to bat.
And that just doesn't sound right.
And it isn't right. Maybe they meant the Marlins were the worst.
The Yankees have 31 5+ runs innings this season.
I don't think they did it last year. They probably don't want to do it because they don't have the rights to show any tiebreaker games. So there's no reason for them to show a game that would publicize a game on another network.
Fish 7, Mets 1 after 1.
I mentioned this to ToyCannon and what does everyone think of moving someone like John Shoemaker or even Steve "Boomer" Yeager to the MLB staff next season.
Not that younger players need an "ally" but it would be similar to when Lasorda came up as a coach as Garvey, Cey, et. al., came up.
Yeager would be less of a threat as a possible managerial candidate and he has the Dodger legacy. And he played a 3B coach in the movies.
"This is one of the most critical off-seasons in memory, with the club having to decide whom from its core group of players it can afford to sign for next year and beyond."
http://tinyurl.com/36zsqg
The Cardinals could use 9 pitchers today, each for one inning.
The team was in first place with them and without them.
The old guys played until the past week, the only one who lost time was Luis Gonzalez, though I'm sure both Ethier and Kemp thought they should have played more.
1. LSU 1,593 (33)
2. USC 1,591 (32)
Kip Wells pitched a second inning, sorry.
Triple for Dontrelle Willis in New York.
USA Today
1. USC (45)
2. LSU (14)
that's not even close.
And a dark cloud settles over Denver.
South Florida. I don't even know their nickname!
Where no one knows your name
And they're ambivalent you came
Da Bulls.
Tony Jackson would be very displeased.
Old Friend Paul Lo Duca batting with the bases loaded and two outs.
Anything that happens before then will just be a rumor.
EQA:
Juan Pierre = .255
Jose Cruz Jr. = .258
OPS+
Juan Pierre = 76
Jose Cruz Jr. = 84
I don't remember why that's one of my specials...
We had a lengthy debate where I kept picking on you.
I suppose you've forgotten about it or succumbed to Stockholm Syndrome.
Which one...?
Prince Fielder isn't starting today and Brett Tomko is going through the lineup like a hot knife through butter.
There playing in Milwaukee (only a 3 run lead) & Tomko is home run prone so I think chances are pretty good that Tomko will meltdown.
The Rangers will likely join them.
Suppan is pitching poorly on his own. The Brewers look like they are just going through the motions. There is booing in Milwaukee.
Think of all the "Hold" opportunities!
Jason Lane may just help the Padres into the playoffs after all.
Most of them brief.
And angry.
Washington is second with 102.
Brandon Lyon leads the majors with 35 and Heath Bell has 34.
Neato. My hunch was correct.
The weird thing, though, is that the league leaders in Holds have such poor records...
Tampa Bay has the fewest however.
Holds are likely easier to pick up in the NL because teams will go through more pitchers.
The top AL team has 87.
I would think that Randolph and Peterson might be needing to post resumes on Monster.com soon.
and the king of the elderly lefties is now eligible to win!!
Tigers vs. White Sox on WGN
Braves vs. Astros on TBS
I also think that Bud Black will have a very quick hook today.
Presented in alphabetical order: Tom Glavine, Jamie Moyer, David Wells
It's now 3-1 Padres.
San Diego, we feel your pain.
3-2 Padres after 4.
Meredith appears to be ready.
Rollins triples in a run to make it 5-1 Phillies.
Rollins inaugurates the 30-20-40-30 club, 5-1 Phils!!
Is hating San Diego an "LA" thing or something? I never knew about this hatred when I was growing up. The Padres were always little more than an afterthought.
I'm horribly conflicted about the Pads/Brewers game because (1) I generally like the Padres (not least because we have a couple close friends who are Padres fans), (2) yet, Brett Tomko sucked as a Dodger. There would be something wonderfully confirming of my opinion of his inabilities if he were the proximate cause of a Padres choke with their season on the line.
Correct.
"Have you no decency, sir?"
Almost all the Padres advertising is based around beating the Dodgers. Or disliking the Dodgers.
I can also remind you of the events of 1996. If Dodger Thoughts existed then, it would have been awful.
With the exception of the 4+1 Game, I'm hard-pressed to think of an important game between the two teams that the Dodgers have won.
It's a high class organization.
The Rockies might be favored to win the West in 2008 at this point.
Gets a late start, turns the wrong way and then when it bounces off the wall he isn't tall enough to get it on the rebound.
San Diego fans despise LA. Trust me. So I despise back.
Denver.
But when? Tomorrow?
Yes!!!
We are .500!!
It would be tomorrow. Probably a night game.
Yes, there is research like that. It's hard to get a reading on home parks though because of sample sizes.
Has anyone looked at the percentage of pitches called strikes and balls by various umps? That could be interesting too.
Yes, they have.
http://tinyurl.com/2lh9d3
Thanks. Maybe someday I'll ask you what they found.
Bummed the Indy-Denver game isn't on TV here, because I guess when the Niners are on it means they can't show any games on the other channel, so powerful and mighty are they.
No longer interesting in Colorado.
Unhappy times in Mudsville, er, Metsville.
Those 3 are comparables to Kouz.
The Indians traded him for Josh Barfield.
Kouzmanoff:
- 2006 - Eastern League All-Star 3B
- 2006 - Double-A All-Star DH
- 2006 - Baseball America 1st team Minor League All-Star DH
- 2006 - Cleveland Indians Minor League Player of the Year
Anyway, no way to prove what would happen, and I don't like Ned enough to argue much more in his behalf, but I still don't think it's quite fair. LaRoche does seem like a fair comparison, though. Either way, wouldn't mind having him on my team.
It didn't work.
Sadly, it will go unseen.
I found a photo of Condoleezza Rice with Mr. Met in the background and the headline was going to be "Mets negotiate historic playoff spot accord."
239 - What type of fish does the picture show Bob?!?!?
The Mets fish is up already.
2 on, 2 outs. Quentin at bat.
But that may not be an issue.
I guess we didn't.
I can only watch portions of this Fan Depreciation Day game, and maybe they'll come back, but, at least there's that.
If Cirillo had driven in a run there, we would have heard Mark Donohue's screams echoing throughout the lands.
Mr. Cirillo is not popular with Rockies fans.
"and they're bringing in the wrong guy..."
2 strike outs later, Fuentes is out of the inning.
Maybe he'll get a walk today too.
Thank god, we may have got lucky on that play at the plate.
8-4-2
To be fair, while he clearly has the talent, the performance isn't quite there yet. The second half was encouraging but he still got out ERA+d by Tomdrickson this year.
287 if "any team" would make that trade, then why were the dodgers willing to make it? we were that dumb?
In a word, yes.
The key for Edwin is throwing his off-speed pitches for strikes. Everybody in baseball knows he has one of the best arms in the game, but unless he throws his off-speed he gets killed. A few starts ago against the Angels he was throwing almost all fastballs and gave up 14 hits. He has been mixing it up much better in the second half of the year, but he still reverts to his fastball too much. I'd really like to see him develop a curve or splitter to add to his repotoire. I think next year he will be much better because he has seen what leads to success, which mainly is throwing strikes witrh his secondary offerings. If he can do that, everything else will fall into place.
Stupid rainbow ball slowing down my typing.
I know you read USS Mariner, so you might have seen Dave Cameron's plea for the Mariners to trade for one of the Devil Rays' under-performing starters, and he specifically named Jackson. Cameron noted that the Devil Rays are the worst team in baseball at turning balls in play into outs, and when you see how many hits Jackson gave up, you have to think a better defense could have limited the damage much better. Also, how much easier would Jackson have found pitching in the NL West compared to the AL East, if he were still a Dodger?
I never knew I had a channel 766!
Yes, that's Old Friend Bill Murphy.
Just like a young person...giving up when the chips are down. Jeff Kent would be disappointed.
Its very true about Tampa's defense. I read a couple stats and articles by some D-Ray fans that put the Rays up there with some of the worst defensive teams of all-time. Edwin also had a really high BABIP this year, and that bad luck combined with crummy defense and a terrible bullpen added a bunch of strain on all of Tampa's starters. As far as being in the AL East, Edwin actually did pretty well against the Yankees, sox, and Blue Jays. We;'ll see what happens next year, but i'd expect a nice deal of improvement from him.
Career 900 at bats 30.54 line drive percentage.
Only two players had a line drive percentage over 25 this year.
At least none of the D's hitters are even in their prime yet, except Pierre and Furcal. So the offense may improve.
Like a diddle reliever.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117973058.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562
Why did that link ask me to log in?
As bad as the Dodgers are playing, they're outscoring my Niners.
Niners and Dodgers are being outscored 29-2 today. It took about 5 hours of "real time" for one of the two teams to finally score today.
We lost Lamont today.
Any update on Henry?
And did Juan Pierre really double to "deep right"?
A near-homer and 2 assists. Pierre is just getting warmed up this year!
I was at Lowe's in Tucson this week and met a guy who was the godfather of Ted Sizemore's and Yeager's kids. He had some good Yeager stories.
But with his long term perspective, I think his vision and opinion is worth an awful lot.
This is like Day from Hell for fantasy football owners.
http://tinyurl.com/3aj8g9
Bucky Dent. Joe Niekro.
Ok, Nigel.
355 - Would a shaving cream pie in the face of Kent at the end of the game by Kemp or Loney be too immature? I think it would be a nice statement.
Three way tie for first in the AFC West!
Yes, I am ignoring tie-breakers for now.
The 1960 Yankees finished up winning their last 15.
Um, a long ways to go of course, but it's fun to see that.
So what channel is the playoff game on tomorrow again? Fox?
The Dolphins may have a problem stopping the run.
Think those Rockies have an awesome offense. Hope they put some runs on the board early tomorrow.
Huh, didn't realize Javon Walker and John Lynch weren't playing in this one. That doesn't help...
You've got to reach your prime.
That's when you need to put yourself to the test
And show us a passage of time
Were going to need a montage (montage)
Ooh it takes a montage (montage)
Sure a lot of things happing at once,
Remind everyone what's going on (what's going on)
And when every shot you show a little improvement
Just show it all or it will take to long
That's called a montage (montage)
Ooh we want montage (montage)
And anything that we want to know
From just a beginner to a pro,
You want a montage (montage)
Even rocky had a montage (montage)
(Montage...montage)
Anything that we want to know
From just a beginner to a pro,
You need a montage (montage)
Ooh it takes a montage (montage)
Always fade out in a montage,
If you fade out
It seem like more time has passed in a montage
Montage
This is what happens, AJ!
This is what happens, AJ!
380 Good analogy. Although the Dodgers were in freefall at the end, too, they didn't blow a huge lead late. One is sad, the other is truly painful.
I miss listening to Vin already.
And Manuel and Hurdle could square off in the playoffs.
Arizona playing Chicago will be a weird series.
I am not the biggest Lou Piniella fan either.
I assume it will be:
Game 1 - Zambrano vs Webb
Game 2 - Lilly vs Davis
Game 3 - Hill vs Hernandez?
Who has the higher upside?
I thought I'd pose that question to the many fine minds here on DT.
The best thing that could be done to ensure a productive off-season would be to send someone around to McCourt's and Colletti's house every morning to steal the L.A. Times. I just got through reading this morning's baseball column by Bill Shaikin, which starts with the assumption that regardless of the scenario, a position has to be reserved for Juan Pierre.
I was at the game today with my 4 year old boy, and when I wasn't chasing him, I got to see some incredible plays by Loney and Laroche, and a once in a lifetime opportunity to see JP get 2 assists. It was a lazy, relaxed afternoon, and the thumpin just didn't hurt that much given the circumstances. Highlight of the game for me though was when someone dumped a cup of ice on the two dressed-all-in-black Giant fans next to me (just missed them, which I guess is good and also missed me, which is even better) who had been yelling about how the Dodgers were fielding a Little League team and playing like it was T-Ball. Not undeserved, I might add, at points during the game. A final note -- driving home listening to the post game show, the much maligned Rick Monday praised Matt Kemp and twice stated that he was the clear choice for center field next season.
It's so nice to know that I don't have to wait till next year to get my Dodger fix -- I just have to click on Jon's incredible blog and catch up with the collective wisdom therein. Thanks everybody.
Brian Matusz!! But, thats not going to happen.
In a year when the Dodgers fielded a fourth place team yet broke the single season attendence record, the organization must give away more meaningful prizes.
Nice day at the Park. The final score mattered little. What did matter was the decline in the prizes for Fan Appreciation Day. Yes they gave away a truck and a pair of Delta airline tickets and set of season tickets but the rest of the stuff was pretty marginal. They gave away a $100 gift certificate to the Torrance Dodger Store. That is good for a sweatshirt but you have to go to Torrance to get it. They gave away tickets to Laker and Clipper games which seemed strange to me and they gave away a$250 gift certificate to Macy's. True there were no fireplace logs but other than a signed Russel Martin jersey there wasn't even much Dodger stuff. Take the truck out of the mix and I'm guessing the Dodgers spent less than 15K on prizes and even then, some were sponsered by affiliates such as KCAL.
As someone said on Dodger Talk what they should do is make parking free for the day. That way everyone wins something. Not just the 50 people who get their ticket called.
Finally, as I was riding up the escalator I looked up in front of me and there was a guy in a blue DT shirt. Of course he told me his moniker and I forgot. But Jon your minions are out and about.
Santana's name being thrown around.
There's been lots of talk about the Dodgers needing to do something dramatic this offseason, and Johan Santana's name has popped up in a potential blockbuster, with the Dodgers perhaps sending prized prospects such as lefty Clayton Kershaw or outfielder Matt Kemp to the Twins. The big question is, will the Twins deal Santana now or try to win with him one more time? One AL executive theorized, "There are a few teams who could match up with the Twins. Would the Yankees deal Melky Cabrera and an Ian Kennedy for Santana? How about Boston? Would they send a Clay Buchholz and a Jacoby Ellsbury for him? The Mets? There are few teams who could handle the paycheck you'd have to give Santana and also be able to part with key prospects."
uhhhhh....one combo is not like the other.
82-80
2007 Dodger Actual Record:
82-80
2007 Dodgers Expected W/L:
82-80
So this year turned out exactly as expected?
You could say that.
Pretty impressive, but what did they predict for the Rocks, D'backs, Padres, Cubs and Phils?
btw, i just read this hilarious article on greg anderson/barry bonds in this week's SF weekly... i don't know if anyone mentioned it here or not, so i'll drop the link:
http://tinyurl.com/39mhb3
*(it's worth going to just to see the URL)
I went down like a PRIDE fighter.
394 - At least he admits that Pierre is a veteran blocking potentially better players. What surprises me is that there's no thought to trading Pierre instead of Kemp or Ethier.
So sad. I guess all the PRIDE guys were on roids. I really just care about Fedor. I want him to sign with the UFC and dominate all competition. That would make me feel better.
Yeah, UFC needs Fedor.
I think if you put the UFC fighters in the PRIDE environment they might not do too well either.
I agree 100%. I think the octagon/ring thing is making a much bigger difference than people are crediting. There's no way Forrest beats Shogun in PRIDE, no way CroCop loses to both Gonzaga and Kongo, etc. The weird thing is that the PRIDE guys don't even look like the same fighters. They're tentative and unsure of themselves.
THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!
Whoops, wrong sport.
I also think they come in cocky. Shogun was totally out of shape. CroCop basically said, I can't believe how easy this is going to be to get a title shot.
And, it would be much easier from a PR perspective to trade Nomar, Kent, and Pierre if the Dodgers signed AROD. AROD is kind of a get-out-of-jail-free card, well after paying him $30,000,000 each year for the next 5-7 years.
I didn't see Shogun's fight or CroCop's latest flop. I think they were cocky too. I read that CroCop refuses to even train in an octagon, choosing a ring instead. Oh well.
The fighters that have had success (Rampage, Anderson Silva) changed camps and made sure to adapt and try their hardest.
His fights against Wanderlei in PRIDE were brutal. But he doesn't have to worry any more about stomps and soccer kicks.
On a related note, I don't think Wanderlei will do well in the UFC. He already seemed past his prime anyway.
Wanderlei is training with Couture. So, maybe that will change things.
For the MySpace illiterate, what exactly does that mean...?
I wanna be one of your myspace friends.
Is there one named ennui?
You have to sign up to find out.
431
Okay. What's your profile name?
I am more worried about "Soft and Lazy Syndrome."
Once you've got every position filled with a good young ballplayer and you've still got talent coming up through the system, you can think about trading prospects in batches.
One of the side effects of the restless leg syndrome drug is that it might turn you into a compulsive gambler.
I found your profile (I think) and just sent you a friend request. Then you can link to my buddy M. Bison and request his friendship. I'll put in a good word for you.
I never sent him a message. Just a friend request. He added me next day.
And has there ever been a year in which a league turned over all 4 of its playoff teams from the previous year before?
No, and you can thank the Yankees and Braves for that.
And the Cardinals to a lesser extent.
HA, yea that's me. At the time of the creation of my myspace profile (3-4 years ago), my girlfriend was really fond of burt reynolds.
He is still pretty rad though.
I should say ex-girlfriend, considering any relation that long term scares the *rule 1 violation* out of me.
How can I get in your Dodgers fan group?
I think you have to go to it and find the link to request to join. I don't know where that is though. I assume somewhere on the group page.
"Since I've been here, I've been singing the refrain about a middle-of-the-order bat... They're tough to come by. It's tough to develop your own or convince somebody to come here as a free agent or to trade a handful of your young players for one. It's our job to find and bring them in here at a reasonable cost, especially in terms of young players."
It's tough to convince a professional athlete to spend his summer in Southern California? Really? It's tough to convince a professional baseball player to play for one of the most hallowed franchises in the sport? Seriously?
Is it just me, or does this guy seem a little less than competent? I know, dumb question.
Also, Kent said he should have a decision about what he'll do next year by November.
http://tinyurl.com/2hxgq4
vr, Xei
(SFW)
Made worse, it sounds like Coletti is intimating a move to pick up yet another bargain bin placeholder. Not a good sign, so I might as well hang around DT for the laughs.
around the horn:
Meet the mets, meet the Mets... step right up and choke like the Mets..!
That was quite a collapse. WOW!!!!!!!!
How about the Phils in the playoffs? I'm so happy for them! It's like the story of the 40 year old Virgin, getting so close but missing the prize year after year, and then one day, going all the way. It is just a terrific story.
Plus, the Rockies and Padres have a playoff tonight in Denver to determine the WC. Does it get any better? It's going to be electric if the Rox make it in. What if the Rox played the Phils in the 1st round? I have to get my dvr ready... thats an offensive explosion in the making.
The National League field this year is stocked with the perennial losers:
Phillies: 10,000 losses and counting
Cubs: the lovable losers
Padres/Rockies: take your pick
D'backs: Defying the pythagorean record from opening day
Of the four, the Dbacks are the surest to be blown out in the DS.
for the AL:
I don't have my nose in the AL's jock like all of ESPN and most talk show hosts do. I'm sorry, but they don't have the same pop they used to. Any of these teams can beat any of the other teams.
so lets see
Yanks: hottest team entering the playoffs
Sox: not looking great the last two weeks
Angels: little power, fewer walks
Indians: also hot, like the Yanks
Of the four, I have to say, the no-name Angels are the surest to be blown out in the first round. Not a East Coast bias thing, I simply think from all the games I've watched, that it's easy to shut them down but just throwing the ball out of the zone a lot. Agressive bats, the Angels have. Past that, I'm guessing its the Yanks and everyone else, but the Indians have some potential to get through as well.
Should be a very fascinating playoffs all the way through.
I wonder who will win Biggest Jerk next year?
Josh and Camille must be tearing their hair out.
San Diego is -137 and Colorado is +127 for tomorrow's game.
So the question again is who are the top FA's and which would actually help the Dodgers? I guess we have months to mull it over. As I've said before, I think the Dodgers have plenty of in-house options to fill holes on offense, and within the year could get help from Kershaw and McDonald. I'd rather them get one more solid pitcher.
But if they could trade Pierre and find another pitcher and/or one more power hitter in his place, that'd be cool, too.
The free agent market is terrible. I would try to re-sign Wolf and look for some possible trade options.
I think we are kind of stuck.
says Frank McCourt.
"Ominous"
says LAT
says Frank McCourt.
"DT Rule 1 violation."
says LAT
I went to the page and it said I needed to be invited.
I'm a friend of Matt Kemp!
Which is very possible.
I like Kemp and Ethier way too much to see either one of them replaced by Andruw Jones or Torii Hunter and then traded for a pitcher. If the Dodgers find a taker for Pierre, I'd be willing to consider Jones or Hunter.
If Kent leaves the Dodgers have Abreu, Hu, and Young that could all possibly play second. Plus, worse case scenario, Nomar should be able to give it a go, he's played everywhere else in the in field. So, second base shouldn't be an issue.
As far as the starting rotation goes, Penny, Bills, and Lowe make a good front end. If (and I do mean IF) Schmidt comes back and Kuo can perform like we think he can, then the Dodgers would have a pretty good rotation. But I'd still like to find a guy who can fill the long relief/spot starter role. Otherwise, a starting pitcher or two would be nice - and Santana, as a one year rental, makes little sense in my mind.
The other thing that I would think about is taking a flier on Gagné, if the price was right, and creating a three headed monster at the back end of the bullpen with Gagné, Broxton, and Saito.
They sure love their speed.
Gagne always seemed less sharp, say, in extra innings situations or obligatory work days, and it seems that he may feed even more on adrenaline these days given his woes in Boston (even Boras chimed it with as much as a possible scapegoat for Gagne's BoSox shortcomings).
It sounds funny to even say it, but I don't think Gagne merits displacing Saito, and I don't think Gagne is great unless he is closing.
I think if Gagne did end up in Blue, it would be as an act of desperation. However, if a Gagne signing, and Gagne alone, were to satisfy the Coletti-mandated PVL requirement, I think many of us would breath a sigh of relief.
Fine, Elijah Dukes it is.
Really though, I don't think much needs to be done in the bullpen. Being among those who think Gagne shouldn't have left in the first place, it's one of those ideas that just seems like it makes sense. Though it probably doesn't.
470/471 - Besides, how could we give up all that PVL, I mean, Pierre has actually played in a World Series
Here: http://tinyurl.com/2nxf4l
And here: http://tinyurl.com/28labd
"What's been the most disappointing to me is that so many people, when things are going good, they're fine," the manager said. "But then the very minute things turn a little sour, the real person comes out. That's what disappointed me the most."
In other words, the PVLs turned out to be a lot of V but not so much L. I have to assume he's referring to the people to whom he's paying 7-8 figures, and not the people he's paying in six figures.
I would still like to have Gagne back, don't get me wrong, I just think it is worth pointing out.
I wonder what Saito's differential is?
Regarding Gagne: "Eric Gagne is a lifetime closer, that's all he knows. Also, Eric Gagne is one of the most competitive and conscientious players I've known. Now Eric Gagne is in a different role. You can go back and look at closers who are in a different role than a closer's role. Closers have difficulties in non-closer situations. This is not only true of Eric Gagne, but this is true of everyone involved. You can go down the list. I can name a lot of my clients who have had this problem.. . . But that did not stop Gagne from being in a winning environment. It did not stop him from maybe learning something new about himself and his career. And I admire him for that.
"The reality of it is that Eric Gagne wanted to do this because he had a chance to win and he wanted to be a part of something that was special. It's been very challenging for him, but on the other hand the fact his arm strength has returned and he is throwing in the mid-90's."
You figure if the glossy-stastical-notebook-compiler himself deems to bring it up it might have some weight. Then again, his client will on the free agent market in a month or so.
Maybe I'm optimistic. Maybe I'm reading too much into some of the most recent commments. But I sense Colletti, without ever admitting fault, now realizes he put together an unsustainable team and won't go that route again.
The Giants' success with veterans wasn't just with any old players with a nice resume. It was guys like Benito Santiago, Livan Hernandez and Andres Gallaraga who had something to prove, whose sense of entitlement had been taken away from them by injury or illness. Or Ray Durham, who was actually in his prime when the Giants got him, or Omar Vizquel, who is an unusually good player. It only turned into an "almost over the hill gang" lately. But Colletti might have forgotten what really went into his former success.
Unless "Trev" retires. Then he might go to San Diego.
He will go where he can hurt us the most.
But the rain of boos that man would hear if he stepped within 500 feet of the ravine in Orange and Black would rival the angriest Bonds ever heard.
Dodger MLB rankings:
BA (i.e. how well a player hits): 8th
BA w/RISP (i.e. clutch hitting): 9th
OBP (i.e. that thing the stat geeks were concerned about when I signed Pierre): 12th
SLG (i.e. that thing I didn't build the team on, opting instead for speed and athleticism): 24th
SBs (i.e. aggressive baserunning and wreaking havoc): 5th
Ks (i.e. the thing you want to avoid so you can make productive outs): 28th fewest
BBs (i.e. that Oakland thing that we don't do here): 20th most
Add it all up:
R (i.e. that thing that comes from high batting averages, clutchitude, lots of stolen bases, and few strikeouts/many productive outs): 20th
478 When I read McCourt's quote, the first thing that came to mind was the MSM. How long did it take for Plasche to go from embracing the so called youth movement to damning it and attempting to push one of its most talented and productive members out the door?
I find it cool that this feature piece on the Mets collapse, which ran on A1 of the Post, discusses the BP playoff odds calculator and uses some comments from a Mets site to add some color re fan reaction.
http://tinyurl.com/27qy2r
http://tinyurl.com/yrryjm
So a team with a 99.8% probability of making the playoffs and a team that is outscored by 20 runs not only wins its division, but also has the best record in the league.
What a country!
I almost used that line here just the other day!
What a coinkidink!
Where do you want Hunter to hit? At the top or the bottom?
But I don't think I'm at all on board with any other big acquisition. If we don't sign ARod, let's just make some minor additions and go from there. I guess we could use more starting pitching after Penny, Lowe, and Billingsley, but not if it means trading Kemps and Kershaws.
1. No Hunter
2. No Andruw
3. No trading of Bisotaur
4. Anything else...?
7. No Moises Alou (?)
Am I correct?
Unrelated: Ethier + What = Contreras?
Nomar will start at 3b.
Pierre will be in CF.
--Penny/Lowe/Billingsley/Loaiza/Schmidt
Gonzo will be gone, but pretty much the same team that the Dodgers had this year will be back.
While people close to the Dodgers say they believe manager Grady Little is still safe, a couple also say that Little will enter next season in a tenuous position, and that they could envision Dusty Baker as an eventual replacement. Baker recently came to Dodger Stadium to throw out a first pitch, along with ex-Dodger teammates Steve Garvey and Ron Cey, and word is getting around that Baker is considered a possible replacement for Little.
The Dodgers' clubhouse was nothing short of a disaster this year, with Jeff Kent, Luis Gonzalez and other veterans pitted against the kids, notably Matt Kemp and James Loney. The veterans believe that the kids didn't show them the proper respect, and there's probably some truth to that. But Kent was wrong to air the dirty laundry in the first place, and he's generally no treat to be around. As for Gonzalez, he blamed bad communication for the team's bad season, seeming to point a finger at the decisionmakers, Little included.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The kids probably do need to mature in some cases. But a couple of the veterans were also on the selfish side. That's a recipe for dissension.
So the roster was built with "chemistry" in mind?
Some might say the Dodgers had already lost before the season began.
I'm running with the theory that Colletti's going to sign another CFer, and move Pierre to LF because he's always seemed to have a thing for CFs and shortstops. If he moves LaRoche, I think he has to get another 3B, no matter how much he loves Nomar. Nomar lost his position this year; I can't see Colletti going into next year without a backup plan for 3B. Unless he really thinks Abreu is a reasonable solution, which, may Ch-i have mercy on his soul if he does.
Let's hope Management learns something valuable from this season.
Could he be considered a CF if need be?
Luis Gonzales put up about the same numbers as anyone expected him too, probably even a bit better than expected.
Betemit really wasnt a vet. And he didnt at all "collapse". He had about the highest OPS on the team when they dealt him.
Furcal?--Certainly not as good as last season--but I dont think he "collapsed" either. He didnt turn into Izturis overnite, at least I hope he didnt.
The problem in building the offense was thinking that Gonzo, Nomar, Pierre were or could be useful players at their positions. Mis-evaluation of talent, of how runs are created, etc. Colletti just doesnt "get it". Doubt there's much hope in him suddenly knowing how runs are created for this off-season.
I second that motion.
If and only if Pierre is traded. Otherwise, adding Rowand means that Kemp and Ethier have to share or compete for 1 spot, again. Because if Pierre is on the payroll, he will play 162. He's a pretty bad hitter as a CFer. Put him in LF, and he might be the worst LFer in the league.
Thanks, quiet companion.
Speaking of the mail, I received my replacement keyboard this morning.
Of all the young players, I think the ones most likely to be traded are Young and Ethier. Plaschke might have perversely saved Kemp's spot on the Dodgers. Loney and Billingsley, forget it. They're mainstays now. LaRoche is protected by the fact that they've got nobody else to play third base. Even if they bring in a PVL to play third next year, I don't see how they can let LaRoche go. It's too much of a gamble.
What is the deal with Andruw Jones? What's the theory for why he tanked this season?
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