"From a Dodger perspective, consider that Bowa is a man in authority, expecting to be listened to, telling the world that he has no intention of listening to authority."

Leaving aside for a moment whether or not Bowa's anti-helmet rant is correct, this is the major problem that I have with what he is saying. He is not just a man in authority, he is an outspoken authoritarian, and for him to openly and loudly ignore the rules, while younger players on the team are criticized for their mistakes, shows a clear double standard. What if Matt Kemp were to say,"I am going to continue to run the bases with my head down, and if the Dodgers don't like it, they can fine me?" I think we all know what the reaction would be.

Also--it is just me, or do you all just wish that Bowa would keep his mouth shut? He is not the manager, nor has he ever been a good manager when he has gotten the chance, so his opinions don't carry much weight for me. He should just stand in the coach's box, either waving his arms or putting up the stop sign, and if he has something to say to a player, he should say it privately to that player.

It's Greg Miller time today! First time ever on national TV!

Actually, if you want to leave out any other rules outside the game of baseball about protective equipment, the helmet rule for coaches is a safety rule that an employer (MLB) is making for its employees (the coaches).

It's not a matter of public policy. It's the rules of the job.

I think its apples and oranges. I have not read anything in their comments about the baserunning errors that would lead me to believe that the players are being unfairly criticized.

Larry Bowa's opinion probably reflects a majority of MLB coaches and I thought his concerns were reasoned and certainly a compromise could be reached.

Larry Bowa is an idiot.

The truth is somewhere between 4 and 5

No, I am right :)

But, I've hated Larry Bowa for many years.

Check out Clownin' Around in Dodgertown on my friend Jake's blog:

http://www.640wgst.com/pages/jakeblog.html

8, you're not alone. Good thing we didn't get Rolen. Ha!

I just had a few minutes of outrage at ESPN not having the game on until I realized 10am was Pacific Time!

2 i think kuroda might have more importantce today

Sounds like somebody has been skipping their green tea dossage.

I have to realize that spring training applies to fans and I was gradually preparing my outrage glands for Fox "no Dodgers" Saturdays.

For some reason Kuroda Time does not have the cache of Miller Time.

Perhaps if Bowa gets enough warnings, there will be a fine and then a suspension for him.

This would be a good thing.

Bowa has already surpassed Jack Clark as "Least Liked Coach in L.A. Dodger History" in my record book.

Ah the collusion scandal. Takes me back to college. My senior thesis was a game theory analysis of that scandal including how Ueberroth was able to break the prisoner's dilemna of overpaying for free-agents and why teams sharing what they plan to offer freaks out the union to this day.

I wasn't a big Larry Bowa fan before the Dodgers hired him. He has a history of, well... being a jerk. Recent events don't help my perception. Third base coaches should be seen, not heard. :)
vr, Xei

So , the Jordan Farmar show was pretty fun last night. If you guys were wondering what that uproar was at about 1 45 left in the 4th, this girl flashed the crowd! Wade got booed seemingly every time he touched the ball. We had some pretty nice seats too, 218 11 20-23. My buddies Clips tickets are 319 up top, so it was quite the experience. And we got free tacos from Jack in the Box for holding em under 100!

So , the Jordan Farmar show was pretty fun last night. If you guys were wondering what that uproar was at about 1 45 left in the 4th, this girl flashed the crowd! Wade got booed seemingly every time he touched the ball. We had some pretty nice seats too, 218 11 20-23. My buddies Clips tickets are 319 up top, so it was quite the experience. And we got free tacos from Jack in the Box for holding em under 100!

I've already adopted Larry Bowa as the "guy on the Dodgers I choose to hate" this season.

The title goes back to 1971 and was first held by Bill Singer.

5
Your are right Larry Bowa is an idiot and has been his whole career but on this issue as BH said, his view shouldn't be discounted just because he is an idiot.

I will concede to Bob that this is an OSHA issue and if they were to study it and find that it makes sense from an occupational safety issue that coaches and umpires should be better protected then by all means do so. I just wonder when the 1st line drive to the chest of a baserunner on 3rd base stops his heart what will be the cry of those who want everyone protected from all things. Since catastrophic injury is possible as a hitter, fielder, or runner on every play maybe we should just stick to video games. That is safe for everyone concerned.

Plus we really should look into the idea of either putting helmets on all the spectators who are even in greater peril then the basecoaches, or at the least put up a net or plexiglass shield. Plus let us require that every person in the dugout be protected at all times and since the pitcher is closer to the action then the base coach, shouldn't he also be wearing protective gear? Babies who can't wear helmet shouldn't even be allowed to sit between the bases on the 1st level.

This game of baseball is a dangerous business, so let us make sure that everyone is protected not just the old fogies dancing in the coaching boxes.

Doh! Nice post as well, Jon. Bowa's already rubbing people the wrong way. What a hypocrite.

20
Just curious about your hatred's. Bill Singer seemed to be a cool guy back in 1971 and you were I expect between 3-7, so what could he have done to you that you were already hating on him?

speaking of idiots,
http://tinyurl.com/ynqzv4

I fail to see how requiring helmets for coaches is some constitutional crisis. Wear them or don't participate. We already make them wear silly uniforms.

4 - I'm not saying the problems are 100 percent parallel (though I'm not sure what the second sentence of your comment has to do with anything).

But at a time where the Dodgers probably need or want to emphasize seeing the bigger picture beyond your own self-interest, this is an interesting counterpoint.

23 - I'm guessing it relates to this?
https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/016821.html

It is currently 26 degrees in New York City. In six hours, I will be on a plane headed to Florida, where I will get to watch the Dodgers this weekend in 77-degree splendor.

My first and last trip ever to Dodgertown. So bittersweet...

I'm jealous cause I can't watch this game... hey, can I buy it on MLB?

27
I don't see the connection. He said he hated Singer in 1971, when Singer was our Chad Billingsley not after Singer turned into a drunken lout and insulted our Kim Ng.

I just don't get how players like Kemp and Repko could get to this level with "uncontrolled aggression" that leads them to make mistakes like running to an occupied base, running full out to score after the game is over or crashing into a wall on a play in which there is no chance of catching the ball. Are they really just athletic "animals" who play as if they have no brain? I may be old school, but I remember that even in Little League and Babe Ruth league, I was always thinking about what I would do if something happened before each pitch, both on offense and defense.
I really hope that Torre and Bowa come through and put an end to such incredible stupidity on the part of highly paid professional players. While I appreciate the pure athleticism of these guys, I would like to see them using their brains a little more. Fighter pilots call it "situational awareness" and that concept applies to baseball players as well.

31
Maybe, the alternative is someone like Garrett Anderson or Shawn Green who always played the game in complete control but were always being accused of never giving it their all, probably by the same people who complain about the aggressiveness of Kemp and Repko.

31 It was the first game of Spring Training. Great time to make mistakes and learn.

27 Did anyone ever reveal what Singer actually said, or at least the thrust of it?

31
Either they're "animals" with "no brains" and "stupidity" or they're young guys trying a little too hard to make the team and earn a starting spot, respectively.

Is it really time for us start insulting and criticizing our young players for playing too hard in the first game in spring training?

Maybe when they're "old school" they'll realize that spring training is for loafing.

How will Jason Repko get hurt this year
1. Running into an outfield fence
2. Running into a foul area fence or structure
3. Sliding head first into a base
4. Just running to and fro
5. High Fiving Matt Kemp
6. Hitting the breaks on 3rd when Bowa throws up a late stop sign
7. Breaking up a fight between Bowa and Kemp
8. Breaking up a fight between Kent and Kemp
9. Getting in a fight with Kent
10. Sleeping

In 1971, I was five years old. I didn't like Bill Singer because every time pitched, the Dodgers lost it seemed. That's about as sophisticated of a fan as you can be at that age. My favorite Dodger in 1971 was Richie Allen because he seemed to hit home runs.

36 - This isn't directed at you, but all the general Repko bashing makes me sad. To me, he's like a Juan Pierre in personality - completely or almost completely decent guy - except nothing gets handed to him. I'm sure no one feels worse about him hurting Furcal than he does. Repko has never moaned about his status - he just keeps plugging. He's not getting any more than he deserves, he's not blocking anyone from succeeding, he's making the minimum, so I don't know why there's such antipathy.

The only thing I find hilarious about the Bowa argument (ok, one of many) is that he thinks broken bats are more dangerous than balls coming off the bat. I will never forget the line drive down the line that went into the stands at a AAA game I was attending. It was the hardest ball I had ever seen hit that close, and I am pretty sure if it had hit any one in the head, they would be done for (especially if it was a kid).

But really, Larry, a broken bat?

38

He was one of my favorite players right before the ankle injury. I truly hope he gets a chance to make it somewhere, since it looks like there is little room here. I love the way he plays, and he had a great start to that season...who knows how it would have gone if he had stayed healthy all year, no Pierre?

36
11. At a bar with Joe Beimel!

25
Marty says what I want to say so much more clearly than I do.

39 - He must remember Steve Yeager.

I really like what Repko brings to the table. If Pierre were not on the team, I would have no problems with Young and Repko as backup OFers. Repko is pretty much the definition of 4th OFer. He plays all three positions well, has a strong throwing arm, and he can run pretty well. He is also not a liability on offense for the few games that he would get to start, but he doesn't have enough offense to warrant more playing time.

38
I understand. This was just fun at his expense. His injury history is extensive all the way back to his minor league days and I would have posted the list even if he had not been involved in the Furcal play. He ripped his hammy later, it had nothing to do with the play. I wish him well but sometimes I will go with a cheap laugh even if I'm the only one laughing.

37
I saw him pitch the lamest no-hitter in Dodger history so I had a different perception but I don't think it was 71. Mr. Allen was also my favorite player that year but for different reasons.

40 - It was the initial injury in 2006 that led to that. After all, he had just gotten a starting job right before Ethier came up, and he had a very nice April in 2006 (.328/.414/.574).

25
42
I will be happy to debate the issue with the both of you at the next DT outing. Just because you don't think it isn't important doesn't mean it isn't. It just isn't important to you.

my favorite repko moment was a few years ago i believe it was troy glaus on 3rd as an angel. someone hits a long fly ball to LF with 1 out repko catches it on the warning track and instead of it lobbing the ball in and conceding the run, he cocks back and unleashed a lazer to home. glaus was rogging home not expecting a throw and barely beat the throw.

47. Bob, these type of debates cannot be won and I recommend buying him a beer or a malt instead. Bring your own spoon though.
vr, Xei

Larry Bowa's distain for league rules will cast a dark shadow on the organization. If the McCourts intervene immediately and tell him (or better yet, have Torre tell him-chain of command) that league rules are to be followed, then this matter will be put to bed fairly quickly. I doubt that the league would fine a coach for every game. Instead, they would (should) suspend the coach until he conforms to the rules.

Simple, huh?

12 i think kuroda might have more importantce today

Yeah, this is stating the obvious. But I am more interested in seeing Miller for the first time.

I don't buy Bowa's argument that umpires are in more danger than the coaches. At worst, the risk is the same. Realistically, I think that the coaches are more at risk.

Umpires generally have to pay attention to where the ball is, while coaches may be focusing on other parts of the game.

48 must've been against arizona

52

Was it the SD coach last year that was half way down the base path and Brad Penny called him on it?

26 You have a good point there. What I should have written is that the baserunning errors are certainly something that needs to be addressed and reading Torre's and Bowa's comments about it, seems to me, a reasoned approach. I think it is because the media picks on it likes it the root cause of badness in Dodgerland is what causes in my opinion, all the frustration about it.

On the helmet issue, I heard Terry Francona talk about it on XM this morning on a program that Bowa worked on in between managing and coaching jobs. It sounded like he came down to this conclusion, his coaches will have to follow this MLB rule but he understands all their frustration with it and that it will take some time to adjust. He also said that there were further rules re where coaches can stand and that was another problem because that goes against all that those guys were taught for many years.

Bowa: "They talk about delay of game, and when the helmet falls off, you'll have to stop the game."

YEAH!!! Did you people ever ONCE think about THAT!

Seriously though, if the old dudes don't want to wear helmets they shouldn't have to. Safety is the new tyranny. We're sanitizing the colour and risk right out of life. In 10 years we're ALL be thinking like safety nerds.

On that Dos Equis commercial...it's going along all cool, then the guy releases the bear from the trap and what? "DO NOT ATTEMPT" appears in small print below it.

OK, something is wrong.

We've got beer commercials telling us to drink responsibly. If everyone did they'd be out of business. If weekend drunk driving is such a problem you'd be seeing wrecks every 30 feet!

And I'm IN the safety business. In charge of safety for over a thousand workers. Safety has to make sense, or it loses it's force, it's legitimacy...people scoff. You never want your guys to scoff.

At the very least Safety should argue from probability. The ratio of hits in major league baseball history compared to the number of serious head injuries to coaches would probably be like 3 billion to 2. This is NOT a compelling reason to mess with tradition.

And Jon, you attempt to trivialize the issue when you say people were against seat belt laws because of "comfort", no it was about freedom. (Don't mean to sound like Rambo).

55

There is money to be made here. Someone needs to design a fashionably comfortable helmet for base coaches.

Is there free live MLB streaming content this year for spring training games? I recall they had free gameday audio available in past years.

I'm with Marty and Bob on this one.

58

Sadly, no

56 - I didn't say that was the only reason people were against seat belts. I said it was "an argument."

32 And don't forget J.D. Drew. ;-)

You could have your "home" and "away" helmets. Your "warmup" helmets, and they could have stylish colors. The possibilities are endless.

3) From a Dodger perspective, consider that Bowa is a man in authority, expecting to be listened to, telling the world that he has no intention of listening to authority.

As I recall, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, et al., were in exactly the same position.

The motivation for this exercise was the death of Mike Coolbaugh, first base coach for the Rockies' AA Tulsa affiliate. The ball that struck him actually hit him in the neck, crushing his left vertebral artery. A helmet would not have made a difference.

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

Bowa's comments imply the penalty is merely a fine. At some point, MLB will have to disallow him from taking the field without a helmet, and have the Dodgers forfeit if he does. That is the only meaningful penalty. Fines won't achieve anything (obviously). So I wonder what MLB is really prepared to do.

64 Larry Bowa, American patriot and revolutionary.

31

from all accounts (and I admit I have not seen it), it sounds like Loney was 1/3 of the way down the line when Kemp kept going. So, he may have looked up to see Loney going home, and Kemp just went for it.

But it is pretty amazing to slide head first with Loney on the bag. You would think Kemp would have stopped half way and made a run back to second. I tend to look at my 3rd base coach in softball, because I need to know if I should slide or not. Of course, most of them do nothing, so I have to gauge it by the third baseman's actions.

56 - And I'm IN the safety business. In charge of safety for over a thousand workers. Safety has to make sense, or it loses it's force, it's legitimacy...people scoff. You never want your guys to scoff.

This is EXACTLY right. Some time ago, I discovered that the safety cover on my table saw was more of a nuisance than a help. Trust me, I have no problems with safety devices on a saw spinning at 3,000 RPM with my fingers only inches away... I've also encountered kickback when I ill-advisedly released pressure on a workpiece and the saw shot it back at me like a rocket. But the fact is -- and this is something even the saw makers will agree with -- a badly designed safety device is worse than useless.

It's not only about comfort, safety and freedom... but also about being liable and insurance costs. If Larry Bowa signs a waiver, good luck having that waiver stand up in a court of law when his spouse sues the Dodgers or MLB for allowing him to coach third without a helmet, especially when there is a rule against it. We all pay for these lawsuits in higher insurance costs. Not in this particular case, but in the car insurance industry for sure. I don't want to pay extra because some group of people don't want to wear motorcycle helmets, and I sure don't want to see any more of my friends die in motor cycle accidents where they weren't wearing a helmet.
vr, Xei

31 Larry Bowa, is that you?

Dodgers on at ten? ahh..the joys of Mr. Momhood continue...

66 - in a small way, yes.

64 - And some people thought I was stretching an analogy.

69 - I very much doubt the added safety would make much of a difference for the baseline coaches. Now, the batter? That's another thing entirely.

56
Amen

In any case, as I've said before, I'm not taking a pro- or anti-rebellion stance. I'm saying that if you're a coach or manager looking out for yourself, don't be surprised if your players start doing it too.

Even Phil Jackson gives those in-game interviews, and he probably things those are more dangerous to his health than a flying baseball to his head.

39 43 Tommy Lasorda will agree on the broken bat issue. I mean come on millions of people saw that, it was the All Star game right! I'm with Tommy and Larry we gotta do something about those bats.

How about aluminum bats, and the base coaches and infield umpires all wear catchers gear?

When you wear a helmet you lose the sense of being out in nature...that open air feel. And I'd imagine this is doubley true for being out in the great grass & breeze atmosphere that is baseball.

And some credence DOES have to be given to older guys like Bowa when they talk of 'comfort'. It's not going to be too pleasant standing out in the August sun in a plastic and foam helmet. Ever sleep on a foam pillow? Hype aside, those things are HOT.

73
Actually, I was going to compare Larry Bowa to Henry David Thoreau, with the threat of civil disobedience and all that.

Larry Bowa is what Thoreau would have been like if he violated Rule 1 every third word.

I can't wait for the bowa/kent love fest plascke article. Were old school and we love each other.

over under is May 21

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Vin Scully of all people railing against MLB to make base coaches where helmets LONG before Coolbaugh got hit in the neck?
vr, Xei

75 - You don't think there's hyperbole there? Writing "Do not attempt" in small print and telling people to drink responsibly are examples of tyranny?

As for this paragraph:

"We've got beer commercials telling us to drink responsibly. If everyone did they'd be out of business. If weekend drunk driving is such a problem you'd be seeing wrecks every 30 feet! "

It's nonsensical. Drinking responsibly won't put beer companies out of business. And the third sentence is particularly baffling: 1) maybe the call to limit drunk driving has curtailed the problem; 2) you don't need to see accidents every 30 feet for something to qualify as a problem, 3) are you really suggesting that life was better before we had any admonitions against drunk driving?

Better for the beer companies to be hypocritical about drunk driving than completely ignore the problem.

I understand the position against the helmets and even sympathize with it to a degree (to the extent that injuries to coaches are rare), but talk about an overreaction.

An over the top sarcastic view of the Braves after yesterday's game:

http://tinyurl.com/2qwvpj

78 I guarantee to you that the homeplate umpire is 100 hundred times hotter in August than a base coach in a helmet. The base coach even gets to sit in the shade or visit the clubhouse every half inning.

Foam helmets are hot, but they aren't the end of the world. There are other people on the field that are worse off.

82. Amen! :)
vr, Xei

Larry Bowa: "Give me Liberty or give me death."

69 Law suits and insurance are the great fall-back issues when it comes to safety fanaticism. That's why everything is so cheesy and non-sensical now days.

Sighting law suits is not the be-all end-all arguement. We can change those laws and become human again. WE are in charge. The law is not some Fact-of-Life immovable cold force outside of ourselves.

Ok I'm done, sorry.

for the suckers stuck at work will we be getting some play-by-play of todays contest?

Maybe we should get rid of base coaches altogether and put little radios in all the players helmets and they can be told to bunt or slide from the bench or press box. Safety problem solved and Bowa out of a job, two birds with one stone. I like it.
vr, Xei

89 It's the 21st century. Bluetooth headsets!

They should grandfather helmets in the way they did goalie masks in hockey. Let Bowa risk his noggin, chances are a hard blow to the head wouldn't change him much.

82 Jon it only seems like an overreaction if you see the helmet rule as an isolated event, instead of modern phenomenon.

Blah Blah Blah, we got some baseball to watch!

Has it really been 5 moths?

Lets go Dodgers!

Already the ESPN announcer shows his ignorance, " the braves came away yesterday with a 5-4 win over the Dodgers at vero." gah

88

I am still trying to figure out how to get a shared office with access to ESPN.

75
My Amen was for the parts I agreed with. Yes, most of it was nonsense but Frip hit the phrase freedom of choice and I spasmed.
In a nutshell I would like the freedom of choice to have my coconut split open by pavement, car, or horsehide without someone else imposing their own view of what life is about. My friends would understand or should. Life is full of dangers, trying to protect adults from all of them is foolhardy. For some the goal is to live the longest for others it is simply to live. Those with families should think hard before making the decision but they should still be allowed to make the decision. It is not for society to decide for them. JMO

92 - I guess our dictionaries have different definitions of "tyranny" and "overreaction."

I skied for 30 years without a helmet. Now, mostly against my will, I wear one - even though I don't really feel the need. Guess what: skiing is still fun.

Life goes on quite nicely and is full of color, I find, even with safety regulations.

According to Gary Thorne "Kemp is vying for some playing time this year."

If I could watch the game live, I'd give it the "mute" treatment and help my blood pressure.

Look at that caveman go!!

There it is, ESPN shot of Bowa in the helmet right before Kemp steals.

Well, now I will go read about Lost, since I want to watch this on TV without knowing the outcome.

No ear flaps for Larry, BTW. And Loney is sporting the short Lincoln-style beard w/o mustache as he walks.

And LaRoche crushes it to center...nice. I like that 3-4-5.

That was CRUSHED!

Fatty doubles over the CF wall.

They were talking about Bowa's helmet issues, and that Torre had a chat with Bowa after the game yesterday, and sort of chuckling about it all.

It was cool to hear Kruk and Phillips rave about Kemp's five-tool potential, even if they had to bring up the baserunning "issues" too.

I'm enjoyning this. Andy!

LaRoche just CRUSHED that one. Long deep double. That was sweet to see.

Fatty = Andy? Andruw is also a bit of a fatty, eh?

Now let's go Repko, let's squeeze Pierre off the roster altogether!

110 squeeze = injure accidentally?

103 , 108 I think it's spring training for commenters too... three minds all coming up with the same description of that LaRoche double.

1 - 5 would be a killer real lineup. Throw in Andruw, Martin, and Hu and your talking about a championship team.

Can someone settle this for me once and for all: is it "Kur-ah-dah" or "Kur-oh-dah"? I have this feeling that Phillips is mispronouncing it but am not entirely sure.

So, did LaRoche look "nervous?"

Update from Tony Jackson

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/archives/2008/02/bowa_agrees_to.html

114 - a bird told me he goes by "hiro"

Well, coaching third base and riding a motorcyle are not remotely close, in terms of danger. Actually, it's probably not even as dangerous as taking a shower in your house, or even a locker room. Now, if MLB has their legal rears covered, they will be soon be issuing shower helmets for use after all games immediately. Course, then they will need shower police for enforcement. It never stops. I hereby reserve all legal and monetary rights for any future shower helmets, on this day 2-29-08. Thank you. Izzy

No, but Nomar did after the ab:)

i'm embaressed to admit this but i had a dream about todays game.

kuroda 2ip, 4er and for some reason tejeda was on the braves.

I'd like a definition of an "uncomfortable" helmet. Does it have spikes inside? We aren't asking them to wear chin straps.

We're talking helmets here man. Helmets. Just in case a ball comes screaming at his noggin, he might stand a better chance to survive it.

113 I wouldn't be surprised.

Gary Bennett. Jeez. I can't believe you people spent three hours arguing over the right to severe head injuries, while the whole time Gary Bennett was sitting there, being on the roster.

115 Nope, he looked calm, cool and collected. And even shut John Kruk up in mid-sentence in admiration.

Kruk also just called Russell Martin "a stud, man".

Gary Bennett = not quite as fast as Matt Kemp.

Well now I know about Bennets speed.

I feel bad watching this kinda game and rooting for Ramon Martinez to do what he just did, meekly ground out, but there you go.

was kuroda hit hard that inning?

I finally listened to the Purple Gold and Blue podcast from Wednesday. Molly you rock!

127 Not really, there was a solid hit from Johnson. Then a nice easy double play ball. Then a fly ball to Ethier that wasn't anything special.

Simply amazing how some lifes don't go easy.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/28/wtoilet128.xml

129 what's his velo looking like on his pitches?

112 How about, "LaRoche smackdiddleypopped that ball!" ? I knew I should've said that instead.

Andy looks balanced & focused...in a deep Zen-like state except for the slight bat wiggle prior to the pitch that showed awareness for his environment.

Seriously, couldn't really tell. I just hope he starts making pitchers nervous. He started the DP cleanly, too.

If Kemp's base-running followed the script yesterday, shouldn't we see Bowa, safely, take a liner off his helmet today?

121
I find all helmets uncomfortable, especially the shower helmets that Izzy invented.

Well, vs. Texeira just now, Hiro was:
76mph.
91.
91.
90 (on a curve).
92. (that one was well out of the zone)
90. (fouled off)
89 - sinker, ground ball to Loney.

After this inning I have to do, you know, actual work, so I'll be watching the rest of this later. But so far I like what I've seen.

114. Dodger announcers don't seem to care how they pronounce the Asian player names. Well, they may care but don't do a good enough job of it in my opinion. :) K/G
vr, Xei

This is why I love real-time game comments, take last night's UCLA game, for the first 16 minutes, the UCLA board was filled with comments like this team will lose in the first round of NCAA (okay, a little stretching here but you get the point), then after they stretch out the lead to 20, everything is all right in the world.

My theory on ST, is basically don't get hurt. Period.

After that, I'll let everything play out.

Just don't get hurt.

135 that couldn't have been a curve, probably a sinker

i know he had some arm issues last year, so doesn't look like we have schmidt part deux on our hands.

136 Where are you watching?

133
I think it would be better if he took a shot off his shin since that is now unprotected.

Andruw Jones to Mark Kotsay = pretty big drop off in center.

140 ESPN. I'm at home this morning. Kuroda looked great that inning, 1-2-3 groundballs.

4-1 groundball to flyball ratio. so far no false advertising.

138 - Is USC the second-best team in the Pac-10 now? I'm starting to get that feeling.

Kuroda is looking nice. Good command.

143 Oh okay. I thought you were at work and found a way to watch it. In which case I would have tried to watch it. Then my Giants-fan-boss would see me, and I'd probably lose my job.

Interesting how Kotsay's reputation has done a complete 180. He used to be an amazing defender who got no praise because he didn't dive all over the place. Now he's a terrible defender who's a "dirt player".

His VORP is through the roof. Vorpies everywhere are rejoicing.

Since season 2 of FOC isn't coming up right away, maybe we could all pitch in and get Bret to finish his hair-helmet.

Larry would be stylish & comfortable in that, yes?

144 I have full confidence he'll keep that up for the entire season.

He-Row-Key Koo-Row-Dah I guess. My understanding is that you can pronounce Japanese correctly by pretending it is in Spanish.

146 his bb/9ip in japan would agree with your statement

152 Heh. You mean Steve Phillips was mispronouncing it? Shocked!

Joe Torre was interviewed in the dugout. "He seemed relaxed, he found a place," said Kruk. And then something about how Torre used to carry Jeter's bat around with him all the time, and is he carrying anyone's bat around yet...? Not yet, he says.

Buddy Carlyle!

151 he was probably pretty close to that in his career

is kuroda done?

Loaiza is in there.

Didn't Nate put him at something like 2.25 to one which didn't count hits, which are primarily line drives.

Single, HR. This is why we couldn't afford Kyle Blair.

Loiaza must look even more hittable after Kuroda, but gosh, he sure looks awful to start. Maybe he'll be so awful the Dodgers will "have" to go with someone like Jason Johnson - which would be okay by me - or McDonald.

oh no loaiza, lets call up joe blant... oh wait nevermind. is kershaw ready?

loiza getting hammered already...

Am I being a bad fan if I'm rooting for Loaiza to do bad, for Schmidt to not be ready, and for Kuo to be healthy, so that Kuo gets the 5 spot for one last chance?

163 i think you'd be wrong if you think kuo is a better choice than a healthy schmidt. but kuo over loaiza sign me up

I would support Steve Phillips's not wearing a helmet.

Kemp now getting ripped for forgetting how many outs there are.

164 ToyCannon has a soft spot for Guo not Kuo.

I'm rooting the same way on Loaiza, Toy, but am rooting for Schmidt to be ready. I don't see how it helps the Dodgers to decrease their depth and options there.

Steve Phillips harping on Kemp for not knowing how many outs there are (he caught a line drive and then started running in). C'mon Bison, stop giving the old boys network fodder to criticize you with! Kruk came to his defense of course.

Are we really going to rip on Loaiza for not looking good for one inning in Feburary?

I wonder if Mariano Duncan gave the Cartier watch back to Loaiza.

John Kruk, unlikely ally.

169 those innings in sept are still in my mind

163 - I am rooting for Kuo to do great, Loaiza to be pretty good, and Schmidt to take his time. Leading to Kuo getting the 5th spot, Loaiza traded for a low-level prospect, and Schmidt continuing to strengthen his shoulder.

Unfortunately Loiaza lives up to my expectations. Hey its his first try-guess I owe him a chance

This morning I unfortunately caught the last few words of a BBC news story on Takashi Saito death after a beating. Search
at BBC and sure enough, some wrestling coaches killed a guy named Takashi Saito. Seemed really bizzare at the time.

And it looked to me like Kemp was just running out his momentum, not coming off the field.

I'm just trying to get back on Xiefranks good side.

169 - By all rights - in almost any other year - this would be March!

173
You win. I can run with that.

174
He should have been wearing a helmet.

I propose that we don't talk baseball until opening day.

179 nay

179 Can we still talk about the pros and cons of wearing Izzy Shower Helmets™?

So Buddy looked good?

No comments on Buddy Carlyle?

I can't believe Jon beat me to it.

has kemp made a weak throw or something? i just got 3 text's saying kemp has a pea-shooter

182 He looked better than Esteban Loiaza, definitely.

Btw, I don't think it fair to rip on someone for their first appearance in early February, no, just that Loiaza looked awful to start. I'm sure he'll get better. If he doesn't, he won't be on the team, yet alone the 5th starter.

I also am pretending today doesn't exist, since it's Leap Day, so I'm working at home and watching baseball and taking my time leaving the house, since today doesn't exist no one should care about my whereabouts.

185 He didn't make a very good throw home when the guy on third was tagging up. I don't know if he just didn't get his body behind it or if he hasn't built up his arm strength yet because he usually throws much harder.

176. Hey, your always on my good side. Friends can disagree once in a while, right?
:) vr, Xei

Whoa, that looked like plain bad fielding.(Jones)

186 I ran the `today doesn't really exist' theory by my boss. Didn't work.

The heck does "AL teams to watch" mean when each guy lists 6 teams? There's only 14 teams in the freakin' league.

Wow, Atlanta showing some stellar defense today. No one was even close to covering 2B on that steal.

johan 2 ip 4 hits 3 er 1 bb 1 k

he gave up the 3 runs on a 3 run-hr to... you guessed it juan gone.

Did I just hear Peter Gammons say "I did my steroids this morning" right as they came back from commercial?

Yep.

And Miller has entered the game. Starts off with 4 straight balls :(

Oh Miller...

The 5th ball in a row brings Honeycutt to the mound for a chat.

Steve Phillips, like D4P, wears flat front pants.

182 He just kept going away to the Bison with 88 mph fastballs on the corner and got him swinging. I think he threw him 3 straight. I remember him throwing up to 95 last year.

Also Loaza's cutter at 84 is not going to cut it, when his slider/change is sitting at 80.

8 straight balls

8 balls in row. Then a wild pitch advances runners.

+ wild pitch

Miller looks like woogie.

Passed ball or wild pitch? I say passed ball, but I'm biased.

Setting up the force at any base... great thinking.
vr, Xei

Miller Time is not pretty today

Greg Miller has a terrible dye job.

rick ankeil is somewhere smiling.

The first strike he throws was low and away but swung at. The first pitch actually in the zone is driven over Kemp's head.

Lets face it, this is tough spot for Miller to be in.

Again, I would not base my opinion on one appearance but the fact that he is falling into the same patterns that plagued him all last year is not good.

208 Some yahoo named God did it to him

I wonder if Miller even pitched in a major league spring training game last year.

According to Steve Phillips, Brian McCann and Jeff Francouer have it all figured out, but Matt Kemp and James Loney were rushed and don't have it figured it out yet.

What a nauseating speech by Phillips about how the Braves prospects arrive in the majors knowing how to play as opposed to guys like Loney & Kemp who "may never figure it out." John Kruk informs us that the Braves are the best team in the majors at "situational hitting" followed by the Twins.

212 There is no way that's his natural hair color.

214 i hate francouer. he's not very good (as people make him out to be)

Loney's shades look like something DeNiro wore in Brazil.

211 - I'm rooting for him, but as tough spots go ... what's tough about it, relative to other spots?

210
Did you turn white when you heard Kazmir needed an MRI and are you breathing easier now or still concerned?

219 Pitchers have fewer opportunities to show their stuff.

215 That was ignorance at it's finest.

217 Why do you hate him?

Hopefully Jon doesn't beat me to this question: How did Kuroda look when he was batting?

espn is down can i get an update of millers inning it froze at javy lopez walked.

222 i hate his game.

223
Suffice to say I don't think we will ever see a Kuroda bat flip.

217 Francouer doubled his walk total in 07 from 06. I respect that.

Ah, the traveling squad of NRIs are now showing why they are NRIs.

223 Worse than Mark Hendrickson.

This inning turned into a game of Wii Sports.

212 Sad but true, I saw him up close when I got his autograph last year. He's one of those scary pale guys with tons of freckles and albino-like hair

So at the next DT day, Marty and I will debate ToyCannon and an ally of his choosing on the mandatory helmet law. It will be "Firing Line" style in honor of the late William F. Buckley. Andrew will play the part of Jeff Greenfield.

213 I definitely saw him pitch in one spring training game last year, but again he didn't fare too well.

230 Well, now I feel like a giant jerk.

221 - Fewer than when? I mean, this is everyone-gets-to-play month.

He's not expected to make the team anyway. He's not out of options. So it's not like there's all this pressure, other than what he must put on himself. But that still doesn't make this a particularly tough spot.

230
And Logan White drafted him! Who was the last major leaguer who fit that profile? Where is the LAPD when you need them?

Javy Lopez broke my heart with a solo homerun in the first playoff game I ever saw.

:(

espn is up again nevermind.

234 Okay, poor choice of words, I meant that he has probably put a lot of pressure on himself.

236
I'm old enough that my heart was broken by Mike Torrez at the first postseason game I ever attended.

Mike Torrez!

Penny
Lowe
Billingsley
Kuroda
Kuo (when the 5th spot comes up)

Loaiza is only good for mop-up.

I can't help but blame this game on Bennett.

Loaiza will get DFA'd before the year is out.

231
I'm checking to see if Patrick Henry is available. If not my 2nd will be Steve McQueen.

238 - Ah, gotcha.

239 - Hey - me too!

My biggest memory of that day is still the pregame moment of silence for Bing Crosby. And Mike Torrez pitched. And Dusty Baker homered. In fact, those are my only memories of that day.

231 Can we do it "McGlaughlin Group" style and I can do my impression of Dana Carvey's impression of McGlaughlin.

This game will be ammunition for the "When I'm in the lineup, the Dodgers win" argument for Nomar. And Luis Gonzalez, for that matter.

close the books 0 ip, 5 er, 3 hits, 2 bb.

244
Linda Rondstadt sang the National Anthem before the game.

I think Manny Mota struck out looking to end the game.

(stops to check)

Mota was the next to last out. Lopes struck out looking to end the game.

248 Is this 1977 or 1978?

224
Jon says denounce, you say renounce.

249
I went to Game 3 of the 1977 WS. I went to Game 6 of the 1978 WS. I went to Game 4 of the 1981 WS.

I also went to Game 4 of the 1981 DS, Game 2 of the 1981 NLCS, Game 2 of the 1995 DS, and Game 1 of the 1996 DS.

The Dodgers are 2-5 in postseason play when I show up.

249 - What year is it? It's like I'm watching "Lost" again.

250 i don't get it

246
Not to brag but the latest quote by Nomar just made me gag.
http://tinyurl.com/2mvpov

251 I believe I went to Game 2 of the 1977 LCS, Game 1 of the 1981 LCS and Game 3 of the 2006 DS.

The Dodgers are 1-2 when I show up at the playoffs.

I have a better record at Angel playoff games.

Little airtime for Loney, he was interviewed about his work with inner-city baseball, baserunning, last year's young vs. old conflict & the Dodger's "new" emphasis on fundamentals. He said under Torre he's "learned a few things he never even thought about before".

Hmm.

251 - I've lost count of the losses. At best, I'm 1-6.

254 Isn't this counter to what one of the Andrews says was the problem last year.

And I am not necessarily disagreeing with you either.

250 - I think someone's been watching a presidential debate.

Hopefully all these crappy at-bats by Lucille II will help keep him off our opening day bench. Then again, Abreu will have to actually play first before we can consider that.

I went to game 5 of the 1988 WS. I am 1-0 when watching the Dodgers in postseason play. I will be more than happy to attend this year's games as a good-luck charm.

258
I made it simplistic but I know we weren't winning because Nomar was in the lineup and playing like crap.

1st playoff game for me was Lima time. 0-2 since then.

263 was at that game 4 also, after jayson werth's 1st inning HR the place was eletric i thought we were going back to st louis.

264
Which is why I've haven't been fond of OP since then.

Wear the helmets and quit complaining!

251 I am 0-3.

1995: 7-2 loss to the Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS
1996: 3-2 loss to the Braves in Game 2 of the NLDS
2006: 9-5 loss to the Mets in Game 3 of the NLDS.

My dad got us tickets to Game 6 of the '88 Series, but we all know how that turned out.

Griffin slides like a pitcher.

The slide at home was prettier, though not necessary.

The inevitable "Hu's on first' joke as X. Paul looks to continue the 9th inning rally.

Little bobble on grounder, but game over.

Prepare your December minor bowl game attendance. The Pac-10 has dropped the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth in favor of the San Diego Federal Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.

I'm 1-0. Game 3 of the 1965 series.

edwin jackson had a goot outing today 2 ip 1 hit 2 k's

bedard got touched up by the giants split squad

2 ip 4 hits, 3 er, 2 bb, 1 so

Hey Andrew. Bacon cups!

http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2008/02/27/bacon-cups/

275 That would go nicely with bacon wrapped hot dogs and ground-bacon bacon burgers.

How do you take something so pure, so... true as a bacon cup, and then fill it with salad? Deeply disappointing. The good thing about that post, though, is that it looks like you could use the same basic theory to make bacon buckets. I will report back after experimenting.

Final score?

278- 10-3 ATL.

Thanks. Ugh!

The only improvement I could envision is chicken-fried bacon cups.

Marty, I wish you owned a catering truck. I'd eat off it every day.

Hasn't been a Godwin's Law violation round these parts in some time. I guess we were due.

Am I the only one to see the irony in the fact that Marty loves his life shortening artery clogging bacon cups but those dang base coaches better be wearing helmets to protect themselves from the billion - 1 possibility of getting whacked upside the head with a baseball that has eluded them for 100 years? I'm fairly certain I'd get better odds on the helmetless coach then Marty's lifespan from an actuarial expert. I wonder how Marty would feel if he was told by the how to live your life police that he could no longer indulge in bacon because they had decided what was best for him?

No bacon for you!

The "What if there were a world with no bacon" argument is by far the best argument advanced today.

If my boss tells me that I have to wear a dopey looking hat or lose my job, I will wear the dopey hat.

The issue isn't personal freedom. It isn't civil liberties. It is MLB telling its employees to wear a helmet. The Republic will stand

Also, as someone who has been accused of being a Nazi sleeper agent (very long story), but we spell it Fuhrer (if I could type an umlaut) or Fuerher.

Danke.

Mixed signals on Kuo:

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

Bob, I would love to hear that story sometime. I can't believe where this discussion has gone today. We need some real games to start real soon.

288
It is one thing to accept a job knowing what the rules are. It is another to have the rules change once you've been working for 30 years. Isn't that why they came up with the term "grandfathered"? I guess the other gender was out of luck as usual.

Repko looks quite a bit more chubby this year than in the past to me.

I watched through the top of the 5th at lunch. LaRoche is hitting the ball hard and looks very comfortable out there. He made some nice plays at third too. Kuorda looks good, keeping the ball down. Loiza is being hit hard, his fast ball is up.

Now that I know how the rest of the game turns out, I think I will FFWD through the bottom of the 5th.

The good - Kuroda's sharp two innings of grounder-filled pitching
The bad - Loaiza's belt-high fest
The ugly - Miller's meltdown

Also, as someone who has been accused of being a Nazi sleeper agent

Look, I said I was sorry. Aren't you ever going to let it go?

291 - I guess the word "grandfathered" was grandfathered.

For the bacon sandwich, go here

http://dragonbreath.dk/Topics.html

285 ToyCannon looks like he never had a slice of bacon in his life so maybe he could live without it.

289 Joe wants 2 lefthanded guys in the pen, Kuo is out of options and if he can't be DLed, maybe he is trying to see if he can fit there. Kuo probably would be the 5th guy out of the pen so its not like he would have do it that often, maybe he would be the second lefty and emergency starter , long man.

295 Hmmm, could I ask you if you would let some comments go that I made and I would never utter them again?

290 Did you get your tickets?

288

Thank you. And when you say something like "greatly overexaggerated" again, I'll be sure to point it out next time.

Kevin's site reminds the that the first 45 rpm I ever bought, when I was 7 years old, with soda bottle money, had the hit song `Bacon Fat'
on it.

Not sure if my tastes have really grown much since then.

Hey everyone. Just a quick aside:

I've been debating with my friend for the last half hour: is Dolphins Stadium a hitters park or a pitchers park? Any ideas?

Dolphins Stadium has a multi-year park factor of 97 according to B-R. Which means it favors pitchers.

I don't see how Kuo could be out of the running for a starting spot, when Loaiza - putting today completely aside - is no guarantee of being a viable option. Unless he's grandfathered in ... :)

304 I don't think Kuo is out of the running but like D. Young, unless the Dodgers are planning to deal him or waive him, he has to make the 25-man roster somehow so relieving could be the way to do it.

303- i guess i have to agree every year except 1 or 2 their single season park factor was under 100

Anybody know why Dolphins Stadium bounced so high on the PF list, last year? Did they change the layout?

This is apropos of nothing except that I saw something today that is far more depressing than Greg Miller's outing, or even less funny. That is the coming attraction for the new Mike Myers movie, "The Love Guru."

So he thinks he's Peter Sellers now, does he?

I want that minute of my life back, now.

Kuo will be our closer by the end of the year.
Kuo Kleans Up will be seen time and time again.

307
I think all parks fluctuate for reasons no one can quite understand. That's why three-year averages became all the rage.

When Clay Davenport was calculating park factors for Japanese stadiums, he ended up with very different numbers for the Yomiuri Giants and the Nippon Ham Fighters, even though the two teams played in the same stadium.

308 I have see the online ad and let me just say that Myers is about ohhh, 40 years behind the times on that movie.

I wonder what the park factors are for the Clippes and Lakers?

do you think it's possible that neither abreu and hu don't make the club, and is instead replaced by young?

IF- Nomar, laroche, furcal, kent, loney, young
C- Martin, bennent
OF- kemp, jones, pierre, ethier, repko
p- penny, lowe, bills, kuroda, schmidt, loaiza, saito, brox, beimel, proctor, kuo, fill in the blank reliever.

312 No more Sam I Am, should the Clips have just traded him?

What percentage of the park factor is the park and what percentage of the park factor is the teams that play in the park?

315
You can read about it here:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/parkadjust.shtml

As they say on "Lost", "It's complicated."

315 i've always wondered that. if you have a rotation of santana, peavy, beckett, webb, sabathia pitch in coors '02 and a bunch of lucielle II types hit in coors '02 would that seem like a pitchers park?

313

That seems very possible to me

From Kevin Roderick:

"I'm told by a staffer that the positions of publisher and managing editor were eliminated today at the Long Beach Press-Telegram, along with the copy desk and most of the production jobs. Those functions will now be handled at the Daily Breeze, located in Torrance. Laid-off P-T production staffers were told they could apply for jobs at the Breeze. "

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

318 if that's the case does that mean when furcal doesn't play than (gulp) nomar will play ss?

by 2012 every high school should have "sabermetrics 101" it would've helped me more than any calculus class that i took

314
Depends on what they could have gotten. If it was only a 2nd round pick they are better getting the good will of buying him out and letting him play where he wants. He did good by them and deserved that.
If it was more then a 2nd round pick and they could have really helped the future of the team then they should have said Sorry Sam you be headed to Memphis and we will let you work out your buyout with them.

I am quite confident in our future at this point. We have a great lottery pick coming up. We have EB coming back. We have Shawn coming back. We have the top 5 rookie in the league. We have an emerging force in the middle. We aren't Laker bright, but we ain't Sun damaged either.

319
Evidently not a good time to be in the newspaper business.

313 Sure it's possible. Especially with Young showing he can play second base, and Abreu's health not 100% and both he and Hu still have options remaining. What it comes down to, is how many pitchers will they go with to start the year, 11 or 12? And if they go with an extra pitcher, it doesn't mean that won't change within a month anyway. Odds are that Hu starts the year in AAA, Abreu is probably 40-60 majors vs. minors (just a guess).

Well, here's a postscript to an earlier conversation here this week.

A free Wiggles DVD suddenly materialized for the taking. I grabbed it. The notion that it would make my son happy combined with the siren song of "free" was too much to resist.

I have no problem with Guo starting the season in the bullpen even if I feel that he is atleast as good an option as Loaiza in the starting rotation. I don't see pitching 150+ innings, so starting out in the pen is fine, as I'm sure we will need some filler in the starting rotation as the seaonon progresses and Guo (if healthy and pitching decent) will likely get the first summons.
vr, Xei

Some Greg Miller quotes:

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/archives/2008/02/more_trouble_fo.html

On that subject my friend who was undecided, decided he'd rather take his kid to the Wiggles concert instead of attending the game he's talked about all winter. I guess a 4 year olds smile is more important and that is probably a good thing.

316

Paul Tilley, a top ad agency executive, whose team is responsible for the McDonald's slogan, "I'm lovin' it", killed himself last week. He was only 40 years old. Apparently his wife also believes in the flippant use of the word "complicated".

"Life is complicated, and Paul was a complicated man." -Cristina Tilley

325. Probably the best DVD in your collection. :)
vr, Xei

326 - Sure, but what about this: Kuo starts the season in the rotation, then when Schmidt comes back or when a minor leaguer is ready, segues into the bullpen. Still protects his arm.

331. I'm more than fine with that, but I'd rather have him going from RP to SP than SP to RP. I'd take the latter as a demotion of sorts. But I'll take the as long as he's helping the team, glass half full approach. vr, Xei

36 - 11. getting hit by high-velocity oxygen molecules.

313 I would think that at least one of Abreu or Hu ought to make the club to avoid the SS problem you mentioned. I also would think that Young would primarily be an outfielder and not an infielder. I'd guess Repko would be the odd man out, to make room for a back-up SS. He has options, right?

334 True, Repko could be optioned instead. He does have another option. So it could be Abreu and Young, which would make me happy. Just as possible, and would make me less happy: Martinez and Young.

335 Of course there's still the super slim chance that Juan Pierre will be traded before opening day.

336

I will go light a candle

316. Can you draw me a picture?

338
No.

339. How about a picture puzzle?
vr, Xei

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Dylan Hernandez
L.A. Times

In a move that surprised baseball fans across the country, Dodger Thoughts blogger, and Los Angeles icon Jon Weisman shuttered his wildly popular website yesterday. "I don't know what happened, they all went crazy!" Weisman, visibly shaken, shook his head, shakily, "I never thought it would happen to us. I thought we had a really good thing going"

Bill Plaschke, an expert on bloggers and the internet said, "See?!

"I told you those people were nuts!

"Must not be enough fresh air, down in their mother's basements!" I tried asking him to clarify, but he was laughing too hard at the last line to continue.

Weisman announced that he'd decided to take up blogging about pictures of cats. "I don't want to give up on the medium; I just hope the cat people have a better handle on their psychoses."

I had the impression things didn't go well with Kuroda but looking at the box score & catching up he did pretty good, Miller on the other hand was horrible.

"In retrospect, I wish we would have given him additional days off," said Conte.

http://tinyurl.com/24bfzl

Same story:

... third-base candidate Andy LaRoche had an RBI double and was cited by Torre for seeming "very comfortable."

Had much work at work today. Had to get it done. Did not follow game.

Just looked up box score. Saw Miller's line.

Humma unhappy for Miller. Humma had nothing invested in this game as a game but hoped to see Miller do well. Humma trying to remember that These Things Happen.

Humma trying to waste last 90 minutes of day before going home to loving Bride and Spawn.

Humma skimming comments and wonders if the Joys of Chicken Fried Bacon have been discussed here.

The problem of Chicken Fried Bacon: needs more salt!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfbTO0GlONU

Humma sure likes talking in the third person doesn't he?

346 - that's not a steak, that's a core sample.

Humma likes Elaine

Here's an article that shows that the Dodgers' clubhouse was probably not that different than the rest of baseball.

Whether or not that is a good thing, that's another question.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spmets0229,0,3149350.story

East Coast Bias

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/Blue_days_ahead.html

351 24 linked to that too. Kind of a sloppy article, given that it touches on changes and pitching without mentioning any Japanese names. Also this:

When he inquired over the winter about Johan Santana, Torre was told, essentially, forget about it. Presumably, he'll hear the same response next off-season when C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira are available as free agents.

Not comparable. Santana's cost was both good players AND money. Next off-season Sabathia costs only money, if he's needed.

Sabathia would still cost one player. But it's a much more agreeable price than Santana.

353 Right, but LA gets four back when other teams sign Furcal and Nomar. Actually, if Nomar goes FA, will the Dodgers offer arbitration to him? "Outlook cloudy, try again later."

354 Oh, and two more for Lowe.

LARRY BOWA IS THE MAN.

....as you were.

In general, I would take the draft picks.
Specifically, I would take the draft picks in each of those cases. While I like Furcal, Hu is a talented SS, and I believe his minor league average is .299. Throw in no salary and 2 draft picks, and how does it hurt to have this kind of organization developed player?

It's a slow day and I'm not feeling well...

Do people here remember when the Dodgers brought up a player named Eddie Pye up from the minors to spell Jose "The Human Error" Offerman at shortstop for some games? I wonder what happened to Eddie Pye? I need to sleep.

Million dollar pitcher talk:

Loiaza was "flat"--Loiaza has been flat since "2004"

Did Jason Schmidt have a "Setback" or was he "set back". No, he's been steady. He couldn't pitch last year and he is heading for the same this year.

358 -

http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/pyeed01.shtml

Two years in the bigs, both cups of coffee, 18 AB total. If his B-Ref minor league stats are correct, he must have been fairly good as he never played below AAA.

351 - God, what a horrible picture of Torre. It looks like he's a chicken, or he has breasts, or both.

C.C Sebathia's peek years are NOW (my humble opinion) so I say ink him for 3 years (Neds go to move) and Ned will be a champ, in my eyes anyways....

Not that it matters...but I got home tonight, turned on the tv and saw for myself the helmets that the coaches have to wear. The helmets are fine. There should be no issue. Bowa remains a doofis.

I'd thought the helmets were the full-on double ear batting helmets, and didn't see the point in burdening a bunch of old men with them in the summer heat.

My bad, I feel slightly stupid. I'm hereby defecting to the Authority-Please-Protect-Me-from-Myself camp.

I can still remember my Freshman English teacher staring at me in horror after a rant of mine and declaring what is your problem. I stammered something about opinions and freedoms. He gave me an F. Squelcher.

If I was coaching out there(and I did in the sandlots as they called them and never thought about wearing a helmet, probably because only the little league batters wore them at the time)and I was told I had to wear one, or else, I wouldn't argue but I feel that I agree with Bowa, that they should be "grandfathered" in. It should be mandatory in the lower minor leagues first and those who must wear them must wear them for their entire professional careers as coaches, including their time in the major leagues but it should be up to the disgression of the present day major league coaches whether they wish to wear one or not. They should be at their own risk, so to speak.

That's pretty cool/funny I'm surfing threw KROQ Dot Com & they have the 1986 Dodgers "baseball boogie" on there, I wonder if they read "SonsOfSteveGarvey" or what...

365 Bowa's reputation precedes him and is well earned. We have also been warned regarding his behavior by some visitors from Bronx Banter.
Is Bowa the new Don Zimmer in some respects (sans plate in skull)?
Things will not be allowed to get dull in the Dodger's clubhouse with this guy around.

365

I have to tell you that in reality the Grandfather clause just wouldn't work.

I've had to deal with a lot of PPE (personal protective equipment) issues at my job, and when it comes to PPE you simply cannot have two sets of rules for the same job risks.

First, it undermines the very safety principle at issue.

Second, though there may be a logical basis for a double standard, employees just don't accept some guys "getting away" with something, while they can't.

In other words it REALLY rubs guys the wrong way, the complaints never end, and it just becomes an unnesessary distraction...like my spelling.

I guess the word "grandfathered" was grandfathered.

:)

The LA Times site is broken, giving 404 errors on pages past the front page (I checked Sports and World news). That's not supposed to happen.

I know most of you aren't Rams fans anymore, but Isaac Bruce playing for the 49ers next year is just plain wrong.

370 They are doing an Oracle upgrade. I'm not that confident.

368 I think if it worked in the NHL, where playing without a helmet seems like a much worse idea, it can work for base coaches.

What is this garbage?

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2008/03/inge_to_dodgers_tigers_talk_tr.html

just got through security at ontario airport, easier than expected. I should be wheels up at 11:25. I have already run into 2 others on their way to Vero. I should be in Port St. Luice with plenty of time to spare. Hopefully I can get some sleep, but I am not a good moving vehicle sleeper.

I know someone going to Vero, who may be flying out of Ontario right now. His name is Steve.

374 Somebody is lying there.

Bill James is going to be featured on some show called 60 Minutes (SFW).
http://tinyurl.com/2o34w6
vr, Xei

373

As for management vis a vi safety, the NHL is an illegitimate netherworld.

But yeah, probably no sense in me comparing blue collars to millionaires, or factory life to baseball.

It's funny, I love spring training because it means it's time for baseball again, but I also hate it because the games start at 10 am, and I have (apparently) become something of a grown up that actually has to be at work at 10 am.

In the meantime, I'm thinking of make a trip to Arizona at the end of spring training... since I'm not going to get to visit Dodgertown, I figure welcoming the Dodgers to the Cactus League is a decent way to break in my 30s.

Finally, I'm not going to say anything about the helmet rule other than to say I think it's lame/unwarranted, and to say more would probably be getting too much into the politics of it.

Forget the helmet stuff. Torre and Bowa said to want Inge.

http://tinyurl.com/2uhpp4

381 I sure hope there is nothing to that story.

Inge--How basically bad do you have to be to get lucky one year and hit 27 HR and still have an OPS+ under 100 (although a good bit higher than your usual OPS+).

The Dodgers could use another left handed bat in the lineup even with Ethier starting in left field. Maybe that lefty bat will become Young's bat if he is the one that winds up playing the utility role. Adding Inge is good as far as obtaining another player that can catch in emergencies but other than that he is redundant.

Speaking of Inge, if the Dodgers want to make a trade for a third baseman, I still like Ian Stewart, CO. Rockies.

374, 381 I refuse to acknowledge that that is even a possibility. It just can't be true.

I think I am going to get today's game on the radio (WFAN) out of NY. I can count on getting a bit more out of the announcers than ESPN's. Yesterday they rarely bothered to mention who was pitching and hitting when the Braves were up, and were even worse with the D's.

I might--might--consider Inge in a pinch if it involved a swap of bloated contacts (ie, Juan Popuppe) and letting him back-up Russ, but I assume that Detroit would want to replenish their farm system instead.

Unbelievable. Another multi-million dollar past-his-prime player.

JUST WHAT WE NEED.

Inge actually is a good player because of his defense, but I really doubt there was anything to that. Heck

"The Los Angeles Dodgers have contacted the Tigers about Inge, and while talks do not seem to have progressed far..."

seems to tell me that if anything it was a very fleeting interest.

how are his catching skills? Seems he'd be a nice upgrade as a backup C.

Is anyone having a slow down accessing Dodger Thoughts with IE 7? Firefox seems to working fine though.

ToyCannon continues his rant against helmets at TrueBlueLA.

390 seems to tell me that if anything it was a very fleeting interest

Something like:

Colletti: We'll give you 5 bucks for him.

Dombrowski: $10

Colletti: ...

Dombrowski: $6.50

Colletti: bye

Dombrowski: bye

I bet the offer was Juan for Brandon.

And somehow these little nothing phone calls end up in the papers.

Delwyn Young is playing 2b in today's game. As with Betemit, Torre is showing flexibility with his players' positioning.

393
I'd like to consider it a tribute to the great minds here at DT. I hope Bob and Marty don't take offense.

I made it! I am at the game sitting first row on th net just to the right of where russel will soon squat.

biggest crowd reaction has been for the little girl who sang the anthem. a close second was randolph and torre hugging.

p.s. donnie baseball is in the dugout.

It's not often in one week when America's foremost authority on William Frawley blows off an interview request and ToyCannon makes you the subject of a piece on TrueBlueLA.

399 Live-blog for us, please! [my first time using that verb]

Pierre is leading off, playing LF. He popped out to CF.

Top of the first, facing Jon Niese:

Pierre pops out.

Delwyn Young (playing 2B) strikes out looking at a ball that was low and outside. He's talented.

Martin walks on four pitches.

Ethier (RF) grounds out to first.

Yay, I get to watch it on MLBTV. Boo, I have to watch it via the Mets' broadcast.

In the first, Russell Martin drew a 4 pitch walk. But no one else did anything. Ethier grounded out.

Oops, sorry, Andrew is live blogging it.

Indeed, Slappy McPopup lived up to his nickname.

Ethier has hit a lot of bouncers to the right side so far this spring. I'm probably over thinking this, but I imagine Pierre's pop out to short CF will stick in Torre's head a lot less than Ethier's bounce-outs.

405 But he's live-blogging it wrong. Ethier grounded to 2B.

Penny got to keep his beard. It does look as though it's been fussily trimmed, so maybe that was a trade-off Beimel wasn't willing to make. Or maybe Tore's playing facial hair favorites.

Jose Reyes had a "Ooooh, why you throwing the filthy breaking stuff on March 1st, man!" look on his face as he sort of laughed after not checking his swing in time. Penny looks good so far.

407- Damn your hide! I was multi-tasking (losing an eBay auction), and only saw it out of the corner of my eye. I figured nobody else could correct me if I was wrong.

2nd baseman Delwyn Young made a nice diving grab to rob Marlon of a hit! Go Delwyn.

Is this on TV or something?

And Young makes a nice stop (easier play but he looked good) on the 3rd out, groundball from Wright. Nice.

It's on tv in New York, and on MLB.tv everywhere else.

MLBTV, Fanerhombre. Via the Mets' broadcast. New Microsoft player for MLBTV is a vast improvement over the old one, btw.

Young is looking good at 2B today.

Okay, one more inning from me and then off to soak in some sunshine for once. I can skip the part of the game where Hiram Schlabotnick comes in to pitch and so on.

Penny's curve looks good. And D. Young makes 2 nice diving gobbles in the inning (can't tell if he got good first steps or not).

Jones strikes out on 5 pitches. Ah well. The last pitch was a very nice breaking pitch. Nomar's up, and - whoa! First ball swinging! Fouls it off. He grounds out on a 3-2 pitch.

Ohhh. Maybe I should look into mlb.tv this year.

Andruw bringing back Mondesi memories by striking out swinging on a pitch low & away.

Nomar first pitch swinging, of course.

Some of you are obviously not reading my expert liveblogging of the inning! Shame! ;-)

Good Lord--Bonus!! I'm gettin it out of NY on TV on a bogus basic cable feed.

Wow, Penny is not the only one with good break early in March..Sweeney strike 3 called.

414 And if you turned it on early enough, you got to watch American Idol reruns!

the pitcher for the mets doesn't look to have a lot, just a bunch of over eagerness and then both drew and sweeney going down on close breaking stuff

Hey, why are the DH'ing? Is it the kind of thing that teams agree to sometimes in Spring?

Penny has hit 92 so far.

425- But no singing. It was on for ten minutes and nobody sang anything. I'm not sure I understand that show.

Penny struck out Alou. Church flied out to left. Pagan lines a single to center.

Yep, I think the DH thing is something they do if both teams agree to it, even if both are NL.

Two NL teams can agree ahead of time to use the DH in spring training games.

They do this a lot in the early games. Although in past years, some times when playing the Giants, wouldn't use the DH because they didn't want Bonds to get extra spring training ABs.

Penny's hitting the mid-90s. Pagan stole second, Martin's throw just a little high and late, barely. But then Gotay walks.

Chan Ho warming up. And the camera loves the 5'11" Pedro Martinez (6'3" w/afro).

Castro strikes out, inning over. His strikes to balls ratio was pretty good in this outing overall.

To be fair, this doesn't seem all that much more grotesque to me than contact lenses. But most people aren't as horrified by them as I am.

http://tinyurl.com/ywohfe (no profanity, nudity, sexual content, or any other of the sorts of things that usually make things NSFW, but it's pretty disturbing; high octane nightmare fuel disturbing, so, be advised)

433 Yes, but also some hints he will torment us with high pitch counts again this year.

LaRoche lines one quite hard but right at the second baseman.

Penny's pitch count was too high, for two innings, yep. It's also March 1st. :-)

Hu strikes out, sigh.

And the Mets announcers can't resist making an Abbot and Costello reference, even though Hu doesn't get to first. SIGH. Just as the ESPN announcers yesterday couldn't resist.

And Pierre drops down a really nice bunt, but Wright makes an excellent play to run it down and throw him out.

Delwyn Young has become a god.

not sure how much I had to do with that bunt attempt, but Pierre was about 10 feet away from me in the batters circle and I tell him to lay down a bunt. he looks at me and gives me a little nod.

what do you guys want young to do next inning I'll see if torre we keep letting me call the plays.

Wow! Young looking really good at 2B.

Seems like I turned away for a minute and our half inning was gone.

Of course we wouldn't play a regular season game sans Loney,Kemp and Kent and expect much offense.

Allright Delwym!!

There's something kind of cool about seeing Chan Ho back in a Dodgers uniform, even if it's likely only a fleeting glimpse.

Wow, Delwyn Young just made ANOTHER great diving stop, the best one so far, with his backhand, to throw out Manriquez. (Sweeney made a nice pick of the throw in the dirt.)

He can't be worse than Kent defensively.

439 How about a home run from Delwyn, to seal his great day.

443 He clearly has about 20 feet more range than Kent, I'll say that.

439- Have Torre send Pierre down to that gas station in Vero. In the middle of the night. Tell him to bring Gary Bennett for muscle.

Dodger-Met ST games are a lot more mellow when Piazza & Mota aren't around.

444 consider it done.

I just think the guy would have to be a completely hopeless butcher for me to not want a switch-hitting power bat there over an out machine like Abreu.

Park walks Reyes, and then wild pitches him to 2nd.

did I make it on tv? that wild pitch was right in front of me.

So is next week when the minor leaguers show up and we'll see more of 'em in these games? Right now it's all 40 man roster + NRI guys.

Hah. Bloo, which one are you?

451- Yes! Congratulations.

I mean, I have no idea what you look like, but I'm willing to assume one of those people was you.

454

How many of them were on cell phones waving to the camera?

Fearing the long ball, the Mets HBP Delwyn.

455- Haven't seen any yet. But I'm barely paying attention. Questions that require any level of awareness should be directed to Pellam.

I can tell you that CW11's sideline reporter has a big ugly watch.

Damn, I know it's the Mets broadcast, but could they do the long boring interviews sort of around the game.

Martin fights for a seeing eye single, now two runners on after Young's HBP.

Darnit, Andre! Don't strike out. (Feliciano's a tough lefty to have to face so early in Spring.)

I took a catnap during that interview of Neice.

Merlin and Church colided on a blooper behind first. Bad, bad news. Merlin's a big dude.

Oh man, Church and Anderson collide in the outfield on a pop fly, it drops in safely as they both go down. Not good. Elbow into the ribcage, hope its just the wind knocked out of him.

Collisions are the most horrible event in the game, I think. Someone really got hurt.

Oh man, Church and Anderson collide in the outfield on a pop fly, it drops in safely as they both go down. Not good. Elbow into the ribcage, hope its just the wind knocked out of him.

Was that our Marlin Anderson?

466- Used to be.

Marlon Anderson is a citizen of the world.

Like someone commented yesterday, one watches Spring Training mostly hoping no one gets hurt.

One late call & crash is all it takes for Brady to be your starting right fielder.

oops, sorry, server gave me an error so I didn't think it went through. Bases loaded, two out, for Sweeney.

Sweeney had some good opposite field flares in that at bat, but all foul, and then the last one fair right into the LF's glover. The violent inning is over.

I am first row, blue dodger jersey(the only one I see close), backwards blue hat, and sun glasses. I have a camera which I have been using a lot also. I am between the plate and the batters circle, firstbase side.

I should have brought my rainbow wig and 3:16 sign.

Nice gesture by Valentin there.

Ethier guns down Angel Pagan trying to stretch a single into a double.

Chan Ho actually looked pretty good that inning. I looked like most of his pitches went right where he wanted them.

It looked. Doh

me and everyone else in the stands thought pagan was safe. I am guessing he missed the bag.

Wow, you guys are freaky into baseball.

LaRoche and Hu strike out, Pierre feebly grounds out. And I'm outta here.

478 I'm getting awful tired of your anti-baseball agenda.

Slappy out.

Damn, when the Dodgers are batting the announcers are wandering around the back lot and looking for interviews.

Wow. Kuo picks off a liner with aplumb close to his HR bat toss.

452 So is next week when the minor leaguers show up and we'll see more of 'em in these games?

Minor League Report: Xavier Paul

>> The bulk of the Dodgers' Minor League pitchers and catchers report Saturday, position players on Wednesday, with games beginning March 10. <<

http://tinyurl.com/yor3ks

Nice play by LaRoche!

Fatty just made a web gem. Diving stop, strong throw.

Nice play Andy-on Reyes yet!

Delwyn Young nearly makes an impressive running catch in foul territory, and La Roche makes an awesome diving play to throw out Reyes.

I guess Frip scared everyone off.

484 Whereabouts in Ohio?

Wow. These kids are awesome on defense.

I sure wish Kuo's arm would hold up. I've got a feeling he's a starter.

488 - Dayton area.

491 I'm in Columbus. Will you be going to either of the April games in Cincinnati?

Oh. LaRoche just got picked off (he made a go of it, getting in a run down). At least Gurnick will have something to write about.

Orenduff needed that break--will it be enough to find some command.

Girardi, Torre on opposite coasts but still connected

http://tinyurl.com/yreyk8

Uh oh. John Wooden hospitalized after falling at his home. They are saying he's resting comfortably, but anytime a 97-year-old falls you have to be concerned.

496
Marty, you would have known about this sooner I suppose if the LA Times website had been working correctly.

Last time, I checked all the articles in the Opinion section came back with the letter "X" in blue.

492 - I just bought tickets today for June 17th in Cincy. Looks like the Blue is coming to Ohio twice this season.

I didn't see anything on the Griddle, so I assumed it was breaking news.

Tribune Interactive is doing an Oracle upgrade. That can be rough sometimes. Luckily, that's not my area.

tha game is on TV?

499
It's a little-reported fact that the "friend" a drunken Scott Spiezio attacked was John Wooden.

How do you go to a Ruth's Chris, have dinner and 6 martinis, then go to ANOTHER restaurant to eat?

Meloan on the mound.

500- 414

Great play--even if he was safe.

Hu threw out Gotay from the grass. Sort of--looks like he may have beaten the throw. But that it was even close was quite a thing.

I'm watching in NYC. Hu just made a fantastic play. Diving stop to his right, threw Gotay out from deep in the hole while falling backward.

Hu is a stud.

The Mets' announcers are in mid-season form with their homerism.

What they say about pitchers being ahead at this point seems to be true. Now that most of the regulars are out it could get worse.

Damn, Lindseys got no luck.

Who wants to bet Brady Clark gets a base hit right here?

Errr, I meant "gets hit."

Ugh.

I knew releasing Brady Clark would come back to haunt us. I just knew it! Asadorian HBPs in the winning run.

Are pitching looked excellent against some first stringers like Wright and Reyes today.
Kuo was reason for hope.

http://tinyurl.com/yq3twc

Tommy and Sandy were the biggest rockstars of the day. both got security escorts out

I am leaving with the ball that hit clark to win/lose it. nice little keepsake.

our ,darn it.

Kent calls for 'airtight drug policy'

>> "I don't want to get involved in that mess," Kent said when asked about his former teammates. <<

http://tinyurl.com/2k8pd3

Gus Johnson is vintage Gus Johnson on CBS.

is no one else watching Johns Hopkins/ Princeton lacrosse on ESPNU? Because it's an absolute Hopkins beat down. One team of rich white kids is killing the other team of rich white kids.

Just read that LA is interested in trading for Brandon Inge om mlbtraderumors.com.
Jon-please tell me this is just a foolish rumor.
Read on Tony Jackson's blog that Torre was quoted as saying that Dodger hitters need to be more selective at the plate.

Selective?
Laroche-YES
Nomah-Nyet

Have a new favorite player now. Andy signed about 100 autographs after the game; including my HBP keepsake. How many did Nomar sign? Goose egg.

So what is JP's pop-up/AB percentage now? Surely higher than his OBP.

520 Rob Neyer has weighed in:

If you're a Dodgers fan this should be your worst nightmare... The Dodgers already have two third basemen. One of them (Garciaparra) can't really play and apparently the other one (LaRoche) is handicapped by his new manager's unfamiliarity. What to do then? Of course: Trade for an American Leaguer who the manager is familiar with. Oh, and maybe pay him $6.2 million. That's this year. Inge also earns $6.3 million next year, and $6.6 million the year after that."

523-totally agree....I am beginning to wonder what the heck Ned and Joe see in Laroche that the rest of the world doesn't, because the rest of the world sees a very good hitter with power and average fielding 3bman.
Let's hope it's just another ridiculous rumor.

Here's a remote possibility I could live with... Tigers pay us $12M of the $19M owed. Bennett waived. Inge is the backup catcher.

525-never thought of that....love the idea.

Inge plus twelve million for what? I'd be as happy to see Gary Bennett cut as anybody, but it doesn't seem like the sort of thing that should cost any useful players. Colletti can cut Bennett right now. There was never any point signing him, it's not like there needs to be some clever strategy for getting out from under him.

I know it's enemy territory and all that, but you'll all want to go over to Bronx Banter today and read Alex Beith's "Professionals". And there's a reference to Jon there, at the end.

and why pay a backup catcher $19mm for 3 yrs....that won't happen. If they deal for him, it's to play him at 3b everyday because Larry Bowa and Joe Torre love him, yet they have a better 3bman right under their noses.

Jones finding it's not a Brave new world

>> The 30-year-old entered camp at 240 pounds but said he isn't concerned about his weight because he usually sheds some pounds throughout the season and he's lost 8-10 pounds during past spring trainings. <<

## Right-handed pitcher Jason Schmidt, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, took a third straight day off from throwing after feeling fatigue in his throwing arm following Tuesday's bullpen session.

"I probably overdid a couple bullpen sessions, but it's not anything we're overly concerned about," Schmidt said. ##

http://tinyurl.com/2cwrvv

Again, isn't it possible that this is being put out by the Tigers, Leyland already told Inge two things he wasn't too thrilled with hearing, one, bring your catching mitt to spring training and two, at best, he was going to be some sort of super utility player for them.

So, Inge's agent looks around, see's that the Dodgers have a couple of AL folks running the squad and don't have an incumbent 3B so they start tossing his name out there.

I just think this is one of those things you hear that in the end don't amount to anything.

528 And not just any Jon reference -- a reverential reverence! And spot on. I'm always impressed by the quantity of the quality here. DT is one of those accomplishments that leaves me wondering where people find the time to do such good work.

532 Er, "reverential reference."

Perhaps it was a referential reference. Or even a deferential deference.

531 Except you never Theo Epstein kicking the tires on Feliz or Inge.

Inge is something that no one could take seriously. I'm almost sure that it as improbable as in 531. People can't be as blind to the strategies that small market teams use often quite successfully to build teams. We seem to have reached the stage where we don't give away our talent. Now we need to play it. McCourt may actually be behind some of this enlightenment. He has the most at stake in winning, and I'm sure he hears some little birdies saying his player development side could actually do it.

It apparently needs repeating over and over.
We have average or better talent in the org. at virtually every position. The only reason to go outside is to obtain a Superstar. Plain enough?

I'd like to be able to show up at work in shorts and sandals, but I don't get to. Because I don't get to make the rules. My bosses do.

Grow up, Bowa.

523-526 Inge straight up for Pierre.
That is the only thing that makes sense.

for those of us who missed the game, SNY will be showing a re-peat....

A columnist for Oregon State's school paper says the school should hire either Steve Lavin or Quin Snyder to be the next basketball coach.

523-526 Inge straight up for Pierre.
That is the only thing that makes sense.

Sorry for the over emphasis.

I guess Texas Tech gets a pass today but I'll let Bob be the judge.

537 Thinking about going to see UCLA host Cal State Fullerton (baseball) on Wed. night, let me know if you are interested in a freebie.

540
Would anyone even care if Quinn cheated at Oregon State?

Perhaps the Texas Tech fans were relieved that:
1) the game was finally over
2) the home team didn't blow a double digit lead in the final two minutes

Eventually they will realize that they are still living in Lubbock.

Hi.

My two cents: I'm a teacher. Lord, how I'd love to come to school in Levi's and no tie. But the school I teach at has a dress code for kids and students. For the male teachers, it says tie and slacks. I could go against that if I wish but I'm starting to like teaching and I always liked getting paid, so...

The immortal Greg Brock is also a teacher. If he hasn't already done so, he'd probably say the same thing. Wear the helmet, Larry.

537 I go to work in shorts and sandals every day. I can some funny looks during the winter.

My sandals have nasty holes in them.

546 Wow. Apparently the school I teach at is much cooler.

548
I've always viewed you as the epitome of cool.

I always thought Dr. Johnny Fever was the epitome of cool.

Dr. Johnny Fever lived in Ohio.

Just like gpellamjr.

QED.

I'm stunned that ASU is up by 17 over USC.

550, 551 Gentlemen, gentlemen. There's no reason to compare me with Dr. Johnny Fever. Doc is the coolest guy in Cincinnati. I am the coolest guy in Columbus. This can all be reconciled.

The fans are ready: :-)

Dodgers fans embrace Ticket Day

>> "I got my Coliseum tickets, my Opening Day tickets, I got my Viva Los Dodgers, my mini-helmet game, my build-a-bear, I got all my bobbleheads and a fleece blanket game. <<

http://tinyurl.com/2q8y5t

Tim Floyd always looks like a traveling salesman at the end of a six-day road trip.

555
Whoever heard of a Hastings refrigerator?

I decided against a Willy Loman reference. I thought it would seem mean.

557
That's why you're just liked, but not well liked.

528 "Enemy territory"? We don't have anything against you guys per se, in fact we admire DT and obviously Jon. We just like our team much better. If nothing else, we showed you what to expect from your new manager >;)

Pac-10 standings:
UCLA 13-2, 25-3
Stan 13-3, 24-4
WSU 10-7, 22-7
USC 9-7, 18-10
ASU 8-8, 18-10
___ 7-8, 17-11
Wash 7-10, 16-14
Ore 6-9, 15-12
Cal 6-10, 15-12
OSU 0-15, 6-21

Tomorrow:
UCLA at ____ and the Civil War version #329

Watching the "encore" on SNY I really feel Park was robbed of a few strikes by the home plate blue.

I enrolled in the "drawing" for opening day tickets and I didn't think opening day tickets went on sale today. Did they, in fact go on sale today?

You'll find out on March 14 if you won the drawing.

Congratulations to Cornell for being the first team in the NCAA basketball tournament!

I'm kind of in a bind right now. i had someone drop out of a keeper league at the last minute and need to get a replacement. You would need to be able to draft at 10 in the morning tomorrow Pacific Time, it's a 6 X 6 league (adding OPS and Holds) and you'd be inheriting this team.

Eric Bedard
Derek Jeter
Yovani Gallardo
Jarrod Saltalamachia
Cameron Maybin
Andy LaRoche
Clay Buchholz
Felix Pie

This team is, quite frankly, terrible, but we need someone that can step in and be knowledgeable. Send me an E-Mail to andrew at dodgermath dot com if you're interested.

I really was about to give up on Stanford in the first half today. But WSU scored two points in the final 6:50.

566 Will you be at the game on Thursday?

UCLA playing at the Compton RBI Academy is on ESPN2 right now.

http://tinyurl.com/2p6puf

Sorry if mentioned above -- ctrl-F didn't pick it up and wanted to get this up for anyone intrested before reading 300 comments to catch up.

567 - Babysitter willing.

568 - You're my boy!

Now that Young has established himself as heir apparant to second base, maybe the Dodgers can package Abreu and Peirre. Reds need a CF and Cubs want a leadoff hitter.

570 Aren't Bruce and Freel CF? And isn't Bruce expected to be better than Pierre this year?

The way Young played today, he impressed me a lot more than Abreu has in the past.

Gotta say, this Bruin game is really good. 0-0 going into the seventh.

Eric Davis coming in for an interview now.

571 Yes. The Reds have at least three, four if you count Griffey, centerfielders better than Pierre. Bruce was better than Pierre when he was in high school.

The UCLA player hit a nice rope for a home run.

NPUT

you know, watching the Dodger game K/Guo & Park looked pretty darn good, I really hope they give those 2 guys a really hard look I also hope they beat out Loaiza for the 5th starter job. Hu is another one who made a nice play today from deep in the SS whole.