"I just want to be part of a winner," he said. "If [rotating] leads to winning, fine. Last year, we didn't better ourselves with a situation like that. If we're winning and make a run to the playoffs, so be it. The thing that best helps us is what we should do."

I would be happy if someone wants to reassure me.

"Who was the greatest free-agent signing in recent Dodgers history?

Kirk Gibson is one obvious answer, although as great as 1988 was, he had only one productive Dodgers season.

Hideo Nomo would be a candidate, not only for his performance but for blazing the trail for other Japanese stars to follow. Maybe Todd Worrell, a two-time Dodgers All-Star."

vr, Xei

After reading the Ethier story, and listening to Torre my guess is the Dodgers will try and rotate the outfield and probably make a trade at the deadline at that person will probably be Ethier.

Does anyone still need a CF?

That is the most mainstream song on the album and the most mainstream song Dillinger has ever done. A lot of people do not like the way the band went, with the Patton LP and the last two albums, but I like it. There are still some old school type Dillinger songs on the albums.

Or else, I will be one sad panda.

http://tinyurl.com/34x3na

Sheriff's Uniform Waiting for Shaq
http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=725955

--

Meanwhile, doing my taxes I decided to check the deduction box next to "Ottoman Turkish Empire Settlement Payments"

I wonder if the IRS will red flag that one.

I always preferred the "Is This Love" video. Not that they're drastically different, but I remember liking (some 20ish years ago) Tawny's white dress in ITL.

1. Are "celebrities" normal people who then enter a new world of fortune and fame that changes their lifestyle and habits in such a way that they turn into the kind of people who end up going to rehab,

or

2. Are "celebrities" a particular subset of people who, regardless of the fortune and fame, would likely have turned into the kind of people who end up going to rehab anyway?

Johnson Jason Michael!

For this, I learned Japanese? Who knew?

And he thought an Urban Planning PhD program in North Carolina was the last place we'd look. We're on to you, Thetan Man!

http://tinyurl.com/2fxtr2

Honestly, stuff like this is the reason all of us tune in to DT each day...

Just a conjecture.

That's how I tend to think too.

So the either/or construct in 40 ... I just don't accept the relevance or the premise. Addiction problems occur for all kinds of reasons. The idea that celebrities as a group are 1) or 2) is preposterous - just like it's preposterous to put any group of rehab patients in a single category.

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=139

vr, Xei

*If this probability "exists" in an absolute sense, we can generally only estimate it.

"Domestic violence charges against Rays infielder Willy Aybar were dropped when his wife withdrew the complaint in the Dominican Republic. ..."

"(Rays) spokesman Rick Vaughn issued this statement: 'While details of this situation remain unclear, we are pleased that it has been resolved. We are encouraged that Willy has expressed remorse and accepted responsibility for his actions. The Rays are committed to providing a support system for him and his family when they arrive in St. Petersburg for spring training.' "

I hope this is good news. But I've been dealing with the fallout from a domestic abuse issue (you may recall my sister-in-law and her three little girls lived with us for a while last year), and I've learned how remarkably common it is for the victims to do everything in their power to get their "man" off the hook. My sister-in-law tried everything, including going to the prosecuting attorney and telling him that she was the perp and her boyfriend merely the victim. (The PA didn't buy it.)

Isn't it that we see the celebrities in the news more? I would think that the majority of people in rehab do not get the same kind of media coverage as celebrities.

Did anyone see the paparazzi chase of Brittany yesterday. I full accept that she made poor choices, but no one deserves that kind of treatment. Is anyone going to be arrested for standing in front of her car at a stop light?

Reds and Dodgers talking to A's about Joe Blanton.

http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/redsinsider/2008/02/on-blanton.asp

"Each school has to recruit to their school and what kind of requirements they (have)," Stoops said. "Arizona State has turned into a JC, and we're a four-year college. According to all the players, they say it's easier to go to school there, easier to get in."

http://tinyurl.com/3ahb2x

(Just kidding, Ken.)

http://tinyurl.com/34bg27

Glad to see Wild Thing is still working in baseball after his playing career ended.

I've told people coming into the library about how they can "get a license to sell things on the street" in Los Angeles. The answer is that there really is no such thing.

You can't just set up a stand somewhere and sell stuff. There are lots of permits you need.

"But the sidewalks are free!"
"Well, no they're really not."
"Yes, they are."
"OK, good luck with that."

Then again, I also couldn't convince a guy that he couldn't walk from L.A. to Florida by walking along the shoulder of Interstate 10 all the way.

"But Interstate highways are open to everybody!"
"But you'll get hit by a car going 70 MPH!"
"But the highways are for the people."
"Why don't you walk on a street paralleling the freeway?"
"I don't want to stop at signals."

http://tinyurl.com/2zl64o

85 I will pretend that comment did not exist.

UCLA had one of their early commitments leave for ASU, it is believed that he had academic issues.

Too bad they picked the Dodger with the actual great debut. (I know, that's part of the fun of it)

Do any of these factors play into it?

1) If a celebrity is in rehab, we're far more likely to find out about it than if Joe Shlabotnik down the street is in rehab.

2) Rehab is really, really, really expensive. Celebrities can afford it; lots of other people can't.

3) Celebrities can also better afford the cocaine and booze that causes them to go to rehab in the first place.

4) Celebrities probably have better support systems than normal people. Joe Shlabotnik down the street isn't going to have a manager and agent trying to talk him into going to rehab.

Linus once invited Shlabotnik to a testimonial dinner for Charlie Brown; unfortunately, the ballplayer got lost en route from his day job at a car wash.

Athlete... day job... does not compute. Thankfully, this makes me feel not as old as I've been feeling lately.

and now their right back to Kemp,Hu and LaRoche type fantasies.

How about Pierre and Loaiza for Blanton? Then maybe the fairies will come and give us some of those pork on pork hot dogs that sound so good right now before lunch...

Aw, come on, man!! Ned, please tell me this isn't for real.

Someone's buddy Doc.
An inside source from some random commenter on Sickel's site.

Seriously, freaking out over this? I can call my buddy and get some inside source quotes that can make you guys feel better if you want.

Side hot dog question here: does anyone put mustard on chili dogs? My cousin does that and it sounded disgusting at first but it doesn't sound that bad upon further review. I'm willing to try it. I put mustard on regular dogs so it shouldn't be too different.

http://tinyurl.com/2y7vw2

I'm trying to figure out if that is really that big of a deal considering how deep their staff is right now...

Well, I thought it was clever.

Man I'm in a weird mood...

Nothing substantial starts in Dodgertown for almost a month, LSU spring practice is a long ways off, I don't care about the Lakers/Clippers, and I can't get my roto league off the ground until next month. I hate February.

.........oh

111 I put mustard on my dog prior to ladling the chili on top of it. Tasty! That is, or at least used to be, the standard way they serve them at Cupids.

My wife and I are taking advantage of the weak housing market and purchasing our first home next week. Can anyone tell me how long the paperwork process is of actually signing all the piles of paperwork? I am trying to decide if it is a long lunch kind of process or if I need to take the day off from work.

Has anyone discovered Greg Brock's mystery blog yet?

"At least two teams are showing significant interest in Blanton, one of which figures to be the Reds, whose rotation is questionable behind Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo. The Dodgers, Yankees, Rockies and Indians are not in the mix, sources say. The Twins, desperate for a veteran starting pitcher, could be one possibility for Blanton. The Rays, deep in prospects, could be another."

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/02/07/joe-blanton-still-in-limbo/

There's a link to the video from there which I don't want to watch because I'm at work.

http://tinyurl.com/yqrg32

When is the DT housewarming party? :)

If a trek to Fontana is in the cards for everyone, a DT day at Casa de la Cajun is a distinct possibility. ;)

And when/if Schmidt comes back, guess who goes to the pen? Not Penny. Not Lowe. Not Kuroda. Not Blanton. Not Schmidt.

Listen, what has happened is what always happens: some other team has contacted the Dodgers because they desire our youth and want to unload a "proven veteran." The other GM proposed a deal and Colletti said no. End of conversation. Then it gets reported in the media that "The Dodgers are talking to Team X about a trade for Proven Veteran Y." Yes, there was "talk," it was about a trade, and it was about Proven Veteran Y, but the report twists around who wanted to make a deal. We already KNOW that Beane is desperate to rebuild and wants to unload Blanton. And we already know that Colletti said no when Beane tried to send us Blanton before, at the Winter Meetings.

139
So long as pork is being offered, my house is your house.

He used to throw a lot harder when he was in the minors.

No matter what, unless we are talking about getting rid of our most redundant pieces (Loaiza, Pierre, Young) I think the discussion is mostly academic. Someone may have talked Ned into that one before we signed Kuroda, but not after.

Never thought of it when I worked at Der Wienersnitzel some 35 years ago.

i just call them like i see them, dodgers are not looking for a pitcher since they sign kuroda. what are the odds the next time you hear that they are talking to a team about a pitcher is the day after their trainer watches schmidt throw for the first time?

after last year when colletti thought he had TOO MANY pitchers and turned out to have NOT ENOUGH i wouldn't be shocked if he wants to add another arm knowing schmidt is not going to be ready to go this year or ever.

There is much more Caribbean and Spanish influences down there than most people realize, however.

1. D.Lowe
2. J.Fogg
3. H.Kuroda

vr, Xei

Why does it seem you try to beat a dead horse?

that's all i said guys

when dwight freeny hurt his foot and they signed simeon rice the next day you'd have to been niave to think freeny wasn't out for a long time, and behold i was right about that one.

Penny, Lowe, Billingsly, Kuroda, Loaiza, Kershaw, Meloan, Miller, J. Johnson, and Stults. That's about worse-case right? Only then would it make sense to be looking at another arm.

PS: I don´t think that will happen.

I think the real answer is, no it doesn't seem funny. Coincidences happen all the time.

For the Dodgers this offseason, it has not been a question of what we would get but rather what do we have to give up. And the answer always seems to be the same: way too much.

{this is a 7 recording, beep!}

Then again, the prospect of seeing Bonds and Kent in the same dugout again...

If I could somehow know that the Dodgers could win a Championship this year with him or finish under .500 without him, I would still rather the Dodgers finish under .500. Completely irrational, but also completely truthful.

"sorry, I only sleep with sub 4 eras"

Plus, as noted above, Bonds introduction to the clubhouse in the presence of Jeff Kent, well... it would just need Apu there to say, "And if you should survive, thankyoucomeagain."

I said the Bonds thing mostly as a joke, but I am not going to pretend the Dodgers are some righteous team that would never do something bad.

Well, except maybe the Rockies.

"Without Schilling you guys are going to need more veteran presence in that rotation. A veteran presence like Esteban Loaiza."

You sound like Bill Belichick.

http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2007/11/the_bill_james_2.php

I could go through more of his games, looking for soft tossing, but maybe we could all just agree that he throws hard.

Is your biggest issue with the show the Laura episodes?

Though Tuesday's Alex episode wasn't problematic for me.

236 - Thanks. That's all I needed. New post up top.

I could look up Joe Blanton numbers, but that doesn't sound like very much fun. Plus, I don't think there's any much chance he's LA bound.