are the cages, and guns just for kids?? what about kids at heart?

also, who had a more productive season (only offensively) between brandon phillips and jeff kent?

The woman in the documentary got an MBA and JD simultaneously? That's hard to do since the schools have different calendars.

Or was it pre-law and business BAs?

1 You need really high self esteem to try out the gun as an adult, because some eight year old will probably beat you, and you'll throw out your arm in the process.

Kent, by a wide measure.

Why do just the women get high end restrooms? Can't I urinate into an ivory toilet?

I hope they also have plenty of food booths available. It's been a while since I went to anything at the Colliseum, we are talking Rams vs Tampa Bay (0-14 season) long. If you get there early enough is there a parking lot, or is it pretty much find a city lot or someone's front lawn to park on? Also, which color should I avoid wearing if I have to park in the hood somewhere?

Can we get a raise of hands of all planning to attend the game. [Raises hand].
vr, Xei

Any good public transportation tips (from the Westside)?

A dismal reminder before the season starts -- a Dodger Stadium bag of peanuts contains 144 grams of fat, 2,040 calories, and 2,520 milligrams of sodium. Now I'm depressed, and refuse to read about hot dogs.

At the Coliseum, you park wherever you can at whatever the market will bear. I wouldn't worry about street gangs. They don't have 100,000 members.

3 8 year old? i would hope not, 13 year old probably. mainly would like to use it with my buddies for bragging rights.

From the Westside, you can find an MTA Rapid bus and that can get you Downtown or to Vermont and then you can transfer. I believe you can go on Wilshire for most of the trip.

Go to www.metro.net for schedules.

7 the 2 hot dogs are way better for you than 1 bag of peanuts.

if you have the peanuts, just think of all the protein you'll be consuming

2 - Graduate degrees. Why would the different calendars prevent that, as long as the class times don't conflict?

Just don't follow coachjpark after he pitches. He can crack 80 mph on the gun.

I can reach 40!

Where is the nutrition info on Dodgers Stadium food?

12 - I would think the semester/quarter finals schedule would be a pain to deal with.

14 - The default setting on ballpark food is "unhealthy."

Ethier is playing center field today. I wonder if it means anything?

I was LAT'd by 22 minutes in the last thread!...

Since this is the year of the "20th anniversary of [key moment in 1988]", we should have various dates to celebrate throughout the season.

We already missed the 20th anniversary of the eye black incident. That was March 3.

Other key moments and dates (I'm sure I forgot some):

June 1: Drafted Tommy Lasorda's godson in the 62nd round of the MLB draft
June 6: Signed Raul Mondesi as an amateur free agent
June 18: Signed Pedro Martinez as an amateur free agent
July 6: Franklin Stubbs grand slam off Todd Worrell
July 14-17: 5-game sweep in Wrigley
August 9: Don Sutton starts his final game, at Riverfront Stadium
August 13: Pinch-hitter Tim Leary singles with the bases loaded to beat the hated Giants
August 16: Pedro for Tudor (T4P?)
August 20: "The ball gets by Santovenia..."
August 30: Hershiser beats Montreal, gives up his final run of the regular season in the 5th inning when Dave Martinez drives in Tim Raines
September 16: Rookie Tim Belcher fires a 3-hitter, loses
September 26: Dodgers clinch in San Diego, in a game started by Fernando (his first game since July)
September 28: Hershiser goes 10 scoreless to pass Big D

17 i doubt it

17. it means Juan Pierre is our starting LFer.
vr, Xei

17 It means that Pierre is going to play LF until the cows come home.

16 And that you get a week's worth of sodium at one game.

I have thrown so many more baseballs and footballs when I was younger that the neurons in my brain still connect with my youth causing me to expect my throws to go farther and faster than they do. Not sure I want to make new neuron connections for how I throw today and therefore shall pass on the gun.

I thought about the Dodger Stadium shuttle to the Coliseum. I can see it working well for getting to the game, but when the game lets out it would probably be a mess fighting the crowd to get on a shuttle taking you back. I don't trust the Dodgers that they will have enough shuttles deployed after the game to get people back to Dodger Stadium. Maybe Andruw Jones would let me borrow his bike.
vr, Xei

17 It doesn't mean anything. If for some reason we decided to bench Andruw out of all our OFers, Pierre would be playing CF (or even Kemp) before Ethier.

Cows do come home every evening. And, go back out in the morning.

Kemp and Jones are resting from their return trip from China.

If anything, it says Pierre is no longer a CF for the Dodgers.

I'll dance with the cows until Juan Pierre comes home.

Justice beckons!

27 Or, more pessimistically, that Ethier is no longer a LF for the Dodgers. I'm not really reading anything into it. It's a getaway game in spring training.

We get to face Lurch today! Announcer is speculating that he will be FLA's Opening Day starter.

Well, Juan Pierre had been a centerfielder since Hector was a pup, so at least we have that going for us.

Historical trivia on --
"After his hot dogs were a success at the New York Polo Grounds, concessions owner Harry Stevens became the first to employ a roaming peanut vendor, in 1895. The vendor bought ads for his services with product, not cash, which led to the term 'working for peanuts.'"
-- Historical trivia off.

Courtesy Los Angeles magazine, Sept 07

This article also had a blurb on Dodger Stadium peanut nutrition.

30 - Florida's 3 highest paid players this year are Kevin Gregg ($2.5M), Luis Gonzalez ($2M), and Lurch ($1.5M). What a club!

"Going back is Ethier, and he makes the catch.

Uh, wait, no, he did not make the catch. A double for Dan Uggla."

34 oh no is kuroda being knocked again?

Kids can test the velocity of their pitching arms at speed pitch booths and take swings at batting cages.

::crosses fingers:: I hope adults can do that also...

36 If they can, then you, cargill, and perhaps other DTers can compare fastballs the next day!

Kuroda, Billingsley, and Lowe have all had terrible spring trainings.

Hopefully it stops once the real games start.

You need really high self esteem to try out the gun as an adult

Not only will I try it, but if Jon lets me I'll post pictures of me in action & the MPH on the gun (I'm thinking I'll top of at 80 to 83mph)

Assume Ethier is the starting LFer. If Jones needs a rest, and Pierre is the 4th outfielder, ahead of Repko, then does the team:

a) play JP in LF, Ethier in CF, and Kemp in RF?
b) play Ethier in LF, JP in CF, and Kemp in RF?

Which one is the better defense?

They have a speed gun at the city carnival every year where I live. I always think I can beat the teenagers and never do. My arm has no strength at this point in my life. In fact, it may never have had any strength.

38 not worried about billingsley and lowe because they're proven pitchers. i'd only worry about them is if there is an evident loss of stuff.

kuroda concerns me because of the transition.

40 c. JP LF, KEMP CF, ETHIER RF

43 Correct

I wonder if Ethier's being showcased in CF?

Minotaur pitching three innings today is damn exciting.

43 , 44 Well, then that would explain why Ethier is in CF today.

If Reds don't want to rush Jay Bruce, they can always trade for Ethier. I would require Homer Bailey in return.

I'm not that worried about Kuroda. Today was a misplayed fly ball by Ethier that led to the run. The other day, if I recall, he was only throwing fastballs and was just pitching for location.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7247

Joe Sheehan on Spring Training stats.

I think they probably just want to see if he can handle it. Like they played Kemp in center earlier to see if he can handle it.

One thing I like about the Torre regime is that they seem to try to actually find out whether a guy can play a position, instead of just assuming he can't.

18 It's easy for a Dodger fan to forget these days, but for some teams, the baseball season can sometimes extend into October! This rare occurence actually happened to the Dodgers in 1988.

October 4: Hershiser extends "unofficial" scoreless inning streak to 67
October 9: Most underrated LCS game of all time - Scioscia's HR, Gibson's HR, Orel's save
October 12: Dodgers clinch last ever World Series appearance
October 15: Mike Davis draws a crucial base on balls
October 20: Fred Claire's deal with the devil reaches fruition

Pierre out bunting for a hit.

When you think about it, the whole playoffs were a total TEAM VICTORY. To me that's why '88 is so special.

I weaseled out of a 17-day trial! Plane tickets override justice!

37 or compare torn labrums.

51 October 9: Most underrated LCS game of all time - Scioscia's HR, Gibson's HR, Orel's save

In just one week from today, we can purchase this game (with others) and watch the glory again and again!

http://tinyurl.com/388dno

53 The memorable thing for me is that Gibson had about as lousy a postseason as you can have while hitting three game-winning homers.

52 You should write a macro on your computer so that you can type that sentence with a single keystroke. It would save a lot of typing this year.

i'm sure many are aware of this but for those who aren't

ivan rodriguez walked 9 times last year in 500 AB's for .013 difference between BA and OBP (forgot what that stat's called)

Ethier's had just an outstanding spring.

48Abs
8bbs
1 k's
.708 SLG'ing.

When a player can command the K zone like that, not strike out, and hit for power--wow. Ethier has pretty much destroyed Pierre this spring. Its not even close.

Its also good to get a look at him in CF. Ethier's value skyrockets if he can play CF.

33 (Lakers' NBA record winning streak; not in jeopardy)

What's the over/under for when Luis Gonzalez complains about playing time?

Rob Neyer weighs in:

Lee D: Rob, the LA Times is reporting that Ethier and Kemp will platoon in right, with Pierre in left -- and Repko getting cut. Isn't Torre smarter than that?

Rob Neyer: First, if this actually happens I'm definitely revising my projected West standings. And second, it's hard to believe such idiocy could last for long.

56 Already in my wishlist. It irritates me that that set only comes with Games 4 and 7 of the NLCS. I want the whole package.

59. That stats called isolated sucking.
vr, Xei

62 Well that seems a rather self-contradictory answer.

categories
runs, tbs, bb, k's, ba, sb, h, hr, rbi
aj piersinski, bengie molina, or ramon hernandez?

63
I too want to relive the Jay Howell ejection (not to mention the sprawling catch by Gibson in LF that game)

63 I want game 3. One of my favorite highlights ever is Keith Hernandez crawling to third base in the mud.

I hope they come with the pregame shows, which in the case of Game 3 featured Bart Giamatti giving Tim McCarver a great slapdown.

[scene: McCarver interviews Giamatti on the playing field. They're under umbrellas with a hard rain a-falling.]
McCarver: "So, can you give us a weather report?"
Giamatti: "Sure. It's raining, Tim."

In other news, Colletti makes the big time.

Today's New York Sun crossword puzzle, 21-Down, three letters: "Dodgers General Manager Colletti."

69

Is it "PVL"?

I've never even heard of the "New York Sun"

66 - Is that a fantasy question? If so, given those categories, I'd go with Ramon Hernandez and hope he bounces back. You don't to be anywhere near the other two.

I will not discuss the New York Sun's politics, because I would violate Rule 5. However, it is worth checking out for two things.

1) Its crossword puzzle, edited by Peter Gordon. It is top-notch, as good and as challenging as any puzzle published anywhere.

2) Its baseball columnist, Tim Marchman.

Commenter alex41592@aol.com is providing 1/2 inning summaries (again) at ItD (Rawitch).

69 - W-I-G.

71 The New York Sun is the news source for people who can't stand those damn liberals who run the New York Post and Fox News.

73 -- 76

HAHA.

73 Is that the baseball author Peter Gordon?

78 I don't know.

A lot of fly outs from Kuroda. He is supposed to be a "ground ball" pitcher right?

I find it hard to believe that Colletti and/or Torre are not aware of this growing sentiment.

From Heyman's latest Daily Scoop:
Hardly anyone believes Andre Ethier should be a backup. The Dodgers should either play him ahead of Juan Pierre or trade him. "[Ethier's] a very good player,'' said the GM of a competing team.

Whether or not we get the desired results remains to be seen.

Hendrickson, 4 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 7 groundouts against his old friends.

80 According to "alex", 2 grounders, 2 pops, 7 flies.

I am not able to follow the play-by-play from the Marlins announcers.

Ethier just threw a guy out at 3B I believe.

85 I also think that's what happened, but the play was described this way: Fly ball to left. Pierre goes back. He is going to watch that drop in. The runner tags at second. [Mumble]. Throw to third, and he is... out at third. They are going to get the double play! Ethier cut in front of Pierre to make that play, and he did exactly the right thing... etc.

Yep, as reported on ITD

Bottom 5: Marlins Batting: Kuroda Pitching:
Castillo doubles to right over the head of Young
Baker flies to left center, Pierre was going to catch it, Ethier cuts in front and makes the catch, Castillo tags to go to third and Ethier guns him down at third for the double play (that play is symbolic for numerous reasons)
Carroll strikes out swinging
0 Runs 1 Hit 0 LOB End of 5 1-0 Dolphins

Saito in.

Saito relieves Kuroda. Strike one.

87 Nothing like an 8-5 double play to say "hey, I should be the starter."

Ethier is too young to have seen the Joe Ferguson play 33.5 years ago, but he knows to make it.

Ned will interpret this as "Pierre's arm won't hurt us in left, because the center fielder can just catch the ball instead."

Ethier should really let the outfielder with more experience make that play!
vr, Xei

dodgers need to get a lead or the minotaur will only pitch 2 innings.

41 You'll just have to impress them with your
12-6 curveball, Daniel.

That Ethier catch sounds like something from "Bad News Bears" - is he Kelly Leak now?

I hope Pierre's feelings aren't hurt on that play.

Man, I know it's exhibition and all, but it's kind of sad to be shut out by Mark Hendrickson.

92, :-)

38 60 JoeyP, you've got some splaining to do

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/archives/2008/03/the_real_last_d.html#comments

Before you know it, Ethier will start taking grounders at 1B

picturing that play makes me feel bad for Pierre, curse Ned for putting us in this awkward situation.

81 It seems that Ethier's domination of Pierre this spring has at least called more attention to the fact that he's the better player. I suspect most people who are speaking out already knew he was better, but it's apparently much easier to make the argument when he's doing better, even if it's just spring.

Of course it'd be silly if the front office just caved into what the general public is clamoring for. Hopefully they make the right decision and for the right reasons.

96 Mark Hendrickson is making his bid to join the long list of Ex-Dodgers Who Didn't Play All That Well for the Dodgers and Now Don't Play All That Well for Their New Teams, Except When They Play Against the Dodgers, In Which Case They Play Like All-Stars.

98

its some wacko who is obsessed with Joey_P

That is Proven Veteran Leadership!

Sweeney HR. Dodgers 2-1.

96 JP is not going to walk salty just because a stronger-armed guy cuts in front of him.

99 What about Andre Ethier, emergency catcher.

103 kinda figured, thanks.

87 . Did ItD really include that "Dolphins" 1-0?

(It's OK, yesterday I called the Astros the Marlins, then corrected it to "Astors".)

109 John Jacob says, "What! Root for Houston? Well, did you evah!"

He walks salty and carries a big pretzel.

103 The same guy often posts as "jon weisman" as well. It may be the same guy who comes on here under different aliases and breaks most of the rules several times with warnings until Jon throws him off again. I don't understand why ItD doesn't seem to have any blocking at all - you'd think impersonation would warrant it.

103 - Nate is back from his long journey!

Minotaur on.

109 Well, that's better than making this mistake:
http://www.ericenders.com/astros.wav

(NSFW)

Minotaur vs. LuGo. I'm so torn. Who do we root for?

Strikes Gonzalez out looking on a 2-2 curveball.

K looking!

Darnit! I wish this one was on MLBTV. Rats. Listening to the Minotaur is just not the same thing.

Marlins announcers are talking up Jon's YouTube video.

Heh. The Marlins announcers just mentioned the Jon's Youtube clip of Kershaw.

Base hit to center for Willingham.

Not to beat the dead horse, but Sweeney's 2-run HR was preceded by an Andre Ethier walk.

He got Casey on a 1-2 curve right?

swingandamiss!

103 Survive the I-5?

Blows 2-2 fastball by Jacobs for a swinging K.

120/121 - What'd they say? Just that they saw it?

Balk called.

115 :-) Nice.

I could have sworn that Jason Repko has at some options left.

Let's see, he was put on the 25 man roster at the end of 2004 (11/23/04), 2005, started on the 25-man roster, optioned 5/25/05, recalled in June 2005, and in 2006 he was on the 25 man roster aside from a stint on the DL. 2007, spent all year on the DL.

So I count one option being used, so he has 2 more options.

128 Just that it's been making the rounds and that he made Casey look silly.

128 They just mentioned going around but it sounds like they at least heard of it since they mentioned Vinny's call.

Diving play by Maza for out #3. Inning over.

98 That's old friend Blue Tahoe, not JoeyP

Kershaw, 2 Ks, 1 cheap hit and a nice play at second.

131 - Yes, he can be sent down.

It is important at this point to recognize that the current pitcher is a Minotaur. He doesn't exist. Let's not get too excit.....

....oh, who am I kidding. He's so dreamy!

So, do the Dodgers need a new Single A location too, or are they staying at Vero?

They already moved the Vero Beach team to Great Lakes last year.

139

Aren't the Single A teams at Great Lakes and San Bernardino?

139 They left Vero a year or two ago. Tampa Bay's A team is there now.

That's why they call me Mr. Observant.

I wonder if there are plans to move AA from Jacksonville westward.

137 Then isn't the LAT story slighly off?

139
They moved last year to the Midwest league and froze the butts off the kids from the DR. Carlos Santana didn't defrost until July.

Pierre gets a hit. National holiday declared.

98 ah BT, I became a regular reader here just before he was gone.

144 The AA leagues don't go any further west than the Texas League, so it would be difficult. What's the westernmost Double A team right now? Maybe Tulsa?

Why do umpire shorts have to be so short? Can't I at least get them to go to the knees?

err 135 not 98

144 - that would probably entail the Dodgers joining the Texas League. I'm not sure there are any openings; the last Texas League team to have an opening was in San Antonio a couple years ago, IIRC, and Seattle picked them up.

Looks like this Kershaw kid has a future as a Loogy:)

144 Jacksonville from a business perspective, draws really well and I think is pretty well run (the success of this current group of kids doesn't hurt), I think they like the competition and I don't think they are concerned about the distance.

They wanted a team in CA for rehab purposes and also to check development of their younger players.

152
Didn't we use to be the San Antonio affiliate before moving to Jacksonville?

Right now, Kershaw is in line to save the game for winning pitcher Saito. Bottle that one.

149 So the westernmost team in AA is actually Midland, an A's team. (No, not that Midland, the other Midland.)

I wouldn't complain if they wanted to give El Paso back its AA team and make it a Dodger farm club.

157 - So Midland has the most quality, but Jacksonville has the most flavor?

158 Thank you, Farmer Jon.

Yep, I remember the San Antonio days. Seems like Jacksonville's working out just fine. As long as they have Inland Empire, they're probably staying with things as is for now.

103 and 112--Its the same guy that made the Joe Beimel videos. Someone over at another site ran the IP address. The guy is an idiot.

Good points about AA leagues. West Texas may be closer, but travel from Jacksonville (an NFL city after all) can't be too tough. Not that there is an oft-used direct pipeline from Jacksonville to LA.

156 Or at least get the hold.

Joe said that Kershaw is coming out west, right?

Based on that schedule, he can pitch Sunday or Monday (probably) and then the last day of ST in Dodger Stadium (30th) before heading to Jacksonville.

159

My wife cannot wait till after the baby comes, so she can have a farmer john hot dog

160 thanks for clearing that up. my apologies to your good name.

149 - checking the longitudes of the eight teams in the Texas League, the furthest west team is the Springfield Cardinals (37.20 degrees west).

158 I thought Bob was in charge of bad jokes. Are you going to start horning in on his boring historical anecdote racket too?

103 - Nate is back from his long journey!

Oh my God, it was so frickin' long.

JAKFK (Just another strikeout for Kershaw)

If I get that job, no way I am commuting from south OC to Burbank.

161 I believe that Broxton, Kuo, and Kemp are the only players brought up from Jacksonville since 2005.

Let's see, in 2006, Kuo, Loney, Saito, Beimel, Broxton, Martin, Ethier, Kemp, Guzman, Billingsley, Hull, Stults, all came up from Vegas. 2007, Abreu, LaRoche, Loney, Kemp, Meloan, Hu also came up from Vegas.

Blue farewell

http://tinyurl.com/349wuy

165 You've got your longitude backwards. That's the easternmost team.

165 But that Springfield is in Missouri and east of the entire state of Texas.

169 Check into the train, there's a shuttle that runs from the station to all the major entertainment companies. Plus, the city of Burbank has some type of rebate for commuters who use public transportation.

Did I read correctly that Gagne got 10 million this year from MIL?

Holy Cow!

169 I can rent you a room in Altadena.

167 I want to know what time you left and what time you arrived this morning.

That geographically-challenged Springfield team is also the franchise that was stolen from El Paso. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

I definitely think the Marlins' Badenhop made the right decision not becoming und infielder.

Hanley just nearly beheaded the mythical creature with a 6'7" single up the middle.

175. Yes, but it was all Bear Stearns stock options.
vr, Xei

Kershaw almost beaned by a comebacker.

Hanley singles with a hard line drive right back at Kershaw. The Minotaur stares him down afterward.

Followed by an Uggla DP. One out away.

Followed by a Dan Uggla double play ball.

Then double play. Now Kershaw vs. Gonzalez.

174 I can't imagine a young guy like nate wanting to spend all that time in transit when he could just live near work and all those young starlets.

Anyone got a pitch count on Kershaw?

Liner to left caught by Hoffmann. Game over.
W - Saito
SV - Kershaw.

Done. Saito wins, Kershaw saves. 2-1.

169
I'm doing a 3rd interview for a job 5 minutes from home.

The downside is that I will probably not have a free minute for about 9 months. The upside is that I'll be working for a company that makes a product I'd be proud to represent for the 1st time in my life.

Yay! We win.

Took me a minute to remember who Hoffmann was. Glenn? Dustin? Tales-of? Oh right, Jamie.

Badenhop. Not a bad baseball name.

172 - yes, you're right. The westernmost team is Corpus Christi (27.77 degrees west).

Proctor shines in Vero finale

http://tinyurl.com/3x4wtb

192 Right up there with Bob Walk, a pitcher no less.

193 Corpus is also not close to being the westernmost team.

0 bb today for clay.

193 You were looking at latitude that time. Corpus Christi's the southernmost team at 27 degrees North.

The westernmost is Midland, I'm telling you.

Midland is WAY further west than Corpus. In fact San Antonio is further west than Corpus but not as far west as Midland.

196 - really? Here's a list of decimal lat/lon centroids for various U.S. municipalities:

http://www.realestate3d.com/gps/latlong.htm

For the teams in the Texas League:

Springfield, MO: 37.20W
Tulsa, OK: 36.20W
Northwest Arkansas (Springdale, AR): 36.18W
Little Rock, AR: 35.22W
Frisco, TX: 33.15W
Midland, TX: 31.95W
San Antonio, TX:29.53
Corpus Christi, TX: 27.77W

I had to look elsewhere for Frisco, TX, which is not in this list, but all the other Texas League teams appear there.

200 ... aaaand that would be because I transposed the columns. Duh.

A simple map showing Midland and Corpus Christi:

http://tinyurl.com/ypee9g

200 All of those are latitudes and should say "N" instead of "W." You've listed the teams in order from north to south.

200 I think those are latitudes, not longitudes. Longitude numbers should be around 100.

200 And those numbers would be completely wrong; those longitudes are almost entirely in the Atlantic Ocean.

Cartography Thoughts. Awesome.

The corrected list (all LONGITUDES in degrees west):

Midland, TX: 102.18
San Antonio, TX: 98.47
Tulsa, OK: 97.92
Corpus Christi: 97.50
Frisco, TX: 96.81
Springdale, AR: 94.13
Springfield, MO: 93.38

And Little Rock, AR: 92.38.

ESPN fantasy baseball doesn't have Kershaw available yet. I would love to acquire him for my keeper league immediately, even if he's in JAX until June.

Karabelli has Jones projected to hit 29 HR. Loney at 25 HR
http://tinyurl.com/2mbuom
(Insider Memb. Required, I think)

No mention of the Bison.

Glenn Hoffman
Tales of Hoffmann

I keep track of these matters.

Dodgertown: 0 to 180, inclusive.

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule got a new look and an intriguing installment. (see side bar, section "Baseball, among other things")

Ah, mann, you're right. Sorry about that, Bobb.

209 I got Kershaw in two leagues on ESPN. I just stole Johnny Cueto off waivers in a super deep league too.

Not sure if anyone pointed to this already but Jason Johnson was reassigned to minor-league camp this morning, leaving 44 players in camp. (From TonyJax)

214 that's Timmerman to you.

Dodgers to begin putting down Phoenix roots

http://tinyurl.com/2pseph

Steve Gutenberg is on Dancing with the Stars this season.

219 You're just want me to offend Jon, don't you.

Tony Jackson is saying Kershaw will stay with the big club through Arizona and California before going back to Double-A. This means he will definitely pitch/start against the Angels or Red Sox in L.A.

217 You shorted Bob an `n'. He's sensitive about that.

218 Nice article. Some not-so-nice comments follow it. Sounds like D-Backs fans welcome us with open arms. Or maybe those were posted by the Gaslamp Ball blogger.

What better place for the Minotaur than at a fictional game between the Red Sox and Dodgers at the Coliseum?

224 Bob shuttered at the thought of the Minotaur pitching with the short fence.

223 Speaking of which, I'm not sure why I check that blog out every month or so, but I couldn't resist. Here's a nice tasty morsel from a couple of days ago, re: the Dodgers-Padres China series (and I'm sure this is all meant with tongue slightly in cheek, but the sophomoric schtick about the Dodgers wears real thin, makes me appreciate Ducksnorts all the more):
>>You know what's interesting to me is the fact that the Chinese people have no reason to hate the Dodgers the way that everybody in America hates the Dodgers {huh?? -ed.}, yet they picked up very quickly that the Dodger organization is one to be despised. It's very interesting to me how certain parts of our culture translate so readily in foreign countries.<<

No mention of Ethier in Jackson's latest blog post.

215 - I couldnt find him, but my boss tends to peep over my shoulder. I'll look again. i have Cuerto too, hopefully Dusty doesn't throw him 220 innings this year.

I think we should do a poll here on DT about the same thing they're chatting about on Bronx Banter. Although I seem to recall we did discuss that here once before, yah? What would your at-bat entrance music be?

229 Yeah, we did that one.

226. Yeah, I read that too and just ignored it. I have taken GLB off of my sidebar and will rarely ever read it again. And that is coming from someone who frequents other team blogs quite often, just to pick up on what a league or division rival is up to. Ducksnorts is Ok, but they don't seem to have much interesting content, of all the Padre blogs, imho FriarForecast is the best one. They are very stat friendly and don't bad mouth any teams.
vr, Xei

222 it was by design. see 211 214 Hoffman vs Hoffmann

229 "Perfect Strangers" by Deep Purple

Don't know if this has been posted but LoDuca is mad at the Mets.
Not much of a read but the article has quite possibly the funniest picture of LoDuca EVER!

I can't stop laughing.

http://tinyurl.com/22ztm6

231
FYI - Xeifrank ran some numbers for us at TrueBlue about how significant it would be if the Dodgers followed the trail being blazed by the Cardinals and Brewers and batted Pierre 9th and the pitcher 8th.
His simulation seemed to match up with the numbers from baseball prospectus in that you would gain about 15 runs or 1.5 wins.
That would seem to be significant enough to warrant a team giving it a shot.

232 Whoops! I missed that.

233 Good song.

229

Andy LaRoche stole my idea: "The Immigrant Song"

"Termination" by Iron Butterfly.

11 minutes and no posts. is everyone afraid of being LAT'd

I am pretty sure something from the Beastie Boys' Check Your Head would be my theme music. Not sure which yet...

It was between the Simpson's theme song and Beethoven's 5th.

240
Professor Booty or Pow!

If I'm getting a plate appearance, "It's Only a Paper Moon".

The theme from 2001 would be good.

Here by VAST for a more obscure choice.

I think my at bat song would be
"Jesus Built my Hotrod" by Ministry.

`Ramblin' by Marshall Tucker Band. The opening guitar riff gets the adrenalin flowing.

I'm tempted to go for that intro to "Lake Michigan" by Rouge Wave, but I'll say "Boom" by P.O.D. (which I might have said before, but I'm blessed with an awful memory).

If I came to bat in a major league game, I'd ask for a moment of silence.
vr, Xei

I face the darkness of not reading comments for a couple of days and realizing I'm probably 1,000 comments in the hole.

Anyhow, very interesting read in the Post today about the Nationals' efforts to build a functional support structure around Elijah Dukes. http://tinyurl.com/2j3ynv

Wasn't thrilled when they traded for him. But at least they seem to have a very thoughtful approach to the issues.

I think something from Jesus and the Mary Train , a little feedback to put the pitcher on notice.

Kevin Baxter has an article in today's LA Times saying Repko has had a good spring but probably can't make the club.

He says "So barring a trade or injury to LEFT FIELDER Juan Pierre, center fielder Andruw Jones and the RIGHT FIELD PLATOON of Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, Repko figures to start the season somewhere other than Dodger Stadium.

So I guess Pierre has won the left field job, based on this. Ethier and Kemp platoon in right.

Again, I urge everyone here to take 10 minutes and write a letter to Joe Torre, who I think is the only one who could override this and bench Pierre. Getting letters in the mail can really make a difference. One letter represents the views of ten thousand fans.

Kevin Baxter has an article in today's LA Times saying Repko has had a good spring but probably can't make the club.

He says "So barring a trade or injury to LEFT FIELDER Juan Pierre, center fielder Andruw Jones and the RIGHT FIELD PLATOON of Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, Repko figures to start the season somewhere other than Dodger Stadium.

So I guess Pierre has won the left field job, based on this. Ethier and Kemp platoon in right.

Again, I urge everyone here to take 10 minutes and write a letter to Joe Torre, who I think is the only one who could override this and bench Pierre. Getting letters in the mail can really make a difference. One letter represents the views of ten thousand fans.

169 I can rent you a room in Altadena.

How much? And where is Altadena?

167 I want to know what time you left and what time you arrived this morning.

I left at 6am from RSM and I got into the office at around 730AM (Buena Vista exit off 134).

Sorry, didn't mean to post it twice.

Without El Lay Dave's love, it's a honky tonk parade.

250 Don't you mean Jesus and the Mary Chain?

253- You should negotiate for rent to include access to his music library.

251/252 - Or it could be that writer's opinion on the situation. I haven't read anything from Joe or Ned confirming it.

254 i was going to send 2 letter have it equal 20k fans.

257- And his tomatoes.

I think I said this the last time the subject came up, but my song would be "Your Song" by Elton John. And I'm going to keep saying it until I get a bleepin' laugh from it. (World's Stubbornest Comedian)

I used this for my entrance music as a relief pitcher, but I'd use it for my at-bat music, too:

Ennio Morricone's theme to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

I guess it goes without saying that Lasorda's music should be Elton John singing "Hold me closer, Tony Danza."

More surf results. DT favorite Eric Neel has a real gutshot piece up at ESPN about a young man injured in Afghanistan, former standout HS quarterback in Illinois.

http://tinyurl.com/yqmhzr

If Nate's off-ramp is Buena Vista, my guess is the job is at Disney. Or my Chiropractor, who is on Buena Vista too.

And sorry Nate, I was being facetious about the rent out a room thing. I've done that once and it wasn't a good experience. Not that you would be a bad tenant. It's just the flash-backs I'd have to endure.

I would use "March to the Sea," by Pelican.

http://tinyurl.com/2npyhb

262 263 - Both great.

I'm trying to figure out a way in which, with the current anticipated roster, platoon all of our best players in right field. It reminds of the mid 80s, when, apart from Scioscia, we had a rightfielder at every position on the diamond.

265 But maybe Nate has the good acid.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0318sr-phx-dodgers0319-ON.html

I know we are all used to PR spin, but I thought it was so thick in this article as to be funny. A few highlights:

"As romantic as Vero Beach was, it was so difficult for families to make the trip from Los Angeles," Steinberg said.

"You can drive over and get some autographs and see Tommy Lasorda."

"There are people in Florida who have been our friends and neighbors for as many as 60 years, but it's not really a farewell," Steinberg said. "It's more like a family down the street packs up and moves away. You promise to write and get together and we'll have an opportunity to do that. We can welcome those fans who followed us for a long time in Florida to Phoenix and Los Angeles for that matter."

Hava Nagila

I apologize for this in advance. Here's another possible selection for my music -

http://tinyurl.com/3894j4

269 Seems right on point to me. But then I am a suck up for the Dodgers.

:)

265

Its not Disney. Its cool, I wasn't that serious. If I do move up there, you can make me dinner sometime though.

266

So goood!

258- Every time Colletti opens his yapper, he projects Pierre's getting "nearly" 200 hits, a hundred and some odd runs, and a ten trillion stolen bases, or whatever. And how he expects Kemp and Ethier to put up twenty some odd home runs between them. I like the idea that it's all a rouse designed to draw out bidders for what's left of Pierre's contract (he's still owed a sum of about half the GDP of Kiribati), but I don't blame Baxter (or anyone else) for not giving that hypothesis equal time.

Another good candidate if I'm up at the plate:
"It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing".

262 Ennio Morricone's theme to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Which is already my cell phone ring, or I'd use that, too. :-)

A guy behind me in court forgot to turn off his cellphone and it started ringing with a loud version of "It's not unusual.". Surprisingly, the judge did not get angry.

Can't they thank and excuse me yet? Who starts a trial at 3 pm?

277 You should have put your summons in the unemployed basket.

Hey, what's a little perjury in court?

It's not 3pm, it's 6pm EDT. Everyone knows the whole world runs on the eastern time zone.

ohhh Guys.

good news, I won my parking ticket case last week.

VICTORY!!

277 they just keep you around that long to tell you they need you to come back in the morning.

RIP, Arthur C. Clarke

277
I was called to jury duty last year, and was looking forward to serving on a trial (it probably would have been a week at most), but I was dismissed by the defendant for reasons I cannot fathom other than the USC shirt I was wearing.

280 nice, congrats

280 Wow, congrats. Did he/she not show or did you have to present an argument?

280 Was the sign on the other side of the street the deciding factor?

280 Holy cow! I'm very pleasantly surprised, Nate. Congrats. Wish I'd had that kind of success with my local parking court.

282 Man, first Minghella, now this. Who will be #3?

282- It's fitting that he died tomorrow.

280 Congratulations! Drinks on Nate!

282 Great author. I'll have to read a book in his honor.

281 Bob, I hope they finish voir dire before 4:15 or you may well hear those words.

Surprised that the judge did not get upset about cell phones, frankly surprised you can even bring in a cell phone made after 2005 or so because courts don't allow cameras of any kind in the courthouse.

280 Congrats Nate.

"Who will be #3?"

The drummer for ABBA fell through a window.

i just realized this, the red sox play the season openers next tuesday and wed. than switch back to exhibition mode for 3 games than starts the regular season again.

that's weird.

for non-moving citations, only evidence the court has is the ticket itself. So no witnesses or citation officer testimony.

Basically, I told the officer the location where I parked was legal during the time the citation of issued. I brought 3 pictures, location of the site from a street view, another location of the sign, and a close up of the sign that I parked under.

Judge looked at the stuff and dismissed it right away. Pretty simple actually. I didn't even bring up the other side of the street/wrong address issue.

294

I told the Judge

nice thing about working for the court is when I do have jury duty it's my full pay and I can stay in my office and do my job until I'm actually called.

277 which court are you at?

Nate, was the officer there? Did he seem dejected after his defeat? Did he get scolded?
vr, Xei

282
My favorite 3 authors from my youth Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and now Arthur C Clark are now gone.
I used to read Arthur C Clark's non-fiction stories about scuba diving long before I realized he was a noted Science Fiction writer.

I think the worse part of growing old is not when you age but when those who helped shaped you pass on.

293 This means they get to use their top couple starters for a few extra games, plus use their relievers in back-to-back 'real' games that actually aren't back-to-back.

296. Why would you actually want to do your job? :)
vr, Xei

298

They don't show up for parking violations apparently.

Nate fought the law and the Nate won.

301 sometimes it's just not worth being away. more things to fix when you get back. that I can keep up with Dodger Thoughts much easier from my desk.

304. Do most court waiting rooms have wireless internet connections for those with laptops? vr, Xei

291 - When I was on jury duty, there was no problem bringing cell phones in. But the judge more or less threatened execution if one rang in his courtroom.

I actually have good record for beating parking tickets (and moving violations for that matter). My last win was actually for parking on Academy Road for a Dodger game. They had posted temporary no parking, but had put the sings so far apart that it wasn't clear what sections of curb the sings applied to. Everyone on the whole street got tickets. I don't know who else contested, but I got that one in the W column. Of course the key to contesting tickets is the same as winning in poker - you've got fold the loser hands.

If Ethier is not starting in LF by May, than it will be like getting kicked in the crouch of my soul

308 That's crazy talk. I just don't see Pierre as a rightfielder.

306 I think it depends on the security guard situation, frankly I don't know what they do now because nearly everyone has a phone and they are generally more concerned about pocket knives, scissors or worse.

305 Again, depends on the courthouse.

308
Soul Crotch would be a cool band name.

311

It would. I owe that line to Michael Scott. I was watching it last night and it made me laugh really hard. Steve Carell was brilliant in the episode where Dwight goes behind his back to Jan. When he comes back to the office, I loved the M&M's scene.

Stanley Crotch would be a good band name, too.

or Soul Crouching.

312
It's been so long since I've watched The Office! I can't wait for the new episodes to start again.

CBS's Monday lineup came back last night, yet we have to wait until April 10 for the NBC Thursday lineup to return.

305 we have wirless thru our courthouse, but I think most courts do not.

310 Last time I was at the White House they were concerned about nunchucks . . . among other things.

I love girl scout cookies.

This thread reads like a Larry King column.

"Stanley Crotch would be a good band name. ... Last time I was at the White House they were concerned about nunchucks. ... I love girl scout cookies."

go to the google website

type in "Find Chuck Norris"

and click "I'm Feeling Lucky"

SFW

318- And if you reverse everything, it's an Andy Rooney column; "Stanley Crotch would be a terrible name for a band. . .Last time I was at the White House, they weren't even one bit concerned about nunchucks!. . .I hate girl scout cookies."

319 that . . . was . . . awesome.

My Dodgers AB music is:

Black Flag "Rise Above," Minutemen "Vietnam," Slayer "Live Undead," Captain Beefheart "Clear Spot," Iggy Pop "Consolation Prizes," Germs "No God," Van Halen "House of Pain"

Against the Angels today, "Eric Gagne had a shaky eighth, giving up a walk, three singles and a wild pitch for two runs before leaving two runners stranded."

Arthur C. Clarke was a fellow Amiga Computer user. Must have been tough finding one in Sri Lanka.

Nice excerpt from Joe Posnanski's Buck O'Neill book on Joe's blog today:

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/03/18/a-buck-story/

I gotta get that book (now in paperback).

El Lay Dave has made it to the big time with his own impersonator over at TJs blog.

I'm dissapointed I'm no longer a premier Dodger hater.

321

I thought so too

326 I am trying to recall if it was you or Greg Brock that really like Blake Dewitt.

Anyways, if anyone has made a name for himself this spring, it has to be Dewitt. Certainly one to watch as we get set to start the season.

Greg Brock hates him.

330 Yeah, I could have just asked him but I thought you would remember, so what is your take of his spring?

329 Small sample size, but Dewitt was the only Dodger that got booed while I was in Vero.

332

Trade him :)

332
Why did you boo him? :)

331

I like the plate discipline he is displaying. Hopefully he can carry it over into the season.

Greg Brock hates America.

I always liked DeWitt, but only because Elbert and him were the players chosen in the first draft I actually watched and paid attention to.

334 For playing some really terrible defense. He seemed to be unaware that he could move before he could dive for the ball. It didn't help that he did this on consecutive plays.

from gurnick:

Second baseman Jeff Kent, sidelined since March 5 with a strained hamstring, will be out a little longer. He had a cortisone injection on Monday and it is hoped he will be able to play by the weekend.

General manager Ned Colletti said he is "not yet" concerned that either infielder will miss the start of the season, but if things haven't changed in a week, "that's a little different."

Manager Joe Torre said he has not made "my toughest decision" regarding outfielders Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, who are contending to flank center fielder Andruw Jones in right and left fields. Nor has there been a decision on the fifth starter, where Esteban Loaiza and Chan Ho Park appear to be the finalists.

"We have a lot of work to do in a short period of time," said Torre, who planned to debrief coaches that were arriving from Florida during a Tuesday night dinner. "We've got 12 days to figure it out. This week we'll have a lot of meetings and figure out what to do and what makes sense."

I should probably mention this was the 75 year old who was really excited that Pierre and Furcal could combine for 90 steals, not me.

I was about to get a hardship excuse for a long trial, but they ran out of time and I have to show up tomorrow morning for the judge to decide that my vacation prevents me from serving in her case.

Uh oh. A TJ Simers column just made me tear up.

Oh, only a little bit...

342
Usually a Simers column makes me want to tear up the newspaper.

I can't believe Bob gets all the fun serving jury duty. Still haven't been called once!

336 Ahh, Marty, he likes you too.

341 How long is the trial supposed to take and when is your vacation?

I would bring (if not already in possession) anything that shows that you have reservations locked in, etc. They might not ask for it but having it can only help you.

Chan Ho is an interesting case. He has definitely looked good this spring. On the other hand, so has Loiaza lately.

Would Chan Ho take a minor league assignment to Vegas?

He pitched much of last year in the PCL, didn't he?

347
Not sure of his plans, but Chan Ho did start 24 games in the minors for 2 clubs last season. I would think he would be OK with going to Vegas if there was a shot he could help the Dodgers eventually. Or he just might retire (pure speculation on my part).

348 135.2 innings in the PCL, 164 hits, 40 walks, 119 Ks, 5.97 ERA. Blecch.

350 Don't forget the 27 home runs.

345
The trial is supposed to end April 9. I leave April 5.

I just printed out the reservation, which is actually made with frequent flyer miles. However, since I'm travelling with someone else and she can't switch days, I'm sure I'll be OK. The judge seems very nice.

The first judge didn't even ask to see any proof. He just asked where.

OK, I've made 10 different brackets with ESPN's tournament challenge, the maximum allowed. I know that I still have absolutely no chance of coming close to winning, just like every year.

352 First rule of the Courts, never believe any end date for a trial. I once worked on a case that was supposed to last a month, the jury did not finish up its last duties until 3 months had passed.

We had lots of government employees on our jury.

325

Its a great book. Buck is one of my favorites, and him not being inducted into the Hall before he died just makes me sick. What a man.

354
I thought that was the first rule of Fight Club too.

The first rule of Fight Club is to never talk about Hee-Seop Choi.

I thought that was the rule when fighting with Andrew Shimmin.

"First rule of the Courts, never believe any end date for a trial."

I thought that was, "If somebody gives you 10,000 to one odds on a conviction for anything, you take it. If Joanne Woodward ever goes to jail, I'm going to be very rich."

Bob's sore at me because I called my Griddle tournament bracket "Go Ham Fighters."

Speaking of which, I think it was Hallux who had a random Fennis Dembo reference in his picks. Props.

326 Since I'm the poster child for what is wrong with blogs by polluting sites and contributing nothing, I think imitating me is going to prove to be pretty boring.

And now a fake ToyCannon as well.

361

yep, that was me!

I'm a little concerned, because my bracket looks eerily similar to several SI "experts" brackets. I'm not concerned for me. I'm concerned that the experts will look very very silly.

Fennis Dembo is Public Enemy #1 in the Rogues Gallery of players who had big games to eliminate UCLA from the NCAA tournament.

1. Fennis Dembo
2. Pace Mannion
3. Monte Towe
4. Joakim Noah
5. Steve Hayes

365 You just hate Noah, don't you?

365 You just hate Noah, don't you?

Yes, but I will only say it once.

Hey Nate,

So I'm assuming you're not in Tucson anymore? I'll be out there from Thursday to Sunday, I was gonna see if you were going to any of the games.

369

Actually I still am. I just had to come home for a few days to take care of some stuff.

I am either driving back tomorrow or Thursday.

Dodgers play in Tucson on Friday and Sunday.....

To actually answer your question, I am planning on going to both games and I foresee any reason why I won't be.

365 Seeing that UCLA has a possible second-round game against BYU dredges up painful memories of 1981. Being eliminated is one thing, being eliminated by a Danny Ainge-led team is something far harder to take.

365 No Sydney Johnson or Gabe Lewullis?

I was thinking of changing my bracket name to something anti-Noah, but I guess that is passe now.

369

Do you want to party and get super drunk one of those nights? I would be willing....

375 Pick your parking space carefully.

375 Cougar patrol.

372 373
I have made my list.

It cannot be altered.

If anyone here has a PS3 I can probably get them a copy of MLB 08 The Show if you're willing to write a review. Send an email to andrew at dodgermath dot com if you're interested.

I suppose the reports of the Lakers demise were premature.

379 dang it, if only you had said Nintendo 64. I would totally review that game. I would also accept it for Turbo Grafx 16.

380
Good thing. I had talked myself into the Lakers being favorites in the West, then the last few days had me out on the ledge.

I'm somewhere in between now. I still think the division is locked up.

And tonight marks one of the few times I will root for the Celtics on back to back nights.

Not sure what to make of the +/- stat in the NBA, but the Mavs' Brandon Bass somehow has a -26 tonight in only 11 minutes!

379 I've sent you an email with some questions.

for what it's worth Ken Rosenthal gave us good grades on his NL West preview. You know what though, I really feel the West is gonna be a tough division in '08, it's gonna be fun!!

The commenting has been awfully dense and we are approaching 400. So I'm addressing posts fairly far in the past, but I have to give praise for I have rarely known people who beat parking tickets, let alone moving violations. Congrats. I think this division will be amazing this year.

386
Which is more impressive? Nate beating the parking ticket so easily or the Dodgers winning the division?

Big win for the Lakers tonight---if they hold on.

Absolutely could not go 0-4 on this trip (bc at Utah is most likely a loss).

I recently beat a traffic ticket. I had go to court, "post bail" and set a court date. When I went to court, mine was one of 3 cops who showed up. I waited for 3 hours, and when my case was called, the cop admitted he was wrong and apologized to me. I asked him why he just didn't withdraw the complaint, and he said that he tried, but the process would've taken longer than the trial date.

To make a long story slightly less long, I gt a cop who wanted to apologize to me on the record, even though it was of great inconvenience to me overall. We even talked on th way out, and he apologized again. I explained that I appreciated the gesture, but had he not shown up at all, I could have avoided sitting in a court room for 3 hours. Damn it, those websites won't surf themselves.

Also- I wanted to say "I told you so," but I didn't. the cop was like an old grandma.

Vlad from downtown!

25 point lead cut to 6.

379 Sorry no time. This Guitar Hero is filling up all my spare moments each day. I hope to out duel Slash just a few moments after this post.

379

I've sent an email, I've been trying to find a good deal on that game since I downloaded the demo.

392
I saw my friend play Buckethead's "Jordan" on that. Good grief, that looked so hard.

I've got to say- I feel like the triangle offense is a terrible fit for the Lakers. You've got 3 players who are dynamic and versatile enough to play 3 spots each. At least. A motion offense with inside/ out guys as skilled as Kobe/ Odom/ Gasol would be unstoppable. And I don't even like the Lakers.

395
I nominate you to tell Phil Jackson he's wrong.

Good luck.

The trial is supposed to end April 9. I leave April 5.

April 5th holds specially meaning for me as well Bob, for I get my license back after 2 years of hiatus (really long story) I'm sure there's a joke in there some where but I rather leave that to the experts...

395
I've heard Phil Jackson, Kurt Rambis, and other coaches talk about the triangle, and they try to emphasize the key to the triangle is in fact motion -- moving without the ball. At its essence the triangle is just a simple offense designed to get the ball--quickly--to the open shooter.

Whew, Lakers escaped in Dallas tonight. Barkley on TNT was killing Dirk for not jumping into Odom and Walton (who went airborne upon Dirk's ball fake) getting a foul call on the final play.

375 Now you're speakin' my language! I'm actually driving up to Phoenix on Friday night to party with some friends and watch the Dodgers-Angels game on Saturday, but I'm down to hit the town Saturday night.

E-mail me at karl dot hungus at gmail.com

398
Ugh, had no idea game was on TNT.

Shouldn't it be karl.hungus@logjammin.com?

396 If only.

Dear Phil Jackson:
be more flexible and you can do better. Gasol is better than Horace Grant.
sincerely,
yo

I'll take the hit if they don't succeed. Of course, that wouldn't be much of a consolation.

400
It wasn't on TNT. They happened to do a rare studio break showing the final play along with commentary from the studio crew.

The Celts/Rockets are on right now. And Doug Collins really likes the word "frenetic".

400
The Lakers game wasn't on TNT. The Rockets-Celtics game is.

The winning streak is in trouble. And not just because Rick Adelman is coaching Houston.

400

To my knowledge, Boston vs. Houston is the TNT game today. Lakers were on NBA League Pass.

Karl Hungus does not believe in emails.

I am on a roll today, slow on the TNT question and slow on the Single A affiliate question.

402
I will admit that at times (especially post Shaq) I've felt Jackson was too stubborn. Good coaches should adjust their style to the players and their respective skills. But, then again, it's hard to argue with one measly empty finger on Phil's hands.

I feel Jackson is too stubborn in allowing Luke Walton to play so much.

Rich Memories in the Last Days at Dodgertown

http://tinyurl.com/286kya

398 I've heard that as well, but it just doesn't seem to happen. The triangle seems to be about motion insofar as it gets Kobe the ball. The others get the scraps. That's not a horrible thing, necessarily, but I feel like the offense could be way more efficient.

And, like I said, I don't even like the Lakers. My Nuggets will get crushed in the playoffs (if they even make it).

411
It's not really possible, but I think a Nuggets-Warriors playoff series would outscore most all-star games.

400 If only

406 Then again, he doesn't not believe in e-mails

412 and show exactly as much defense. JR Smith recently saw a bee and ran away crying.

411
I'm not sure how much is because of coaching, and how much is because of Kobe, et al, but the Lakers are 5th in the NBA in offensive efficiency, at 109.2 points per 100 possessions.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/teamstats

415 well I won't argue with that. I guess I just want to see Gasol get more isolations.

397 Congrats. Seems like a pretty big deal.

Sentimental send-off for the Dodgers from Dodgertown

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_8609140

On IMDB's Cool Hand Luke page, the "if you liked this, we also recommend titles" are:

Single White Female
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
The Devil's Advocate
The Basketball Diaries
The Liberation of L.B. Jones

Well allrighty then. I would've guessed the rather more obvious Papillon and Shawshank Redemption.

410 Thank you, Dodgers49. What a great story. The man who pitched the first game in Vero Beach played the national anthem at the last game in Vero Beach.

Phil Jackson's drafting philosophies really hurt the Lakers. Too much adherence to getting tri-angle centric players.

When you have the best player in the game in his prime--the results should have been better.

This year the Gasol trade really has saved the Lakers. Getting rid of Kwame/Smush/Cook was extremely necessary.

411--Good point. I have a bad feeling that in the playoffs, its going to take Kobe scoring 40/game to win the tough series. Not sure if he can sustain that over the course of the entire playoffs, especially with his finger problem.

Bynum not back till the playoffs--. I really hope the Lakers dont get Golden State or Denver in the 1st round.

Nice to see Turiaf doing well. Nate wondered why I liked Turiaf more than Kwame Brown. It should be clear now.

The Lakers have owned the Warriors the last few years. No other team has given the Warriors more problems.

422

I'm surprised to see you admitting to liking anyone on the team.

387 Give me the division! back to sleep.

422 if the Lakers end up getting Denver, I'll probably get banned. Because I love my Nuggets, but they have little to offer other than me exploiting rules 1, 6,7,and 8.

winky emoticon

Arizona State is hosting Alabama State in the first round of the NIT.

One of the Alabama State players is Chief Kickingstallionsims

How can there be 425 posts on this thread. I go to bars all the time and talk to Dodger fans. And I tell them about this great non-stupid website called Dodger Thoughts. And they all say they'll join up. But in 2 years I've yet to see one of the bar dudes that I recruit post here even once. Where do you all come from then? How does anyone even know about this site. 425 posts is A LOT OF POSTS! Even accountin for all the people who post more than once.

I guess what I'm amazed at, is the enthusiasm that the people I meet have for the Dodgers, and yet they apparently have not the slightest inclination to want to talk to other Dodger fans.

Maybe it's one of those "there are two kinds of people in this world" things.

The kind of guy that likes to talk to like minded people. And the kind of guy who could care less.

The kind of guy who likes to share his thoughts. And the kind of guy who could care less.

I'm so buzzed I don't even know why I care. Forget those people. Why am I being mean to them. Maybe they just aren't into typing.

424---Kobe, Turiaf, Gasol I like.

Bynum's made a leap forward this year too.

The others I'm not real fans of. But getting rid of Kwame/Smush/Cook did wonders for my fandom of this current version of the Lakers.

I still cant wait till the arrogant smug Mr. Jackson quits coaching, but until then you gotta put up with stuff like that.

Kupchak's Gasol trade cured much ills for me.

423--Thats true, but GS got quite a deal of playoff experience last year. If Bynum isnt healthy, its a bad matchup for the Lakers bc of GS's goes small--the Lakers wont be able to keep up. Lakers need Bynum against them in order to use their superior size advantage IMO.

429 I still cant wait till the arrogant smug Mr. Jackson quits coaching, but until then you gotta put up with stuff like that.

It seems that if you're a basketball coach who doesn't stalk the sidelines like a raving maniac, that you're somehow "smug".

Chan Ho Park still upset over autograph incident in China

http://tinyurl.com/2equng

I just spilled powdered sweet milk all over me and now I smell like a baby, instead of the mean monster that I actually am.

Phil helped the Lakers win 3 straight championships. I have no idea why anyone would hate him. It is not like he has done something to ruin the team or been a total jerk in real life.

428 Maybe they just aren't into typing.

That's the more likely explanation. The more popular a site the more lurkers it acquires. Although I have no idea how many people lurk at Dodger Thoughts.

When I finished the article about Chan Ho Park at USATODAY and tried to exit they asked me to answer the following question:

Who has the majors' best starting rotation?

They listed the Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Indians, Mariners, Mets, Padres, Red Sox and Tigers. Since they listed that many teams without including the Dodgers I refused to answer their question.

Union to examine why Bonds has no offers

>> Borris said Bonds was working out in the Los Angeles area. <<

http://tinyurl.com/yryjal

I got a good one for everyone here. I am in the hospital on my side and just got a spinal tap. I have had better days.

To show just how nuts I am all I could think about afterwards is getting on my Blackberry and reading today's post.

The Dodgers and Dodgerthoughts are a wonderful piece of insanity.

I got a good one for everyone here. I am in the hospital on my side and just got a spinal tap. I have had better days.

To show just how nuts I am all I could think about afterwards is getting on my Blackberry and reading today's post.

The Dodgers and Dodgerthoughts are a wonderful piece of insanity.

437
I hope everything goes well for you, and that you are soon home and able to turn your dials to eleven.

438
I hope everything goes well for you, and that you are soon home and able to turn your dials to eleven. :)

Yes, best wishes.

(Insert joke about the song Big Bottom here)

Don't mess with Major League Baseball:

MLB lawyers go after Obama supporter

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23698267/

I'm grateful to Jon for the Gameday links every game. But how would you ever find them if you didn't already know the URL to at least the main Gameday page?

I can't find any link on the dodgers.com site - neither in the current game section that links to Box Score, Gameday Audio, MLB.TV (when applicable); nor any other spot on the page; nor in any drop down menu including Multimedia, where it ought to be; nor anywhere on the main MLB.com site including Audio & Video menu where it ought to be. Nor from the Multimedia Guide page which has everything else for the day.

I appreciate that they want you to buy a subscription to Audio or mlb.tv, but this is ridiculous. Why go to all the trouble to develop Gameday, and then hide it completely? I must be missing something - what?

OK, on the main mlb.com site, where they list today's games, there's a 1-mm icon at the bottom for Gameday as for the other media. So when a game is current there must be a GD link for each game? And I guess there must be one from each team's site to the current game, somewhere.

But it's odd there appears to be no link from anywhere to the main gameday site http://mlb.com/mlb/gameday/

Back to serious roster talk

Here's the list of remaining players that will open Part 2 of ST in Arizona:

NRI
P Brian Falkenborg
P Greg Jones
P Clayton Kershaw+
P Mike Koplove
P Mike Myers
P Chan Ho Park
C Rene Rivera
C Danny Ardoin
I Angel Chavez
I Blake Dewitt+
I Ramon Martinez

40-Man
Joe Beimel
Chad Billingsley
Yhency Brazoban#
Jonathan Broxton
Hong-Chih Kuo
Hiroki Kuroda
Esteban Loaiza
Derek Lowe
Greg Miller#
Brad Penny
Scott Proctor
Takashi Saito
Jason Schmidt
Rudy Seanez
Eric Stults#
Ramon Troncoso#
Gary Bennett
Russell Martin
Tony Abreu#
Rafael Furcal
Nomar Garciaparra
Chin-lung Hu#
Jeff Kent
Andy LaRoche#
James Loney
Mark Sweeney
Andre Ethier
Andruw Jones
Matt Kemp
Juan Pierre
Jason Repko#
Delwyn Young

+ Can be assigned to minor league team
# Can be optioned to minor league team

Andy LaRoche and Jason Schmidt are going to go on the disabled list at the start of the season. Certainly Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent's conditions will have to be watched also.

Greg Miller and Ramon Troncoso will be optioned, unless Kent and/or Garciaparra are injured and can't start the season, either Abreu or Hu will start the season in Vegas. And I think Repko will lose the numbers game and go down to the PCL too. I think Brazoban and Stults will be part of the mix as Joe and his staff try to fill out his pitching staff.

Starters, Penny, Lowe, Billingsley and Kuroda are set with Saito, Broxton, Proctor, Beimel as the lead guys in the pen.
Loiaza and Kuo will be candidates for the pen and 5th starter. That leaves 40-man roster guys (with options) Brazoban, Stults, Seanez (who if he doesn't get the job, will retire), and old friend Chan Ho Park and maybe lefty Mike Myers also competing to sit in the pen.

So, while there may still be opportunities for some NRI to make the team, as far as the 40-man roster is concerned, the Dodgers don't have to worry about losing anyone unless they decide to waive him themself. They can keep all the guys out of options and send down the guys with options and be in great shape to move guys around throughout the season.

Have Chase give James Loney a call:

Choiceless Padres likely to start Gerut in left

>> Chase Headley, the Padres' top hitting prospect who converted from third base to left field this spring, has batted .394 with three homers in 33 at-bats this spring, but is expected to start at Class AAA. <<

## Don't laugh, but one scout believes that left-hander Odalis Perez could revive with the Nationals, saying, "this is the best shape I've seen him in in 10 years." ##

http://tinyurl.com/ywf3sx

442 My son wore the Dodger version to spring training.

433--We disagree on just how much Phil helped the Lakers. IMO, Shaq/Kobe in their prime were going to win titles no matter the person coaching them.

Phil's strict adherence to the triangle has made the Lakers into a boring team to watch (until this year), with his drafting of non-athletic players.

When you have the best player in the game, in his prime--and you can only manage a 7th/8th seed for two consecutive years--all the while getting paid like 10mils a year to sit on the sidelines and stare---thats failure. Thats living off past accomplishments. Thats failing to adjust to the NBA game.

Add to it--how many players really got better under Phil? Bynum has developed. Anyone else?

I just think he's overrated. Its easy to look good when you have MJ/Pippen/Kobe/Shaq.

Its also easy to look bad when you have Kobe, and finish 7th/8th in your conference.

Phil owes the Lakers a strong performance this season, after his last two of merely collecting paychecks.