Regarding our pitching thus far:

Three games against the team with Bengie Molina batting cleanup and three in PetCo are good for the team ERA.

Reposting from previous thread:
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.

If he HAS to play, I can tolerate the 8th spot.

Of course - but you can apply the same qualifiers to the Dodger hitting - who they faced in the Giant series and where they played in the Padre series.

By the way, D4P, Matt Kemp's agent is Dave Stewart:

http://tinyurl.com/6rbku2

1 I know what you mean, and don't mean to single you out here, but I feel like there's a double standard going on with assessing the Dodgers here. So it's too early to get excited about how well the bullpen is doing, because it's early, and the Giants, and PetCo, etc., but it's not too early too criticize the hitters, and Joe Torre, and Andruw Jones, and so on?

You know what I mean?

Or what Jon said more succinctly in 4 .

2 runs in 18.1 IP and opponents hitting only .164 against them. Now that's relief! And we don't have an over-the-hill Hoffman to worry about like the Padres.

"Always the negative vibes man"

5
Oh yeah, I think I remember knowing that at one point in time.

6
The Giants lineup sucks, and PetCo is tough to hit in. So, it is reasonable to think that "good" pitching from the Dodgers may actually just be horrendous hitting by the Giants and park factors in San Diego.

As for the rest, Joe Torre's decision-making is presumably not influenced by Sabean's terrible roster or PetCo. If he thinks Pierre deserves more than half the starts, I think it's reasonable to critique his thinking. Regarding Jones, he was terrible last year, and is off to a terrible start this year. So, criticizing him really just follows last year's pathetic performance, and is not based solely on the few games he has played thus far.

I hope the D-Backs close the roof for tomorrow night's game so Billingsley can make his scheduled start.

Can we just agree that it's far too early to make judgements about the offense or defense?

10 Kuroda was legit great on Friday.

D-Backs lead MLB with 12 HR while the Dodgers are tied for last with SF and the Mets with only 2. Phenom Justin Upton already has 3. Any thoughts on how this might come in to play in the upcoming series and in the division race where the defending NL West champ D-Backs appear to be the team to beat right now?

Joe Posnanski continues to make me laugh.

"*Real work has had me on the road more or less non-stop for months. I was telling someone here in San Antonio that I'm feeling ridiculously homesick — I said, "I feel like I'm not going to see my daughters until their wedding." To which he — being a good friend — said: "Yeah, like they're going to invite you."

14
Our ERA is about to head north?

14 The Mets are in last place in home runs. This should tell you how relevant that stat is right now.

I agree that PetCo park helps pitchers, but as Silverwidow alludes to in post 13, I don't recall a single play in the Padres series where petco-shenanigans ensued.

Pierre starting AGAIN today over Kemp. Isn't there someone we can call?

14
But the Dodgers have 2 more stolen bases than the Dbacks...

It looks like it is the ageless Greg Maddux's turn to dominate the hapless Giants today.

19
I'm going to call Dr. Daniels. Dr. Jack Daniels , as soon as the wee man steps up to make an out....er...make his first plate appearance.

Pierre is seeing 4.09 pitchers per AB this season, compared to 3.40 last year and 3.42 for his career.

5 Perhaps we should rename this blog "Bison Stew".

19 Have the lineups really been announced already? Torre must be trying to light a fire under Kemp.

19 Too bad Dodger Thoughts doesn't have a resident analyst therapist.

Helen's observational saw is that early in the season, pitching is ahead of the hitting. Too bad that didn't work for the Cubs in the persona of Ted Lilly; on the other hand, they eventually did win the game 10-8 in 12 frames, spoiling the Pirates' home opener.

I was listening to the game on XM in the car on the way into the office this morning, and I happened to turn it on just as the Cubs were launching a six-run rally in the third, stomping all over Tom Gorzelanny. You could just hear the air run out of the poor Pirates broadcasters booth (XM was, per custom, using the home feed) after slap-hitting Ronny Cedeno got a booming one-out double to right-center with the bases loaded right after they had speculated the damage could be contained with a suitable ground ball.

24 - not sure how good that would be. We feed our dogs bison. It smells like beef, but there's an odd taste to it that makes me slightly nauseous.

18
I'm no meteorologist, but some of the park effects have to do with the air temp, thickness of the air, currents, etc, no? I would think a lot of the effects are unseen.

For instance, a normal fly ball in Petco might travel further in Arizona, but it might be hard to decipher which fly balls fit that criterion, at least to the naked eye.

24 Mmmmmm... just like mom used to make. With some kidney beans, chili powder and potatoes. Mmm-mmm.

19 Ghostbusters?

--
Yeah, stats after the first week crack me up - the SF Chron actually published NL and AL Leaders in the sports section this weekend. Leaders! After a week. Wake me up when it's June 1st.

I'm unfamiliar with the observational saw. Does it cut both ways or only on the back cut?

26

I'm pretty sure Ned and Torre are filling Tobias' role

Too bad Dodger Thoughts doesn't have a resident analyst therapist

What if we all blue ourselves...?

25

Furcal, SS

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kent, 2B

Ethier, RF

Jones, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Pierre, LF

Loaiza, P

29
Time to break out the "Physics of Baseball" except I'm working these days. Between posts anyways.

25
The lineups are commonly released to the public (well, at least the beat writers and the like) 3-4 hours before gametime. I'm sure they are up much earlier in the clubhouse.

Also, in this particular instance, Torre said yesterday after the game in San Diego that Pierre would start tonight in Arizona.

Like I mentioned yesterday, Kemp is certain to start tomorrow against Dougie Davis.

no need to watch tonight
diamondbacks 6 dodgers 4
Furcal 1-4, 2b, run
martin 2-3, bb, run, rbi
Loney 0-4
Kent 0-4,
etthier 1-3, rbi, bb run
jones 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, run
dewitt 0-4 3 k's
pierre 2-3, sb

loaiza, 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 hits, 3 bb's, 2 k's
kuo, 1.1 IP, 1 hit, 2 k's, 1 bb
park, 1 ip, 2 hits, 1 er.

35
Yeah, I was just trying to point out that it's hard to look at a fly ball from yesterday's game and say "that would have been a HR in Arizona" because there are so many factors besides ballpark size.

Is tomorrow going to be Doug Davis's final start before his chemo treatments? I actually thought he was supposed to start the treatments after his last start, but I could be mistaken.

I have to believe that Cargill is putting money on the Diamondbacks tonight but Arizona's lungs will have not adjusted from the thin air, assuring a Dodger victory.

Over 92% of teams who return from Colorado lose if they play the very next day.

I of course made that up, because old habits are like Bruce Willis's best movie.

So in essence with this lineup, we've traded Kemp for Jones from last year. Not much of an upgrade as if we had traded Pierre's bat for Jones. Wonder if McCourt needs to send an apology in the LA Times to Dodger fans for having to watch Juan Pierre (a la Steinbrenner) - whatever it takes, man.

38
Looks like someone has been popping Timocils.

43
FYI: There's no "I" in Teamocil, at least not where you'd think.

41 Hudson Hawk? I don't get it.

All 3 Dodgers/D-Backs games are being televised by both FSN Prime Ticket (in LA) and FSN Arizona (in Arizona), so there's a 50/50 shot each day of receiving either Vin Scully or Daron Sutton & Mark Grace.

Rob Neyer mentioned last week that on opening day he had both feeds on Extra Innings for the Royals-Tigers game. Has anyone else ever experienced this? It would be cool to be able to choose which team's announcers to listen to, if possible.

38 BTW Cargill, if you have no idea what these random references to Teamocil and Tobias are, they're from Arrested Development.

44
Comedy.

46

Last week I was able to choose Vin over the Giants feed on DTV EI.

I'm still worried about tonight though as apparently Utah is AZ blackout territory (or at least has been in the past).

49
Last week I was able to choose Vin over the Giants feed on DTV EI

Were you given the option to choose Dodger feed and/or Giant feed? That's cool, but it sounds like it may be a DirecTV feature not applicable to poor schlubs like me with cable.

41 He made a move called "Hard to Break"

I have EI with Time Warner Cable here in Columbus. Besides all the odd-numbered HBO channels being highly pixelated to the point of being unwatched, ESPN-HD and ESPN2-HD and several other HD channels are also unwatchable. When I call TW, they tell me to re-boot my box each time and have no other advice. When that doesn't work, they send a guy out, who replaces a cable and then pretends there is no problem. This was also their solution to horrible pink lines that constantly run up my screen.

Anyway, I always have problems with EI. The most annoying is the fact that I'm always blacked out for Dodgers-Pirates games, even though I don't have FSNP. And for some reason the Dodgers played them 10 times last year. But now I was very excited that TW will have some HD games on EI. Now those games are not coming through in HD! So I call them today and what do they suggest? Re-boot your box!

It didn't work, of course. Now a guy will be coming out on Thursday to tell me that there isn't a problem and that I am crazy. I would switch to DTV in two seconds, because I had a great experience with them in Buffalo, but my apartment complex will not allow us to get satelites.

At least this is taking my mind off of Juan Pierre.

Jon how come ToyCannon gets all the attention!

This Date in LA Dodger History

Witn the help of Retrosheet, I figure why not pull up some of these games, some dates we know what the best game was, September 7th, September 11th, September 18th, etc. But here are some from today April 7th. Enjoy. And one of these games, yours truly attended.

4/7/69 - Don Drysdale wins his 1st of 5 victories in his last year with the Dodgers, Don would retire in August 1969.
4/7/74 - Andy Messersmith completes a 3 game sweep of the Padres, Dodgers outscore the Padres 25-2 in 3 games. Newly acquired Jimmy Wynn hits his 3rd HR and Steve Garvey hit his 1st as the Dodgers cruise to 9-2 win.
4/7/77 - Tommy wins his first Opening Day, 5-1 behind strong pitching by Don Sutton and timely hitting. The only mistake today was by Frank Sinatra who doesn't belt the National Anthem like Old Blue Eyes should.

What was Tobias' name when he was dressed up as the cleaning lady? Featherbottom? I forgot how hilarious those few episodes were.

52 So long of a post is bound to have typos. I mean, of course, to say that the HBO channels are unwatchable, and that the Dodgers have played Pittsburgh 10 times each of the last two years.

54 - '77 was the game where Sutton allowed a homer on the first pitch of the season, I believe.

53 - What do you mean?

54 Just to followup to those of you less than 30 years old.

4/7/2002 - Eric Gagne, with no fanfare and no Ghame Over, collects his first save of his career, he would get 51 more in 2002, win a Cy Young Award in 2003, and create excitement unseen since Mike Piazza (sorry Shawn Green and LAT) was belting laser shots out of the Stadium.

49 - I was at the Delta terminal in Atlanta, on the phone with my Dad, during that ninth inning.

57 Yep, the story as heard Vin tell me that day (that's the game I attended, won the tickets on a radio contest on KABC), was that Rawlings or some new company was making baseballs so they were going to give the first pitch of each opener to the HOF. Gary Thomassan decided not to let the BP fastball go by and hit into the RF bullpen.

Does this date count for something in Dodger History?

4/8/74 - Someone hit a home run that day.

62
You have to re-word it: "Al Downing gives up a home run, despite Bill Buckner trying to emulate Spiderman."

62 Al Downing still is telling people not to talk about it, "because if you haven't played the game you don't know what you are talking about"

"All 3 Dodgers/D-Backs games are being televised by both FSN Prime Ticket (in LA) and FSN Arizona (in Arizona), so there's a 50/50 shot each day of receiving either Vin Scully or Daron Sutton & Mark Grace."

If it's being shown by both, the EI game (at least on cable) is always, always the home team's feed.

Which sucks for this week.

64 I have no recollection of who gave up the home run to Bonds last year (just glad it wasn't a Dodger)

I have no idea why I read some of the comments that follow the article on Yahoo about the substance on Jake Peavy's hand, but I had to post this one only because I think it's hysterically funny. And no, I don't think all Padre fans are like this or think this, and I know, there are Dodger fans who would write something just as lame. But it ties into our conversation earlier about perceptions about LA and Dodgers...

>>Well I guess I would be a little upset too if I was a Dodger fan just because no Dodger pitcher can go 9 innings and only give up 2 hits; not to mention that stupid charity run that the umpires gave the Dodgers cuz they felt bad. LA fans just don't think it's possible to have that kind of performance from a pitcher cuz' they never see Lowe or Penny pitch like that. Believe it or not people, Peavy is just that good! It's bad enough that we have all these Dodger fans living down here cuz' LA sucks and is dirty, violent, and smoggy; but why do they evenshow {sic} up at our home games talking smack and now this nonsense.<<

It's just further proof that anyone can have access to a computer and use a keyboard... Another Pads fan accused Dodgers and their fans of being cry babies and whiners for the Peavy non-controversy, when hardly any Dodger fan or player has said a word about it.

I could watch on MLB.tv but the internet access inside the hotel rooms is wired. It's wifi out by the pool. And I would feel weird using wifi by the pool.

Except for 20 other people doing the same.

66 I was just thinking about it and it took me a good two minutes to remember it was Mike Bacsik and I still don't know how to spell the man's name right. Just goes to show you how much it resonated.

68
Are you there by yourself, or did your lady friend accompany you...?

65 I have the normal DirecTV Extra Innings, and I've noticed that they're carrying both feeds for all games. Yesterday they had the Marlins and the Pirates feeds for the same game. So here's hoping I can see and hear Vinny.

69 I remember Tom Zachary, I remember it was Ralph Terry who gave up the Maz shot that won the 1960 World Series. But there is no way, I would remember that name.

Jon, just a joke about you leading off your post with him.

Coletti and Torre have done the unthinkable. I know this will not be popular...but in 30 years I never hoped for any Dodger to fail so miserably as I hope Pierre continues to do.

52 I get Superfan on DirecTV to access the HD
games, and yesterday I tuned in to 737HD, hoping to get Vinnie for the first time this year...and they were broadcasting in Spanish. Non HD 737 was in English, and I was pretty sore.

Then, just before Ethier's long fly in the second, it reverted to English, and all was right with the world.

74 I can't root against Pierre while he is still a Dodger. But I really feel that this will all work its way out by the end of April and the most productive three outfielders will be starting. Let's not get too excited about Pierre's playing time at the expense of Kemp while the team is 4-2. Do you really think Torre would be starting Pierre tonight if we were 1-5?

67 - last year when Derek Zumsteg was all high-horsing around about K-Rod allegedly doctoring the ball, it was a two-day story: one to break it, and another for MLB to say they weren't investigating it. I find it highly amusing that Zumsteg hasn't updated his Cheater's blog since December with this dripping, juicy story hitting the innertubes. But then, after a while channeling Sam the American Eagle gets to be really boring if you have better things to do, and I think he (DMZ) does.

40 Is tomorrow going to be Doug Davis's final start before his chemo treatments? I actually thought he was supposed to start the treatments after his last start, but I could be mistaken.

Yes, the article I read said he would make his first two starts with the last one being April 8th. I remember noting that he would face Loaiza. However, Loaiza and Billingsley switched places after Billingsley pitched in San Diego.

T.Jackson is reporting the Bison is set to start tomorrow against D.Davis.

79 Please hit 3 home runs tomorrow Mr. Bison. Please.

Yes. Pierre is a complimentry piece, it would not be his fault we are 1-5, everyone else needs to be good for Pierre to be good.

67 I lived in San Diego County for close to 20 years and I can honestly say that most Padre fans are like that. They hate the Dodgers more than any other professional team (in any sport) down there. I have good friends that are Padre fans and they do nothing but wait to rub the Dodgers mediocrity (and the Padres dominance over the D's) in my face every opportunity they get. I honestly think its a bigger current rivalry than SF.

80 But don't press! If you press and fail, you'll probably just see more time on the bench.

T.Jackson is reporting the Bison is set to start tomorrow against D.Davis

Even if Pierre makes four more good outs tonight...?

52 - I recently moved intra-TW territory and in the process was forced to surrender my old cable box for a new one. I don't have half a clue what the old one was, but the new one, a Scientific Atlanta (a Cisco subsidiary) 8300 is just miserable.

- Picture-in-picture with one channel HD will ultimately result in the whole thing starting to skip.
- Picture-in-picture cannot be placed in the corner of the display, but insists on covering about 20% of the display area. On a typical baseball game waiting for a pitch, the PIP image covers either home plate and most of the batter, the score, or the pitcher entirely.
- Navigation is a nightmare. Navigation by program type is a double nightmare.

I believe these boxes were designed and made by people who don't actually watch television.

80 First, can he see more than 3 pitches in an at-bat.

BTW: I'm not sure I support the process of announcing prior to one game which position players will be starting in the next game.

82 - a rivalry has to go both ways, and it is this that really annoys the bulk of Padres fans: most Dodgers fans recall their years of beating up that team, and not the Padres' recent competence.

All I know is Bison Stew sounds more appetizing than Slappy Stew. And that's what I'm sticking with!

Er, I think I need to eat an early dinner is what that's really telling me.

First, can he see more than 3 pitches in an at-bat

He's averaging 3.75.

As a Dodger fan I have a hard time not liking the Diamondbacks.

I respect you & your writing TC you know that, but that just doesn't make sense to me, I like watching Tim Lincecum pitch but I'd never root for the Giants or am I miss understanding something...

87 It's just a new trend to placate underwear-wearin', dank-basement-sittin' bloggers.

Btw, a new nickname possibility could be "Mr. GoodOut."

I have a hard time liking the Diamondbacks. I can appreciate their young players as talented, and don't dislike anyone on their team personally, but don't like them, don't like their fans, and that's that.

88 I agree that rivalries do need to go both ways but has there been a team in the NL West that you've despised more than the Pads for the past 10 years or so?

by the way, Eric Stephen ROCKS! with that 8 mile Carlsbad thing he did, wow. You can tell he has a runners mentality from his Coliseum post a while back, congrats Eric!!

87 Maybe Torre hopes it means that the players don't go into a game thinking how they perform that game affects whether they play or not in the next game, so they don't press any more in their at-bats.

Of course, it probably affects who plays in the game after the next game, so if I were a player, I'd wager that my performance still affects how much I play.

I definitely hate the Padres more right now than the Giants, for reasons stated above. Our usually "hated ones" and their fans are too busy wallowing in their own misery this season to pay much attention too. Plus I even have friends who are Giants fans who are pretty classy for the most part. But I've yet to experience much class from Padres fans toward the Dodgers, it's turned into this beyond irrational hatred of everything LA and everything blue, as 82 says. I guess it's at the point where, if they want it to be a two-way rivalry, I say bring it on.

To, not too. I seriously need to eat and get away from the computer.

98
Better go upstairs and see what mom's making.

Totally agree with 84 & not that I can think of 94 , I've heard Russell Martin totally gets pumped when he plays against them.

DIEHARD!!!

99 Can't. Have to finish playing Doom on my computer and then from 6 to 6:15 I'm scheduled to contemplate my navel. Plus I'm waiting for an express delivery of the latest X-Men comic book. I think I'll just order from Domino's, using the name Murray Chass. {Belch}

Or maybe I'll call as Jass, Hugh.

100 Thats good to here, I just wish our fanbase knew it too so we could boo the snot out of them when they come to town.

Actually in all seriousness, I have to start on our newsletter tonight, while also finishing a review of "Sharkwater" and editing two other pieces, all while trying to watch the basketball game. So, since I don't have a mom upstairs, alas, I think Chinese take-out is in order.

102
You can always just swing by Sev-Lev for some nachos and a Big Gulp.

So far National League not easier

Andrew Miller's first 2 starts for the Marlins.

7.2 IP, 19 hits+walks, 11 ER.

94 - since we have two good friends in the SD area who until last year were season ticket holders, I just can't get that worked up about it.

reading Wikipedia info on Tim Lincecum, here's some interesting draft info on him>>Lincecum was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 48th round (1,408th overall) of the 2003 MLB Draft, but did not sign.8 He decided to attend college instead, and was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 42nd round (1,261st overall) upon re-entering the draft in 2005, but once again failed to sign.9 The next year, he was drafted 10th overall by the San Francisco Giants, becoming the first player from the University of Washington to be taken in the first round.6 He signed for a $2.025 million signing bonus on June 30, which at the time was the highest amount the organization had ever paid to any amateur player (until they gave $2.1 million to Angel Villalona a little over a month later).

Lucky Giants I swear...

From AP:
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter left Monday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with a strained left quadriceps.

Morgan Ensberg came in to play first base before the third inning, and Wilson Betemit switched from first to shortstop to replace Jeter.

My mindless sports hate list, meaning I almost always root for them to lose:

Padres
Yankees
SF Giants
Raiders
Cowboys
D-Backs
Stanford football and hoops
St. Louis Cardinals
Patriots
Cubs
Red Sox
Reds
Phillies

The C-Rox are temporarily off the list, just because what they did at the end of the year was so entertaining, including the shiv they put into the Padres with that phantom run in the one-game playoff. But the reprieve will not last the season.

Ridiculous. Maddening. Enfuriating. I cannot find words to describe how criminally stupid Joe Torre is being. A guy hits .125 and is slumping, while another guy starts ahead of him batting .091. Who is actually slumping here? And how is Kemp supposed to break out of it if he never gets a chance to find his swing? This is downright absurd.

garciapierra.blogspot.com

I was a senior in High School in San Diego and ditched football practice to see the Dodgers clinch at the Murph in '88. That crowd was easily 70% Dodger fans. But in those days that wasn't exactly rare. I'm sure many Padres fans are still bothered by their minority status at home so often.

James Loney will homer tonight.

110 Wow...that is a huge list....

I enjoy rivalries, and am really resenting the Giants for setting themselves up to be terrible for years to come. The rivalry with San Diego is fun, and the D-Backs and Rox both have a singularity about them that is easy to dislike. Other than that, I am really looking forward to hating the Celtics.

110 Hmm, I go:
Raiders
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Padres
Giants
Chiefs
Texas Longhorns
Anything from Massachusetts
Utah Jazz
Whoever is Playing Johns Hopkins In Lacrosse

115 oh, and the Mexican national soccer team.

113
I am eagerly waiting my first chance to type Loney Bomb.

Daron Sutton is going to kill me tonight.

110

Giants (no matter how bad they are)
Yankees (no matter how good they are)
Notre Dame football (I can never decide whether I want them to be winless or undefeated when USC gets to beat them down)

I haven't been paying any attention. Have the managers who said they'd try hitting their pitcher 8th in the lineup been doing so thus far this season...?

120 I don't think so.

When was the last time Gary Bennett started a game...?

110 - Phillies? Phillies?? We gave the world LARRY BOWA!!

yay!
I'm about to watch my first dodger game of the year live. =) Been following them on gameday and here on dodgerthoughts.
MLB.TV thank you! =)
Go dodgers from OKC,OK!!

Russell Martin could help his hitting slump by trying to swing the bat every now and again. Poor guy.

DTV EI update: LA-AZ is on both 738 and 739 plus their HD counterparts. Unfortunately as I feared both channels are blacked out here. I'm making due with 1/8 of the screen on the MLB Mix Channel (720). At least it's the Vin Scully feed.

110 The New York Mets. The mid to late 1980's Mets in particular, but the current incarnation included. This also includes Shea Stadium, their uniforms, their "Big Apple" scoreboard, their fans, and "Mr. Met". Can't stand the Mets.

damn, im not getting vinny....oh well....

99 102 LOL

125 - doesn't seem to be only Martin, from the naked eye it seems like a lot of backwards K's the first week.

I need to set up dual TV's in my living room for situations just like tonight.

128 - how are u not getting Vinny?

128

Daron Sutton is going to kill you too huh?

Gameday showed the first pitch to Loney (a called strike) to be about a foot inside the right-hand batter's box.

Loaiza's on the mound now. I've got my Tums ready.

131.

idk. It's the ARZ feed.

133

You should probably watch the real game.

126 I've got the game on 738 (Vin) and 739 (D-bags booth), but both of the HD channels are blacked out?

Is it blacked out because we just got the first week of HD games free, and there is some added fee to get the rest of the season?

Okay, I just muted. 1/2+ inning is enough for me.

Kershaw?

137 - I think you need the superfan package to get HD.

With Loaiza on the hill we simply have to get 5+ tonight.

Loiaza has topped out at 85 thus far.

I thought we got rid of Tomko.

Loaiza needs to throw harder. 84mph fastballs are not going to cut it.

At this rate I'll be out of Tums by the third inning.

so I'm at my daughters gymnastics practice watching the game on gameday and taking my online traffic school. I'm tempted to turn the audio on for the game, but that may not be appreciated.

batting practice.

Its Schmidt all over again....84mph fastballs?

At least San Diego saves their 83 mph flamethrower for the 9th.

the weak link, get off the mound loiza, embarassing.

7 million dollar batting practice.

Another fabulous Colletti signing pays dividends. Is there a worse general manager in baseball?

gawd, I can't take a full season of this guy.

mute for me, too. good heavens, the poor play by play guy is going to have a stroke.

Well Vegas isn't that far from Phoenix. Can Kershaw get there in like 10 minutes?

Ah, but he EARNED the fifth starter job.

hmm... I'm thinking I should just focus on the traffic school the way things are looking at the dodger game

142 Tomko wasn't even this bad.

Now I know how Giants fans feel like when they watched Zito on opening day.

120 I haven't been paying any attention. Have the managers who said they'd try hitting their pitcher 8th in the lineup been doing so thus far this season..

La Russa has been batting Izturis 9th but is planning to move him to leadoff.

http://tinyurl.com/649msr

124 I'm so sorry.

151 Brian Sabean from the Giants.

This game is a disaster.

oh well, the sooner we give a better #5 a chance.

91
Bluebleeder I don't really belong in todays world of sports. I don't hate any team unless they are run stupidly and I respect teams that are run well.

I'm a fan of the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, and Clippers and fans of all of them despise me for liking teams I'm supposed to hate.

I don't understand hatred of sport teams so when I see fans acting like chimps over their teams colors I just shake my head. I love to root for my teams but I couldn't care less who someone else is rooting for unless they get in my face.

I love baseball, the Dodgers just happened to be the team I connected with 1st but it doesn't leave me blind to other teams that have attributes that I admire.

Plus if you really want to comment on something I wrote on True Blue then make the effort to register and post your comment about the post on the site where the post originated.

sry guys, it must be me watching dodgers for first time this season......nope, its a crappy Loaiza.

154 Unfortnately he's Jacksonville at the moment.

I assume most of us had this matchup chalked up as an L, but Loaiza can't be serious with those 83 mph fastballs. With the way the offense is going he just buried us before the second inning. I assume Chan Ho will be getting some work tonight.

The Kansas-Memphis game is exciting.

120

Actually, Milwaukee batted Kendall ninth a few times. Jason Kendall has managed to not be terrible.

166 Nuts.

Wow, this is even worse than I'd imagined. And I hadn't imagine much good happening today. Welp, back to the basketball game.

Not only is the bullpen phone ringing, but I think The Minotaur's cell phone might be ringing soon, too.

151 Yes, at least ten as a matter of fact.

Agreed on Sabean. But this had better be Loiaza's last start. We are not going to be competitive long with this guy in the rotation, even if he is the fifth starter.

151 well Beane did sign Loaiza to that contract, right

168 I'll be turning to that game now also.

I hear the theme music from the three stooges ;)

158- When you put it that way, Loaiza'a a bargain.

Good game going on CBS.

Well, Pierre can get us back into this one in a hurry.

time to root for pierre! wait, he'll hit in the 3rd inning.

173

He was smart enough to jettison the guy, though.

Well I'm afraid my impressions of Loiaza were probably true. His style make's me can't wait to see if Park has found something new. and if he hasn't( which is probable) I would have hoped Kershaw got more time to get ready. Heck, we would be a hell of a lot better off with DJ Houlton or even Hull.

I would be embarrassed to be Stephen Drew right now.

The espn Dodgers board is usually pretty bad - but the thread called "Loaiza should try pitching lefthanded" has some real potential.

Angels-Indians starts in a few minutes on FSN, for those of you in SoCal. This one might be a bit too grisly.

That decision to sit one of our few home run threats for a guy who struggles to hit singles is looking really bad now. If there's ever an argument to play Pierre, it's not when you're four runs down. If he maxes out his tremendous "productive out" skills, that's still only going to get you one run at a time.

180 not after pitching just 2 innings.

173 Joe Kennedy would've been a better pick up at the time.

I wonder if Kuo is in consideration for 5th starter duties or if they see him as strictly a pen guy now.

hey didn't Penny spot the Pads 4 runs in the 1st

Loaiza is pretty dreadful. They just need to bring up Clayton and let him pitch.

Ethier's on fire!

Ethier can hit anybody, it seems.

Jones can feel free to lose one in the left field seats here.

wow, that was not good Druw.

151 there's a few that are just as bad...
ugh, I can't watch the game cause of a prayer commitment. Score would be appreciated.

173
And when he realized he had to get rid of that contract, he found his sucker.

188 - I didn't get the impression with Penny on the mound that he needs to get lucky to get people out.

Hey fellas, let's not get all chicken little just yet. It's early and Haren is far from Jake Peavy.

We can chip away with one here.

Although I move for a vote of no confidence in Andruw Jones.

Wow, Andruw is....fat.

Wow, Andruw is....fat.

We have some serious cash coming off the books, and at least Loaiza is apart of it.

196 Penny actually seemed to be pretty unlucky that inning - six straight singles none of which were hit that hard. Loaiza, on the other hand, was giving up rockets.

194 0-4. Ethier is on third with 2 down in teh second and DeWitt is up.

Drew needs to get to that ball.

194 Church on a Monday night?

and our 18 million dollar man doesnt get the job done.

164 I registered I while ago but the server or something kicks me out!! & its not just me I've read other commenters having the same problem...

Think Mr. Ned makes an attempt to lock up any of the following before the season ends?

Furcal
Penny
Martin (I know he tried to last offseason, and Russ declined)

Hey fellas, let's not get all chicken little just yet.

that's funny, I was just thinking that some posters should have their screen names changed to Chicken Little.

we have 85, do I hear 86? 85 going once, going twice...

I don't know about the server, but these baseball sized meteorites have suddenly started falling in south carolina . . . they seem to be coming from the west.

I think the only more depressing than the game right now is reading these posts.

Why is Chris Young bunting...?

We have 86, do I hear 87? 87 is the bid...

Come on Memphis. By my backwards logic, since they only lost once, and SC took them to OT, if Memphis wins tonight I'm claiming USC #3!

212 - Someone hates my fantasy team?

207 - I figure he'll try to lock up all 3. I thought they'd maybe let Furcal walk, but maybe they are thinking Hu is Kent's replacement, not Raffy's.

It's really getting to me reading Gold Mine's bit on how the D's were always behind at the beginnings of games last year but did a pretty good job of getting back to even finish above .500. This last week has brought back a lot to me. I think Bill James had it wrong blaming it on JP and Furcal. I remember the pitching doing this often.

On DTV I was getting the D-backs homer announcers who would have made it unbearable, but most games have two channels now, one HD, and I seem to often switch and get Vin, thank God.

prayar (sp?) commitment, you know what I mean... :o)

212 did AZ hire Jim Tracy?

These ab's from Pierre are the worst. Outs - yet "quality swings".

If Tiger fans haven't jumped into the lake yet after their woefully disappointing start, then I should hope Dodger fans don't jump into the ravine (Chavez or otherwise) after their 4-2 (and probably soon 4-3) start against some of the best pitchers in baseball. I know I'm just repeating myself here, but since other people are basically repeating themselves on a daily basis with negative mantras here, why can't I?

More distressingly, my CBS station is coming in very poorly tonight - every other station is fine - as I try to watch the hoops game.

Great. That will earn Juan another start.

Just when I thought Slappy would get a hit, Haren yanks the ball.

wow even when he hits it like he's suppose to... oye

218 prior?

159 After moving Izturis to leadoff La Russa dropped Miles into the 9th spot.

http://tinyurl.com/4a39rb

218 Ah! Heh. "Prior" you mean. ;-) I seriously thought you were stuck in church, man. Maybe we should all pray for the Dodgers tonight.

216 I hope so. I'd imagine we'll lose Lowe particularly if Schmidt can come back by the end of the year unless we get a home town discount, which isn't likely.

So what, Chan Ho in May and Kershaw in June?

Izturis and Miles... if that doesn't put things in perspective for Dodger fans I don't know what will.

Okay, back to watch the blurry, watercolor-ish basketball game.

Fire Joe Torre!!!!!!!

229 Sounds about right.

231 {slap}

231 - I think even Frank McCourt would tell you to be a little more patient with the guy.

This is one of those games were I wish it had started earlier, and I had about 90 minutes built up in the DVR, and could sort of speed through it to see if we started coming back.

This watching live TV business is for men tougher than me.

I think everyone is mad, because Ethier getting the start at the beginning of the year made everyone so optimistic about getting rid of Pierre.

Then reality hit and reality is a cold mistress.

If he can't be patient with Kemp (substituting a .083 hitter with no chance for power) I have trouble being patient with him.

so I'm at my daughters gymnastics practice watching the game on gameday and taking my online traffic school...

My mom used to read the bible during my tennis matches. One day I stopped the match for a second, walked up to her, tapped her on the shoulder, and kindly asked her to go home.

In my opinion,all the three Padres pitchers, even Germano, the Dodgers faced were harder to hit than Haren.Do you agree?

very nice play by pierre.

Slappy made a play!

Juan's back should be pretty sore tomorrow.

Great catch there by Pierre. He's not lacking in the desire department.

I'm worried Pierre hurt himself there. He needs to be closely monitored on the bench for 2 weeks and then reevaluated.

238 that is one of the stranger posts I've seen here.

Not sure how to react to that.

Wow. Reynolds really nailed that pitch. Wow.

and another nice play in the other corner by ethier. the OFers are definitely getting a workout this inning.

woah, 88 mph gas from Loiaza

okay, we score this inning!

Well, I see that Loiaza's settled down at least. Bet he could hear the footsteps of a distant minotaur.

231 Sounds about right!

I know, I get a bit upset, but I stay up till 10:00 pm to watch this stuff.
I guess I should be grateful to get to watch these dazzling Dodger defensive plays to keep it in non keg sacrifice time.

Just wondering how Hu will save us today ...

238 yeah, I feel bad. today they are climbing the rope, her first time. I had forgotten until I just looked up. Looks like she is going now and doing good I might add.

Instead of all the money Ned threw away on Loaiza and Schmidt and Pierre and Jones, wouldn't we have been better off just signing A-Rod?

the Az graphics guy got me all disoriented; I could have sworn it said 4-1 as the inning started . . . .

dang, she got up high

254 uh sure, but he wasn't really available

We need a Gary Bennett sighting.
Russ a day off.

252 Probably by both hitting and defense, if we get that close.
That will be a contrast to Jones and Pierre.

Loney misses 3 straight fastballs....

At least James finally made contact after 5 swings and misses.

Perhaps word is getting around that the Dodgers can't hit ball with pine tar on them.

259 That Hu right now means as much as Pierre + Jones this early no one could have predicted. Or did they?

someone finally got tired of missing fast balls.

the gimpy 40 year old clean-up hitter that we can't win with just went yard.

Turned on the radio at just the right time. Woot!

Jeff Kent was tired of Haren trying to sneak fast balls past everyone and launched it.

PVL!!!

Ethier should be hitting 3rd.

Dre is a machine.

jeeeez, jones looks bad up there.

very, very bad.

Could I have the Haren pitch count at the end of this inning please?

Thanks Gameday folks...

wow that was bad.

Druw's 2/25 on the season.

Andruw loves those pitches in the dirt.

66

"For Jones it seems like he's always hitting 0-2"

--Vin Scully

"Seems? Nay, 'tis. I know not seems."

--Hamlet

Braves fans were as down on this guy as we were on Pierre, and that was after a decade of great service.

273. 66 pitches

You knew that was coming.

If we falter this year, Ned could get fired if Andruw hits .200 (or worse?!) in the process.

279 So are we giving up on Andruw already or just discouraged?

277 280 Thanks gents!

279. I believe that Jayson Stark said once that Druw was the most overrated player ever, isn´t it?

If Druw's homerun ball in Tucson didn't land 5 feet away from me, I wouldn't believe anyone if they told me he has had at least 1 hard hit ball all year.

Esteban Lousy is "pitching". That explains much.

But Jones isn't getting paid to hit: he's getting paid to make nonchalant one-handed catches in centerfield.

Woah, I just saw a large bald head wearing #25 for the Dodgers....but sadly it is not a certain 762 HR hitter, just Andruw Jones. Too bad. :(

282

I'm just discouraged. Small sample size but the Dodgers have been anemic with the bat.

This division is going to be murder on all 5 teams. I can't wait for the swing through the NL central!

282 - I haven't given up on him. How can you give up on somebody when he was a bad decision to begin with?

I say that only 1/4 jokingly. He's got some potential upside, but he's also o-l-d.

91MPH!!!

good looking out Nate, I must have been looking down at the 'puter.

291 30's old? Unless he lied about his birth certificate...

263 I'm trying not to be harsh right now, but it isn't easy. I should concentrate on the positive, and Hu helps a lot. If he keeps hitting he is one of the few really well rounded players the D's haved developed lately, and the one I would least like to see traded.

284 That would be a horrible statement. Arguably one of the all time great gloves with a career OPS+ of 113. If he went to the Hall Of Fame right now he wouldn't be the worst center fielder there.

Looks like the Rocks just finished off the Bravos

a 30 pitch inning would be great here

Yeah, Loiaza's done OK in the last few. Why are Dodger pitchers often not warmed up right when they enter the game?

298 Pierre and the pitcher are due up. Not likely.

It seems that every AB - Jones falls behind on breaking balls that he simply refuses to swing at. I get looking for fastballs, but if pitchers are gonna hang curves knowing you won't swing, then that's a problem.

299 because they warm up with out of town dodgers fans seated in the field boxes, rather than catchers...

295 I'm a huge Hu fan. I think he's an emerging star who is very underrated at the plate.

296. I´m wrong he said that he was the most overrated CF of all time. Anyway I disagree, Andruw is a good player. The link: http://tinyurl.com/2h2fo6

Byrnes with the unnecessary slide

Why take Loiaza out now when he's doing OK and it doesn't matter anyway.

Fire Joe Torre!!

300 Well, Pierre did take some pitches at least.

chan ho park is warming in the pen . . . according to the Az guys

Easy for me to say - but Haren doesn't look dominant or even that good out there.

correction, chan ho park is coming into the game.

I may die of nostalgia ;)

309. I agree with you and that gets very clear when we remember how Peavy and Yonug dominated the Dodgers hitters.

I wonder how many more times we will be favored with that long homerun on the Az broadcast.

wow. park's fastball is lower 90's. that one was 94.

Park's up to 94mph.

Over/under on starts made by Loaiza the rest of the year: 8

I'll take the over.

Chan Ho throwing some gas. His fastball looks pretty heavy when he keeps it low in the zone.

315 - Pulling Loaiza there, I'll go under.

315 I'll take the under

95!!

Chan Ho late 90s!

and byrnes got sorta robbed right there. that does the heart good :)

park looked pretty good.

I want to see him throw something with just a little movement on it. Is that too much to ask?

chan ho park!!!! brought back some good memories! He was a good hitter too, right?

321 - Rick Honeycutt should be able to teach him a cutter.

Note to the LA Dodgers' radio people: Eric Byrnes was booed in Denver because he claimed after game 2 of the NLCS that the D-Backs had outplayed the Rockies. He may have forgotten, but we haven't.

i love when Raffy does that. Cannot defend that.

AIRMAIL!!!

Nice play Upton! Take that Shimmin!

Okay, first year in a while for me not living in L.A. for Dodger season, who the hell is this guy doing announcing for AZ?

If this guy is this sleazy during his "work", I cant tell if he would be fun or terrifying to see at a bar.

Holy jeepers. Terrible throw, but what an arm.

322 - In 2000 he hit .214/.236/.357 with 2 HR. not bad for a pitcher.

THAT, gentlemen, is missing your cutoff man.

Overthrew the cutoff man by just that......................................................... much.

Justin Upton showing off his arm for Andrew Shimmin there.

Whoopsie! Not a smart throw to even attempt, yet alone how it was executed.

Kevin Kennedy and Esteban Loaiza have the most depressing faces. Especially Loaiza. He's got the worst aspect in baseball. I think that's why Torre took him out. He just couldn't take looking at him anymore.

Nice! We have a game!

As vinny would say, "he missed it from me to you!"

Loney is JUST barely missing the ball.

Well, that was interesting.

James. If you are going to swing with less than 2 strikes...swing! Don't give away at bats like that.

That splitter is giving Loney fits.

Hah hah. 333 meets 327 and company.

Very nice.

We'll never win with Kent in the lineup.

one run game!

Loney... trash can ... Kent ... base hit ... znork! Huh? 4-3?

Wow. After the first inning, did any of us think we'd be within 4-3 at this point? I sure didn't.

Now I have to multitask, watch this and the hoops game.

345 - So that's where Matt Kemp put it.

Gameday is totally struggling with this game. I have no idea what is going on.

Ethier has such good mechanics at the plate. He keeps his head in there so well and follows the ball on the pitch outside.

He's quickly become my favorite Dodger.

I'm shocked Ethier is seeing anything to hit with who he has behind him.

346 I know the feeling...

Memo to Daron Sutton:

Those are sliders you moron. Not splitters.

Andrus is awful up there right now.

350 Gonna guess that Ethier is less feared than Andruw Jones.

well, jones made contact, at least. first pitch swinging, of course.

351 I think I'll have some weird dream tonight with the disembodied voices of Billy Packer and Mark Grace, Esteban Loiaza's depressing mug and a blurred, watercolor-ish perspective. Then I'll wake up either laughing or crying.

353, 354 - Kinda like how in that game where Nomar hit the grand slam in Houston, Jeff Kent was walked intentionally while he was hitting below the mendoza line.

356 My guess is crying.

348 A bunt single from Furcal. Who scored when Martin singled and then Upton airmailed the ball into the stands. Kent singled Martin home. It's 4-3 after the inning ends.

291 - for Jones to be a good pickup, you have to believe his 2007 wasn't a cliff dive. Absent evidence of some kind of repairable injury, Jones should be presumed to be suffering from the effects of age rather than just a bad season.

303 I think that is very astute. Hu is BA's #3 D's prospect(or something like that I think). Good defense at several positions, and particularly SS, I value more than many baseball fans,(and all fantasy fans). But I will be torn if Furcal returns to his 2006 form, about what to do about SS in '09.
My most basic feeling is to make Hu the SS and save the money. But if the money is applied to someone like JP, Schmidt or Jones, we might be better off with Furcal and playing Hu at 2nd or trading for a premium starter.

352 Those pitches dropping are sliders? I thought they were splitters.

Anyone ever do a drill in high school where you'd take batting practice with a row of baseball bats directly in front of your front foot? It forced your stride and hips to go up the middle.

Sure seems like Andruw could use a bit of that.

92 pitches to Haren, he will probably be done after the 7th. It´s nice to know that Valverde is not a D´Back anymore.

362

the ones dropping, and curving into left handed hitters are sliders. The ones dropping down and away from lefties are the splitters.

On a 95mph fastball.

364 Brandon Lyon is a gas can.

desert air homerun there. =(

chan ho still speaks long ball, it seems.

I see... dead pitchers.

Boy this is a dumb stadium.

Dude barely even swung.....

362 It's a new kind of pitch, the spider.

Argh, there goes the hot run of blanks by Park.

365 Thanks. When I was broadcasting, I had a helluva time calling pitches. It got to the point where everything that wasn't a fastball was "offspeed."

I was about to say something about the order of our pitchers.

Never mind.

I don't believe Gameday when it says Park is getting a 6" break on his fastball.

I call this "Park effects".

Memphis up 7 - 3:30 to go

What's the D-Backs pen like, is it a place we want to go?

377 Good one.

I thought for sure they would try to score on pierre's arm.

363

Good call.

I watched Jone's last at bat in super slow mow and his swing was ridiculous. Just out of control.

379 Not terrible, but no one truly fearsome.

OK who is in the pen?

Kansas going to the hack-a-memphis strategy with 2:12 to play

Juan Cruz is very good.

385 That only works if Memphis misses FT's. Which they are not.

381 - JP, himself, probably can't believe that they didn't send the guy, with the pitcher's spot coming up.

The college basketball has just heated up significantly, FWIW.

this home plate umpire is annoying. just call 'em strikes, and spare us the dance.

The question is whether Memphis puts in the 300 pounder to replace Dorsey.

well, that could have been worse.

Great job by Beimel keeping us in the game.

Hack a memphis is working better now.

Two point game. One minute to go.

Now, who will be the PH? Kemp or Sweeney?

I want to see the 300 pounder hit a three to win it for Memphis.

Does the failure to bring in Kuo mean that he will be taking Loaiza's spot in the rotation next turn?

On deck --Jaun Pierre? come on,this could be important.

so Loaiza seemed to rebound or get lucky, depends on your glass I suppose. 5-3 seems ok after 6 and Harren out considering so many wrote the game off before it started.

Dewitt!

they clogged up the bases to cage the rabbit

why would a guy like Pierre, who's only job is to get on base somehow, get out of the way of inside fastballs?

did juan pierre just seem angry at that inside pitch? ah, yes. he retaliated by fiercely bunting.

Fire Joe Torre and Colletti!

that's why you get hit by the pitch pierre.

. . . and then viciously GiDP.

Are we so cursed that Pierre couldn't have injured himself catching that ball?

ok, this is where Juan will come thru (crosses fingers)

can we get Pierre some Bonds-style armor?

Nice one Juan. Jeez.

Memphis has missed 5 or 6 straight ft's

ok,that was my fault

OVERTIME!

Wow - what a shot by Chalmers - OT!!!

Oh--Great place to use poor Kemp, although he is hitting way above Pierre or JOnes.

You idiots.

Lets predict what Torre will think of to praise Pierre with after the game...he didn't strike out?

Who's slumping now?

Speedy guys aren't supposed to hit into DPs.

So let's review.

Can't take a walk.
Can't stay out of the double play.
Can't hit the ball on the ground.
Can't play a position in the field if it involves throwing more than 20 feet.

Yeah, Joe, I see something there, too. But then I started taking Ritalin and it cleared up.

Juan now OPSing .143. I think Kemp can do that left handed.

Free Basketball!

Hack a Memphis worked to T - it finally got them.

(Arrested Development moment for the evening)

J Walter Weatherman: "And that's what you NEVER start Juan Pierre."

{Cut to freaked out reactions of terrified Bluth children and/or Dodgers fans}

What a contrast. Sure Torre didn't miss that.

417 - he had a very hard out in his second AB

Now we know who will start tomorrow.

Torre better be doing this to walk into Ned's office in a week and say "see - I did it your way, your boy absolutely sucks. he will never see the field for my team, so you can trade him, or he'll rot on my bench. Your choice."

That was great coaching by Kansas

Wow. OT in the NCAA finals.

I forgot how good college title games can be when Ohio State isn't ruining them.

Bison got a hit right when that Kansas guy made the three.

I thought it was a sign we'd tie the game.

EDSP

Torre brings in his old buddy.

My wife picked Memphis in the office pool. She hasn't seen one NCAA game this year.

more overamped announcing.

Memphis is finished

Wow! Memphis is rattled, and the Jayhawks are rolling.

It's been a while since we've had a title game this good. This has been incredible.

Kansas is running away with it.

I knew it was a jinx when I read today about how good the Dodger staff was.

437 Up until the last minute, they were playing better defense, better offense, rebounding better... missed FT's and a prayer 3 pointer.

So are the D-Backs. Young just jacked one off Proctor.

and another one by hudson.

Kaboom.

8-3

I could never be an Arizona fan because of their "stadium affects". And I could never be a Yankees fan because of their radio announcers.

Just couldn't.

so one team has faith in their youth and locks them up for long term

the other team leaves in wortheless players while letting awesome players sit on the bench

meanwhile 2 jacks off Proctor

The college game is far from over.

Now, it's a lot closer to being over.

No it's not.

:)

Does anyone else think the Dbacks announcers throwing down all these 10th anniversary promos is kind of...cute? In a "we may be young but we'll always have 2001" kind of way?

A trey cuts Kansas's lead to 3. Under a minute. Again, what a game!

CDR brings Memphis back...

There's nothing cute about everybody else in the division getting to the World Series sooner than we have.

that's fine, this is a good game for the d'backs to get all their jacks out

447 448 449
Rule 4 violation?

I don't know why Memphis fouled?

From the "2008 Predictions Thread"

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/929624.html

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

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are seeing the 2008 NL West Champions, and it ain't the Dodgers.

Kansas hits its freebies.

Up 5.

Did Kemp PH only or was it a double switch replacing Pierre in the field?

456 It's gotta be some kind of violation! :)

460 PH only. Pierre must be a better fielder now too. Grady Torre.

I admit I got a bit out of hand tonight.
Don't fire Joe and Ned yet. This D-back team is seriously good and hot at the moment. What I thought were bad decisions didn't make much difference tonight. Future
happenings are needed to make a decent opinion.

What a comeback. That won't soon be forgotten.

NCAA Championship

Great game tonight! I think this is the best championship game I've seen in years.

Imagine: all year long Memphis flirted with missed FTs down the stretch, and it came to a head in the closing seconds of regulation.

That three pointer by Kansas to tie it was incredible! The shot itself was ok, but the circumstances made it quite, as Jeff Brantley would put it, "clutch."

Good way to end a decent tournament.

Just an incredible College Basketball game.

Great comeback, but a choke too. Usually takes both.

463 But the point stands. Although we certainly can't blame this probably-about-to-be loss on Pierre (or any other one player), it's frustrating that the Dodgers are losing without fielding their best team.

I was able to live with that season-ending loss on a walk-off in Colorado last year, because it was Saito pitching. The Dodgers had their best out there and they lost with their best.

Does anyone know why that Brock fellow doesn't post anymore?

Memphis was up 9 points with 2:12 to play in regulation.

I would just like to say one last time that the Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball.

Crud, this has been an even worse sports night than I imagined. Memphis' choke cost me a $250 prize. :-(

I think I don't need that Packer-Mark Grace-Loiaza dream to start my crying. What's the best beer to cry into?

472 Buy yourself an import--you deserve it.

Listening to these DBacks play-by-play guys makes me realize just how good we have it.

Loney is having one heck of a plate appearance.

Billy Packer, Mark Grace and Esteban Loiaza in the same dream.

I think I'd wake up screaming.

Wow, Upton got lucky that ball didn't eat him alive.

Justin Upton is not the world's greatest outfielder

Great at bat by Loney!

Texas Rifleman!

Was Schaefer a bench coach for Torre in NY? Not putting Kemp in as a double switch seems minor, but little things add up over the course of a season. Guess there are bigger concerns for the moment, but little things like smart defensive replacements should not be discounted.

Anyone know why Kendrick left the Angels game early tonight?

Here comes Mr. Automatic

Andruw Jones has a chance to shine now.

So not to pile on or anything...but is (Short) Chris Young right now what people expect Matt Kemp to become?

I thought I could handle it, but I can't. Mute button.

Wow, he is lost right now.

not very shiny.

jeeez, andruw. (part IV tonight)

I'm glad Jones finds this all to his amusement. $36 million and laughing all the way to the bank.

480

Mr. Hendley, don't you think "Texas Rifleman" is a bit of a mouthful for Loney. I mean, I REALLY don't see it catching on. "Loney" is kind of a good nickname for Loney. Just pretend his real name is Loneman. And you affectionately call him Loney.

Is that Andruw Jones or Norah Jones?

I'm bored.

490 Harsh.

Under stress, people do things like smile, wince... sometimes both at once. That's what I saw there. It happens to people who don't make $36 million.

Would you prefer he throw a bat?

490 Harsh.

Under stress, people do things like smile, wince... sometimes both at once. That's what I saw there. It happens to people who don't make $36 million.

Would you prefer he throw a bat?

491 - Well, Mr. Frip, I am sure that you are right, so I'll just call him that to myself.

I really, really, really, REALLY, REALLY should have listened to myself the first time when I put "Andruw Jones" on my "don't want to sign" list.

I admit, you fellas here on DT made a great argument for 'Druw, and I still think he's terrific defensively, but at the plate he doesn't look good at all. It's like whenever he swings his bat is in slow motion. Almost like watching Adrian Beltre with slower bat speed.

It's a frustrating night; but the silver lining is, Haren really is a good pitcher. I like what I see from him overall. I mean, hey, a 2nd starter vs a 5th starter is a mismatch.

492 Norah's at least easy on the eyes.

485 Chris Young can walk.

Yeah, sorry for the double post.

Still reeling from losing The Griddle sidebar are ya?

I think it's time for me to watch the Hills on my DVR.

Honneycut to Torre: 'Sure we can go to Applebees. I prefer Chili's but I'm good either way"

Speaking of Norah Jones, check this out.

http://elmadmo.com/

Believe it or not, that's her on the right in the Zorro mask.

Apparently, she be a rockin'.

500 I'm tellin' ya, it hurts. I checked the Griddle every day for his posts and I won't deny that I would look right just to relive the moment.

(sigh)

A year goes by too soon.

does Andruw really look any worse at the plate than Kemp right now?

493 I was reading on a Braves message board about the proclivities of Andruw Jones. Smiling on the way back to the dugout after a horrid AB is a hallmark of his.

Well, a great end to a pretty average tourney. Hopefully the Lakers come through in the playoffs.

491 I still like Slim Jim.

this game isn't as fun as the game on CBS was.

485 If Matt Kemp's upside is a guy who had a .261 EQA last year... well, I would be very disappointed.

496 Hey Logik, what if you were judged by the first week of your life. People would think you're not all that bright.

510 Chris Young is very, very, very good. He's going to be a monster this year. His track record strongly suggests his batting average and patience are going to sky rocket this year.

503 Showing her versatility. She can do jazz; she can rock out. I wonder if she can play center field as well?

513 - She wasn't too shabby as the lead actress in "My Blueberry Nights."

513 we have someone who plays CF really well, he's just not hitting right now.

514 Welcome, young man. Anybody getting sleep over there?

The Juan Pierre OPS-o-meter is now at .125

Keep him in there Joe!

Uggh, why is Gameday so messed up for this game.

and that's a wrap. it was encouraging at 4-3.

I like Dodger wins much, much, much better than the losses.

NPUT

516 - Intermittently...