Whew. We can still wear the Tshirts.

Now I can sleep at night.

I seem to remember him as better than his stats showed. Here's to hoping he becomes unhit-able, and makes a bullpen of Saito, Broxton, Proctor, Beimel and Brazoban unbeatable.

I'll go out on a limb and say if Brazoban earns all $660,000, he's going to get to tack on a playoff share too!

Did we get Braz in some wierd trade with the Yanks, or am I thinking of someone else.
Whatever--I remember he was good when he had "it", whatever that was.

5- Kevin Brown.

Yhay!

5- Not too weird. Kevin Brown for Yhency, Weaver and Brandon Weeden (that one I had to look up).

7 - B-R says we were the ones that got cash in that trade. Is that true?

Stupid fractions of seconds.

That's a Bob (or somebody else with access to newspaper archives) question. I always assume BB-ref is right, though.

I still wear my Ghame Over t-shirt.

Other t-shirts I'd be interested in wearing:

1) Russell Martin the Golden God.
2) The Bison (with 1 Matt Kemp fact printed per t-shirt).
3) Alyssa Milano = Smurfette.

8 - https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/10556.html

Saito, Broxton, Brazoban, Proctor, Beimel in the pen, and Penny, Lowe, Billingsley, Kuroda and Schmidt in the rotation, given health.

And that's not even getting into Kuo, McDonald, Kershaw, Meloan, Miller, Wade, and other guys we have that haven't cracked the majors yet.

Wow, we have a lot of pitchers that are better than Esteban Loaiza.

Interesting post from the same day:

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/10558.html

Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports Weekly told me in an e-mail that he thinks the Dodgers' acquisition of Nomar Garciaparra for Odalis Perez is "done" if the Red Sox complete their proposed Manny Ramirez for Alex Rodriguez trade.

Nightengale had reported in this week's issue that "the Red Sox hope to finalize the trades by the end of the winter meetings" Monday.

As far as the Dodgers were concerned, Nightengale added that "the tip-off that the trade could be consummated is that the White Sox were informed by the Dodgers that Perez is off the market." The White Sox had been preparing to send Paul Konerko to the Dodgers for Perez, the merits of such a deal notwithstanding.

In fact, there is the possibility that Garciaparra-to-the-Dodgers could happen no matter what. There's this from Rumor Central at ESPN.com:

.......

Dodger Thoughts linking to Rumor Central. That's one for the ages.

Advantage DT archives. Free, fast, and with a link to speculation that Nick Johnson might have been included in the deal. That would have been something.

12 - It tells you how much the Nats are hurting that Brazoban played more than Nick Johnson last year.

And we got Jeff Weaver's 2 best years. And 2 draft picks.

I'm afraid the "pitching rich" D's team that traded Brown (not that I didn't want to trade Kevin, the walking health risk ) probably included O. Perez and D. Driefart.
Another string that would make the D's pitcher shy for at least a decade.

So what are expectations for how the bullpen will look on opening day? I think we started out with seven men in the pen last April, since the starters weren't expected to be up to throwing many innings right away.

The top four guys are set: Saito, Broxton, Proctor, and Beimel. As long as he is healthy I imagine Brazoban is in the pen for sure, regardless of spring training performance. Kuo is out of options, so that probably gets him in too regardless of spring training performance. If Schmidt is healthy he will be in the rotation, which would make Loaiza the seventh man in the bullpen. However, if Schmidt opens the season on the DL, Loaiza will be the fifth starter, and that leaves an opening in the bullpen that I would like to see filled with Eric Hull, pretty much on the merit of his season in Vegas last year. Meloan will get consideration, but he probably didn't pitch enough in Vegas last year to satisfy the front office, and things didn't go all that well for him in his brief taste of the majors. But I just have a feeling Hull is going to get screwed, and I am expecting NRI Mike Koplove to get that last spot in the pen, if Schmidt starts the season on the DL.

I've always thought it would be interesting to review all the old "Just about complete" trades and trade proposals from the past.

One of my favorites way back when was Randy Johnson to the Dodgers for Hideo Nomo or the never dying Ismael Valdez for Jim Edmonds...

18
I think your analysis is spot on. Brazoban (6th inning over!) & Kuo are in if they're healthy.

Meloan probably starts in AAA, especially if he's a starter. If he's still in the pen, it will be because he "failed" as a starter or got hurt, which would send him down anyway.

I wouldn't mind a 6-man bullpen, because it allows for the 6-man bench, which could presumably include both Young and Repko.

I wouldn't mind Otsuka in the pen either, but his salary demands (the reason he got non-tendered in Texas) are probably too high for someone with his injury risk.

19 Could you imagine an outfield of Sheffield-Edmonds-Green earlier in the decade? Too bad we signed Devon White the previous year and ended up trading Valdez and Young for Terry Adams that off-season. I guess Malone was more attached to his scrappy centerfielder than Ned is.

7 Weeden is now the third string QB for my Ok. State Cowboys. The yankees are paying for his degree.

I wouldn't mind Otsuka in the pen either, but his salary demands (the reason he got non-tendered in Texas) are probably too high for someone with his injury risk.

Otsuka is having elbow surgery and is out for 2008.

23
Well, I'd say his injury risk is quite high then! :)

If the Clippers can hold on to this 4th quarter lead vs the Suns, the Lakers would have the best record in the Western Conference all to themselves. If that happens I will take and save a screenshot of tomorrow's NBA standings.
vr, Xei

25 We used to clip out newspaper articles for that. I still have copies of the LA Times from 1988.

Lakers play 26 games over the next 8 weeks, the amount of time Bynum is scheduled to be out. If they can go .500 over that span, they will be 39-24 (which is above where I thought they'd be before the season).

The Western Conference is so tightly bunched, they could finish anywhere from 3 to 6 (by record; top 3 go to division winners).

18
I also completely agree with you.

I am expecting the "magic" of Beimel to wear off soon. Perhaps that causes them to try Miller or Adkins at some point.

Beimel's assist totals are so amazing, I think he might be able to sill be effective. Is there something he does to put himself in great fielding position (a la Maddux) or is there something about his pitches that induces weaker contact and all those back to the box grounders?

25
Woo hoo, Clips! Time to take that screenshot!

What was up with Sam Cassell tonight? I thought he was finished.

Not sure how interesting this is, but old friend Chris Gwynn was in the jury pool for a trial Im currently chained to. He didn't make the final jury pool, but it was fun to see his name in the transcript. I checked his numbers on B-Ref and noticed he had a career high 101 OPS+.

32 - I've got to call in for a 1/28 jury duty appointment. It was originally for 11/26 - dead on my 40th birthday - but I postponed for the sake of my sanity.

I've had three interesting trials, so I don't dread it like other people.

Im on the working side of trials and the amount of hours that goes into it is heinous. Im here until about 1-3am every night, and I get to wake up around 7-8 to get to court if I need to be there. Oh yeah, no weekends off either. Its my second trial in two years (last trial went on for 4 1/2 months).

29 Beimel does appear to be quite the spry fellow on the mound, but I suspect his assist totals have more to do with the movement on his pitches. That, or a sample size issue.

We should ask that YouTube guy. I'm sure he'd know the answer.

Not to violate Rule 5 or anything, but it's always humorous when candidates from the ruling party run a campaign of "change".

If your party and its policies are so great, why do we need change? And if we want change, why shouldn't we vote for the other party?

Being a teacher my wife gets to postpone jury duty until her breaks. This year she tried using the Christmas break and it worked like a charm. Every day she called in they didn't need her.

Took a while for Sam to get his shot back but if he'd had it a little earlier the Clips probably beat the Mav's and Spurs last week. Anybody see the story on how Kaman was misdiagnosed with ADD and actually has a different condition that is being treated with biofeedback which he credits for his turnaround this season?

Big Ned is on ESPN 710 (Steve Mason) at 3 p.m. today.

didn't yahncey have a torn labrum?

The new LA Times poll on the sports pages is sorta fun, and hard. Which LA sports person would you have dinner with? That anyone, let alone 3%, chose TJ Simers is disturbing to me, given some of the other choices. David and Victoria Beckham might be a fun evening, especially if David took ill and had to bow out. I chose John Wooden. Joe Torre was tempting too. Who would you choose?

Last season, I was at the game where we were up big and Yhency came in to pitch the ninth. I had moved up to even with the on deck circle on field level, and the ball was smoking into Martin's mitt.

Yhency struck out the side and looked unhittable. Then he got hit hard the next time out and was soon done for the season, yet again.

I like his potential. I fear his health history though. Rudy Seanez couldn't stay healthy until he was older, his best years when he threw really hard were spent in rehab, not Britney rehab, but rathter Repko/Jayson Werth rehab.

40 Russell Martin

37 Nice finish last night, do you think Sam will be with the Clippers past the trade deadline?

Trainwreck, is it possible that Norm Chow will come to UCLA?

And where in Europe is Bob?

I've never had to serve on a jury. I've only even been called for jury duty once, and then I was moving out of state so I couldn't serve. I want to serve. Heck, I thought I wanted to be a judge before I was old enough to know better (see the comment from still bevens). But I really do think it is important to be a part of this process. I just don't think they'll let me volunteer. So I sit and wait and wonder if it will ever be my turn.

36 Walking the line carefully here, but it is possible for a candidate from the ruling party to be disillusioned with how his/her party has been running things and want to change. It would be more convincing if his/her proposed changes actually were changes compared to the status quo, but I can see the argument being made.

43 can't imagine chow going to ucla, seems like RN and chow will butt heads they're both offensive guys i would see somewhat of a power struggle there

37 I saw that story about Kaman. It made me think because I have a son on ADD medication. It does wonders for him, but you do want to be certain you have the right diagnosis, and apparently a lot of parents go down that path just because their child seems a bit "wild" or undisciplined.

43 We could start a new game, "Where in the world is Bob Timmermann?" and teach kids about geography and trivia. Maybe even make a TV show about it. Who's with me?

48 I thought about that but I did not want to endur any grief about any physical likeness and I have never seen Bob wear a beanie.

On the subject of our bullpen, I wonder how Stults is perceived as a reliever. I've basically given up on Houlton, but I see Stults as a potentially valuable long man who just happens to pitch from the left side. His making the club hinges on the health of Schmidt & Kuo. If Schmidt is disabled, Loaiza likely takes the 5th starter spot, opening up the long man role. If Kuo is disabled, we need a second lefty. I like the thought of Hull getting a chance, but I think a bullpen with Stults might be even better.

50 i'd bet 5 boxes of honey buches of oats schmidt isn't on the opening day roster

50 Just curious, why do you think Houlton is done while Stults is useful?

42 Russell's not one of the options, alas. Mike Scioscia is, but that's about as close as it gets. Tom Lasorda, Vin and Joe Torre are the Dodger-related options. I thought about Vin but I had a feeling I'd have heard most of his stories well before we met for dinner.

I would bet on Schmidt not being ready till at least May.

54 i'd be thrilled with that

jason schmidt= west coast version of carl pavono

I've been called to jury duty three times and still haven't made it to voir dire. The last time, I got to at least sit in the gallery watching other people get voir dired. I even got a number (thirty-one, I think). So I'm getting close.

40 Vin Scully is not on that list? Then I suppose I would choose Bob.

Closest I got to being on a jury was the last time I was called, last November. I was in the gallery and had to come back the next day. When we got there they announced the trial had been continued and we were all excused.

58 The McCourts are last in voting. Heads may roll. Me, say what you will, it would be Tommy.

44. Actually in CA you can volunteer to be a judge pro tem if you are an attorney and complete the Temporary Judge Program. For years I served as a judge in Traffic Court presiding over traffic trials in Santa Monica. (Before I catch any flack from you guys, I was pretty lenient, except on people driving without insurance or even worse, car seats.) Eventually, I graduated to Small Claims Court which was a lot more fun. I used to sit in West LA and occasionally in Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills was always wild because it included West Hollywood so you had these overly dramatic folks from West Hollywood fighting with their Middle Eastern neighbors in Beverly Hills over car accidents, rental disputes, nuisance claims, etc. Talk about two cultures that had no understanding or tolerance for one another.

56
No way, Pavano wouldn't pitch if a pimple showed up on his butt, while considering the damage they found in Schmidt's shoulder he was to macho for his own good and should have shut it down much sooner last year.
I do agree that Schmidt starts the year on the DL.

43
I hope not. Games like this only increase his value. It will be curious to see what happens. Hollinger keeps saying they will just buy out his deal and let him sign with anyone, but I think he has value and can net us at least a 2nd round pick. Boston looked vulnerable when Rondo wasn't playing.

Vin Scully is indeed on the list, and that's who I chose. I was tempted to choose Scioscia, and that's who was leading when I voted.

61
Night Court Larry

My wife's mom lived in West Hollywood for 35 years right next to Astro Burger. She lived in a duplex and had some very intreresting neighbors over that time. The highlight of each visit was the Astro Burger lunch. Astro Burger rules.

Yah, I mentioned Vin in 53 , but forgot the McCourts. Wishful thinking?

I say again... TJ Simers?? Sigh.

61 If I come back for another lifetime, I will be a lawyer.

62 totally agree with you, i'm just saying he's the west coast version of a $40+ million dollar man who will probably not get double digit wins for his team during the duration of the contract... Schmidt i'm sure is doing everything he can and taking his rehab very seriously, but there's only so much he can do with have major shoulder surgery on 3 different parts of the shoulder

47. I too have an ADHD child and the medication is a God-send for her, both academically and socially. We are fortunate to have a family member who works in the area so it has made our diagnosis easier but I often wonder/worry about the kids who go undiagnosed and their parents think they are just lazy or stupid.

BTW, apparently you haven't heard, Tom Cruise and his Andrew Morton hating friends can fix our children. Thank goodness for Tom!

ned colleti will be on 710 from 1-2 and i'm sure some questioning will go to about how the schmidt rehab process is going, i'm sure we'll got a stock, "there are no setbacks everything is on schedule" but maybe we'll get some insight on what ned thinks schmidt's status will be for april

52 Houlton, to me, is someone who has had enough opportunities to prove his worth. I view his stuff as rather ordinary, and I just don't have much faith in him as anything other than AAAA insurance. Stults has looked impressive at times, and I don't feel he's reached his potential yet. I'll be the first to admit it's a largely subjective/non-statistical evaluation, but it's mine!

Man, RIP Brad Renfro. :-( Poor, messed up too-short life.

If I come back for another lifetime, I will be a lawyer.

Unless you come back as a public service attorney or a Supreme Court Justice don't do it! Spending your life shuffling paper or fighting over money on behalf or against some behemoth corporation is no way to spend your second life. In my second life I'm coming back as a chef, fishing boat captain or MLB person.

68 It's pretty amazing stuff. I can't respond about Tom Cruise without violating several rules of the site.

72 The Supreme Court Justice part is what I'll take. Or I would run my own B&B.

Statistically, Houlton and Stults are pretty much the same pitcher. They are also the same age, the only big difference is one is right handed and the other left handed. If the Dodgers get desperate for a lefty in the bullpen then Stults would get the nod between the two.
vr, Xei

What is the realistic bullpen depth chart for lefties? With W. Wright out of the mix, we don't don't have many in-house options.

1. Beimel
2. Kuo
3. Stults
4. Miller
5. Elbert

Is there an NRI or other name I'm forgetting?

70
Other then his Rule 5 2005 season which shouldn't count, he's had fewer opportunities then Stults, Tomko, and Hendrickson. He didn't even get to pitch in 2006 and in 2007 when he did pitch he posted an ERA+ of 109. His minor league season in 2007 was stellar for AAA Vegas.

75
How is the guy with a 7.56 ERA and a whip of 1.90 the same statistically as the guy with a 3.65 and 1.376 whip in the same league?

76
Matt Riley is a NRI but I'm sure he's just going to be Vegas fodder. At one time he was a stud but 3 TJ surgeries tends to take the starch out of the arm. Where did they find the ligaments for the 3rd surgery?

77 Point well taken. Do you think Houlton deserves more of a chance at the major league level?

69 No, I read he'll be on starting at 3 p.m.

79 Matt Riley is the one pitcher Darren Dreifort is allowed to make fun of. BTW, whatever happened to the billionaire LH NRI from last year. I forget his name . . .

80
I do but it won't be with us. I'm not a big fan but I just think he should have been given a chance before Stults, and after Hendrickson/Tomko both failed.
It is clear the Dodgers don't think much of him and I expect he'll be toiling for someone else sometime in 2008.

82
Matt White - I think he's in Japan

61 Maybe Paul Haggis can get a movie script out of you, LAT...though he is a Scientologist.

64 I wonder if they were related to the Astro Burger in Inglewood (on La Brea)?

Only Marty could find you a better pastrami.

Matt White - I think he's in Japan

Cause Goshen stone is big in Japan.

64 85 They are related with similar menus (not exact), although different owners. There are lots of Astro Burger joints around the greater Los Angeles area. Although many are owned by different individuals and offer their own unique style. My friend's father owns the one on Santa Monica in West Hollywood, along with two others scattered around LA. The West Hollywood location is by the far the most famous and a hot spot for celebrities looking for late night fast food. Recently Hilary Swank put it on the map after dinning there after receiving both of her Oscars, became a tradition.

I have little faith in Stults and Houlton. They are AAA insurance guys from what I can tell, guys who make an emergency start if we need one, and guys who are September call ups to mop up some games.

I don't see Stults on the roster out of spring training even if he is a lefty. Geez, I sure hope we don't need him to break with the team, that would mean bad news for us.

78. Let's take a look at their 2008 ZIPS projections, as we don't want to base this off of small sample sizes.

Stults:
K/9: 6.31
HR/9: 1.29
K-BB/IP: 0.31

Houlton:
K/9: 6.37
HR/9: 1.50
K-BB/IP: 0.32

Well, there you have it. Except for Houlton's tendancies to give up a few more long balls, these two pitchers are very similar statistically. In fact, using these three rate stats, they are the most similar pair of pitchers the Dodgers have. On top of that they are the same age. I look at these rate stats as opposed to the WHIP and ERA stats you used.
vr, Xei

I'd lunch with the McCourts to make a connection that might work, Vin would be the guy I like the most.

I'd eat T.J. Simers notepad before I'd sit at a table with Tommy. His ego alone fills up three seats.

I have been chosen to serve on two juries; both hung. In one we voted after an hour or so and were at 11-1 for conviction. Two days later, we found that the one was an employee of a law firm representing accused persons. She said there was no evidence that would convince her other than an eye witness. Another time, I had to tell the judge on voir dire I would never credit psychiatric testimony to get out of serving on a jury for a sexual slavery case that took nine months to try. PS, I'm a lawyer; why anyone would want a lawyer on a jury I can't imagine.

Just leaving the media-open workout at Dodger Stadium. Will have a post about it tonight if not sooner.

One of the best ways to avoid getting chosen to serve on a jury is to claim unemployment. They have their own box for bums summonses.

92. Cool. Did you get in via your SI credentials or DT credentials? :)
vr, Xei

93

The last jury I was on... a guy got excused from the case by saying he did not consider Domestic Violence should necessitate a criminal case. He felt it should just be handled in therapy or a divorce.

He was let out rather quickly

Please forgive me for the horrible grammar in the last post.

Since it's Jury Chat Day :) let me chime in by saying that I've been on three juries, all of the civil court cases. All three times the plaintiff lost badly. Due to my employer, lawyers/judges love to have me on their juries. The last case was very boring. A teenage boy slipped and fell in the boys bathroom at a middle school in Slimy Valley and sued that his already broken leg was further injured. They brought in experts who discussed bathrooms and bathroom floors and measurements of slipperyness and what the industry standards were. I was also on a jury where many of the other jurors were obviously biased and had made up their minds before the trial even began. Kind of sad.
vr, Xei

I have been called for jury duty once. I sent the form back saying that in a few days I was going to be leaving the country for an extended period (year and a half) but if they wanted to pay me the $.40 cents per mile for the 16,000 mile round trip I would be glad to serve. They excused me and I have not heard from them since (5 years).

89
Thanks

Due to my employer, lawyers/judges love to have me on their juries.

I'll bite. Who is your employer?

I was seated on a jury in a medical malpractice case, but had to recuse myself when I realized the defendant was a surgeon who had operated on my late wife's back. (The way they were pronouncing his name threw me off.) Later, I bumped into the doctor's attorney in the courthouse snack room.

Him: "So, if you don't mind my asking, how is your wife now?"

Me: "She passed away."

He looked like he was going to choke. All color rushed from his face. So I clarified.

Me: "It wasn't because of your client."

Him: "Oh, good. Well, that's not what I mean. I mean, I'm glad it wasn't because...you know..."

I just completed my jury duty last Tuesday. One whole day - 4th person in the first group sent to a court, issued badge #9 at the court, 5th person thanked and excused by the defense during voir dire - first time I've been in the box and been dismissed. I think that perhaps as I get older, I may look more and more like a law-and-order type. I don't mind jury duty, primarily because the courts I'd get sent to are all easier commutes and my employer is quite generous.

Four previous juries for me, all criminal, one acquittal, one conviction though I was only the alternate, one case that wasn't given to us after the defensive attorney completely shredded the credibility of the the first witness, the alleged victim.

That acquittal was the first win for the defensive attorney and she, probably feeling a little out of her mind, invited the entire jury to drinks at the Hungry Tiger (downtown), which I assume is long gone.

Judges and attorneys like anyone from the public sector, because their employers generally will support unlimited jury duty. The private sector usually only grants one or two weeks.

I lost a client once because my main client contact was on a three-month trial. Understandably, progress on our project came to a complete halt, which somebody higher-up eventually noticed. They couldn't fire the guy who'd been on jury duty, so they fired my company.

I start jury duty on March 17. I'm free for dinner Friday night. But you have to meet me in Vienna. If you make it, I'll buy.

The McDonald's in Prague give out blueberry muffins with their value meals.

And yes, I have eaten real food here.

103 This month was the first time I'd been called with unlimited pay from my employer and I lasted one day.

101 That's a funny story. Well, not the part about your wife, ....

One thing I've never heard asked during voir dire is whether or not you know anyone else in the jury pool. In the aforementioned acquittal, a friend of mine from college and co-worker at the time and I both ended up on that jury. Perhaps that doesn't matter to the attorneys, but I'd be afraid that one might defer to the other in deliberations. We were good enough friends to have seriously considered renting a house together, so I could see the possibility of not risking the friendship in a deliberation disagreement.

The first time I served on jury duty, the plaintiffs' lawyer asked me what I did and I told him I was in the law biz and then he asked me what firm I worked for and I told him the name (one of the larger firms in LA). The lawyer remarked that oh you work for that small operation, thereafter, the attorneys, judge and reluctantly myself shared a chuckle. The rest of the courtroom had no idea why we were laughing.

I have been called twice, served twice, second time as foreman, no 12 Angry Men moments for me but it was interesting to be on that side of case.

From the last thread:
173. Joe Pierre 2008-01-15 14:18:28
Too bad Juan Pierre isn't a pitcher, if he were, he could try to get on this list.

I suspected JP would come up in that discussion. It was one of the first things I thought of when I saw Newcombe's career batting stats:

Newk, career: 988 PA .271 / .338 / .367 / 85 OPS+ / 15 HR
JP, last 3 yrs: 2197 PA 0.287 / 0.329 / 0.365 / 81 OPS+ (estimated) / 5 HR
JP, career: 5233 PA .301 / .348 / .374 / 84 OPS+ / 12 HR

100. Xeifrank's Donut Emporeum.
vr, Xei

95 That reminds me that a friend once said that he wanted to create a bumper sticker as a joke that read: There's almost no excuse for domestic violence.

104 Are the specialties in Vienna sausages and fingers?

Also, one of the juries I was on, my boss (first level supervisor) was also on the jury. Seemed kind of like a long shot.

On another jury, one lady was obviously trying her hardest to get excused off of the jury. She brought up the McDonalds coffee spilling case and that she thought most civil cases were frivilous etc... Boy, both the lawyers went on to make an example out of her and kept her on the jury til the last possible minute, probably just to make her squirm. The two laywers went on to give 20 minute speeches about the McDonalds case, asking the lady if she knew any of the facts from the case. It was quite entertaining.
vr, Xei

108 What every jury deliberation room should look like:
http://tinyurl.com/yv4ztx

How would anyone manage to serve on a jury for 9 months? Even if your employer pays you, your job isn't getting done and they can't be happy about that. Unless you're retired, I don't see how you would do it.

I've served as a juror 3 times. Once on a murder 1st degree, I didn't enjoy the sequestering, but it was a nice vacation from work at the time. I was actually impressed the most by the other jurors. Even the most "redneck" were quick to understand the real question of the case which revolved around the fact that the killing occurred during a felony.

Daniel,
In the world of the public library, people going on jury duty for months on end.

We get by. It's not fun though. Usually there are days off for people to come in and take care of things. Unless you're sequestered and that's pretty rare.

Officially, I can ask my staff to come in to work to finish the day if they have only a half day of jury duty.

The Dodgers' main page has a countdown time until pitchers and catchers report. T-minus 29 days 19 hours 36 minutes 15 seconds and counting!

As a teacher, my district will allow me to go to jury duty. However, I still have to come up with lesson plans, and do all the grading, etc. It is sometimes more work to not be here than to just show up and teach.

I have yet to be selected for a jury. Both times I was about to, there was a plea bargain.

Bob, I love Prague. Never been to Vienna, but I liked Salzburg.

Hendrickson signed with the Marlins.

So long, Lurch. Back to the Sunshine State with you.

Please excuse my brief foray into weather talk. Ingredients for a perfect snow day: (a) clear all storms out of the area, (b) bring in a very cold airmass with strong winds aloft, (c) setup a lake effect that creates beautiful flurries, but not heavy snow, (d) warm the roads with enough sunshine coming in from the areas not under the lake effect, so that the snow doesn't stick to the roads.

Congratulations, you now have a perfect snow day. Partly cloudy with patches of blue sky overhead, snow flurries, 20 degrees, clear roads. If you're lucky, it lasts all day, like today.

It sure beats yesterday -- 10 degrees and 40 mph winds that blow all the snow from your yard onto the sidewalks you cleaned the other day, making it look like you never shoveled in the first place.

115 So our juries are made up of librarians?

118 Fantastic news.

121. Yes! So you better make sure you pay those late fees, or get your books returned on time. Which reminds me...
vr, Xei

118 I fear a guy like Hendy coming back to haunt us. By that I mean he has a chance to pitch a good game against us, and be himself against Arizona, SD, The Rocks, and SF.

I wish he was back in Tampa. Or on an NBA bench.

118 not good news for my HS teammate Chris Seddon's chances of making the team out of spring

120 Daniel, that storm that hit you left Carson City's roads icy enough to cause me to spin out in my Explorer the previous Tuesday morning.

Into an oncoming truck.

But I was only two minutes late for work!

122 I ought to never be convicted of a crime. I pay $80+ per year to have a card for my family at the Salt Lake County Library, since neither our city nor our county has a library system. Plus the late fees for books and especially DVDs when they are overdue. I figure I have at least one free crime coming to me per year.

125 Yikes, I'm glad you're OK. Don't you wish you had jury duty instead?

118 Is he the highest paid player on the team now?

123 Yeah, Hendrickson has all the tell-tale signs of a pitcher who throws a 3-hit shutout against the Dodgers in one start, then gets rocked by the Diamondbacks or Padres in his next start.

Did I imagine that the Marlins are also interested in Gonzo? Such a youthful team would be a perfect place for his PVL-ness.

Yeah, Gonzo has been mentioned with the Marlins. For what reason, I have no clue.

Hendrickson actually just signed with them too. Eww.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/16/marlins-sign-mark-hendrickson/

Bronx Banter is worth a read.

127 You bet!

RIP Johnny Podres
To #98. Da Dodge
I finally caught up with all the comments under the Podres post. I want Da Dodge to know how much I enjoyed his post.
It was interesting also to read all the comments from posters who became Dodgers fans in one way or another because of Pods.
He was my father's favorite ballplayer (they were both lefty pitchers) and because of my Dad's enthusiasm for Podres back in the late 50's, I became a fan of the Dodgers, too. Fast forward to 1992 - my three young sons and I are at a winter baseball card show in Pasadena - and one of the two guys signing autographs - is Johnny Podres! And, he was complaining loudly and often that the line for a very young Dave Hansen was longer than the one for the MVP of the '55 World Series.

Dear God, I think he actually is the highest paid player.

As much as this pains me to say it, Hendrickson was actually decent last year, at least out of the pen (dig his strikeout to walk). It's not a terrible move.

129. That one loss is still better than the 10-15 losses he would have cost us had he remained in LA.

And he's only making half as much as he did in 2007.

The CHONE projected standings have the Diamondbacks killing the NL West this year.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/NickPiecoro/14760

For what it's worth, I strongely disagree.

131 See above ya for more Hendy-talk. I could see Gonzo going to Florida, since his hometown DBacks don't want him. They could use some PVL!

So with Hendy officially gone (which is fine by me), as mentioned above the Dodgers' don't have a lot of depth from the left side. Anyone else we're forgetting besides those mentioned in 76 and Matt Riley? I would think Stults would have a legit shot at being a lefty long reliever if he does well in spring training.

138. Interesting. I ran the 2008 ZIPS through my simulator and you can see the NL West and Central results at DodgerSims blog. I did my sim analysis a little bit different than they did.
vr, Xei

Hendrickson's deal is for $1.5 million w/500K in incentives.

140 Don't listen to LarryB, XF. He won't even use his full name!

Bob T,

Fiancee and I are heading to Prague in mid-Feb (yes, I know, cold) and I was wondering if you had any recommendations on what to see...have a couple guidebooks but never been. 7-day trip id that helps.

Also any day trip recommendations?

Thanks!

Unless the incentives are tied to his height, I wouldn't advise him to prepay the taxes on them.

I would have thought the 8th Best Lefthander in the American League was worth more than $1.5 million.

Coletti on 710 right now, until 4... sorry for repeating just want to get it out there

he said they're not persuing Feliz, that makes me happy

Every time Colletti appears on talk radio, we should compile a list of the words he doesn't seem to know the definition of. Like crux, for example.

By the way, anybody looking to listen on-line can find the player here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/player?station=la

Purple Row (Rockies blog) has an article up analyzing the starting rotations of the NL West. They rank the Dodgers as 4th best and the Padres as 5th best. Their knock on the Dodgers is the age of their starting pitchers. Don't shoot the messenger. :) vr, Xei

150 yahoo sports ranked every rotation in the NL, here's how the west stacks up...
1. Diamondbacks
2. Padres
3. Dodgers
5. Giants
6. Rockies

looks like the west is the elite pitching divison in baseball

150 Awwww...someone is a total Rockies homer, how cute.

Gotta say, my brief experience rooting for the Rockies is over.

I'm back to being The Only Guy Who Hates the Rockies!

It almost sounded like Colletti was ready to break Pierre's streak, but what he really said was that it was unlikely any group of three OFers would play all 162, not that any single OFer would.

First caller asks about Schmidt. :)
vr, Xei

155. Rehab going well. 100 throws every other day. Not throwing 100%. We are optimistic. No predictions. No pain. Blah, blah blah.
vr, Xei

3rd base wide open between LaRoche and Nomar. Close to LaRoche's time, up against someone with a great resume.
vr, Xei

Q: How serious were the Dodgers in getting Miguel Cabrera?

A: Marlins wanted 2 young starters and hinted at Kershaw also and a 4th young player. Great bat in the middle of the lineup, but not much left.

vr, Xei

Ned pretty confirms that it was probably Loney, Kemp, LaRoche and Kershaw for Miggy.

Maybe the pitcher was Chad but I am thinking it was Kershaw.

Coletti says:

"No specific names, but would have taken 2 kids in the field, one kid that throws, and one kid that is not here yet for Cabrera."

Sounds like Colletti is confirming that the asking price for Cabrera was Kershaw, Billingsley (or maybe Broxton), Loney and Kemp.

I totally forgot Nomar was an All Star in 2006. Impressive! He says LaRoche (as a compliment) is in the same situation that Loney & Kemp were last year. So we can go ahead and pencil him into the everday lineup middle-June!

161 I am thinking LaRoche (since its 3B) since there is no way they could have seriously asked for your package.

Kershaw pretty much has to be the "young guy who isn't here yet, who might be better than anybody."

Add ilk to the list, though very few people use that one right.

158 Ah, so Ned is another person comparing Miguel Cabrera to Mo Vaughn. Lovely.

You'd think the Marlins would have dropped the offer to three guys instead of taking the terrible deal they did.

163- It was one pitcher on the roster, plus Kershaw, plus two position players. It may have been LaRoche instead of Loney (that makes sense), but it sounded like an everyday player, which Colletti doesn't obviously consider LaRoche, just yet.

Sounds like Ike Turner went out with a bang.

You guys are all scooping my upcoming post.

I thought that was a reference to the Randy Moss story, KSPN just ran, but, no. Everybody always says it's good to die doing something you love.

Ned: Saito same type of stuff as Eck.
vr, Xei

Ned calls Broxton "The Bull."

"Da Bull's a great kid, he don't ask too many times, 'When's my turn.' "

There's gotta be a Japanese word for "young guy who isn't here yet, who might be better than anybody".

172 Ah, always going back to his Chicago roots, da Bears, da Bulls.

Mason should ask him specifically, what are your thoughts on the allegations involving Conte and Sabean.

But he won't and if he did, Ned shouldn't say anything anyway.

170 Saito did not throw Helton a 3-2 backdoor slider.

This Moss quote is stupendous:

"I want to make something clear," Moss said. "In my whole entire life of living 30 years, I've never put my hand on one woman, physically or in an angry manner."

All it needs is a U.S. America in there somewhere.

171 That makes me happy. Ive been calling him that since his first game against the Cards. Was worried everyone would start calling him the ox or something silly. Granted 'ox' is part of his name, I still prefer 'bull' by a country mile.

92 Gurnick mini-camp article is up. It's dedicated to Colletti's comments to the press.

On LaRoche, Colletti compared his readiness to that of Kemp and James Loney a year ago or Russell Martin or Ethier two years ago.

"It's time to give him the opportunity to start with the club and play as much as he can," Colletti said. "He's almost going to have to not make the club, and that's a pretty good spot to be in. That said, if he has a great spring and doesn't make the club, that's not to say he wouldn't be up at some point."

...and...

He said he's "fine with the outfield as it is," meaning Juan Pierre and Andre Ethier are more likely to open camp with Andruw Jones and Matt Kemp than one of them to be traded away. He said it wasn't out of "the realm of possibility" that Ethier could start ahead of Pierre.

...lastly...

Brazoban and Elbert are throwing, Elbert off a mound, but Conte said he isn't sure if Elbert will be 100 percent by the start of training camp.

173 -- There is, "Minotaur." It's Japanese all the way.

Missed beating Gurnick by about 10 minutes. New post up top.