By the way, looking at MetsBlog today ... I didn't realize that Victor Diaz was out of work. That surprised me, but I guess I haven't been paying attention.

How do you spell "relief":

s-c-h-m-i-d-t

or

k-e-r-s-h-a-w

is there much of a chance kershaw pitches may 17th in anaheim? that would be the next time they need a 5th starter, and i spent $200 on 2 tickets yesterday hoping he would

3 - I think there's very little chance, but maybe you'll get to see Kuo :)

would it be a bad idea giving clay a few major league starts from may 17th til schmidt is healthy (end of may beggining of june if all goes well.)

4. Oh, in that case I should buy some tickets. :) And I agree with you that it's premature to worry too much about the Schmidt role if/when he returns.
vr, Xei

"We've Got Schmidt for Relief!"

BTW - That other 3B we have in AAA, just hit his 2nd home run in the season in a early start in Texas.

From the previous thread...

I went to Friday's Vegas game against Round Rock and was shocked to hear LaRoche announced as the starting 3B.

He looked healthy, played the entire game and made a couple of good defensive plays, including one in which he charged a slow hit ball and made an off balance throw to get the runner at first.

On his first AB, he struck out swinging at a ball in the dirt. My memory is fuzzy on the rest of his at bats, but I do remember telling my daughter that we'd be seeing him in the majors in a week or two.

Repko hit the ball hard in a couple of at bats, including a home run well over the left center field wall (>405ft).

That could mean Pierre, Schmidt, Loaiza and Garciaparra are all high-priced reserves and/or mop-up men. Doesn't matter in the big picture, but if I were Colletti, I wouldn't put those guys on my resume' (except perhaps as personal references).

10 - If Schmidt and Kershaw were to both join the staff, how does Loaiza (and Park) stay on the roster?

If a well-paid star like John Smoltz can go into the pen after injury, Schmidt certainly could too. But that might be pretty outside-the-box for us.

Darn you and your logic.

10 Or, as I was telling my brother yesterday, if you want to know who's contributing most for the Dodgers, you could almost list their roster by salary, then turn it upside down.

I know that's neither 100% true, nor all that unusual around baseball, but that doesn't make it a good idea, either.

12 - That's a good one to remember. Also, Kevin Brown did it for the Dodgers at one point.

15 And there was some guy for Oakland who became a relever and did quite well except for one backdoor slider he threw in October 1988.

And again Jon, nice job last night, I hope they kept your number for the next time they need a host.

If Schmidt's one of the 11 best pitchers on the roster, then he should be on the team in either relief or starting.

~Blair

Some obnoxiously early starts for our minor league teams this morning. The Jacksonville game is already over, having started at 8:05 a.m. PDT.

Russ Langer says LaRoche's sore thunb is causing a lot of his throws to first to be in the dirt.

19 I beleive that was the one area that LaRoche thought it would take the longest to recover.

I don't want to see LaRoche in the big leagues again until he's healthy and able to perform at his peak.

19 He may have aggravated something on Friday, because none of his throws I saw were in the dirt. But it would explain why he was out of the lineup on Saturday and Sunday.

is the sore thumb going to heal just as quickly playing as it would if he rested it? If playing does not risk injury or increase the healing time and it really just causes him to be less effective then that explains why you keep him in Vegas until he is fully ready.

From the last thread, LaRoche is a better talent than Dewitt because of better power, and vastly superior patience (he has the very important more walks than strikeouts the last couple years).

Along with that, scouting reports agree that LaRoche is better. I haven't seen any prospect list that says Dewitt is a better player than LaRoche.

23 True, however, it doesn't explain why they would end his rehab assignment early if he's still actually rehabbing. Unless, of course, you wanted to screw him on his salary.

As we speak, LaRoche makes a nice stop of a ground ball and then throws it away in the dirt.

LaRoche just made another low throw for an error, Loney is a better fielder than anyone on the 51s, Lindsay is playing 1B today, so that will make some difference but I agree with D4P, I want Andy to have no issues when he returns to LA.

LaRoche just made a throwing error in that game. (Then the baserunner was erased caught stealing by Danny Ardoin.)

And as noted above, he homered today, too. So if his fielding isn't quite there yet because of his thumb, then there is definitely no reason to rush him. I want to see him come back when he's 100% and can show everyone what he can do.

But maybe we should call up Danny Ardoin!

Or what bh just said.

Yah, John Lindsay will make a swell DH somewhere. (Sorry, Daniel.) Maybe we could trade him to the Mariners.

17--My other question was pertaining to Kyle Blair.

Does anyone know how well he's doing this year?

I know he wont be able to be drafted until two more years, but just wondering if he's looking as dominant in college as those that wanted him signed out of high school last year.

25 I suppose that is possible.

Just noticed the last comment on the previous thread...pretty cool.

270. slyons
It was great to meet Jon and be on the Sportstalk Sunday show with him. He obviously writes an informed blog and the people who read it are also well informed. Sorry I talked too much---sometimes I get excited and it is afterall, a radio show. Nice to see I gained a new fan in Bryanf and I'd be happy to answer bigcpa's question about rally killing HR's (not 3 run HR's)
I've never responded to a blog before but Jon was an impressive guy and I wanted to see who he had to deal with on an everyday basis...

29 He's their No. 3 starter I believe.

3.86 (6-3) 63.0; 52 hits; 29 BB; 84K

Blair is 6-3 with a 3.86 ERA. 52 hits, 29 walks, and 84 strikeouts in 63 innings. The peripherals seem not to match up with the ERA, which makes it seem that perhaps his defense has let him down some.

His most recent game was a two-hit shutout against #13 Pepperdine.

I think the extra information was worth the 28-second wait!

31 Does this mean I have to stop with my Kevin Kennedy drinking game (how soon does he mention that he used to be a manager)?

34 Did you miss DodgerThoughts on the air last night?

Hearing Jon argue that despite the last few games, JP is still a nice 4th outfielder was worth it by itself.

I listened to about half of it as I drifted in and out of the room. I was surprised at how uncondescending Lyons was, at least on the air.

As Schmidt tries to come back, the first thing that he needs to show is that he is indeed ready. He will need to be an improvement over Park. What will the Dodgers be willing to do with the $7,000,000 that they are paying Loaiza?
Will Schmidt be able to contribute much this season? We'll see. Has there been any mention of the speed of his fastball yet?
Schmidt is coming back from a serious injury. I hope that he will continue to get stronger, strong enough so that he can make a positive contribution next season, for a full season. I hope that he surprises me and is able to do well this year, but I'm not counting on it.

33. Which college does he play for?
vr, Xei

39 University of San Diego.

So will Jason Schmidt in 2008 be the Darren Dreifort of 2004 (50 IP; ERA+92; $12.4 million) the DD of 2005 (no appearances $13.4 million) or better?

I had a final at 8 this morning. Stupid Sharks game.

40 He should have gone to Long Beach State. They already named the field after him!

Hi Steve! Welcome to Jon's blog.

I still want to know where the "Psycho" nickname came from, but appreciate your commentary.

Looking forward to the Mets series quite a bit.

Maybe I'm stubborn or pessimistic, but I am of the opinion that Kershaw should not be in the Majors this year until September call-ups.

1) I don't think the Dodgers will really make a dent in the post-season this year. I'm waiting for post-sophomore slump seasons from Billingsley, Kemp, Loney and a blossom-now season from LaRoche in 2009, and I want to see Kershaw bloom when that happens.

2) I don't know if it helps his development to bring him up for an ambiguous role at this age. Any thoughts on that?

3) I'd take Kershaw's year 27 over his year 20 in terms of pre-fre-agency service time, so I'm worried that the Dodgers would be throwing away a year of service time on a non-optimal season.

Re-reading part of the previous thread to see Psycho's comment... Sigh, one of these days BH will give me some love for the Slappy McPopup moniker. I still don't see any residuals for its usage, either. Of course, to his credit he's been more Slashy McBlooper this season, and Andruw has been Sloppy McWhiff. (Or Whiffy McSlop.)

Has been pretty good pitching for Vegas vs. Round Rock these past two games, although RR doesn't seem to be the best team in the world.

270
Great to see you check in. This is a great Dodger place.

38 Loaiza + Lowe + Kent + Nomar + Bennett + Sweeney = $36 million this year. You figure some of that will go to Furcal, and some more eventually to current players (Bennett makes more than Martin?!). But in the end, will the Dodgers save it or spend it? Or eat Jones' second year, or eat enough of JP's contract to move him? As fun as 2008 has been and will be, the winter ahead will be something to watch.

45 I see your point, but...
1) Bringing him up in 2008 does not preclude using him in 2009, and
2) As far as the start of his free agency clock is concerned, there is no difference between bringing him up right now and bringing him up in September, as you advocate. Either way he would not be a free agent until after the 2014 season.

48 Aren't Broxton, Ethier and Martin arbitration eligible next year?

45 - By the time he comes up this year, even if it's next month, it'll be too late to cause him to lose a year of service time, I believe.

46 - How about Whiffy McManboobs?

50 Yes, but only Broxton will be a free agent three years from now. Martin & Ethier need to wait until after 2012.

If LaRoche's hand will be a long-term thing, I'm advocating a move to Left Field.

doesn't andruw remind you of pedro cerrano in major league 2? he always looks so happy even when he strikes out, maybe we need saito to tell him he has no marbles.

46 No problem, I will give you credit, but someone here did call up a local (LA) talk show last year and used it on the air, that was my point.

50 Yes, Broxton will have 3 years service time and the other two will be Super Two.

55 Just so he doesn't stick pins in the gnome.

52 Big Swingy McMiss.

52 Whatever his name is, it has to start with smiley.

How about Smiley McWhiff?

from rob neyer;
I don't know if we can really jump on the Dodgers for leaving Andy LaRoche in the minors even though he's now healthy. True, we know that Blake DeWitt probably isn't a good major league hitter; after all, last year in Double-A he posted a .306 on-base percentage. So it's not likely his current .384 OBP with the Dodgers is anything but a spring fluke. But the people who watch DeWitt every day have seen him play well this spring. We're hard-wired to believe what we see with our eyes. Soon, DeWitt's OBP will sink like an anchor and LaRoche will get the chance he deserves.

i'm with him these things have a way of working themselves out. if dewitt continues to post 104 OPS+, than so be it it's a huge improvement but when he begins to come back to earth which is likely than laroche will get his shot and probably never give it up

48
Nomar, Abreu, Young, Hu, LaRoche, Dewitt.
If the plan is to re-sign Furcal, what moves might we expect as the trading deadline approaches? If this Dodgers team really has a good chance to contend this year, do you look to pick up another pitcher? Or a true power hitting third baseman? Or ...

I think there's a lot of Torre in this Kershaw/relieving notion. He is looking at him the same way he used Joba Chamberlin last year. Makes sense.

Miley McManboobs it is.

49 , 51 Thanks! That will help me sleep better this year.

I still wonder if it is best for Kershaw's development....

61 That might have been more of a Brian Cashman inspired role for Chamberlain since they set up the Joba Rules for Torre.

54 I had never thought of it, but a move to left field doesn't seem like the craziest thing, just to maximize talent in the lineup. Schmidt as a reliever makes sense too. Would the Dodgers do anything out-of-the-box like that though?

We already can't find playing time for Kemp and Ethier as often as we'd like, throwing LaRoche in the mix won't make things any easier.

60 Only LaRoche and Hu have any trade value right now and I would not expect the Dodgers to do anything with them at the trade deadline right now.

DeWitt still has not shown the power teams like for their 3B, Young is a bench player, Abreu at best right now is a utility infielder and Nomar cost too much.

66 LaRoche's position in the majors will at 3B and I want him to be the 3rd long term player I have seen there in the last 30+ years.

If Furcal is re-signed DURING the season, I can almost guarantee a dumb move like LaRoche & Hu for Blanton taking place.

I really wanted to ask Lyons last night about Kevin Kennedy's propensity to bring up his managerial career, but I didn't think it was appropriate. So I instead asked the serious, hard-hitting question about nicknames.

I thought Lyons was pretty cool. I don't often agree with him (and how often did he say that last night??!!), but he seems genuine and funny.

69 Really, guarantee it. First off, I think Hu is going to be 2009 2B for the Dodgers. LaRoche is still in the mix 3B.

Sigining Furcal will not affect either Hu or LaRoche.

70 He does call him Skip and it probably is the main basis for his analysis so perhaps I am too rough on him for bringing it up.

Smoltz and Eckersley were both immediately made closers upon moving to the pen. I can't see Schmidt displacing Saito, Broxton, or possibly even Proctor in the bullpen chain-of-command. Schmidt would have to be a heckuva team player to move to the pen willingly, knowing what his role would be. Not that it's his decision anyway.

70
For what it's worth, you had the best on-air voice all of the callers and your question led to a very some very entertaining responses (Shifty).

60 I'm sticking with my "Abreu will go first" prediction, as the team seems to see him rightly or wrongly as underachieving and suspect. Plus if you have Hu at second and Furcal at short, he's expendable. Can't imagine getting more than another prospect for him, though. Other than that, I don't anticipate a lot this summer. Might move D. Young to the AL, I suppose. Then they might try to rectify the OF situation in the winter by simpling eating the contract of Smilin' Swingy McMiss--you know, before he eats it himself.

56 'tis true, and I missed that call-in. I'm happy to share the wealth. And feel free to give Terry credit (or blame) for Whiffy MacManboobs.

If 'druw really is Pedro Cerrano, maybe it's time to sacrifice a chicken and such.

Bison named NL Player of the Week. I wonder how many times a player wins this without hitting a home run.

http://tinyurl.com/6dmhj3

I have to double check the collective bargaining agreement, but could it be possible the LaRoche move to AAA was strictly procedural?

What I mean is, on an rehab assignment, is the team/location "locked in" for the 20 days? If so (and I doubt this, just wondering), perhaps the only way LaRoche could have been promoted from AA to AAA was to be activated then sent down. He had something like a week left on the rehab assignment anyway, so not being able to call him up for 10 days isn't really much of a difference.

Again, pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if we're making too much of the move.

71 [b]Sigining Furcal will not affect either Hu or LaRoche.[/b]

Strongly disagree. Hu will become a primary trading piece if that happens (I don't buy Ned feeling confortable with Hu at 2B). Unfortunately, LaRoche right now has a weird "Dioner Navarro 2006 vibe" going. This time, however, the front office is making the wrong decision.

48,

Yeah, but Furcal is already counting for 13 million this year, so even if we resign him we should have around 36 million left over. I think including having Broxton's, Martin's, and Ethier's arbitration raises and and some guys like Druw's raises, we should still have around 20 million free. So we could probably afford any one player in FA, be it CC or Teixeira (not saying that would be smart) and still sign Furcal easily.

Eating Druw's second year doesn't matter because the moneys already factored into the payroll anyways. But I don't think they would just release him as there's nothing to be gained by that.

51,
Yeah, you're right Jon. We definitely have him under control for at least 7 more years. He would likely end up being a Super Two though un;ess we wait 'till the end of May to call him up.

Also just wanted to comment on Kyle Blair because I played against him in HS and I live about 30 seconds from the HS he went to. Some people have been critical of the Dodgers not signing him, saying they wouldn't spend the money, but thats really not fair. His family is really rich, he has all sorts of connections (like he used to train with the A's when they did their workouts), and they spent a lot of money. He actually went on a vacation for a whole year and took a year off of school before starting HS (which is why he was old for a HS'er). So he didn't need the money at all.
I have friends who knew him well and even in his junior year he had already decided he was going to college. His parents wanted him to get a degree first. There was no way he would sign barring MAYBE if they had offered him a ton of money, but really there was nothing the Dodgers could do.

Also, not that this matters but he was also a GREAT hitter in high school. He played 1st base too and absolutely mashed the ball. I'm not sure he's a pro prospect with the bat but he probably could have gotten pretty far with that if he hadn't been such a great pitcher. He's just a great athlete. Anyway, just my two cents.

74
Thanks, but no way was I better than Greg Brock. I blew bhsportsguy (or "dh" as Ken Levine called him) out of the water though! :)

I have to double check the collective bargaining agreement

A leading candidate for "Least Sexy Comment of All-Time".

80
Without Furcal, the payroll is about $95 million for 2009.

78 I'm 99 percent sure that you aren't locked into one place.

78 No, that doesn't have anything to do with it. Particularly since LaRoche played a "rehab" game or two at Vegas before he was actually optioned.

84 ,85
Thanks.

82 - Sounds like a job for one of those "SABR-types."

75
Yeah, Abreu has some tools. Never some heard anything definitive regarding his recurring ab troubles. There is usually signifigant discomfort associated with abdominal surgeries and breaking up the scar tissue that's created from it. If there's nothing else wrong with him, could he just have a low level of tolerance to pain?
Seemingly in a position to win now, what would the Yanks, Red Sox, or Mets do in the Dodgers current situation?

80 For whatever it's worth, Blair does not have an at-bat this year, so I guess USD doesn't think much of him as a hitter. Either that or they're paranoid about an injury.

I hate the thought of just trading away a young player just because there's no room for them to start at the moment and getting little in return, a la Navarro. But I would be less upset if the Dodgers traded Abreu for something decent in return if they do re-sign Furcal this season and make it clear they want to keep Hu (and LaRoche). While I think Abreu could be a really good utility guy at the least, with Raffy, Hu, LaRoche (plus DeWitt), plus DeJesus lurking, plus Baez and Bell, it does seem like Abreu could be expendable. But again, not to just give him away. (But on the other hand, he needs to stay healthy for a little bit to give him any kind of value, anyway.) But on the other hand... wait, how many hands is this now?

83,

Really? I don't get close to that. Just doing a quick estimate here:

http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/los-angeles-dodgers.html

it seems to be just over 80 million without Furcal. So I'll assume he gets around 15 mil. Thats 97 million or so so it should leave about 20 million left including raises. Am I off somewhere?

89,
Hmm, I don't know. I do know guys who have gone to D1 schools as hitters and Blair was as good as them with the bat. Maybe they just don't want him to hit, would be my guess.

I need to go on a Dodger Thoughts scouting mission here pretty quick to see Blair pitch.

80 Thanks for the inside scoop on Blair, btw. Interesting stuff. Definitely makes me less disappointed they couldn't sign him, or at least I understand it better.

91
Go to post 65 here. I posted the 2009 salary, with some assumptions of course.

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/910958.html#65

Re: The Rotating 12th spot.

Pitching is a topic that has been discussed at length here. If Schmidt isn't able to respond, and Kershaw is kept under wraps, do the Dodgers have enough pitching depth? What happens if/when one of the first four starters goes down, even for a short time?

95 Don't give Ned any ideas.

95 We go with McDonald or Stults.

94 About 45% of your $95 million is going to Jones, Pierre and Schmidt. How awful.

Tony Jackson notes that "This team has suddenly learned how to win".

So when they go on a losing streak, did they forget how to win? I'm confused.

97 And if that fails, Meloan and Orenduff are both pitching well at Vegas.

94,

Well, that looks right. I'm not sure how I got so far off. I gues all the little salaries and deferred salaries added up. That certainly changes things. But at least we have Druwe and Schmidt coming off the books after '09. If we could somehow trade Slappy and get rid of like half of his salary, we would be in really good shape.

Still, I think we should resign Furcal if we could get him for 4/60 or less. Do you agree with that?

99 Wasn't he the one who had basically given up on the season after the first 10 days or whatever? Never one to avoid melodramatic overstatements, that Tony.

So when you guys see someone like Lyons actually read your comments, does that affect how you make your comments on this site going forward (about whomever), or not at all? Just curious.

99,

If only they had learned when they were younger, they might have a Little League World Series trophy on their mantles...

102
I would do that deal (4/60) for Furcal.

For 2010 (obviously more speculation goes into that, right now we are at roughly $68.5m. Go to post 62 here:

https://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/archives/912148.html

If the Dodgers are going to re-sign Furcal, how much money will they lose by not doing it before the season started?

101

massive walk rates!

101 I always forgot Meloan is a starter now.

104
I'm probably more guarded anyway since my real name is used, so Lyons reading here doesn't affect me much. It is pretty cool though.

104. Not really since you have a good set of rules to govern the site. How about you, does it effect what you write? :)
vr, Xei

104 Not really, I mean there is always a chance of being immortalized like Xeifrank.

104 110 Ditto. Actually that's why I use my real name anyway, keeps me honest.

111 - I usually write under the assumption that the subject might read the story, however likely or unlikely that is.

I don't believe I make comments that are of lasting importance as much as I influence future comments.

Such as with The Bison incident.

BH mentioned The Bison won NL player of the week award, but I just saw the official name of the award. From the headline:

"Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers named Bank of America Presents the National League Player of the Week"

Weak! Too corporatey for me. I can live with "Bank of America NL Player of the Week", but adding the "Presents" just complicates things.

114 Pretty good rule for what we say as well as write.

I often think, if I can end my comment with "...so I figured, hey, when's the next time I'm gonna be in Haiti," then I won't post it. It limits my opportunities to make a fool of myself.

104 Not really, but I don't think I'm ever particularly biting, anyway. I do think its nice if someone "on the inside," and not otherwise tuned into what goes on here, doesn't get chased away immediately with a bad taste in their mouth.

That said, let me pose a slightly different question - How would you all post if you thought Rick Monday was watching? Or, alternatively, Rick Monday the watcher, you go about your posting how would you approach it?

114. That's a good rule of thumb. I wonder how many of the players, announcers (Lyons) and front office (Josh) people have checked out the blog on a semi-regular basis.
vr, Xei

119. I know what I'd post, but I'm not willing to open that can of worms up right now. :)
vr, Xei

Speaking of Jones, Rotoworld reports that the Tigers have DFA'ed Jacque.

Tomlin, Suns showing power

>> Suns right-hander James McDonald (1-1, 5.27) will pitch today (11:05 a.m. start) in the opening game of a five-game series with the Carolina Mudcats, who will start RHP Chris Volstad. <<

http://tinyurl.com/6kgszo

104 I don't think it would affect the comments I make very much. Maybe it would cause me to pause before making some flippant throwaway comment. But I've always liked Lyons' on-air persona, and the very fact that he visited the blog and took the trouble to make a comment probably indicates that he's more open-minded to different ways of thinking than most broadcasters are. Sure, he makes some stupid comments on the air sometimes, but then I write some stupid comments on this blog. It's good to find that Lyons is not a Bissingeresque reactionary as I feared he might be.

So I don't have very many critical things to say about Lyons anyway. I enjoy his broadcasting. But if someone visited the site who I think is actually bad at their job and deserves criticism -- Bill Plaschke, say, or Rick Monday -- I don't think I'd pull any punches. If you do that, you effectively give the seal of approval to mediocrity.

I don't believe I make comments that are of lasting importance as much as I influence future comments

You don't make the comments we make here on Dodger Thoughts: you make the comments we make here on Dodger Thoughts better.

The last non-pitcher to be named Player of the Week without hitting a home run was Craig Biggio last year for the week of 6/25-7/1.

Biggio batted .444 that week and picked up his 3000th career hit.

116 IIRC, that award used to be sponsored by Bulova watches and every winner got a free watch. Maybe now they get a bank.

127 They still get an "appropriately engraved watch". There has to be character length issue involved there.

The players still receive a "Tourneau luxury timepiece."

122
And he was beaten up too.
https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/976148.html

128 Presumably, Matt's watch said, "Matt Kemp, NL Player of the week, 3/28 to 4/5, Tougher Than a Robot Made of Nails."

It's interesting that Bob was responsible for two of the better DT player nicknames. Of course, he only actually came up with one of them, Ghame Over. The other (Bison) came about because of the fear of Bob's wrath.

This comment was sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank and the Bulova Watch Company. Bulova, it's a helluva watch.

Now back to your regular commenting.

104 Not for me personally. I am outspoken about my distaste for Steve Lyons as a broadcaster.

<Steve Lyons rant>
My [soon-to-be] father-in-law does give me a hard time about the one time that I walked by Steve Lyons on the Field level at Dodger Stadium and just said "Hi, Steve!" instead of telling him that I get annoyed listening to him with Charley Steiner on TV. I think that's unfair though. I had no reason to be rude to him in person. I don't know him as a person so I can't judge him based on any thing other than I don't like his commentary very much. I'm sure he's a nice guy. Still, in my comments here, I have no reason to hold back my opinion unless it breaks the rules.
</Steve Lyons rant>

122 O ye of little faith in The Griddle.

124 Well said.

Jaque Jones just never got un-untracked.

---

Jon's Metsblog Q&A is up now, btw:
http://www.metsblog.com/2008/05/05/blogger-beat-dodger-thoughts-3/

119
How would you all post if you thought Rick Monday was watching?

If we knew Rick Monday was reading, it would be cool if we removed all post numbers and times, and made sure no one posted any game updates.

Jacque, that is. Speaking of editors needing lunch. (Not that anyone was.)

Jaque Jones just never got un-untracked

Have we had the "un-tracked vs. on track" discussion around here...?

138 If you did that, then the site might resemble an actual Rick Monday broadcast, what with all the random off-topic comments about what people had for dinner last night and how they did in their last softball game.

Here's that MetsBlog interview:

http://www.metsblog.com/2008/05/05/blogger-beat-dodger-thoughts-3/

I don't understand how the scoring of a run via home run is a rally killer.

Is that one of those unwritten rules?

140 The Griddle is way ahead on that front as well.

Andre Ethier, who has more PA and defensive innings than any other Dodger OF, is now listed as the 4th OF on the Dodgers' page on Baseball-Reference.com.

Hopefully that can be rectified tonight with tonight's lineup.

140 - See the comments in the Griddle's Jacque Jones DFA posting.

I don't see what the big whoop is with the free watch that comes with the Player of the Week award anyway. Why, just today I've received 5 or 6 emails telling me I can get a watch just like that one for really cheap.

And.... if Monday was reading the comments then I would start all my sentences with an....and.

142 Good interview (as usual) Jon.

I just realized it's cinco de mayo.

Should I be at a bar?

Whose idea was it to schedule Cinco de Mayo for a Monday? I demand an answer!

I guess I'll celebrate later with a post-work Tecate and burrito when home.

150. Not if you like to drink contrarian.
vr, Xei

Should I be at a bar?

To be (at a bar), or not to be (at a bar): that is the question...that each of us must answer.

I think I'll stay home.

(Hey Mom: can you go to Taco Bell and pick me up some gorditas and chalupas and stuff? Oh: and a nachos bell grande? Bring em' down here when you get back...Thanks.)

150 Some Corazon sounds about right.

153 I wish they still made Gorditas.

My Cinco de Mayo meal will be chicken curry.

At least I am using jalapeño peppers.

Any reason we haven't seen an SI.com article from you in a while Jon?

156
Nice tilde.

My bar plans for the night got seriously derailed when I suddenly got a massive hangover around noon.

This might be the end of the legit Long Island for me.

I would hate to think the Dodgers would trade Hu before they extended Furcal's contract.

As the trading deadline approaches there is opportunity to do something in reverse to what the Dodgers usually do--trade a veteran for a valued younger player. Not that the Dodgers have a Santana or Bedard but they do have a few players that might help a team get into the playoffs.

If Martin, Kemp, Loney, Ethier are really producing and carrying the team and Hu and Abreu have played enough show they can help a team be a winner, and Schmidt, Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuo, Meloan, Kiroda are pitching well, might the Dodgers offer any of Penny, Lowe, Furcal, Pierre, Jones, Kent, Schmidt for whatever might help them take the next step?

Is Zimmerman more available now than he was at the beginning of the season and if so, will he eventually get it together?

160 There is no way the Nationals would trade Zimmerman. To get them to even think about it we'd have to start with Kemp and Kershaw and start adding on from there.

161. So, you're saying there's a chance we could get him!!!?
vr, Xei

161 - You keep saying that but the Nationals need help and Zimmerman seems to be opening a window for such a trade. He might close that window at any time by hitting like he is expected to do, or continue to play like what surrounds him.

DeWitt at third, LaRoche at first, and Hu/Abreu at short could open dialog with the Nats.

163 I don't know if there's 10 players in baseball I'd rather have than Zimmerman considering his age and contract status. Players that good don't get traded unless they're on a team owned by an evil, evil man.

163 - I don't think this possibility even exists, but if it did and the Dodgers were interested, too, I don't like the idea of trading that many infielders even for one great infielder, plus I would think the Nats need more pitching and would require a pitcher, too. And Minotaur is out of the question (since he doesn't yet exist) so it'd be someone like McDonald or another prospect and Zimmerman is too good to let go that way so... fuhgedaboutit.

Is Zimmerman better than LaRoche...?

164 - Then we agree--we both like Zimmerman.

We're wasting our time even talking about Zimmerman. He's is very possibly the single least likely player in all of baseball to get traded. That's how much the Nats and their fans love him. Let's move on to discussing something realistic.

jon,

Great question and wish I could have gotten in on the radio last night, because I want to bring up the issue slightly enlarged and how much the Colleti ego and courage can be expected to show by the trade deadline.

1.) Clear to me that in 30 days that Kershaw will be the better pitcher than Schmidt, yet Torre and Ned want Kershaw to start relieving as prep for the majors, with the assumption that Schmidt will go into the 5 spot.

2.) If this scenario holds up and Schmidt is indeed better, eats up more innings than Loazia, Park and Kuo, and given Lowe's contract and the strong possibility he won't be back next year wouldn't it make sense to trade Lowe and get a young if possible power prospect outfielder and let Schmidt, if he is pitching well go into the 3 spot or 4, give Kershaw the 5, keep Kuo and trade or even let go Loazia who by this time will have only about 3.5 million.
Doubt that Colleti will do this, but 2009 will be the end of the Jones contract, Kent most likely will be gone and we have no idea who will be at 3rd, but a guranteed 20 homer player maybe Kemp, but that will probably be it.

166 Quite a bit. He seems pretty comparable to Scott Rolen.

168
Hanley Ramirez in a couple of years? I say we stick him in center.

166 - LaRoche seems to get much more support to be the Dodgers next great third baseman without having complementing equal trade value.

If Kershaw and Schmidt are indeed competing to be the fifth starter during the second half, I don't have any problem with that job going to Schmidt. If Schmidt stinks, then Kershaw will take his job soon enough; if Schmidt's good, then we have a good fifth starter and we should be happy.

I think it's very likely that LaRoche will be a better hitter than Zimmerman. If Zimmerman does end up being better, it will be because of his glove.

172 I don't think anyone has ever said LaRoche will be as good as Zimmerman.

168 - I am willing to revisit this with you later in the year and let it go for now.

I think it's very likely that LaRoche will be a better hitter than Zimmerman

Based on a quick scan of their stats, I think so too.

175 - Oops--Drat that 174

178 He said he'll be a better hitter, not a better player.

EQAs by Age

20 Zimmerman .266, LaRoche .260/.214
21 Zimmerman .285, LaRoche .283/.252
22 Zimmerman .281, LaRoche .304/.288
23 Zimmerman .203, LaRoche .290/.250

(LaRoche has two numbers each year because he's split every season between two levels.)

Dodgers take defeat in stride

And now, as they prepare to play 25 consecutive games outside their division

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_9154549

180 *It should be noted that the last number for Zimmerman is this year's small sample size and should be treated with appropriate suspicion.

Playing that many straight games out of the division isn't that strange. It usually comes up once a year. It happened last year at this time also.

Last year on 5/4, the Dodgers started a seven-game trip to Atlanta and Florida and then returned home for six against the Cardinals and Reds and then on the road for three against Anaheim then back home for six against Milwaukee and Chicago, then seven straight on the road against Washington and Pittsburgh.
29 straight games.

181

The Dodgers (17-14) languished in the NL West basement as recently as April 20, when they had been swept out of Atlanta by a Braves team that could hardly be described as a juggernaut.

I beg to differ. Record alone doesn't indicate how good a team is. Offensively, at least, the Braves have to be in the upper echelon of the NL.

163 - for Dodger fans or the 1917 United States, a Zimmerman[n] telegram would be a bad thing, then.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmermann_Telegram

184

Pitching wise too! The Braves are in the top 5 in ERA (3.58) and runs allowed (115)

I'm probably late to the debate, but the tbs color guy during yesterday's mets/dbacks game mentioned that the 2006 cardinals (world series champs) built their staff from the bullpen forward. as you said, the same thing could work for the 2008 dodgers booyahhh

183

Dodgers record in stretch of 29 games outside the division: 17-12

Are we past the point of people saying that DeWitt hasn't done any better than LaRoche did in the majors? That claim is untenable right now, and Rob Neyer's comments just look asinine:

LaRoche: .226/.365/.312 in 93 MLB AB's

DeWitt: .293/.384/.400 in 73 MLB AB's

104 Fair question. I absolutely wanted Lyons to read my comment re: rally killers. It was like a request to the DJ. Given that you were already debating the value of the Save stat etc- I wanted to hear Steve present and defend his theory. Plus Lyons is a self-deprecating guy and seems to enjoy being the butt of the joke now and then. Kevin Kennedy on the other hand...

Sorry I missed the Jon doing Dodger Thoughts on the radio. Crazy busy weekend.

I think 173 has it right.

While we might drool over young studs, none of them are available which was why I was hot and bothered about getting someone like Miggy when he did become available. It just doesn't happen very often so when it does you try to make it happen.

189
Unless he goes zero for his next 20 at bats.

Plus who cares, the real question is who will be the best option at 3rd base going forward not who did what in 100 googly at bats.

145 Hopefully that can be rectified tonight with tonight's lineup.

Now that Pierre is swinging a hot bat it would not surprise me if Torre picks Juan over Andre for tonight's game.

163 - Taking a clue from their neighbors up north, Zimmerman is marketed as DC's Cal Jr. So difficult to see that happening. Also, there is a logjam at 1st with Johnson and Young, so LaRoche couldn't be packaged that way.

192 -- Yet people, here, WERE talking about who did what in less than 100 AB's, which is why I mention it. DeWitt has impressed in the opportunity handed to him, LaRoche did not. That may well determine who is chosen to be our long-term 3B.

It looks to me that Matt Kemp didn't even make the all-star ballot. Am I blind, crazy, or is MLB stupid?

145 "Hopefully that can be rectified tonight with tonight's lineup."

What does BB-Ref base that on, anyway? If it's the guy with the most starts at the position, then I believe Ethier actually has to start four games in a row before he could supplant Pierre.

196 The latter.

Actually, it may be the individual teams who submit the names of the players they expect to start. So it might be the Dodgers' fault instead of MLB's.

189 The only thing I might qualify Andy's stats from last year is that most games he started in a row last year was the the last 8 games of the season.

His game log suggests an inconsistent approach to his playing time.

4 games started
off
3 games started
off
3 games started
off 2 games
1 game started
off 1 game
1 game started
off 2 games
1 game started
off 2 games
1 game started
Optioned back to AAA - June 2007

Back on September 1st
Started 3 games
off
Started 1 game
off for 8 games
1 game started
off
1 game started
off
8 games started (end of season)

So yes, Dewitt has played well but he also has had the opportunity to play everyday aside from the brief Nomar time back in the lineup.

Dodgers Slugging Their Way Back Into The Mix

>> The Arizona Diamondbacks may have flew out of the gates over this season's first month, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are doing their best to ensure that it's not going to be a one-horse race in the National League West. <<

KEMP IS KING

## The 23-year-old slugger is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak in which he has batted .410 (16-for-39) and knocked in a whopping 16 runs. ##

http://www.nbc10.com/mlb/16166675/detail.html

200 So LaRoche got four games, or seven games at the most, before they decided he wasn't going to cut it as the starting third baseman.

Remember that when they trade him, folks.

Selected RF stats:

Werth: .258/.343/.506/.849
Kemp: .324/.348/.495/.843

So what exactly has Ethier done wrong, compared to Jones? Is the HR being held against him somehow?

Tonight, per ItD:

Furcal, SS

Pierre, LF

Kemp, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Jones, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Billingsley, P

No Ethier again per ITD

Lineup

Furcal
Pierre
Kemp
Kent
Martin
Loney
Jones
Dewitt
Billingsley

Weird, I thought they said Ethier was gonna start 3 in a row. Is there some matchup thing here we're not aware of? (Oliver Perez... who has done well against LA.) That's the only thing I can think of. He better play the next 2 is all I can say.

204 -- Ethier hasn't been effective against LHP's this year. Pierre and Kemp look hot, and Torre is committed to sticking with Jones, so that made sitting Ethier tonight inevitable.

Pierre and Kemp are red hot, Jones makes a lot of money, so Ethier gets it in the shorts.

208 Torre is committed to sticking with Jones

Why?

Ethier is 0 for 3 lifetime vs. Perez, from what I can tell with a K and a GIDP. Not the biggest sample size, that. But it might not be the worst move in the world. Again, I hope Ethier plays the next two, though.

so ill ask the question i asked about 3 weeks ago, am i still alone thinking pierre, kemp, and dre is our best OF

I think Ethier should get the start, but frankly, even Pee Wee Young should get to play over Jones right now. I know Jon thinks he'll turn it around, but MAN he is bad right now.

212 In the words of Michael Jackson, you are not alone.

204 - Jones has to work through his slump, because maybe he'll remember how to hit again.

To be fair, Jones did put up a .936 OPS in April last year, and a .935 OPS in July.

210 -- Why? Because he hit 50 home runs a few years ago and is making $18 million this year. That buys a guy a lot of chances.

at a jones least his back foot isn't moving as much that could be step #1

What would be neat is if Jones started looking like the Jones of old again and that would render all these discussions moot. Pierre to his credit has also been playing pretty well so it makes it even more convoluted for Torre. But I do think Jones needs to keep playing and making adjustments. Right now he needs an adjustment the size of San Bernardino County, alas, but anyway...

197
What does BB-Ref base that on, anyway?

It's based on defensive innings at said position. Through Sunday, the Dodger OF looked like this:

LF
Pierre 138
Ethier 134

CF
Jones 234
Kemp 39
Pierre 1

RF
Kemp 171
Ethier 101

So the total innings breaks down to:
Ethier 235
Jones 234
Kemp 210
Pierre 139

But since Ethier has split time between RF & LF, he is the odd man out for BB-Ref purposes.

Ethier's vs L/R OPS splits
2006: .846/.842 (.402/.340 BABIP)
2007: .716/.830 (.337/.295 BABIP)
2008: .416/1.023 (.182/.365 BABIP)

212 no. you got Torre on your side apparently, well played.

221 - I think Dre references Ethier, not Jones.

To be fair, 3.5 would have been clearer

Going into Thursday, Pierre started only 4 of the previous 12 games.

Thursday, Pierre professes he is unhappy as a part-time player (I'm not sure if he offered this, or it was a result of constant questioning).

Tonight marks the 5th straight game Pierre has started.

216 I don't think his contract and his performance from a couple of years ago should come into play right now. If we are basing who to play on how much they earn and how they played before last year then Kemp, Ethier, Loney, LaRoche should all be replaced by the likes of Pierre and Nomar.

I suspect that Pierre's good play recently has played more of a part in making out the lineups than his complaining has.

224 Do you think the Red Sox should use Sean Casey as their DH?

Going into tonight, OF playing time distribution:

Plate Apps
Ethier 122
Kemp 113
Jones 113
Pierre 78

Starts (including tonight)
Jones 28
Ethier 27
Kemp 23
Pierre 18

226 Right now? He's on the DL I believe.

Okay, say he wasn't.

I think we should all be comfortable in the fact that Pierre will resume a part time role once he starts turning in a few 0 for 5s. As long as he's playing well, I have no problem at all with him being in there.

I have little doubt that Kemp, Jones, Ethier is our best outfield for the long term and no doubt that Ethier, Kemp, Pierre is our best outfield right now. If I thought a week or two on the bench would help Jones get going, I'd endorse that, too, but what do I know?

I don't see how I can answer that in regards to the point I'm trying to make. My argument is about playing who's hot in favor of players who aren't.

Do you mean because Casey is hitting better than Ortiz has been so far this year? If so, then I would say yes, at some point I would start him over Ortiz...

You're consistent, I'll give you that.

230 But what if he doesn't, I mean JP is certainly capable of hitting .300 and what if he is taking more pitches and walks a little more, he could keep his OBP around .350 if he continues to hit.

If San Diego wasn't in the same division and if Pierre wasn't making so much more money and years, both teams might be able to work out a deal. But the Dodgers won't make this kind of deal with a division rival.

233 Thanks. Look, I'm not saying trade Jones or drop him or bench him for eternity, I'm just saying play the hotter hands for a while. If you're going to have the "luxury" of having four outfielders, play the three that have been producing the most of late. It is painful to watch Jones at the plate right now.

My main point is that if Kemp or Ethier or Pierre were playing as Jones badly as Jones has been, they would be benched (and have been over shorter of periods of time). So why does Jones have to be different? Just because we're paying him more? That doesn't make sense to me.

Plus I started Ethier in my fantasy league this week, so there's that too. :)

234 I think there is a certain minimum OBP where Pierre would warrant being in the lineup. I may be a bit higher than 350; others would certainly know better than me. I'm just saying, as ill advised as the whole idea of Juan Pierre is, there's no point in complaining about him playing well so long as the leash isn't too long.

Vin mentioned several times yesterday that Torre stated before the game that he was starting Ethier in place of Jones because he didn't want Ethier to get too rusty. That sure doesn't make it sound like he plans on Andre getting regular playing time for the foreseeable future.

If Ethier is indeed benched I wonder how long it will be before he requests a trade? He must be unbelievably frustrated.

235 Its true that Torre may be more patient with Jones due to money, but it almost certainly has more to do with the fact that he's been a very good player for almost all of his career.

238 Point taken. Then how long do you give him to return to form? Another month? Until the All-Star break? All year? At some point he's hurting the team by being in the lineup.

234 Okay, I re-read your post. I think you're arguing that the Dodgers should take advantage of Pierre's hot streak to try to convince some other team of his awesomeness. I agree with that, too.

240 Hey I could get on board with that. ;-)

As bad as Jones has been he's still a better bet against Oliver Perez then Ethier.

D4P your point on Werth and Kemp was well played. The batting average of Kemp is getting the media play but Werth has had a very productive time filling in for Victorino. He also played CF so well that the word was he might continue to play CF with Victorino moving to RF.

I didn't catch any of the games this weekend other then snippets, is Kemp getting hits by hitting bad balls ala Vlady, or are pitchers actually throwing him strikes even though it appears he will swing at anything that has stitches on it.

One thing that we can't overlook about Jones is his defense. I am not saying that is a reason to start him, just that we can't forget about it. I wonder if anyone has suggested an eye exam for him or if he already wears contacts? vr, Xei

239 How long did Mike Davis stay in the lineup in 1988? Honestly, there's no real way to answer that question, except - a) hope it doesn't come to that, and b) hope we keep winning with out without a productive Andruw.

For what little it's worth (SSSW), Oliver Perez vs. the current Dodger roster, career:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/YyKf

243 I believe he actually had an eye exam within the last couple days. Or at least I thought I read that somewhere.

243 http://tinyurl.com/4xogt7

They checked his eyes. "No issues", according to Torre

Playing someone because he is "hot", seems a little dart boardish to me. How do you know when the "hot" streak will end, or when a new one would've began from someone on the bench? Playing someone because they are "hot" screams the small sample size argument. If someone is better ok. If someone needs rest ok. If someone isn't feeling 100% then ok. vr, Xei

244 Nice comparison. You know, if Andruw Jones has a key walk in the first game of a World Series featuring the Dodgers, he's forgiven for sure. Meanwhile, I'll be hoping for (a) and (b).

Mike Davis was brought in to be a fourth outfielder more or less. The Dodgers were counting on Mike Marshall to be hurt. And Marshall was for the first month of the season. Shelby also got hurt for a while and Davis played in center

248 True. Then Jones should play and Ethier should be in there instead of Juan Pierre.

From the Mike Davis press conference when he signed back on 12/15/1987:

" Davis, 28, hit .265 with 22 home runs last season but was at .292 with 20 homers at the All-Star break before he suffered a hyper-extended knee when he kicked a dugout door at Boston's Fenway Park.

His performance then dropped off because of the injury, he said.

Davis said his knee is fine and explained why he kicked the door.

"I didn't get a chance to get any vanilla ice cream that morning, but it didn't hit me until the fourth time I came up to the plate," he said. "I had a mental lapse."

While reporters were trying to sort that out, Burrell explained that Davis decided to sign with the Dodgers after Fred Claire, the club's executive vice president for player personnel, wired a facsimile of the proposed contract to him at about 10 p.m. Monday.

To do that, Claire had to surmount one difficulty.

"We couldn't get into the (Dodger Stadium) library where the fax machine was," Claire said. "Publicity usually has the key, but for some reason we couldn't locate one. We ended up calling a locksmith."

Burrell said: "That effort convinced us that this was the way to go. We said we'd go ahead and sign a contract rather than give the Yankees a chance to counter. We didn't want to go through that."

250 Really? I just remember him being a pretty highly touted FA signing, and a regular with power in Oakland. Maybe he was supposed to play some first, also?

244
Mike Davis started 41 (and appeared in 45) of the first 46 games in 1988, hitting .212/.285/.250.

He only played in 63 of the final 116 games, starting 22, hitting .176/.228/.296.

Davis's playing time decreased sharply in June, around the time Guerrero got hurt. Hamilton played 3B for the rest of the year, Marshall moved from 1B to RF, and Stubbs & Hatcher took over 1B duties.

And I hope Torre lets Andruw swing 3-0 in Game 5 in Boston.

Also from that same press conference:

With Pedro Guerrero and Mike Marshall both mentioned in trade rumors, it's a step toward the Dodgers replacing their outfield. In fact, the Dodgers were doing just that this week-replacing their outfield. During the press conference a crew was rolling out new turf in right field, where Davis may wind up.

Claire said the trade doesn't necessarily make Marshall and Guerrero more expendable. "I want that depth," he said, adding that Davis brings the Dodgers "power and one of the best arms in the game. He wants to play every day.

"The same is true of Alfredo Griffin," Claire said.

Griffin, a shortstop, and relief pitcher Jay Howell also were present Tuesday. They also were acquired from the A's, in last week's trade that sent pitchers Bob Welch and Matt Young to Oakland while bringing reliever Jesse Orosco from the Mets, who got pitchers Wally Whitehurst and Kevin Tapani from the A's and Jack Savage from the Dodgers.

Claire said Griffin was "the premier shortstop available."

Griffin said: "I don't know if I'm that great, but I know I can be there for 162 games."

252 Yeegads, I remember that bit about the fax machine. At least I remember in relation to some FA signing, if not Davis.

It's hard to believe that 21 years ago, the Dodgers had just ONE fax machine.

254 Great info.

That's an awesome fax machine anecdote. How far we've come technologically.

245 So given that Gary Bennett (and Chan Ho Park ;-) ) aren't starting tonight, obviously that's not the only factor in tonight's line-up.

What's really awesome is that Bob has these press conference reports memorized. He's like Homer (the Greek epic poet, that is).

242 3 of his hits over the weekend were on the first pitch, both doubles on Friday and the double on Saturday.

Kemp got a single on the second pitch (0-1) count on Saturday, yesterday's hit came on the third pitch (1-1) count.

Kemp is the poster child for the first pitch fastball club.

261
Yeah, they're ... memorized ...

255 Wasn't it Griffin who had that weird injury where he wore a plastic mask over his face at some point? I was probably 12 at the time, but I seem to remember that. Am I hallucinating?

262
One day, there will be a scouting report that says "This guy is a third pitch, breaking ball hitter and on the fourth pitch, he likes changeups."

264
9/2/1991 by Ross Newhan

Alfredo Griffin, activated Saturday night, returned to the lineup for the first time since fracturing his cheekbone Aug. 5. Griffin wore a protective plastic mask and said he was distracted by the glare.

265
I think that's why Orel Hershiser had a cheat sheet note card in his back pocket for Game 2 of the World Series.

250 And Marshall was [hurt] for the first month of the season.

General Soreness's first DNP was game 64 on June 18. He did play in only two games between 8/28 and 9/13, his longest stint of not playing. He appeared in 144 games in 1988.

237 I don't see how you can surmise that Ethier would request a trade? He leads all 4 Dodger outfielders in plate appearences going into tonight's game. Just because a player doesn't start a few games because other players like Pierre are hot does not mean you get frustrated enough to ask to be traded. That is not being a team player and bad for the team.

242 Kemp's still getting hits the same way he has been all year: by crushing breaking pitches of all types. He must be constantly guessing breaking ball, then trying (usually unsuccessfully) to adjust to fastballs when they come.

For the year he's now hitting just .157 on fastballs, but .333 on curves, .400 on sliders, .538 on changeups, and .500 on splitters.

I've noticed that he's been swinging at the first pitch more, and has also actually shown the ability to let the first pitch go by when it's not a strike. He's hitting from ahead in the count a lot more often than he was earlier in the season.

OT - But I found this fascinating.

According to the Science Daily article, a human would have to put all his weight on his middle finger to duplicate the proportion of weight a horse's hoof supports as it hits the ground.

I wonder why they say the middle finger?

270 I wonder why he hits so many ground balls, I guess that's good that he's not uppercutting but still he hits many many times more ground balls than fly balls.

Not that anyone needs reminding, but the last Dodger championship team featured Franklin Stubbs, Jeff Hamilton, John Shelby and Alfredo Griffin as regulars, with big chunks of playing time going to Mickey Hatcher, Dave Anderson and Mike Davis. And by my recollection, they actually scored a bunch of runs.

268
I goofed there. I just assumed that since Marshall wasn't in RF that he was hurt. 90% of the time you would be right.

269 Ethier has a history of making comments about possibly being traded whenever he appears in danger of losing playing time. That happened in September '06 and March '08, so it's not too much of a leap to speculate that it might happen again.

268 "General Soreness". One of the greatest nicknames ever from one of Lasorda's infamous rants when trainer Bill Buhler explained why Mike Marshall could not play before a game. Classic. I can still here Tommy right now..."General Soreness? Who the &%$# is General Soreness!"

The 1988 Dodgers averaged 3.88 runs per game. The NL average in 1988 was 3.88 runs per game.

272 I still think the reason his BABIP has been out of whack is because he hits ground balls with the force and velocity that most people hit line drives. In other words, it seems like a repeatable skill, not luck.

Of course, that could just be wishful thinking.

Surprising to me- Kemp is swinging at more balls out of the zone (34%) and swinging through more balls in the zone (38%) than Jones (26% and 33%).

273
Someone also won the lottery last week. It doesn't mean buying lottery tickets is a smart move.

Question for SoCal types:

Is Irvine a nice place...?

281 to visit? or to live?

266 So I was 9 1/2, but otherwise, I wasn't wrong. Thanks Bob!

279 I think the difference is that Kemp often seems to swing at outside pitches with the intent of going the other way, whereas Jones swings at outside pitches but is entirely unfamiliar with the concept of going the other way.

To clarify:

Is Irvine a nice place to live?

Life in Irvine is one big jamboree.

It's a nice place to live but I wouldn't want to visit there.

(Or live there. But if I had to live in Orange County, it always seemed fairly decent, plus there's a university there at least.)

286
Wow, Bob. That comment really covered the spectrum of things to do in the City.

285 If you go for that whole clean/safe/well-off thing.

285 Irvine is known for Cookie Cutter housing areas where you have to pay association fees. That's my biggest gripe. But other than that, it is a decent place to live. You could surely do worse in LA or OC.

plus there's a university there at least

Yeah, that's why I asked. There's a new job posting there today.

285 Are you suggesting a job at UC Irvine.

If you are a fan of suburbia, Irvine is the place to be, some of my best friends (really not just a line) live there. But housing it really expensive, balanced by a good school district, if you don't have drive too far to commute its okay. On the weekend its about an hour or so up to LA.

Irvine is known for Cookie Cutter housing areas

That's how I picture it, without actually having been there. Sort of a bunch of "Sudden Valley"s.

NL West stadings

Arizona W 21 L 10..........1st place
Los Angeles W 17 L 14......4 games back
San Francisco W 14 L 18....7.5 games back
Colorado W 12 L 19.........9 games back
San Diego W 12 L 20 (WOW!)9.5 games back

I think things are looking alot better then say... 3 weeks ago right gang.

291 I know a couple of folks who went got planning degrees there. Its a good program, from what I can tell.

If you are a fan of suburbia

I'm not.

Its a good program, from what I can tell

Yeah, my advisor actually considers it the best in CA, ahead of Berkeley and U.C.L.A. My department hired someone from there a few years ago.

OF Jones, batting .165, cut from ballclub.

http://tinyurl.com/3k2kcn

297
And he got a beating too.
https://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/976148.html

296 - IIRC KG16 lives around there, or in OC at least. So you need to factor that in as well.

One thing I noticed (via Bill James website) is that Kemp is hitting more line drives this year and his hitting the ball more squarely to center and right than last year.

In 2007, his batting average when hitting the ball on the ground was over .400, that's for any ground ball, this year its down to .295 but his line drive and fly ball averages are up plus if he hits the ball to center or right (gb, fb or line drive) he's hitting .500 (19/38).

And despite all this, his BABIP is slightly higher this year at .459

Anyone hear about Justin Upton getting ejected from the game yesterday after it was already over? How does that work?

296 If this helps, you would be about 75 miles away from Bob Timmermann.

296 ,302
And roughly the same distance from me.

302
But there would be a LOT OF TRAFFIC.

I don't do well with traffic

302 Sorry, that's wrong. Let's just say I forgot about the 5 freeway.

302 Sorry, that's wrong. Let's just say I forgot about the 5 freeway.

301
Not sure if there's a suspension for a certain amount of ejections (like technicals in the NBA), but I'm sure there's an MLB fine system in place. It's something like $500 per ejection, I think. Time to sexily check the CBA again!

Irvine is great if you don't mind having to drive 20 miles to do something interesting.

The one thing i find fascinating about Kemp is that while he does swing and miss at a lot of pitches, and looks terrible in doing so, he almost always hits the ball hard when he does make contact. He did the same thing last year, which is why i think he'll always have a substantially higher BABIP than average. It really is astounding to see Matt swing way ahead of a changeup and then crush a a slider away on the next pitch.

The origin of General Soreness:
LA Times, 9/21/1987 by Sam McManis:

" One example is recently recalled outfielder Ralph Bryant, who is hoping that a strong finish will lead into a good spring training and land him a roster spot next season.

Sunday, Bryant found himself starting in right field because Mike Marshall was out with what the Dodgers called "general soreness." Marshall later explained that, though sore, he really just wanted a day off going into tonight's series at San Francisco. "

Marshall was 2 for 4 the next game after sitting out.

297/298 - Was he untracked before being beaten?

305 You'd best live close-by then, if you intend to work at UCI. And living close by no be cheap.

313
It's situations like that that make places like Urbana, Illinois so attractive.

302 - Yes, and there is the Bob factor as well. For example, I currently live 1,555 miles from Bob.

313 Irvine had one of the bigger upswings in housing prices in the last 5-6 years, the problem now is knowing where the bottom is so you new purchase isn't already underwater.

294 The woeful state of SD, COL and SF make it alot less stressful about being able to stop the Arizona juggernaut. If we cant win the division, hopefully we take the wild card by beating up on the other teams in the division.

104

Not really Jon, It's actually cool that guys like S Lyons & Steiner read the blogs, & yes yes I know my grammar & spelling aren't all that good but I'm working on it, plus the regular know me already...

314 You would live less than 100 miles from Paul DePodesta.

317 I'd think out of that group, at least Colorado will get it going in the right direction.

314 Ah, the parents' alma mater. Described to me throughout the years as an idyllic dreamland. Probably, in reality, though, your average midwestern large university town.

305 I live in Irvine and have a love/hate relationship with the city. First off, Irvine has great shopping centers (everywhere), the traffic is thick but moves steadily (most people speed), the school district is above average and they have great parks (both in volume and quality). The bad: Irvine is one the most expensive non-coastal OC communities to live in (I rent a 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 755 sq. ft. apartment for $1800 a month), most median sized homes (3 bed 2 bath) are still listed at 650,000 plus right now (not to mention HOAs and mello roos which are astronomical), the Irvine Company owns everything (and yes they are gustapo). I would recommend looking for a home in Mission Viejo which is a safe, clean city and only about a 5-10 minute drive to Irvine. Mission Viejo is a lot like Irvine without the expense.

320
My brother who covers college sports for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has been to all sorts of college campuses throughout the Midwest. Yet he has never been to the University of Illinois.

321 What do the following mean, please?

1. HOAs
2. mello roos
3. gustapo

I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about there.

321 I've got a lot of friends that grew up in the 'jo. You couldn't pay me to live there, but different strokes, obviously.

323
1. Home Owners Association
2. A California specific financing mechanism that allows a special assessment on new developments in order to fund municipal services
3. Presumably Gestapo - the Nazi secret police.

323
1. Homeowners associations
2. Special district property tax additions.
3. Gestapo, the German state police under the Nazis.

321 He pretty much summed up there.

325 326
Those were eerily similar.

328 I knew it, besides me, D4P and JoeyP, Bob posts under various IDs and then forgets about it.

323
1. HOAs- Home Owners Associations (they charge monthly fees for community upkeep usually between $100 to $200 a month)
2. Mello Roos- A local taxation used in certain communities to fund general improvement ie. if a new housing development springs up in an undeveloped location, the home owners will burden a heavy tax to fund local development (schools, shopping centers, parks etc.) The Mello Roos that I've seen around here usually kick up your property tax from 1-2% per year.
3. Gustapo- Oops (sp) Gestapo. The community police in Nazi Germany.

Thanks for all the info. As expected, Irvnie doesn't really sound like the kinda place I'd like to live. Course, neither does most of California.

324 What is your beef with MV?

329
You could be riding a bike right now and feeling good about yourself and the environment.

NPUT

You know what TC seriously once I get transfered to my local branch office (I'm mobile at the moment) I'd seriously consider buying one of those bikes, the office were I'll be working out of is only 10sh miles away, so it would work perfectly for me.

4+ dollars on gas, forget that dude!!

298 Hey, if that treatment is good enough for their Jones, by golly, it should be good enough for ours.

279 Surprising to me- Kemp is swinging at more balls out of the zone (34%) and swinging through more balls in the zone (38%) than Jones (26% and 33%).

The big difference is what happens when they make contact. Kemp is hitting his pitches hard. Jones either fouls them off, pops them up or grounds weakly to an infielder.