Got a question here totally off all the current threads. My family is getting together in July and 4 of us want to go to the Mets-Rockies game at Shea on July 11th. So we're looking for the best ticket broker or private party to deal with for 4 good seats that are "reasonably" priced (I totally expect to get skinned, it being NY, the Mets, and I'm probably a rube). Anybody got any advice on how to navigate this? The Mets website doesn't have 4 good seats together and man, Stubhub takes a bite. I'll ask at a Mets blog if I find one as civil as this group. Thanks....

Somebody, though, should be looking over Luis Maza's shoulder to see if they can figure out a way to make it capable of throwing from shortstop to first base. That's got to be the worst infield arm I've ever seen.

I wonder if he ever wears his ring?

I like Tommy Points, because they reward guys for hustle. Otherwise, yea, he's basically the same guy he was on CBS.

Here's one with Pete Maravich

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zHSb4uSR7V8

11 His ring is in a box.

A ring in a box.

A champion's ring, in a box.

15 Has Conger come back from his torn labrum yet? I thought he was out for awhile. But he's still a good prospect.

Another reason a guy might go to extended spring training is if he needs to rehab but a minor league team isn't available. I think LaRoche was sent there for one day before joining Jacksonville because the Suns had an off day. The games there are so informal that a rehabbing player who needs at-bats can bat 20 times in one game if he feels like it.

Yes, I believe that is a sufficient reason for me not to move to New England. I caught one of the broadcasts via NBA TV

..which is also how we got all those "Red on Roundball" videos.

Speaking of get-togethers, has anybody thrown out a date for a general DT day at the park yet?

Ha, and here I was expecting to go over there and read about how GM Jr is better than Kemp. Is Vlad still an OFer these days?

Another favorite place of ours is the Hahn Recreational Area in Baldwin Hills. It's huge, good for all ages (there's even fishing!) and has lots of places to grill. $4 to park, but it's worth it.

Loney is currently at .285/.339/.464, so it looks like he'll have to step it up in the walks department. It's actually surprising his OBP is so low.

(not to be confused with the memorable game at Petco last season when the Dodgers had a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth)

http://tinyurl.com/5ze3q6

If you count the manager, there's Joe Torre
Pierre
Lowe
Penny
Jones

That's what I have already. There could be others.

I like badminton.

Oh, yes, that's correct! As for Nomar, I thought he was traded to the Cubs mid-season in '04. Did he still get a ring anyway?

Nomar '04 Sox
Lowe '04 Sox
Pierre '03 Marlins
Penny '03 Marlins
Bennett '06 Cards
Schmidt '95 Braves

Clear indication that Joe does not think Hu is ready and that he will head back to AAA when Furcal comes off the DL.

Isn't Jeff Kent on that list? No, wait I remember now, something about Dusty giving the game ball to Bob's favorite pitcher and then karma crushed the Giants.

Look, if DeWitt is hurt, then call up LaRoche. Andy LaRoche is actually a better hitter than Gary Bennett, implausible as that may seem.

There is no plausible excuse for playing Luis Maza over Chin-Lung Hu. Not even for one game, and certainly not for two in a row. It's sheer incompetence.

That lineup is almost enough to make me want to root for the Angels tonight. Kuroda must think there's some sort of conspiracy to make sure he never wins another game.

Mariano Duncan - 1990 Reds, 1996 Yankees
Larry Bowa - 1980 Phillies
Rick Honeycutt - 1989 Athletics
Kenny Howell - 1988 Dodgers
Mike Easler - 1979 Pirates

Joe Torre has his 4 as manager of the Yankees

That'd be so great! Work as an intern for a month and get a world series ring. I'm living the dream!!!!

---

I said it yesterday too, but I'd be really surprised if TONIGHT's lineup scores 3 runs or more.

I'm down for any sort of DT gathering though, especially if there's a piñata involved.

Not to mention which, he serves on the committee that selects broadcasters for the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award. If it's true that he never hears any other broadcasters, then that would make him the least qualified person in the country to vote for such an award. From what we know of his integrity, and the amount of homework he does, I find it hard to believe that he'd vote in ignorance.

Nobody is allowed to hit it hard, of course. Preferably you'd pop it up on the first swing.

"To have a pinata custom made, you will need to provide us with either an image, photo, fax or an object of the item you want a pinata made of."

http://www.pinatas.com

The World According to Torre/Coletti:

Bennett > LaRoche
Maza > Hu
Pierre > Sweeney > Young

I've been giving Torre a lot of benefits of a lot of doubts, but today's lineup truly baffles me.

So if a man wasn't normal, what size would watch would he get.

What if the man were bipolar? What if he suffered from acromegaly?

The thing that bothers me the most is the blind "Torre knows what he's doing" mentality. Everyone seems to just assume that whatever he does must be right because he won some World Series with the Yankees. I am losing respect for him more every day, I must admit.

Okay, my ranting is over...at least for now.

>> The Suns have won four of five. Led by Lucas May's three-run homer, the Suns had seven of their 10 hits in the third inning Thursday, when they scored five times. <<

## Around the bases: The Suns did not commit an error for the sixth consecutive game. ... The Dodgers released Bobby Malek from the organization on Wednesday. ##

%% Suns RHP James McDonald (2-1, 4.02) opposes Barons RHP Kyle McCulloch (1-4, 3.98) in today's (7:05 p.m.) second game of the five-game series. %%

http://tinyurl.com/698ata

1) There is no analogue for bachelor parties, which makes me think that these sorts of things involve cakes and/or strippers, both of which are too large to put into an off-the-rack pinata.
2) Left unsaid: what does one put in a bachelorette party pinata?

>>"Is there any reason why Delwyn Young is not under consideration as a DH? We know he can hit. Sweeney's a great pinch hitter but doesn't seem to do much when given more than one at bat a game. I don't understand why Pee Wee isn't one of the DH candidates for these AL games."

According to Joe Torre, Delwyn Young's role off the bench becomes even more important at a time like this because of his ability to play the infield since the Dodgers are already thin due to injuries.<<

I knew that would be the answer, but it's not really the one I wanted. How about -- Maza's on the bench, and can fill in where needed, if needed, later? Well, anyway, I suspect we'll see three different lineups this weekend. And DY might be in one of them, but not at DH.

>> The 51s took a 2-0 lead in the first on Andy LaRoche's sacrifice fly and Danny Ardoin's RBI single. <<

## John Lindsey hit his fourth homer of the season in the sixth for Las Vegas, and Xavier Paul belted a two-run shot, his third, in the ninth. ##

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/19003769.html

And I still have to finish watching "Lost."

I better finish up work because it's a long night ahead.

1. Laroche
2. Hu
3. Ethier
4. Kuo
5. Young

I would expect the Dodgers and Angels to do this .... never.

1. LaRoche, he got hurt in spring training and once he got well Dewitt was playing really well, Andy can only play 3B and on this roster that means you either start or someone (e.g. an outfielder has to go).
2. Hu, I get mixed feelings here on Hu, certainly he can field at an MLB level and he has been spot starting for Kent all season, since Fucal went out, I think he has been exposed a little bit and while I am not giving up on him, I don't think playing Maza ahead of him indicates any displeasure in him.
3. Ethier, okay, I have not agrees with his usage over the last few weeks but I still diaagree with the word hate.
4. Kuo, I think he remains an enigma, if you start him, you need to be ready for an inning where he will throw 25 pitches (which he did in the second inning he pitched against the Mets) and he has yet to show that he is anything but a 5 inning guy. I guess I would start him, though Kuo has said publically, at this point, he has happy to be contributing in any way to the team.
5. He's the 5th outfielder, not many 5th outfielders get to play that much across baseball.

98 http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/free-ethier/index.html

But hey, to be positive, Ethier, Kemp and Jones in the outfield tonight! That's something good.

JAYSON WERTH!!!!

JAYSON WERTH!

3 HRs, 8 RBI, 3 ABs.

Monday, May 19, 7:10 p.m.; Tuesday, 7:10 p.m.; Wednesday, May 21, 7:10 p.m.: The Blue Crew host Cincinnati's Big Red Machine. The Dodgers' new manager, Joe Torre, will battle wits with the Reds' new manager, Dusty Baker, as both try to steer their ball clubs in the right direction. Torre hopes to get outfielder Andre Ethier some consistent at bats, as well as an everyday job in a crowded outfield.

Last I checked, Torre was the manager, why does he have to hope to get him at bats or an every day job? All he has to do is give him back the job he earned and Torre gave him and then took away for no reason. I read in the Press Enterprise that Sweeney has been trying to help Andre deal with things. He said that he's really hard on himself, which has already been mentioned before and that he's trying to get him not to see every at bat as a life or death situation.

I agree they need to bring LaRoche up. Dewitt has earned to stay in the lineup, but Laroche could play shortstop while Raffy is out and Kent hasn't exactly lit the world on fire at second lately.

Birmingham's Kyle McCulloch is "pitching very well" against the Suns.

Dave Kingman did it three times.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/9vep

Which he was.