Unless, of course, Andruw gets a day off tomorrow, in which case the argument is moot.

An example of a blogger seeing the forest instead of the trees is the Kemp versus Pierre battle for playing time.

Torre and Colletti and the Plashke's can't see the forrest because of the trees. They are in the middle of the forrest. Someone has to climb to the top of the tallest tree and see a path to success. That is sometimes the role of the blogger.

russell gets more opportunities to work himself out of a slump because the alternative is (gulp) gary bennett. for better or worse, the outfield is crowded - let's see who rises to the top. does anyone care to speculate on chan ho's role now that his vegas contract got bought out?

From Ken Gurnick http://tinyurl.com/4p3uoa

> "He had pretty good at-bats, but at people," said Torre of Pierre. "I'm thinking about [starting Pierre]. Haren is pretty tough. I may do that."

> Pierre is 2-for-4 lifetime against Haren, and Kemp has never faced the right-hander. Torre said that even if Pierre starts, he isn't sure whether to bat him at leadoff, as he did on Sunday, or move him down in the order, as he did in Pierre's other two starts.

> "I may take a different look," he said. "When you're not scoring, you do things to try to change things up. Obviously, it didn't have a big effect today. Overall, I like [Rafael Furcal] in the leadoff spot. When he's batting second, he doesn't know where he's hitting. He gives the same at-bats."

1

Maybe he should; but his defense in center field is terrific so far. In a place like the ol BOB where the ball jumps off the bat, Druw's footwork will be most appreciated.

5 That's for sure.

Don't count on Jones getting too many days off

He has started no less than 152 games since he became a regular player.

4

I can understand why Torre thought those were good ABs. But, they are exactly why Pierre should not be playing. He got good wood on the ball each time, hitting the ball about as hard as he can in the air. And each time the outfielder barely had to move from their shallow position to catch the ball. The thing is, Pierre can't be successful when hitting the ball in the air (unless a line drive). He gets no respect and the outfield is at little league distance. So really, we have a hitter who doesn't hit the ball on the ground who can only succeed when hitting the ball on the ground. And because Torre doesnt really know much about Pierre other than "200 hits, 100 runs, .300 average", he's going to keep playing him at the expense of the ballclub and the development of a guy with superstar potential.

Sorry if this has already come up, but was Torre just asleep at the wheel when Iguchi was hit by Martin's throw? Its early, but we have some very disturbing trends forming with Torre. It's pretty tough to hear the SD announcers saying "wow- we really got away with one there" and not see Torre in the field disputing the call... I mean, let's face it- in the early innings there isn't much for a manager to do... When a runner gets hit by a ball thrown by a catcher the natural reaction is to wonder if he was in the basebpath. No?

7
Yeah, why would Torre want to drag Jones into this mess? Torre already has Pierre's agent and Colletti on his tail.
8
Great post, right on spot.
Really, what's the difference in the net result when Pierre pops out to shallow left field or Kemp strikes out when runners are on base? The runners don't advance and an out is recorded.
When Kemp swings the bat, there is at least the possibility that the ball will be traveling past the defense, not to it.

Meh!

Re Kemp vs.Pierre: Do you think someone got to Torre?

I remember seeing a 19 year old lean mean Andruw Jones hit two World Series home runs against the Yankees.

This year when I heard a 31 year old Jones was taking a short but pricey contract with the Dodgers to proove himself I said what a deal. Then he reported looking like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. I am worried. Is anyone else yet.

10 Wondered the same thing myself when it happened, though I didn't have the Padre announcers to listen to. Vin didn't make mention of it even though the replay cleary showed Taguchi on the infield grass.

Then again, yesterday Torre nailed the dugout foul call.

*clearly

*clearly

5 Yes, he's been great in CF, despite that miscommunication between him and Ethier the other day (What was going on there anyway?) But I'm a little worried at his lack of power/contact overall - 3 Ks today even. And he does look big, but somehow manages make difficult plays in the outfield.

Kemp looked more like a deer in the headlights on that last atbat rather than a Bison. Frozen venison.

Hu has definitely been a pleasant surprise for us. I hope Ned doesn't try to flip him him to another team when his stock gets higher.

Comparing W/L records this early in the season shouldnt be a huge deal. Whether the Dodgers were 6-0, 0-6 (like the Tigers), or somewhere in between--the real substance is looking at what is going on during the game:

The most important thing to look for early in the season IMO is managerial decision making/trends.

The Kemp/Pierre thing will no doubt hurt the team in the long run. Torre benching Kemp against tough pitchers is disturbing. How will Kemp learn how to hit tough pitching if he's never exposed to it? And whats worse---benching him for Juan Pierre?

Also, if Martin doesnt get a day off in the Arizona series--thats also a red flag. I figured he'd get sunday off, but he was in there again.

Lastly, Torre thought Pierre had good Abs? Whats he looking at? He's either hit lazy fly balls or grounders. He wont take a walk. He's putrid in comparison to Kemp.

From the 1st week:

Good:Dewitt's patience, starting pitching, Ethier's continued his good spring.

Bad--Pierre over Kemp, Andruw/Russ at the plate (its only the 1st week though..no need to be too upset).

When you're not scoring, you do things to try to change things up.

FJM would have a field day with that quote.
One suggestion: When you arent scoring runs, you dont start Juan Pierre thinking that will fix things.

If I remember correctly (from last year) Russell Martin said when he is tired he tends to try & pull everything (subconsiously I guess) & gets into that funk he is in right now, I'm hoping he's watching video from last year when he was hitting the ball hard everywhere.

another thing I wanna mention is that we're facing SOME REALLY TOUGH PITCHERS, & tomorrow won't be a walk in the park with Haren pitching for the Snakes.

Re: Martin tired?
The Dodgers have only played six games and they had a day off on Thursday.
How many games did Martin play in last year?
The kid wants to play. The pitchers are doing fantastic. The defense is great.

I don't want to see Bennett. When he's warming up the pitchers, he lobs the ball back to them.

Your probably right 68elcamino427, but he does seem a little off balance/lost at the plate at the early going.

Comment number 208 is (I think; it fits with my recollection, but I can't prove it) the last Steve comment, ever.

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/608530.html#comments

Will Steve come back if/when Juan Pierre leaves?

Just letting you know that someone out here is listening.

Idiot.

He hit .382 last September. Come on it's not like he forgot how to hit..He can't hit good pitching, what the heck? Your manager thinks (or implied so publicly), after 6 games he cant hit good pitchers? That's great for the confidence.

Larry Bowa is an idiot. So is Joe Torre.

22 My 25th birthday! And it was a very nice comment on his part.

Ken Levine is an idiot.

Well I don't know, but somebody had to say it.

But it's never to early to watch videos & study your swing right 68elcamino...

what's happening on dodger talk?

28- It really makes me miss Bob Harvey. Levine and the other guy are smug homers who remind me the the out of town broadcasters who we feel so fortunate not to have.

As for Pierre, I can't read minds but I would be surprised if Torre really thinks that Pierre had a good game, Pierre has been horrible, anyone can see that, they pitched around a pich hitter to face him! there could be many reasons that Torre is starting Pierre, I doubt that the reason he gave to the press is the one.

I have to agree with that 31 for my sanity. There has to be more to all this.

This time Jon did get to give his opinions about Juan Pierre (Kemp should be given the chance to play since he is the better player), Larry Bowa (kind of ridiculous), working the counts (good especially in the NL West divisional games).

It was less about blogging more about the Dodgers this time.

30 Jon was just on with Ken Levine and he kept saying that whenever he has him on somebody makes a comment on DT that "Ken is an idiot." I figured I might as well.

But anyways, it was a good interview.

I tried very hard to avoid Yankee news overload as much as possible over past decade so I don't pretend to know Torre's style in depth.

I do fear that Torre has made questionable, LONG-TERM lineup decisions in the past. Bernie Williams was putrid and he played forever.

11

I for one am worried. Like I've said before in the Spring, Jones looks horrible. He looks slow to me (especially in person), so I worry a bit about his range in CF. Don't see how he is going to get another gold glove. At the plate, he has been bad to say the least. I am now thinking that we might be lucky to get a 222 average with 26 dongs out of him this year, but hey it is only the first week, so hopefully I am way off.

Ethier is looking more and more like an every day player, so if Pierre is going to get starts it may come at Kemp's expense unless he can get hitting soon. Right now we only have 1 OFer who looks in sync (we thought we may have 4). Like I said it is early so let hope some of these trends don't continue.

25

To be fair to Kemp, its only 16 at bats, or the equivalent of 4 games. The whole scenario is just frustrating and it is completely avoidable.

There has been talk about playing Pierre just to showcase him for a trade of some kind

Ken Levine is not an idiot. There - I said it :)

36 I think Andruw Jones will win the Gold Glove because he is Andruw Jones.

39 If only I knew what you guys were talking about. Long-distance-fan-being is not all it's cracked up to be.

40 made it sound like I was unhappy with his defense. Quite to the contrary, I have really enjoyed watching him play out there.

38

If thats true, Coletti is a bigger fool than i thought. Everyone knows what Juan Pierre can do. He has a track record of doing the same thing for the last 4 years. There is no reason to hurt your ballclub in order to showcase a "proven veteran" to the rest of the league.

38 There's no need to showcase Pierre at this point. He has a body of work for anyone to see. If you like what he does, you'll trade for him (or in Ned's case, sign him for 5 years).

Or what 42 said.

I actually thought Torre managed the game very well today, especially the pitching. I am pretty happy with his managing so far. I am still less concerned over JP. The whole thing with Pierre may be over reaction. Torre might be trying to build a fire under Kemp, or pump up JP's sale value. .91 BA won't even get us a corn dog though. Honestly, Kemp should be taking a couple hundred extra cuts in BP EVERY day until he gets it figured out, or work with Easler one on one or whatever it takes. This is the bigs and you don't hold back. Jones concerns me too.

I wish Juan Pierre just quit playing. You know, like Steely Dan after the "Pretzel Logic" tour.

Neddy (Rikki) needs to lose that (Juan Pierre's agent) number.

46 Perfect.

Pierre is like some weird fungus that's attached itself to the lineup and won't go away. Our pitching and defense look better this year, and we may be able to work around him for a while. But if, in the long run, he ends up with more at-bats than Matt Kemp, the Dodgers will be the laughingstock of baseball.

I have seen several readers alude to the possiblity that Torre may be "showcasing" Pierre for a trade, and I must ask why anyone thinks Pierre value has risen in the past week... past month... or past year? Oh and as for Torre well, "meet the new boss"

Since the same Kemp nonsense has happened under both Little and Torre, I have come to think that this may be Colletti's doing. Someone in management obviously has issues with Kemp, because they have spent the past two seasons pulling him out of the line-up the first chance they get, and now he seems to have fallen behind Pierre and Ethier on the depth chart. If they are going to continue on in this manner, why don't they just trade Kemp already?

If you look at Jones' at bats, his bat isn't slow, his weight isn't an issue...he's simply pulling outside pitches. Means weak grounders to short whether you're Jones or a little leaguer. He's just a tad bit out in front right now.

I'm not worried long-term about it unless he doesn't listen to the hitting coach who I'm sure has/will point it out soon.

Torre can't call Kemp the starter when Pierre will have started the majority of the games tomorrow. He's done nothing to show he deserves it. It would be one thing if he was playing his normal below average game but he hasn't even done that so far.

what's really a bummer is that when laws of average catch up and Pierre does dump a few hits in a game, he'll then be given a few more starts right after that.

I was also thinking about this--has Pierre sat since his agent complained to Colletti?

38 Isn't the talk of showcasing JP based on comments from this site? The thing that I still don't get about JP today, even though Kemp is still slumping he is a power threat, just as Jones is even though is also slumping. With Hu and DeWitt being lighter hitters and for right now at least we are not expecting volume home run production from them, this would have been the day against a "tough righty" to play a slumping Kemp. I wonder how much the agent's call to Ned added to JP's playing time this weekend!

53

I hate that, also. You know that if Juan bunts for a hit and bloops one in tomorrow, steals a base, and scores a run that he will earn more playing time. It stinks that i feel like I have to root against a Dodger so that the best players will get to play. It's sort of like Pierre watching is now a game within the game. You first ask, "How'd the Dodgers do?" The next question is "Did Pierre do anything worthwhile? Please tell me no."

48 In fairness to the Dodgers, I think the Reds have set out to be the laughingstock of baseball this year. They are playing Patterson and Hatteberg over Bruce and Votto so far. What makes it worse is that they traded away Hamilton to play Bruce. This would be like if we traded away Kemp to play Ethier and now we were sitting Ethier on the bench to play Repko. However, I think the Dodgers are on the verge of being a strong number two laughingstock. They may possibly be sitting their best player on the bench for half the season. I don't know if any team has ever done that before without an injury being involved.

29
Bluebleeder87
Yes, look at that good stuff every day.

Martin had a Martin-type day today.
On Offense:
AB-2 R-1 H-1 RBI-1 BB-2

On Defense:
Starting Pitcher: 6-INN 2-ER
Four Relief Pitchers: No Runs Scored

Look for Martin to have great games in Phoenix:)

9 Yah, I mentioned that during the game thread. Wondered about that also, seemed pretty clear he was out of the base path and they had a good case if they argued it. (Which seems especially clear since even the Padres announcer brought it up.)

Ah well. I do have to say, the more Pierre plays over Kemp the more I'm gonna gnash my teeth. As I said earlier, I think everything and everyone now involved with the team deserves some patience and time before everything is assumed, interpreted and projected. And Kemp clearly has some work to do. But they need to let him do that in games at this point. If they are showcasing Pierre for a trade, well, I hope they are, but he's not doing much to excite any potential suitors. I also wasn't expecting much from tomorrow's match up no matter who was in the line-up. It sure would help if they could face a pitcher who was less than superb for once.

Kemp has really looked bad at the plate so far this season. He's shown that he's a streaky hitter. As soon as he has a good game and belts a couple of balls out of the park, he'll be the regular right fielder.

I doubt an agent calling had anything to do with Pierre's playing time this weekend.

Btw, it may have been mentioned earlier, but how about old friend Tomko pitching five shutout innings versus the Twins today. A nice outing - just to tease the Royals into thinking he'll be like that the rest of the year, poor things.

Could it be that Kemp is out for three games because: (1) he's slumping and isn't getting good swings in his at bats, (2) Mr. "Dirt on the Hand," Young, and Haren are tough pitchers, and (3) Torre realizes that any young player might have a hard time getting out of a slump against those three.

Pierre is playing because (1) he has more experience hitting poorly, so he will better be able to handle slumping against the big three, (2) it's not as important to the team for Pierre to get out of his slump, and (3) "OK, so you're going whine about not playing? Fine! Let's see how you do against three of the toughest pitchers around.

Of course, that's not what Torre's going to say. It's better to make Pierre believe he's getting a chance to play, rather than being made a sacrificial lamb to good pitchers.

Just playing devil's advocate here. When Pierre plays over Kemp for a week -- then I panic.

Well, on the positive side, Ethier is looking very sweet.

The thing is, it doesn't matter why Pierre is playing over Kemp. Whether its because they are showcasing him, because they think he's better than Kemp, or because Torre's stuffed pink bunny holding a carrot that he got from his niece on Easter told him to play Pierre is irrelevant. The fact is each game Pierre plays instead of Kemp we are a worse team. This eventually will lead to more losses and losses in April count just the same as losses in September.

"When Pierre plays over Kemp for a week -- then I panic."

After tomorrow's game, only four days to go until panic sets in.

The optimist in me likes to believe that Kemp will be back in the lineup when the pitchers are a little bit easier than what we're facing now, during Kemp's benching. Yes, panic could set in in four days, but I'll start getting antsy on Wednesday if Kemp isn't in the lineup.

64 Ethier always looks very sweet ... oh, you're talking about his ballplaying ... (sorry, guys, couldn't resist -- I hope I didn't just lose all credibility)

What about starting D. Young?

What makes the OF situation hard to deal with is that during spring training, we all expected Pierre to be the starter, but at the expense of Ethier. Then, the season begins, and Torre declares Pierre a bench player, and punctuates that by ending his consecutive game streak on opening day. At that point, we're all thinking that we finally have the Ethier-Jones-Kemp OF we all wanted. And now, less than a week later, everything seems to have been turned upside down. Very hard to deal with, or even understand.

The optimist in me likes to believe that Kemp will be back in the lineup when the pitchers are a little bit easier

So, that means, assuming we get to the playoffs, that Pierre starts because he's a better option against "tough" pitchers?

I like it. Torre said you have to try something different when there's no offense.

Or if he wants something truly radical, that he hasn't tried yet, how about a set lineup with Kemp, Ethier, and Jones in there every day?

I'm going to piss Underdog, and maybe Jon off here.

Hudsucker Proxy is on now, and I have to say, (in my opinion) Jennifer Jason Leigh may have given the worst performance ever on screen. Wow, if she had only not tried to be Kathryn Hepburn, it may have been watchable.

Every other Dodger except Pierre that has started more than 1 game has walked at least twice and only Loney is averaging less pitches per PA (3.5 to 3.75), all other players that have started more than once (which is basically the other main 8 guys except for Hu who started today instead of Kemp and yes that includes Pierre) is averaging better than 4 pitches per PA.

Its only a week but last year the only player on the team with over 150 PA that average better than 4 pitches per PA was Wilson Betemit.

65 Hey, man, don't go dissing the pink bunny. It knows things.

71 No, Kemp won't be slumping in the playoffs. The thought is to let him get his swing back against easier pitching.

By the way, I by no means am advocating playing Pierre over Kemp -- ever -- I'm just trying to point out that there may be more to Torre's thinking than an incidious plan to make Pierre a starter.

Hey, so Hu won the game for us?

(sorry, I had to get that one out there)

The only optimistic view is that the Dodgers are trying to trade Pierre and thus are trying to showcase him. Short-term loss for long-term gain.

74 How did Torre and Easler do it???

It all comes down to How do you get your swing back on the bench

76 That's "insidious." And when I think of insidious, I think of dementia. And when I think of dementia, I think of Larry Bowa. That man so crazy. We might as well have Frank Costanza as our 3rd base coach - "You want a piece of me? You got it!"

80 - Attitude.

http://tinyurl.com/3g7o2c

Sorry if this has come up before, but Sweeney this weekend was quoted as saying that Pierre has the potential to be a good pinchhitter because he knows how to shorten his stroke and make contact. So the second half of that sounds like garbage, but the first half might not be so far off. I'm not convinced that the best Dodger team is one without Pierre. He does have value: as a pinch runner, as a pinch hitter in situations where making contact and staying out of the DP are crucial, as a fourth or fifth outfielder. I don't buy the argument that Pierre must be traded because the manager cannot resist the temptation to play him. If, on the other hand, the Dodgers were to get a few decent prospects for him ...

81 Thanks for the correction -- that's what I get for not having spellcheck in front of me.

As for Bowa -- it was at least entertaining, particularly when the crowd started chanting "Larry, Larry."

we have to be pretty excited about a 4-2 start when four of the six we faced Cain, Lincecum, Peavy, and Young. A win tomorrow against Haren would be huge.

I guess the point of having Kemp sit against these ace pitchers is to let him get his swing back against lesser pitching as some of you mentioned.

While I guess I understand Torre's logic, it just doesn't make sense to replace him with Pierre. If Pierre is starting again against Davis then we know we'll have a problem.

We're 4-2 while facing some awesome pitching...there's reason to feel good about this team so far.

Now Jones on the other hand...he's the biggest worry to me....

Some potentially good news (down the road at least) for anyone affected by MLB's annoying TV blackout policies:

http://tinyurl.com/3s99a5

73 Hah hah. That's okay, while I like her performance better than you, a) I think it's an acquired taste (i.e., it's grown on me), and b) can understand how it could be just found annoying. I just think of it as a great Stanwyck-meets-Hepburn impression and it fits in with the whole breakneck speed, screwball comedy feel. But can appreciate how not everyone would feel that way.

86 Good--I hope.

I don't really think Joe will throw Loiaza and JP against Haren. That would be suicide.

79 Game 1 - 140 pitches/8 IP
Game 2 - 182 pitches/8.2 IP
Game 3 - 154 pitches/9 IP
Game 4 - 204 pitches/9 IP
Game 5 - 116 pitches/9 IP
Game 6 - 150 pitches/9 IP

Just for a comparison, here's how the Dodger pitchers have done with their pitch counts.

Game 1 - 117 pitches/9 IP
Game 2 - 126 pitches/9 IP
Game 3 - 158 pitches/9 IP
Game 4 - 108 pitches/9 IP
Game 5 - 136 pitches/8 IP
Game 6 - 133 pitches/9 IP

Outside of the rain-delay game and even that one was not that bad, Dodger pitchers are doing a good job keeping the game moving and that in turn leads to good fielding (or at least that what Vin tells me)

Dodger batters have seen over 230 more pitches than their opponents so far.

89 Oops, sorry, can't add without spreadsheets anymnore. The total number of pitches should be 168.

Poor Rice. Ben Braun is now your coach.

All my whiny handwringing aside, I'm not down on the team. We won a bunch of chess games last week, we're taking pitches, and our defense has been much better than last year. Eventually, Jones will start hitting the ball, maybe not often, but far. There's bench depth. The bullpen is well-constructed. There's just that benching our potentially best hitter in favor of our worst hitter thing...

91
Goodbye Love, Collison, and Westbrook. Ugggh, Jrue Holiday is going to have to be Michael Jordan for us next year.

The only imaginable scenario for this is if Pierre is being showcased for a trade (hence Torre talking him up and starting him). If we sit a struggling player against tough pitching, that could conceivably mean the majority of every series within the division (Peavy, Young, Maddux Webb, Haren, Owings, Cain, Lincecum, Francis, Jimenez, Morales) not to mention the Santana's, Smoltz's, Hamels, Harang's, Zambrano's, etc. of the world. Something just doesn't add up!

There is no excuse at all for Pierre to be playing over Kemp more than once so far. I'll buy into the Chris Young thing, ok that has some plausible deniability to it. But Kemp wouldn't be the first young player to struggle and then work his way out of it. Look at the Padres last year, Kouzmanoff was hitting less than .200 into May, he ended up being fine. Or what's that Vin always tells us about Willie Mays, started his career 0-23? It's stupid and ridiculous to be starting Pierre over Kemp more than once a week. If Kemp is still struggling in July, then we can start to get worried. But he should be given at least until then before being yanked out of a starters role. Stick with him and let him take his lumps, we'll be rewarded for it.

When Pierre comes up with men on base, you might as well stop watching; it hurts less. He had a .586 OPS last year with runners in scoring position. .588 the year before. This is not my idea of a pinch-hitter. Technically, you should have more chance of driving in the run than a pitcher would. In any pressure situation, Pierre folds.

93--Surprised Westbrook left. He could use some additional skill development at the NCAA level.

Love wont get better on the college level. He is what he is. How it translates to the NBA level--i'm not sure. Maybe he could be a good version of Nick Collison. Or Bogut.

Packer made a good point in the game Saturday that Love will have to better his endurance in the faster paced NBA game. Also, NBA 3 point shooting range will help. He'll be a defensive liability against almost all 4's (slow foot speed on the perimeter).

Realistically though, its probably a good move for him jumping to the NBA now. College wont make up for his physical limitations.

Collison--be surprised if he makes an NBA roster. Rose just dominated him, and he'll run into that at the NBA level with big guards that are just as quick/fast as him, but stronger.

From MLB.com: "We've struggled here the two years I've been here, and before I got here, I remember hearing about the big blowup in April, when they blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning," said Ethier, referring to a legendary defeat on April 30, 2006. "It's good to set the tone early like this."

That was the Danys Baez-Lance Carter game, right? Nice to see it's reached "legendary" status already.

There's no need to panic. The season has barely started. I'm sure Kemp & Ethier will start many more games than Pierre, but anyone expecting the $9 million dollar man to hug the bench all year is dreaming. Of course Torre is going to give him occasional starts depending on match-ups. Kemp has much more ability, but is not likely to gain Torre's confidence until he uses better strike zone judgement.

Dylan Hernandez, in the Times:

"Torre said he would probably start Pierre over Kemp for at least one more day, so that Kemp could avoid facing Haren. But he strongly hinted that Furcal would return to leading off, as Kent, who rested Sunday, will be back hitting cleanup."

It's very clear that Kemp is still considered to be the big hitter who should be batting, and that Torre believes that coddling him to protect him from fierce pitching is the way to let him start finding his form with easier pitchers. It may not be how you (DT reader) would handle it if you were the manager, but it should at least be reassuring that he says Kemp as the OF who is meant to be in the lineup.

4-2 start to the season, fantastic escpially when you consider you faced, cain, lincecum, peavy and young. tonights game is huge, if they can somehow sneak out a win they'll have a fantastic chance to split the billingsley vs davis and kuroda vs owings match-ups.

97 Is that for sure on Westbrook and the others? The LAT this morning says it's all up in the air.

68, is this the best looking team of Dodgers? Maybe it has to do with it being made up of mostly young guys.

Pierre to the Oakland Raiders. Make it happen. Actually he should make a Japanese team, but he'd have to learn how to bat first.

98 I'm pretty sure Ethier was there to witness the blowing of a 5-1 lead in the ninth at Petco last season (I think it was in June), a rare Broxton meltdown, assisted by a couple of infield errors.

85 andruw is worrying me also, however i believe it's fixable. it just seems to me he is going up there with an awful approach it seems to me he is just looking for something on the inner half and just trying to pull everything, he is getting constant diet of pitches away and rolling over and hitting weak grounders to 3rd and SS. but the more troubling aspect of it when he does get a pitch on the inner half he's missing it a lot. with that being said, he can easily fix it, but he never did last year, there is a chance he won't this year.

98 - It was going to be a good game. Bill Mueller knocked a Chan Ho pitch over the fence, and the Padres were held to a 3 hit shutout over 8 innings, thanks to Lowe and Osoria.

Danys Baez walked in two runs. That prompted this DB graphic (SFW).

http://www.dodgerblues.com/images/padres-thankyou_sm.jpg

If all these bruins bolt, and the reports about Davon and Taj coming back are true, my Trojans should win the Pac 10 next year in football and hoops.

How can Torre not realize that Pierre has almost no chance at the plate? The OF's are essentially standing 20 feet behind the infielders - it doesn't matter if he hits it hard, if it's more then 12 feet in the air it's an out.

To me Jones is what he is.... great defense (which by the way is very enjoyable to watch for a change) a sold # 6 hitter with some pop, but a low and declining avg. Tough to get excited about. Probably a .230-240 hitter rest of the way, lets just hope we get the 25-30HRs. Its great, though, when a ball is hit to center knowing something exciting (good exciting) can happen at any time.

Kemp looks like he is trying to pull the ball too much. Anything close to the outside corner he is missing big time while turning on the pitch. He will work through this; he did it last year, and pretty soon he will start sending those pitches to the opposite field.

93 - maybe Shipp will leave too for you guys - addition by subtraction. Holiday is awesome, and if Mbah A Moute and Keefe improve Ucla could have a solid transitional year. I actually think Westbrook should come back and work on the point, he could battle Rubio and Jennings for the #1 PG in the 09 draft.

107 Pierre has managed to hit in the .290s almost every year in his career despite everyone knowing this. Saying he has no chance is a bit much.

Would Shipp even warrant a 2nd-round pick? He barely looked like he belonged in the Bruins starting lineup sometimes, never mind the NBA.

Regfairfield, you were wondering about Anthony Raglani? He has been placed on the Restricted List. Cory Dunlap was placed on the Suspended List. Nook Logan was released.

113 Yeah, I just saw that and made a note of it. Thanks.

Kemp and Jones have looked the same to me. Kemp is missing the pitches away. Jones is tapping them to the left side and lumbering to first.

113 Did I miss something? What happened?

116 I noticed Raglani and Dunlap weren't on any of our rosters a couple days ago, now I know why.

113 - What's the scoop?

118 Unless Canuck was more successful, I couldn't find any reasons for those moves.

The Padres are going to wear their camouflage uniforms for every Sunday home game. I know they are to honor the military, but I don't like the uniforms themselves; I don't think they look very good.

This marks two teams that I regularly watch wearing Sunday home uniforms of which I don't approve (Lakers). Why wasn't I consulted on these matters?

118 -- Just passing on what I read at the Minor League Transactions section at Baseball America. They didn't have any details.

It wasn't that long ago that the only entertainment offered by the Dodgers was the great defense by Cora and Izturis. If pitching and defense win games the Dodgers have been well served so far this year.

Martin, Loney, Hu, DeWitt, Furcal, Ethier, Jones, Kemp can win games defensively and they can not lose games defensively.

Colletti owns contracts that have to make him nervous. Repko could wind up in CF instead of Jones, DeWitt at third instead of Nomar, Hu/Abreu instead of Kent, Kuo instead of Loiaza, and Kemp instead of Pierre. Then there is Schmidt.

Colletti has to hope Pierre plays and does well and maybe Torre understands this.

120 the padres look like a bunch of sissys in their uniforms, at least you could never look like a sissy wearing something honoring the army.

D-Backs are close to signing Short Chris Young to a tall contract:

Details of the agreement are not known but it is believed to be close to, but short of, the six-year, $30 million deal the Colorado Rockies gave shortstop Troy Tulowitzki earlier this year

http://tinyurl.com/5h3lzx

122 dewitt will lose a game defensively.

124 Ken Rosenthal does not approve.

Eric, nice to see the Dodgers get a victory in a game you attended. I don't recall if you were going to Sat or Sun. Are you now a good luck charm?

but it should at least be reassuring that he says Kemp as the OF who is meant to be in the lineup.

Actions speak louder than words.
Playing Pierre over Kemp is on the same level as Phillips over Choi.

121--Do the Dodgers random drug test their minor leaguers--not just for PEDs, but other drugs as well?

I cant really think of another reason for those two to be suspended or on the restricted list.

128 Kemp will still be in baseball 2 yrs from now

129 The restricted list tends to be for people being severely punished, ranging from not reporting to camp to facing felony charges.

Colletti owns contracts that have to make him nervous. Repko could wind up in CF instead of Jones, DeWitt at third instead of Nomar, Hu/Abreu instead of Kent, Kuo instead of Loiaza, and Kemp instead of Pierre.

I think only the last two have a good chance of happening.

Druw isnt going to be benched even if he hits like he did last year.
Kent's not going to lose his spot.
I'd also be very surprised if Nomar were to still be on the bench when healthy. I think he immediately replaces Dewitt, no matter how well Dewitt is doing.

103 I hadn't thought of it beyond Ethier, but now that you mention it ...

Yet another reason why Kent needs to retire -- or at least get rid of that ridiculous mustache from the 80s.

Just to take a bit of issue with many comments here in the last week regarding batters. It's pointless, no...senseless, to form an opinion of how a guy is batting only 1 week into the season. Give it a month, then we can talk about how a guy's "been" batting.

Nothing of worth can be said at this point, pro or con, about the plate appearances of a Jones, Martin, Eithier, Furcal, Loney, or to a lesser extent even Kent (age).

Yes this is true of any team, but especially true of our roster.

(Obviously this small-sample-size principle need not extend to players with a known, consistent, FIRMLY established batting pattern, a la Pierre.)

134 it's not a small sample of andruw jones, its 594 ab's for him now.

134 Yah, that's what I've been trying to say here in general.

Re 135 - yes, and he could struggle all season, who knows, but last year scouts felt like Jones was pressing a lot, and he looks like it a bit right now, too. (And heck, even in his "down year" his OPS and slugging numbers last year would've been pretty great on the Dodgers '07 team.) I wouldn't make too much of anything right now, not for at least another month. It's such a long season. Why make it even longer by beginning it with so much overanalysis and worry? (Not directing that at you, just in general.)

... Not sure if anyone's picked up on the story of the Dodgers suspecting Peavy of using pine tar. Anyway, Peavy predictably denied any use of foreign substances.

http://tiny.cc/Grwbk

... Why don't I try that again, with a better tinyurl:

http://tinyurl.com/4g2kvn

135 right, so at this point would you be happy with gold glove quality defense from him and 25-30 hr. I think I'm fine with him being the same as last year. So why worry if he's doing what he did last year. Sure, I'm hopeful he'll turn it around.

139 You should note that he had a VORP 10 runs lower than Juan Pierre last year.

127
My losing streak was broken Friday night, but I pressed my luck by going Saturday to watch Peavy silence the bats.

Ewing and Olajuwon are the headliners, but two former Lakers -- Pat Riley and Adrian Dantley -- have made the basketball HOF.

They will enter the hall with a class that is awesome baby!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3333987

141 ah. Well at least you got to see a Dodger victory and some good pitching.

143
Another sort of cool thing (even though he subsequently got pushed back a day in the pitching rotation) was that Friday I wore my Billingsley road jersey to Petco. It marked the first time my jersey saw Billingsley pitch in person.

31 there could be many reasons that Torre is starting Pierre, I doubt that the reason he gave to the press is the one.

Agreed. And I'm not looking forward to another season of trying to mind-read a manager. Why can't we have a manager who simply thinks logically. So we can all sit back and think, "Yes, that decision makes sense. Quite reasonable Joe. Should be good for the team."

But Noooooooo, it's gonna be another season of trying to read tarot cards laid out by a drunk.

140 so you would have preferred to stay with Pierre and not sign Jones?

I've been encouraged how A Jones plays CF even with his weight. On the opposite side of the coin was the feeble attempt of Jim Edmunds to play CF over the weekend. Peavy even said "Wow" when Edmunds was unable to come up with a simple fly ball into the gap. Maybe he's rusty, but the Padres might be better off with Hairston in CF and Headley in LF.

135 it's not a small sample of andruw jones, its 594 ab's for him now.

I included Jones because there are some new variables with him. His fitness. And psychology, it's a new team for him.

(But point taken Cargill)

141
Why would you push your luck on Saturday?

I'm a cheater, I pick games when were being faced by the 3-5 pitchers not the one and two guys.

147
The two hits Peavy allowed were both hit to CF. I'm not sure if Furcal's triple should have been caught but it certainly shouldn't have been a triple. That should have been maybe a double with a close play at second at the very worst.

The Loney double also was a close one. At worst it should have been a single, but Edmonds let it get past him for another extra base.

The best part was that in the 3rd or 4th inning of every game, the Padres let some kid announce the leadoff batter that inning. A little girl announced "Jim Edwards", so when he made those two misplays a couple Padres fans in my section yelled to get this Edwards guy out of the game and put in Edmonds. :)

135
At some point this season, Andruw Jones is going to string together 100 at bats that will make those previous 594 at bats mean nothing, or were going to be paying 33 million to two guys to play centerfield who shouldn't be playing.

149
Why would you push your luck on Saturday?

What can I say? I'm a huge Peter Tomarkin fan.

I would have went to all three games but I was in Carlsbad for most of the day Sunday.

151 sure he can, look at his july last year, but he can still have a bad year. druw has just looked really bad in at bats this year and looks like the same hitter in atl i saw last year, i hope im wrong but we're looking at a .750-.800 OPS IMO

152 Legoland?

145 What would we have to talk about if everything were so clear?

154
I ran my first 5k.

156 that's right. how'd that go?

157 He's breathing. :)

157
I'm just glad I finished. It was a really cool event. And 27 people ate my dust. :) (We won't mention the 1,102 people that finished ahead of me)

159 sweet! congrats and good job. you say it's your first, does that mean you are working up to something bigger?

160
Maybe just more 5Ks for now. The longer races are much too daunting right now to even consider.

Because the Carlsbad 5k is held in essentially a neighborhood, parking is limited so you basically just have to park in front of houses some distance from the event. So, factoring in the mile or so I walked to and from my car, I actually cleared well over 5 miles yesterday. It was almost an 8k! :)

159 Excellent work!

161 nice! I really miss running. The knees just don't cooperate anymore. I'm happy if can just walk without pain. Anyhoo, good job and stick with it.

155 What would we have to talk about if everything were so clear?

We'd talk about the plethora of dumb decisions managers could've made but didn't. ha.

Anyway, I know all things will never be clear. But sometimes there are just outright dumb decisions (ongoing Pierre affair) that we could all do without.

I used to go down south alot when I was a kid, and they had the most persistent kind of knats. No matter how much you waved your hand in front of your face, they JUST WOULDN'T GO AWAY.

That's how the Pierre affair is. It's not even mildly interesting to talk about anymore. It's just dreadful. Like having an Air Supply song stuck in your head for 2 years.

164 the logical thing to do then would be not to go down south

Tonight will be a great opportunity to check out Justin Upton in action. He might have the quickest wrists I've ever seen.

Andruw Jones looks really really good in CF. Even if he never regains his form, and "only" hits like he did last year, he'll still be one of the better CFers in the league counting offense and defense. Not worth his contract, but still helping the team on the field a lot. And then if he DOES regain his 50HR form, oh doctor!

Nice work, Eric.

I've got great memories of Carlsbad. I spent a significant amount of time at my grandma's house right up the hill from Carlsbad High. Fish House Vera Cruz is one of my family's favorite restaurants. I'll always have a soft spot for Carlsbad.

Gee, I go out of town for a few days....

While I fully join the chorus of "Kemp, not JP" I'm finding it hard to believe that this is anything more than Torre either impessing upon the Bison the importance of making contact and working counts, or just hitting the restart button. Torre surely has seen by now that he needs all the pop he can get. As for his JP hitting-at-people remark, I don't think that was praise.

165 the logical thing to do then would be not to go down south

Just to be clear I didn't mean that us talking about it is dreadful, but the persistence of the Pierre situation itself.

146 No, but if he hits like he did last year, he'll be at best barely more valuable than Pierre was. Him repeating '07 isn't acceptable.

Chase Field (although I prefer to still call it "The Bob") has a new HD toy:

Chase is one of just three Major League ballparks sporting a high-def scoreboard, Herman said. The 46-foot-high, 136-foot-wide screen, crowned with the Chase Field logo, also commanded a major-league price: $14 million

I'm not sure which other two stadiums have HD boards. Is Angel Stadium one?

http://tinyurl.com/6petbb

The good thing is that Coletti went out and got Andruw Jones to play center. That was a Big symbol that Pierre is going to be history. Without Jones, then you're just stuck with Pierre.
Kemp will be back in, I think this time off is fine because he's pressing and frankly looks terrible right now. Torre told him to relax and have fun.
Kemp is a streak hitter, and as soon as he has a good game and hits one out, with maybe a double as well, he'll get his confidence back and be the everyday rightfielder.
By July, I bet Pierre and his agent will be pressing for him to be traded.

165 That's like saying the logical thing is to quit following the Dodgers. Well that's not going to happen.

Gnat is a good nickname for Pierre, though. He'll take it as a positive, implying that he annoys pitchers when he's on base. We'll know better.

Spaghetti-arm is still my favorite name for him.

172
OK, so apparently the 3 HD scoreboards in MLB are Arizona, San Francisco, and Washington.

175

I could have sworn the Angels have a scoreboard just like that in right field. The jumbotron doubles as a scoreboard. Maybe the video quality isn't HD.

174 tell that to Andrew

Kuroda's excellent start Friday nigh at Petco produced the 6th highest game score (71) by an LA Dodger making his MLB debut.

Rest of the list: http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/94mY

I never would have thought Shawn Hillegas would be on this list!

178 since you got to see him in person, what was your impression.

178
I was sitting high and deep down the RF line, so I couldn't see any of the pitches break or anything, but just watching the scoreboard he seemed to gain velocity as the game went on. His fastball was 87-89 in the early innings, then moved into the 90-93 range from about the 4th inning on. That, and his control was great and evident even from 300 feet away.

178 - From the top 10 on that list, I remember the Astacio, Nomo, Martinez, Hillegas and Sutcliffe games very well.

I was talking to a Dodger fan at the bar last night, and he said he liked Angel stadium better than Dodger stadium.

I don't get that. Do you guys like Angel stadium? I'm not so big on it.

What about it, if anything, is more appealing than Dodger stadium?

178
Thanks for the list. Did you notice that spots 5-7 are now occupied by Japanese imports? You would think it would be 1-3 given the experience they have and the contracts they signed.

182
I am partial to Dodger Stadium, but here are two advantages of the halos' home:

1) getting in and out of the stadium
2) the ability to traverse all over Angel Stadium regardless of your ticket location.

182
More more kid friendly as the kids have a place to hang out instead of watching a boring game that only their parents care about.

Did anyone catch the story over on SOSG about Moreno opening the team store for some Angels and buying all of them a T-Shirt after a game?
http://www.sonsofstevegarvey.com/2008/04/arte-moreno-fires-latest-salvo-in-gm.html

The condiment stations at Angel Stadium are terrible. Only mustard and ketchup.

Angel Stadium is cleaner and there are more hot chicks there. Downside: you have to watch the Angels, which is annoying when the person next to you won't shut up about how great Chone Figgins is.

(Quote: "I'd rather have Chone on my team than Alex Rodriguez.")

I haven't seen many fights break out in Angel Stadium. Every time I have sat in the upper deck or in the reserve section at Dodger Stadium, I have seen a fight. Last week, I saw one near where I was sitting in the loge section.

187 what are the chicks thinking? kemp ethier jones way hotter than vlad garrett and torri, i'll take dewitt over chone, izturis furcal i guess i'll take izzy, kent vs kendrick i'm not sure a lot of the white trash girls at bars swoon over kent, kotchman vs loney toss up, obviously martin over napoli. rotation i'll say tie, with bills leading they way vs garland. bullpen i guess i'd just have to give the edge to the angels only because beimel maybe our best looking guy out of the pen maybe proctor.

I think there's more attractive women per capita in Orange County.

I end up at Angels games more than Dodger games just because I'm so close. It's not DS, but it's a pretty well-run stadium, I think. It's clean, easy to get to, and you rarely see the brawls that seem so common at DS. Since I'm usually with my kids, that's a big factor.

188

They guy at the bar did mention that about Dodger stadium. Although he put it in racial terms, "I don't feel safe there as a white guy." I think that's stretching it a bit, but anyway.

He said he liked being able to do more fun stuff after the game at Angel stadium, bars etc.

187

You are so right, my friend has season tickets to the Angels and I have put up with her Figgins talk.

And my wife swoons every time Speier shows up on her TV screen, if we're still tallying the hotness factor.

Scott Templeton did not win:

http://www.pulitzer.org/2008/2008.html

Let it be known that Chone Figgins had a home OPS of 993 with a BA over 400 and an OBP over 450 in 2007.

It is little wonder that the home crowd of Angel fans are not a little in love with his game. What is a wonder how Dodger fans don't respect his game. An overall 393 OB% is what you dream of from your lead off hitter.

Talking about luck.

In May of 2007 Figgins had a BABIP of .171 and posted an OPS of 455.

In June of 2007 Figgins had a BABIP of .520 and posted an OPS over 1000.

In Roto terms that May BABIP is a buy signal, and the June BABIP is a sell signal since his career BABIP is .340

I really dislike the Angels and Angel Stadium but there are 2 positives:

1) you can walk around the entire stadium unhindered (unlike Dodger Stadium) which is good if you have kids

2) you can get there via Amtrak or Metrolink

Of course, the downside is that you're surrounded by ignorant or obnoxious or even, in some cases, racist fans.

Tough road to hoe for the Tigers after the 0 - 6 start.
https://mikesrants.baseballtoaster.com/archives/942082.html

189 i'm not sure a lot of the white trash girls at bars swoon over kent

As a member of the white trash community myself, I resent that comment.

"ignorant or obnoxious or even, in some cases, racist fans"

because that is so unlike Dodger Stadium in what way?

198 I'll fill in for Bob here. Roads are impossible to hoe. Rows are sometimes tough to hoe.

200

Just in my experiences at Angel Stadium. I know it can be just as bad at DS, but I've appreciated the amount of diversity in LA. Usually it's the alcohol that causes the problems at DS. In Anaheim, I've been called various names and overheard other comments by fans who were not under the influence and sometimes with their families. Again that's just my personal experience so I'm sure for the majority of fans a trip to Angel Stadium may be a perfectly great experience.

never say die pirates!!!!!

can you tell i have a betting interest in that game?

177- You don't pick your family, but you pick everything else. If you want to stay married to the woman who cheats on you, calls you names, and drops eleven hundred dollars a month on telephone psychics, feel free--I won't judge you. Honest. But, as for me, there's a plucky lass, three hundred miles away, with an inviting aspect. She's got her life together, already successful, and pretty darn cute, too.

You can hoe a road. It's really tough, but that's the point, right?

The OC register begs to deffer with those that think Angel Stadium is clean (at least in 2007).

http://www.ocregister.com/news/stadium-food-vermin-1797567-violations-health

Their crowd does happen to seem better than DS in many respects.

Paging blubleeder

I know you remember your old pal...

194 - As a new father (and relatively new husband) the photography winner just about killed my day. Unfathomable is the word I think.

Dodger Stadium has a criminal element that most other Stadiums don't have...I love it there, but can understand why fans of opposing teams don't feel safe, and it's embarrassing to me as a Dodger fan. As for the racial thing, if a white fan resents being in the minority at a ballgame, it's on them.

Over at the ESPN boards you see more racial put-downs from Angels posters than anyone else.

205 but all roads are tough to hoe, while only some rows are. unless the line is meant to be self-evident.

19 Years ago I caught Hepatitis A. The county traced it back to the Big A. I would advise eating elsewhere. I have probably been to 50 games there since, and never ordered more than a soda. I hate that place.

It should also be noted that the only actively bad writer on SBN is the Angels guy.

So, that's why they call it the Big A.

Are white people a minority at Dodger Stadium? I know there's probably not a way to get a definitive answer on that, but I wouldn't bet that it was true.

It doesn't actually matter, I guess, since anybody who's scared to be white at Dodger Stadium should probably spend the time he'd be frittering away at the game reinforcing his cabin in Idaho.

Now, you could talk about tough roads to Ho.

168 - Carlsbad, MC? Based on our previous music conversations, would you have any interest or love of no knife?

remember lotso great No Knife shows.

didn't know you spent time down there, I have a deep love of the SD scene, still.

Jayson Stark on ESPN.com hosted a chat following up his thoughts on which team is in more trouble, the Tigers or the Rockies (based on high expectations vs. poor starts). His conclusion was the Rockies, because of the strength of the division's pitching, but as some chatters pointed out, neither team is in trouble, really. When compared to teams that are really in trouble. Notice Stark's point about how early it is to even be debating this:

Murphia, Maryland: You want a team in bigger trouble? How about the Orioles? I'd take 0-6 and the Tigers lineup any day over first place in April with what the O's have.

SportsNation Jayson Stark: You know, I'm glad you made that point. I'd take either the Tigers or Rockies over the Orioles and Cardinals. And they're both 5-1. So when you think about it in those terms, why are we getting so worked up about one week? <<

and
Sergio Flores: Im a long time Giants fan. We going to be in trouble for a long time. At least these teams are being talked about. Neither of these teams are in trouble. I think there is more pressure on Detroit because of all the money the spent.

SportsNation Jayson Stark: The Giants are No. 1 on that Teams In Trouble list. An executive of one club I talked to the other day described them this way: "Embarrassing." They'll be mathematically eliminated by Tuesday, I'm pretty sure.

http://tinyurl.com/4gaacc

I'm in no way saying that Angel fans are better then Dodger fans.

In my own experience in Southern California, over enthusiastic Dodger or Angel fans are the best reasons NOT to go to either stadium.

I used to worry that when I retired I wouldn't be able to live in Los Angeles and that going to Dodger/Angel baseball games would be what I would miss most. With each game I go to, that is less and less of a worry for me.

I'll agree about Angel Stadium being a bit more family friendly. Also the fact that you can wear opposing teams colors there and not be threatened with life and limb is kind of nice. But mainly it's the ease of getting in and out of the stadium that I like.

That said, Dodger Stadium is a cathedral and Angel Stadium is one of those churches built in an industrial park.

209 Dodger Stadium has a criminal element that most other Stadiums don't have

As someone who has been to a number of games at a certain ballpark in Queens, New York, let me assure you that there is at least one other stadium with a criminal element far, far worse than Dodger Stadium.

Furcal's .536 OBP is 5th in the majors. He's out of his mind right now.

There is one thing that Steinbrenner did well with the Yankees, and that's the fan decorum policy they have at Yankee Stadium. You commit a Rule 1 violation at the Stadium and you are asked to leave.

I wouldn't mind seeing something like that at Dodger Stadium, rather than several toothless warnings.

I have absolutely zero interest in the Angels. It only goes back to 2002, but my non-interest seems to be growing stronger every year. I despise The Average Angel Fan.

222 They have a fan decorum policy at Yankee Stadium? No Rule 1 violations???

That may actually be a more unenforced law in NYC than jaywalking.

222 This is the same stadium that chants something that ryhmes with a dude wearing a backwards Red Sox cap and a goatee at the umpires when they blow a call.

218. That is one of the reasons why I tend to dislike every home team of every place I ever lived. Most fans at most places are just jerks. Before I moved to Chicago, I was pretty ambivalent about all of the teams here, now I hate them all and love to needle all of my co-workers about their failures. It was the same when I lived in DC, Missouri, Milan, Australia (primarily their national teams since I didn't really follow the popular local sports in Perth), Sacramento, Kansas City (yeah, I hated the NBA Kings in two cities), Texas, and Wisconsin. The funny thing, when I move away from those places, as my memory of the fans and the horrible local sports media grow dimmer, I gain a soft spot for the local teams that I have left behind.

209 Dodger Stadium has a criminal element that most other Stadiums don't have...

Most front offices actually play the promising young talent they keep on the 25-man roster.

"a dude wearing a backwards Red Sox cap and a goatee"

It rhymes with all of that? And it's still in English? That's a whole lotta rhyming.

228 They're a creative bunch out in New York.

224/225 - I remember reading somewhere about the decorum policy, my memory may be a bit blurry, but I do remember something along the lines of people being removed for cursing.

228 Yeah I was confused by that.

It's hard to describe rule one violations without violating rule one.

232 Rule 1 itself does.

Except your not allowed to use Rule 1 to describe a rule 1 violation. It's in the rules.

It is ridiculous to think that the average Angels fan is dimmer than the average Dodger fan. Their are plenty of idiots that root for both teams. Remember that poll on dodgers.com towards the end of spring when something like 51% of the fans wanted Pierre to be the starting LF? Nomar still gets some of the loudest cheers at the stadium, right? I think the "average" fanbase exists in every franchise, they root for names and not performance.

I am a die hard Dodger fan but have to admit that I am more comfortable wearing my Dodger blue at the Big A than I am with my wife wearing her Angel red at the Ravine. I love Dodger Stadium, always will but the annoying fans at Dodger Stadium get to me more than the bandwagon fans at the A.

219 - Now don't get me wrong, I am always a Dodger fan first and foremost but I still don't understand the hatred for the Angels and Angel fans that should be reserved for our natural rivals in the NL west. The Giants, Padres, Snakes and Rockies are the ones who we battle with for 18 games each in a 162 game season. I always considered the Angels the Socal American League representative that I would root for except when they would play the Dodgers in any pre-season or post-season series in the past before the creation of inter-league play.

I have noticed a more territorial aspect to some Dodger fans over the last few years that has gotten more abusive and sometimes physical with increasing frequency. I actually am afraid to go to the Giants games now, even being a Dodger fan -just for being afraid of being in the area where a fight might break out if a Giant fan is sitting near me. I only visit Angel stadium for weekend games like 3-4 games a year because it is too hard to get there during the week, but I have nowhere near the fear of attending their games as I do my beloved Dodgers, depending on the opponent.

It's a sad but true development! I still go to ten -twelve games a year at DS but I choose the games carefully as to the opponent. I used to always schedule a Giant game but haven't the last two years.
I am going to the Padre game Saturday night.

222 - Dodger Stadium used to be that way during the O'Malley years. Any swearing, even in a conversational voice, and an usher would soon tap you on the shoulder and warn you that next time would mean an ejection.

Not only does that no longer happen, but when I recommended a Disneyland-standard of fan behavior at DT Day last summer, it was brushed off by Dodger VP Camille (since fired, what was her name?) as unenforceable in this day and age. Oh really? Try walking around cursing loudly at Disneyland and see what happens.

Fan behavior will be exactly what they allow it to be. If Disneyland can do it, the Dodgers can still do it.

228 194 I'm really confused by the NY chant at umps, I'm sure there's a way you can tactfully describe it. As far as the pulitzer goes, whats the significance of this years winner?

The D-Backs extended Short Chris Young 6-years for Tulo-esque money.

166 I'm no expert, but are they quicker than Bonds or Sheffield?

226 What Penarol said. Except, wow, I thought I'd moved a lot, but I'm like a tree with roots compared to you. ;-) But I feel the same way - it's good thing I only lived in LA itself for two years! I'm sure I wouldn't be a Broncos fan anymore if I lived in Denver for a long while.

239 Would it help if I said he had a freind named Sully and was drinking Dunkin Donuts coffee?

Strange as it may sound, since I moved to New York, my experiences at Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium have been polar opposites. The Bronx crowd is loud, passionate and profane, and they can get obnoxious towards opposing teams' fans in the bleachers, but I've never felt threatened there like I have at Shea Stadium.

Several times, I thought I was going to get attacked at Shea. I was wearing Dodgers gear during games against the Dodgers, which made me a target (of course) for peanut shells, ice cubes and insults. And when things turned against the Mets, the harassment went from annoying to belligerent. One time I got cornered on the steps by a bunch of aggro drunks all wearing those ugly orange Mets jerseys. It felt like I was being mugged by a highway cleanup crew.

I'll be there again May 29-June 1, but I'm getting expensive tickets in the good seats this time. I hate to sound like an elitist snob, but that makes a big difference.

243 I guess that depends, do you consider Dunkin Donuts coffee bad? Or maybe you are suggesting it acts like a laxative?

Having attended many games at both, I've never felt anything less than completely safe and secure at Shea Stadium or Yankee Stadium (and this despite wearing Dodger gear at the former and Mets gear at the latter).

Okay, completely off topic but:

Maasai Warriors to run London Marathon to raise funds to find a water source for their village

http://tiny.cc/LQwHD

They will run in traditional dress -- a red "shuka" blanket toga and car-tire sandals -- carrying spears and shields showing their running numbers, and will sing and dance along the 26.2 mile route through the British capital.

I've never felt compelled to "represent" at visiting stadiums. Why attract the attention?

243
What rhymes with Bill Simmons?

I also plan to attend a local racing event here singing and dancing and wielding a spear.

Anyone know a good bail bondsman?

It doesn't actually matter, I guess, since anybody who's scared to be white at Dodger Stadium should probably spend the time he'd be frittering away at the game reinforcing his cabin in Idaho

Or spending time watching a game in San Diego.

249 You're getting really close...

238 - Yes, I remember. I also remember that back then the nature of fans bantering with fans of other teams was by and large good-natured. It just does not seem that way anymore. I miss just being able to talk to fans at Dodger Stadium that were Cubs, Cardinals, Mets or Phillies fans. Have some back and forth good-natured ribbing was fun but you realized it was just a game and not worth getting a mark on a police record over the outcome of a game. It's actually more fun now to visit a park on the road and just be a fan of the game and see a game between the Cards and the Brewers and talk to the Cardinal fans at Busch stadium and observe how they root for their team. You get a different perspective. I do remember one obnoxious Met fan early in the '88 season when the Mets were owning the Dodgers and he was really rubbing the dodger fans in our area noses in it at one game. I just wish I had a picture of his face after Orel shut the Mets out in game 7 of the NLCS later that year. That would have been priceless.

249 Andrew Shimmins?

Watching a game in San Diego? Have you ever been there in Dodger blue? Its a near fight every time I go and their fans are pretty ethnically diverse as well.

248 that's the way I am as well.

256
Must be an Oregon thing.

I usually where a hat or shirt, and I'll clap for my team and yell for a player, but I stay away from unfriendly banter.

that's usually, and I state usually, where the problems are with Away Team fans at Dodger Stadium.

248- I'll go you one better--I don't feel compelled to represent at any game. If somebody wants to know for whom I'm rooting, he can ask me.

255- I think there's less of a diverse crowd in San Diego just judging off of TV crowd shots comparing PetCo and Dodger Stadium.

Seems theres more white and less brown at Padres games, than in LA.

i think you'd be suprised

259
You didn't go me better: I'm the same way. I don't wear team-related garb, and I neither cheer nor boo.

Course, I don't really go to many games to begin with.

I think I'll wear a tuxedo to the next game I attend.

216 I know of No Knife, but I couldn't even name a song.

My musical taste is based on early to mid 90's rock and east coast hip hop (thanks to an older cousin), which introduced me to basically everything I listen to nowadays. Lately, I've been listening to a bunch of Animals. And also some early Warren Zevon/Turtles stuff.

Eekrock, do you know of Just Two Guys?

I think no matter how you look at it, the Dodgers need to do a better job of creating a fan-friendly atmosphere.

I love this team, I love our ballpark, but I'll say it: Dodger Stadium is full of Raider fans these days. It needs to stop; start enforcing those rules they broadcast on Diamondvision.

243 249 I'm still confused.

I typically don't wear Dodgers gear to other stadiums. I'm with D4P... I don't really want the attention.

259 but that's just so you can change sides depending on who's prettier that inning.

252
Hmmm...Bill Simmons' friends are Hench, House, J-Bug, etc.

I give up. I have a feeling I am going to be really disappointed if you reveal your Rule 1 violation, if only because the buildup is so huge in my mind.

I feel like Geraldo Rivera about to enter Al Capone's vault.

266 are you from Oregon?

266

Heck, most of the time I don't even wear Dodger gear to Dodger Stadium. I'm just being lazy, though.

262
Why do you bother going at all?

Matt Cain is getting beat up by the Padres. If Matt Cain fails to live up to expectations could the Giants be the worse team in their history? If I was him I'd have to think seriously about faking an arm injury.

266 No I am not. I grew up in SoCal, currently residing in NorCal.

Baseball games are really the only events that I wear team garb at, and it's usually just a hat. I'll wear by Long Beach State hat to any Long Beach St sporting event, I just don't go too often.

That said, I did sport my Dodger hat to Game 1 of the 2002 World Series. When a guy working at Angel Stadium asked, I said, "Really, I'm just here to root against the Giants."

237 C'mon man, it's not like Dodger Stadium is a war zone.

Why do you bother going at all?

Like I said: I usually don't.

Which reminds me: I don't go to rock concerts, either. On one hand, I don't like it when bands don't play the songs the way I'm used to hearing them on the radio. But if they're just gonna play it the same way I'm used to, why pay big bucks to hear what I can hear for free on the radio?

I've received some pretty nice taunts while wearing a Dodger jersey and Rockies cap to games between the two, but that's to be expected. I can't imagine getting into a fist fight over a game, though. Mostly because I can't imagine getting into a fist fight about anything. I just don't care that much about other people's opinions

257 Some 300 pound dude can't elbow you in the head on the radio.

277
Even more reason to stay home.

264 Alright, good to get down to it. As far as the Turtles go, I picked up the Solid Zinc comp that Rhino put out years back. It's out of print but a great collection. I need to learn more about the Animals, but I did pick up a purty good 7" of theirs at a recent Record Swap.

Heard of Just Two Guys, but I'll have to MySpace them.

Best news I've heard lately is that King Khan & the Shrines is going to tour and signed to Vice Records.

honestly my favorite place to watch any game is on my big screen tv. although I do enjoy getting in a Oregon Duck football game at Autzen every couple years. I also don't like packed movie theaters. Really I'm not a big fan of people.

279 *are goint to tour

I just spent the better part of today reading this weekend's Dodger Thoughts and other Dodger-related news. By far the best thing I saw was: The Lambo Leap! (sfw)

http://tinyurl.com/568265

Anyone recall the atmosphere at Yankee Stadium during the 1977-78 World Series? My recollection is that it rivaled the most bitter Candlestick nights.

Really I'm not a big fan of people

Thus the blog, mother's basement, beer, underwear, etc.

Thus the blog, mother's basement, beer, underwear, etc

good point

274 - A couple games against the Giants down on the field level down near the foul pole about 3 years ago, I counted at least ten separate fights that broke out after the third inning. The fights increased as the innings wore on. Last dodger-Giant game I attended. Wife refuses to go to DS when the G-men are in town now. So in some cases my friend, I beg to differ!!

279 Great news on the King Khan front.

You probably won't have any luck Myspacing them. All I can find is one 7 inch on itunes. The song "Eyes" is awesome, I was wondering if you knew of any other releases. It's a cool garage record, I figured it would be right up your alley.

280 "There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking."

I'm wearing my away jersey to the game tonight. If someone around me looks up from their Iphone long enough, they might take notice.

The Turtles were a touring rock comedy force. Flo and Eddy were funny for their time and could even write a decent pop song.

D4P will enjoy this but I thought the Turtles cover of Dylans "It's not me Babe" was excellent.

Safe to assume Easler has significant input with Torre where Kemp is concerned. Doubt any hitting coach knows Kemp better than Easler does. Kemp also seems to really respect Easler. If Easler/Torre, in fact, have decided that Kemp is so lost right now thaat he could use the time off to find his swing, or rid himself of some sort of a flew, and his psyche would have taken a beating against Peavy/Young/Haren, it's a realistic course of action to sit Kemp.

As for Pierre, he still isn't ready to swing when the pitcher lets go of the ball. He's learned nothing from his failures. Zero adjustments whatsoever the last few years. The only thing I can hope for there is that his wretched spring training spring training and current results are so poor that he will stop being so stubborn.

286 I believe I was at that game, if the foul pole in question is on the 1st base side. If not, well, it happened at another game, too.

284 LOL

forgot to add that after the part about it being realistic to sit kemp, i'd add that why not give Delwyn Young one of the three spot starts, assuming he's recovered from the blow to the head?

291--Thats a valid point. I guess my reaction to that reasoning would be that if Kemp's psyche is so fragile that he cant function in a slump, or against good pitching--->then maybe he's not as good as we all think.

268 That's a very postmodern Geraldo. Knowing the vault is empty, but being excited about breaking through.

Oh yes, I should add...

The worst fan atmosphere at DS is Giants/Dodgers games. After that though, it drops considerably. Still doesn't change my opinion in 265 , but in either case, the enthusiasm for the team is definitely a nice thing.

Hey I'm looking forward to the "New and Improved" Chase Field. I also like.... the New and Improved Loaiza starting against the already-improved-and-mint-condition Dan Haren.

The Dodgers managed to win games vs the tops of the SF and SD rotations, why not AZ?

287 sent a reminder email to my private address. i'll check it out later. thanks!

for random tracks i've heard on a 7" lately, i quite liked the Gentleman Jessie b-side on a Black Lips split. Pretty power-poppy. Like a drunken Real Kids covering the Nerves. Or maybe just a drunken Real Kids...

back to Dodger Talk, i'm hoping for 2/3 in this series. How do you all think Bills will match up against Davis after his odd start to the season?

Darn, I wish the Dodgers game wasn't up against the NCAA game tonight. But since if Memphis wins I win first place in one of the pools I'm in (!), I think my attentions will go more towards that game. Fortunately, I didn't put any money down on the Dodgers vs. Dan Haren (though I'll be hoping for the best there).

275

People go because of the experience.

292 - actually I was on the third base side, could have been same night or a different night, all I know is, it was really getting crazy, almost scary. One of the fights started just a couple rows above us, so yeah, safety for yourself and your spouse/family takes precedence and enters my decision on what team I'm willing to see. Most of the time, I get tickets at the Inner reserve level, I usually avoid the field level down by the pole seats as the view is not usually as good into home plate. Even on inner reserve though, I have seen more rude behavior in the form of vulgarity than in fights over the last couple years directed at fans of any team other than Dodger Blue.

298
Spreading even more positivity, we don't even have to face Webb!

299 Davis has owned us in the past, hopefully we can put together some good at bats and get him outta there. I'm hoping we see second half Dan Haren tonight.

Also, what did you think of that stunt Kuyt pulled last week? I'm still angry.

300 My advice, unless you actually are a fan of Memphis, don't watch the game at all, in fact don't watch any sports. And then around 8:59 p.m. PDT, turn to CBS and see the final montage of highlights as the strains of "One Shining Moment" play on, if you see a net draped around John Calipari, you'll know you have won.

The way people are talking it sounds like Dan Haren is superman.

At least he is lower in the order...

Furcal, SS
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
Kent, 2B
Ethier, RF
Jones, CF
DeWitt, 3B
Pierre, LF
Loaiza, P

304 you trying to ruin my Monday? :-)

i'm just trying to focus on tomorrow. my beloved Gunners can certainly put the ball in the net, and Rafa is acting like the 'pool will come out and play a bit. One goal by either team and it'll be pandemonium amongst all players.

307
Kinda weird that the "bench player" is getting more starts than the other guy.

And another thing: if Then Bench Player's at-bats were so good yesterday, as we're supposed to believe, why was he moved 7 spots down in the lineup?

307 For some ridiculous reason, I had hoped that Kemp would be playing. This makes me angry.

310 Because Joe Torre was lying when he said that was the reason for punishing us with Pierre again.

Here's what I'd like to see. Every time Pierre starts, hit him 9th, with the pitcher batting 8th. Unless, of course, his agent doesn't approve and calls Ned again. Have you notice that Pierre hasn't sat since the call by his agent? Ned should have demanded a money-back guarantee.

Maybe Kemp's agent needs to have Ned clarify Kemp's role.

New post up top.

Kent has two singles since his home run on opening day. If we think we are going to compete with a 40 year old 2nd baseman with a bad hammy as our clean up hitter, then we be in dreamland.

305 Ah, that's no fun! This way I get to curse at Billy Packer, live!

306 Well, there is that theory of reverse-jinxing by putting the opposition way up on a pedestal.

Er, except I just ruined that by spelling it out.

Anyway, I don't think Haren is unbeatable at all - Webb scares me more. But he's a tough cookie and vs. Loiaza I don't have a great deal of faith. But that's just on paper.