That was sudden, I thought something major had happened.

What's that band name? Was, Not Was?

I mentioned the Houston-Padre score and everything went kablooey.

Is there a more Dustybakeree player than Corey Patterson...?

1 - Jon deciding to take his lumps now, before it gets any worse.

Was, Not Was?

Open the door, get on the floor
Everybody walk the dinosaur

From dead thread:

You seem to have lost some weight since that photo...

Really? Not that I'm aware of.

The guy who lost all the weight is behind my right shoulder. And no, it isn't Marty.

Or Vishal.

4 or a more dustybakeree situation like corey patterson taking a 25-man spot from jay bruce?

After a wretched start of the day, 7 runs through five and Summerteeth on at a coffee shop sure does wonders.

TimeWarner shut off my cable tonight because they don't have the correct serial number on my new DVR box. The help line people don't have the ability to add the serial number to my account, even though I can read it off to them. So I have to take the whole unit to the service center tomorrow, just so they can read the serial number off the back. And my wireless internet is blinking out, interfering with my enjoyment of a rare Dodgers romp.

I hear books are wonderful things.

10-I was on the phone with Time Warner last night at 330 a.m. Or, more accurately, their tech support in India.

Don't we have to give some exercize to bull-pen guys.(you know the good ones we haven't needed for a while) Well actually Brad P. is actually learning to do pretty well when he has nothing for velocity. I've been wrong about him all night, so maybe he can go six or even seven.

It's all about that three spot.

Nomar hits a home run?

Oh bloody heck. Are we going to see more of Nomar now.

I wish we could save some of these runs for tomorrow.

That was unexpected.

15 I wont mind if he keeps swinging the bat like that.

11 The last time I called tech support, a nice man in India told me that I couldn't get on the net because there was no electricity in Alabama. And I thought, gee, even there.

Nomah shows some power though.

15 I'll take the good Nomar over any other super-utility player.

Our Pythagorean record going into tonight's game was 10-8. I wonder what it's going to be after the game.

The Dodgers are doing the opposite of what the D-Backs did last year.

6 "Somewhere in America, there's a street named after my Dad/And the times we never had."

Annnnd, Kemp strikes out swinging on a wild pitch.

Josh Fogg has been making a lot of batters look good this season; they are hitting this before today:
.340 / .407 / .723 / 1.131

There he goes again: NO-mar. He hits a meaningless home run in a laugher, and Steiner acts like it's the 4+1.

I think the Dodgers might have too many lovable players.

Maybe we'd buried Nomar prematurely? I know I had. If he swings the bat well, fine. Either way, I still see him replaced by LaRoche by June.

But, uh, Dodgers? Can you stop scoring now? Two more runs and it's like the groundhog seeing his shadow or red skies in the morning.

21 - I hope that is not a trend that holds up for the rest of the season.

9-2

Where are the Old Schoolers who can brag about the Dodgers having four .300 hitters in their lineup?

I'm still conflicted/in transition? I still like BA but it's definitely not the same.

Hands up - who will feel complete if Rudolf gets a hit next inning?

11 The Pope was just in town, so I'm trying to do the whole forgiveness and serenity thing. But if Benedict had to deal with the morons at TimeWarner Cable for even 5 minutes, I'm convinced he'd excommunicate the whole bunch of them.

26 - it's the indian summer of Nomar's season.

31

Take solace that Comcast is no better. Cable companies have the upper-hand. They don't care.

31- Would hell be hell without cable company employees?

He was out.

10 - I should mention that we moved intra TW territory last year, and ended up with a far inferior DVR as a result. We're in ex-Comcast territory, I believe. The real problem, so far as I can tell, is that each cable company decides for its customers what cable box they're going to get, and you can get any color you want, as long as it's silver, etc. Standardization would be very welcome, and is overdue.

Penny really needs to finish this inning soon.

33 Charter Cable is so bad that the local authorities have made them a campaign issue.

This would be a good time for a GIDP.

Come on. Stick a fork in him. 109 pitches? and I'm not sure he's well.

Argh, Penny. Don't make us go to the 'pen in the 6th.

He's gonna make us go to the 'pen in the 6th.

Oops, I accidentally un-muted the game and caught some of Thom Brenneman. It burns, it burns!

39 Great foresight!

I'm spending so much on cable now I might as well be a cocaine addict.

39 - your wish is Penny's command, apparently.

Yesssss!

Just what the doctor ordered. Well done, Brad. Now we can stick a fork in him in much happier circumstances.

38 - the sad thing is that it shouldn't require an election to get the cable companies to provide good service.

Giants playing the Diamondbacks in a few minutes... Is there some way they could both lose? That'd be ideal.

Now would be a great time to put in Bennett & DY.
Let Park finish unless he is embarrassing himself.

Whenever I call TW I ask to be transfered to a call center in Canada. Those people are on top of it. I'm serious. Last year some guy in Montreal got me this awesome deal of cable/internet/dvr/hbo/cinemax/sho for $39.99 for six months. And a few weeks ago a lady in Montreal waived one of my bills because my cable has been so spotty. She just up and deleted my balance.

Unfortunately, when you need tech support, you get India.

42 If I say it enough, it will be true sometimes. Can Chan Ho go fo' three?

My Time-Warner people I deal with here in South Pas are really nice and helpful.

South Pas also has helpful and friendly Post Office clerks.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in Pleasantville.

I'm actually a happy Charter customer. They give me phone service that doesn't go out when it drizzles outside. The only complaint is I've had to replace two DVRs. But at least I can go to their Pasadena office and pick up a new one and not have to wait for a service call.

And he was.

49 - I have never gotten India for TW tech support. Are you part of old Adelphia?

I get India for tech support at my work.

Okay, good. Looks like the Dodgers got my memo entitled "This Game Shouldn't Go to 11" pleading with them to stop scoring. Just two more innings guys, you can do it. I mean, you can't do it!

When I still had TW cable T.V. I always asked or wished I get transfered to the Buffalo, NY offices they seemed to know what they were doing also.

I had internet with Charter until I grew weary of the frequent service outages. After I dropped them they charged me six straight months for a modem I never rented from them. It took two visits to the waiting room in Beetlegeuse to get it straightened out.

51

About 2 weeks ago I was over there meeting with friends & you were not kidding about antique shops Bob, It's like a totally different world out there, very very pleasant experience.

Chan-Ho Park is prone to the Dinger...

Mark Hendrickson is about to be 4-1 with a .234 BAA.

Have we in the last few years picked up a guy on the cheap after a bad season or two and had him bounce back on our club?

Maddux was on a half-season slump...

Encarnacion parks one in the upper deck off Chan Ho.

THAT was a long home run. what's the line from "major league"? "Anything that goes that far oughta have a stewardess on it!"

When Chan Ho was looking good in ST this year, there was a persistent voice that kept saying--"But he does nothing but give up homers to triple A guys". I forget who it was, but I salute you.

Suck-it-up Mr. Park we've got a good lead & tired pitchers....

Watch that pitch on gameday. 89, right down the middle, belt high, no movement. Can't throw that pitch in a major league game, ever.

54- No idea. I've never gotten anyone in New York or Jersey when I call, and I'm a Time Warner NY/NJ customer. If I hit the billing button, I get either Wisconsin or Canada. If I hit the tech support button, I get India.

I'm jealous that you actually get Pasadena from Pasadena, Bob.

63 - IIRC from "Bull Durham".

I gotta tell you, watching how badly Matt Kemp looked on those curves I hope our batching coach works with him.

Chan-Ho and Great American Ballpark is a match made somewhere warm and sulfurous.

68 - indeed. i stand corrected.

The best part of the day for me was looking through the Mayor of LA's proposed budget to see if they were eliminating any slots from my job class.

They aren't!

Hooray!

I may have to take six days off without pay. That beats the alternative of taking 365 days off without pay.

70 - the Wilmington Texaco refinery?

What is it with the Dodgers and gnomes this year?

http://tinyurl.com/4o9wsv

The hits I've seen from Russell Martin today (I had to step out for a while so I didn't see all of them) were to RF, CF & just now a walk, I really hope that's indicative of things to come.

Dusty threw in the towel when he replace Griffey defensively; he would have led off here against Chan Ho.

Bob, do you have a way of looking to see how the Dodgers have fared when Furcal and Russ hit 1-2? I can only speak anecdotally, but I feel like that combo has only lead to great things for the Dodgers thus far.

63 the Major League line was "That wouldn't have been out of a lot of parks."
"name one."
"Yellowstone."

both good lines.

77 Assuming they win today, 4-3.

Some interesting stuff on Ken Griffey Jr from Wikipedia >>>Ken Griffey, Jr. shares not only the same birthday, but also the same birthplace, as Hall of Famer Stan Musial in the town of Donora, Pennsylvania.1 His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where father Ken Griffey, Sr. played for the Cincinnati Reds, when Junior was five. He attended Moeller High School Archbishop Moeller High School.

In 1987, Griffey was selected with the first overall pick of that year's amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners based on his tremendous potential. One scout said of Griffey, "If you thought Barry Bonds was interesting, wait until you see this kid." In January of 1988, Griffey attempted suicide by swallowing 277 aspirin. He ended up in the intensive care unit at Providence Hospital in Mount Airy, Ohio. Griffey was overwhelmed by racial slurs directed at him as well as a tenuous relationship with his father. He rebounded the next year as a big leaguer in top contention for the A.L. Rookie of the Year award, but was thwarted when he slipped in the shower and broke a bone in his right hand in late July, 1989. Griffey finished 3rd in voting, and the award went to Baltimore reliever Gregg Olson instead.

In his eleven seasons with Seattle (spanning from 1989 to 1999) Griffey established himself as one of the most prolific and exciting players of the era, racking up 1,752 hits, 398 home runs, 1,152 RBIs and 167 stolen bases. He led the American League in home runs four seasons (1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999), was voted the A.L. MVP in 1997, and maintained a .297 batting average.

______________________________________

wow, that kind of JUMPS OUT AT YOU! I didn't realize it, I've always thought Ken Griffey Jr. was happy go lucky, I'm seriously speechless after reading that. I'm guessing MLB kept that hush-hush.

That was a very nicely turned double play. Sweet!

2 DP's in 2 innings for Chan Ho.

79 Interesting, I didn't think Russ had hit in the two spot that often.

I'd like to see Torre start to narrow in on a lineup as he starts to see things work. I can understand tinkering and what not, and read today's LAT comments, but if he watching, taking notes, and seeing certain things that are/aren't working, you'd like him to be checking them off the list.

Kent Mercker's still playing?

I finished the Beith book just now (186 pages, quick read). If you're looking for scholarly analysis of the reserve clause argument he lost, you won't find it here, but you do get a picture of Flood as human being.

My favorite HR one-liner from Major League was, "No, it's too high. Too high!" as the ball is en route to the cheap seats. Quoted religiously by my friends and I on any ball hit deep.

Wikipedia is often only as good as the last page editor. I've never heard that before and have my doubts about it.

Wow. Kent Mercker is still pitching?

80 Yah, not discussed very often, but it's definitely a low point in his personal timeline. In fact, the Ken Griffey Jr. Timeline on SI.com adds this to that story:

>>
What price stardom? Racial slurs hurled at him by Bellingham teenagers and disagreements with his father prompt 18-year old Griffey to swallow over 200 aspirin in a suicide attempt. His stomach is pumped and he is placed in intensive care. "It seemed like everyone was yelling at me in baseball, then I came home and everyone was yelling at me there," Griffey told The Seattle Times when he revealed the story in 1992. "I got depressed. I got angry. I didn't want to live." <<

I hope Torre uses this lineup tomorrow.

85 Try this:
http://tinyurl.com/4y64rm

I don't blame ya. It sounds dubious, if you had't heard it before.

Wasn't Merker the last person to throw a no-hitter at dodger stadium? Was it a perfect game, or a no-hitter?

Joey Votto hits hard

Chan Ho going for his first ML save in 15 season.

really really hard

Chan Ho going for the rare 3 inning save.

He has no saves in his career apparently.

Jones is going to blow out his elbow, trying to get that ball up to the fans.

Wowsa. When Chan Ho gives up a dinger, they're not borderline dingers.

When was the last time DY picked up a glove? He must be worse defensively than what I have seen, but I would like to see him get some game time or I fear his spot on this team will be in jeopardy.

88 Well, that's news to me. Thanks for pointing me somewhere other than "the people's Encyclopedia," which I rarely trust without further corroboration. (Except on issues which don't mean much one way or another.)

Chan Ho, Ho, Ho Park thinks it's Christmastime.

That Votto HR was too high.

That was CRUSHED!!!

I think once per inning, chan ho must accidentally pitch a golf ball. baseballs aren't supposed to go that far.

Bright side: I have Votto on my fantasy team.

Josh Rawitch looks 10 pounds heavier on the tube, I've seen him up-close & he seems/seemed very slim.

89 Yes, he walked 4.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN199404080.shtml

103 Don't we all?

A Chan Ho Save!

We win!

84 - one of my favorite lines from a very quotable baseball movie. In fact "too high, too high" is one of the first thing that pops into my head when I see a deep fly ball.

Good game blue. Nice to have the upbeat tone on the boards here for a change. Nomar earned a breather from the wolves tomorrow.

Momentum builder!!!

Major League II was on cable this weekend. Followed immediately by... Major League. Huh?

107 what do you mean 'it is too high?'

I have two extra loge MVP tickets available for the game Wed. night against the Dbacks. Seats are just to the right of home plate, row J. Will let them go for less than face value. If you're interested, send me an email. dennis14a@ca.rr.com

looks like an all around good day for the Bums... I'm still a little concerned that this team scores either 1 run or 10 runs (I know, I know, that's not who it actually is, but it seems like it lately).

looks like a couple of Dodgers are slowly but surely getting out of slumps, mainly Loney & Russell Martin. I don't know but Kemp really needs to work on pitch recognition & SIMPLY LEADING THE BALL GET DEEPER IN THE STRIKE ZONE, that makes a BIG difference, we'll see what happens with him I guess.

113 He did go 2-5, both doubles.

Snakes versus Giants, 2-1 Giants.

114

Yeah, but he got them off of fastballs, WE KNOW HE CAN HIT FASTBALLS El Lay Dave.

ooh, completely 100% off topic- I am a Denver Nuggets fan. On Saturday morning, I got a call offering me tickets for Sunday's Lakers/Nuggets game.

When I picked up the tickets on Sunday before the game, I discovered that they were in a luxury suite with free food and drinks.

It was the greatest loss of my life. I didn't care one bit that the Nuggets got killed.

Sorry, 111 reminded me. That's game 2

I don't like to talk about fantasy baseball here, but I'm having an amazing night and can't resist:

I've got 5 HRs tonight (Adrian Gonzalez, Utley, Furcal, Garret Atkins, and Berkman) and the two guys who haven't gone yard are a combined 5-7 with 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, HP, KO.

Penny also got the QS and the W for me.

This week is locked up (mixed H2H league).

116 The announcers claimed they were both hanging sliders, and the catcher setting up far outside would seem to indicate the same.

The last Dodger to record a three-inning save was Wilson Alvarez. He had the last two, on 4/9/2004 and 6/14/2003.

The last Dodger to record a three or more inning save and yield more than one run was Dave Stewart on 10/2/1982, who went four and allowed two.

That was the Dodgers first three-inning save since April 9, 2004.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN200404090.shtml

119 Kemp should be able to hit hanging sliders also.

120
Sorry, I was too busy looking up 10 run games for the Griddle.

Of course, Jae Seo should have had a four-inning save back in 2006.

Not to overlook the Nuggets, but in watching the Jazz and Rockets, I'm wonder who the better match up would be for the Lakers.

In the top of the 8th in Milwaukee, Ryan Ludwick got three bases on an error by Corey Hart. In the bottom of the 8th, Ludwick returned the favor. Hart was the batter.

It was a positively Starkian moment.

119

were all of his hits on poor sliders or did he also hit some fastballs, I'm remembering he hit at least one on a fastball.

125 It is extremely okay to overlook the Nuggets. I predict 4-1, where someone like Smith goes for 38 and Denver wins 140-122. Probably game 3.

Lakers run wild the rest of the way, no close games.

127 They showed the 2 doubles back to back (after the second). They both indicated that the pitches were sliders that didn't slide.

Visually, if they had been fastballs, I feel like they would have been homers, because they definitely dropped a little, with Kemp reaching.

124 - I was going to say!

Jenna Fischer is another blog's muse.

http://tinyurl.com/43ef5n

128 - it's the athlete in me, can't overlook opponents, that's how you get burned. Based on Game 1, I'm actually figuring a sweep, but that doesn't mean you don't take it one game at a time [insert additional sports cliches here]

132 at some point we've got to figure out to put a body on Gasol, right? RIGHT? Eh, probably not. I hate George Karl. He tells Najera to shoot MORE threes.

133 - well, putting a body on Gasol means leaving Kobe in one-on-one or it means freeing up Odom. I'm not sure either of those will help the Nuggets chances too much.

Just consider yourself lucky that Bynum is out. If Bynum comes back next year like he was playing this year before he got hurt, the Lakers are going to be scary next year.

Old friend Jayson Werth had a home run today, the inside the park variety.

134 Nah, KMart did a good job one on one against Kobe (of the single digit in 2 and a half quarter variety), and Carmelo can outscore Odom.

Not giving up 30 on put backs and back door cuts to Gasol definitely benefits the Nuggets. And getting AI alone against Fisher. Too often, AI takes on the whole team in transition.

That, of course, won't change with the current coach.

134 And if Bynum can come back before the finals, the Lakers may have the firepower to match the Celtics. Although I realize thats a pipe dream at this point.

Jonathan Meloan is pitching in Vegas tonight.

3 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.
Pitch count is high at 48 but perhaps starting is not that bad a deal.

54

Hehehe, I gotta tell you I was just having dinner & that whole exchange slipped into my mind & I started LOL'ed don't know why.

138

i wonder what his trade value is.

129

I saw that too (a little while ago) yeah, they were definitely sliders,

Leave it to Kobe to steal the headlines from a Dodger win. :)

138 - high pitch counts should be mitigated by high strike outs, 6 Ks through 3 innings means higher pitch count out of necessity.

137 The Lakers can beat the Celtics right now. Hell, I could stomp on Kobe's foot and they could beat the Celtics (And I stomp really hard)

142 ha. It all got said in the innings leading up to the win. No drama for these Dodgers.

It's strange seeing Michael Phelps in a commercial, then I remember that the Olympics are coming up and I realize it's not that strange. Though i wonder how many people would know who he was if he wasn't diving into the water with a swim cap with a US flag and his name on it.

My prediction is that Torre goes with Nomar and DeWitt at third this season. I think LaRoche is the odd man out. Its hard enough for Torre to find spots for four outfielders - no way will he juggle three 3rd basemen. And he likes DeWitt.

DeWitt has acted more comfortable and performed better in the big leagues than LaRoche did in his opportunities with the Dodgers, imho.

16 more pitches, 1 hit and 1 strikeout for Mr. Meloan.

146 I would wager that Phelps is more recognizable than someone like a Brad Penny or Raphael Furcal is.

Alot more people watch the olympics than Baseball, especially when you consider people outside the US.

I bet greater than 50% of the population in Australia could name him by sight, sans swim cap.

147-I like DeWitt's patience, but LaRoche has that too, along with the power DeWitt has not (yet) evidenced at any level. If "acting comfortable" were the right metric, we may as well play Garciaparra. Unfortunately, Torre may foolishly prefer DeWitt. It'd be nice if the front office made the decision easier by sending down DeWitt and/or releasing Garciaparra. It's certainly what an intelligent GM would do.

These putdowns of LaRoche are gonna gnaw at me.

151
Just wait until your new son starts getting teeth. Then there will be more gnawing.

They're going to knaw at me too. At least, that's how my daughter spelled it on her spelling practice sheet, and it makes perfect sense.

150 - I don't think an intelligent GM would send DeWitt down or releasing Garciaparra, you can't do either of those without knowing what you're going to get from LaRoche. If LaRoche doesn't come back at the level many around here suspect, it's trouble.

154-I certainly don't think he ought (or is going to do) both, but sending DeWitt down is the responsible thing to do. DeWitt has been competent, which--given his lack of experience--has been a delighful surprise, but we need more production from that spot than he's currently capable of giving us. Nomar's not going to give us that either. LaRoche might, and the very fact that he might suggests he should be given a long, unanxious chance to do so. (See under: Pedroia, Dustin and Kouzmanoff, Kevin last year.) Too often the Dodgers and, ahem, their fans seem impatient in these instances, to the tremendous detriment of the franchise. DeWitt "acts comfortable," which is nice, but has yet to display LaRoche's prowess at any level including this one. It merely seems a pity, if not a disaster, to let that fact get lost.

As for Nomar, well, would that we'd shipped him elsewhere for a middle reliever instead of Wilson Betamit.

and Lidge turns the lights out on the Rockies, with a ninth inning two-RBI assist from...Jayson Werth.

Man, if he could stay healthy for all 162, that dude just might turn out to be a ballplayer, no?

150 - an intelligent GM wouldn't have re-upped Nomar in the first place.

Don't think this was posted here before. So, from Diamond Leung's blog tonight (before the game was over):
>>Special assignment coach Don Mattingly has accompanied the team during the five-game road trip to lend another pair of eyes to hitting coach Mike Easler, and what he's seen offensively hasn't been good.

But Mattingly, who stepped down as hitting coach before the season while going through a divorce, also has previously watched the team on television show that they are more than capable of putting up runs as they did Monday.

"You know they're not really as bad as that," said Mattingly, citing confidence as the key to the team snapping out of its funk. "The difference (with the Yankees) is you have guys who were experienced. You're not sure about a younger club that doesn't have a history of getting back in it. They don't have a history of coming out of it."<<

La Roche has a couple of things AGAINST him & one of them (my humble opinion) is what was said about him (lack of work ethic) that kind of really rubs me the wrong way & if it rubbs me the wrong way I'm thinking it rubbs upper-management the wrong way, but I also see his HIGH SEALING potential & it's just not good business to trade him RIGHT NOW, we'll see what happens I guess.

I'd prefer to get a player with a low whaling potential rather high sealign.

Even if La Roche would have been healthy, Nomar was gonna bust a Luis Gonzalez & bitch all year long, mah!!

There have been no reports questioning LaRoche's work ethic since the one slip-up in September.

Annie Hall on MPLEX if you have that channel. Started 15 mins ago. Go!

You've already missed Marshall McLuhan appearing in the movie lobby, however. "How you got to teach a course in anything is totally amazing."

161 I don't think Nomar's quite in the same category as LuGo as far as divisiveness goes, unless he's getting worse as he gets older.

157-I was indeed being rhetorical.

well when your rehab is playing guitar hero...just kidding just kidding, but yeah I haven't heard anything about his work ethic anymore, man, I'm telling you I REALLY REALLY want him to be the player we all hope he can be but destiny keeps on screwing with us man!

I guess Houston's 22-game winning streak was all for naught.

163

I'm sure you remember his fall out with the BoSox though right. Let's not forget Nomar is human & probably has an ego the size of mount everest (a kid from whittier doesn't get to the MLB any other way) so I'm thinking he would have had issues with being a bench player.

Time for Mark Kotsay and Nomar Garciaparra to have a Whittier native ego showdown.

If you would have told me 6 months ago that Kobe Bryant would be giving love to Mitch and his teammates at the end of the season, I would have laughed and laughed and laughed.

Now, I don't know how much of it was sheer luck. The players took it upon themselves to improve and Mitch found 2 teams to take contracts and excess stuff (Cook, Evan, Brown, Crittendon, draft picks) for Ariza and Gasol.

My point is that when you are looking at this moment in time, it may look all busted up, LaRoche hurt, Nomar playing hurt, Dewitt gathering dust but you never know what will happen in the next week, month or the rest of the year.

166 Tracy McGrady may never win a playoff series.

168 Uh, I can think of a Whittier (semi-)native who probably has a bigger one than the two of them combined. Or are we just sticking with baseball players?

169 If Ned were as smart as Mitch we'd have .328/.444/.463 in our lineup and not the wrong Mr. Jones.

171
Joe Gibbs?

171
The guy you're thinking of is from Yorba Linda.

172 Who is that?

171

who might that be Mr. Underdog?

the mean streets of Yorba Linda...

Seeing Nomar hit a home run today made me think -- what if, against all odds, Nomar had a season that recalled his glory days? Wouldn't that be fantastic?

I've decided to start rooting for this outcome, however improbable, rather than expecting the worst.

I hope they go with same lineup tomorrow as well. I like Martin in the 2 spot and Torre has seemed to prefer Ethier in the 3 spot, but I like him better in the 5 spot. He seems a lot more relaxed at the plate batting 5th. In the last two games where he's batted 5th, he's walked 3 times and had 4 hits. Normar was a pleasant surprise, but who knows if it will last. I know a lot of people like LaRoche, and I do too, but I really like Dewitt better. He's still learning hitting, but shows a lot of promise and we haven't had a glove like his at third since Beltre.

175 Fukudome. I were the GM, what I would have done for the short and mid term would have been: (1) resign Lofton for 1 year, (2) sign Iwamura to play 3B, (3) when Lofton's '07 ends, sign Fukodome in the off-season for '08, and (4) just as the Rays have done, move Iwamura over to 2B in '09 to replace Kent and hand the 3B job to LaRoche.

177 - HA! I've never heard anyone from outside the city use that phrase.

But I know of no YL natives who have made the big time, other than Greg Miller (sort of), and Brandon Stai and Travis Kirschke in the NFL.

Am I missing someone? Or do you mean the guy who's buried in this town?

180 Okay, don't know if they ever were involved with the Fukudome discussions at all.

I said "semi-" - alluding to the fact that he went to high school in Whittier, and college. But yes, he's not technically a native.

I can take it. The tougher it gets, the cooler I get.

(Nixon said that.)

183 - I thought Nixon went to high school in Fullerton... checking... yup, according to wikipedia, he went to Fullerton High School.

Yorba Linda's nickname is "The Land of Gracious Living."

Nixon's Birthday is a city holiday. However, because it's the week before the MLK holiday and they don't want to shut down two weeks in a row, city offices are open for MLK.

184 - ok, I should start reading to the end of sentences

176/181 - I'm referring to Richard Milhous Nixon, namesake of Bart Simpson's best friend and I think he was briefly a president or something. A YL native and one-time Whittier resident.

Okay, back to work and Annie Hall.

184
Nixon and Walter Johnson went to the same high school!

184
Nixon and Walter Johnson went to the same high school!

I blame my cat for that.

185 - I had a license plate frame in college that said "Yorba Linda Land of Boring Weekends"; I was always annoyed by those who had license plate frames that said "Land of Gracious Living"

186 Yup, started at Fullerton, graduated from Whittier HS.

Yikes, how did I get this into Nixon Thoughts?

I think I'm going to clean the litter box instead.

I think I'm going to clean the litter box instead.

My cat is NOT responsible for that.

185 - I got two days off in high school (one might have been jr high) because of the opening of the Nixon Library and then the funeral. Apparently, the presidential motorcades went passed my high school.

I spent the days trying to get close to the Library. Those days would have been better spent at the beach.

182 That's probably because the Fukudome money went to Pierre.

So, it appears that the only two NBA playoff series' that have started are Philly-Detroit and Utah-Houston. And it appears that the second one may be already over.

196
That's very Doug Collins-like of you.

Do you also believe that The Masters doesn't start until the leaders reach the back nine on Sunday?

196 Its over, McGrady has a bit of excuse with Yao being out but still, Utah is terrible on the road.

197 I said an NBA game doesn't start until the 4th quarter and Eric S. got mad at me.

197 - I tend to believe that play off series begin with the start of Game 1. I also tend to believe that golf tournaments usually start on Thursdays.

I just like the cliches more.

Sports cliches, a tradition like no other!

According to ESPN is 13-3 against the NL West, with the unbalanced schedule, they are going to run away with the division if that pace holds up.

I think Jon has his topic for tomorrow:
http://tinyurl.com/4scber

Rick Adleman is upset because an offensive foul was called against his team away from the ball with only a few seconds left on the clock.

He said "let the players decide the game"

And I thought, "your player decided the game by committing an offensive foul away from the ball"

203 - I still maintain that the Piazza trade was the worst in club history. There was at least a baseball justification for D4P, there really wasn't any justification for trading Piazza.

178

I am with you in rooting for Nomar to have a high quality season and have either DeWitt or La Roche play a great back-up with even a possible result of a successful platoon-that would be fantastic for the team. But what is key is the need for production out of 3rd base and since Nomar is in the last year of his contract if healthy things should continue to get better at 3rd base.

On the other hand CF right now is not looking attractive offensively, I hope it changes, but in tonight's game I thought Jones best at bat was almost a check swing that Griffey made a nice play on, but the other at bats to me look very similar to his early at bats this season. I hope he begins to hit and he at least starts to hit some doubles, most encouraging right now is his increase in walks.

198 According to Hollinger's power rankings/ playoff odds, Utah is the best team in the western conference.

203
Newhan is all over the place in that article, but I whole heartedly disagree with his choice for #4 worst trade:

No.4 -- It is hard to overlook the 1998 trade that cost the club Paul Konerko for Jeff Shaw or the April 4 deal in 2004 that brought the destructive Milton Bradley for Franklin Gutierrez, who has since fulfilled his promise in the Cleveland outfield, but Paul DePodesta may have compounded Bradley's eventual chemistry implosion four months later when he traded Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota and Juan Encarnacion to Florida for Brad Penny, Hee-Seop Choi and Bill Murphy, the Dodgers never regaining the roll they had been on at the time.

Did Plaschke Consult On This Article
Bad Deals

4. It is hard to overlook the 1998 trade that cost the club Paul Konerko for Jeff Shaw or the April 4 deal in 2004 that brought the destructive Milton Bradley for Franklin Gutierrez, who has since fulfilled his promise in the Cleveland outfield, but Paul DePodesta may have compounded Bradley's eventual chemistry implosion four months later when he traded Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota and Juan Encarnacion to Florida for Brad Penny, Hee-Seop Choi and Bill Murphy, the Dodgers never regaining the roll they had been on at the time.

This urban legend continues, the team was 59-42 prior to the trade, they were 34-27, so that's about 1.6 games under that pace so I don't know if you can attribute that to that deal. (LoDuca did beat Gagne in one game so maybe that is what he is talking about).

No way those deals equal the 4th worst trade in LA Dodger history, Bradley did contribute to a NL Division championship, Penny has been a 2-time All-Star for players who have certainly been at least as disruptive if not more with the clubs they have played with since wearing Dodger Blue.

179 we haven't had a glove like his at third since Beltre.

Since last September (whenever LaRoche played) would be a more accurate answer. But since he was struggling at the plate, I guess it's easier for people to forget.

And something just doesn't seem right about how well the Jazz have played. They have some solid players (Kirelinko, Boozer, Williams), but no real star. If one looks at the best player from each of the western conference playoff teams, I'd rank Utah last. They just have a ton of depth and play really well as a team.

210 LaRoche may be good, but Beltre is at another level.

211 - they run the same play over and over and over again... pick and roll, pick and roll, pick and roll, and then, when you think they're not going to run it again, they run the pick and roll.

It is one of many reasons why I do not like them.

The Utah Jazz pick and roll.... A tradition like none other!

does anyone know where to find individual running times to first? I have a bet i need to settle...

215 Here's a study done in 2004

http://www.asep.org/files/ColemanV2.pdf

Average mean time is just over 5 seconds, fastest time was 4.1 seconds. One problem with the study is that players do not usually run all out when going from home to first.

There were reports that the fastest player from the left side was Mickey Mantle at 3.1 seconds. However, that could be just a Red Patterson invention.

216 Fastest time was 4.3 seconds, study followed 10 players in 1998.

210 - I don't disagree that LaRoche is a top defensive player, I just think Dewitt is even better defensively, but to each their own. They're both talented kids.

Here's an ESPN.com article from 2005, you'll see a familiar name in it. A few sub-4 seconds guys but that is rare.

http://tinyurl.com/ey3g8

for some reason i was so convinced at the time that depodesta was such a bad gm. worse than brian sabean even. i guess it took sabeans protege to make me realize that milton bradley and brad penny are by far the best two players out of the group that includes guillermo mota, paul lo duca, franklin gutierrez and juan encarnacion. and lord knows they are better than juan pierre. i guess i read too much plaschke.

I'm not going anywhere near that article. I'm linking to Jerry Crowe in a new post up top.