Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
... and therefore probably not something to get upset over, however unaesthetic it might be. Still, expect naming rights for several elements of the upcoming Dodger Stadium renovation to be up for sale, writes Don Muret of the Sports Business Journal. (You need to be a registered user to read the entire story.)
I don't believe the sales will keep ticket prices down, because the Dodgers will no doubt continue to charge what the market will pay. But if selling naming rights to portions of the park helps keep the Dodger Stadium name intact, so much the better.
Here's a story excerpt:
The money from creating those branded areas will be used to help pay for construction, said Dennis Mannion, the team's chief operating officer. … Los Angeles sports marketer Randy Bernstein estimated the team could pull in $3 million to $5 million annually from doing as many as 20 deals for the new development and existing inventory….
Mannion is in the early stages of a long journey to sell secondary naming-rights packages without changing the Dodger Stadium name.
"I think right now the organization is philosophically opposed to naming rights for the ballpark, but anything could change," Mannion said. "The establishment of the Dodger Stadium brand is really important for us."
In doing so, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, a Boston native who tried unsuccessfully to buy the Red Sox in 2001, is following the lead of his hometown team in selling premium spaces but keeping the name of a beloved ballpark intact.
* * *
Forty-four Dodger Thoughts readers voted today on their ideal starting lineup for this moment in time. Here are the results, as tallied by Eric Stephen.
C – Russell Martin (44)
1B – James Loney (44)
2B – Jeff Kent (43), Blake DeWitt (1)
3B – Andy LaRoche (28), DeWitt (18)
SS – Rafael Furcal (44)
OF – Matt Kemp (44)
OF – Andre Ethier (44)
OF – Andruw Jones (29), Juan Pierre (8), Delwyn Young (5), Jason Repko (1), LaRoche (1)
* * *
Update: Rafael Furcal was scratched tonight because of a stiff back. Diamond Leung of the Press-Enterprise has more dour news on Jason Schmidt, Tony Abreu and Scott Elbert.
Unanimous in bold
C - Martin
1B - Loney
2B - Kent (43 of 44 votes)
3B - LaRoche (28) / DeWitt (18)
SS - Furcal
OF - Kemp
OF - Ethier
OF - Jones (29) / Pierre (8) / Young (5) / Repko (1)
LaRoche got one vote in LeFt, and DeWitt got one vote at 2B.
I'd say 43 of 44 wanting Kent in the lineup is not bad (I didn't count Xeifrank though, who had Hu at 2B, which would make 43 of 45). Or are you referring to 27indingo's dissenting opinion?
See the final sentence of my post.
--Cheers
for Young on the previous thread:)
Simulator: 53.50%
LV Hilton: 55.56%
AccuScore: 60.70%
My simulator uses Zips projections as input. Zips must be fond of the Mets offensive juggernaught. :) And it's assuming another Juan Pierre start.
vr, Xei
Maybe it can be a badge of honor for Kershaw. I'd be more nervous if Peter Vescey reported it though. :)
Hey man, one tally per day! :)
Not everyone submitted lineups in batting order, so it would be difficult to go back and get that info.
That is to say, I'm asking for new submissions and I'm volunteering to do the tallying.
Martin
Kemp
Loney
Kent
Ethier
LaRoche
Jones
>>Is there any logic to the "Kershaw Decree" the Dodgers are employing with their young lefty? It's a marketer's version of the "Joba Rules", a limit of 25 innings per month limit designed to have him ready for September in the big leagues. Apart from that long-term goal, I guess this would also hold true if he was needed before then, but I'm not sure how exactly this is intended to work. Minor league starters average about five starts per month, meaning Kershaw would only get five innings per start; on the other hand, if he was skipped once, the workload goes up to six innings per. Of course, Kershaw threw 26 innings in April, so maybe the decree is new. Wait, no, he threw 6 2/3 in his last outing, leaving him only 18 1/3 to spread over an expected four starts, something that would nearly necessitate a tandem arrangement with somebody else on the staff. In that last outing, he threw an estimated 96 pitches, so even being low on the estimate—and I'm sure someone has the actual count—wouldn't make that a terribly taxing arrangement. If the goal is to keep his seasonal totals around the 150 mark, I can at least grasp that, though I'm sure that following some sort of logical program would be better than seemingly arbitrary edicts.<<
At least he's not currently predicting Billingsley's arms will fall off any day now.
It almost sounds like he wants desperately to criticize the Dodgers again, as usual, but can't quite figure out exactly what to rip them about so, thus, this.
vr, Xei
Anyway...
Furcal
Martin
Kemp
Kent
Loney
LaRoche
Ethier
Young/whoever
And DeWitt-LaRoche keeps us from grumbling too much about Pierre (as does Pierre hitting .500 in the last few days). New topics for discussion.
ESPN was discussing whether Ozzie's latest rule 1 violation rant is distracting his players. That's an old topic of discussion.
Wife: Rodriguez fainted during first daughter's birth
Perhpaps A-Rod deserves some of it and is an easy target, but the media sure enjoys to go after this guy!
Kershaw pitched 122 innings last year, increasing to 150 would be slightly more than 20%. It makes sense to me.
I think there is a misguided assumption that the Dodgers have a lot of money coming off the books this offseason, when in fact the money being saved from Nomar, Loiza and Kent coming off the books will have to go the Broxton, Saito, Martin, Ethier, Beimel arbitration funds (and I think that might be a net loss, maybe even a significant one for the Dodgers). In regards to keeping Furcal and giving him a raise, I think the decision would and should come down more to whether the Dodgers think Schmidt or McDonald can be an effective starting pitcher next year. A significant payroll increase will be needed to both resign Furcal and get a starting pitcher of worth.
Loney
Kemp
Kent
Ethier
LaRoche
Martin
Jones
C- Martin
1B- Loney
2B- Kent
SS- Furcal
3B- LaRoche
LF- Ethier
CF- Jones
RF- Bison
Send both Hu and DeWitt back to the minors. DeWitt to learn how to play 2B, and Hu to get the at-bats. We need some kind of protection in case Furcal's contract demands are too high and/or Kent breaks down before the end of the year.
Nope
Oh, I get it -- they'll tie in the voting. Interesting prediction.
I could. Colletti will already be handing 2nd and 3rd to a couple of kids, adding shortstop into the mix might be too much for him. On the other hand, Furcal might just bolt for someone offering him 5 years (I don't see Colletti offering anyone more than 3 years).
SS Furcal
C Martin
1B Loney
RF Kemp
LF Ethier
2B Kent
3B LaRoche
CF Jones
Rafael Furcal has been scratched from the lineup due to back stiffness he has been experiencing over the past few days.
If Saito puts up a season like the last two, he'll have quite the case also.
Pierre, LF
Jones, CF
Kemp, RF
Kent, 2B
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
DeWitt, 3B
Hu, SS
Kuroda, P
"Furcal out with a stiff back."
Diamond Leung reports that Furcal has been scratched from tonight's lineup due to a bad back. And that Jason Schmidt, Tony Abreu, and Scott Elbert all had setbacks in their injury rehab.
49- You're right in that I forgot to take into account Lowe's contract ending (which by the way must be one of the best free agent deals a team has gotten over the length of a contract and almost, but not really, evens out the Pierre and Jones' signings) Still though, those guys together should get at least $ 20 million, so it should be a wash.
Can't say I'm shocked about Schmidt.
55 Pierre will have to step it up even more tonight to replace Furcal. Interesting position in the lineup for Jones!
I'm going to cry in a corner now.
Any non obvious advice? Does anyone know if I can bring in a stroller?
Will any of you be there, would love to meet you guys..I have a feeling I won't be in my seat all game! We are sitting inner reserve, section1, row A.
That's very cool. My only advice is to make sure you hold on to the foul ball with the one hand that isn't holding the baby. You get booed ("buwed"?) if you drop either one.
Diaper changing tables, at least on the Loge Level, are rather scare and dimly lit. But it's all doable.
Those are nice seats! I'll be there (no kids, though). Will try to stop by. Have fun.
Row A means lots and lots of sun with no possibility of shade. You may want to move as I would think the game will not be that heavily attended.
http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/udHs
Sammy Saito leads with 0.847. (fun with small sample sizes)
65 Outside of his age, if Saito puts up numbers that somewhat resemble the last two season, he will have a stronger case than Street. His career ERA+ is 254, which means something since he typically pitches whole innings, Streets WHIP/ERA+ is 1.031/160.
LOL Marty.
Abreu remains the second biggest mystery aside from Andrew Bynum's knee.
Pierre, LF
Jones, CF
Kemp, RF
Kent, 2B
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
DeWitt, 3B
Hu, SS
Kuroda, P
And for the Pollyanna-ish prediction for your evening:
Andruw Jones will hit either a double or a home run tonight.
/Pollyanna-ishness, off.
Jimmy Wynn
I almost fell over laughing.
I'd like to nominate Eddie Murray for inclusion in said club.
Also, any other non-baseball related travel tips are welcome too! Thanks!
Never mind, I must have blocked out 1997 from my memory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkUGodtoUxo
(SFW, but also dangerously funny.)
I hope that features Menudo...
Apparently he should have been more "Pierre-like" in his response to his playing time in the LAT article.
Actually, with Furcal out, Pierre was a cinch to play.
Gonna miss the first part of the game. Hope Hiro brings his A game tonight.
No, wait, on second thought, forget that.
No Ethier again. Ouch Joe. Ouch.
As for Abreu, it's starting to sound like he just doesn't have the stomach* for baseball.
(*muscles)
Don't do that. If a foul ball comes near you, turn away and shield the baby with your body.
I thought you were supposed to use the baby as a type of glove? Can't you fashion a baby bonnet that has a webbing of sorts in it?
If you win two consecutive games of black jack by hitting on 18, does that mean you should do it the next time?
How do you know that Joe Torre isn't a card counter?
There are links up top.
His P/PA thus far is 3.89, compared to his career average of 3.43 and previous career high of 3.69.
Perhaps (just perhaps) this is indicative of a different, more patient approach at the plate.
>> The Dodgers have informed the Suns they want ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw to make several bullpen appearances in the current series, the first of which could come today. .... The 10-run difference makes this the Suns worst defeat of the season ... Suns RHP James McDonald (1-1, 5.27) will oppose Mudcats RHP Chris Volstad (3-0, 2.61) in tonight's second game (7:05 p.m.) of the five-game series. <<
http://tinyurl.com/4lmgb6
Kershaw has not pitched today.
Tincher is a senior. She stands 5'7" and graduated from James River High School. From Eagle Rock, Virginia, Tincher is Virginia Tech's first All-American softball pitcher, and she was only one of two pitchers to strike out more than 500 batters in the 2007 college season.
After her 2006 season, she was an All-American, ACC Pitcher of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, and ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-American.
Tincher ranks third behind Cat Osterman on the NCAA Division I Softball career strikeouts list, and she is the highest ranked active player on the list.
*On March 26, 2008, Tincher pitched a no-hitter against the United States Olympic softball team, ending the Olympic team's streak of 185 consecutive pre-Olympic exhibition victories. Tincher struck out 10 batters and walked one during the game, as Virginia Tech won by a score of 1-0.3 Tincher also has a goal of becoming an Olympic softball player.*
If nothing else had done it, seeing Pierre try to beat out a bunt by sliding into first the other day would be enough for me to bench him for an extended period.
fell free to delete it Jon, sorry about that.
The guy has been swinging big though and making breath taking throws across his body, so I'm not surprised that he may be a bit sore
this is the first I here of it as well, hopefully it's nothing serious.
Dodger Thoughts
Dodger Blues
6-4-2
True Blue LA
L.A. Times blog
I noticed it a couple of days ago. Tony admits he's not all that computer savvy, so he probably never knew how to do it or if he should.
>> Torre acknowledged the possibility that DeWitt could stick around as an oft-used backup, just as he did for eight days until Torre and general manager Ned Colletti decided to go back to a seven-man bullpen and called up Cory Wade on April 24.
"When Nomar comes back, I think in order to protect him, we can't think in terms of six or seven days a week," Torre said. "But the decision we have to make, obviously, is how it would work.
"Do we go back to 11 pitchers again? We'll just have to wait and see." <<
http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_9165744
With the way the bats are turning into spears I'd be reluctant to take an infant to a game if I was sitting 10 rows in between the bases unless I'm behind the screen.
Much hilarity will ensue.
we should get Vin when we finally get there, though.
http://tinyurl.com/3febar
Yeah, I have the Dodger game on "Game 7", which is 816 for me (my EI channels run 810-822). It was scheduled to be on "Game 9" but the Yanks/Indians game is running long.
Kudos to Extra Innings for seemingly rectifying a problem that crept up a lot last year.
Ozzie Guillen's profanity laced tirade tonight might be one of happiness.
Whiskey tango foxtrot, over?
Unless you like...
watching the action...
very slow...
and...
stuttery...
C'mon Hiro!
And Vinny is praising him for showing more emotion.
But it...
is...
choppy...
Did they boo him for picking up that single? Sheesh. They're turning into Mets fans out there.
Booing...that was for Andrew bobbling the catch...ball actually bounced in front of him on a now choppy Dish fed TV.
That ball was a low line drive. He had a quick jump -- AS ALWAYS -- but he made the choice not to dive because he was going to come up short. It did look awkward, but it was anything but unathletic.
Other team's fans have said this before and it confirms my impression of Vin.
and there we go, shows a little patience and gets on base.
But thanks!
And I've decided when Druw bats I'm better off following it on Gameday anyway - maybe it'll bring him luck. At the worst I won't have to hear any boos.
where do they draw the line though, no hands or intentional kicks?
There should be no further interruptions.
I was going to say that Andruw has tangible worth even in this slump by the number of walks he is getting. I doubt this would happen unless pitchers are still wary of his power.
1993 by Darryl Kile.
I have a feeling this is going to be one of those nights...
-Vin
That's gross.
Blake never tagged him. He came really close, but didnt quite get his back.
You have to throw a complete game of nine innings or more with no hits to get credit for a no-hitter.
Such was the edict. If you want to give David Palmer credit for a 5-inning perfect game, you can do so. And you can come to my meeting where we can discuss Jae Seo's save he recorded for the Dodgers.
Kuroda's high throw pulled Blake of DeBag.
His command was good, but his stuff just wasnt as crisp. In SD, his fastball had a nice little hop to it at 92-93, and the split was sick. Hasnt really had that since that game.
Blake of DeBag is a good medieval name, though.
Baseball stats are one thing: They have predictive value and enhance the entertainment value of the game. But the miraculous record of Joe Torre managing at the x,000th game at all these different stadiums is a fact pattern I would have been content to leave unteased from the history books.
It looked like Lebron was fouled as he drove to the hoop (pre shot) on the 2nd missed layup, too.
Don't pitch to me don't pitch to me. Don't pitch to me. Don't pitch don't pitch don't pitch.
Throw to first. Thank god. Oh God, he has to pitch to me again. Here we go...
A. Jones
Deked
I was going to use that word but I was unsure of its spelling.
I hear the Mets just singed a good prospect, Diety Q. Atheist.
what isn't going to happen tonight?
This run brought to you by Little League. Joke.
Alou stole home.
Both times he should have been out. Grrrrr.
I believe most knowlegable fans know that realistically the Dodgers have a chance if they get the most at bats to Furcal,Kent,Loney, Kemp, Martin, Ethier and here is the problem---A healthy LaRoche, who DeWitt is doing a good stand in for. Some of Management may know this too, although I'm not sure they have the guts to admit it.
What the heck happened?
The order of that is reversed. It was the old double steal. Pagan stole 2nd, drew a throw from Martin. Alou broke for home on the throw to 2nd, and Hu double clutched before throwing -- high -- to the plate. Alou scored rather easily.
4-1 can be overcome, given how the offense has been performing lately. But Kuroda needs to get out of this pickle and quickly. He is not long for this game.
Or I should say when his spot comes up.
vr, Xei
Oh well, it doesn't look like our night.
Figuroa is great.
The Dodgers' productivity with the bases loaded has been astonishingly good of late.
ryu:
How are you so confident about Kuroda coming up to bat this inning?
My hubris has gotten the better of me.
So close. Hadouken!
Vin called it a line drive (tivo is awesome in that respect)
Vin isn't the one laboring on his line drive %.
Honestly, that was a line drive but it will most likely go down as a gb...
Maybe that's too much.
One of the problems with LD/GB/FB is figuring out what is what at the margins. DeWitt's hit should count as a line drive, but since it hit the ground in the in field, you're right about it being counted as a ground ball.
On an unrelated note, I dislike the flying Alous.
Just hope Andruw snaps out of it when everyone starts to cool off at the plate.
-Kuo
I just hope Jones snaps out of it period.
vr, Xei
By comparison, his counter part on the Mets (the Gold Glove winner) had a .954 fielding percentage last year. And currently has a .932 fielding percentage this year, including 6 errors.
Time for a dinger, Hong-Chih!
is
only
the
fourth
inning.
Kuo was throwing cheddar.
Speaking of power...
I said earlier this was going to be one of those nights, now it's looking like one of those nights.
At the beginning of every series, we should have Kuo pitch two innings just to screw up the other team's confidence.
I like that name even better than Slappy.
vr, Xei
and counting
vr, Xei
d'oh, HBP, fast ball to the knee... ouch
The reverse is true for David Wright.
vr, Xei
Owie! I have a feeling Mets fans might cynically feel like Kuo just did them a favor. But I do hope he's okay.
every time charlie steiner has to correct himself- 1 drink
every time charlie steiner doesn't realize he is wrong- 10 drinks
vr, Xei
Walking the pitcher, are you kidding?
I do like his XM radio show, though.
Haha.
After the Coliseum game, I walked Figueroa for 4 miles because we couldn't get a cab back to where our car was parked.
Martin and Dewitt or David Wright and Gary Bennett?
vr, Xei
vr, Xei
Or with pitch counts has the single season strike out record jumped into the unbreakable category?
"this guy makes sandy koufax look like ollie perez"
I have to wonder why I would always struggle when asked who my hero was before...
Those last two calls to Reyes/Church were rather fortunate.
They can't hit him.
- Vin Scully.
Wow, really, explain to me again why Kuo isn't starting. Actually, if you could, explain it to me like I'm a six year old.
That was big, did not want Church to reach and have to face Wright there.
Kuo 12.09
Billingsley 11.76
Still, atta boy HCK!
vr, Xei
Just like when the Minotaur comes up, I can envision newspaper headlines with the first letter of Kuo's last name repeated to signify the number of strikeouts.
vr, Xei
But we also know theres a reason hes not in the starting line up.
Kuo, as a reliever: 20 Ks, 11.2 IP, 15.43 K/9
Huh. They looked pretty clearly like strikes too me. This is why baseball is such a difficult sport to judge strictly on what you see.
But we also know theres a reason hes not in the starting line up
Actually, we don't. All the reasons given by management so far have not passed the sniff test.
Tonight's first base umpire: you guessed it, Jim Joyce.
WOW
WOW
WOW
WOW
not THAT is a home run ball right there
My. God. Was that just an inside the park home run?
Didn't see that coming.
Insider the parker!
Church is once again saying things not fit to say in Church.
But personally, I dont think he has proven that he can be consistent enough to give us 6 innings or so. But he certainly deserves a chance if he gives us another inning like the last two..
thanks, david ;)
Andy LaRoche is gonna have to homer in every game from now 'til the All-Star break.
He's even got Wright wrattled. Maybe he's worrying about his All-Star slot.
And I don't even get seizures that are caused by flashing lights. Instead, it was just annoying.
Keep both these boys. It's gonna be fun.
Oops, I guess Wright is human after all.
I'll give you that, but if he has time to prepare for the rotation I think he could be very effective 5-6 innings at a time as a starter.
I had no trouble watching the Battling Seizure Robots or whatever they called it on the Simpsons.
vr, Xei
Kuo is almost unhittable if he keeps getting it over.
DeWitt has got to be hard to get out of here.
Kuo is almost unhittable if he keeps getting it over.
DeWitt has got to be hard to get out of here.
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