Complaing about the lineup starts in 1.. 2... 3...

A sad day in the LAT household.

A rude wakeup call for someone else?

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8387647

"Somewhere, the late Wally Moon, who became famous for dunking opposite-field home runs over the screen, is taking aim."

1 If this is the opening day lineup I'll complain.

Latest on the Daily News:

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/02/worst_day_everheartbreaki.php

4. Are you saying that you don't want Jason Johnson to be our opening day starter?

6 Some people are just never happy.

4 i have a feeling you don't like notion of our worst hitter getting the most PA's

Good Luck Shawn. I always thought he was a class act...

1
This is utter folly. How can Loney be hitting so high in the lineup, he's still wet behind the ears.

I wonder which hill they had to raze for Shawn to build his dream home in Irvine?

Nice gig if you can get it. Retired at 35, multi - millions should be in the bank, great family but why Irvine. Of all the places in Southern California why pick Irvine to build you dream home? Fear of fires?

11 - I think his wife's family is near there.

Irvine just went through a big fire. But I agree, Irvine is not where I would build a dream home.

5 It's really bad at the Daily News, but I'm thinking there is a bigger story there. They have 6 other papers in that group that I'm guessing got hit hard yesterday too.

Matt Kemp batting eighth? Really? Here we go again...

45 minutes, not bad.

anyone know where i can get live updates of todays game on my computer?

11 Especially with my home town of Laguna being just 15 minutes away to the south. Then again, if I were him I may prefer to send my kids to school in Irvine than in Laguna or Newport.

3
I hear the reports of Wally's demise are greatly overexaggerated.

Simon Cowell in the cleanup spot is what gets me.

21 Cowell hitting fourth, Sanjiya leading off, and Peter Noone in the seven hole ahead of that Springsteen kid.

18 Hey! What about Mission Viejo?

I remember one of the old Laguna Beach episodes where one of the girls, I think Cavalerri, says " Uh see how she wears her lipstick? That's so Mission Viejo!"

South Orange County snobbery at it's finest.

(I have family in Mission Viejo)

Man! Jason Johnson should be in the 8 spot! What kind of lineup is this? {grumble mumble grumble}

17 Probably live box scores on MLB.com, I'd think. You also should be able to listen online:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mediacenter/index.jsp#20080228
(Not sure if you have to pay for that yet...)

21 Something tells me we're into something bad.

Irvine is the fourth safest city in the country with at least 75,000 citizens.

http://tinyurl.com/3d9rf3

Congratulations to Brick, NJ for being the winner!

My condolences go out to St. Louis.

22
I had a friend who smacked into a lamp post with his car one night in Mission Viejo and one of the big bells that adorn most of the street lights in the city, fell on his hood. His car was trashed by the initial accident anyway but that was just insult to injury!

So I'm looking at the KABC 790 scheduled programming for the day and the game is not on there. Does anyone know for sure if it's being broadcast somewhere?

yankees spring training opener line-up last year...

damon, cf
jeter, ss
giambi, dh
a-rod, 3b
matsui, lf
posada, c
Cano, 2b
melky, rf
doug m, 1b

Slated pitchers today: Johnson, Myers, Sturtze, Martin.... Can we fast forward to opening day?

I'm sorry to see Shawn Green go. He was one of my favorite Dodgers for a long time, and was the first Dodger player that my kid sister could recognize by name.

Such a shame about that labrum injury. I was hoping he'd become the iconic Dodger slugger of the '00s. I guess he is, sort of, but only due to a lack of competition for the title.

Irvine is nice. My guess is he is building the house in the hills west of the 405 near the Strawberry Fields golf course area. I miss saturday morning soccer games in Irvine and all the great Chinese restaraunts.
vr, Xei

I wish Shawn Green the best, too. I was sorry when he left, even though I knew he was on the decline, and was sad to hear some Dodger fans boo him when he came back as a visitor. I'd still take him over Juan Pierre...

I'd never move to Orange County for a dream home either, but each to their own.

26 http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/sections/local/local/article_358606.php

Sorry for the long link, but a friend knew Justin.

24 I'm Matt Kemp batting eighth, I am
Matt Kemp batting eighth, I am, I am
When I get a pitch the ball goes wham,
But the guy hitting seventh married Mia Hamm
Now he's batting ahead of me
It's just like Grady's still around
I'm the number eight batter, Matt I am,
Matt Kemp batting eighth, I am

Irvine is a nice area with great roads and he grew up in Tustin which is about 5 minutes away. Maybe he just wants to be near his whole family and old high school.

33 I don't know if Simon Cowell approves of that.

25
Irvine may be safe, but there's a criminal who has fleed the jurisdiction:

https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/913989.html

34 In Irvine, I really missed being able to drive north and being able to assume that I'd eventually run into a street that goes east-west.

34 In Irvine, I really missed being able to drive north and being able to assume that I'd eventually run into a street that goes east-west.

33 Matthew the 8th!

34 In Irvine, I really missed being able to drive north and being able to assume that I'd eventually run into a street that goes east-west.

When I used to drive to San Diego I remembered all these beautiful hills on the drive down. They are all gone now and I asked someone what happened and they told me Irvine happened. I'm sure they exaggerated, right?

33
Hard to believe anyone here can actually lampoon a Herman Hermits song. As an 8 year old I was always on the lookout for Mrs Browns lovely daughter. I am both embarrassed and proud to say that my brothers had the English versions of those albums. Funny things were purchased when you were 10-13.

I too checked out the schedule on 790 am, but I don't see the game. Can you listen live to 790 on the internet, or will I need to live vicariously through Diamond's blog?

Culver City is another place where it seems that few streets ever intersect at 90 degree angles. I hate Culver City as I always get lost there.

I'm thinking of boycotting the city for the rest of my life.

Culver City could join Fontana on my list.

I'm not ready for baseball to begin yet. Only 26 days left? That's a bit ridiculous. Especially with the internet and blogs and XM radio...baseball just doesn't go away like it used to. Like a guest that stays too long.

"Pitchers and catchers report in _____ days" PLEASE can people stop saying this. It used to be charming, now it's just dreadful. Like sitting in detention with the kid next to you whispering "only 2 hours to go...

1 hour and 15 minutes...

only 45 minutes left (!)

It seems like the World Series just ended a few weeks ago. We haven't had to wait long enough to absolutely THIRST for it like a good fiend should. It's like having Christmas every 3 months. It's upon us too easily, too quickly. In all seriousness, it would be best if the season were shortened by a month and begin May 1st.

Maybe it's because I live in California now instead of the east coast, where the season is unmistakably broken up by winter. Here, because of the weather, it feels like the SEASON of baseball never ends.

37 38 40 I always liked how the streets are wide with many lanes and long distances between traffic lights.

43 - Culver City is Narnia.

41 Actually, Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo and Mission Viejo happened. Irvine is more below the hills and to the west headed towards Costa Mesa.

32 - That's awful.

43 Its a good thing you don't work where I work. We're just not allowed to hate cities like that, even though one of cities being discussed this morning is currently suing us.

Let's go... batter up... we're ta-king the afternoon off! It's a beautiful day for a ball game...

43 - There's a ton of street construction going on here currently. Give it some time and things will get better. There are too many good places to eat here! Plus, past homes of mine (Santa Barbara, Boston/Cambridge, Florence Italy) all had much, much more confusing streets.

I kind of like downtown Culver City these days and what it has to offer, even though the streets are all kattywampus.

46
So if I go to Culver City, I'm going to be chased around by an even paler version of Tilda Swinton?

51
I've been getting lost in Culver City since Hector was a pup.

48 Yeah, pretty sad.

Shawn went to Tustin High School so he will be near his family as well. If I had to make an educated guess building his dream home in Irvine actually means Shady Canyon. That is where Mark McGwire built his house. Shady Canyon is its own little luxury world.

51 Criminy, you've lived in the most confusing street patterns in the world! Whenever I'm asked how to get somewhere in Boston, I describe what the place looks like, and tell the person, just drive around until you see it.

41 The ex-wife of a friend of mine used to boast that she saw Herman's Hermits in concert. The opening act was "that band that sang 'My Generation.'" As I said, ex-wife.

By the way, your last True Blue essay was incredibly touching, and caught a mood I've felt for awhile now. Well done.

56 Shawn Green is an avid golfer, so I'm guessing Shady Canyon as well. I'm sure he doesn't drive the ball like he did back in 2002, though I don't have the stats to back it up.

57
Since that list of cities with confusing street patterns did not include Tokyo, I believe the list is deficient.

When you take a cab in Tokyo, you're supposed to give the drive directions on where you want to go unless it's to a major hotel.

The buildings are numbered in the order in which they were built (for the most part). So 1-2-3 won't necessarily be sequential or even on opposite sides of the street.

And some of the subways have up to 50 different exits to the street and if you don't go out the right one, you may end up walking in circles in the rain for 45 minutes trying to find your hotel while dragging your suitcase behind you.

Explain this to me, you have had months and month to work on Gameday Audio and today when I try to log on for the game, the site is down for maintenance to "Make my online experience more enjoyable."

MLBAM - don't make go Andrew S. on you!

59 Nudge, nudge wink, wink. say no more,

So ... can we listen to the Dodgers on KABC or are we stuck in the No Spin Zone?

61 Gameday was MIA at the beginning of last season too.

58
Thanks

When I was Eight I would have argued to the death that HH was better then the Who. By 10 I had realized how stupid I was at 8. Every two years I feel the same way. By the time I'm 70 I'm going to be very wise but not as wise as I will be when I'm 72.

58 Sacrilege.

I found Vancouver the hardest city to navigate a car in. Once you stopped trying to drive and just walked and took the mass transit it became pleasant.

Driving down to San Diego the other day we turned West at Del Mar and found some round - a - bouts or whatever they are called. I love those things. They were my favorite part of driving in France. Anything to get rid of lights is a good thing.

61 What's worse is that it was working yesterday. I was listening to the Mets-Tigers game. Today, when there's a game I'm really interested in, nada. Feh!

58 I know someone who saw that lineup in the same order in Chicago.

Jason Johnson makes it through the first inning (regular radio picks up a scratchy KABC in the office) unscored upon.

I only heard the last play where Nomar threw out the last batter on a grounder to third.

58 My sister saw The Monkees at Forest Hills stadium. (My father, in one of his noblest acts, took her and a friend.) The opening act was booed off the stage. His name was Jimi Hendrix.

70 Alright, it looks like bh is going to be giving us play-by-play.

Pierre against Hudson - 4 pitches - grounds out to first
Furcal hits a standup triple to right
Martin strikes out swinging
Kent flys out to right

72 As long as I am not arrested by the MLBAM police.

67 My first experience in Europe, let alone driving on the right side was Dublin. Who knew the pubs closed at 11 in the City Centre? When I returned to the car park, which was in this super sketchy alley, I started wondering why it was so dark. Little did I know they close down the car parks around the same time. Finding an atm and a cab semi-drunk at 11 in Dublin on a tuesday night was pretty fun.

I think I might have seen Herman's Hermits open for the Monkees in the mid 80s. How lame is that? A

s far as openers getting booed off, I saw Sonic Youth get booed off the stage twice opening for Neil Young. The second time was the massive Bridge School Benefit. I tried to respond in kind by booing Don Henley off the stage, but I couldn't find many takers.

71 Dan Patrick was asked the question the other day, first concert and most embarassing concert experience.

First concert - Earth Wind & Fire at the Fabulous Forum.

Embarassing Concert - I don't know, Jacksons Victory Tour at Dodger Stadium.

What kind of a crowd boo's a band who is playing a benefit? Did the Dodger fans migrate to the Bay?

77 Most embarrassing by far was the aforementioned Monkees reunion/nostalgia fest in the 80s. I was apparently nostalgic for the reruns I'd watched in the 70s.

Fist concert was Rush with Tommy Shaw (of Styx fame) opening.

Oh, and I've seen Barry Manilow live, but for some reason I don't consider that embarrassing.

2nd inning, 1-2-3. Kemp catches all three pop flies to right.

If I told you who was playing for the Braves, you would say who are those guys.

Not exactly the A-team for the Braves today.

I watched Prince get booed off the stage opening for the Rolling Stones. Too bad because I was way more interested in seeing Prince.

The Clash was booed off the stage while preceding the 1982 Who concert I went to at the Coliseum. I of course didn't boo, but they really were bad that day.

Went to see 3 Dog Night which was kind of lame until I imbided in someone else's stash and then the night took on a unique experience for a 14 year old.

82
Was that at the Coliseum?

Jason Johnson is mowing them down.

85 Yep. Something like 1980 or 81

First show was The Joshua Tree Tour. Sports Arena 1987 as I was just about to turn 4.

87 The Tattoo You Tour, sounds like. I was too young (9 or 10) but remember it being a huge deal at the time. Now I think of that as the last time that the Stones were a current act.

I think my 1st concert was "Chicago". Loudest was "Deep Purple".
Best was "Bob Hope Asia Tour".

88 4? My daughter will be able to say that she saw Brian Wilson play Smile at the Hollywood Bowl when she was about 3 months, and Ozomatli at California Plaza at about 4 months, but she was extraordinarily culturally attuned for a baby.

MLB audio is back up.

84 Dare I say a psychadelic experience at a 3 Dog Night show?

First: Who at the Forum early '70's.

Embarassing: Cyndi Lauper in Germany mid-80's. My girlfriend just wanted to have fun.

Nevermind, I don't know what that is.

Andruw's first plate appearance - walk
Loney fists one into CF for a single, first and second.
Nomar flies out to right.
Kemp lines a single to right, Jones is held at 3B, bases loaded. (trend to watch, Dodgers currently 1-4 RISP)
Mark Sweeney pinch hits for Johnson, groundball single to left field, Jones scores. Loney was held at third and Matt Kemp is thrown out at 3B, appparently (who knows why) not seeing Loney already at 3B.
Pierre grounds (again) to first.

1 run, 3 hits, walk, no errors, 2 left.

First: Ben Harper at the Santa Barbara Bowl 2005
Last: Ben Harper at the Santa Barbara Bowl 2005

I haven't been to many concerts.

Tanyon Sturz, another NRI, replaces Jason Johnson.

96 - It's almost like it was scripted.

96 Ahhh. I guess it's spring training.

Unrelated to anything Green, concert, or other...

Where's the open thread for the first Spring training game?

Martin got hit on the hand in his first appearance at the plate? Any sort of season ju-ju attach to this event?

KABC, XM 176 for your listening pleasure.

Sturze in the 3rd
Ground out to short
Fly out to CF
Fly out to Kemp

96 it starts already, simon must be pissed. why is he going 1st to 3rd on a single to LF???

87
Trip out! My co-worker and I were discussing that very concert yesterday! Apparently she was at that show and had the same feeling you did, she wanted to see Prince.

The whole reason we were even talking about it is because our IT guy, who we subcontract, was just telling us how he finished wiring Prince's LA house last weekend and that he and his partner were invited to Prince's Oscar after party. He didn't have time to get into details about the party but he did say that Prince is TINY and that he looks GREAT for being as old as he is. I believe his exact words were, "he looks just like he did in 1984."

Sorry to bore, but just found that amazingly coincidental about the initial concert.

82 Must be something about opening for the Stones. I saw Joan Jett get booed & paper
cupped off the stage.

101 - "Where's the open thread for the first Spring training game?" This is it. Don't you see the lineups up top?

First: Traffic at San Diego Sports Arena in 1974 (coupled with Dodger game and Dodger party at their hotel)

Best: X at the Roxy 1983. Blasters at Hong Kong Cafe 1980ish. Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs numerous times at Cathay de Grande.

Sturtze!

Tanyon Sturtze!

He's in the white pages!

Man, he must be focused on running. I don't know how you don't see your own player standing on the base. Oh well, he will grow and learn.

104 Good story. Yes, Prince is very small.

Whoopsie...thought it was more a Shawn Green tribute fest. My mistake.

Part of me wants Tanyon Sturtze to make the team so we can make fun of his name all year.

105 I saw Joan Jett open for Robert Plant (might have to put that in the embarrassing file) in around 1988/9. I think most people there would concede that she was way better than the headliner. Actually, if I can submit a combined entry for most embarrassing - I saw both the Robert Plant and Jimmy Page solo tours that year.

91 I was trained at an early age to go grab a record, say Frank Zappa's Hot Rats, and throw it on the record player, among running around retrieving various other things I'm not sure your daughter has. ; )

1st concert...Primus at the Hollywood Palladium...11 years old...

Last...Cold War Kids at The Wiltern....first time I ever fainted in my life, and it wasn't because of the show (boring)...hadn't eaten all day, and for some reason just went black...

Hudson out, some other Braves guy in (hey you want names, go to some Braves blog)

Furcal strikes out swinging
Martin gets an infield single off the pitcher
Kent with Martin running, flies out to short right field, Martin can't get back in time (he was on second when Francouer caught the ball) is doubled off.

From Leung:

http://www.beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/prosports/2008/02/about_running_through_stop_sig.html

"Wow. On a day in which they honor Maury Wills, this happens. Bases loaded with Matt Kemp on first, James Loney on second. Mark Sweeney singles to left field, scoring Jones. Third base coach Larry Bowa holds up the stop sign, and Loney stops at third. Kemp rounds second with a head of steam and probably with his head down. He slides into headfirst third, where Loney is, so Kemp is called out. After the following inning, Bowa caught up with Kemp coming off the field from his right field position and the two spoke."

113 various other things I'm not sure your daughter has. ; )

Elaborate . . .

111 - It's multi-faceted!

108- I just hope Stults makes a career somewhere else...for your sake...

2 baserunning blunders and counting . . .

114 To tie a few thoughts together, I saw Prince at the Hollywood Bowl after not eating all day. It was Yom Kippur.

Mike Myers is now pitching (no other replacements yet)
Ground out to first
Ground out to third
Fly out to right

116 Braves announcers said that in Kemp's defense, Loney had rounded the bad pretty far before Bowa threw on the brakes.

121 Did I miss something, or are our NRIs threatening a Rule 9?

112 I'm not the least embarassed by seeing Plant or Page in my younger days. If the Zeppelin reunion does happen count me in.
BTW I'm 48 years young.

116 If that is accurate, that is something Mr. Kemp will have to correct and now is the time to do it.

123 Nah, the Braves got a hit in the first inning.

I think this got LAT'd a few back.
First "real" concert I can remember was Eric Clapton's Slowhand Tour and what was so impressive about it was Muddy Waters opened (I'd never heard of him then) and totally blew everyone away. Really he was transcendent. I've always thought Clapton was a major dude for following that. And believe me, he knew that he was the student in the situation.

117 I'm gonna have to plead the fifth. 1 2 3 4 Fiff!!!

(for the Dave Chappelle fans.)

128 No problem. I'm just trying to do a little parenting self-evaluation. Like as long as I'm not letting her play with a hunting knife, I'm o.k. That sort of thing.

124 I'm sure its more embarrassing in my case since it was just nostalgia for something I wasn't around to experience in the first place.

This is a lame question but I can never remember what "LAT" means. When someone says they got LAT'D from a comment or thread, what is that an acronym for?
Please don't consider me too obtuse for asking.... :)

1st Concert: Billy Joel River of Dreams

Last Concert: Weezer/Foo Fighters

Lamest Concert: Can't think of any, maybe going to see a Swing Band open for Manhattan Steamroller. I can't remember the name of the band, but they were awesome. The lame part is that I saw them a month earlier in a small venue for $5, than I paid $25 to see them open at Universal Amphitheater...not conducive for dancing. Man, what was their name...

Okay, after 5 minutes of looking "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy"

Now I can be sane again

107
I always wondered if Traffic toured, they seemed like such a studio band.

Hard to believe but my best show was in Irvine.
Jane's Addiction
Social Distortion
X

I was not quite 30, went by myself, had to be sometime around 88, Exene was pregnant and sang on a stool. I think it was the combination of all 3 bands and being lucky enough to have seats next to some crazy kids and then having a hot punked out babe hit on me after the show.

132

That last part would easily make the concert awesome

Jones flies out to center
Loney flies out to right
Nomar singles to left, LaRoche enters the game as a pinch runner for Nomar.
Kemp hits a slicing ground rule double to right (a fan probably touched it), second and third. Wills mentions (he's on the radio) that he has not covered watching the runner ahead of you yet with Kemp, he will do so tomorrow.
Delwyn Young pinch hits for Myers, strikes out.

First concert: The Guess Who, Roanoke VA
Best (tie): Warren Zevon, Louisville, KY, and Jackson Browne. Long Island, NY. Dire Straits wandered on stage and joined Browne.
Most dangerous: Neil Young in Louisville. When he got sick, a riot broke out.

First concert: They Might Be Giants.

Most recent concert: The New Pornographers.

Best concert: Not sure, but maybe Rufus Wainwright's Judy Garland show at the Hollywood Bowl.

Most embarrassing concert: freshman year of college: Spin Doctors.

Brian Falkenborg enters the game, if he can hold onto to the lead, he can get a win.

130 LAT'd isn't an acronym, it's named for poster LAT who often found himself posting after Jon had created a new thread.

LAT can also mean LA Times. It's all about context.

My first concert was Foo Fighters/Jawbreaker/Ween at the Santa Barbara Bowl in 1995 or so. Last concert was Neko Case at the Disney Music Hall around November. Best concert I've ever been to I'll give to the Basement Jaxx at the Hollywood Bowl a year or two ago until I can think of something better.

This is why it's good to have Larry Bowa, + Maury Wills. The two of them will give Kemp a tutorial, Kent will shut his trap because he trusts the coaching staff, Kemp will improve there and meanwhile continue to show his new coaching staff what an incredible hitter he already is.

Why does Falkenborg always sound like a Danish rule 1 violation...? Come to think of it, so does "Sturtze."

All I'm getting on the KABC web feed is some right wing nut......

136 Most embarrassing concert: freshman year of college: Spin Doctors.

That's embarrassing, and it reminds me, I saw the Dead 30 times. I'm honestly not sure whether I should be embarrassed about that or not. I'm downright ashamed about the times that I saw other touring jam bands. Phish - thankfully only once. Blues Traveler several times. Widespread Panic once or twice, though I actually kind of liked them.

Foul out to 3B
another Brave made an out (stepped out for a moment)
Ground out to short.

Its an official game. 1-0 Dodgers

Best concert ever was This Ain't No Picnic in 2000. I saw Built to Spill, Grandaddy, At the Drive In, Blonde Red Head, No Knife and Beck plus a million others all on the same small park stage. This was the precursor to Coachella but on a way smaller version. Only a fe thousand people there at most and plenty of shade and beer to be had. The next year or so they moved the show, made it way huger and called it coachella which I can't handle.

1st Concert: Poison and Slaughter, 89 Martin TN

Best (Tie): King's X & Pearl Jam , '94 Memphis TN and Guided By Voices, Nashville '04?

Last: Yo La Tengo, Nashville '08 - I recorded and mixed the audio for a local arts TV station

Spin Doctors--that is hilarious

Delwyn is at 2b!

139
Jawbreaker! That's what I'm talking about. There is a band that never found their following but RULED...I thought anyway.

142 Yeah, only the Atlanta web feed seems to have the game.

142 Games are only available online through MLB.com, XM satellite radio also broadcasts home team radio broadcasts and finally your local regular radio.

148
Should have mentioned I saw them numerous times in the early to mid 90's.

143 Believe it or not, Phish was the headliner at that concert. There were a bunch of smaller bands, then Spin Doctors, then Phish.

On the other hand, tickets were cheap.

Oh, I just remembered a cool concert. I was in Seattle at the Bumper Shoot (sp?) and Beck was playing. Of course, that completely filled in, so I walked to a side stage to see Cake. I was very happy with that second choice. I saw Beck later on at Universal, and I found it to be a really dull show. Too mellow for a live performance (imho)

I believe "Sturtze" is German.

148 Heh I love Jawbreaker. They were really great live too. They were touring for their last album which I wasn't too crazy about. Really love 24 hour revenge therapy and their live disc. I've been of the mind that if they got back together they could get alot of people to attend their shows. Anything is better than new Jets to Bra(zzz)il.

Lamest for me was seeing the Plasmatics at the old Perkins Palace (Raymond Theater) in Pasadena.

lol Jacob, I am with you..but i never saw a pocket full of kryptonite...just the others, too many times.

154 Right. Same to you!

I still like "Two Princes."

First concert: Rob Zombie / KoRn at the arrowhead pond (1999)

Last concert: Billy Joel at MGM Las Vegas (2007)

Best concert: Incubus at Hard Rock Las Vegas (2007)

Best all day concert: Metallica, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, among others at the LA Coliseum (2003)

Worst dragged to by (ex)girl friend concert: Stevie Nicks at Ceasers Las Vegas (2007)

Pierre bunts out
Furcal grounds out
Martin strikes out.

Sounds like a bunch of guys are about to call it day.

last concert: Ariel Pink and Lily's at Spaceland. Lily's "A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns" is amazing.

First Concert: Foghat Orlando 1975
Last Concert: Pearl Jam Cincinnati 2006
Best Concert: One of the half dozen Eric Clapton shows over the last 25 years.

First concert: blink-182, Homegrown and the Aquabats in 97 or 98.

Last concert: Coachella (Rage Against the Machine's night) last April.

Best concert: Inland Invasion '05. The show featured Beck, 311, Weezer and Oasis.

Most underrated concert: Randy Newman at Royce Hall.

I guess some people don't like Randy Newman, but he really delivered for me.

I even like his Disney songs. In "Toy Story 2," when they play his song, and the little girl leaves the doll in the Goodwill bin, I cry every single time.

155
Agree with everything you said. I would go in a heartbeat if they ever reunited. Bivouac is one of my favorite albums.

One of my most memorable concerts (if you don't like punk music I wouldn't read on) was probably in 1994 or 95 at Cal State Dominguez Hills and it was a two day affair. Everybody that was anybody in punk at that time played over the course of two days, some of the really good bands played both days. This was a precursor to the whole warp tour thing that goes on now. A quick rundown of some of the bands that played: Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise, Guttermouth, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Face to Face, Lagwagon, Assorted Jellybeans, Bad Religion, Sublime, No Doubt (they were kinda cool once upon a time) Dance Hall Crashers.....Being a punk teenager at the time, it was awesome.

I like how this went from first/most embarrassing to first/last/best. Come on guys, bring out the dirty laundry! I told you about Blues Traveler!

Jeff Kent is 0-2. Bench him!

I'm proud to say I don't really have an embarrassing concert experience, though if I'd been old enough to see Electric Light Orchestra, I would've, and that would be one.

First: Willie Nelson. I was 5.
Last: Neil Young, Tom Waits, etc., at the most recent Bridge School Benefit.
Best: One of the many Springsteens. Probably Hartford on 5/8/2000, where I lucked into front row seats.

I got taken to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill at Staples last year. That place has the worst acoustics. I had no idea what they were singing.

It was a very long night.

159 Oh, Jon . . .

Hah I've seen Dance Hall Crashes in concert like 3 times in the span of a week. A friend of mine was their unofficial web master so it was free so please dont judge me.

167 In addition to being my first concert, seeing the Aquabats live should qualify as my most embarrassing.

170 Maybe it wasn't the acoustics.

148 Jawbreaker rules! I love Jets To Brazil after that too.

Wow, the Braves' bats really didn't show up today did they?

172 Ha! I've seen them more than once too, but I never paid to just see them so that kind of makes it ok.

173 Ha! That is funny.

168 I also would have gone to see ELO, but I doubt I'd be embarrassed, which tells you everything you need to know about me.

"Mr. Blue Sky" is the best Beatles song that the Beatles didn't write.

174
Yes, but if I could at least understand the songs, I could criticize them.

Instead it sounded like the concert was performed Mr. and Mrs. Boomhower.

One of the worst, but still kind of one of the best was seeing the Replacements at the Hollywood Palace. They were so drunk they could only do a couple Stones covers than cursed at us and left.

"I like how this went from first/most embarrassing to first/last/best. Come on guys, bring out the dirty laundry!"

Okay, I guess I'm willing to admit I've seen Reba McEntire.

I saw Weezer play in a basement of a pizza shop in Bakersfield. Craziest show I have ever seen in my life. People were freaking out because they could not believe that it was really Weezer in a basement of a pizza shop.

181 But it was a long time ago, when I was a kid. One of those "youthful mistakes" that really should be expunged from the record.

Do you Jawbreaker fans like Blake's next project called Jet's To Brazil. If you like Jawbreaker, you would probably like them if you haven't already heard of them. Mellower than Jawbreaker on the lines of Dear You.

I thought all you parents would be using the Wiggles as your most embarrassing. Just found out a friend of mine who I gave a Dodger/Boston ticket to, has to take his 4 year to see the Wiggles instead. I have no idea what the Wiggles are but whenever the name comes up, anyone who is a parent turns white and gets unsteady on their feet.

Martin seems to be pressing based on his performance today. Time to give the the veteran Bennet more playing time.

first; van halen 84 at the forum
last; wilco in san diego
best; pink floyd, oakland 1995

Best surprise concert ever was Huwey Lewis and the News at the Cheyenne County Frontier Days Rodeo. I thought it was going to be so lame, but I learned an appreciation of what a great songwriter and performer Huwey and the News are.

167. I just assume everyone's first concert is their most embarassing, like my first concert which was Bel Biv Devoe, Keith Sweat, and Johnny Gill.

I don't get out much. The only rock concert I've ever been to was a Radiohead concert at the Greek Theater in 2006. That was really cool. I've been to more jazz and classical concerts actually. Odd.

I wanted to go to a Bjork concert last May, but it happened to be the same day as my graduation, and I had family related things to do. I also wanted to see Stereolab in 2006 I think. Unfortunately none of my friends had ever heard of Stereolab.

I don't really listen to the same music that my friends do.

178 Don't bring me down, Humma. ;-)

I must be one of the few people to have both Electric Light and Cinematic Orchestras in his iPod.

179 , 174 must not be country fans, tim is right up there with the best of them. not a huge faith fan (as an artist).

last concert- garth brooks at staples, awesome

next concert- rascal flatts next sat in vegas.

I'm saving my best concert for when Pavement reunites. My Bloody Valentine could slot in there as well.

Concerts:
First: 1984, The Cure, Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara
Best: 1998 Qi Qin, Pasadena
Runner Up: 2000 Red Hot Chille Peppers, Irvine CA.
Worst: 1986, Flock Of Seagulls, 6 Flags Magic Mountain (it was free though, and wow the hair!)

Go Dodgers!

vr, Xei

Best Concert (this probably does not qualify): Hydrovibe's Mat Dauzat at my parent's house. Friend of mine and the best guitarist I have ever heard in person.

Has since showed up on tour at OzzFest and on the soundtrack to Saw IV. If you like hard stuff, check them out on YouTube or iTunes.

Worst concert: Not really a bad one, but I did see Gallagher live in college. Does that count?

188
The first concert I attended was to see Bruce Springsteen at the Sports Arena when he was on "The River" tour.

It's been downhill since.

I also went to a concert last year when the LA Phil performed all of "Tristan und Isolde." It wasn't staged, but there were singers.

That rocked.

192 I am with you on that.

185. I actually enjoyed the Wiggles concert I took my daughter to when she was 4, they put on a pretty good show. Frankly, I don't really understand these parents that hate music for toddlers. Of course, I also don't really like music anyway.

oh and just so assumptions don't get made, i've been to an r. kelly concert also. put his personal life aside he is a great musician.

184
I do like them but not even close to the level of love I have for Jawbreaker. It's almost like people who were lucky enough to see Operation Ivy that like Rancid but they don't quite feel the same way about Rancid that they do about Op Ivy. That's my poor analogy of my feelings for Jets to Brazil vs, Jawbreaker.

JABSFTM

194
I lied, my worst was seeing Devo perform at the end of the Run Hit Wonder 10K at the Coliseum in 2004. Reeeeeally awful.

Worst: 1986, Flock Of Seagulls, 6 Flags Magic Mountain (it was free though, and wow the hair!)

First, I feel for you, Xei. Second, I always thought the Magic Mountain Concert series was just a joke from "This is Spinal Tap". I did not know it actually existed.

I will never be able to top my first concert.

My big brother worked at a record store with a Ticketmaster location, meaning he had first dibs when tix went on sale. He got us front-row center seats. He also won a record-label promotion, getting us a limo to/from said concert.

Who was in concert you ask? None other than Michael Jackson. Embarrassing? No way. Not in 1988.

188

BBD? That is awesome. I really don't think I have too many embarrassing concerts. Well, maybe REM (just wasn't great live) but Luscious Jackson and Purple Dinosaurs (that might be made up) opened for them.

198
Did you wear a rain coat to that concert?

Dodger clubhouse, 2008:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/02/28/dodgers.torre/index.html

I actually thought this was a pretty good column. Didn't love all of it, but it's got a little perspective.

Embarassing: Journey but I sure didn't think so at the time. When I hear that stuff now I almost gag.

My daughter loves the Wiggles, and I wouldn't mind going to see them but their tickets are hard to get and are pricey. Kind of like the Dodgers Colliseum game. Minus a hundred thousand people and the short porch in left. They won't be the same with the Yellow Wiggle retiring and all.
vr, Xei

185 When your a new parent, you start to hear about the Wiggles, and they're typically described as "kid music that's fun for parents, too!" Don't believe it. The Wiggles are awful, awful, awful. Raffi is far more tolerable.

Fortunately, you can do much better for kid music. My entry for "most recent concert" is Dan Zanes and friends, which I'd imagine is familiar to some of the other parents.

199 I am more on the Jets side compared to Jawbreaker. Some of that early Jawbreaker stuff, he sounds like he ate rocks. I like it all though.

204
Yeah I've seen them. Much better studio musicians than in person. Stipe seemed completely disinterested.

201 And by awful, you mean awesome right?

They were at least better than De La Soul who played the next year.

207 It's really cool to like Journey ironically now, so it's okay.

205 i don't get it.

Andy LaRoche got a single, as far as I can tell from the box score. And Loney's 2-3.

213 Somebody needs to make the list of bands it's cool to like ironically.

For example: Madonna. Is it cool to like her, uncool to like her, or ironically cool to like her? I'm so confused!

196 Although If they chose not to play "Starlings of the Slipstream" I would have to consider other options.

206 "Colletti and Torre didn't know each other when they found each other. But Colletti flew to New York to get to know Torre, and in Colletti's estimation, 'They hit it off immediately.'"

Uh-oh. Ned has begun to talk about himself in the third person.

216 Lets try ELO as a test case.

212 Reg, what is the big hit De La Soul record called? You know?

From Josh Rawitch's ItD blog:

As I had hoped when this whole thing started more than two years ago, you'll begin to get more contributors to the blog, including Team Travel Manager Scott Akasaki and General Manager Ned Colletti.
...
It won't be live, but if you have a question for Ned, please direct it to him in the comments. I'll compile all the questions and he'll pick about 10 to answer every other week or so.

210
he sounds like he ate rocks

That is funny but also true! That's always been one of the appealing aspects of Jawbreaker to me. Blake's voice. I feel the same about The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Dickie Barrett.
Don't know if you like the Bosstones or are even in California but they are reuniting and playing on Saturday with the Pie Tasters and the old lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys new band. It's gonna be sweet. I haven't seen the Bosstones since 96, I would say.

I saw Pavement at both Bottom of the Hill and the Warfield here in SF and both were excellent.

I also saw Purple Dinosaur Jr. and my ears still hurt 15 years later.

I think I saw some sort of embarrassing disco concert when I was little, as my dad was into that sort of thing for a little while, but have repressed memory of it.

Tom Martin, your retirement is calling. Paging Tom Martin, your retirement is calling.

Dan Zanes is great. We saw him at Royce Hall.

We have Wiggles in the house but I'm not enthusiastic about them.

Our latest is the They Might Be Giants "Here Come the 1-2-3s" DVD and CD. That's getting worn out in house and car, respectively.

Another good one is Trout Fishing in America

http://www.troutmusic.com/

I just missed seeing ELO in Louisville in 1974 but I have never been cool. Never been hot either, but that's another story.

209. I actually prefer the early Wiggles stuff to Dan Zanes & Friends. Again, I just don't understand how a parent can really have that strong of an opinion about toddler music.

219 - It's funny, I've never liked ELO more than I like them now.

212
It was pretty bad. I was not there the following year, but I did see Tone Loc rapping on the route to passers by. One of the most unintentionally funny scenes of my entire life as it was towards the end of the race on a hot day and there were no spectators around him. Like watching Stallone act out a Rambo scene on a street corner. Bizarre.

I wonder if Martin, Hu, and Repko are going to get crap over their baserunning outs on anything like the level Kemp will.

Well, no. I don't really wonder.

222

Now doesn't one of the guys from MMBT announce "Jimmy Kimmel Live?" I thought that was very cool too.

227 - Because some sounds cool and interesting and some sounds sappy and lame. I mean, what's the mystery? It's not as if it's all the same.

216 Almost forgot a Hall & Oates show in Jacksonville - 1984. Strange how a significant other influenced my choice of music.

214
You said this is 198
i've been to an r. kelly concert also. put his personal life aside he is a great musician.

I made the raincoat comment in reference to your "personal life aside" comment. You know how he got busted for that sex tape where he peed on somebody? I was making a joke (a bad at that) about how he might pee on his audience too...
Sorry for the confusion and the joke :(

231

PS: MMBT, also from Boston.

232

I like ELO period. It's not lame or ironic at all. Note that I am in my 20s.

222 That is what is great about his voice. It's like you are listening to an old friend talk to you. I saw that the Bosstone's are reuniting. Where are they playing?

223 Man, I really wish I could have seen those Pavement guys. Maybe one day they will reunite.

220 Stakes is High is my favorite, but you're probably thinking of 3 Feet High and Rising.

223 I'm so jealous of you underdog.

232. But it's so easy to tune out, and if your kids like it, why should you really care? Maybe, it's just because I find it so boring to listen to parents complain about The Wiggles, Barney, the Backyardigans, or anything else and want to force their kids to listen to stuff that they think is cool.

The only televised game of the day (my Diamondbacks vs. a Rockies split squad) is starting. Anybody who popped for premium MLB.tv last year--are any of the games streamed in widescreen format? I assume that only the real games will be available in the higher bitrates (this one's 400K), but are they all 4:3?

So, is it possible to just not play the "kids music" for your kids? Or, do they demand it no matter what? Won't they just listen to whatever I play in the car, or have I underestimated the power of a temper tantrum?

240 When I was a kid, I didn't care too much. My brother always insisted on playing Ace of Base and such, much to my dad's chagrin. Those were the good old days.

My uncle told me a couple years back about how he's been resigned to whatever his kids choose. He said he was happy when they chose Avril Lavigne instead of Britney Spears.

If I have kids, I have a feeling they'll like ELO just as I did as a kid. And heck, we can probably still be able to go see them at Konocti Harbor then!

238 - Listening to anyone complain about anything is boring.

I'm certainly not losing sleep over the fact that my kids like things I don't like. Believe me, my kids have gotten plenty of exposure to entertainment that isn't USDA choice. That doesn't mean I can't have an opinion.

235 "Evil Woman" and "Telephone Line" are pretty hard to deny.

239 Last year, games were occasionally streamed in widescreen, yes. Which was a bummer for me with my normal-shaped computer screen; it just makes an already-too-small picture even smaller.

This year, nothing is being streamed at all, as the site is experiencing "technical difficulties" which prevented me from listening to today's game.

240 - It's not really about a tantrum. I think you'll find that there are a lot of hours to fill in a childhood, and that you can't get your kid through them all by limiting him or her to adult music.

Plus, there's no reason to avoid kids music. There's kids music out there that is plenty good to listen to.

237 Thanks MC. I was thinking of those.

231 I didn't know that about the announcer. That is cool.

236 Bosstones are playing at the Avalon in Hollywood this Sat. at 8pm. Tickets are around 25 bones still available I think.

i think i win for the first and lamest concert experience:

when i was 4 my sister was 8 she had a huge thing for "new kids on the block" so guess who got drug along? luckily i remember no details about that night, unluckily my sister likes to remind me of it way too often.

Best: Rage in Chicago this last year
Latest: Foo Fighters

245- Did you try refreshing like one of those monkeys in heroin experiments? I think it's just overloaded, so you have to beat out the competition for a spot. Once I got in, I was able to switch games without losing it.

234 oh no urinating on the crowd took place.

Best Concert - Hard to say a concert in the L.A. Coliseum could be good considering all the people but the Boss's Born in the USA Tour and U2's Joshua Tree tour were both really good.

Although the most enjoyable "concert" might have been Robin Williams at the Universal Ampthitheater, non-stop laughter.

Some could say Madonna's Like a Virgin Tour would be embarassing but it was good.

I hung around once after some game and saw the "Beach Boys" and John Stamos sat in with them, now that might be embarassing.

I saw De La Soul. It's funny, I have kept alot of my ticket stubs. I was friends with folks in music/promo in Knoxville, so I have all sorts of weird handmade posters and the De La Soul is one of my favorites. I found the ticket for that show. Along with one for Styx! :-) I'm not embarassed.

The worst I remember was, sorry Molly, Tori Amos. I seriously think she was on muscle relaxants or her blood sugar was like zero. I was really aggrivated because I took a date and we both hated it because we had high expectations.

Richard Thompson at Ella Guru's was probably my best. That was Ashley Capps' place in Knoxville. (Bonaroo producer). I have tickets for like a show every week for months. There'd be people like Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Melissa Etheridge, Doc Watson, John Lee Hooker, The Cheiftans, all in a row.

I heard Michael Bivens from Bell Biv Devoe on the radio yesterday, you know for what it was "Poison" is a prety jamming tune.

Best: Easily the two Rage Against the Machine concerts I went to. Hands down for me

246 I used to love my Muppett's cds.

253 If you thought Molly was melancholy yesterday.

So is the game still going on or what? The mlb.com box score is stuck. I think Tom Martin broke it.

219 I never realized how good Jeff Lynne was until I listened to the George Harrison tribute concert. Long Live The Traveling Wilburys!

Andy is up now, 3-2 count, 1st and 2nd, one out, runners go, and he walks.

Gurnick will probably criticize for his lack of aggressiveness.

And now, Ethier scores on a bases loaded walk to Tifee, to tie the score but then Delwyn Young in his second at bat with RISP, hits into an inning ending double play.

252 > 88 One of bhsportsguys faves was my first!

255
The day "Evil Empire" came out, Tower Records stores in soCal had a promotion that the first 100 people that bought the album got a free ticket to see Rage at Cal State Dominguez Hills. My friend and I stood in line all night and were numbers 25 and 26. We went to the concert a week later and it was INSANE. There were only 2000 or so people there TOTAL. Rage played on one end of the gigantic bicycle track and a huge pit comprised of just about everyone there took up less than a quarter of the entire inner circumference of the track. I had never seen them live before and was blown away at how awesome they were. Easily one of my top 3 concerts ever.

Hopefully this won't be Delwyn's only chance. ;-)

{tying two threads together:} Wasn't there a De La Soul character called "Delwyn"?

No wait, that was Derwin. Frequently referred to in some of their songs.

262 Mine was at the Coliseum, I don't remember them playing in the LA Sports Arena.

260
Did you get tired or busy at work? Your inning recaps are the only thread to the game for those of us who can no longer stream internet radio at work.

264 I doubt it, he's playing 2B now so he's being groomed for an all-purpose guy off the bench now.

Separated at birth:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/images/2008/02/27/VTEcZGWe.jpg

Frank McCourt

and Python's Eric Idle.

266 Busy, sorry, missed a few innings there.

I played ELO a lot but it was always the same album. I'm sure I'd still like them, were not talking Herman Hermits here.

Diamond live blogs an intra-squad game but not a pre-season game. He could triple his audience.

Top of the 9th.
Now in to pitch, Brian Shackelford is the latest NRI, Eric Hull did pitch the 8th with no harm done.

1st batter got on board on an error by NRI John Lindsay, who is now playing first.
2nd batter popped up to LaRoche
Tyler Flowers hits a 2 run homer to LF (Ethier is playing there)
Fly out to Repko (CF)
Foul out to Lindsay.

2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, none left, 4-2 Braves

rusty shackelford is pitching!!!

i'd be surprised if anyone gets it.

Will Andruw Jones be the heaviest regular centerfielder in history?

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3269068&type=blogEntry

265 Hmm..Wow. It was a massive 3 leg tour from North america to Europe back to North America again. It shows they played 5 days in a row at the Sports arena in April, then two more at the Coliseum in November. What a tour.

271 Diamond does not want to get in trouble by doing play by play from game sites.

Shackleford... Martin... I forgot why I hate early spring training games...

Yeah, thanks for the summaries BH, especially since MLB.com's box score is at least ten minutes slow.

First: Derek and the Dominoes at Chicago's acoustically perfect Auditorium Theatre, 1970. Opening was a new kid I had never heard of - Elton John.

Last: Cheap Trick at the Wiltern last year - took my 8 and 11 year old sons. These guys are as good as ever. Their new album is one of their best. Seriously.

Best: If I had to pick just one; Paul McCartney at Staples with the new band. Also Elvis Costello and the Attractions with Nick Lowe and Mink DeVille opening at Hollywood High like 1977, I think. This is the show at which the bonus live 45 that came with Armed Forces was recorded, which makes it special.

Also X at Club Lingerie, Clash at the Roxy, Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Palladium, Jackson Browne on the "Running on Empty" tour at the open-air Universal Ampitheater. Also recorded for the Running on Empty album.

I'm old.

Bottom of the 9th
Hu walks (for the Andrews in the crowd)
John Ford-Griffin is now up

273 King of the Hill reference? We'd be better off with Dale Gribble pitching.

273
Rusty Shackelford

'Dale Gribble's fake name on King of the Hill. Whenever you want to allude that you don't want your real identity to be known for something, say you are "Rusty Shackelford".'

That's from urbandictionary.com

280 yes.

274
That would have played okay in the 60's, coming in overweight and losing the weight in ST but in this world when your making 18 Million you ought to stay in top shape year round. At this rate he will look like Tony Gwynn when his career is over and he is taking a big risk with his legs playing at that weight.

280 The Braves pitcher has now walked the first 2 batters.

Xavier Paul is now up.

Paul sacrifices the runners over for Andre Ethier. Second and Third and one out.

lso Elvis Costello and the Attractions with Nick Lowe and Mink DeVille opening at Hollywood High

When Elvis was spitting at the crowd.

Andre also walks so now the bases are loaded, changing pitchers, so grab a sandwich and be right back.

280 , 281 wow i'm like 0-16 trying to find people that like king of the hill

288 I like King of the Hill.

Jason Repko now batting with the bases loaded and one out.

288 My roommate LOVES King of the Hill. Then again he's also a Giants fan.

I don't like it. I don't think it's bad. I just don't enjoy it.

288
1 for 17 now. That show is genius. I'm a big fan.

288
King of the Hill is smart and funny. You are not on an island if you have BH on your side.

290

I'm on pins and needles here, bh

288
Now your on a roll. 3-17, Maybe you can overtake the Phillies.

Repko is hit by a pitch on a 3-2 pitch, 4-3 Braves, bases loaded, one out,
and now John Lindsays get a walk-off 2 run RBI single.

Dodgers win 5-4.

BTW, there will be Dodger Talk on KABC radio after the game.

The Braves walked 6 Dodgers and hit one too in the last 1 1/3 innings.

First concert: U2 "Zoo TV" at Anaheim Stadium in 1992. The remainder of my concert-going career has had some rather large shoes to fill.

Worst concert: None. Like everybody, I have infinitely better taste in music than anyone else, so I only go to great shows.

Actually, I got dragged to a KISS concert at Dodger Stadium once that would've been really boring, except for the couple that was having sex in the seats directly in front of me. That made it entertaining.

288 More like 5-22 now. ;-)

Go Dodgers! Save this one for Rusty Shackleford.

292. It's a pretty decent show. I usually get at least one gentle chuckle out of it whenever I actually watch it.

Wow, that would've been exciting had this game meant anything. Anything at all.

I like King of the Hill too.

John Stewart last night was awesome. I think the writers must have been going crazy to be idle during the election.

286 To quote Nick Lowe " You gotta be cruel to be kind".

John Lindsay is this year's Larry Bigbie.

297 I shook Bono's hand after that show. Very small hand... could use some moisturizer as well.

304 Except without the steroids, and without the opt-out clause so he can rot on someone else's AAA roster instead of ours.

My Lindsey-For-First-Base campaign continues in full force.

306 Yeah, I know.

Mike Judge rules.

307 Didn't you also have the Mitch Jones for center field campaign?

First show - Beach Boys after a USC game in 89. I've been trying to figure this out, but I'm guessing no Brian but yes on that stand up drumming freak Stamos.

Best show - probably McCartney on his last tour at the Pond.

166 Banned from OC/Bored in the South Bay! That was May 95. Those shows were only $15 and, unlike Warped Tour, the bands got full sets. I went to the Sun show. I remember Offspring played the Sat show, and Samiam, the Muffs, Skankin Pickle, No Use for a Name, and Lagwagon also played Sunday. Unfortunately had to leave before BR's set, which crushed me at the time b/c they were my favorite band, but got to meet Goldfinger in the parking lot (others prob wouldn't think that's a great tradeoff) when my friend's dad left us w/o a ride home.

Hey, Jon, if that Dan Zanes show at Royce was last month, I was there.

Which brings up, to me, the most important variable in kid music - price. Kids get tired, restless, wet their pants, etc. There's no way you can get your money's worth for a kid concert that's more than, say, $12-15. Dan Zanes, which was pretty close to that threshhold, was very enjoyable, and the kid got very into it for a while. Then she had to leave.

Lindsey could probably outhit Jose Vidro. Only Bavasi would take a 2nd baseman on his last legs and turn him into a DH. Genius

297 except for the couple that was having sex

A similar experience, but post-concert, outside the House of Blues. The lucky couple was in the hotel next door. The curtains were open, and the lucky couple were not embarrassed or ashamed.... at least until their room phone rang. Mr. Lucky answered it, and then hurriedly gestured to Ms. Lucky to shut the shades. Which she did.

309
That comment just made me think of Mock Trial with Judge Reinhold featuring William Hung and the Hung Jury..........ah Arrested.....

311 I think that was the show I was thinking about and I am absolutely positive no Brian Wilson.

"Only Bavasi would take a 2nd baseman on his last legs and turn him into a DH."

Ned might do it if we had a few more interleague games.

Andrew puts a hole in the Rockie balloon.

Ahh Bell Biv Devoe, those great philosophers... "Never trust a big butt and a smile." Poison was THE jam back in the day at Skate Junction in West Covina.

I haven't been to a ton of concerts but I'd have to say one of the best live bands I've seen is The Hives. Saw them a couple times at the Wiltern, I think. Weezer with Jimmy Eat World was pretty good. Coldplay at the Pond is right up there too.

Most embarassing? Mariah Carey. To this day I haven't lived that one down.

307 Lindsey should be a DH for someone. He can play with our team in spring and then go be someone's DH. Then everyone's happy.

Notables that I can gather without a boxscore.

Pierre at least 0-3, two ground outs and bunted to the pitcher.

Furcal, tripled off Hudson, one hopping the wall.

Kemp, hard single to right and slicing double/triple to right.

Nomar, got a hit, LaRoche got a walk

311
Nice! I still have the flyer for that show and the ticket stub. I remember thinking how terrible Sublime was at the time. I think Bradley may have cracked out or coked up or sped up or something...whatever it was, their set stunk it up.

312 - No, mine was the year before.

Lindsey!

John Lindsey!

He's in the white pages!

Latecomer to concerts (and concert thoughts).

First - Fleetwood Mac, Tusk tour, Forum late 1979. Lindsey Buckingham was very good.

Last and embarrassing: Accompanying the wife to Rod Stewart while he had those standards albums out. He's actually an entertaining guy, with an interesting back catalog, but his standards albums are rough and that pop covers album mostly horrible. (He's the wife's fave, though.)

Best: Any Elvis Costello show, and X with The Blasters, Ackerman Union Ballroom, UCLA, 1981.

dkminnick - In '79 I saw Cheap Trick, with AC/DC opening. Cheap Trick is a great live band.

"Kemp, hard single to right and slicing double/triple to right."

Plus a Babe Herman imitation.

So, I just got BP 2008 in the mail. This passage was interesting.

"Colletti responded via a poison-pen Bill Plaschke column in the L.A. Times, declaring his willingness to trade said youngsters, particularly Kemp, whose occasional baserunning gaffes drew disproportionate attention. (Kemp was above average at advancing on hits and groundouts, according to our new baserunning statistic, EqBRR.)"

322 It's terrible how much Sublime I had to listen to growing up in Long Beach. You couldn't escape it for a while there.

318- I'm just glad there wasn't a way to bet on whether Chris Young would hit a lead-off home run. I would be broke right now, if there had been.

324
Are you making a joke of those old Jack Stefan commercials?

Plumbing and heating problems got you down? Call your man Jack Stefanski.
Stefan - Jack Stefan!

Can't fix the furnace and it's cold inside?
Call our man Jack Stefanovich.
Stefan - Jaaaaaack Stefan!

Or something along those lines.

326 When did this response take place?

My favorite variation was always Jack Stefanino.

326 Conversely, Bill James base-running analysis had Kemp at a -5 net loss in baserunning in 2007.

Ned is on the air on Dodger Talk right now, don't know if it is available online.

329
Forgot the last line of the commercial.
"We're in the white pages."

330 I believe that Plaschke column appeared on Sept. 26. It was quite the firestorm here.

329 Oh goodness I remember those. They only showed up during day-time TV. I only got to watch them when I got to miss school and stay home sick.

And Winner of Most Embarrassing Concert...

Kevin Lewis for Mannheim Steamroller!

hooraaayyyyy!!!!!!!

310 Why yes, yes I did.

So what gets mentioned first about Kemp in tomorrow's reports?

That he gaffed on the bases or that, being asked to work on using the whole field, homered to the opp. field in the intrasquad game then singled and doubled to right today?

Billingsley finds trying less is more

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_8386405

335
The date is indeed correct.

332 The BP numbers note that Kemp was above average in those two areas of baserunning: advancing on hits and advancing on groundouts. However, overall, they have him at -0.5 runs as a baserunner. Presumably this means he was below average in the other three areas they looked at, namely advancing on fly balls, advancing on wild pitches/passed balls, and stealing.

According to the BP metric, Juan Pierre was by far the best baserunner in MLB last year, with a net gain of 11 runs, or one win. Russell Martin, after being good during his rookie year, was a bit below average in 2007.

I still remember how to get to Pete Ellis Dodge because of those stupid commercials I was subjected to as a kid. Never been there, never will, but could tell you how. Stupid catchy jingles...

I believe my first concert was Depeche Mode, and my favorite would be either Oingo Boingo or Billy Joel.

337 I was waiting for a Jefferson Starship mention.

326
Got mine yesterday. The only thing I've read so far is the Dodger recap. We knew they didn't like Ned but they bluntly said that Logan and him clashed. Was that a fact or a guess?
Why would you clash with your subordinate when you can just fire him. It is not like Logan could stop Ned from doing whatever he wanted. Or can he?

I think I've mentioned this before but it seems appropriate again now. My dad took my little sister and me to see the Angels play the Blue Jays back when Shawn Green was playing for the Jays. My sister was probably around 7 or 8, and she asked my dad if we could stay after to get autographs from the players. She'd never gotten an autograph before, but she'd identified Shawn Green as her favorite player so she stood and waited outside the gate for him to come out.

When he did, he was swarmed by a bunch of grown men/sketchy ebay autograph sellers and he told them he wasn't signing. Then he saw my sister and walked right over to her and asked her for her name and signed her ticket stub. She was on cloud nine.

And then he got traded to the Dodgers a few seasons later, and we were all excited.

Maybe a little more context to what Joe Torre told Nomar, from yesterday's Tony Jackson blog

I talked to him the other day,'' Torre said. ``I explained to him that being the veteran guy, he has the inside track as far as being the starting third baseman. But we will (start the season) with the best 25 (players) we can get.''

343
Pete Ellis also had a dealership in Phoenix and the same jingle was adapted to give directions there.

But nothing gets me more excited than the thought that I can go make a trip to South Gate!

That's God's Country!

Little late to the game, but here it goes:

First concert: Jan and Dean, Westbury Music Fair, Long Island, NY, 7/23/80. I was--and still am--a huge fan of surf music, and always loved Jan and Dean even more than the BB's.

Best concert--tie, REM, Radio City Music Hall, 1987, Charlatans UK, Palladium, NYC, 1990, I believe.

Most embarassing--an ex-girlfriend made me see Billy Squier in some small club in the late 1980s. I hated Billy Squier. She made us stand very close to stage--right next to one of the speakers. Even though this was a small place, the sound was geared toward an arena. My ears rang for a week. To top it off, my car wouldn't start after the show and I had to get it towed.

Most recent--don't go to many shows anymore--it might have been The Who, around 2000.

343 Mine was Cal Worthington Ford. Go see Cal! And tell em Big Snoop Dogg sent ya!

339
The gaff for sure. Something like "Evan as Matt Kemp continues to hit, his immaturity on the basepaths harken back to problems he had last year"

311-I was at that Beach Boys concert at the SC game in '89, too. I was eight, so it was probably my first concert.

And to whoever posted about being bored at a Tori Amos concert, do you remember the year and the venue? Sometimes she is great, but sometimes she is boring. Kind of like everyone I know.

kendrick 3 ip 1 er today, looks like he'll be a us citizen a little longer.

346 There were unsourced reports to that effect but no one has ever confirmed it. BP, especially Will Carroll around the trade deadline, kept bringing it up.

I am sure there were those who wanted the Dodgers to make a move in July so some sort of internal debate was probably going on.

But White's public comments has always been positive about Ned so who knows.

carlos zambrano 1 ip 3 er today

Much as we might lament how overblown the coverage is, Kemp could make it much easier on himself and the rest of us by running the bases better.

347
Class act for sure.

356 erase that comment i was on the colorado white sox game.

353 You and everyone else just wants me to feel old don't you.

And I am certainly boring more often than I am great so I agree with you there.

Amazing, a DodgerTalk with no calls or even a little Dodger trivia.

That is one way to avoid people being critical of the Dodgers.

joe blanton 2 ip 8 hits, 6 er

While he was a Dodger, Shawn Green was my favorite player. I wish he handled his injury differently though.

357-- Could be worse. Kemp could have that same on-base-induced narcolepsy that Wilton Guerrero had.

first concert: slick shoes at age 13

last concert: rogue wave

most embarassing concert: Westside Connection

329 That takes me back. I feel like the Andy Griffith show or Beverly Hillbillies should be coming on. And I should have a bowl of Cap'n Crunch and some comic books to read.

Okay, this guy wins whatever most embarassing thing related to music that I can see for the foreseeable future.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2004247477_mari28.html

365 Bow Down!

366 Ha! For sure.

No Dodger Talk stream online. What a shame.

355
They didn't qualify the statement by saying something like "Our sources tell us that Logan and Ned went head to head over the prospects", they laid it out as a fact and it bugs me because as you've said, every public statement by Logan has been very supportive of Ned.

366 I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me.

I don't know where to begin.

365 That Rogue Wave song "Publish My Love" has been stuck in my head for like two weeks.

ok so my indian fan friend and i already have a bet on Fausto vs. Billingsley better era

now he wants to bet that they will reach the over of 90.5 wins this year.

their pythagorean w-l last year was 91-71 and it seems unlikely that fausto and cc will repeat last years performance. plus improved divison, do i do it?

372

Good band! Energetic live show.

I'm going to A Life Once Lost tomorrow...which should be awesome....and completely different than Rogue Wave or anything similar to that.

373 I wouldn't.

371 I assume you were referring to 367

Most embarrassing concert: Backstreet Boys.

I was a very impressionable tween girl, but I will never be able to live that one down.

My first concert was pretty awesome. 13 years old, seeing the Allman Bros. (with Duane Allman). Mountain Jam live!

The headliners, Three Dog Night, just couldn't compete with that.

378 Would you feel that way if you were that age today and you saw Hannah/Miley concert?

In tomorrow's game, the Braves will bring out Jair Jurrjens to pitch, followed by old friend Buddy Carlyle.

Buddy Carlyle's in the White Pages!

Game's on ESPN, and Kuroda makes his debut.

362 joe blanton 2 ip 8 hits, 6 er

I thought you wanted him...

380 I dunno, I think BSB (in their prime) can easily take down Hannah Montana in a death cage match of embarrassing music.

RE: Kemp. Baserunning is not THAT simple. That is why there are any number of drills on picking up the coaches half way way to second, leading off etc.. The good thing is that Kemp will get it. He has a brain. Of course Bowa does too, and those brains will be meeting soon. It's just that Matt needs to keep working on it. You figure out your weakness. Then you work on it. Heck I should be in the major leagues.

The Hives! 1998 (97) Cal State? They were like these little kids that came out and pummeled you. Totally crazy.

Also The internet is incredible a friend just sent me a recording of that Thompson show. Unbeleivable.

if schmidt appears done and at the right price ya. still would, but that start does have me 2nd guessing myself but it is 1 ST start.

The Times headline:

Dodgers run into an old mistake

Baserunning blunder puts two young players at third in a scene reminiscent of problems that irritated veterans last season.

I thought you wanted him...

i've never understood the ... at thew end of a sentence like that, what is it for?

381
I need to get TIVO.

379
Allman Brothers, great driving music.

391 Many thousands of miles, TC.

387-- Wow, I thought you were joking.

337

As proud as I am to "win", I forgot to mention that we left after the opening act.

353 Sometimes [Tori Amos]is great, but sometimes she is boring

I never saw the point in going to a concert to hear someone noodle around on piano or acoustic guitar. I'm all for gettin' mellow in my living room, but not at a concert.

381 "Jair Jurrjens"

I'm almost positive that I have a Star Wars action figure by that name in a shed at my grandma's house.

387

How often did it really happen last year? I mean does it really constitute a "problem". Kemp will learn and grow from all of this, but does anyone dredge up the Game 1 mistake whenever Kent makes a base running error?

Are you KIDDING me?

Dodgers run into old mistake

Thanks for the update, Bill.

There is NO mention of Kemp going 2-3 in that article. Is everyone at the Times dittoheads for Plaschke's agenda?

394 How about a King Crimson concert (with Robert Fripp!)?

Nothing beats `Twenty First Century Schizoid Man' at about 145 decibels.

One of the reason's the Times doesn't have a space comments after their articles (which is sometimes a good thing, but still...) Anyone annoyed by that could drop a polite note to the K Brothers' Blue Notes blog on the Times, at least. Maybe they could spread the word about how annoying that is.

I just got back from the game and it was great! John Lindsey hit the winning double in the bottom of the ninth plating 2 runs. John is a super nice guy as well and got his autograph and he is hoping that he gets a bench spot or he'll head down to Vegas and hope for a call-up. I think he's a DH since his defense isn't really good but I've yet to see him consistently or in the OF at all so I'll reserve too much judgement.

Also, as promised I got a couple of balls signed. Jon Wiesman, you have a choice between a Chin-lung Hu or Xavier Paul signed ball.

Oh, I also made a joke about Pierre's arm to Loney who just laughed. You could tell he wants Ethier in the line-up. Andy LaRoche, Russ Martin, Nomar, and Kent didn't sign autographs today and Lowe didn't show up to the game for some reason.

This will all go down as part of the Kemp Legend....

'Kemp was the fastest player I ever saw. One time in Spring Training, Loney was head to third from second and Kemp caught up to him a third base from first!'

400
Was it as cold as Tony Jackson said it was?

Just got 4 free tix to Lakes and Heat tonight!

403 Right on. How did you chance upon that? Every once ina while the old lady get's us courtside seats at the Lakers or Dugout club at the stadium. Love when those wonderful treats happen.

400

Xavier Paul sounds like the name of a basketball player.

Thanks for that mini-report Brian. I certainly hope Loney gets his wish eventually.

Pierre today: 0-3
Ethier today: 1-2 with a walk.

403

Do you seek a companion to go with you?

402. Yeah it was chilly but sunny as well. I would say it was upper 50's, but the wind chill made it somewhat bad. It wasn't AS BAD as Tony Jackson said though. It was a good day for baseball. I didn't wear a sweatshirt so I was chilly.

405 But Pierre was 0-for-3 without a base-running gaffe.

Okay I'm not implying anything. I hope not anyway.

399

I will go do that

408

Anybody can be without a base-running gaffe if he can't get on base!

405. I could give a more in-depth report but there's not too much to say. Chin-lung Hu was very nice and Delwyn Young made some GREAT plays at 2B. Strong arm, quick instincts. Repko looked good as well (as he does most springs), LaRoche hit a single and grabbed a BB in 2 AB's. John-Ford Griffin walked in his lone AB, Lindsey went 1-2 with the game winning single down the 3B line, Nomar looked horrible both on defense and at the plate but got a seeing eye single in 2 AB's, Ardoin K'd in his AB with a runner in scoring position, Shackelford and Martin looked bad and got hit, Koplove K'ed the side in his inning of work, Cory Wade looks tall and rangy as does McDonald. Xavier Paul is little! Maybe 5'8-5'9" and skinny as a rail. I thought he was the bat boy at first. Delwyn Young needs a haircut. Russell Martin struck out 2x in 3AB's. Furcal hit a nice triple in the first, Andruw Jones had a hit in 3AB's, Kent looked old, Pierre popped out, grounded to first, and bunted out to the pitcher in 3ABs.

392 ,397
The real world is way funnier than I could invent.

Molly, 353, 394, I didn't say she was boring; she was acting out of it stoned and sort of hostile. Slurred. I thought it was cornflake, but I'm sure it was tennessee theatre, so that makes it pink, july 23, 1994 (I know it was pre-97, because I was not with my wife!). It was weird. Never went out with that girl again, either. :-) Which was fine.

405 Xavier Henry is the number one HS bball recruit in OK for 2009, so I always think the same thing

412. Kemp's baserunning mistake was reasonably Larry Bowa's fault. He stopped Loney halfway to home, but he had made it back to 3B by the time Kemp slid in there. So the fault is with both.

398 How about a King Crimson concert (with Robert Fripp). Nothing beats `Twenty First Century Schizoid Man' at about 145 decibels.

I've heard of the song, but haven't heard from the song itself, so it's all hearsay at this point. I tend to be suspicious of expert musicians and the fans who love them, so I'm afraid your enthusiasm holds little weight for me. However any song with 'schizoid' in the title can't be all bad.

415 No, no. I don't think you understand. There are never extenuating circumstances when Kemp gets thrown out on the bases. Jeff Kent, sure. Matt Kemp, no way. Every time he gets thrown out, it's because of his immaturity, lack of instincts, inability to spell words correctly, and the fact that he likes to burn live cats. There are no other explanations.

410 0 for 0 looks better than 0 for 1!

415 Yeah. Did the newspaper point that out?

Green is one of my favorite players. My buddy and I drafted him on our fantasy team for a couple of years before he became a Dodger. I was pretty excited when the boys in blue acquired him, even if meant getting rid of Mondesi.

As for concert talk:

first: Pearl Jame

last: Garth Brooks

best: probably the first time I saw Metallica cause I was was/am a fanboy.

worst: The Meat Puppets opened for REM and they stunk it up live.

most embarrassing: I saw Creed at a small venue in Riverside for $5. They weren't major stars yet and it wasn't a bad show. I'm more embarrased that I bought the "My Own Prison" CD the next day. It was one of those albums that was just boring.

409 I did, too. Hopefully we won't both sound like the same person from DodgerThoughts. ;-)

Thanks for the recap Brian, the second one cracked me up. Glad to hear Young's fielding well, that would really cheer me up, because that was always my one major worry with him (and for the Dodgers, which is why they moved him to the OF). Hope this is the start of LaRoche's march (or March) toward starting.

417, 418. Bowa made a couple mistakes at 3B today, but I'm sure the paper won't point that out either. Kemp looks ready to go. Why he was batting 8th behind Nomar is another thing that is baffling. Put the 2nd best power threat on the team in front of the pitcher??

420. I am looking forward to seeing Young play 3B but he got a long look at 2B today and looked fantastic. Good relay throw to Hu on a would be DP but Lindsey dropped the ball. Sliding pick-up of a hot shot up the middle and strong throw to nail the runner. I was impressed.

409 ,420 I emailed Dylan this morning to complain about this winner from today's paper:

The lack of consistency resulting from the lack of experience is a concern for LaRoche, who hit .309 in triple-A Las Vegas but only .226 in the majors last season.

403 You looking for companions?

Just kidding, have fun.

Interesting article on why the 2-point jump shot is for suckers:
http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=191

422
It would be a hoot if our future 2nd baseman turned out to be our future 2nd baseman after all. I watch the rolly polly Belliard play 2nd base reasonably well and I watch the old Jeff Kent not play 2nd reasonably well and I have to wonder can D Young be so bad that his bat wouldn't make up for it. His stick might be lacking as a corner but as a 2nd baseman the drooling commences.

why was kemp going 1st to 3rd on a single to LF? that's really the question, seems like poor judgement on his part even if loney wasn't in front of him

419
That is disappointing to hear about the Meat Puppets.

427. Because the throw was going home. He would've been safe at 3B had Loney not been standing on it.

It was clearly a baserunning mistake on Kemp's part, that's not really the issue. The issue is why do local beat writers continue to harp on that in tiresome, predictable fashion without ever giving perspective or being fair and balanced when it comes to similar errors from veterans. I'm less worried about how the Dodgers will react to it at this point, then I am just having to read the same tiresome rabble from these guys all season. LaRoche struggled in the majors, Kemp can't run the bases, blather, mince, repeat.

425

This is a good article. I noticed that this pertains only to college basketball.

The 3 point line is so short, there really aren't that many 2 point attempts in a college basketball game, i.e. 15-20 footers.

I'm glad the article addresses this fact, but in my opinion, if there wasn't so much emphasis on taking 3s, I think scoring could be more efficient.

I wrote an essay once on why the NBA should take out the three point line.

429 well better have been a high throw because if the 3b could've cut it he'd be hung out to dry.

424
Hollingers lastest ESPN draft article is loaded with Pac 10 players in the lottery. Six of the top 20 are in the Pac 10 with Love rated 3rd. Hollingers is just a rating system but then you have Chad Ford who is doing what he thinks is the real draft board and he's got it Westbrook at 13, Love at 18, and Collison at 25. Who would have thought at the beginning of the year that Westbrook would be the highest on the board?

432
From Diamond's blog:
"Kemp, who would have been safe at third..."

433 Many Bruin watchers thought Russell had the most NBA upside but it wasn't until Collison was hurt and Westbrook handled the point so well did it begin to really look that way.

That said, he does not have a consistent outside shot and he needs one because he will get hurt if he has to rely on drives and dunks to score.

432. The throw went to 3B when he saw Loney was going back. Kemp would've been safe.

Rick Monday said that Jones (the lead/scoring runner on the play) was waving Loney home and that Bowa didn't stop him till he was halfway home. It's not entirely clear to me that Kemp was at fault here, but I also don't care very much. If there were video I'd be willing to argue about it.

But underdog is right about how boring it is. If they're all going to write the same story, what's the point of sending more than one guy to file a pool story for the wire?

433
I thought Westbrook was going to be a lottery pick, but I did thing it was going to be after his junior year.

435
You mean a consistent shot like the .424 FG% that Iverson has posted in his career?

D'backs take the lead 5-4 on Emilio Bonifacio's single. Not quite as good as Alberto Bastarto, but it's no slouch, name-wise.

439 I think I could safely say that right now, Iverson was a better player in college than Westbrook.

While the Clippers have been bad due to injury, for the 1st time that I can remember it looks like they outsmarted the rest of the league in the draft as Al Thornton who was picked 14th is playing like the 3rd best rookie in the draft.
Also I liked the fact they snagged Fazekas when the Mav's had to release him from the development league to sign the retired guy so they could trade him in the Kidd deal.
Big fan of his game at Nevada.

406 Haha. I owe my friend with Clips season tickets a basketball game. My Laker tickets are way better than his Clips tickets, but I'm giving him extra credit for that game against the Hawks where Al Thornton had 33 (I think?) and smashed on Josh Smith right after stealing it from him.

441
Not my point. I hear the word consistent shot and always think of how bad a shooter Iverson actually is and how he's considered so great because he scores so many points. Has to be the most overrated player in basketball history.

New, on FJM:
>>It's a historic day. For years, man has waited for just the right term to use when insulting other men who love baseball numbers just a little too much. (What are they, gay for numbers? Probably.) And now, just like the wait for Shrek 3, that wait is ogre.

Jon Heyman has called us VORPies.

"Sorry VORPies, Rollins was the right choice"

I can't decide what the funniest voice to read this in is. Prohibition-era gangster? '80s-movie-antagonist-and-eventual-ski-race-losing-preppy? Daniel Plainview?<<

442 I didn't know the Clips got Fazekas! I

I have no idea why that I is there, but I am drinking tea.

439 - that's a great shooting percentage...if they were all 3pt.

lousy for 2pt. But really doesn't say much w/o knowing the percent shots he takes from 3 pt.

33% from 3pt = 50% from 2pt. They need a stat to combine those in a real way.

Oh wait, that wasn't new at all. Well, it was new to me! Take that, un-VORPies!

I was afraid someone would find you with your head on the keyboard, a knife in you back and Laker tickets stolen as you were unable to type your last thought. It would have to have been a DT reader. CSI would have loved it and we could have had a contest on guessing what you were trying to type before the foul deed ended your days.

By the way, did we know that Ken Levine was hosting Dodger Talk this year? I didn't catch who the co-host is.

448 You mean like... eFG%?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APBRmetrics

There's also True Shooting Percentage, which takes into account free throws too on top of that.

448
True, we need the layup split, Dunk split, 2 point split, 3 point split. This is the 21st century.

RE: Kemp.

This isn't Kemp's fault. :-) He should have been batting 3rd anyway. There's no way Kemp should be running behind the slow footed Loney clogging up the bases. If Torre insists on batting Pierre leadoff the only other player in front of Kemp should be Furcal. When the Bison is roaming the bases everyone one else should just get the heck out of his way.

Free baseball in Tucson!

"33% from 3pt = 50% from 2pt. They need a stat to combine those in a real way."

Not sure if that was a joke, but a stat called Effective Field Goal Percentage has been around for a while and is used by most of the respected analysts. It's a fairly simple formula: (FG + 0.5 * 3P) / FGA.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Iverson's eFG% is .451 for his career. He's never ranked among the league leaders.

413- She could have been stoned. Or sick. I don't know that you'd like her now, either, because even though she's got more energy than she did then, she wears these hideously distracting wigs.

ToyCannon, about Ned firing White, I really don't think he could do that without a HUGE PR backlash. In how many MLB cities is an Assistant GM way more popular than the GM? And you better believe the PR-conscious McCourts know it as well. I doubt DePo could have fired White either, without the same waves being created, and White's stature has only increased since then. If, when, White leaves, I think it will be his choice, and it will happen so White can take a GM job somewhere.

450 Hilarious. Stabbed right in the back as I was making my poster that said Kobe Bryant is the best shooting guard ever. Pretty compelling stuff.

457 Not to mention heckling any porn stars who happen to be in the audience.

458
Do you believe that he and Logan have been at loggerheads over the kids and that Ned has backed off and conceded to Logans views? I just haven't read any substantiated report to confirm what BP is stating as fact.

458 I am not sure that Logan White is more popular than Ned in terms of how firing him would actually impact how the general public and most of the 3+ million who buy tickets every year view the Dodgers.

Now, in terms of how it would be viewed by baseball analysts, writers, and people in the game, that's different, there it would probably be ripped up into little pieces. How that would play for the folks I mentioned above, I don't know.

Hard is it to believe, most people who follow the Dodgers have no time to know who the top 5 prospects are for the team let alone the top 40.

Anyway, here's two things from Torre and Bowa about the baserunning adventures in today's game.

"We have to find a way to manufacture runs," said Joe Torre, who spoke calmly with Kemp after the gaffe. "The way to do that is by running aggressively."

"If this happens after the 10th game, the meetings won't be calm and cool," third base coach Larry Bowa said.

461 Baseball America has also reported that front office dissension, although without naming specific names.

453/456 - thanks guys! I wasn't aware of eFG% - but figured there had to be something out there.

455- Oops. I guess not. I hate ties.

459

I can see Horatio Cane right now, "This was his final blog entry"

451 It's Josh Suchon who's been a beat writer for the Giants & A's and has done some minor league play-by-play.

http://tinyurl.com/yr765p

I saw the Meat Puppets back in 1986 in the basement of a hotel in downtown L.A. they were great.

One of the weirder concerts I've seen is the Red Hot Chili Peppers way back in 1984 at an old steakhouse in Azusa. That was when they were coming out on stage with only a well-placed sock for clothing.

466 And then he puts on his glasses. And they cut to the theme song with Daltry going "YAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

{469}

I can already see the Miami skyline, but we aren't in Miami, oh well.

I am going to try the impossible tonight...find a softball field in Pasadena that is not in use by a league or Soccer practice for the youngsters.

463 Here he goes again.

I still think that part of this stems from the idea that Ned Colletti came from an organization that was known to trade prospects for players in the big leagues in order to win today.

Baseball America's domain is prospects, minor leagues, draft, etc. They have vested interest (as much as publication can have) in seeing that the players that they project as major league caliber, actually pan out. If they miss, it hurts their credibility.

Baseball Prospectus, I've talked about enough.

And we know that rumors get tossed out there and when they involved the Dodgers, they are always going to be for the top prospects.

So what if a potential deal came up last year for Blanton, but it involved some of the top prospects, maybe there would be some in the Dodgers front office who would say lets look at it, while others might say no, lets not give up that particular player.

And what if every deal started with Matt Kemp?

It's probable that all those things and more got discussed last year, especially in July and August when the injuries piled up and offers were probably coming in.

But that probably happens in every front office in baseball.

The difference again, is that a lot of people thought that the Dodgers would succumb and make one of those deals, the fact they didn't given whatever turnmoil took place last year, is what I think drives these stories.

And as Dodger fans, we are more sensitive to it because of some trust issues (which Molly was dealing with yesteday on the air) we have with the front office ourselves.

471 The "he" is of course, me.

461 -- Like you, I have wanted more meat to these rumors that seemed to start with Will Carroll and were very vague. Rosenthal has also piped in and called the Dodger front office "factionalized." I want specifics. So while I don't KNOW what is going on behind closed doors, my hunch is that Ned has wanted to trade young players, White has counselled against it, and McCourt has sided with White, giving Ned no choice but to support a position he probably disagrees with. And I don't think trades are the only thing White and Ned have argued about. I can see White advocating playing LaRoche and Ethier over Nomar and Pierre. In fact, I'll bet that Ethier and LaRoche are two players that Ned has wanted to trade. Ned has a vested interest in making the Pierre and Nomar contracts look "less dumb" than they are, and if Ethier and LaRoche are sitting on the bench while the expensive PVL's are stinking up the field, Ned to going to have a big PR problem. But from Ned's perspective, playing the younger, cheaper players while two players making nearly $20 million between them sit on the bench would be an even BIGGER PR problem, since he gave out the contracts in the first place.

Will Carroll also wrote this, in that injury primer re: the Dodgers (as quoted on BlueNotes today): "The vast majority of the losses the Dodgers took last season came from those two pitchers, plus the season-long injury to Jason Repko."

That last one caused me to do a double-take.

Anything Carroll says about the Dodgers should not just be taken with a grain of salt, but the Great Salt Lake, at this point.

Ah, he meant actual loss of playing time, games played, not game losses. {smack forehead}

Well, still, I don't really trust Carroll's opinion on LA at this point.

473 While I can see the Ned-is-only-covering-his-rear-end argument, do you guys think there's any chance he might be genuine -- that is, that he actually believes Nomar and Pierre are better ballplayers than LaRoche, Kemp, and Ethier?

473 Actually, based again on what was said last year's meeting with McCourt, and this is from Josh R. more than McCourt as I recall, Kim Ng is much more involved (and she has been here as long if not longer than White) with the decisions involving the players once they are signed and are playing in the organization.

White really is just involved (and not in a bad way), the scouting department and while he has input (look at Kuroda), I just don't think he is involved in what happens on the big league team.

Even when all that stuff took place last year, he was out of the loop as I recall because he was out scouting.

I think there is a lot of wishful thinking involved with how much influence Logan White has in terms of what happens with the big league club but just by his position, I don't really think he has really that much say.

Now, could Kim Ng have issues with trading some of these young players since she has been with them from the beginning, absolutely. And would the McCourts listen to her, absolutely too. And she has a higher place in the front office than Logan White.

337 That's because I haven't mentioned that I saw Vanilla Ice...in 1999. Galaxy in Santa Ana, bought for under face from somebody outside. Not at all ashamed that I went. He actually put on a good show and I shook the man's hand.

477 That's a very good point and one that needs to be emphasized more often.

476 I would be more inclined to think that Ned may think that Nomar and Pierre are superior options. He pulled the ripcord a couple of times when moves didn't work out. It seems like he has the stones to admit when he has made a mistake.

I still think he honestly believes that Pierre did what he supposed to do last year. Nomar didn't, but Ned still has that PR thing in him too.

Ugh, I'm not sure I buy either theory. If one or the other is true, it makes Ned incompetent in one aspect of his job. He's either stubborn, a poor evaluator of talent, or loves his PR way too much.

Colletti has made comments like or similar to "we get many offers for trades, but they always start with the same guys and they ask for too much for the value in return." It sounds like b.s. to me for the most part.

I think Ned is happy with the log jam he has because he has room to make a trade later in the year.

481 I don't think so, many of us were frustated during this off-season because every rumor started with Kemp or Kershaw and it was felt that prospects 4-10 were as good as what was being thrown out there other clubs but to cover the other teams butt, they always went for our best, which included guys who were on the 25-man roster last year.

If the Cabrera deal started off with LaRoche, McDonald and Hu, people here would have at least been open to discuss it.

476 -- "Better?" I doubt Ned is considering relative ability. I don't think he is a talent evaluator of any kind. I believe he just trusts, respects, seniority and "proveness" over talent and potential. It is an acountant's mindset.

477 -- I disagree. The whole point of White's promotion from Scouting Director to Assistant GM was to acknowledge that White already had a lot of input into MLB moves, and was expected to have more in future. White certainly has a lot more say in player moves than Ng, a business geek rather than a talent evaluator like White, and if you have been told different, you have been given a PR-driven line no doubt intended to protect the GM's reputation, which is part of Rawitch's job.

Does anybody remember the post made at the Dodgers.com board during the Winter Meetings, by somebody who claimed he met White in Nashville and talked to him for a while? It was mentioned at DT at the time. White told the guy that he was the one who impressed upon the rest of the front office that "We don't want to create three holes to fill one," and Ned seemed to parrot that line throughout the winter. Ned also seems to have signed Kuroda solely on White's vouching for Kuroda, which is more than just having "input."

I still don't get the rationale that says that Colletti would be eager to trade Ethier, when Ethier has been one of the acquisitions Ned has been able to hang his hat on. Just because he wasn't a free agent signing doesn't mean Ned isn't proud of getting him.

484 I don't think its fair to call Kim Ng a business geek unless you have absolute proof that she has no say on player personnel moves and is solely involved with the numbers.

Is this one of those things where, in Canada, "accountant" means, like, nose-picker or something?

"So, this total accountant comes into my office and asks to borrow my stapler, eh, and I tells him, I says, "Why don't you cross-country ski your Newfie carcass back to Saskatoon, I says to him. Eh."

Worth a read, even if you're over the Oscars.

https://screenjam.baseballtoaster.com/archives/914840.html

Do we have any idea what Logan White's opinions are about the big league roster? It seems like around these parts all good baseball arguments are presumed to white, while all dumb ones to Ned.

Jon, I got a couple balls autographed today so it's your choice if you want Chin-lung Hu or Xavier Paul. If you're interested of course.

In today's post game notes, Bowa likes Young play at 2B, Schmidt hits a wall, Chad is okay and this little note.

More signings: The Dodgers signed Billingsley, Andre Ethier, Martin, Loney, Hong-Chih Kuo and Andy LaRoche to one-year contracts. Martin, coming off an award-winning season, received a raise from $387,500 to $500,000.

I read where in the basic agreement, Martin's raise comes from built in incentives that come into play based on games played, honors, etc.

Again for those who don't know, until you are arbitration-eligible, the team can unilaterally sign these players to these contracts with no negotiation. The only player that the Dodgers have negotiated with who they could have just renewed in the past 2 years, has been Takeshi Saito because of his unique position of just telling the Dodgers, he'll just stay in Japan.

I looked though a copy of Baseball Prospectus 2008 today at my local book store. Of course I keep track of what is said at their Site, although I'm not a subscriber. On one hand, they have consistently made the case that the Dodgers have failed to give their young talent a chance, and have blocked them with expensive over-the-hill talent, even when the present was ruined. They have backed this up with stats, both simple and sophisticated. I have often found myself wishing Ned and others in the front office read this. On the other hand the people at BP are so abrasive towards Ned and others that I fear they would only dig in harder under the criticsm. Is there hope that someone in the D's org. understands this stuff?

470 try 815 mission st in pasadena 91030 or there are a couple of fields just north of where colorado and figueroa cross.

490 - Well, if you insist, you know Hu I'll take.

486
I would tend to agree since she made moves (though very minor with the resigning of The Tomato) on her own after DePo was dismissed. Even if she is excellent in business, she has been in baseball for 15 years or so and could learn enough parts of the craft to be able to become a GM and rely on a decent evaluation staff. Look at Ed Wade. Can we honestly say that Ng doesn't know more about evaluation than him?

This is what she had to say in a BP article a few years back:
Ng: A lot of it depends on who the owners are and what they're looking for. For me to tell you I have a scout's background in player evaluation, that's wrong. I wouldn't try to say that. More and more general managers out there don't have that extensive background, but have been successful in other areas and have proven themselves over time. Two of those are people I've worked for, Brian Cashman and Dan Evans. With Bill Bavasi getting the Mariners job, it's the same thing, and he would also admit that. Sandy Alderson, years ago, was the same way, and he was able to put together a world championship club.

One of my strongest skills is the decent relationships I have with many agents, players, and other club executives. Someone put it in a really good way: As a GM, you're the conductor of the orchestra--that doesn't mean you need to know how to play every single instrument. But being a good leader, having good communication skills, that's going to take you a long way

I believe I once read where Brian Cashman said he thought she would be the perfect candidate to break into the GM boys' club. With the Dodgers penchant for breaking barriers and proud diversity background, I would be surprised if she wasn't first in line if old Neddo falls out of favor with the McCourts.

D.J. Mbenga backstory:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/kareem/2008/02/post.html

I insist, its the least I can do for you keeping this amazing site up. I have been reading it for something like 4 years now.

Just let me know where to send it. My email is LVproduction@yahoo.com

485 -- It's not that Colletti doesn't like Ethier, but that sooner or later he is going to have to resolve the outfield "problem." Ethier is tradeable (and could fetch something worth having), while Pierre isn't tradeable at all. An MLB.com reporter for another team said a while ago that attempts to get Ethier in trade were coming to nothing because GM's were being told that Ethier is "unavailable." He also said the Dodgers were trying to trade Pierre, but not finding any takers. I held out hope that a trade sending Pierre to the White Sox would happen, but that was wishful thinking, probably. I just don't see benching any of Pierre, Ethier, or Kemp as workable this year, as much as I wish Pierre were benched, and that makes Ethier the odd man out.

488 I decided to read `No Country For Old Men' before seeing the movie. It is one terrific book.

Torre a winner in Dodgers debut

>> "I messed up," Kemp said. "I'd rather get it out of the way now, I guess. I should keep my head up. I have a tendency to run with my head down." <<

## "Matt ran with his head down. That will get better," Torre said. "The same with Russell. Everything else was fine with me. I think we have to manufacture runs and the best way to do that is run the bases aggressively. ##

http://tinyurl.com/28nz4g

495
Another thing she said in the article really strikes me as boding well for whatever team is smart enough to give her a shot (If you can't tell, I'm a big fan of hers)

BP: How would you go about building your ideal team? What are the basic tenets of your team-building philosophy?

Ng: It's going to differ for every club. You can't go in there and tear a team apart. The Dodgers were built on pitching and defense. The Yankees were pretty well-balanced. There are a lot of different ways to build a club. To come in and say, 'I will do XYZ by doing ABC,' you're probably going to hurt yourself in the end.

... In Dodger Stadium it's difficult to hit home runs, so you have to adjust to that. The people in place, ballpark factors, there's a wide variety of factors that differ with each organization. But a lot of the emphasis I would put would be on scouting and player development. Financial flexibility is the way to succeed, and having great scouting and player development is the best way to achieve that flexibility.

500 definitely nice to see torre has kemp's back.

494 -- Was there any possibility Jon would take Paul over Hu? Would ANYBODY take a Paul ball over a Hu ball? Personally, as a fan of irony, I think Hu's ball should have been offered to Regfairfield, but Jon will appreciate it more.

498 - In my mind, Ned's solution to the four-outfielder problem was hiring Joe Torre. We know Ned likes depth. It's doubtful that in the event of injury, Ned wants Young or Repko or John-Ford Griffin playing regularly.

This shouldn't be rocket science. It is natural for the player who gets No. 4 outfield status to brood. It's also natural for the manager of the team to kick that brooder in the butt and tell him to think about the team and stay ready. If Torre can't tell a fourth outfielder in April to stay positive, then what the heck is Torre here for?

I know some people will think I'm being naïve, but I think I'm the opposite. People who want to be stars are forced into backseat roles all the time. You don't give up depth because depth is in a bad mood.

If the Dodgers can make a good trade, then good. But I firmly don't believe that a trade of one of the four outfielders is necessary.

There's only an outfield "problem" if the Dodgers choose to allow it. I don't care if they need to talk to Ethier (or whomever) every day. Bring in a therapist if you need to. Manage the problem.

503. lol, ill get another sunday for reg

I'd like to think the fact that Pierre draws no interest from 29 teams would cause Ned to do some soul searching about the merits of said player. Can he possibly think the contract is the only obstacle to a deal? The Cubs and Reds are still shopping for CF's as we speak.

Corpas, Rockies agree to 4-year, $8M deal

>> There's no precedent for a reliever with just over a year's service time in the major leagues receiving a deal of this magnitude. <<

http://tinyurl.com/2nhopc

Maybe this applies only to Jon but others here might comment on this.

On the Petros and Money Smith show, Smith tells a story about he was talking to his 7 year old daughter last night and she was practicing to lip sync "Cool It Now" for a school contest. He told her that he just talked to the songwriter (Michael Bivins), she was impressed and asked him if he knew anyone else who is famous.

He proceeded to say yes or no to her questions, Tony Hawk, he knows his manager, Miley Cyrus, knows someone who works for her, he said it went on for a while.

As he doing this, he was wondering, what kind of parent is he to name drop his daughter.

Anyone else ever find themselves in this position?

Canuck, are donairs as good as they are made out to be?

Dodgertown's charms not lost on Torre, players

http://tinyurl.com/2focsm

#8 on the ESPN list of top college basketball players:

David Thompson.

Still out: Maravich, Alcindor, Walton, Robertson among others.

Vin likely to have long chat with Bowa:
http://tinyurl.com/2f4pur

I think this will be said a few times this year.

Larry Bowa is an idiot.

But will he ever get as cool a nickname as "The Windmill"?

The quotes are a thing of beauty:

"That's not for me," said Bowa, a former player and manager in the Major Leagues in his first year with the Dodgers. "My question is, how can I be in the league 40 years and the league says who wears a helmet and who doesn't? One guy got killed and I'm sorry it happened. But bats break and they can be a deadly weapon. Do something about bats.

"Umpires get hit with line drives. I've probably seen 50 of them get hit. If coaches have to wear helmets, umpires should. I'll sign a waiver. And there should be a grandfather clause. These are very cumbersome. They talk about delay of game, and when the helmet falls off, you'll have to stop the game. It should be an option. I know I'm talking for a lot of guys who won't say anything. I'll write a check for 162 games if I have to to not wear it."

That's some high quality argumenting, there.

"It felt good, no aggravation," Billingsley said of his right groin muscle, which tightened a week ago while he pitched batting practice. "We're just being cautious with it because I've had it before, and if it gets really bad, it can affect your whole career."

Cautious. Good.

516 That's what I like to hear.

All right, maybe Dodgers Idol isn't so stupid an idea; this had to be hilarious.

(This and 516 are from Gurnick's "Notes: ...")

Kuroda took it as seriously as an Elvis impersonator can. In full Elvis white-on-white costume, including wig and chest hair, Kuroda dazzled his new teammates by singing "Love Me Tender," featuring a guest appearance on acoustic guitar by Joe Beimel.

>> Bowa said he's been impressed with the play at second base of Delwyn Young, who is working again in the infield after being moved to the outfield two years ago. Young is out of options, and the club likes his bat so much, it seems intent on making him too useful to lose.

"Everybody says he can't play there, but I like the way he approaches the game," Bowa said. <<

http://tinyurl.com/359ahr

509 -- I've never eaten a donair. Should I presume from your asking me this question that you think they are not available in America? They are actually, but they are called "gyros" in America. I remember gyros featuring prominently in an episode of Seinfeld. "Gyros" is the Greek name. "Donair" is either Arabic or Turkish. It's still the same food, though. I know this because I have a Greek friend who told me this stuff.

It may be the only time this year but I agree with Bowa. They should be free to decide if they want to wear them or not. Major league Baseball has been played for 100 years and no one has died from getting hit in the head while being a coach.
A 3rd baseman charging a bunt only to have the hitter swing away is in greater danger then a basecoach.
Vinny is not always right.

521. Did you forget about Mike Coolbaugh already?

521
I'm glad to know that Larry Bowa is above the rules.

522
ToyCannon said "Major League Baseball"

There's a Pac-10 game on ESPN!

Stop the presses!

Andruw gets reacquainted with Braves

http://tinyurl.com/3c8ve3

506
The Reds are definitely not shopping for a CF. In fact they currently have three (four if you count Griffey) and had to trade one away to not have four. Dusty may be dumb enough to let Freel play instead of putting Bruce in immediately, but they aren't dumb enough to take on Pierre's contract.

511
Just like Bird, that ranking is a little low for Thompson. He would make my top 5.

526
Bill Bradley and David Thompson, both better than Byrd according to ESPN.

520
My friend said they were like a gyro but a little different, but he was probably just wrong.

503 Ha ha. I actually am making my way out there this year, so I'll try to bring back a Hu ball, after I get LaRoche of course.

528
Is that Marlon?

530. LaRoche is a tough one. Good luck!

531
Richard Byrd! He kept going to the poles to try to post them up.

Does anyone else recall that we've done this concert thing twice before?

First: Sparks, Palladium, 1983 or so

Last: Imagination Movers at the Kennedy Center (or for real concerts, Peter Gabriel at the Verizon Center, not his best work)

Best: Hmmm . . . lots of amazing ones in the moment, probably Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe at Royal Albert Hall, Sprin 1989. Was with a British girl who'd never heard Elvis Costello (?!?!!?), there was a tube strike on and we just wandered all over the city drinking all day, and then went to the show and had like 5th row seats that I'd slept out for.

Most embarrassing: Er, Berlin at the Hollywood Bowl? (Or maybe that was my best . . . .)

So am I taken to understand that the Dodgers will be on ESPN tomorrow?

I have ESPN in my (shared) office!

My officemate who routinely makes me watch The View is going to be thrilled.

535
My faith in government has been shaken to the bone.

529 donairball sounds like a nervous basketball plea. That's the difference.

535 My officemate who routinely makes me watch The View ...

I hope the sound is off during that.

534 A show of some acts I've seen open for EC would be pretty good: Squeeze, Nick Lowe, Aztec Camera, The Las.

Tying into a different subject that we've done before, Aztec Camera's cover of "Jump" is better than Van Halen's original.

504 Has a very good point. Jon, that deserved a blog post of its own.

The supporters of the unnamed team cement their reputation as idiots.

12 minutes and 18 total points scored in Tempe.

A good article about the decline in fan behavior at college basketball games:

http://tinyurl.com/35sg8b

504 that was rad.

Hmm.. some other entertainment news source is reporting that ABC has put in an order for the last 18 episodes of "Scrubs."

Hmm, so Monster House wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be - in fact, it was pretty close to good except for a kind of lame ending. Not Pixar good, but close. If I had an older kid, I'd watch it with them. (Young kids might be scared by it.) I'd show it to them right after we listen to ELO, by gum.

And now my Tivo's set to tape that meaningless game on ESPN tomorrow, in which LaRoche is starting.

w00t, as the kids today say.

545 -- The star of Scrubs (his name eludes me right now) was only willing to come back for the current season, so if that report is true, it must mean that he has either changed his mind or the producers are going for a "J.D.-less" 8th season.

Well, I'm 546 posts behind the topic.

Shawn Green was good people. He was my son's favorite player, his first favorite athlete. He hit a homerun in the first game my son ever saw (Mike Lieberthal hit three that night!).

We enjoyed your career, Shawn. Enjoy the second half.

545
Awesome

522
As I recall the autopsy said the ball struck his neck and exploded a vein/artery and that a helmet would have meant zip. I would wear a helmet, I got nervous enough when a good hitter was up and I was on 3rd but I still think a ex-professional athlete should be allowed the discretion to choose. Then again I think motorcycle helmet laws are an abomination. Freedom of choice is big on my list.

I have a correction to make. My first concert wasn't Ben Harper, it was

Weird Al Yankovic!

It was great!

I'm not sure how they're doing it, but I'm pretty sure UCLA is cheating. Those three-pointers look very suspicious.

Something with magnets, maybe?

I will avoid going on about motorcycle helmet laws as ToyCannon and I will venture into Rule 5 territory.

As for coaches' helmets, I'm going to need a better argument than "It's uncomfortable" or "Other people can get hurt too."

Also the way Mike Coolbaugh died is irrelevant. His death spotlighted the need to protect baseline coaches in some way. Saying coaches don't need helmets is like saying I don't have to wear a seatbelt because I could just have a tanker truck roll over on my car and explode.

See what I mean? Didn't that last one look really cheat-y?

LaRoche already has an ego now? That makes me unhappy.

Stupid Westbrook. The magnets only work if you throw it up from half court.

554- He and Ethier share tips on applying black eye makeup and hating capitalism.

554 To what are you referring?

557- Brian Y said it was hard to get his autograph.

554. I wouldn't say he has an ego, he just isn't as "fan friendly" as I would have liked. Chin-lung Hu, John Lindsey, Matt Kemp, James Loney, Brad Penny, Lucas May, and the NRI's are the best at getting autographs of. Delwyn, LaRoche, Martin, etc all look like they will sign autographs so maybe it was just me? Kent, Andruw, Pierre, Raffy, and Nomar act like they are too good for it. Well so did Martin but he also looked extremely busy as opposed to the others.

Btw, I look forward to checking out a minor league game or two before leaving as I know they have no problem giving out autographs though I couldn't pick most of them out of a line-up. I know their names but their faces I don't know.

I think to get the attention of a baseball player for an autograph, especially if they've become skeptical after years of having guys approach them who clearly are going to then sell the autographed object on ebay (not that you are such a person, just that they don't know it), as evidenced by the earlier anecdote re Shawn Green, is to be a kid (or bring a kid).

Alternatively, you could become a hot chick. I don't recommend this, as it involves a more difficult procedure. So bring a kid, is my recommendation (or become one, but that's hard. See above, re: becoming a hot chick.)

Shawn will never be forgotten. His homers, his pension for going after pitches way out side, his prolong slumps and most of all that 4-HR game and record total bases. I also seen and read alot about him as a Met, especially when he cut his hair. You talk about Jekyll & Hyde...It was him. Oh yes he was in the parking lot when Gibson hit the big one in '88. Well.. so was a lot of you LA folks.

Somehow it feels right that I learned of this here instead of somewhere else. The icing on an otherwise long day. Jon, thank you for a nice post. I don't have the heart to tell her. She has a ton of homework and it will just derail her. Maybe in the morning. Baseball won't be the same for her.

561. I never understood why there isn't a Rent-a-Midget type of deal where I can just get a little person rather than a "escort". I think almost any ballplayer will approach me if I have a midget with me. Midgets are never evil, so then I will be construed as good as well.

I thought by having the players sign one big Russell Martin jersey was a way to show that I don't plan on selling it. If it were an individual jersey for each player I would understand, but that wasn't the case. I just wanted lots of autographs on his jersey!! But he didn't even sign it (yet) so right now the whole thing is pointless.

FWIW, a letter I wrote him 2003. Not great and a lot corny but he created a lot of special times for Syd and I.

June 12, 2003
Mr. Shawn Green
Dodger Stadium
1000 Elysian Park Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90012

Dear Mr. Green:
I am the father of a nine year old girl, Sydney, who is one of your biggest fans. I write to thank you for being a citizen and an athlete my daughter can look up to without reservation. You always conduct yourself admirably, both, on and off the field. Syd has developed a keen interest in the Dodgers and baseball following your career. As a result, Syd and I have shared some of our most special moments at Dodger Stadium.

Two seasons ago, before Syd had an interest in baseball, we went to a game and she asked who number 15 was. That was the number of her cubby at school. I pointed you out and as you stepped to the plate she realized that you, like her, are left handed. I also told her that you, like her, are Jewish Three pitches later you went yard and a fan was born.

Later in the year we came out to the stadium for batting practice and you were kind enough to pose for a picture with her. The ushers told her you and Dave Roberts (her second favorite player) are the nicest on the team. On fan appreciation day, you took the time to sign 20 or 30 batting gloves and passed them out. She was fortunate enough to receive one and it is among her most prized possessions. Personally, I was very impressed with your consideration for your fans.
This year, during spring training, in a televised game while coming out of the game in the sixth inning you stopped for what must have been 15 minutes to sign autographs. The camera kept going back to you and even Vin remarked how generous you are with your time and the fans. Syd watched this and was so impressed.

We have been to a number of games this year, but the most special was at Pac Bell. For her birthday in April, I surprised her by taking her to San Francisco for the Dodgers vs. Giants on April 11 and 12 (unfortunately the 12th was rained out) but we had great fun on the 11th. We had planned to go to batting practice but got there late. Just before the game, and even though you are not supposed to sign autographs during the last 15 minutes, you were kind enough to sign her ball. As always, you were gracious and did so with a smile.

I am sure you receive many letters, but I wanted to thank you, not for hitting .300 or 40 home runs, but for being an athlete which my daughter can follow and admire. You always conduct yourself like a man. You are an asset to the Dodger organization and the Los Angeles community.

Very truly yours,

cc: Robert A. Daly
Dan Evans

Pac-10 standings

UCLA 13-2, 25-3
Stan 12-3, 23-4
WSU 10-6, 22-6
USC 9-6, 18-9
ASU 7-8, 17-10
___ 7-8, 17-11
Ore 6-9, 15-12
Cal 6-9, 15-11
Wash 6-10, 15-14
OSU 0-15, 6-21

Two games finished with 70-49 scores tonight and USC won its game with exactly 70 as well.

565 - Been waiting for you. I know I should start a new thread now, with you finishing this one, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Am I too late to do the concert thingy....

1st - Peter Frampton, 1976 at the Forum
Last - Must have been Wilco last summer
Best - Tough to pick one. The Clash, 1981 London Lyceum; The Selecter, May 1980 at the Whisky; X everytime between 1980 and 2006, except a couple of Tony Gilkyson show which weren't quite the same; Elvis Costello w/Squeeze, 1980 English Mugs Tour; Neko Case, 2006?; Pixies/Radiohead, Coachella 2004.

Read about and discuss tonight's Lost:

http://weblogs.variety.com/season_pass/2008/02/lost-episode-5.html

Here's our Scrubs story.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981634.html

That's weird that LaRoche is a hard sign this year considering he was one of the easiest last year. He, Loney, Abreu, and Hu seemed to be signing every time I turned around. Maybe he's got a big head now that he's actually competing for a starting spot ;)

549 I'm with TC on this one. I don't understand why any government would ever care if someone decided to risk their lives; seat belts, helmets, assisted suicide, drugs (okay, maybe not all drugs) - as long as you're 18 I think you can do what you want.

And to complete the trifecta, I'll do the concert thing:

First - Blue Oyster Cult at the Key Club in Hollywood...I wasn't a huge fan, but a bunch of friends from my dorm were going and it was actually pretty cool

Last (besides the soon-to-be-mentioned most embarrassing) - Matt Costa doing an in-store performance in Westwood last month...had to stand out in the rain for almost an hour without an umbrella, but it was a very intimate show (100 people or so) and he was quite good

Best - GWAR at the Key Club...say what you will about this joke of a band, they put on the most fun concert you will ever be a part of. There's nothing better than being doused in fake blood by a bunch of guys in papier mache costumes playing heavy metal.

Most Embarrassing - Last night my buddy visiting from Seattle invited me to his company's launch party downtown where none other than the Barenaked Ladies were playing. It was almost sad watching them up there trying to be relevant while filling their set with about 10 other songs that weren't their two hits.

It's very edgy to be cavalier about one's personal safety, but, given that none of the players wants to be the guy who kills or maims a coach, it seems discourteous not to take such a minimal step to prevent it.

572 - I think society has a valid interest in preserving life in a public space. But we're getting into a political discussion here.

New post up top.