Carried over from the last thread...

We need a nickname for Loney! J.Lo isn't going to cut it..

The Dodgers are going to go 92-70, mostly because Esteban Loaiza holds down the number 5 spot, giving the club rare stability in its starting rotation.

That, and I must repost from my LAT'd comment in the last thread -
------
That clip was quite possibly the best thing I've ever seen. Right on the edge between intentional and unintentional comedy. Trading on the cultural cache developed over the years by Tom Emanski and Fred McGriff. "But I don't want to be a catcher . . ." The Bison.

And to top it all off, the Bison is crushing batting practice pitches at my alma mater, Palos Verdes High School. Let me confirm, from the speculation further up, that's PV. The ballfield is right next to the tennis courts where Sampras went, like, 486-1 in his high school career, and where I went 0-5 in team tryouts.

Oh, and bon voyage Rudy. I'm sure he'll now get picked up by a division rival and, if not have a great year, at least shut the Dodgers down in some key situation. That guy's got so many lives you'd think he was left-handed.

The Dodgers will go 94-68 because of the breakout seasons of Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.

1 (ditto) I keep thinking Loney should be named after a tall bird of some kind, like "The Blue Heron."

Should we have an "Animal House"-like ceremony wherein we bestow animal names on all the other players?

--

I don't know if I want to answer the question because I'm afraid of jinxing them or whatever. But instead I'll just hopefully "misunderestimate"...

89-73, one game out of first, playoffs as wild card.

PS: And I always preferred Dolly Madison pies as a kid.

Oh, and bon voyage Rudy. I'm sure he'll now get picked up by a division rival and, if not have a great year, at least shut the Dodgers down in some key situation

Just like 4+1!

The Dodgers will go 79-84, because we needed Andre Ethier's power and defense off the bench.

The Dodgers will go 95-67 because their rotation will manage to stay healthy and the core of young talent will emerge as multiple All Stars.

5 Or "The Emu"? Tall, runs fast, crazy eyes.
Not as flattering-sounding as the Bison, though.

3 I think Seanez is more likely to retire. And I'm not too worried about him pitching against the Dodgers if he doesn't. (Also, see Tony Jackson's latest post.)

The Dodgers will go 91-71 because Andruw Jones and Matt Kemp will hit 35 homeruns, Ethier will hit 30, Rafael Furcal will have an OBP of .370 and swipe 40 bases, Brad Penny will be dominant in the first half, and Clayton Kershaw will match his output in the 2nd.

7 Yikes, make that 79-83. The first prediction was us losing a one game playoff with San Diego for the West.

Which animal would win the batting title?

87-75, winning a one game playoff against Arizona with Pierre coming off the bench and getting a clutch stolen base.

90-72 furcal and the 3rd base production was a huge upgrade from '07, and 20+ HR's from Ethier, Kemp, and Jones. But an injury plagued/down year from Bills really hurt.

Sorry - I just changed the tense of the sentence to match up with the previous years. But those of you who went already don't have to change.

74-88 as the Dodgers succumb to a wave of injuries to the pitching staff and infielders.

The Dodgers will go 88-74 because of an improved offense marked by breakout years by Kemp and LaRoche plus a healthy Furcal however the improved offense was not enough to offset a disappointing season by the starting pitchers as we lacked consistency in the 4-5 spots.

The Dodgers' 85-77 record in 2008 rested on the shoulders of Ron Stilanovich, who took over as third base coach after Larry Bowa was trampled by The Bison.

85-77, a slow start while the line-up comes together is eventually overcome for a hard charging September that falls just a couple of games short.

13 A... bat?

15 No! cargill06 took a sip of Buster Olney's Kool-Aid! You're doomed, you must find the antidote!

that video was one of the funnies things i've ever seen... G PACK!! PACK RAT! FLATRAT!

From BR-On this date:

1951 - In an exhibition game at University of Southern California, Mickey Mantle propels a home run estimated at 654 to 660 feet. The shot clears Bovard Field and then goes the width of a practice football field before landing. Mantle has two homers, a bases loaded triple, and drives in seven runs as the Yankees flunk the Trojans, 15 - 1.

In 2008, the Dodgers went 89-73, winning the NL West by 2 games over the Diamondbacks. After some reluctance at the start of the season, Juan Pierre grew into his role as the 10th man, becoming the clutchiest basestealer in the history of baseball. Ethier/Jones/Kemp combined for 70 home runs. Billz shook off Will Carroll injury rumors and became the staff ace. Kershaw only pitched a couple months, but a few mythological starts gave the Dodgers a big boost in August and September.

The Dodgers' 82-80 record rested mainly on Martin/Penny being above average and Billingsley having another good year. Juan was Juan. Loney became the player most everyone saw him to be in the minors (not good), while Kemp became the hot topic of debate between those that saw him for what he could be, and those that saw him for what he is.

Kuroda (12.5), Loaiza (7), Pierre (8) Nomar (8.5), Furcal (13), Schmidt (12)...61 mils allocated to these 6 players was enough evidence to suggest that poor GM'ing was what kept the Dodgers in this run of mediocrity despite a loaded farm system.

By the time the season was over with, Dodger fans were left pondering whether it was indeed 2008, or actually 1998. Davey Johnson...er Joe Torre didnt make things better or worse.

120 mils, 3rd place.
Exit stage right Ned.

21 - LOL

So who had Bob being more pessimistic than JoeyP in the DT pool?

21-Hahaha. Except we already have Pat "The Bat" Burrell.

The Dodgers went 89-73 in 2008 because they had 20+ home runs from every regular player whose name started with "And" - LaRoche (22 in 410 ABs after returning from injury in mid May to claim the starting job at third), Ethier (22 in 118 starts) and Jones (34 in 150 GP).

The Dodgers went 87-75 in 2008 because Juan Pierre finally saw significant bench time and young pitcher Clayton Kershaw dazzled after a mid-season call up. vr, Xei

The Dodgers went 88-74 in 2008 because the bullpen was the absolutely dominant and Furcal and Jones bounced back.

28 I didn't. I can't tell who's picking negatively out of fear of the jinx, and who is doing so based on general glass-is-half-empty syndrome.

--

21 Okay, Loney can be Batman. (Since I know you like Batman.)

The Dodgers will go 83-79 because of Billingsley's season-ending arm trouble and because Torre proved only marginally better at juggling the team's outfield "situation."

28
JoeyP and I are in a similar death spiral in the Griddle's NCAA tournament contest.

Am I missing some inside info here, is Billingsley hurt?

'The Dodgers only went 86-76 in 2008, narrowly missing the playoffs, because it took them too long to really make room in the everyday lineup for young players such as Ethier, Loney and Kemp.'

85-77. Three times the HRs from the OF as last year (so about 80) offset by pitching injuries, including Saito wearing down.

33 Whoa, I was just skimming through the 2007 thread and thought, darn, I missed a Batman debate when Eric Enders said:

Keaton is the greatest and everybody else is just flat wrong.

Only to find out it was referring to Buster Keaton, which is far less interesting to read imo.

The Dodgers will go 92-70 in 2008 because of a Hershiserian season from Chad Billingsley, full seasons from Loney & Kemp, and another stellar year from The Captain™ Russell Martin.

I will be in attendance as The Minotaur becomes reality on June 11 at Petco Park.

The Dodgers will score 11 runs on June 18 in Cincinnati.

The Dodgers will have over 3,200 PA from homegrown players, nearly a 50% increase from 2007.

36

{From a Fantasy Baseball-slash-BP chat somewhere}

Will Carroll: I got some inside information from an anonymous source {at a bar - ed.} who assures me that this is definitely the the year that Billingsley's arm falls off. I have passed this on to my fantasy baseball minions who will spread the word for me.

Miguel (San Pedro, CA): What can you tell me about Clayton Kershaw? I hear good things.

Will Carroll: He would be good if he pitched for another team. But the Dodgers will ruin him this year and next year his arm will fall off, just like Billingsley's. I have this from a really reliable anonymous source high up {a bartender - ed.}

I, too, hate Will Carroll.

33 I actually am a fan of Batman (did I somehow mention that?).

The Dodgers went 87-75 in 2008, fulfilling their annual preseason expectations of "good but not great," the hallmark of virtually every Dodger team so far this decade.

41 i don't get it bills wasn't overworked and has good mechanics. but he's been awful this spring so that concerns me that it may have some credibility. if he's still throwing 92-95 i'm not worried, if he's still throwing that hard nothings wrong with him he's just not commanding well which shouldn't be much of a problem to fix. that's why i'm curious if anyone has heard anything about his velocity.

1 "Crazy Eyes" mentioned in the last thread was, if I recall correctly, from Joe Beimel introducing the lineup on a national broadcast, and saying "James 'Crazy Eyes' Loney." I assume it's from his habit of checking out the entire field just before he steps up to the plate, but that's just a guess.

41 wow that sounds like a Padres announcer... was that Vasgersian, Grant or Leitner? We seem to have progressed Billingsley along at an acceptable pace, hopefully with an improved command this season he can work deeper into games and actually become a 6+ inning guy consistently.

While Carroll clearly has something against the Dodgers, the THR reports are computer based and don't factor in his opinions. If Bills is getting a red from that, there is reason to be concerned.

These magical injuries that seem to be popping up reported by Matt Berry and his max effort delivery reported by Gurnick to seem to be complete fabrications.

Billingsley innings pitched by year:
2004: 132 IP
2005: 146 IP
2006: 71 minor league IP, 90 major league IP
2007: 147 IP

48 Is there any indication of why he got a red from the THR report?

19 "The Dodgers' 85-77 record in 2008 rested on the shoulders of Ron Stilanovich..."

He's in the White Pages!

48 According to Carroll, his weight, and questionable control and stamina. I don't think any of those are false accusations.

The Dodgers went 87-75 in 2008, missing the wild card by one game (Brewers!). The positives were the increasingly great play of Kemp, Loney, and NL MVP Russell Martin.

The negatives were:

1) uneven performance from Loaiza -- he was bad enough that Kershaw/McDonald should have been called up to replace him, but not bad enough for the Dodgers to actually make the move.

2) an increasingly desperate attempt to get Pierre and Ethier to share the LF job.

3) injuries to the infielders. Kent, Garciaparra, and LaRoche all miss major time, and though Hu and Abreu are game, they show they still have learnin' to do.

Bonus prediction:

Clayton Kershaw was called up from AA Jacksonville on May 25 to mixed results. He struck out a batter an inning, but also allowed too many walks and threw too many pitches. He was sent back down in June and recalled in August to join the rotation when Loaiza is injured. Two words to describe August 15 through the end of the season: Fernandomania II.

51 It's more just that Carroll seems to have some sort of bizarre vendetta against the Dodgers in general. Yes, the recent rumors about Bills have sprouted in other odd places, it seems, namely a fantasy baseball "expert." So I was making fun of all of that together. Also, Carroll seems to have been predicting Bills' demise for the past 2-3 seasons.

the dodgers 89 wins in 2008 will rest comfortably on the shoulders of logan white who's homegrown talent and scouting mindset is what keeps this team in contention at all.

the 73 losses fall on colletti who wasted over one quarter of his budget on the likes of pierre, schmidt, nomah and loaiza... money obviously spent better elsewhere.

clearly logan white should be running this team before he falls in the hands of someone else.

i appreciate ned's desire for depth but he often creates the need when he spends his money on players that more often than not need a backup.

The Dodgers went 91-71 in 2008 because of the continued ascension of their young players and the surprising all-star season of Hiroki Kuroda.

Once again, please ignore Will Carroll, he hasn't done his homework on our team. In one interview he commented that Kuroda and Schmidt would likely move Billingsley to the bullpen by June, forgetting that we even had Loaiza as our 5th starter. While Bob's glass is half empty, Will Carroll's "Dodger Glass O'Knowledge" is splintered.
vr, Xei

55 i agree with kuroda i think he'll be great this year. mid 3's

I like Batman, too.

The Dodgers went 89-73 in 2008, clinched the wildcard and swept the Cubs in the NLDS, only to lose the 7th game of NLCS against AZ, because Pierre missed a squeeze sign.

It's kind of silly to think that Carroll has a nefarious interest in promoting Billingsley as an injury risk. He may be getting flawed information (then again, he may not be - just because we don't know something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.) But the idea that he has it in for Billingsley doesn't track.

We call him "Jams"... seems to fit well. My buddy (card's fan) calls him "Bill Loney" (say it out loud).
Dodgers go 84-78 due to a lot of the same ol' dodger cr*p... ugh.

The Dodgers season appeared in peril when old veterans and counted upon rookies couldn't answer the call at the start of the season, but a last minute deal with Texas that netted them Hank Blalock while reducing the congestion in the outfield was the turning point in the season. While the performance analysts bemoaned the addition of Blalock they neglected to understand how his physical condition had effected his performance in recent years. With the rib removed and the blood flow back to normal he was able to build on his success in Sept and went on to post the most home runs by a left handed hitting infielder in LA Dodger history. Behind the slugging Blalock, the emergence of Matt Kemp who was reminding many of Dave Parker in his glory years, combined with the power provided by Andruw Jones the Dodgers were able to overcome the performance sapping injuries to Furcal, Kent, Schmidt, Nomar, and LaRoche and remain competitive. As the season went into Sept it looked like the Dodgers would prevail until Russ Martin broke his thumb on a freak pitch in the dirt. With their heart and soul done for the year, all appeared lost until an unlikely hero emerged from the past. Paul LaDuca came over as a waiver wire deal and even though his skills were in decline he did just enough to keep the Dodgers afloat in the race. On the last day of the season the Dodgers turned to Roy Oswalt who had been acquired at the trading deadline from the last place Astro's while the Giants turned to Southpaw sensation Jonathan Sanchez. The zero's kept getting called by the scoreboard operator until Paul LaDuca sliced a double down the right field line plating the Bison who ran through the Bowa stop sign and slid in just before the tag. It would be the only run the Dodgers would need against the meager Giant offense and even with all the adversity thrown at them, the Dodgers would become National League Division Champions. While a NL championship alluded them once again, they did serve notice that they will be a team to be reckoned with during the last year of the 1st decade of the 21st century with the greatest collection of young talent to hit this league since the mid 70's.

57 Just curious, why are you worried about Bills and his horrid Spring when Kuroda has been pretty bad himself?

60 what's your gut feeling on bills health?

i'm confused is the information stating that he is an injury risk waiting to happen or does he have an injury that hampered him during spring?

The Dodgers went 89-73 in 2008, finishing as the wild card team in the NL, winning the Division Series, but losing the NLCS.

The Ddodgers went 91-71 in 2008 because Andre Ethier, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, James Loney, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Kemp, and Russell Martin each had a great season and were taught how to win by Joe Torre and his staff.

62 "reducing congestion in the outfield"

say Pierre... say Pierre... say Pierre...

...ah, it's gonna be Ethier, isn't it?

I did not see the original chat with Matthew Berry, but did Berry first mention something about the injury, or did it come first in response to Frank (boston)'s question?

If the injury was brought up only in response to the question, then not only does Berry have inside information nobody else has, but Frank(boston) also has more information than the collective DT community.

Haskell and I seem to think alike 59

60 No, not on Billingsley specifically. But there are countless examples of Carroll's misinformation about the Dodgers that seemed to come from some place beyond just stats. I can post them here if you want. It's one thing to not trust Colletti fully, which would apply to many of us over the past year, but some of the things he's come up with about the team seemed downright off. That was more my point. I don't think he has any personal stake in Bills or grudge against him.

63 i saw kuroda pitch once i really really liked what i saw. 92-95 fastball good biting sinker. i wasn't worried about bills at all until all this injury talk came up. and i won't be worried if a radar gun can confirm that his velocity is normal.

63 i saw kuroda pitch once i really really liked what i saw. 92-95 fastball good biting sinker. i wasn't worried about bills at all until all this injury talk came up. and i won't be worried if a radar gun can confirm that his velocity is normal.

2 By golly, Jacob, you're right! That is PV High.

So when did you graduate from PVHS?

I graduated in '73, and had brothers in the classes of '75, '77, '81 and (I think) '88. I have a son who will graduate from there this spring.

The Dodgers went 86-76 on the backs of their veteran players (Jones, Kent, Penny, Lowe, Nomar, and Furcal) while the young players faltered.

Everybody's confused.

70 Could you post some? Somehow I'd think that would make me feel better.

62
I love the detail, but I don't see a record.

The Dodgers went 88-74 and winning the NL Wild Card behind the D-backs because of the emergence of Matt Kemp, who belted 33 HR and 110 RBI. While the OF situation was settled when Juan Pierre battled injuries all year long, the back end of the rotation was a major problem area for the team. Broxton emerged as the team's closer. The Dodgers then lost in 5 games to the Mets in the NLDS, but the Cubs ended up breaking the 100 year curse, winning the World Series.

The Dodgers went 85-77 due to nagging infield injuries and positional depth in the wrong place.

1 46 I vote for "crazy eyes" for Loney, although I think it is simply a reference to the Curb your Enthusiasm character.

The Dodgers went 85-77 in 2008 because, though improved, their core of young hitters had all they could handle facing the tough pitching throughout the NL West, while enduring stretches of their own pitching inconsistency largely brought about by health issues. However, Brad Penny's Cy Young season combined with Russell Martin's MVP numbers and Joe Torre's calm leadership combined to allow the Dodgers to finish first by a whisker in baseball's cruelest division.

In 2008, the Dodgers went 93 – 69 easily winning an overhyped NL West, where only 1 other team won more than 80 games. Led by a bullpen made up of Closer Jonathan Broxton and Setup man Jason Schmidt, when the Dodgers had a lead after the 6th inning, it was once again "Game Over" in Los Angeles.

Despite average seasons by Catcher Russell Martin and First baseman James Loney and Jeff Kent getting less than 250 Abs, the Dodgers still managed to be in the top 5 of every major offensive category. The Dodgers got outstanding outfield production with over 100 HRs combined from the BAD boys (as they had been named by DodgerThoughts reader ibleedbloo –Bison, Andrew, Dre-). Andy LaRoche's stellar play after returning from injury added another ROY to the Dodgers long tradition.

The Dodgers also got a glimpse into the future when Rookie Clayton Kershaw received a mid-August call up and added to an already strong bullpen. His impressive run helped the Dodgers go undefeated in the Playoffs. Since Kershaw did not have more than 50 IP in 2008, it looks like the Dodgers may add another ROY trophy to the case in 2009.

Actually, Will C's interview with DT friend Sons of Steve Garvey is good, you should definitely check that out (to counteract all my negativity about his negativity). And I know he was a fan of them hiring Stan Conte, for what that's worth.

2 73 The easiest way to tell that's PV high are the shots with all the fog.

The Dodgers went 91-71 in 2008 on the arms of surprising Japanese import Hiroki Kuroda and rookie of the year Clayton Kershaw. Injuries led to an initial stumble from the gate, but once Andre Ethier locked down left field and Kershaw took Esteban Loaiza's spot in the rotation, the Dodgers took off. Down the stretch, with Jeff Kent again sidelined due to a hamstring, Blake DeWitt emerged as the second baseman of the future. The Dodgers edged out the Snakes in the West and went on to defeat the Mets in the NL Championship thanks to towering home runs from Matt Kemp and Andrew "the Comeback" Jones. Joe Torre's return to Yankee Stadium proved less sweet, but Dodger fans reveled nonetheless.

90-72, Furcal, Loney, Ethier

46 Crazy Eyes probably comes from these contact lenses he wears to heighten contrast. They make his eyes look red.

73 Class of 89. I'm frankly bummed out that they re-opened the school. I liked the idea of having out-lived my high school by the time I was in my 20s.

Are you saying you don't know if you have a 4th brother? I can't help you; I don't remember anyone with name Ratt in the class ahead of me.

Its a strange place to choose to film a baseball video. Pretty crummy field as I recall. In the old days, it only had an outfield fence on one side. Plus, its not particularly convenient for the average westside/Hollywood production company. Its not particularly convenient to anywhere.

Ron Washington was ordered to save ink this year by Rangers management I guess.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was sent to the minors.

The Dodgers went a disappointing 81-81, and while Andre Ethier and Juan Pierre sharing time over the course of the year was responsible for the loss of several billion layers of skin due to the associated hand wringing by netizens and talk show callers, much like in 2007, in the absence of Barry Bonds in left field, LA's pitching just wasn't up to snuff.

86
The wing of the hospital where I was born (in 1965) was destroyed in 1971. The hospital where two other of my brothers was born is now closed.

The hospital where my father was born in rural Illinois in 1929 is still around though.

Projecting a young pitcher to have an arm injury is the fish-in-a-barrel shootingest prediction in the game of baseball. How many pitchers under 25 does Carroll have as being something other than red?

89. Where in rural Illinois? It wasn't a log cabin, was it?? :)
vr, Xei

89 Every school I ever attended, save Berkeley, was closed at one point. Then the enrollments went back up and the high school, at least, was revived. Still, it has far fewer kids now than when they decided to close it.

I use to like Hostess pie but I liked the cherry ones...

The Dodgers went 97-65 in 2008 because they had a deep pitching staff, and a slugging outfield of Kemp, Jones, and Ethier. Penny, Lowe, Billingsley, and Kuroda stayed healthy and had ERAs under 3.60, while Schmidt made a remarkable comeback from surgery to nail down a very solid 5th spot. While Saito struggled with nagging injuries, bullpen stars Broxton, Proctor, Kuo, and Kershaw shut the door consistently every night. The starting outfielders each hit 25+ homeruns, as did Andy LaRoche, who came back from an early injury to win the ROY award. Nomar Garciaparra moved over from 3B to 2B to spell Jeff Kent during the year and also made spot starts at 1B, 3B, and even SS, making his transition to a super-sub complete.

I feel sorry for all the people who had to eat Hostess pies instead of having a mom who made them fresh apple and peach pies.

Is everyone in Utah a glass 1/2 full type of person or just the ones who escaped Los Angeles?

All Im gonna is that 2008 is the year of the BISON.

The Dodgers went 83-79 in 2008, and went one more year without winning a playoff series, I can only assume because I did something to anger God.

The rest are 1/2 empty.

The Dodgers cruised to the NL West crown with a 97-65 record thanks to tremendous production from Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, who each became full-timers when Juan Pierre and $15 million were traded to the White Sox. Future ace Clayton Kershaw was called-up in July and went on to finish 10-2, 2.82 ERA, with 121 Ks in 99 IP.

96 If you're referring to my rosy prediction, I based it on (a) the Dodgers will be much better than last year (b) one of these years they have to have a good season, (c) no one else predicted 97 wins.

Utah has the highest per capita anti-depressant usage of any state. So, they're cheating.

110 Hey! That' one's already taken! Try 96 wins instead.

And of course I transposed the 1 and 0. It's all binary anyway.

102 You do not want to have to face down a depressed Utahn. Far better to leave us alone in our abnormally cheerful state.

The Dodgers went 87-75 in 2008 after a slow first half due to the injuries at 3B and inconsistent starts from the back end of the rotation. The Dodgers took off after the All-star break when Ethier finally wrested the every day left field position and LaRoche settled in at 3rd. The Minotaur shined in the bullpen down the stretch but since the West beat each other up again, only the Snakes who won 89 games make the playoffs. The Mets and Phillies who get to feast on the Nationals and Marlins for 18-19 games both win over 90 games. Dodgers finished tied with the Rockies for 2nd place 2 games back and the Padres finished with 85 wins in 4th. Martin, though not quite as good numbers as last year is still the 2nd best offensive catcher behind Victor Martinez and Kemp and Loney have productive seasons that give hope for 2009. Kuroda was solid but not spectacular as their #3 and Loaiza wore down as the season progressed. Schmidt's attempt at a comeback in July received a major setback. Kuo makes a few quality starts as a #5 before arm problems flare up again but McDonald shines over the last six weeks in the #5 role after being brought up.

More injury woes for our OC cousins.

Posted in the last hour on LAT.com

"Pitcher Kelvim Escobar, an 18-game winner last season, revealed this morning that he has a tear in his shoulder, an injury that could require season-ending surgery and, possibly, end his career."

107 Ugh. I hope Adenhart is ready to step in this season.

The good news for the Angels is that they gave Escobar only a three-year contract. And they didn't trade away their depth to get a bat this winter, so they do have options.

107 maybe seattle will win that divison. and i take back my statement yesterday that it was the worse day of my life and will let all angel fans claim that.

107 Man. I'm not big on the Angels but that's a big fat bummer. I really hope the last part isn't true, at least.

i feel bad for escobar he was starting to turn the corner but i feel no remorse for angel fans, they're my least favorite AL teams.

i wonder if kelvim was ever a red in THR?

I'm trying to be as objective as I can, so here goes.

The Dodgers went 83-79 in 2008 because injuries to the rotation stretched the bullpen thin. This year, Saito was sidelined for a week here and there for nagging injuries.

The offense improved, but the continued "support" of Juan Pierre ultimately led to a few comebacks stopped short.

Anybody notice this?

http://andruwjones.mlblogs.com/

113 Yep.

109-- Insert 'Dodgers' for 'Angels' and 'Schmidt' for 'Escoba' and the sentence still works.

109
Daniel, you nailed the 2006 prediction:

*14. Daniel Zappala
88-74, Drew and Nomar having their best seasons in 3 years, and Tomko being dropped from the rotation in favor of Chad Billingsley after the All-Star break.*

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/322219.html#14

116 what was the explaination? '05?

119
2007 (red): I love the easy reds. Escobar will miss at least the first month of the season after being shut down, putting his throwing program well behind schedule. The rest he should have had in the offseason didn't help, since this is the same thing he dealt with last season. Paired with a knee injury, one has to wonder about his mechanics. The Angels did something like this last year with Jered Weaver, so having Joe Saunders and Nick Adenhart available minimizes this loss.

2006 (yellow): Escobar had his regular recurrence of bone spurs about a year ahead of schedule. While it's not a big deal for 2007, I wouldn't be surprised to see Escobar have problems towards the end of 2008.

120 Well, they definitely nailed that one, alas. Hope Adenhart's ready, indeed. Maybe we can trade them Chan Ho Park soon.

1 - My friends and I call him Brother James. partly due to the fact that I have a rl friend named Jim, and my dad yells Brother James at him all the time. Partly due to the fact that he has that awesome beard at times. And partly due to the fact that he's like an Irish Monk (love the Coen Brothers use of the term "Brother," highlighted by John Goodman in Barton Fink).

As for the season, 84-78. NL Wild Card spot secured.

I thought Loney's "Crazy Eyes" nickname came up around the time he and Kemp were wearing those tinted contact lenses. Was that last spring training?

120 oh, he never predicted shoulder problems until one occured... good call.

The Giants are supposedly talking to the Phils about Wes Helms, possibly for a veteran reliever like Steve Kline. That would actually make a lot of sense for the Giants. So I hope they don't do it. (Not that Wes Helms will bring them to the promised land this year.)

118 I know, that is one of the feathers in my cap. Surprisingly, it hasn't gotten me any monetary rewards.

More bad news for the Angels. Preston Gomez, special assistant to the GM, is in critical condition after being struck by a truck at a Blythe gas station.

http://tinyurl.com/3cp7fy

Dem bums go 88-74 and clinch the wild card by virtue of every starting position player having an OPS of at least 800, but none over 900.

Really bad news about Preston Gomez on the LAT sports page. Say some prayers (or send your well wishes) for his family.

The Dodgers will go 91-71 because they finally have some power in the line up (Jones and Kemp), the pitching staff manages to hold it together the second half of the season (Penny and the 5th spot), and they have a manager that isn't afraid to make tough personnel decisions (Ethier over Pierre and anybody over Garciaparra).

I like to refer to Loney as "Smooth." I suppose the kids would prefer "J-Smooth," which I could live with.

I also like "Silky." For some reason he reminds me of Jamaal WIlkes. But Vinny insists that "Silky" be attached to Cory Sullivan. No player that bad should have that cool a nickname.

The Dodgers went 83-79 in 2008 because the back of their rotation was a huge problem and the normally consistent Derek Lowe started showing his age. Andruw Jones wasn't the impact bat the club thought he'd be, and Juan Pierre did nothing but take away at-bats from Andre Ethier.

Third base was a black hole, and adding Joe Crede at the end of May didn't help. On the bright side, Clayton Kershaw showed flashes of greatness after being called up in the middle of August. There are still reasons to be excited heading into 2009, most notably because Joe Torre finally acknowledged Pierre's perfect role (though too late to impact 2008): the highest-paid pinch runner of all time.

Anyone else really worried about LaRoche? I know Carroll isn't the most popular guy around here, but he also has commented on the lingering effects of LaRoche's injury.

WWSH

133 Very, finger injuries are what brought down Coco and Lugo.

129 Preston Gomez served as a coach for the Dodgers twice, from 1965-1968 and 1977-1979. Those teams won a World Series and 4 NL pennants.

And this is what he had to say when commenting on the death of Walter O'Malley.

" He was an innovator. He's an owner who will be in the Hall of Fame some day. His name will be remembered as long as they play baseball. I can remember when I first came to the Dodgers, he was always kidding with the players. It didn't matter if you were a Koufax or a Drysdale or you were a kid from Venezuela or the Dominican (Republic). He made you feel wanted. I lost a friend; baseball lost a great man."

Preston Gomez
Los Angeles Times, August 10, 1979

http://www.walteromalley.com/biog_quotes_gomez.php

Re: 134

Should that then factor into Ned's decision-making process on 3B. We obviously don't want to block LaRoche in the long term, but can we really count on a mix of him, Nomar, Abreu, and Hu manning 3B this season? I like Hu a lot, but I don't think either he or Abreu has the the pop to be an adequate 3B. And both may be needed to back up Kent a lot. Nomar may be completely done as well.

WWSH

The Dodgers' surprising 95-win season in 2008 was largely the result of the unexpected trade for Alex Rodriguez to fill the third base hole. Also, it didn't hurt that Juan Pierre ended the debate and established himself as a quality major league left fielder with the ten home runs he hit in April.

Without those key developments, it would've been 86-76.

The Dodgers went 92-70 in 2008, keyed by a starting rotation so strong that Derek Lowe was traded for top prospects at the deadline, which will only help the team in the future.

Does Chad Billingsley have a good changeup, or is he just starting to throw one? Honeycutt's expertise is teaching people to throw cutters, I thought.

99-63, with the team cruising along an unxpected event happened in mid-july. after schmidt announcing his retirment from baseball and pierre realzing how overpayed he was they donated a combined $80 million to the dodgers thus allowing them so trade and sign CC sabathia. however, schmidt and pierre's gestures don't go unnoticed, they parlay their donations to schmidt representing the republican party in this years presidental election and pierre the democrat party. results of the elections result in a electoral college tie, it is decided there will be co-presidents, and pierre/schmidt work so well in office it ends centurys of racial tension that may still exist.

(From a Royals site:) The Royals acquired their second relief pitcher in the last five days by trading the legendary 'Player to be Named Later' to the Colorado Rockies for twenty-six year old reliever Ramon Ramirez. To make room for Ramirez on the 40 man roster, Jorge DeLaRosa {who looked bad the other day} was designated for assignment.

The Dodgers record of 95-67 in 2008 rested on the surprising shoulders of Nomar who again revives his career with a 20 hr season that no one saw coming, and a bull pen that was among the best in the game.

142 etc. all the bullpen predictions are nice to hear. for reasons i can't expalin nor do i know why i have a bad feeling about the pen this year.

62

Try tapping ENTER every now and then will ya? ENTER is great for such things as, oh, say...creating paragraphs. Otherwise reading your essay seems more hassle than it's worth. It's just a giant blob of text.

No offense, but it's amazing how some people keep typing as if in a speed induced trance, without once thinking to tap ENTER to create some breathing room for the reader.

144
Are you saying ToyCannon is the anti-Plaschke?

95-I guess you'll be crying buckets for my future children.

did anyone see the one with ethier?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyyE2DLztA8

we just met. classic

145
No I'm saying he's liquored up on amphetamines or he's missing his right pinky.

The Dodgers went 94-68 in 2008 because of a vastly improved defense which featured NL Gold Glove winners Andruw Jones, Russell Martin, and Rafael Furcal.

143

I was an impressionable 14 year old in 1985. I've felt that way about the bullpen for about 20 of the last 23 years.

Frip, I'm sorry, but you just have to find a more civil way of communicating with people here on this site.

I have no idea what I want to predict this season.

146 Or a dad. In my case, it was a mom, but I'm an equal-opportunity pie maker.

153 Come to Utah, take some anti-depressants, and predict 100 wins!

Speaking of pie makers, what is the status of ABC's Pushing Daisies?

Predictions still welcome, but there's a new post up top.

156 - Coming back next season. No more episodes this season.

156
Apparently, Pushing Daisies' return is scheduled for the fall...no more episodes this TV season.

The Dodgers went 91-71 in 2008, because of the depth of their pitching. Clayton Kershaw, James McDonald, and Scott Elbert all came up and contributed to the team. The team went into a lull in the beginning of the season because of injuries, but then a mythical beast arrived and created a media frenzy and propelled the Dodgers to the top of the NL West.

Juan Pierre was never seen again.

The Dodgers went 87-75 in 2008 primarily because of the strength of their homegrown talent, a great year from Brad Penny and the indeptness of Ned Colletti's free agent signings and trades.

make that ineptness, as in my ineptness at spelling.

131 GoBears -- No joke, I thought of the exact same nicknames for Loney earlier today: Smooth and Silk. I think Jon's birth announcement post may have influenced them.

The dodgers went 87-75 in 2007 because increased power from the outfield helped to outweigh the holes at 2B/3B and an injury-prone bullpen.

164 Fell into a time machine there. I meant 2008.

144
That is what I call my "bison" paragraph. Everyone once in a while they slip out.

The Widow Silver beat me to the punch, but I'll go 90-72 keyed by 13 wins by Clayton Kershaw after a May call up. I like Kemp and Loney for solid years and minor contributions from Hu, Delwyn Young and an R. J. Reynolds like September from Xavier Paul. Brian Falkenborg will be surprisingly effective out of the pen. The Dodgers beat the Yankees in 6 and Joe Torre makes the New York Post headline writers reach new heights of creative anguish.

It's 1980 all over again they finish 92-70 and Kershaw-mania takes over the world just like Fernando did. Andruw Jones is back to form and Andre Ethier is fully entrenched in left for years to come!

Starting with good health almost everywhere except 3rd base, and several young players who would likely improve, the Dodgers went 89-73. A few things kept the D's from a really stellar year. These included a bit of delay in getting the best players and line-ups into action and trusting youth, and a mild collapse in second half pitching, slightly before several very good young pitchers were ready. All in all, they weren't bad and next year looks even better

I tried to formulate this before reading any predictions, so now I'll go catch up.

The Dodgers 90-72 record can be attributed to a terrific season after a slow start in April and May. Brad Penny won more than he lost in the second half, Andy LaRoche was able to lock down third base starting in June, Matt Kemp hit 25 HR, Andre Ethier kept a .300 BA and Clayton Kershaw solidifed his position in the rotation in June and ended the season with a 12-3 record, 2.15 ERA and 110 SO's.

168

Speaking of 1980

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

The Dodgers go 91-71, based on Furcal bouncing back and major contrtibutions from Kemp, Ethier, Loney and Martin, and from the 4-5 slots in the rotation, which allows the bullpen to be effective despite a downturn by Saito. Minotaur is not called up until September. Druw loses the everyday job in center and becomes part of a $22.1 million platoon. Torre gets tired of always having to change the line-up, so he just has JP batting clean-up against righties. Kent displays PVL-but off the bench (where he can stay closer to the garbage can), and he and Sweeney become PH terrors.

The Dodgers went 89-73 in 2008--missing the playoffs by one game--because of several developments, both good and bad.

The good:

1. Hiroki Kuroda was a huge success, winning 15 games from the #4 spot in the rotation.
2. Rafael Furcal put up a huge year from the leadoff spot, scoring 115 runs and stealing 40 bases.
3. Clayton Kershaw joined the team in August and provided a tantalizing glimpse of his potential with a string of dominating starts.

The bad:

1. Aside from Saito & Broxton, the bullpen failed to live up to expectations. Beimel was a huge disappointment, and the team scrambled for middle-inning options all year long.
2. Injuries to Kent, Nomar, & LaRoche stalled the team in the early going, as youngster Blake DeWitt began the year as the starting 3b, going 0-21 before being sent down to Jacksonville.
3. Andruw Jones proved to be a massive disappointment, setting a team record for strikeouts while occassionally sneaking into the RF bleachers for the all-you-can-eat spread.

(Of course, the moment we all remember was a livid Larry Bowa, restrained by Ramon Martinez, attempting to climb the dugout walls to go after a patron whose beach ball hit him in the helmet at the end of an inning. Bowa was suspended 5 games and ended up resigning.)

The Dodgers go 93-69 because the hot bats of Loney and Laroche carry them down the final stretch of the season. Kent, Furcal, Kemp, Ethier, and Jones along with a sterling starting rotation push the Dodgers out to a big lead in the standings at the time of the All-Star Break. At that point, Torre is considered manager of the year.

However, faltering pitching and cool bats lead to a long losing streak that cuts into the Dodgers lead during a post All-Star roadtrip. Loney, who has been struggling all season, and has hit just 4 homeruns is looking like the no power minor leaguer "he was supposed to be". LaRoche, who himself has struggled since coming back from injury, has displaced Nomar from thirdbase, thereby prompting calls for Loney to be benched for Nomar, even though Nomar has not hit a lick either.

As the lead in the standings dwindles, and becomes a deficit, panic ensues. One L.A. Times colomnist calls for something to done at the trading deadline, opening his article with the question, "Where will Colletti find his Gasol?" followed by nonsensical one sentance paragraph comparisons of the Dodgers and the Lakers, with Kent playing the position of Kobe.

Ned stands pat. The bats of Loney and LaRoche heat up in a big way as they combine to hit over 20 homeruns in the last month and a half of the season, and carry the otherwise struggling Dodgers into the playoffs.

In the playoffs, Kershaw is placed into the rotation, and Lowe is asked to close. The rest is history as the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series.

The Dodgers finished 88-74 and made the playoffs in a dogfight division largely because of the depth of their starting pitching and a solid, if not spectacular, starting line-up with much improved defense (excluding, of course, Jeff "Quicksand" Kent). The struggled curiously against the Giants and continued to be owned by Tall Chris Young and Angry Brad Hawpe, but pitching injuries (and a lack of depth) in Colorado and Arizona gave LA the opening they needed to win the division.

The Dodgers went 82-79 in 2008 because third baseman Hank Blalock slipped into a 0-for-21 slump in the season's final week to cost the team a chance at the wild card. And the season's final game in San Francisco was rained out.

The 2008 Dodgers will go 91-71 because they scored 780 runs (a little more power than last year, as their young players develop) while allowing 690 (a deeper starting pitching staff & defense.)

The Dodgers will win less than 88.5 games, because that is the average prediction so far, from a group of Dodger fans who are bound to be optimistic.

The dodgers will go 86-76 in what is clearly the toughest division in baseball, and were it not for the bounce-back year of Furcal, our wild card hopes would have been dashed.

I Dodgers will go 90-72 with a second half surge after Clayton Kershaw joined the rotation and Juan Pierre was demoted to spot starts and pinch running.

The Dodgers will go 87-75, because of continued clubhouse tension over playing time, and Joe Torre's misguided attempt to find enough PAs for everyone. They just missed the playoffs by two games.

The Dodgers went 85-77 in 2008 because of nagging injuries that plagued the infield throughout the seasons. Jeff Kent's age showed in his legs as various ailments (quad and calf pulls, arthritis) caused him to miss 43 games throughout the season. Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche were slow to return from the spring training injuries they suffered only minutes apart. Many Dodgers gamely tried to fill their shoes, but young prospects and veteran castoffs alike struggled; Dodger 2Bs and 3Bs not named Kent, LaRoche and Garciaparra combined for a .310 OBP.