Oh Say Can You Sing…
I have no clue if any of you guys have any singing ability, but if you do, here’s your chance to sing the National Anthem before a game at Dodger Stadium. Maybe we can get the Daily News’ Tom Hoffarth to do it (yesterday, he blogged about ESPN’s Steve Mason’s anthem last year).
And while we’re on the subject of fan participation, I found one of the funniest videos ever on YouTube.
Inside the Dodgers 
In regards to today’s Live Spring Training Updates, I have class at 11 a.m PST, but I will have a full play by play up by the end of the day. And I will be only doing the split squad game from Vero Beach against the Cardinals and not the split squad game tonight against the Marlins.
that youtube clip is a good one. thanks josh.
i love the idea of moving nomar to third. it certainly improves our ability to add a big thumper as 1B and OF are the best places to find one (still have to think adam dunn may be most easily acquired, plus he can play first and corner OF). and it improves our defense.
the question then focuses on who do you think would be better in our lineup longterm — kemp or loney? b/c you’d think the lesser gets moved in a deal, esp with the way ethier has been looking.
part of me really wants to see a deal get done with us moving penny and a prospect for a real bat. solidify our lineup AND open a spot in the rotation for both bills and kuo who both appear ready. (not to mention elbert and miller who appear to be on their way too). but at the same time, it’s awesome to see the kids come up and perform. really exciting (like our not-too-distant run of ROYs). if no deal gets done, i guess you can never have too much pitching. though i’m sure we’d all agree that mayhaps we can rid ourselves of a couple…
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 1: Brad Penny Pitching: James Loney is playing right field, Damian Jackson is at short and LaRoche is at third, otherwise it’s the tentative opening day lineup for the Dodgers:
Aaron Miles flies to Gonzo
Chris Duncan walks
Scott Rolen singles to right, Duncan to second
Tagg Bozied singles to center, bases loaded
Rick Ankiel pops up to Kent
Jolbert Cabrera singles to center, Duncan and Rolen score, Bozied to third 2-0 STL, Bozied scores on a wild pitch, Cabrera to second, 3-0 STL
Skip Schumaker singles to center, Bozied scores, 4-0 STL (Hmm, this should be fun for the blog)
Gary Bennett flies out to Loney
4 Runs 4 Hits 1 LOB End of 1/2 inning 4-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 1: Braden Looper Pitching:
Damian Jackson strikes out looking
Juan Pierre grounds to second
Nomar Garciaparra singles to center
Jeff Kent singles to right, Nomar to second
Luis Gonzalez grounds out to second
0 Runs 2 Hits 2 LOB End of 1 4-0 STL
And i’ll be back later with a full report
Go BLUE!
wow 4-0 already…hrmmm i wonder whats up with penny…maybe he is still having more control issues.
Somebody please correct me if I’m wrong… but today when I woke up, I was pretty sure the calendar said March 6th and not May 6th. If so, that would mean that this is…
SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL!
Who really cares about scores and records at this time of year anyway? Penny could be working on stuff… which NOW would be the best time to do so rather than when the games actually DO count?
Alex, I’m glad you have so much time on your hands, but please do wake me when the season starts and the games begin to matter, okay?
Go Dodgers! 2007 regular season baby!!
Okay… so it’s March 7th and not May 7th. I corrected this myself before anyone else could rub it in… thanks for playing! : )
If it’s okay with everyone else, Id like to still follow the spring games.
Very interesting to see how the roster will be made up and who looks good or bad early on.
Josh, thanks for the heads up on the video. i remember dem bums. loved em, hated em, lived and died with em. wonder how the stat-sters would have bloged about that team? instead of pounding Dodgers or potential Dodgers, does anyone besides me still hate the Yankees?
sparkuhl – I’ll have to disagree and say that I enjoy Alex’s updates. Granted, these games don’t count, but after 5 months of no baseball, ANY baseball is better than no baseball. I like to hear how all of the invitees perform, as we will probably be seeing a few of them later in the season.
sabre3 – yeah, I hate the Yankees. But you know what really bugs me is hardcore Yankees fans. It’s like being a fan of Shaq in a wheelchair basketball league. Oh, except that Shaq’s team keeps losing in this league, which is kind of fun to watch. But Yankees fans’ attitudes are so obnoxious. How many times have you heard one say this – “We need better players so we can win a championship, the championship we should be winning EVERY year.” Basically saying, our all-All-Star team needs to be better, and everyone who’s won the WS since 2000 was inferior, but we Yankees just got a bad break. I’ve found that Yankees and Red Sox fans that I know aren’t baseball fans at all – they stop watching if their team has a bad year. They just like the idea of being dominant. And when it doesn’t work out they pout.
Fortunately, all my family in Manhattan roots for the Mets. Much more forgiveable in my book.
Yeah, bone out sparkles. If you don’t want to read the updates, don’t check the baord. Keep ’em coming Alex. Thanks pal.
It’s pretty simple, I’m a full time college student and I work out of the house as well. I’m doing this because I want to for myself and so people who have to work 9-5 everyday and don’t have the chance to listen to the game like I can can have some access to the team that they love, like I do. I am going to continue to do this for the people who want to know the little things in spring training. If anybody doesn’t care about spring training, so be it, but this is for everyone who does.
Stringtest “i love the idea of moving nomar to third”
having to strong arms @ 3rd & SS is a good idea considering we have to below avg. arms in LF & CF.
Unfortunately I’m stuck at work, unwilling to pay for streaming spring training audio so Alex, many thanks for keeping us updated on the board! Perhaps we can all throw in into some sort of pool to treat Alex and a guest to regular season game. I’m game if someone know how to set something up like that!
Adding to the “old farts” discussion in the last topic – I may be a bit young to be a true “old fogey”, but I am 46, and thus old enough to have baseball memories back to the 1960s.
Alex: Another note of sincere appreciation.
I for one believe spring training is more important than some people might want to believe. Last year, it was very obvious something was very wrong with Gagne, and that was just in keeping up with the box scores. So it could be very indicative of things to come.
i agree elkim27….thats why im sort of starting to wonder whats up with penny…he had control issues his first start and this start he allowed 4 runs in the first inning to the cards B team. Maybe its just rust but every other dodgers starter has had solid outings this spring. Even randy wolf who is coming off TJ surgery.
wow i just checked the box score…11-1 cards. Penny got light up for 6 runs. Saito pitched a scoreless inning which is good. I hope he’s a 100%!
Well… there ya go… take my post completely out of context. I wasn’t so much complaining about the updates as I was complaining about the seeming “importance” that spring performance is getting on this blog. I.E. the whole Pierre fiasco on the blog and then Alex’s “Hmm, this should be fun for the blog” comment. These things are over-rated. Sure Penny gave up six runs today. Sure Juan Pierre is off to a good start, and Jason Repko will win another “I was the best player in Spring Training and all I got was this stupid t-shirt Award”. Yes, I want to see baseball too… spring or otherwise… most preferably the “otherwise” type is by far more enjoyable. The point is, no matter how good or bad a player does in Spring Training, it just doesn’t matter. Management already “knows” who they want on their roster.
I’m still confibulated (sic) that Ned committed five (FIVE!!) years to a player when we had plenty of talent to make up for the loss of JD Drew. Jason Repko has never been given the opportunity to show what he can do every day. He’s had a glimpse here and there… mostly always batting over .300 and stealing bases like they were going out of style in the process. Jayson Werth was a hold-over from the DePodesta era, and never got the chance to prove his wrist had healed this year before being moved out. Matt Kemp is almost ready, and I don’t see Colletti having the stones to cut loose on a player he signed as insurance: Juan Gonzalez, whom I absolutely adore as a player, but his time is up. Ned Colletti is chicken-shirt when it comes to giving a kid with HEART a shot at making the club as a starter. Jason Repko can do much better than Pierre if given the opportunity, but you wait… he’s already found his way out. Can you say trade-bait… for what? Another outfielder? A pitcher? Heaven knows we have enough arms right now. Oh wait, I know… he’ll be traded for that really big bat we’ve all been waiting for.
And nkirby4, what’s up with your juvenile name-calling? Show some class, will you?
ks,
I completely agree about Repko. I think he should have been given the chance to be the every day center fielder, or we need to send him somewhere he can finally get some playing time.
Hi – Kevin. asq, 53, Ray, Gary, 51, **** and others. Stay cool guys. Season just getting started. Can’t wait for the season to start and can’t believe so much time has passed since the seson closed in the fall. I love Spring Training too and am trying to glean as much info as I can. Every year at this time I get totally absorbed with prospects. Good job I am not a GM. I agree with Kevin, I would sooner take a chance on a youngster, like Repko than a veteran at the end of his career for a year, as Luis Gonzalez is. I think Ned has done a great job and it is hard to argue with his approach. However, that would be my preference – have Billingsley, Kuo, Elbert, Miller, etc. get on board asap. Would not mind seeing one or two of Penny, Hendrickson, Tomko traded to open up roster spots. Loney really needs to play at the MLB level fulltime. I expect LaRoche will return to AAA and not sure what happens to Betemit if Nomar goes to third. Loney would then be on first. I hope Kent has a comeback type year. He is holding up player progression in the system. Just like Ray, I love the kids playing with enthusiasm, wanting to be Dodgers.
i love your updates alex keep em coming, im in the same boat as you. i dont agree with your assesment ksspark that management already knows who they want. if they did why would they be talking about nomar at third. betemit has done nothing but strike out, with your philosophy he would just be handed the staring job. one thing people fail to realize about repko is he has had injury problems since he was drafted. whos to say his bad feet dont flare up when we hand him the starting job. i have always been very critical of neds moves, ever since those trades with the devil rays, i have questioned his intentions. he doesnt wanna give up any prospects in trades, and hes really proud of that, but then at the same time we cant even start our best hitting prospect ( loney ) because neds love for ressurecting washed up careers has blocked all of our mlb ready prospects. fire ned and bring back dan evans, yeah i said it and i will argue with anyone supporting ned colletti.
you guys can tell i love joel guzman huh.
graffiti, get mad if Guzman ever does anything with his career. Otherwise that trade was meaningless for both sides.
I’ve been thinking about Matt Kemp. I’m going to list what he’s shown us:
1. 7 hr very quickly in June
2. A below-grade average and a lot of strikeouts in July, August, September
3. A sub-par Winter League with a low average and a lot of Ks (I think I’m remembering that right about the Ks)
4.No hits to speak of in ST so far
It doesn’t seem like we’re arguing for him to be on the club this year…more people talking about seasoning at AAA. But someone recently called him our “best hitting prospect since Pedro Guerrero.” Really? I remember Hee-Seop Choi hitting 7 runs in 4 games in June 2005, but when he petered out we stopped being excited about him.
My questions: Is Matt Kemp over-hyped, or does he have what it takes? Can we even know that right now? Would it be worth it to trade him now since his value (based on unmet potential) is high but he is still so risky? If we keep him in AAA ball for a year and he still can’t hit a curve, he’s useless and his trade value plummets. (I think I remember graffiti talking about this a few months ago.) Then again, the Dodgers have a bad history of trading away All-Stars…I know it’s a toss-up, but give me your thoughts if you’d like.
id rather joel guzman hit 200 with us and try to get better here rather there. i believe kemp has a double, but either way hes not ready, laroche had a bad spring last year and if he has another one what are we gonna do, thats what i wanna know. i love the idea of having loneys gold glove and bat at first, and nomar at third if betemit( who i believe still has minor league options) or laroche dont step up.
if betemit or laroche dont step up excuse me.
something tells me loneys gonna be in las vegas though. which is an outrage.
young and abreu homered in the same inning nice. stults box looks pretty nice.
Sabre3 & 53—-I was born in England in 1940. My Parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1951, I have been a Dodger fan ever since.
Hi Harold good to hear from you. I am also looking foreward to opening day!!!
GO DODGERS
Puppyhead, its pretty clear to me that Loney is by far and away our best hitiing prospect (if he is still considered a prospect). That being said, I like the idea of Kemp being trade bait over Loney, but who or what should we try to acquire? Their is really no room in our rotation or bullpen for anybody (unless its a lights out pitcher) and I guess we could try to acquire a big stick in the OF but their are a lot of good OFs that’ll be on the market after this year. So even if Kemp isn’t big league ready, which he’s proving right now, shouldn’t we just stand pat and see how he developes. I guess we could also go for a better 3Bman (ie Blaylock) but that would also block Loney from getting PT this year (assuming the possibility of Nomar at 3b is for real). Tough question but hopefully Coletti at least shops him around to see the possibilities.
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 1: Brad Penny Pitching: James Loney is playing right field, Damian Jackson is at short and LaRoche is at third, otherwise it’s the tentative opening day lineup for the Dodgers:
Aaron Miles flies to Gonzo
Chris Duncan walks
Scott Rolen singles to right, Duncan to second
Tagg Bozied singles to center, bases loaded
Rick Ankiel pops up to Kent
Jolbert Cabrera singles to center, Duncan and Rolen score, Bozied to third 2-0 STL, Bozied scores on a wild pitch, Cabrera to second, 3-0 STL
Skip Schumaker singles to center, Bozied scores, 4-0 STL (Hmm, this should be fun for the blog)
Gary Bennett flies out to Loney
4 Runs 4 Hits 1 LOB End of 1/2 inning 4-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 1: Braden Looper Pitching:
Damian Jackson strikes out looking
Juan Pierre grounds to second
Nomar Garciaparra singles to center
Jeff Kent singles to right, Nomar to second
Luis Gonzalez grounds out to second
0 Runs 2 Hits 2 LOB End of 1 4-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 2: Brad Penny Pitching:
Miguel Negron flies to center
Miles singles to center
Duncan homers to deep left center field, Miles scores, 6-0 STL
Rolen singles when Loney misjudges a ball in right, though Kent didn’t really see it either
Bozied reaches on a fielder’s choice when LaRoche threw an error as he threw low to Kent trying to get Rolen at second
Ankiel hits a rocket at Nomar who reaches to his right to make a backhanded grab
Cabrera strikes out swinging
2 Runs 3 Hits 1 Error 2 LOB End of 1 1/2 6-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 2: Braden Looper Pitching:
Russell Martin grounds to first
James Loney singles to center
Mike Lieberthal singles to left, Loney to second
Andy LaRoche forces Lieberthal at second, Loney to third
Jackson grounds to first
0 Runs 2 Hits 2 LOB End of 2 6-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 3: Kong-Chih Kuo Pitching:
Skip Schumaker hits a wind blown home run that just kept carrying, to give you an idea when Schumaker hit the ball, Steiner said ‘popped up’, 7-0 STL
Bennett grounds to third, LaRoche throws in the dirt and Nomar digs it out
Negron grounds to Kuo who flips to Nomar
Miles walks on four pitches
Duncan walks, Miles to second
Rolen strikes out swinging
1 Runs 1 Hit 2 LOB End of 2 1/2 7-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 3: Looper Pitching:
Pierre lines to center
Nomar grounds to third
Kent grounds to third
0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 3 7-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 4: Kuo Pitching:
Earlier in the at bat, Loney misjudged a foul ball that he should of caught
Bozied flies to left
Ankiel grounds to a diving Nomar who robs Ankiel of a double who flips to Kuo for the out
Cabrera pops to Jackson
0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 3 1/2 7-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 4: Looper Pitching:
Gonzalez flies to center
{Ryan Franklin relieves Looper}
Martin singles
Loney sinlges to left, Martin to second
Lieberthal flies to center
LaRoche strikes out swinging
0 Runs 2 Hits 2 LOB End of 4 7-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 5: Takashi Saito Pitching:
Schumaker grounds to Martinez at second
Bennett doubles over the head of Loney who misplayed the ball (his third miscue of the game in the outfield, obviously he needs more time out there)
Negron grounds out second
Miles flies to Gonzo
0 Runs 1 Hit 1 LOB End of 4 1/2 7-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 5: Ryan Franklin Pitching:
Jackson grounds out to first
Pierre grounds to second
Nomar flies deep to right
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 6: Jonathan Broxton Pitching:
Duncan flies to Freeman in center (some miscommunication between Gonzo and Freeman, but Freeman got to it)
Rolen flies to Bigbie in right
Bozied strikes out swinging
0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 5 1/2 7-0 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 6: Franklin Pitching:
Martinez flies to center
Gonzalez walks
Martin walks, Gonzo to second
{Chris Narveson relieves Franklin}
Loney walks, bases loaded
Lieberthal sacrifice flies to center, Gonzo scores, 7-1 STL
LaRoche walks, bases loaded
Jackson strikes out swinging
1 Run 0 Hits 3 LOB End of 6 7-1 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 7: Travis Smith Pitching:
Ankiel pops foul to Hu
John Rodriguez homers to right, 8-1 STL
Schumaker homers to right, 9-1 STL
Bennett flies to Bigbie who makes a diving catch
Negron walks
Miles flies to Bigbie
2 Runs 2 Hits 1 LOB End of 6 1/2 9-1 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 7: Chris Narveson Pitching:
Freeman pops to second
Larry Bigbie grounds to first
Martinez singles, Dewitt pitch runs for Martinez
Hu flies to Schumaker
0 Runs 1 Hit 1 LOB End of 7 9-1 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 8: Agustin Montero Pitching:
Eli Marrero walks
Travis Hanson forces Marrero at second, Hanson to second on wild pitch
Edgar V Gonzalez homers to deep left, Hanson scores, 11-1 STL
Ryan Ludwick strikes out looking
John Rodriguez strikes out
2 Runs 1 Hit 0 LOB End of 7 1/2 11-1 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 8: Andy Cavazos Pitching:
A.J Ellis strikes out
Loney singles
Lieberthal flies to left
LaRoche reaches on an error at third, Loney to third
Jackson forces LaRoche at second
0 Runs 1 Hit 1 Error 2 LOB End of 8 11-1 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Top 9: Chin-hui Tsao Pitching:
Colby Rasmus flies to center
Brian Esposito grounds to short
Negron walks
Brendan Ryan forces Esposito at second
0 Runs 0 Hits 1 LOB End of 8 1/2 11-1 STL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Spring Training Update: Bottom 9: Mark Worrell Pitching:
Freeman grounds to third
Bigbie singles
Blake Dewitt flies to center
Hu flies to right
0 Runs 1 Hit 1 LOB
R H E
Cardinals
11 12 1
Dodgers
1 9 1
WP: Braden Looper
LP: Brad Penny
Time of Game: 2:51
3 more days @ we finally get to see the Dodgers live on t.v. & hear Vinnie’s voice for the 1st time this year.
im going to see em play the angels and im just counting the days.
puppyhead01: Matt Kemp is only 22 years old (with a late Sept. birthday). Last year he played at the AA, AAA and major-league level, all for the first time. His 2006 minor league numbers (at age 21):
AA – .327 .402 .528
AAA – .368 .428 .560
This is not someone to give up on.
Kemp’s Winter League struggles consisted of NINE regular-season games. Purportedly he improved in the playoffs.
(Choi is not that good a comparison. He was 25 and had 199 games in the majors, plus 230 AAA games, when the Dodgers acquired him.)
puppy,
Don’t waste time with the dominican winter league stats-MK had a really nice year in 2006. Combining AA, AAA, and MLB numbers he was amazing for a 21 year old. You can’t rush things too much here. When Ryan Howard was 21/22 he was a in AA- and not all that great, honestly. No way we should trade a guy with the potential Kemp has right now. 2007 really was supposed to be his AAA year. Why not let him have it and (other than numbers from a dominican winter league) make him prove he isnt going to be great?
He has 2 hits so far in ST- and… are we REALLY debating his 14 spring ABs so far?? Let the guy develope a little bit.
My sentiments exactly on Kemp…Leave the kid alone and let him develop! The Kids we should be showering on for the bigs is Loney Repko and Ethier with LaRoche and Abreu on the fringes.No Way I would concider Kemp over JP or Repko for CF this year.Repko should start over Gonzo and I think he will if he stays healthy. Ethier looks great again so far as Does Loney.Funny How our mostly starters got killed today while our mostly utility/Rookies inflicted deadly pain. But Then Again it was the Cards and this team always folds against them.Its still spring and none of it counts….
Go Blue 2007!
March 17 is the 1st telecast
thats dodger spring training for you. our regular squad goes and gets whooped on, and our rookies go out and give us hope. is kent under contract next season as well, because 2nd base should be abreu’s next season no doubt about it.
i’ve read this blog for a year and now amn ready to enter the fray, gotta respond to sabre’s question of the yankees, i still hate them, and especially reggie jackson’s 3 homerun world series game, also am a dodgers fan for over 45 years, first memories of the blue , dodgers 4-0 shut out of the yankees 1963 world series, long live sandy koufax
my worst nightmare. this is not gonna be good for us.
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/08/Rays/Guzman_grabs_hold_of_.shtml
Etanislao Abreu’s glove alone ROCKS! I saw him play winter ball & the kid can also hit, he still needs some seasoning though.
Kent has an option for next season.
but kent said he may retire right?
Thanks for the stats, fogey. It’s good that he did well at AA and AAA. My point was really that he’s not ready, and it’s a gamble to assume he will be. Of course, every prospect is a gamble, so that’s nothing new.
I’d love to keep Kent around in ’08 if he has an ’07 similar to his ’05. 20+ HR and 100+ RBI from a 2b is nothing to run away from.
The fact is – some of these prospects will be traded. Let’s just hope that when they are, Ned uses them to acquire lasting value.
Kent might retire…If we win the world series this year is a pretty much a certainty that Kent will retire but say if he has a normal Jeff Kent type year and we get far in the playoffs he will all most certainly be back.
how come no one wishes to address my joel guzman link. it was my first link and i am proud of it.
Graffiti nice link. I’m not too concerned about Guzman though because I think our managment sized up his potential with LaRoche’s and decided to go with LaRoche. If Guzman has a monsterous year this year then we’ll be sorry but let’s see it happen first. My thoughts are that TB doesn’t have much positive to report about so they took this story and ran with it. Makes you also question Guzman’s work ethic when he was in our organization, why wasn’t he 20 pounds lighter last year when he was sniffing the big leagues in our organization.
Very good point Charris…
Guzman hit 0.200 ish in the winter league, and it hitting 0.182 this spring so there’s no reason to ready the self-flogging routine just yet.
i like all your points charris, but the guy is just 22. were all talking about leave kemp alone what about him. 22 is really young for a major leaguer. i understand what he hit in the winter leagues and all of his stats but dont take those too serious because hes only 22. but i didnt want to know what his stats were i wanna know why we traded him for lugo, what were we expecting julio lugo to come and carry us on his back to the world series? was guzman really that expendable? basically we got a draft pick and another shot to try and find another prospect.
i just cannot support that trade and i want so badly to trust ned, but I also know that he used to work for brian sabean. its hard.
“I think he should have been given the chance to be the every day center fielder” from kevblewis
that would have been cool.
I think they gave Repko a shot to be the everyday CF last year but he had a bad leg injury no?
the only bad thing about the Guzman trade is that we got lugo in return. Im sure there was a reason the Dodgers got rid of him. Im sure Logan White was whispering in Ned’s ear the whole time “dont trade loney, dont trade kemp, dont trade LaRoche”
I suspect Logan had a huge part in that trade. Since Ned didnt know the prospects very well at the time im sure he took Logan’s opinion seriously. I trust Logan White
i love logan white, but still cant buy that one.
I’m in 7th Heaven !!!! Steiner is off and it’s Rick Monday and A. Martinez !!! AND Nomar just hit a HR !!!
There is a GOD !!!
Go Dodgers !!!
No live updates tonight, night class, but Nomar did just homer off Anibal Sanchez 1-0 Dodgers end of 1.
Daggsplabbit…
thanks for the heads up, alex…have fun
whoooooohooo!
i feel you gary.
you hurt my feelings alex.
I seem to remember a bunch of us, including myself wanting the Dodgers to sign Mike Hampton a couple of years back. Boy are we glad we didn’t. He’s been hurt more times lately than at any point in his career, and it happened again this spring.
yeha Guzman for Lugo is a tough pill to swallow but i think we kept the better bets. If Guzman reaches his full potential which is a bigger if then Kemp and LaRoche it will be as bad of a trade as Delino for Pedro.
if he hits 15 homers this year in the minors its still a bad trade, no matter what.
ramon martinez could do everything lugo could do with a little less speed, but more power.
true but at that time Kent it wasn’t clear how long he’d be out. Ramon was playing second full time. Ned overreacted like he did with teh Pierre signing.
I still think Guzman is a bit over hyped…He’s got power but he can’t play in the field and if he becomes a power hitter it will probably be in the AL as a DH. I still like Kemp and LaRoche better then him.
Don’t forget guys we get a pick at the end of the first round in this years draft as a result of that trade- it really needs to be looked at as:
Guzman for Lugo and a compensatory pick (something like 30th overall).
That will help rebuild the farm, which has been depleted quite a bit lately.
ehh sounds a little better but still hurts.
When Lugo was playing second and Loney was at first, the Dodgers won something like 9 or 10 in a row. Lugo was a complete **** shoot and it didn’t work out. Sometimes you do the right thing for the right reasons and it just goes wrong. Guzman may or may not be good, time will tell, but I understand why Ned did what he did.
Up next: While Randy Wolf starts for the Dodgers Friday against Minnesota at Vero Beach, Chad Billingsley will follow with three innings as he continues his quest for the fifth-starter spot. Billingsley hasn’t allowed an earned run in four innings over two outings.
From Ken Gurnik
____________________
Looks like Bills is quietly having a good spring
Grafitti-
I will gladly adress your Joel Guzman link, because it is the biggest joke of a baseball story i have ever read. All it talks about is how he weighs less, adjusting to a new position, and hitting one home run.. What is so special about that? The bottom line was, he was a bad apple- like you said, he is only 22, so what gave him the clout to act above the team? There are some players that allow rankings to get to them, and inflate their head’s and egos making them think they are somehow more special than the next guy. As we saw with Guzman, he was not that special– I am so glad that guy is out of our organization… The guy was a bum and didnt deserve to wear the dodger blue. the fact that Lugo helped us win even one game makes the trade worthwhile. Also, as Max Power said, there is no doubt that the people who knew this guy best (DEfinately not Ned) were behind this trade, so i would stop blaming him. Also, you;re wrong about Loney starting the year in Las Vegas– I guarantee that does not happen. How can you call Nomar’s career washed up? That’s boarderline offensive… not really, but come on.. The guy was so productive for us last year when healthy, and was the leader of the team– Let Loney watch Nomar for a year and see how a professional baseball player handles himself, and he will only become better.. Ned has done so much amazing stuff for this team in barely over a year– how can you be so critical of a guy that comes in, shakes things up, and the result is 18 more wins? You might not like all of his moves, but that is just the nature of any business– Bottom line, it took Evans a few years to do something, and this is only Colletti’s second. Trading Guzman just wasn’t that bad of a move.
Tomko better not be the #5.
With Hampton out, Braves need to make move
Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com
Pierre, Penny, and Tomko for A Jones!!!
ewk216, that would be nice.
ha i doubt that would happen unless Matt Kemp or james Loney is involved…maybe a Brad Penny and Betemit for Chipper Jones.
well maybe not…Jones’ contract expires after 2008. That would block LaRoche. Signing Pierre really hurt us in acquiring a power bat.
Obviously, a GM is not going to trade a guy he just gave 44 million too. I don’t even think you can do that anyway. I would look into Alex Rios from Toronto, it would take a package that probably would include Penny and two of our expendable prospects. Oh in regards to Guzman I made a post when it happened regarding it and I still stand with that. He may pan out in time, but even then it won’t matter, he’s a Devil Ray. IMO trading Guzman while we should of traded him for something other than a rental, was not a bad call at all. When you watch Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, Loney, and Ethier bat they have this look, this determination, cliche but eye of the tiger and we all know how they performed during the year. I watched Guzman and I felt nothing and saw even less from him. Granted he’s only 22, but you can’t teach somebody what Ethier, Kemp, Martin and Loney have and that’s why regardless I still have no problem with him in Tampa Bay. Live updates of Twins/Dodgers coming up at the top of the hour.
alex,
I agree completely. I also remember Guzman pouting when some of the other kids got calle up and he didn’t. The guy still really has never proven he has all that much to offer except for blowing scouts away when he was 16. Danger.
Also, try to include some home runs in todays updates.
it was a bad move no matter how you slice it, dice it, chop it whatever. julio lugo??? we had people on our bench already willing and able to do anything that whiner could do. bottom line was he choked over here and tried to blame it on switching postitions to much. shut up and play and then whine in the offseason if thats who you are. but we had to give up a guy that could have gotten us something more had we been a bit more patient and let him blossom in our system. i truly believe this will be another paul konerko sized mistake.
Konerko? wow, ill take the under.
When Konerko was 20 (AA) and 21 (AAA) he avgd. 0.312 with 67HRs.
Guzman is about .260 with about 14HR/yea at the same level, at the same age.
Graffitti – Your making it tough to agree with you. You keep measuring results vs potential. If your crystal ball really did work we would never makes mistakes. I don’t believe Ned made the trade knowing that Lugo would not meet our expectations, and we did have a big need at the time !! Also, lets not forget that a big part of baseball and the minor leagues is marketing !!! Marketing in that every team wants every other team to believe that their guys are the best and thus worth the most. Guzman was clearly losing ground, not only with the Dodger front office but all of the scouts as well. Guzman proved he wasn’t going to be a 5 tool player and he proved he couldn’t switch positions easily. And with his height he wasn’t going to stay at SS. I can say this because I saw it first hand in Vero Beach and Las Vegas for two years straight. So the Dodgers had a guy with a deminishing return, limited positions he could play and a bad attitude. Top that with a big league team looking to make the playoffs and you have the Lugo trade. Now, in hind sight we can all say that Lugo didn’t work out but at the time Ned made the trade it made solid business and baseball sense. The beauty of Baseball is the gamble, the gamble on players and the gamble of the plays on the field.
Go Dodgers !!!
Alex-
Im just wondering if you were serious– we could trade pierre as long as he doesnt have a no trade clause? I know its something that you NEVER see happen, but it would be “legal”– i think? If the braves would pay A.Jones 70 mil for the next 5, theoretically it would make sense for them to pick up pierre’s 44? (obviously ignoring the fact that they are getting a much worse player) I’ve just always had a bit of a man-crush on Andruw– the way he plays centerfield is just a beautiful thing…
Rios is certainly a very good ball player, but i think his value is going to go way up if he rebounds.. the offseason was the time to land him it seems– I think they’d ask for Kemp/La Roche/ Loney…. None of which are expendable; well, La Roche might be..