i would bet a lot of money that if torre didn't have to worry about egos, or any other of the political stuff he'd be start pierre kemp ethier right now. but obviously he can't have jones playing 3-4 times a week right now, pierre sparked the line-up last night so he wants that in his line up right now. it's easy sit behind a computer and complain about a line-up but you would be doing the same thing.

Ugh. I show up for one post and LAT myself.

I forget who said it yesterday but sitting Kemp against every good pitcher is a defeatist attitude IMO. Plus, this is a really good division pitching wise, in theory he'll sit against 40% of the staff for SF, Ari, and SD. I do like the move to Kuo alot, and I love the fact Torre isn't even gonna waste another start by Loiaza.

I have never really watched Cole Hamels pitch until tonight, his change up is exceptional.

Never in a million years did I think I'd ever say this, but Torre and Colletti have given me no choice:

Go Padres!

I cannot bring myself to root for a team which actively chooses to lose baseball games. It feels like the Martians have landed and the folks running the Dodgers have been turned into pod people.

188. LAT
Is Kent hurt? Is Torre planning on playing him tomorrow? Why Hu tonight? Add this to the list of things I don't understand.

Dodgers - Kent + Pierre = ...?

it's easy to run your computer simlulations and have it all figured out, but it's not that easy in real life.

From last post:

Hey Shimmin, wanna go to a DBacks game?

I'm in.

5 It might be that Kent just needs a day off once in a while, and this is the best day to do it since Lowe's a groundball pitcher.

8 No way. You're in the midwest. Come with me to an Indians game.

Yeah, I could be an Indians fan, too. They're already my favorite AL team. It's impossible not to like Grady Sizemore.

8, 10 - I'm in the Midwest too, who are we picking as our new team? I can dig the Tribe.

4 Glad to see someone focusing on the real problem instead of Jones slow start. This is unbelieveable.

Does anyone know who the second best bench player is the major leagues is? Seriously, I want to see how much worse he is than Kemp.

12 The Reds would be a good young team for us if they didn't have the exact same problem we are dealing with. I'm in with Cleveland, but I'm, going to have to check and management before I commit full time.

12 I like Cincinnati's talent a lot, but they refuse to use it, too. Both teams have awful announcing crews, but I don't like the DH.

But, all things considered, I would say that we have to go over to the Indians.

5 I'll bet that Hu plays when Lowes starts. Hu needs at bats, Kent needs rest, and Lowe is a groundball pitcher.

1 It can only be for political reasons that Kemp sits. That's what did the Dodgers in last year. I'm pretty much done with thinking that Colletti is in any way a good G.M.

There is no way i could ever root for D'Backs or Pads. I'm from L.A. and this is my team, but I definitely admire their desiscion making a lot more than that ofmy team.

How can anyone root for a team with a mascot and logo like Cleveland's?

You people who are actually in L.A. need to help us out here. I know people don't like booing, but there are other ways of expressing displeasure. For example, chanting "We Want Kemp" whenever Pierre is batting.

Fight the power.

16 there's no way you can blame torre and it is ridicolus when people do. you're two worst OF have the biggest contract there is not one manager in baseball that would have pierre and jones splitting time

what do you really expect joe to do?

17 That's a very good point. Which I choose to ignore for now.

That Kent sits when Lowe pitches makes sense but I can't imagine its to rest him. He would have had the day off tomorrow-- day game after a night game.

17 Don't you dare talk trash about my team.

18 pierre and jones vorp was pretty close last year and jones will probably be worse this year, i don't think pierre is the problem.

1
No bet...Torry will have who he thinks will win games in his lineup, and Ned don't have the rings or the pull to fight him.

Look for Andrew to start spending a lot more time on the bench, or maybe a mystery aliment force him to the DL with some rehab work over in Vegas.

How soon, my guess ether after this up coming road trip.

Torre I believe for a while since kent is still coming back into form will rest him at least once a week, can accept this, but what I find so frustrating it is exactly on these ocassions when Kemp needs to play if for nothing else to keep his swing going, he got somewhat untracked in Arizona and now two games in hasn't played. What seems especially brutal is that both Ethier and Kemp had very good Springs' and that was important for their playing time. I am glad to see Ethier getting PT, but Kemp seems not to be getting any. Kemp IMO needs to start at least one game a series to keep his confidence up .

This how I think managers think.

With the day game tomorrow, let Hu get a start and then have Kent go tomorrow.

I am not really shocked by this, there was no way Pierre wasn't going to play, the fact that he has to look at the card and see if he is playing is huge change in his career.

20 That made me chuckle.

19. Is it not true that Joe himself stated that Pierre was going to be a bench player. Your point may have been valid until Joe made that statment but its not anymore.

"there's no way you can blame torre and it is ridicolus when people do... what do you really expect joe to do?"

Play the guys who are actually good at baseball. It's not a complicated concept.

Who cares about a stupid contract? Unless you can show me the clause in Pierre's contract which stipulates that he starts X number of games, I'll continue to blame both Colletti (for signing him) and Torre (for playing him). There is no rule, written or unwritten, that says you have to play a guy who makes a lot of money. If there were, Russ Ortiz would still be in Arizona's rotation.

"Sunk cost" is a concept the Dodgers should familiarize themselves with. Because it's beginning to apply not only to Pierre's contract, but also Colletti's and Torre's.

28 i don't think joe counted on andruw jones being one of the worst every day players is baseball again.

i know deep down he wishes he wasn't forced to start andruw every day.

After all these years I'm starting to sympathize with the Steinbrenners.

28 Compared to what he was, he is a part time starter right now. I don't think Joe meant he was going to be in the same category as Sweeney, Young or Hu.

Tonight's lineup:

Sizemore
Cabrera
Hafner
Martinez
Peralta
Garko
Gutierrez
Michaels
Blake

Fausto was awfule wild while he lasted, but we are still in this game since we are playing our best hitters tonight.

33 Go Tribe!

33 Now that's a lineup I can root for. Not a dud among them.

29 you guys have no clue. there is not one manager in baseball that would be doing it any differently right now. there are no players feelings to worry about when you guys play your computer games. it's just ignorant when you blame torre for being forced to start a player with a 18 million anual salary and actually blame it on him. pierre is a better baseball player than jones right now.

31 Yep, all those playoff runs, 50,000+ attendance, record cable revenues, I am sure the Steinbrenners are sorry Joe Torre ever walked into Yankee Stadium.

33 Enjoy the DH.

37 He's not still there.

35 I think we have huge problems with our lineup. I would put Blake in the 8th spot ahead of Michaels. I don't see how managers make these horrible decisions.

still no kemp.

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

pierre is a better baseball player than jones right now.

No he isn't.

42 well i think you're wrong.

The only hope is firing Ned. Sorry to say it, but its so. Then players don't HAVE to be played to save the face of their horrible contracts. How Torre would handle things in this case im not sure but his hands have to be some what tied as 36 points out. We are paying twice for Ned's absurd moves as it is.

36

For a guy who comes on here and cries to Jon all the time when people don't agree with your flawed opinions, you sure are not heeding your own advice with your blanket statements about people here and their clueless computer programs. Hypocrite.

31 Then I was confused, are you saying that you sympathize with them because they had to deal with Torre as their manager or what?

36

Pierre and Jones are BOTH starting so Pierre better than Jones argument is moot.

What about Kemp's feelings about sitting on the bench for, what, three games in a row?

It is always better to base a decision on objectives--computer simulations, actual performance--than on subjectives--feelings, anecdotes. PERIOD.

I guess the big contract concept doesn't apply to Loaiza. If Torre/Flanders can get that one right, then the only answer to Pierre and Jones starting over Kemp is they think Kemp is the lesser of the three. This is where I think they are insane.

44 Then why is Kuo (who is making the minimum) pitching ahead of 7 million dollar man Loiaza?

48 You available for some Sunday baseball? If you are, give me a call about tomorrow.

50 No, I can't make tomorrow, but I got the ticket for Tuesday. Thanks!

44 If your agenda is to fire Ned, then let the season play out, nothing will happen now.

It is interesting that the most serious media coverage on the Dodgers right now is about some autograph policy that probably affects maybe a few hundred fans a night.

Not saying that is not important but for Simers to jump on that one, that was an easy issue for T.J. to get people to rally behind.

49

B/C we are just gutting out the tail end of the mistake. Its not that big of a deal...?

46 Actually I wasn't saying much other than I'm frustrated with Kemp not getting the start again, and I'm frustrated with Torre this evening because of it.

52

Last year it was parking and the mess of getting into and out of Chavez, the feel good people's story. A follow up story of $15 parking would not be good, this year it's autographs for the kiddies.

The news business is nothing but predictable if you pay attention, man bites dog, hookers & politicians, and little kids getting hosed by the Parking King, sells every time.

45 if my opinons are so flawed then how come grady and torre are doing the same thing it's obvious i'm right or else kemp and ethier would be playing everyday

56 Are you joking?

No, he's not.

So why didn't the Dodgers just trade Kemp in the offseason?

I was excited when they signed Kuroda because it meant Kemp would probably not be traded to fill a supposed pitching need. It seemed like they recognized his value. That's clearly not the case. There are two years left with Jones and four years left with Pierre. If Kemp's not a full-time player now, is he supposed to wait for another two years?

If he's not going to start, it would have been better to at least have Cabrera, Santana, Bedard, or Haren. I'm pretty sure he could have been the centerpiece for most of those guys. At the time, I would have been upset with the prospect of not seeing Kemp grow as a Dodger. But it's worse now because they're getting zero value from him. The thought that management doesn't see his value really worries me as to what they might eventually do with him. I thought they had turned a corner at the beginning of the year, but I guess we should get used to more of the same.

nope, just explain to me if it's so simpe to play the best 3 of every day why haven't we found a manger willing to do it... again it's not dunguons and dragons computer simulators you have to think about the real world you CANNOT have pierre and jones sitting every day.

60
*you CANNOT have pierre and jones sitting every day."

I agree. Young should not be starting. I vote we just sit Pierre.

60 That was something. I think there were three sentences there, though it's hard to tell. Two of them argued against each other. The other insulted half the audience here.

Nice work.

There seems to be a direct correlation between cargill's anxiety level and the number of typos.

I completely agree with 4 . I do not understand why this continues to happen year after year with the Dodgers. It is embarrassing.

59 Great point.

I thought Kemp was our starting RF. He earned it based on his performance from last year. He also had a good spring. Now he is the 4th outfielder just when he appeared to be breaking out of his slump.

62
-torre wants to start the 3 best OF
-his 3 best OF right now in his mind are pierre kemp ethier
-he cannot sit jones because of the contract
- he cannot sit pierre because of his contract

firgue it out.

Well, I'm off to walk the dogs. And that's not a euphemism.

To flesh out D4P's list of wasted contract $$$ over the last 2 years from the last thread.

Hall $1.666M (happy camper!)
Nomar $22.75M (not counting 1st half of 2006)
Martinez $1.45M (x-SFG)
Mueller $9.5M (total waste, batting coach?)
Lugo $2.5M (atrocious, but received draft pick))
Cruz $300K (for not playing for LA)
Anderson $767K (for not playing for LA)
Ledee $1.5M (should not have been resigned)
Gonzalez $3.578M (only worth half a year)
Pierre $44M (much discussed already)
Jones $36M (surprise, playing the same as 07)
Seo $117K (?)
Baez $2M (what was he thinking?)
Hendrickson $3.6M (no comment necessary!)
Tomko $8.63M (no comment necessary!)
Wells $779K (should have resigned Maddux for 2 years)
Wolf $500K (bought out option, bad deal)
Loaiza $8.545M (paid A's back for Ethier)
Schmidt $47M (why did SFG NOT resign their ACE? the world wants to know)
Hernandez $127K (PVL, but could not pitch anymore!)

This adds up to over $190 million. Of course it does include $127 million for Pierre, Jones and Schmidt who might still provide some value for the $$$ (though I have serious doubts).

That is a lot of $$ for very little return.

Sometimes I feel buyer's remorse for something I write. Maybe I was too harsh, too critical. Then my target follows up with even more inane, insulting, childish drivel, and those feelings go away.

65. Torre's job is to win. He should be secure enough to play the best players. If he doesn't know who the best players are, we have a real problem.

Terry seems to get the idea:

"The more [Ellsbury] plays, the better he's going to be, and I clearly feel that responsibility," Francona said yesterday. "I'm trying to balance it the best I can."

http://tinyurl.com/6lezbq

60 The Dodgers cant find a manager to play the best 3 OFs because the GM and owner are not any good. They hired Torre because of his name and the fact it would bring the team national exposure.

The only good news that can come of all this is that I think Ned has to get fired if we have another disappointing season. Nobody is getting less from more with Ned. I don't care how much McCourt likes the guy, it has to bother him that he currently has about $80 million committed to two center fielders who should both be riding the pine. Ok it's still too early to write off Jones as a lost cause but if he never gets it together again that's $80 million dollars being spent on an outfield that should consist of Kemp, Ethier, and Delwyn Young. Then there is the money wasted on Schmidt and Nomar. Literally having over $100 million dollars of his money wasted surely has to tick off any business man.

I will give Colletti credit for one thing, he at least doesn't give relievers huge piles of money. That's the only trait of his I hope we see in the next GM.

71 completely agree

and don't talk about childish. i get belittle and talked down to on a weekly basis and i never every do it to anyone else. but i'm fed up with it, it's annoying that you get people who get brave behind a keyboard and computer but would never say things that they say in person. not that i'm a tough guy or anything but it's the truth.

59- That's a really great point. I was thinking about how much the Dodgers are missing the "feared power bat". Kemp is the most likely to develope into that player. if Pierre is valued over him, then why sin'tMiguel Cabrera playing third base.

This is all maddening. It's still so early, but if we are having this conversation in June a) Dodgers willbe far out of first and b) this board will be very ugly.

67

Wow so the amount of money Ned has wasted is near $200 million. McCourt would have to be insane to let this man have another off season of being able to spend his money if miss the playoffs.

73 Lighten up Francis.

69 "If [Torre] doesn't know who the best players are, we have a real problem."

And if he does know who they are and feels like he's unable to play them, then we have a worse problem.

Hu hits 2 grand slams today. I'm calling it.

73 Why post here if it is that unpleasant for you? One of the great things about this board is the amount of respect and decorum that exists. Please take a stepback and think about what would be best for everyone here.

76 again i don't think you'd say that to my face.

77
Actually it doesn't matter why he isn't playing them. Either way he is worthless to us.

I'm expecting a D-Lowe good game, just give us a victory please & I'll be cool.

The Godfather is on one channel, and "Gigli" on another. it is truly, truly an amazing contrast to flip back and forth.

80
Again, your opinion is wrong.

73

I really think you need to take a breath and look inward for a second. You are not the victim that you're making yourself out to be. And I have not written anything that I wouldn't say to you in person.

Sometimes the truth is a real pain. A lot of people can't take it.

Things are not looking good for our Tribe tonight.

83 Much like Kemp and Pierre.

Can we start calling Pierre "Gigli"?

87 Oof

73 You claim not to have belittled anyone, but in two separate posts in the last hour alone, you've dismissed people's opinions because the owners of those opinions were people who used computers. That's an attempt to belittle someone, and not even a very good or intelligent attempt at that.

Then there's the irony of using a computer to make demeaning remarks about people who use computers.

I am also a little disturbed in why they don't Ink Kemp in there.

90 You know your more than a little disturbed:)

ok i guess i'll do it out of respect for the people have treated me with respect so i'll leave. i'm still going to continue to read the posts jon puts up there because i love this site i love the dodgers but clearly you guys couldn't just treat me with respect

after being called a racist, calling me as dumb as joe morgan and bill plaschke, and being made fun of for some of my comments randomly out of the blue i'd bet a lot of you guys would be really pissed if all you wanted to do is have a civil talk about the team you love would get fed up about it, and just becuase i had differing opinion i didn't deserve that.

89 I believe the Irony Committee would approve.

89 i've never done it before never not once. but i am fed up and every man has a brreaking point

Free hockey in Montreal. Great Stanley Cup playoff just moved into overtime on VS. Much more satisfying than trying to figure out why Kemp isn't playing again.

92 Nobody's asking you to leave.

I just want to say, I miss the O'Malleys... or at least the myth of the O'Malleys.

There is something off putting about the way this team is constructed right now. The second baseman, while certainly a hall of famer, is liable to fall off the cliff at any moment. There are four outfielders for three spots. The starting rotation doesn't seem quite complete. And third base is what it is.

Beyond that, there doesn't really seem to be any sort of philosophy governing either the front office or the game on the field.

It's strange, many of us around here wanted this roster, more or less (Kemp in the outfield, Pierre somewhere else; LaRoche at third), and now, looking at it, it seems flawed in some way.

I can't figure out the flaw, and maybe it's just a sample size issue, but something feels... off.

To flesh out D4P's list of wasted contract $$$ over the last 2 years from the last thread

Wasn't my list. IIRC, it was JoeyP's.

Is the Tribe offense REALLY all that great ...

I count only Martinez and Sizemore as above average.

Hafner got old last year.

Garko and Cabrera are pretty good.

Other than that? Really average ...

Juan Pierre StartWatch

Pierre: 6
Kemp: 5

Torre said Pierre would start the season as a bench player pinch-hitting, pinch-running and being available to spell a starter

99 You're just trying to ruin my ploy to get people to come out to Ohio so I'm not all alone out here.

I think Peralta and Hafner are definitely above average for their positions, despite the former's defense and the latter's decline. The Indians are really just a good corner outfielder away from a championship team.

Like, say, Matt Kemp.

99 The might have some holes, but they do put their best team on the field. That's all you can ask. Also, Hafner is still plenty above average and so is Peralta as far as hitting for a SS, not sure about fielding.

96 it'll probably be best for everyone's enjoyment of this site.

101 102 103

Our fan base sticks together and defends our team also.

Cargill06, Jon has 12 rules on DT, and I have one for Baseball Toaster as a whole. My one rule is, "Don't insult people. If you do, apologize, even if you're right."

If someone insults you, ask for an apology. if you don't get one, email me or Jon, and we'll get you one.

Insulting people back and/or violating DT rule 12 is not going to solve the problem.

Now, I want EVERYONE who has been involved in this little conversation about who said what to apologize, or I will shut this thread down. I want like 12 consecutive comments to say "I'm sorry." I'm not kidding.

176 (from last thread) Thanks, immouch, for pointing out that we still have Vin Scully, Logan White, and I'll include Kim Ng for things we--and the Dodgers organization--should be thankful for. Let's hope the positive thoughts carry us through today and beyond.

Sorry here.

Anyone going to also attempt to watch the boxing double header on HBO?

Lets not snipe at each other.

The bottomline is Torre's decided that Kemp/Pierre are in a platoon, in which Pierre plays against "tough" right handers.

Its stupid.
Its dumb.
The Dodgers deserve to lose because of it IMO.

But, no amount of name calling amongst the commenters on this site is going to change things.

105

Oh .... trust me, I LOVE the Indians, and how their management thinks about putting the team together.

I'm a huge Sizemore fan (though I WISH he'd get a day off once in a while) and love Peralta too (despite his making Jeter look like a Gold Glover).

I have the MLB.TV and Extra Innings package, and I always tune into the Indians when I can.

i'm sorry that the thread got this ugly. and i'm sorry if i insulted anyone, i don't like being insulted i'm sure you don't like it either.

112 i'm sorry i insulted people... not if.

105 Why don't you guys just go and start an "Indians Thoughts" website!....or you could could give it a clever snappy name like 'Tribe Vibe" or "The Tepee"....Or "Bleacher Sitting Bull"....

Your disloyalty will not be forgotten.

Reading Wikipedia, there is some cool stuff on Chris Young.

1)In his freshman season, Young was the first male athlete to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in two sports—basketball and baseball

2)Young set Princeton freshman records for points (387) and rebounds (160) by averaging 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. He also had 39 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in three games at the Rainbow Classic basketball tournament, hosted by the University of Hawaii.

3)During his sophomore baseball season in 2000, Young was the Ivy League's leading pitcher with a 1.82 ERA overall and a 1.05 figure in conference games.11 He compiled a perfect record of 5–0 in eight appearances, with 52 strikeouts in 49⅓ innings. Young was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League baseball selection, and he led the Tigers to their first Ivy League title since 1996. Young pitched a complete game and struck out seven batters in the 5–2 win in the championship series opener against Dartmouth.

________________________________________

This isn't on Wikipedia but Vinnie tells a nice story were Chris Young wrote a column about Jackie Robinson, that's all nice & good but I still wanna beat him & beat him bad!!!

114--Those guys are just letting off some well deserved hot steam.

Loyalty is a two way street. Maybe they feel the Dodgers arent being loyal to them by playing their best players.

All of Montreal goes wild as the Canadiens score and win.

115 Let's try this again, Bluebleeder, do you want to go to the game tomorrow as my guest?

115 I believe it was his senior thesis.

If I remember rightly, Vin used to tell a story about Jody Gerut's thesis on Soviet copyright law. But I haven't heard the story since the 2003 "If Browny was pitching he (Milton Bradley) would be wearing the ball in his ear" series.

114 - It's probably a little tacky, but shouldn't a blog about the Cleveland Indians have a name that references the Major League movie? Like "Too High, Too High" or "Just a bit outside", or the classic, "Yeah, but they still suck."

116 Toungue is in cheek.....no worries:)

i can not believe that torre is once again not playing matt kemp. this is is unbelieveable. they dont trade him in the off season so he can play everyday. didnt torre say he would play most of the time?? i am beyond words!!!!!!

BTW-Cargill, I understand what you are trying to say, I don't necessarily agree it is about the money re Jones playing. Its more because of what he has accomplished and that Torre believes that he will work his way out of his early season slump.

Whether or not this is a continuation of last year's struggles remain to be seen, but there are too many players who have struggled one year and came back the next to automatically say that Jones is on a decline.

As far as Pierre playing ahead of Kemp, I am not a fan of it but I don't think it should cause a melt down on DT when it happens.

"I still wanna beat him & beat him bad!!!"

Like last year´s Jackie Robinson Day game? Ethier played very well, almost one year ago...

Eric Karros just pointed out that Jones hit .239 in the first month of his 51 hr season. So if he can make it to the mendoza line, we might have a 40 hr year on our hands:)

118

we're playing our championship double-header (sunday league) tomorrow BH (damn!) but thanks for keeping me in mind...

120 Looks like letsgotribe.com is the best they could do.

am i the only one who is completely pissed off that matt kemp is sitting on the bench?? i cant believe it!! torre is playing like grady little...

120 How bout "Jesus Christ could hit a curveball!".com

114 LOL

116 I agree, JoeyP, loyalty is indeed a two-way street and the Dodgers definitely owe it to the fans to play the best players not only for today but tomorrow as well. Matt Kemp certainly qualifies on both counts. The money Flanders is wasting is not only coming out of the McCourts' pockets but also the fans' lest we forget.

128 Do you read the posts?

Jackie Chan is at the Stadium to Park give him some tips to fight better!

128
I'm going to assume from that question that you haven't read much of this thread.

and here we go

129 - awesome, right up there with "Jobu needs a refill".com

ugh not a good start, you know what man, I've noticed that trend of the Pads players going the apposite field against Troncoso (sinker baller) & now they do the same thing with D-Lowe, aghh!!

Apparently, Andruw and Andre have been working on their communication skills.

That was a little noodle by Andruw Jones...

Man, for a second I thought Pierre was in centerfield and I was like "Why aren't you letting Ethier catch it!"

Good start. And, if I'm Matt Kemp, I get my agent to call Coletti and ask for a trade. If his wish isn't granted, his agent should then throw a fastball in the direction of Coletti from a short distance. Him not starting half of our games this year so far is preposterous. There are no excuses or reasons that justify Torre's idiocy. I'm PO'd right now because i hate rooting against my own team so the best team will be fielded. Right now, I enjoy watching the Rays play more than my own team. They play their best young players and my favorite player (Senor EJAX) is now their staff ace (okay, maybe not yet). I am not a happy camper...

I thought Lowe was a groundball pitcher.

132

You know what man, Jackie Chan had some good sinking action on his heater...

The game isn't on my E.I. package tonight .... sigh.

Russell Martin will go deep today.

Matt Kemp is in no position to demand a trade.

141 - it's still hot, balls jump at Dodger and Angel Stadiums when the sun's out and it's hot. Always have.

The Pierre over Kemp Boycott continues for me. That means I wont watch tonights game, outside of gameday, perhaps. I'm not dumb enough to be put through this stupidity two years in a row. Congratulations, Dodger front office.

I still hope we get a good performance from Lowe tonight, plus I suspect Martin will have a good night at the plate. We managed all right against Chris Young in the last outing.

The AFLAC question should be: How many 1st inning runs did Dodgers pitchers give up since last Saturday?

146 - see what I mean?

Rafael Furcal will too go deep....

Furcal is amazing. I like him.

ucladodger, you said it right. this makes NO SENSE. torre said he would play "most of the time." isnt torre supposed to be a straight shooter? this is what happened last year with loney being sent to the minors and nomar wasting half a season at first. kemp sitting on the bench is a complete waste. i am so disappointed in torre that i cant watch the team. what a complete disappointment...

can you say... en fuego

And there were some who wanted Rafael Furcal dumped.

nice way to follow it up juan!

Furcal's on fire.

I'm sorry

Well, I took a nap and woke up for the game-------no Kemp. I'm going back to sleep and I don't think I will bother staying up for night games on the west coast.

Can we get an almost cycle since Furcal has not made an out this series.

At least he's a good bunter.

Oh, wait...

wow, a base hit the other way, forgot what that looks like

The McCourts have screwed up this team so bad. Oh well and I thought Fox was bad.

157 Not you Marty.

I emailed Daniel about Tuesday, I'll let you know if I hear back.

I guess Furcal hasn't gotten word that he's supposed to hit a single when he's batting lead-off so number 2 can move him over. Sheesh. When will things start going right?

OK .... Ethier is definitely going in my fantasy starting lineup for good starting tomorrow.

(unless Torre has other ideas .... ) :-(

Can someone explain to my why the "lived" in "short-lived" is pronounced like "live wire" instead of "living room"?

Matt Kemp should start taking grounders at 2nd. There's a possibility Kent could retire and no PVL will be hired to replace him. He would fall into a battle with Hu and Abreu, but it would be a fair fight.

166 It's not in this part of the country.

it seems like Loney is swinging a very heavy bat, you guys see it too or is it just me?

166 It isn't.

Edmonds is terrible in center. 3 years ago he catches that easily.

166- http://www.bartleby.com/61/46/S0364600.html

loney is getting hot

James Loney, can we say potential batting champion. But then no one cares about batting average. :)

make up your mind BOWA! your gonna hurt somebody with that indecision

Jim Edmonds, the gift that keeps on giving.

6-4-3 from druw?

Russell is beginnig to hit the ball up the middle.

this is kind of cool, seeing the offense work like it's suppose to.

Surprised they pitched to Martin there with 1st base open..

176 Eric is going to start a Edmonds hit tally, that is the hits he gives up.

177 - nope, because Russ is about to steal second

166 Merriam-Webster has it pronounced both ways but Vin Scully has now pronounced the "live wire" version of that word twice in two days during his TV simulcast. Just wondering why anyone would go with that version.

It's getting to the point where you hope he only strikes out instead of hitting into a DP. At least then DeWitt would get a chance.

pathetic.

Kevin Kennedy is right about one thing. Druw's base is collapsing like crazy on every swing. His back foot is all over the place. Absolutely horrific mechanics. We have a center fielder who cant hit the ball and a left fielder that will OPS .650 but our potential superstar outfielder cant find any PT. Makes total sense to me.

Good at-bat for Andruw. He only made one out.

cant even hit a fly ball.

Andruw...Your fork is ready...you're about done.

Blake DeWitt strolls to the plate to a LedZep song ... talk about a generation gap ...

172 Thank you, Andrew.

Oh well, Auto-K (AK?) the centerfielder does what he does best nowadays.

100
Juan Pierre StartWatch

*Pierre: 6
Kemp: 5*

It's actually Pierre 7, Kemp 5 because of the one game in Arizona Andruw did not start.

During this inning I've sort of forgotten that I'm supposed to be rooting for the Padres.

Martin woulda had that.

DeWitt is also trying to pull everything...

I wonder if that gets through if Martin isn't running.

this is why we let peavy off the hook last night, could'nt get that big hit with runners on. jones is a complete mess, whatever he is doing in the batting cage at 2:30 obviously isnt working.

Furcal and Hu up the middle next year makes sense to me.

By the way, I saw you Midwest splitters trying to get your grubby paws on Kemp. That's fine, my D'backs have enough outfielders. But we've got dibs on Martin and LaRoche. I'll let you pick whether you want Kershaw, or Billingsley and Broxton.

Dewitt is a kid so folks are more forgiving plus there is really no one else to play 3B right now.

He is doing nothing to stop Nomar from taking over when he is ready.

200 - something tells me Nomar isn't going to do much once he's got the job.

wow, great catch by Andre

Kemo doesn't catch that:)

199 Guy wins the NCAA contest, his team has won 8 in a row and Chad Tracy is not close to playing, he just shows up now and then to remind us of his status of lord of his realm.

Jerry Seinfeld says:

What's the deal with Andruw Jones? Have you ever noticed how much he sucks?

that ball would have popped out of pierres glove

Kemp!
Kemp!
Kemp!

I screwed up my joke! argh!

Ethier looks like the guy that has 10 Gold gloves.

The padres consistently go the other way, I really hope the Dodgers are paying attention.

200 He's fielding well, which is really what he's there for. Hits are bonus. How do you think Nomar's fielding will compare?

Kemp's on the bench because he clapped when Bowa tossed the gatorade.

Bowa's tirade was, in part, choreographed to put some fear in the younger players. Kemp clapped and mocked Bowa...it has nothing to do w/ Pierre's salary. They're just trying to remind Kemp who runs the show.

211 It probably is something "old school' like that.

210 I know I will get blasted for this considering who is playing for this team but he is doing nothing with his bat and I don't think anyone can argue that he would be better off getting at bats at AA right now.

for some reason I thought Larry Bowa's Wiki page would have a lot more but apparently not, here is some cool stuff on him >>>Bowa was born in Sacramento, California, the son of a former minor-league infielder in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system. While at C. K. McClatchy High School, Bowa tried out but never made the school's baseball team .1 After graduation, Bowa went to Sacramento City College where he started, and was expected to go in the MLB Draft, but didn't. The Philadelphia Phillies were the only Major League team interested in Bowa. They sent a local scout, Eddie Bockman to watch Bowa play in a double header, only for Bowa to be thrown out of the game for arguing. Borkman had a winter league team in the area and offered Bowa a chance to play. Bowa played well and signed with the Phillies for a $2,000 bonus.

I think it's a really cool read.

204- I'm like Sherman McCoy, but at the beginning of the book.

209

they took there notes Lex, I've noticed it too.

215 As long you are not like Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

213 - I would think that DeWitt would be better off getting ABs against better pitchers, and I would think he would see better pitchers in the NL West than he would in the Southern League.

212 - that's not necessarily a bad thing. I gotta say, in this day and age, to choreograph something like that is dumb. But to turn it into a lesson, not so much.

143 Double check, it may be there now. At least on DirecTV, the Dodgers weren't on until the bottom of the 1st tonight (A's @ Indians instead).

Also, now that SD's Ch.4 is added to EI & the MPEG4 conversion has happened every single Dodger game has been available to me in HD here in AZ. The 4/18 game is the only one that possibly may not be in HD.

Considering last season only had ~5 HD games/month, it's pretty cool for this out of town fan.

Since I am in Palm Springs and have access to some LA stations, tonight was my first exposure to "Think Blue TV" on KCAL 9 with Gary Miller and Eric Karros. Do they run this pregame show before every Dodger game on KCAL?

I wasn't overjoyed by the pregame show, but any extra Dodger coverage is great for me.

219
I read somewhere that Time Warner is to add HD games for Extra Innings this season, but I have yet to see any.

DirecTV is really trying hard to get me to subscribe:

1) Ability to choose announcers for most games (if not all)
2) Ridiculous amount of games in HD
3) Exclusivity of NFL package

221
1) Definitely not all. No Vin tonight.

219- Do the HD games look good? Back before he got the boot, one of George Ou's hobby horses was DirectTV's over-compressing their HD signal, making the HD programming look bad, but also giving them bandwidth enough to offer more HD channels.

En fuego, en fuego!

Nomar is 0-1 with a walk and a ground out.

You guys think James Loney will bust an Andruw Jones in a few years (after winning a few gold gloves & batting titles) were he gets chubby & can't hit & stuff, I don't know but he seems like that, I could be very wrong though.

223 HD golf from Augusta looks really cool.

Baseball, I will say it does look I am there.

225 - wow, Nomar's already playing in the field, Torre had said he'd start off as a DH, didn't he?

226 - if by "a few years" you mean 12-15 years, I'll take that chance.

222
No Vin tonight

Probably because the game is on KCAL and not FSN Prime Ticket. This is one of the few times you and I are not watching the same broadcast.

is that a true story about kemp mocking bowa? where did you hear that????

somebody else pointed this out but I like how Russell Martin is going up the middle & the other way in this game.

Vin quoting (OK, slightly butchering) Major League!! Sweet.

231 My guess is that he was joking.

that was a designed pick off, Gonzales tapped his glove a couple of times before the pitch

Loney went back into first feet first? You don't see that every day.

231- Comment 244:

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/935709.html

212 Wierd conspiracy theories aside, they might indeed bettying to teach Kemp a lesson, since he's a youngster who can still learn. If he had played more maturely and steadily the first week, he'd have the job, which was in fact Torre's announced intention. A full week of wild swinging and a BA of 0.00 lost him the job. Pierre and Jones did no better, but since they are veterans they get first chance to play themselves out of their slumps. If Jones doesn't do so soon he'll be benched. What to do about Pierre I have np idea since he's back to playing as expected. I guess if Kemp manages to one through next time he gets a chance and Pierre continues to suck weakly, Pierre will have to sit when Jones is brought back. It's not fair that Kemp is being forced to be consistent when no one else is, but it comes from having four outfielders and two vets. Kemp will really have to prove himself, like Ethier did, next time.

233 This must be sweet since you usually have to watch the games on the San Diego feed.

This would be a great time for a first career home run

I thought the pickoff attempt at 1st was a Gameday typo.

FINALLY!! the BIG hit comes! YES!!

223 The detail is so good you can see Juan Pierre's head.

Mr. Dewitt!

So happy to see a rookie hitting!

I don't think The Solution likes the idea of returning to Jacksonville.

That's what you get for walking the pitcher to load the bases.

oh wait...

Larry Bowa did say on the aforementioned "Think Blue TV" that someone just needed a bases loaded double to get the Dodger offense going.

Way to go, Blake!

DeWitt has been a really nice surprise. About the only one of the season so far.

He went opposite way that time!

I stand corrected.

sign him up!

No wait. He's left-handed. Oy so confused.

I think we can all agree that was a lucky bounce

They can't let Young pitch to Furcal.

247

I think it's a good TEAM moral booster also, with things not going good for us for about a week now, It doesn't hurt that's for sure.

Great hit by The Solution. I also thought Druw had a nice AB just prior... he held off those low-and-away sliders.

And Young boots it! Excellent...

254 It's like opposite day for me.

254 It's like opposite day for me.

248
Not to belittle your point, but this is the power of lowered expectations. With the double tonight, DeWitt is hitting .242/.390/.333. I know it's only 41 PA, but still.

I do agree that it has been a surprise that DeWitt hasn't been totally overmatched.

257 258 Opposites attract.

And I top it off with a double post.

That was a great hit by The Solution!

When are the Snakes gonna lose already.

This is the first Carmax poll since I can't remember where the majority of voters weren't obviously stupid.

I mean, they're still paying money to vote in a phony poll that doesn't mean anything. But at least they're mostly voting the right way.

263
Tomorrow*

*(I have no reason for this; I just wanted to be the first to predict it)

259 - as a team, the Dodgers are hitting .250 /.327 /.372, so I'll take DeWitt's line from a rookie third baseman who wasn't suppose to be in the majors for another year or two.

259

He's OBPing at .390.

It's a nice surprise considering that I have not been a fan of his game at all. He has also managed to not be the least potent offensive weapon on the team thus far.

Outperforming expectations considering the circumstances qualifies as a nice surprise, for me.

question: how different would the last 8 years have been if the Dodgers would have traded for Edmonds when the Cardinals got him?

If Kemp really is getting benched because he clapped at Bowa's hissy fit, then Joe Torre is the first father in the history of the world who really did turn the car around and not take the kids to Disneyland because they wouldn't sit quietly on the trip out.

Steiner just mentioned that Ethier has started every game this year. Small victories...

267
You're right. I think we are both on the same page; I just wanted to point out that DeWitt isn't setting the house afire. However, his .390 OBP has been excellent.

Agree--Dewitt's ability to draw walks has been a surprise.

Probably doesnt have enough power to stick long term at 3b, but maybe could turn into a Bill Mueller if he keeps his patience.

269 - actually, my dad did that once. We weren't going to Disneyland, in fact, I forget where we were going, but he gave us the "knock it off, or we're going home." My sister and I didn't knock it off, and we went home.

I'd rather just ignore the Kemp/Pierre thing at this point. It makes my head hurt.

This is getting as mind-numbing as when Tracy played Jason Phillips at first over Choi.

I tried to caution people from overreacting to Torre's decisions the other day, but I think that may have been the crack cocaine talking.

270. I believe that Ethier is the player that most suprised Torre because, for the hitter that he is, his numbers were not very good last. In a positive, of course.

Gameday must be broken. It said Juan Pierre walked.

pierre lead off 2b

Just another walk for Pierre.

Oh wait...

i cant stand pierre...

scully could steal a bag off chris young

Pierre is now 2 for 3 in stolen bases.

Havoc!

Mr. Ethier!

Mickey Mantle!

You know you're strugglin when you walk Pierre.

The Grabowski Principle is immutable.

Well, Andre Ethier is a nice surprise too.

I am at the game and having trouble getting the dodgers site. who are the probebles for tomorrow. ps andres shot was a laser

Yellow Alert!

argh ... I KNEW I should have put Ethier in my fantasy lineup starting today ...

Juan Pierre: Ignitor

Dude it's not even funny anymore, Senor Andre Ethier is just insanely on his game right now, WOOTZ!

Ethier just owns Chris Young.

Chris Young just threw a 76mph tastee freeze.

That was the absolute definition of a meatball.

that ball was lathered

So much for Chris Young being a tough righty.

In Bob's absence, I guess it's up to us to issue the yellow alert.

I would like to point out that Ethier and Kuo are both on my fantasy team. Andruw is on there as well, but he is benched for this month (thank Jeebus for that one).

Good things happen when Juan Pierre gets on base.*

*if only he could do so 30 percent more often.

274 Matt Kemp = Hee Seop Choi.

I'd start a fact of Kemp but Matt Kemp is much better than Choi. It wouldn't even be cute.

269

Agreed, but he wouldn't be the first to take away TV privileges for the week...benching during the playoff stretch is bad, but early in the season when a player is struggling and Torre is trying let Pierre get used to limited playing time may not be all bad.

I'm in the camp that thinks this is a temporary thing and not a complete breakdown in management.

That just shows useful a weapon the stolen base is, by the way.

295 Already done.

284 - remind me again of the Grabowski Principle

294 Catch any of the Nike game today? Gordon looks good but I am not going to start proclaiming he will replace Kevin Love easily.

Anderson looks like a fine guard who we be a really good defender.

299 I'm with you there.

298

Yeah, but that fact you just stated makes my heart hurt even more.

If this game gets any further out of hand, then maybe Bison will get some mop up time in.

286

Dodgers Dot Com doesn't say, but I'm guessing Billingsley is the starter for us no? It doesn't upload until this game has concluded, try Yahoo.

295 301 - and in the bottom of the 4th, he should probably get two more attempts

305 I hear you.

Great AB. Loney really is a superb hitter.

303
I totally forgot, while I was working. I am just hoping for J'Mison Morgan to come down and create the new Fab 5.

By the way, my friend is going to UCLA for grad school and I will probably be trying to visit her a decent amount so I should be able to catch some UCLA games with you.

It's Billingsley against Maddux, yes. Young Skywalker, the pupil, against his Jedi Master.

I know he's only done it in 11 games, and I don't mean to jinx it... but how far can Loney stretch his hitting streak out?

I'm glad to see the cycle alerts work in my absence.

314 - two days in a row, at that

302- "When a pitcher does something hopelessly bad in a situation he should easily handle (e.g., giving up a hit to an opposing pitcher in a National League game, plunking the batter with bases loaded, or walking a struggling hitter), the Grabowski Principle says that pitcher must immediately be replaced."

Comment 65

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/192402.html

I am now watching the game on MLB.TV!

Comcast does not offer Extra Innings in HD so the flexibility of mlb.tv is what persuaded me to go the internet route.

314 It's a team effort when you're out, but we stay informed.

Now who has tonight's boring historical anecdote?

I'm not sure that Vin's description of Andruw Jones as a "big butter and egg man" was very nice.

Hey, he walked again!

Jones drawing two walks is a good sign. It saves me from calling him Andruw DeShields.

Ah, the $18 million dollar walk machine.

I'll take it. If it lasts.

Jones walks. There's another Grabowski Principle.

Good at-bat with Andruw.

Dewitt showing a little pop. Nice swing he put on that one.

I think The Solution was reading this thread in the dug out.

Solution!

OK, now DeWitt has been a real surprise! :)

DeWitt! DeWitt!

It is pretty obvious that Ethier is a Torre favorite at this point. Look at what has happened with him. He starts over the other corner OFs. He often hits 3rd. They have had him working out at first base.(That's was when I knew he must have really made an impression...that and when he started the first game over Pierre.)

The Solution!

316 Pardon me for being not to bright, but is there a way you search and find those old posts so well? Do you just use th google search?

317

I've always wondered how the feed is on MLB.TV is it any good, does it freeze up etc..

... Ahhhh yes, the Principle of Grabowski.

This is the way this offense was suppose to work.

We needed this, people.

Kemp is not starting. Jones is still struggling. There are things that are not right.

But we needed this.

The Grabowski Principle keeps rearing it's head...

Those IBBs are really paying off for Bochy.

Grabowski Principle!!!

Who'd have thunk that Derek Lowe would be our most dangerous offensive weapon tonight?

The Dodgers have found the soft underbelly of the Padres bullpen. Sort of like Greece was for the Axis during WWII.

anyone know if 10 runs gets Hooters?

Now that it's a rout, maybe we should take out some of our starters and go with our bench players. Namely one particular outfielder.

Beat SD.

331- Practice, practice, practice.

Also, I tend to remember little parts of the thing I'm looking for; knowing consecutive words, even if it's only a couple, really makes a difference.

By the way, Cotto slaughtering Gomez was such a beat down, that it in no way was entertaining.

Like when the Patriots will face my Raiders this upcoming season.

This Boycott is not working.

Wow 9-1 Dodgers? Go us! How'd it all happen? Anyone willing to fill me in?

342 - Ethier can't sit with a yellow alert in effect.

342

... I agree. Delwyn Young should get some innings and ABs.

Slightly Less Depressing Thoughts...

What honestly separates the San Diego padres from the San Francisco Giants? Both teams have very good pitching, but aging and/or mediocre veterans playing at every position. Both teams figure to have terrible benches, and maybe average relief pitching.

346 - Ethier with a yellow alert, Furcal lead off homer, Dewitt a couple of RBI doubles, Jones drawing walks

349

Nevermind, I forgot Kouz and Gonzalez. Still, not much difference.

Not Ethier. Jones.

349 - Hariston and Greene are pretty solid pieces, but yes, the Padres are about two years from rebuilding.

And my battery is about to die, so I say good night gents.

332 It's pretty smooth. It only very occasionally gets choppy. I'm running the 1.2 MB feed (the biggest, 800k and 400k are the other options with the Premium package), and I'm using wireless internet with my laptop.

332. I´m watching on MLB TV too and today, it is working very well.

I think the Padres want to get this game over.

345 Who are the Raiders going to draft? The other question, will Lane Kiffin still be the coach?

Third question, did you see that "fan favorite" Pat Cowan is the number one guy right now.

350

Crazy delicious!

Is 337 an inside joke I've missed out on?

340 Not bad.

350. And Lowe is pitching well and has 2 RBIs.

351--Padres need to get Headley on the 25-man playing everyday.

347 There are other outfielders. Jones has looked okay so I'd leave him in. Maybe he's actually making progress. That leaves... Mr. Pierre.

... Matt Kemp??? Who's that guy?

When did we pick him up?

359 He walked Hu to get the Lowe twice and Lowe had a squib grounder for an RBI and then Lowe hit the 2 run single.

Woo hoo, lets go Kemp!

359 He IBBd Hu earlier and Lowe reached on error. He did it again, and Lowe hammered a ball up the middle for an RBI single.

And now that I've finished typing it, I realized he said "Bochy"... so I don't know.

349 Every Padres players is at least mediocre or better, while the Giants' players are downright awful. I think it's a big difference.

Also, the bullpens.

See?

357
a) I have no idea. I just hope it's not McFadden.

b) At least through this season.

c) Sadly, yes, I did hear that. I was hoping Craft would pull off some magic. He still has time to do it. It is early.

306 I called it.

Oh, now he bats Kemp for Pierre. Great.

little did we know Furcal's dinger was an omen...

359 That's just me living in the past.

Colt Morton sounds like an expensive steak you really don't want to eat.

349

... I think it speaks volumes about the Padres that they've allowed an opposing batting average of .215 over their first 11 games and are 6-5 going into this one.

Matt Kemp = DJ Mbenga

370 Bob can chime in but at least the Rose Bowl faithful like Pat because he can avoid being sacked like Olson.

The only thing I can think of is that the coaching staff is trying to get Ben motivated for the next 2 weeks.

Win Expectancy is at 99%... in case anybody was curious.

When people call James Loney a future batting champion, do they mean September 2008?

378
I totally understand not starting Olson. It just stinks that Cowan is the other option. I cannot wait for the Crissman era.

Nomar lines out to center. He walked and grounded to third earlier.

380 So you think he'll catch Kendall huh?

Pete Richert and Vada Pinson. I always had doubles, triples, quadruples of their baseball cards.

Tonight is probably a not good time to bring this up but I regularly read some variation regarding Ethier hitting too well so far this season to be benched in Torre's mind numbing out field rotation, yet coming into this game Ethier's OPS was .747

384 It was Alan Trammell and Max Venable for me, but where did that comment come from?

S-O-L-U-T-I-O-N

DeWitt is a stud.

Hee hee. Crabbe was a pinch hitter. Hah!

Phenomenal play. Wow.

I like Callix Crabbe. I wish we had him, actually.

I almost wish my last name was Crabbe.

381 What are the odds that UCLA only uses 2 quarterbacks this season? 3-1?

381 What are the odds that UCLA only uses 2 quarterbacks this season? 3-1?

He should be Callix "King" Crabbe

Great defensive play by Blake DeWitt! Lowe can´t complain about the young players.

I am really blown away by that play.

Now if only Andruw makes contact...

391 Can he play CF, Edmonds won't make it for the whole year.

Not many games you see 2 errors by pitchers.

386 Vin's "this day in Dodger history" tale. An event in 1962, Richert pitching to Pinson.

Yeesh, the Padres must've eaten at Carl's Jr. on the way to the stadium.

Wow, Ledezma almost nailed a 2-year-old with that throw.

2 beatdowns, but Margarito v. Cotto will be epic.

Reached on an error on a bad swing. At least he reached.

Save some runs for tomorrow boys!

401 Now I'm laughing at myself. I'm getting the SD feed tonight.

Okay, I just noticed Hu's song. Have they done that before?

Haha, Derek Lowe- OBP machine.

407. Lowe´s AB song also reminds me of his name.

407 Please tell me it's The Who.

Derek Lowe has caused 4 runs to score tonight. He has had the kind of at-bats where Vin would say anytime you make contact as a pitcher that is a bonus.

407 Its been commented on before.

410 Yep.

410 Which song?

413. The CSI song!:P

I'm glad to be home, watching the Dodger game on local TV. I keep forgetting that not everyone is hearing Scully.

My Pete Richert baseball card was the one issued after he'd been traded to Washington. To cover such circumstances, Topps usually had a "where's my cap?" picture they could use. (If they didn't, they would airbrush the team logo off the hat, in a really obvious way.) In Richert's picture, as I recall, he had his arms over his head like he was in his windup, a particularly odd time not to be wearing his cap. But this was the 60s, of course, a time of nonconformity.

The Mayor is having a good game for the 51s tonight.

Who are You

417 Awesome.

341 Wings on the house tonight.

Reading some scouting stuff on Maddux, I hope the Dodger hitters go the other way against him, & I also hope Billingsley sticks to one arm motion & that the coaching staff worked with him.

414 Jeez...the CSI song... that's a heck of way to think of it. Is "Rock and Roll" the Cadillac song?

"Who Are You," from the album of the same name, was the last Who album made with Keith Moon, who died of asphyxiation in a drunken misadventure shortly after the album came out. Spookily enough, the album cover has Moon sitting on a chair on which is stenciled the words "Not to be Removed."

I would really like to see Delwyn Young hit a couple of times tonight. C'mon, Joe, get your act together.

Maddux tomorrow? Kemp better be in the starting lineup for that.

423 I think he smiled in the sixth inning tonight, so he'll probably be benched.

Colt Morton kind of looks like Mags Ordonez to me.

421. You are right, my music knowledge is very limited. At least I can say it´s not from my country. Am I excused?

417 - that is fargin' brilliant.

422 Who would he bat for, not Kemp, not Ethier (he is going for the cycle), Martin (Young is not catching), okay maybe Jones.

422 Also, a Gary Bennett sighting would be nice.

428 Shoot, play him at second base for all I care. He's not going to let in 9 runs with his glove.

393
I think we will see Craft at some point.

417
It always sounds to me like that song has the f-word a couple times in the chorus. Can anybody confirm that? Is it legal to play songs with profanity on the radio? I've tried googling the lyrics to the song, but the lyrics always come up clean.

426 I think most of us could say that.

Bison Power!

Okay, so there's that.

432 Yes it is there. And I remember them playing it on the radio back in California.

426 that's another problem I have. I think everyone can see Vin Scully, and I think everyone was alive in 1978.

I swore I would never become an old fart. I've obviously failed.

Kemp is a good hitter.

woah, that thing went a few rows up!!!

Booyakasha

Pretty sure hitting to the opposite field means he doesn't respect veteran players. Means a benching. ;)

Matt Kemp. Great Dodger outfielder, or greatest Dodger outfielder?

There was somebody on BTF earlier -- today or yesterday, IIRC -- saying the Dodgers were shopping Kemp because they don't have any faith in him.

Of course, he hit against a sucky lefthander.

:)

M. Bison goes Psycho Crusher!!!

There we go! This will help.

441 - LOL!

The Bison!!!! I hope Torre is not sleeping!

Maybe he should play more. Nobody on that team has that type of power. Only a few guys in the league have that type of power.

Also, James Loney is freakin' amazing.

Loney just serves that ball into left center.

Come on Sacramento - hang on....

443 If Kemp got traded, this thread would be NSFW. For a few days at least.

I heard Jones got an apposite field hit the other day but I'd yet seen him hit the ball the apposite field until just now.

I have an opportunity to trade Lastings Milledge and Rich Harden for Billingsley. Do it?

Andruw goes opposite field for a flyout. I would call that progress.

443

I refuse to believe that. That is too crazy to be true.

454 What type of league? I would be hesitant to do it in most leagues, but depending on the stats and the keepers it could be worth it.

Yay DY!

Lowe is going for a complete game.

454 No.

Harden has a terrific lineup behind him and, IMHO, is a better pitcher right now. I have nothing to say about Milledge but I like Harden to have a better year than Bills.

I reserve the right to be very wrong about this.

457 R, HR, RBI, SB, TB, OBP, W, SV, K, HLD, ERA, WHIP / 5 keepers

The Dodgers are not shopping Matt Kemp. Torre is not an idiot. Kemp will get plenty of starts this year. The season in young. Patience everyone.

443 If that happens, you may hear about a scrawny Asian girl torching Ned's car.

460 Are you aware Harden is on the DL and they are hinting he may be out for a while?

If the Dodgers are shopping anyone, it is Pierre.

Never thought I could be happy the Kings won a game.

This game needs Khachaturian's Saber Dance as background music.

443 , 452 - the thread I refer to is here:

http://tinyurl.com/6hhxny

I don't know if Levski is joking/BSing.

Then again, Harden is on the DL and might be out awhile. I'd do it.

:)

As for Milledge, Washington's playing as an extreme pitcher's park so far but I'm not sure whether that's expected to hold up.

461 With that league, I probably make the trade. I'm guessing that Harden or Milledge wouldn't make it into your 5 anyway, right? With Harden's injury, you may be just giving up Milledge for Bills.

I got him mixed up with Haren.

Better ask someone who's brain is working, Eric.

463

oh man, LOL.

467 I read it.

Bovine Scatology, IMHO.

99 cents no less!

I hate beach balls.

You know what I hate more than beachballs? People behind homeplate who wave to friends their talking to on their cellphones.

And I really hate beachballs.

476 Is it because they're not calling you?

I missed the bison shot. Can someone give me a description?

sigh

When the wife is at the in-laws, it gets lonely. So yeah, I'd appreciate a call.

(wipes eyes, sniffles, shuffles off to the television to catch ESPN)

one of those things landed on top of my head once when me & TC were at a game, you know what though, I participated in the beach ball thing at the coliseum though.

478 Opposite field shot, a few rows up in right center.

478
Opposite field shot, a few rows up. Looked like Pierre on steroids.

478 A 78 mph changeup smacked to the opposite field about 7 rows up the pavilion.

465 Can we somehow ignore Pierre's contract and just accept him for what he is, a good fourth outfielder? He does bring a few things to the table when he plays. I am not a Pierre fan but we need to accept him for what he is. He is not an underachiever. If the Dodgers can somehow trade him, great. But let's prepare for him to be part of the team this year.

Yeah, but who has the miles per hour, huh?

481 482 That was creepy.

486 Great minds think alike. Joe Torre does not think like us.

When was the last time the Dodgers got three home runs?

Dear Gilberto,

I like your comments, you're welcome here. But in a word, no.

I refuse to accept that Juan Pierre is helping this team by playing ahead of Matt Kemp. I say this because Matt Kemp does everything better than Juan Pierre except steal bases. As long as that remains true--and I expect it to remain true--I will occasionally point out that if Juan Pierre is starting ahead of Matt Kemp, it is a mistake.

Like tonight, for example.

Keep posting. This topic ain't going anywhere soon.

I can't wait till Kuo hits another bomb.

488 One time they hit five homeruns in two innings against the Padres. I forget the circumstances...

488

I'm thinking it's been a substantial amount of time, last year i'm thinking.

We needed a laugher and we got it, folks.

Have a good night.

490 I hope to see it again on Tuesday, I saw the last time it happened.

489
Juan Pierre's career SB% = 74.7%

Matt Kemp's career SB% = 76.2%

I'm thinking Torre is gonna bench Kemp again but I hope I'm wrong, it's just that Maddux is such a great pitcher I'm thinking Torre doesn't wanna expose him to that (that's weird logic in my opinion because YOU WANT HIM TO FACE THE BEST) but, veremos...

488 I guess the role of Interim Bob falls to me. September 25, 2007, Rockies 9, Dodgers 7. Hu, Loney, and Delwyn go deep.

Great night to be a dodger fan and Kemp homered. Can´t ask for more. See you tomorrow, guys!(today, actually)

Is Pierre really a good fourth outfielder (ignoring that he's not a fourth outfielder, for now)? Is he even better than average? Somebody should study fourth outfielders.

Somebody who isn't me.

The best 4th outfielder in baseball is Matt Kemp. I stand by that statement and refuse to study other fourth outfielders or be corrected in any way.

It's kind of interesting, and more than a little sad, that Derek Lowe--in one game--just tripled Andruw's RBI production for the season.

489 I agree that Kemp is better than Pierre just as you stated. That is why I believe Pierre should remain the 4th outfielder. I truly believe that Torre is trying to light a fire under Kemp by starting Pierre over him. He doesn't want Kemp to take his job as a starter for granted. I love Kemp but I think he still makes occasional mental mistakes on the field and on the basepaths. Probably just typical young player mistakes, but letting him know that he has to bring his best game every night to the field is probably a good message to send to Kemp.

Tomko (!!!) was the #2 webgem tonight. DeWitt was #5

Joe Torre should stop worrying about teaching Kemp a lesson and start worrying about Sporky's access to DMV records.

499 500 I think Pierre is a better than average 4th outfielder, although I have not done my research to back that up. I think he is the 4th best OF in the Dodger organization right now. And Kemp is not a 4th outfielder. Torre named Kemp the opening day starter and has never said that Kemp has lost his job. I truly believe that these benchings are for motivational purposes.

497 Thanks, Eric. Hard to remember from a game they lost in awful Sept 2007. But I figured it had to be more recent than Sept 2006, the one I recall.

502 Agreed.

465 Not sure if anyone in the Dodgers organization is aware of this, but there is a website that is devoted to shopping Pierre:

http://tinyurl.com/54tvde

Theory on why Torre is playing Pierre over Kemp: Torre is a master of playing the media. He knows that playing Ethier over Pierre causes a ruckus, and he wants to avoid that. So he plays Pierre over Kemp while giving Ethier, a player he clearly has an affinity for, a chance to earn the starting job. While there were some who felt (wrongly) that Pierre was a better option than Ethier, no one in their right mind would suggest that Pierre is better than Kemp. Eventually the demand for Kemp to play becomes great, and as long as Ethier keeps putting up good numbers, no one bats an eye when Pierre is benched in May as the Dodgers look to dump his salary.

In my opinion, Kemp doesn't need a fire lit under him, for one Kenny Lofton isn't here anymore, for two benching is a very poor motivational tool, unless you are trying to motivate him off the team.

All Kemp needs is ABs.

507 OK. You got me.

508 You may be right. Playing Pierre over Kemp, has completely taken the pressure off Ethier so far. If Kemp is able to keep playing hard and perform like he is capable of (like tonight), everything should work out soon.

509 Why is benching a very poor motivational tool? Are you assuming that Kemp is immature and will demand a trade? I think Kemp is above that. And he will get his ABs.

The most likely explanation for starting Pierre is to keep him from rotting away on the bench and lose trade value.

Hopefully you guys are right.... seems like too much drama.

508 is the most well-thought-post I've seen here (not counting Jon's, of course) in a long, long time.

That said, did Gavin Floyd really almost throw a no-hitter today? Seriously???

Torre will play the Bison a lot. Of that I'm sure. He's just trying to figure out what combination of managerial techniques will help him achieve a consistent approach.

Meanwhile, Pierre is obviously being showcased for a trade. And that's going better, thank goodness.

Ommmmmm...

508 That's a great theory. Ethier could only establish himself through playing. He doesn't have the greatest-prospect-since... tag to tide him over.

Even still, this wouldn't be happening if Ethier hadn't've had a great spring. It would have been Kemp-Jones-Pierre, with Ethier starting once or twice a week at most. Instead, Ethier will eventually play Pierre off the Dodgers.

Did everybody stand down?

517 Everyone apologized earlier, which was nice.

515 Pierre is being showcased. And if he continues to play fairly well, the Dodgers will have a better chance of moving him. So to all the people who are rooting against Pierre just because he is taking a few April starts away from Kemp, sit back and relax.

Nice to see the offense alive and kicking.

I got to see a similar blowout in Nationals Park today. My dad got us seats on the field level. They were great seats, but the way the sightlines were set up, they were also sloped less. Consequently, my view of the game is not obstructed by vendors and fans walking by when I'm section 418, but it is in section 134. That is the closest I've seen the Presidents' races, though. Tom won.

517 - I believe so, however, with two alerts in two days, we may have to go on a constant alert... like the DHS has, green alert on the first extra base hit.

By the way, did we get an official ruling from the gentlemen in Thief River Falls as to the status of the alert on Furcal on Friday?

516 "Ethier could only establish himself through playing. He doesn't have the greatest-prospect-since... tag to tide him over."

I see where you're coming from, but let's not forget that Ethier was actually more highly regarded as a prospect than Kemp. In 2006, the last year each of them appeared on prospect lists, Ethier ranked #4 in the Oakland system and #89 on the Baseball America top 100, while Kemp was #8 for the Dodgers and not ranked in the top 100 at all. The year before, Ethier was #9 for Oakland and Kemp was unranked for the Dodgers (though such lustrous names as Reggie Abercrombie and Koyie Hill made the list).

It wasn't until after each of them lost their rookie eligibility that Kemp came to be regarded as some sort of megaprospect.

So it was Torre's mind control powers that hit that HR tonight. Hogwash. What kind of evidence would anyone have to suggest Kemp needs motivation. He hit .382 last September at age 22 in MLB. Thats pretty darn motivated.

Where Kemp is in his development he needs consistent ABs

Even if he didn't need them for development, he'd need them because he's the best hitter on the team.

524 I like Kemp but he is not the best hitter on the team right now. He might become the best, but he is not the best right now.

Sometimes I wonder if Enders thinks Matt Kemp is DJ Augustin or something.

525 You're right, he's the second-best. (Loney slightly outdid him last year in both EQA and OPS+.) There haven't been enough plate appearances to draw any conclusions yet this year, so we have to think of him as the second-best hitter on the team until he proves otherwise.

526 D.J. Augustin is so all-powerful that he was singlehandedly responsible for Trent Johnson leaving Stanford.
http://tinyurl.com/52qt2w

Hot Tamales! Carlos Santana had 7 rbi tonight for the Inland Empire 66ers. Could he be the back up catcher in the future?

528
Mike Montgomery calls his employer the "University of California."

BOOO.

528
And if that brings us J'Mison Morgan, I will love DJ Augustin as a prospect even more.

I still think Furcal is the best hitter on our team and I thought this before the season started. Of course, I thought LaRoche had a chance to be the best, so what do I know.

At the school rec tonight, my wallet was stolen.

Did some detective work, guy bought a PS3 at a blockbuster and $73 worth of stuff at Dillards (over $500)

funny thing....i guarded the guy when i was playing bball when i was there.

His ass is going to jail.

532

another funny thing. My debit card that he used has my picture on it.

He is black....I am not.

Thanks a lot Blockbuster and Dillards employees.

533
I bought beer today and the clerk just asked me if I was over age or not.

533 He used the credit card charge since I am guessing he did not have your code.

I have used a business AM Ex that was made out to someone else but then I usually only charge a few bucks at a time.

Blockbuster sells video game machines? That's wild. I'm not sure I've been in a Blockbuster this millennium.

Did you guys catch this? From Joe Torre in the LAT (apologies if this is old news): "I can't concern myself with power right now," Torre said. "We have to do more of making things happen. We're not hitting. We haven't been able to put things together."

He was talking about playing Pierre in front of Kemp.

This is bad on so many levels.

537
It is sad how little we expect from managers in baseball.

537 [slaps forehead]

Joe, you haven't been able to put things together BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PLAYING YOUR BEST FREAKING PLAYERS!

Credit card thieves usually have people to help them on the inside. I had a car rented out on a credit card of mine and the person who rented it was listed on the contract as a 24-year old black female who was 5'2" and 110 lbs.

And I doubt that the person renting the car met that description either.

The quote was in the game wrap-up by Kevin Baxter. Here it is again with the preceding paragraph.

"Power, however, was the one thing Torre said he wasn't looking for when he wrote out a lineup card that had speedsters Furcal and Juan Pierre at the top of the order and Kemp on the bench for the second night in a row.

"I can't concern myself with power right now," Torre said. "We have to do more of making things happen. We're not hitting. We haven't been able to put things together."

http://tinyurl.com/44mnnk

Fun comparison...

Lou Gehrig (first 475 AB):

.307/.375/.545

21 HR, 82 RBI, 49 BB, 57 K

James Loney (first 486 AB):

.327/.381/.549

21 HR, 89 RBI, 42 BB, 64 K

How great it would have been if we hired Manny Acta.

540

This guy was a college student. I see him almost every time i go play ball at the rec.

I'm going to punch him in the face.

Don't waste your face-punching on some petty thief, Nate. Didn't you read 537 ?

544
What a douche.

542 Cool.

I wonder how comparable Kemp is to the Babe. Kemp hit .342 last season which, IIRC, was Ruth's career BA.

545

Because of him, I had to go play Sherlock Holmes tonight. And because of that, I missed the game....with kemp, loney, ethier and dewitt all shinning.

and for that reason, he will also get a shot to the groin.

Very pro-Kemp but that's more than a stretch to call him the best hitters on the team. Furcal, Loney and Ethier are better. Kemp's upside might be the best but his approach has some maturing to do, and I think this month will be good for him in the long run. What a beautiful swing he put on that slow ball tonight.

File a police report and let your bank handle it. What's the point of even having lawyers if you don't let them handle the groin shots?

549 Kemp's performance has been the second-best on the team since the start of 2007. You may think Furcal and Ethier are better, but that's only conjecture/prediction. Going by actual performance, it's Kemp.

And the stuff about he needs to mature or whatever--well, maybe. Probably. But the fact that he still has room for improvement needs not negate the fact that he's already one of our best, and should be treated as such.

539 - Yes, and Joe lets look at tonight-who got the hits and drove in the runs:

Ethier: 3hits 2 XB Hits 2 RBI
Loney 3 hits 2 walks now hitting close to .400
DeWitt: 2 doubles - 2 RBI's
Furcal: Lead off HR
Martin: 1 single drove in a run
P Lowe: 2 hits - 3 RBI
Kemp: HR in 2 AB Line drive out in other AB

Pierre: 1 walk and one run scored - 0 hits
Jones: Walked twice scored three times- still no hits.

I did enjoy being at the game tonight, hope I brought some good aura tonight, LOL!!

My wife still doesn't understand why you need all those parking people to show you where to park when you get in but they disappear and leave the masses to fend for themselves upon leaving the park? We saw one attendant half heartedly waving his flashlight while not even watching the flow of traffic. What's the point, really?

Dodger's magic number down to 149 with the win tonight. Vegas likes are chances tomorrow better than my simulator does. Good luck tomorrow and Go Dodgers!
vr, Xei

Kemp coming in to todays game had 4 hits in his last 6abs.

oops got that wrong never mind, but he has been hitting.

550 I once left my organizer by apartment mailbox overnight and someone got a hold of my checkbook (and probably my SSN), he then cashed a check that totally emptied my account.

The bank reimbursed my account in a couple of days, they did know who did it since they were able to trace the transaction to a particular branch.

I had to change my checking account which caused a small issue when the fantasy league I was playing in decided to cash my check months after I had closed that account.

So Jones weighed in for Simers at 248lbs....

That is umm..large.

Loney and Ethier tonight made all of DT land proud tonight. Boy, do both of them have a sweet swing.

was this mentioned? From Simers article...

TORRE IS new on the job, so trying to help, I told him he's got it all wrong so far, playing Pierre when Matt Kemp should be in the lineup every game.

When even Simers gets it right, you know there is an issue at hand.

Carlos Santana is off to a great start at Inland Empire.

9:1 bb:k ratio. wow!

my bad...

11bb...1K

Simers favorite target Kobe Bryant has played 2+ months with a torn ligament but has still kept his team in the hunt for the best record in the conference. He is also in the running for league MVP. And, he has not raised the issue about being traded once since the season began.

Its easy to go after autograph policies and Andruw Jones weight. I am sure he was surprised that Jones allowed him to that part of the clubhouse.

560 - When even Simers gets it right, you know there is an issue at hand.

I thought Simmers merely says what is opposite of what Plashke says.

Maybe if Kemp consistently keeps his swing more level and hits to the opposite field like he was doing in Spring, Torre will keep him in the lineup. And, if Martin and Kent start hitting there will be less need in Torre's mind for the Dodgers to manufacture runs through Pierre.

Kemp seems to be ready now but Jones seems like he is the one that needs to be nursed back into the lineup as he demonstrates he can swing the bat in games like he swings the bat in batting practice.

For anyone frustrated by the permi-smile plastered on Druw's face, don't read Simer's this morning, it will only make you madder. Of course Jones is being defensive and has been warned about Simers but Jones' comments are downright stupid. It seems clear his weight has become an issue with management I expect after this interview the Club will be speaking with him about his wanting PR abilities. He won't be making any friends in LA if he doesn't start producing or at least pretend to care.

I assume that once LaRoche and Nomar are activated DeWitt will be sent down but sent to AA or AAA. I would like to have DeWitt, Hu, and Abreu play together in Vegas because there is a chance that they will be the infield for the Dodgers next year.

I think I am mostly alone with this thought but if the Dodgers were willing to take Kent out of the lineup in favor of Hu or Abreu I think the Dodgers would be better for it.

566- Watching people having fun is always more fun for me than watching people strain. I like Jones smile/smirk. Jones seems to be saying that he can only control what he does and can't control nor does he want to control what the crowd does.

That said, maybe he should control one of the things he is capable of controlling and that is his weight.

If Torre wants to manufacture runs and play small ball then he should be playing Hu at second as much as he plays Pierre in left.

Story on Hope Solo in the Times today is quite touching and surprising even. Worth a read.

566 I don't read Simers any morning so today will be no different. He has a way of making anyone look bad - or at least look the way he wants them to look.

I think D4P would like Simers' column today. It's basically "shouldn't you be doing more for the money you are being paid".

567 - Whatever happens, Dewitt has raised his stock with his performance in adverse circumstances. With no experience beyond a couple months at AA, he was thrust to be our opening day 3B due to extraordinary measures. It's like imagining being a young man/woman interning at a law office that has just taken the bar but doesn't know the results yet, but the firm due to a major flu epidemic, asks you to appear at a pre-trial motion hearing or the first day of a major trial to sit in for the head trial attorney. How is that for stress in being in a situation where you are probably in over your head against an opponent much more seasoned than you are? Kudos and Atta Boys to Blake DeWitt for the job he has done to this point.

NPUT