I need to catch up with True Blue L.A. he writes some really good stuff.

2 they.

er, that referenced 1

From last thread:

399 - Derek Lowe is a classic "2".

Derek Lowe has pitched over 1200 innings the last 6 years, and has been above average in all but one of them, including all 3 seasons in LA.

His ERA+ over the last 6 seasons in 117, 29th among those with 600+ IP
His ERA+ over the last 4 seasons in 110, 37th among those with 400+ IP

He's pretty much the definition of "above average".

Derrik Lowe is another one of Home Depos better signings (Brad Penny also) 2 of the top 3 pitchers were Depos signees pretty impressive. Although Brad Penny is by default no?

4 so, below average would be what, consistently below a 95 ERA+, average-to-above-average would be a pitcher who typically gave you a 95-110 ERA+, above average would usually be in the 110-125 range, and super above average could be counted on for 125+ most of the time? is that about right?

5 Although Brad Penny is by default no?

DePo both traded for & signed Penny to an extension.

Repeating from the last thread:

OK gang, we all love this site and all the work Jon has done to keep it the best area on the tubes to talk Dodger baseball and just about any other subject. And it's that time of the year where some of us get into the giving spirit.

One way to show your appreciation is to click on the little PayPal button on the side bar and make a donation to the site. I will match anyone's contribution up to $200 total for the next two weeks (12/22). I want no one to feel any pressure to contribute. We all have different priorities and situations, so if you don't want to, that is perfectly fine.

But for those who do contribute, send me an email at mleadman@charter.net telling me how much you donated. At the end of the two weeks, I'll match whatever total we have up to the aforementioned $200.

Update: I've gotten $75 worth of donations so far. Thank you to the ones who gave!

6
Those seems like reasonable parameters.

8 Update: I've gotten $75 worth of donations so far.

That can't still be true. Care to update again?

Perhaps we need a 3.5, a 2.5, etc, or we need to agree on the parameters. Otherwise, it's relational. And, as I said earlier, only on Dodger Toaster (God love it!) is D-Lowe equal to Carlos Zambrano.

Put simply: let's just be sure to agree on the ranges for each category. I'm fine with those posted by 6

The Randy Wolf / Padres deal is official.

$4.75m base salary
$175k for each start 11-30 (potential $3.5m total)
$250k for 190 IP
$500k for 200 IP

Potential for $9m total.

http://tinyurl.com/yrn2rt

11 I posted this in the last thread as well...

I'd bump Zambrano to 4 but keep Hamels at 3 until he does it again this season. I agree that Hamels is better than Lowe, but there are varying degrees of "3".

Ted Williams and Paul Molitor are both HOFers, but it doesn't mean they're equal.

Have to admit, I'm pleased Gagne's back in the NL and will be a closer again. The Brewers are the team in my brother's market. I'd love it if he could manage to have at least one more "Game Over" type of year.

6 is close to what I use, except I also factored in strikeout and walk rates, age and health.

As someone pointed out in the last thread, getting more precise with the rankings isn't going to end the debate or even necessarily make the system better. In the end, you can be precise to several decimal places if you want, and still you're just guessing at what the pitcher is going to do in 2008 - and 2008 is entirely what this exercise is about. I really there's a strong argument for keeping the rankings more general, because you're essentially building in a margin for error that's appropriate.

You can start adding/subtracting half points to a bunch of different pitchers, and you're not going to change a team's point total significantly, plus you've created more work for yourself and more room for debate. Because again, this isn't meant to be just a review of past seasons, but a forward look.

The goal is not to determine who has the best staff to a precise degree. The goal is to give you an idea of where you stand.

So I'm not convinced about making those changes. I'm not saying I wouldn't - but I'm just not convinced they'll accomplish anything. But anyone who wants to take the raw stats and apply their own methodology to it, I'd certainly be willing to look at it.

My apologies. Outlook does me in again. I now have $105 in donations. Those who contributed, you know who you are.

Thanks again!

Add another team to the powder blue train! The Royals will wear powder blues during occasional home dates in 2008.

http://tinyurl.com/ywstl6

The Blue Jays are also joining this great crusade.

There's plenty of time left for other teams to join the bandwagon. I'm looking at you, St. Louis!

Wow, I feel like Jerry Lewis. I just got another $50. We are up to $155. You guys/gals are great.

Random but relevant finding on Ebay:

Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp autograph baseballs are selling for $40 and $33, respectively. An Ltd Bob Feller was selling for $40 as well. Minor leagues vs. HOF - go figure. Supply & demand at work, I guess.

Thanks to Marty and everyone else. Marty, just make sure that these pledges you're hearing about are actual pledges, and not some ruse to make you fork over the dough :)

I'm still angry at the Brewers for letting the Cubs win the Central, this year. I guess I'm willing to root for Gagne to have a good year, but I may, otherwise, be willing to throw the team under the bus, and start pulling for the Reds. If it weren't for Krivsky. Can't root for the Cardinals, no point in rooting for the Astros or Pirates. Maybe I hate the whole NL Central.

Pasting these LAT victims, since the conversation seems to have carried over here. Benaiah, I hope you don't mind...

409. GoBears
I think one thing to remember is that Jon's project is for the 2008 season only. I'm sure everyone would take Hamels over Lowe if they were building a team, or signing multiyear deals. And Hamels probably even has more upside (potential for greatness) in 2008. But I am not certain that Hamels WILL have a better 2008 than Lowe, and as Jon says, the main reason for caution is uncertainty about his ability to pitch a full season at a high level next year.

410. Benaiah
The point isn't to construct the perfect system to determine exactly how productive each rotation will be. We could try to use ZIPS and a formula we came up with to figure it out within a broad range if we wanted to, but it would just point out that nothing is certain until the year starts. People will get hurt, people will overperform and underperform, line drives with be hit right at people and groundballs will find the gap. You can't know beyond a certain amount how good a staff is going to be next year. This is just as simple as: "How many pitchers next year fall within broad guidelines of past performance, possibility of injury, age and repeatibility."

Hamels will probably outperform Lowe next year, but how many times out of a hundred will Lowe be better than Hamels? Surely there is about thirty percent chance that someone as healthy and consistent as Lowe at 34 (Schilling was a super above average 4 until he was almost forty) will outperform Cole Hamels, an oft injured pitcher with one season where he was better than Lowe (48.8 VORP vs 30.5 VORP). Lowe was better in 2006 than Hamels was in 2007, and Lowe's 2005 was even better. I know Lowe isn't a very likable guy, but Hamels isn't on a different level than him, yet.

This was a fine undertaking, not the last word on rotation ranking but it really gets the point across. By not signing another Juan Pierre type of albatross the Dodgers are giving the trio of young guys a chance to show what they can do. We don't need an insurance replacement pitcher to use in dream trade scenarios to get rid of his albatross contract and clear space for the young guys. We have enough starting pitching.

Getting back to the main point of this thread, I spell it "ketchup".

OK, In fairness, I have to say I've now gotten over my $200 limit. I've gotten emails totaling $235. So, I'll match that amount.

This has been a great response. Obviously you feel as I do that this is a special site. I truly thank you. This is incredibly special. You are the greatest.

I hope you all have a very happy holiday season (how's that for being politically correct!)

Of course, you can still click on that Paypal button if you want to give to the cause. You just won't have me around to help you out :-)

23 really? when you fall behind, do you play ketchup?

I only eat it on meatloaf.
vr, Xei

25
Yes, it's quite messy.

Who'll speak for "catsup?"

(Had some tonight. On scrambled eggs.)

There's no excuse for ketchup.

29
What can I say? The fine folks in the marketing department of Heinz brainwashed me as a child.

Not the spelling--the thing itself, I mean. Ketchup is like decaffeinated coffee, fake salt, and mosquitoes. It just shouldn't exist.

31
I can accept that.

30- I thank my sister for making it totally unappetizing for me, even as a child. She was a slatherer. Even on baked potatoes.

[shiver]

33 Yow. Baked potatoes? It took me years to like sour cream on baked potatoes. Ketchup on 'em? Yow.

The OED seems to think that "ketchup" is a preferred spelling or at least closer to the Chinese and Malay origin of the word.

I have nightmares about it to this day. I once carved her name in a coffee table, because I knew nobody would believe her when she insisted she hadn't done it. But we're still not even.

And the argument would be "well, you like it on fries, right? So what's the difference?"

35 Bob mentioned the OED. I think I'm in love ...

(What can I say? I'm a beleaguered English teacher who has been grading papers all day)

Oxymoron alert! English teachers are, by default, beleaguered; no need for that extra adjective!

39 you mean redundant.

an oxymoron is a phrase which contradicts itself. "well-paid blogger", for example.

And here I thought an Oxymoron was someone who went to a small liberal arts college in Eagle Rock.

Jon has a little known "Rule 17." No trash talking among SCIAC schools.

Unless it's between Redlands and La Verne grads.

Hey,

If you guys want to email Kuroda and tell him to come on down to LA and team up with Mr. Saito you can do so here...

http://www.kuro15.com/contents/cheer/form.html

It can't hurt right?

Nite all

Also, here is a little interview with James Loney.

Check out his "everybody has a right to their opinion" response haha and his last comment. I like it!!!

davissportsdeli.com/James%20Loney%20Interview%20December%209.html

I think Mia Wallace should have the final say on the spelling of this word.

45 if that guy can snag an interview with loney, why can't jon hit up one of the young dodgers?? i'd LOVE to see jon interview loney, kemp, billingsley, broxton, or martin.

43 My apologies.

Fox Sports Radio Network newswoman Karen Kay this morning accused Los Angeles Dodger catcher Russell Martin, pitcher Takashi Saito, and infielder Nomar Garciaparra of steriod use. Kay predicted that all three would be named in the Mitchell Report, expected out sometime in the next week.

Kay's intense bias against the Dodgers is well known, but this current attack appeared both blatantly unwarranted and unfounded.

49
As long as C--i's not in the report, I'll be happy.

Now that we don't have an all ketch, no throw center fielder with a great work ethic and instead have a gold glove center fielder with let's have a good time atitude, how will this affect Kemp?

With Jones and Kemp perhaps both willing to move a trash can, how will this affect Kent?

The Brewers want to trade for either a third baseman or left fielder, Blalock or Ethier, and maybe move Braun to left field because of the errors he made at third last year. Would anybody want to trade LaRoche and Ethier for Braun?

I like ketchup on hot dogs, on hamburgers and with a k.

--------

http://tinyurl.com/2vz6aa

Thomas Boswell in the Washington Post:

"Now, with Lo Duca in hand, the plan has come together. The Nationals have built a respectable major league offense, without sacrificing any pitching or too much defense."

After seeing yesterday what their rotation looks like, yeah, good thing they didn't sacrifice any pitching.

The Ketchup Advisory Board would like to point out that ketchup has natural mellowing agents that help you through the rough spots in life, such as when your team plays Juan Pierre in left field.

52. They'll kick you out of the city of Chicago if they find you putting ketchup on hot dogs, possibly out of the entire state of Illinois. Perhaps that is why ketchup on hot dogs is so popular (Yeah I'm bitter about being in Chicago on a day with a ton of freezing rain.)

Long time lurker, first time poster

I love this site and read it daily. I would like to give something back and will take the baton on Marty's now expired offer to match donations

For those who would like to donate to the Dodger Thoughts, please email me your donation amount. I will match up to $200

55
A cynic would call "Shenanigans".

56 You already used your monthly Shenanigans call on oklahomadodger

There's a Belgian french fry joint near my place that has "curry ketchup" as one of its dipping sauces. It is the standard by which all ketchups are to be measured.

They also have "Thai chili ketchup", but it's not as good.

54 - Guess that's how my dad ended up in Los Angeles. I like ketchup, mustard, relish and onions on my dog.

55 - A hearty welcome to you - thanks!

53 . I was waiting for a Garrison Keillor reference. I used to like his show more back in the day, but I still enjoy it once in awhile.

i will battle you for that statement!

GO Ketchup! on fries! on burgers! on hot dogs! on hash browns! on..on...i guess thats all i eatit on...but its yummy!

woops!

that was for

31

36
those devilish type tactics were employed by my sister! i cannot forgive her OR you!

she could act so well! i never had a chance!

Mayonnaise is the only identifiable foodstuff that's worse than ketchup.

Ketchup makes me cringe, thanks to my cousin Maddy's idea that ketchup tastes good on vanilla ice cream. Havent touched the stuff since.

60 Garrison Keillor references are my bailiwick. Everyone else has movies and TV shows pretty-well covered, so I've carved out my niche.

64 I will take that one step further and say that English Salad Creme (mayo and miracle whip?) is the grossest condiment I have ever tasted.

Question for the minor league afficianados: Why were the Pirates, Mets and Royals so eager to get rid of Keppinger? Even now, I'm not sensing a lot of excitement here in Ohio about him.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/K/Jeff-Keppinger.shtml

66 Oh, great, we should form a club! "like Ketchup flowing on baked potatoes. Ketchuuuup, Ketchuuuuup..."

Why is mustard getting a free pass here? I have never tasted it, and I don't need to; since childhood, just the smell of it can make me violently ill, so over time the very sight of yellow mustard fills me with disgust. (Since I have never been close enough to the non-yellow mustard to smell it, I don't have the same visceral reaction to seeing it.) When I heard presidential candidate Gov. Bill Richardson admit on CNN that he loves mustard so much he carries plastic packages of it around in his pockets and consumes it by itself, as a snack, I could not have been more overcome with revulsion if he admitted to being a cannibal.

55 ,56 - That's D4P's way of saying welcome.

And yeah. Welcome.

Parts of this thread, particularly 67 , have been inducing some Rule 13 violations.

I'll add to the catalogue of disgusting condiments by mentioning any type of fat-free Ranch dressing, which tastes like regular Ranch dressing stored in a litter box and left in the sun for a few days.

70 I have, no kidding, about 8 different varieties of mustard in my refrigerator. Now that's some good condimentin'.

Any idea if the new park in D.C. will be a hitters or pitchers park? I tried to get some info on the dimensions at the MLB site and they only have pictures and artist renderings. Sam?
vr, Xei

73
Pardon me, but do you happen to have...

73 - Yeah, I like different mustards too.

It's been fun this morning here in DC to hear my Nats fan friends already buying into the hagiography of Lo Duca. "Veteran leadership" aside, I think this is a smart deal because it's only a year and he is definitely an offensive upgrade from Schneider (for what that's worth). If the Nats have Lo Duca catch 110 games and Flores 50, with the idea of Flores taking over the starting job next year, then it will work. My fear is that Lo Duca will hit an empty .290 and sucker the Nats into offering him an extension.

70. My 4 year old loves nothing more than a mustard sandwich. Of course, it is primarily brown and honey mustard that he prefers, yellow is only good in a pinch.

75 ...but of course!

I don't like the yellow stuff; spicy brown mustard works for me. But you're wasting condiments if you put them on hot dogs. Bratwurst is where it's at.

79
Splendid! Let me roll down the window on my Rolls and have Jenkins retrieve it from you.

81

[rolls up window, drives off]

80 - Clippers announcer Mike Smith is giving you a run for your money. According to today's Times, he is about to have twins - which will put him in double-digits.

74 Xeifrank, FWIW: http://tinyurl.com/2fzwll

83
Is Mike any relation to Joseph...?

Michael Smith is most famous for being drafted two picks ahead of Todd Lichti in the 1989 NBA draft.

Where in the world is Todd Lichti these days, anyway? Boy that brings back good memories.

Latest Kuroda rumors:

http://tinyurl.com/yw699k

Mayonnaise is a gift from the gods.

If you've never tasted the mustard at Phillipe's, you've missed out on one of life's great experiences.

58 Is the Belgian fry joint Oinkster in Eagle Rock?

89 - the gods of evil!

89 Negative, I live in NYC.

Mayo is acceptable in small doses, like on a dry turkey sandwich, or with tuna. One of the reasons I stopped eating at Quizno's was the mayo-drenching of all the sandwiches there.

Since I found Frank's Hot Sauce, I have no need of Ketchup, Mustard, or Mayo. I eat it on eggs, sandwiches, burgers, fries. Hmm. I still like mustard on my dogs, though.

"Mayo is acceptable in small doses, like on a dry turkey sandwich"

See, that is the problem, right there. Bad food is bad. You can't fix it with other bad food. If the thing is insufficiently greasy, don't eat it. Eat something that's good, instead. Like bacon.

My brother in law will not sit at a table where mayonnaise is eaten.

He actually gets up and leaves.

92 Now there's a man with taste.

But you left out pizza. I can always get my kids to scream by putting that stuff on a slice of pizza.

93 Gotta disagree. Leftover thanksgiving turkey can be pretty dry and unappetizing, but it can be nicely rehabilitated with a little spread of mayo on rye bread, along with some Colman's mustard.

When the turkey gets too dry, you make it into hash.

ZIPs did a confidence interval projection for Matt Kemp in 2008.
The optimistic projection (15%):
.323/.374/.539 22 HR 41 BB
Average:
.303/.348/.483, 18 HR 37 BB
Pessimistic (15%)
.282/.323/.427, 11 HR 26 BB

That optimistic projection looks pretty awesome, but man that pessimistic... Matt Kemp has topped his optimistic home run total once, when he hit 27 in Vero Beach (which Andrew points out as the best home run park in the minors), and his walk total once (he had 46 BB in 2006 over three levels). Last year he had 14 home runs and 26 BB over 453 at bats between AAA and the majors. He is young and you would expect progress, but his huge jump in OPS in 2007 was entirely due to increasing his batting average nearly 100 points. His ISOslugging (.195 to .178) and ISOpatience (.036 to .031) went down from 2006. No way he hits .340 again so I hope to see some improvement, any improvement, in his component stats in 2008.

In my heart I believe Kemp will be a star with the Dodgers, but in my head I think trading him for Bedard would only suck because it meant Pierre would play every day.

I can't believe anyone cares about my taste in traditional condiments, but here goes:

Mayo--The single most disgusting manufactured foodstuff on the planet. I believe everyone's allowed one irrational food dislike [my wife's is mushrooms].

Catsup--For kids. I will eat cocktail sauce [basically catsup plus horseradish; often a rougher texture] and I'm quite fond of certain BBQ sauces.

Mustard--It's vinegary, you know? So if you don't like strong vinegar flavor, it's not for you.

Yank Sing Chili Sauce--God's greatest gift to mankind.

Chiming back in on Condiment Thoughts, here is where I stand:

Ketchup - like it with fries, and on hot dogs (with mustard and pickles), and as an ingredient in meatloaf

Mustard - was fiercely loyal to plain yellow mustard for ages, but more recently have come to enjoy different varieties. The horseradish mustard at Philippe's is the best I've ever tasted (I'm still kicking myself for not buying a bottle)...love mustard on hot dogs, bratwurst/sausages, and more recently as a dip for pretzels (hard kind, not the soft, with which I've always liked mustard)

Mayonnaise - the white-headed stepchild of condiments. Only acceptable in small doses when mixed with tuna, although I prefer my tuna plain

Also, Pico Pica or Cholula on eggs is divine.

When the turkey gets too dry, you make it into hash

Then you stay up all night selling it (along with cocaine) to an undercover cop who's got a sister named Jan, who (inexplicably) loves your drug dealer partner.

So, can minor leaguers get good enough in their late 20s to see the big leagues? We all might be interested if he makes it because it's a sign that someone can recover from back issues. I've been checking out various Nashville Sounds players on baseball reference's new(ish) minor league stats.

I'm very intrigued by Dillon. There have been noises made about moving Braun to LF, or platooning Dillon and Hall. I'll be rooting for the guy. Check out the last few years.

http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=3981

for a feel good story:
http://tinyurl.com/3eyteg

The LA Times Dodger OF poll is up to 68.9% for the correct OF, with a whopping 13,446 votes casted thus far.

101 They can, but they don't tend to last too long.

Mayo is only good as an element in balance with the other things it is around. Its basically pure fat, so I have trouble spreading it on a piece of wonder bread without getting grossed out. It has its place in the kitchen to give body to certain sauces, but it should always be used sparingly.

Mustard, on the other hand, is high art. A (preferably spicy) mustard dipping sauce is the perfect compliment to a wide variety of meats. Ketchup is awful though, I want onions, hot peppers and maybe chili or pickles on a hot dog not tomato puree and vinegar.

100 We've got to get Stolenmonkey in on that.

At least we can all agree:

West Coast barbecue sauce >>>> Carolina barbecue sauce

For a dry turky sandwich I tend to just add salsa, most any will do.

105
And (Derek) Jeter

107
Salsa is a great and underrated condiment. It's especially good on spinach salads.

106. It's too bad both are significantly worse than Memphis, Kansas City and most kinds of Texas BBQ sauce.

My guess is we're talking salsa next?

Ketchup - I don't know if I'd go so far as to say replacement level, but not the first thing I reach for. Ok with fries, chicken nuggets occasionally. Hot dogs either with this or plain, especially if it's the kind of dog that can stand alone.

Barbecue sauce - tomato based, but different substance. Not as multi-purpose, but good.

Honey - Preferred for chicken, but half the time fast food places don't have it.

Mustard - never cared for it.

Mayonayse - That's disgusting. Ruined a burger at Wendy's for me.

Honey mustard - It's like hey, it's sort of what you want, but then it's not. I can't find an analogy.

Relish - never been a fan.

Tabasco - no thanks.

106 - Carolina BBQ is horrible. I don't think it is even a viable regional cuisine, it is just cheap garbage food. Compared to Texas BBQ, which is incredibly multi-faceted (ribs, brisket, et al) it seems sad, like the poor Carolinians just didn't know better than to eat pulled pork sandwiches.

110
Well, I might be confounding West Coast with the kinds you list. I like the tomato-based stuff. The vinegar-based stuff here in NC is disgusting.

Come to think of it, it doesn't really matter much now that I more-or-less stopped eating meat.

105 You want me to do what?

My guess is we're talking salsa next?

Just don't give me any that was made in NEW YORK CI-TEEE..?!?!?!

I'm immensely amused by mayonnaise hatred. A have a friend who absolutely can't stand the stuff, and gets furious whenever he finds it on food where he wasn't expecting it. It got to the point where every order he placed at a restaurant, no matter what, was punctuated by, "No mayo."

e.g., I'll have a calzone, with no mayo; I'll have the carne asada burrito, no mayo; Let me get the yellowtail sashimi, no mayo; I'll try the kung pao chicken, but please make sure there's no mayo on it; etc.

109. Are you talking about using salsa as the salad dressing or in addition to dressing? As a dressing would be very interesting, I combine salsa with almost everything else, it's a wonder I've never tried this.

As for the BBQ sauces, yes the others are all tomato-based sauces. While Texas may be the most multi-faceted of the good sauces, I've never had any as certain Memphis sauces with ribs and Kansas City sauces with brisket.

Mustard fans would love South Carolina-style BBQ sauce. It's mustard-based rather than tomato sauce-based. Good stuff.

118
Salsa as a dressing. I usually add some parmesan cheese and olive oil as well.

I swear there's nothing but Philistines on this board. It's just eggs and oil, two of life's building blocks. The only meat that mayo doesn't go well with is pastrami. I like to dip my fries in mayonnaise. a BLT with heirloom tomatoes and fresh mayo is transcendental.

The only good thing about the city of San Diego is the Kansas City (?) BBQ place where they filmed that one bar scene in Top Gun. What a dive, but good BBQ, cool atmosphere, and there is also a random ceiling fan hanging over the bar decorated with female students (CSULB) undergarments. Quite the find after a long day at the comic convention.

94- If I could get away with that, I'd do it. My friends and family scarcely tolerate me, as is, so I have to tone down some of my fiercer proclivities, or I'd end up lonely and insufferable. Like Pellam.

My guess is we're talking salsa next? it's better than beating the dead horse, ain't it?

What is a random ceiling fan? Sometimes it's there and sometimes it isn't?

My friends and family scarcely tolerate me, as is

Nobody like pleats.

119 Mustard based BBQ sauce sounds divine. I love most mustards outside of that despicable Colman's English stuff. Yuck! A friend eats McDonalds quite often, and he gets chicken Mcnuggets with hot mustard that is actually really good. I was not aware McDonalds had any sauce outside BBQ and Sweet and Sour, then again those were childhood faves and nowadays I try to stay as far away from that place as possible.

Oh, and Sam, I definitely use Frank's with Pizza. I don't use it all the time (ie, I'm in control of my addiction, ;-) ) but I find it goes with pretty much anything. My wife makes some butter-parmesian-whatver-else-she-thinks-noodles for my son; usually quite tasty, but sometimes they need a little extra oomph and that's what Frank's is for.

Before my head explodes trying to reconcile being called a Philistine by somebody who dips their fries in mayo I want to propose guacamole as the missing condiment of this conversation. It can't go on hot dogs, but that's about it. Good fresh guac is the ur-condiment.

And to think I almost slept through Condiment Thoughts!

All I know is I rank standard mayo (not OJ Mayo) at the very bottom (okay, maybe alongside sauerkraut and relish), and even more strongly so after my g/f got food poisoning from some spoiled mayo that was on a sandwich she purchased recently. More upscale mayo mixes, like pesto mayo are better, and aioli, but I'm still not a fan. Give me gourmet mustards, salsa, and BBQ sauce, depending on the wheres/whats of each and on what...

We should do an all-condiment sports name team.

OJ Mayo
Chad Mustard
Mike Relish (I'm making that up)
er... I'm stuck after that.

Right when you get seated the dude comes over, "amigo, chips, water...cerveca"? and then bam right there you know what your in for just by the quality of the Salsa. I love that. Hate it sometimes too.

Ketchup-Burgers/Fries only
Mustard-yes
Mayo-Maybe a little "light" mayo on the turkey Sandwich, sure..
BBQ-Love it all.

My mom would/does put ketchup on Steak? Are you kidding me?

And I guess I spell it Ketchup. lol

Guac is a very nice condiment, but I prefer just slices of avacado on my sandwiches if given the choice (and they do work on hot dogs).

I always think of Guac as a dip, but I suppose you're right, it can be put on burritos, tacos and burgers, and other sandwiches, too, though to me there's nothing like a really outstanding quacamole that is just by itself as a dip for some good chips. Mmm.... Now I'm really hungry.

When I was a kid, I loved peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches.

Nowadays, mayonnaise isn't worth it unless it's real mayo, not that crap in jars.

Mustard of all varieties. I do not relish relish. Salsa and hot sauce in all varieties, again sans jars.

I prefer "catsup" to "ketchup" (although I also prefer "yoghurt" to "yogurt"), and also like specifying "tomato catsup." Back in the day, catsup just meant sauce -- which is why you'll still see "tomato ketchup" on your ketchup or catsup.

125 Not sure how else to explain it. It was pretty interesting.

135- My grandmother ate peanut butter, mayo, and banana sandwiches. People underestimate the psychological damage done to survivors of the Depression. And that which they inflicted on later generations.

I have a couple Italian friends from Chicago who always refer to spaghetti sauce as gravy.

I am in ownership of the single greatest avocado giving tree ever in my backyard. There are literally hundreds of em' on their right now. That might be natures most perfect food because I can use that fruit for most anything. Sandwiches, salads, with cheese, with slices of onion, on toast, on omelettes, etc., on and on. Man I am glad that avocados came up on this site finally. I guard that tree with a vengeance.

Lately I've become quite fond of the cilantro dressing from El Pollo Loco. Right now I'm putting it on everything salad, fish, or animal based.
Love my different types of mustard. You may only use mustard on a bratwurst. For whatever reason the bratwurst I've had in the US have never compared to Germany. It might just be an age thing and it might be because I've never had a brat from Milwaukee.
Won't swear off Mayo but hardly use it anymore. It is a bit gross to see what people will dip into mayo.
I rarely eat hot dogs anymore but if I do they must have catsup, pickles (not relish), and mustard.

I'm flabbergasted that I posted 111 before I saw 107 and 109 . Here I thought I was being prescient.

From the mayonnaise haters, I'd like a ruling on Miracle Whip, otherwise known as "salad dressing" in the generic brands. No eggs and you can find varieties with very little fat.

Miracle Whip is vile.

139 Sounds like you advocate avocados avocationally . . .

138 Chicago has a strange breed of Italians. It's properly referred to as marinara, and can have other names depending on the ingredients.

139
That is indeed a treasure. A nice holiday box of avocadoes to your fellow DT posters would be a great way to celebrate the season.

Gooey green stuff creeped me out until I was 30. Now I can't imagine living in a world without Guac.

Cilantro, avocado, tomato and onion salad with vinegar, olive oil and pepper. The best right there.

Any love for Arbys sauce?

Big fan of spicy mustards, a good salsa, and BBQ sauce.

I hate any kind of mayo, kind of like Disabled List's friend in 117 . I also hate sour cream with just as much passion. Maybe I have something against the white condiments.

I'm not a big fan of guacamole, but the irony is that I make a pretty good guacamole (for parties and such), although admittedly it's not hard to make.

141- Unconscionable, really.

145 Maybe I shall be so kind to share my wealth of avocados.....I will inventory the stock and let you know.

147 Any love for Arbys sauce

I like their "horsey sauce", although I haven't eaten at Arby's in some time.

"I'm so hungry, I could eat at Arby's."
"Oh dear god!"

(Sorry, Jon.)

Sour cream I can get behind. It has to be used sparingly, but a dab in tuna (with plenty of curry paste/powder), and you're in business. Sour cream is what people wish mayonnaise was.

149
Your so predictable and your going to hate the fact someone thinks your predictable.

For a long time my hot dog was mustard and onions only, or get the hell out of town. Recently I have dabbed a slight amount of Ketchup, never katsup, and I can handle that. A pickled jalapeno or 5 with that is cool too.

The only thing sour cream and mayonnaise have in common is that they're white.

Sour cream is a cultured dairy product. Cultured in the sense that it has bacteria added to it to produce a flavor.

Mayonnaise is a sauce.

It would be akin to comparing ketchup to blood.

I don't think anyone has brought up Steak Sauces yet, might have missed it though. The topic of steak sauces could be a whole other conversation, I know people who are passionate about their steaks and its fine sauces. Although, then you get the guy who claims steak sauces ruin the meat.

A good friend of mine was hijacked to Austin and laments the fact he can't find a good hot salsa. He needs to tear when he eats or he's just not happy. Anyone have some recommendations?

157
So he was on a plane that was hijacked and forced to land in Austin and now he's been kept there against his will?

Is Mack Brown behind this? Or Augie Garrido?

147. Arby sauce just tastes like regular BBQ sauce to me, is it any different? Anytime I've eaten at Arby's, I've mixed that sauce with the Hosey Sauce.

135. You can still buy mushroom ketchup in England and Spain today.

144. Chicago just has a strange breed of people, I've seen a fair amount of Chicagoans refer to marinara as gravy, and to reiterate, they really, really hate it when anyone over the age of 10 puts ketchup on hot dogs.

And the Hot Stove has come down to:

"I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round...you know I love to watch them roll."

153- It's not predictability, it's just consistency. I'm consistently opposed to things that are bad.

156. Steak sauces don't ruin the meat, they are just in there for people who are eating a bad piece of meat that shouldn't have been eaten anyway.

I'm consistently opposed to things that are bad

With the exception of pleats.

Mayo-Bad
Mustard-OK
Ketchup-good
Wasabi-WOW!!

I'm consistently opposed to things that are bad.

Like little children and kittens.

115 Google Monkey Man. Or maybe George Harrison and Monkey Man.

One loud fervent voice for KC Barbecue above all others.

I like ketchup on many many things.

I like mustard on lots of things.

I like mayo on some things.

55 dodger fan in hong kong, did I miss your email address?

98 Mayo--The single most disgusting manufactured foodstuff on the planet.

Velveeta/Cheeze Whiz begs to differ.

113 Carolina BBQ is horrible.

It's sad, Benaiah, after your many cogent posts here, to see you obliterate your credibility like that. How can we believe a word you say now?

165- Hey! I have no problem with kittens. . .

163. Pleats are far too innocuous to be considered bad. That's like saying the color blue is bad.

I've had some good barbecue sauce, but I always think the best is one you make yourself.

151 My roommate has never been to Arby's and has the impression that it sucks from that episode. I quite enjoy Arby's.

31 Ketchup has plenty of tomato goodness, however. It's an excellent source of lycopene. Plus a decent amount of vitamin C. A far better food than some others.

174
Does the good cancel the bad when combined with eating the salt lick that McDonalds, calls fries?

Wow, dissing McDonald's fries. Is nothing sacred?

98 "I believe everyone's allowed one irrational food dislike [my wife's is mushrooms]."

Yes, good point! For some it seems to be ketchup. For me, hmm, well I am not too fond of mushrooms either, however my real disgust is reserved for bananas. Yeech! Just the smell, awful.

I think we could easily eliminate the people in this world who will do harm to it by finding out at an early age if they find kittens to be offensive.

I find it amusing that Mike Smith is actually creating the Zappala family.

I love mushrooms as long as they are cooked in some kind of sauce. Marsala works for me.

175 Well, of course you also have the salt and corn syrup in most ketchups. Condiment thoughts!:

Ketchup: I used to use a lot more of it, on burgers, fries, scrambled eggs, and meatloaf. Now, not so much, since I rarely eat burgers, and have converted mostly to a much less healthy condiment for my fries...

Ranch dressing: Excellent on fries, especially Red Robin fries. A real downfall of mine.

BBQ Sauce: I like to combine about half and half of the hot and the sweet sauce at Busters Texax BBQ, with a BBQ turkey sandwich and fries.

Mayo: Love mayo a bit too much, especially on a turkey sandwich, on burgers, and on the occasional fry (like at Fuddruckers.)

Mustard: Well, it's good in devilled eggs.

Salsa: Love it, mostly use it on chips. Whole Foods has a good roasted corn salsa too.

Could we please sign a back-up catcher or something?

178 Where do you think I get my material from?

181 Damian Miller is available.

Resolution being debated on the House floor whether to honor the University of Hawai'i for its 100 years of service and dedication to higher education.

No mention of the mighty 'Bows just yet . . .

181 We don't talk about baseball here.

I used to love Sushi and everything associated with it. I loved Wasabi and the fire it brought to my nose. But then I got food poisoning in the worst way from sushi and even the thought or smell turns my stomach anymore. This is unfortunate in my life.

186 Was this at a restaurant?

174 177 I like the contrast there of talking about the health value of ketchup and dissing bananas (irrational though it may be) when the bananas may be one of the healthier foods put on this planet (by aliens from the Crab Nebula).

187 yes, dragon street sushi in NoHo Arts district. I hate to out them because they are really nice folks who run the place. I ate there all the time. I place the blame on the fish and not the restaurant.

I used to eat a banana everyday my senior year in high school. I got so sick of bananas that I ate maybe 3 of them during my entire college life. Now I usually only eat bananas in smoothies, sundaes, or those fried dessert things.

188. I had a doctor once tell me that bananas were the junk food of the fruit kingdom. I co-worker spent two months digging up articles and data to prove to me that the doctor was wrong.

184 Hah -- now the del from American Samoa is thanking June Jones for coming to his little territory to recruit football players for the University. And he's not happy about the Heisman result either.

Mayo is also good for artichoke dipping.

I've heard wonderful things about KC BBQ. Gates is supposed to be great.

191 - Who was more persuasive?

Bananas and peaches are my favorite fruit. Both make great daiquiris.

126
there very flattering in the crotchal region. it's an optical illusion! wow...this is embarrassing.

ok, got my anchorman reference out of the way.

Man, I could handle a daquiri on a trpical beach somewhere right now.

194. I guess the co-worker since the doctor just mentioned it off the cuff and never said anything again and the co-worker just gave me piles of information. It could be from quacks for all I know, but it doesn't matter since I find that bananas disrupt my digestive processes too much.

195 For some reason, that made me think of James Spader's line from that Seinfeld episode: "You know, I don't even think we have that flavor."

Pinto writes about the Bill James Clutch article. And he uses confidence intervals!

http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/024192.php

188 I know, it's illogical, isn't it? ;-) It's almost like an allergy with me. I have an intense dislike for bananas. However, I love apples, so I eat plenty of those instead. Speaking of nutrition, I was surprised and happy a while back to learn that yougurt is an excellent source of potassium (as are bananas, obviously.)

MC Safety's Top 5 fruits:

1. Nectarines
2. Pears
3. Plums
4. Pineapples
5. Oranges

I cant stand peaches, red apples, and everything melon besides watermelon.

200 Oh man. Confidence Intervals. I'm so there!

Life without albacore and some sort of soft shell crab roll is unfathomable.

Wirerooms top 5 fruits.
1.watermelon
2.nectarines
3.mangos
4.pineapple
5.apricots

181 Bring back Piazza!

Jon, I'm going to look up Cleveland's pitchers and post it in the previous thread. I don't think anyone has done the Indians yet.

204 mentally it is difficult. I hope one day that I can handle it again.

I did the Indians. I will take on another team if needed.

193 - mix in some good mustard with that Mayo and you have a killer artichoke dip.

I'm just sitting here watching the Condiment, fruit and Salsa go round and round. You know I love to watch them explode

208 Nevermind then. Are there still teams needed?

NPUT

209 Add some garlic and you are set.

People enjoy ketchup because it is a sugar delivery device.

I'm on Seattle's rotation. Hopefully no one has done them yet.

192 Jones is in his contract year; maybe Samoa could kick in a little towards the renewal.

Of all the store-bought salsas, I'll take Pace Picante.

I used to think Miracle Whip was fine until my future b-in-law converted us all to Best Foods/Heileman's.

157 Hard to believe your friend can't find good salsa in Texas. Good salsa in a jar is tough going, but the best I've ever discovered is a brand called JC's Midnite Salsa. So far, I've found it only at the hot sauce store at Farmer's Market, although they have a website you can order from:

http://jcsmidnitesalsa.com/

"Hell Hot" is my preferred level, which is plenty fiery. "Hotter 'n Hell" will lift your skull clear off, and "Blackout" is not to be taunted.

Short time site stalker, first post. This site is the best Dodger site I have seen. The Official Site of the Dodgers appears to have an age limit of 16 and under and the Los Angeles Times blog is well, the Los Angeles Times. Keep up the good work here, it's great. On the pitching staff rankings, it would be interesting to compare the current Dodgers to the last several NL winners and the last several World Series winners. Off the top of my head it seems all would have had a #1 hammer power pitcher but not sure. Also not sure if Penny is that although I thought we matched up pretty good two years ago against the Mets. On to more important topics:
Ketchup/Catchup/Katchup: Required only for french fries
Mayonaise: Required only for artichokes (my wife hates me for this, but oh well) and a turkey sandwich on November 23rd.
Mustard: Plays for avg and slg
Salsa: 5 tool condiment

218:

Any Hot Sauce: 3 sport/meal star. Can choose MLB/NBA/NFL

I'm supprised that Andrew never mentioned Ethier. The last time I looked Ethier was the left fielder.