Monday's lineup
On the plane, about to take off and Grady just gave me tomorrow’s lineup.
Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzalez, LF
Betemit, 3B
Ethier, RF
Martinez, SS
Lowe, P
Hopefully you’ll be watching from one of the bars or restaurants in the Home Base Network.
Inside the Dodgers 
Enjoy the flight Josh. How are the guys? Are they as excited as we are. Here in Nova Scotia there are a variety of signs of spring. My favorite one is that it starts only when the Dodgers play their first regular season game. Thanks for coming to the central time zone, closer to our time zone for the first series. GO DODGERS!!!
Our goal is to play a lot of baseball games in October and win the last game played. Losing before that is not an option.
-Grady Little.
I liked this quote alot…..see you at the game DODGERS!!!!
that line up is a joke! a complete joke. If you are going to carry Matt Kemp start him. If you are going to carry wilson valdez over james loney then start him. Grady is turning into a joke!
First he puts bombko in as the 5th guy over Billingsley. Bombko hasn’t had an ERA under 4.10 since he began his career in 1997. Then he puts Kemp on the team and benches him. Kemp needs to be seeing pitching everyday. EVERYDAY!
Loney on the other hand has nothing to prove in the Minors. He could easily be playing 3 or 4 games a week on the big club giving Nomar, Gonzo and Ethier some days off.
1) I don’t object to resting Matt Kemp against Ben Sheets. Last year Sheets had a k/bb of about 10/1. I would expect to see a Kemp start against Capuano, though. I will cry tears of joy if the game begins with Juan Pierre taking a leadoff walk, but frankly, I don’t plan on crying.
2) I’m guessing that Valdez is on the major league roster because it will be easier for him to clear waivers when Furcal gets back than now. That’s not to say Betemit or Nomar shouldn’t be playing shortstop and Loney taking first, but whatever. If we have Furcal, Valdez and Martinez active all at once, though, then it’s a problem.
3) Tomko has his good points and his bad. I think he’ll survive as the fifth starter for about a month, but get demoted in time for Greg Miller or Billingsley to take over. It’s also a good idea not to overwork Billingsley at age 22, and making him a reliever is much less strenuous than making him the 5th starter.
4) I like Martin in the 2. I guess now we get to see how that works.
5) Major League Baseball doesn’t cater to all holidays, apparently. Opening Day on Palm Sunday in . . . St. Louis. This instead of a stadium with palm trees. But they did honor April Fool’s day by putting the game on ESPN.
I guess Kemp will be getting starting exclusively against lefties?
Yeah I agree, no way were carrying three shortstops at once. Furcal up, Valdez down, boy will that be a happy day.
I don’t get the Clark trade now at all. Couldn’t we just use Kemp as the RH outfielder and give the other spot to Loney? Gr…
Hey Josh,
What a great sight, to see the lineup posted again! Opening day feels like Christmas, doesn’t it?
If you are reading this, I also hope that you can answer a question for me: I won some tickets last year during one of the challenges for this season, and I am wondering if those will be forthcoming at some point? Let me know if there is anything you need from me.
Go Blue!
I luv u maxpower.
That lineup is pure comedy fodder…..
I see Josh still won’t answer my question. What’s it like working for such a crappy organization?
As always, check out my blog.
http://www.joeyp190.blogspot.com
Thanks, Josh. Also, what’s going on with Opening Day festivities? Last year, there was Hootie, fly-overs, etc, but I haven’t heard a peep this year. Tell me you have something fun up your sleeve…
Juan Pierre
LuGo
Man am I pumped. I can’t wait for that first pitch tomorrow. I even watched the Mets & Cards. Paul LoDuca went 2 for 5 with three RBI’s ***** you DePodesta!). Oh well, had he not traded him we wouldn’t have Russell Martin in our line up.
GO DODGERS!
I watched the Mets and Cards too. My roommate is a Mets fan, and personally I just don’t like the Cardinals. Carpenter’s failed squeeze bunt may have been one of the best things I saw.
I guess Im biased since I lived in st. louis for four years..but I like the cards alot. And now they have a nice little rivalry with the mets. The cards didnt play well tonight, but they’re rotation is seriously underrated. Reyes and Wainwright are going to be solid, and Dave Duncan will work his magic with Wells and Looper. Plus Mulder will be back. Im a little jealous because I think they’re GM is very smart. He always seems to get just the right player and gets the most out of everyone he signs at a reasonable price. I think they’re limited payroll is a blessing in diguise because they have to be really smart and practical and look for just the right player. We can go out and sign whoever, but that isn’t always the best move. Sometimes the best move is doing nothing at all, which is pretty much what they did this offseason.
I’m pleasantly excited too 53!! Giddy as a school-kid ready for summer vacation I’ll say… I can’t wait for the first pitch tomorrow. I’ve got my new hat and I’m ready to go! Thank goodness for MLB Extra Innings!
Oh… I almost forgot!
CALENDAR CHECK!!! : )
Go Dodgers!!
(Hang in there James Loney! You’ll be back before you know it!)
jspelk… love your post, and the point you make about the Cardinals being better than what they showed tonight is spot on.
I do have to comment on your use of the word “they’re”. You used it three times out of context and I just thought I’d bring it up. Sorry… I just have a little OCD** in me from time-to-time… so please don’t take this personally, okay?
So… from the internet… the use of: THEY’RE/THEIR/THERE
“they’re” is a contraction of “they are.” If you’ve written “they’re,” ask yourself whether you can substitute “they are.” If not, you’ve made a mistake. “Their” is a possessive pronoun like “her” or “our” “They eat their hotdogs with sauerkraut.” Everything else is “there.” “There goes the ball, out of the park! See it? Right there! There aren’t very many home runs like that.” “Thier” is a common misspelling, but you can avoid it by remembering that “they” and “their” begin with the same three letters. Another hint: “there” has “here” buried inside it to remind you it refers to place, while “their” has “heir” buried in it to remind you that it has to do with possession.
Sorry for the English lesson…
Now back to baseball!! : )
**Yeah… it’s called OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Not clinically diagnosed, but I do show symptoms from time-to-time. : ) What’s OCD? Just watch Nomar every time he steps into the batters’ box. That routine he does? It’s very much OCD. He can’t vary it… just watch. That’s why my wife and I affectionately call him “OCD Boy”. Nomar is the best!!! We like OCD Boy!
whoops. you might not believe me but i did know all of that. my grammer usually takes a backseat when im typing about baseball.
LOL, Kevin you crack me up buddy !!! jspelk2, I found that the best way for me to write my longer postings is to write it in a MS Word document first using spell and grammer check then copy and paste it into the blog. This way I don’t look as stupid as most people know I really am !!
Go Ned !!
Go Dodgers !!
I really don’t see the necessity of keeping Valdez? So what if we lost him, it’s not like he’s the second coming of Babe Ruth. We have plenty of guys who could fill in for Raffy , especially if it’s only for a few days. They should have given that spot to Loney or at the very least Bigbe. Also if you’re keeping Kemp, let him play.
2-Hrs. until the start of my 56th. season as a DODGER FAN. I look foreward to it as much now as I did then. As the season unfolds, I am looking foreward as to who has been right and who has been wrong with their winter blog’s w/regards to trades, player signings and front office decisions.
GO DODGERS
Tough matchup today- healthy Sheets is TOUGH.
But thank goodness T-100 min…
Go Dodgers.
The long wait is almost over…how is it that we get by with almost 6 months of no baseball? At the end of each season, the winter looks so bleak. Yet, April keeps on coming like clockwork, and Lowe is on the mound once again.
Here’s to Lowe and another chance to win that elusive season opener!
I haven’t said much this winter, but I am very excited about this year. Sad for Loney
and some of the other prospects, but I am sure they will get playing time this year, agree with ned on the fact that it is not a 25 man team, but more like a 35 to 40 team that will go to the World Series. Go Dodgers
Too funny Kevin! I am extremely OCD (also called HUA) when it comes to grammar and I go ballistic when I make a stupid mistake (which is all too frequently). Thanks for the chuckle this morning.
After the shock of Matt Kemp making the 25-man roster and James Loney not making it wore off, I realized that Rafael Furcal will be coming off of the DL on Sunday (or more likely Monday for the home opener). When that happens, I look for Kemp to be joining Loney in Las Vegas. Either that, or Valdez gets released and the Dodgers try to get him back once he clears waivers. (I’m thinking we will lose him to another team). I also believe that Loney will be brought up shortly.
It’s almost time for me to sneak away from the office for lunch at the ******* in Burbank to (hopefully and finally) get my 1974 Steve Garvey foul ball signed by the “Iron man” himself.
Good call Kevin. “Giddy as a school-kid ready for summer vacation”. That’s me!
PLAAAAAAAAAAY BAAAAAAALLLL!
GO DODGERS!
AH!!!! IT’S TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL!!!!!
Does anyone know if KCAL 9 HD is specific to a certain provider? I am not seeing it on my Dish NEtwork HD
KCALHD for now is exculsive to Time Warner, however if you have an HD antenna you can receive KCALHD. However today’s opening day game is on FSNHD! GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!
Here we go Dodgers, here we go!! T-20 minutes and counting… I’m about to scream!!!!
Ron (53), I seriously doubt they’d send Kemp back since the one coming onto the roster is an infielder (Furcal). So I think more likely that Valdez will be seeing his release at that time. There’s too many kids waiting in the wings to help out… so we’re still deep in a lot of areas even without Valdez.
Oh…
Calendar Check!!!
Clock Check!!!
Go Dodgers, 2007 Baby!!!
The beginning of the emotional rollercoaster known as the Los Angeles Dodgers begins now!
OK, JP just struck out and Martin flied out !! Here come the I told you so boo birds !!
Go Dodgers !!!
We know D-Lowe starts off slowly… let’s hope he doesn’t take too long to loosen up and throw a ton of ground balls.
Jeff Kemp!! What a shot!! Tie Game!!
I love the dyslexic post!!!
Jeff Kemp!!! Oh ****… I crack myself up…
WOW a healthy Jeff Kent !!!!
Great for Kent. Hope he keeps it up. Anyone else worried about Pierre, Not his bat but his arm. So far they are running all over him
Actually, my wife would have diagnosed that particular faux pax as “Nominal Aphasia”.
“Nominal Aphasia(also known as anomic aphasia) is a form of aphasia (loss of language capability caused by brain damage) in which the subject has difficulty remembering or recognizing names which the subject should know well. The subject speaks fluently and grammatically, and has normal comprehension; the only deficit is trouble with “word finding,” that is, finding appropriate words for what they mean to say.” (As when I typed out “Kemp” instead of “Kent”.)
Oh gosh… too much time on my hands!! Opening day is really exciting!!
Go Dodgers!!! : )
Pierre is getting run on like he’s Piazza or Victor Martinez.
“Anyone else worried about Pierre…”
Pierre will catch more outs than his throwing are will allow extra bases taken. I’m more worried about his patience at the plate once Furcal gets back in the lineup.
…than his throwing arm…
Sweet catch by Billy Hall…
Anyone else noticing that this Ump appears to be squeezing Derek Lowe with his calls? Some of those same pitches are called strikes with Sheets.
And right now I don’t think Lowe knows where home plate is…
Derek Lowe should no longer be allowed to start on Opening Day! I was at the stadium last year to witness his getting blown out by the Braves on opening day. I’m depressed now.
6-1 bottom of the 4th. I hope this means Lowe doesn’t start next year’s opening day….
ok yes pierre has speed to catch balls but his lack of an arm and a very shaky gonzo in left causes me to think that the Dodgers are in deep trouble defensively especially when Kemp plays right as he will tomorrow.
This is just awful…
Is there anyplace else in the MLB that’s harder to track a ball in the air than Milwaukee in the daytime? Those panels in the rafters behind home plate should be outlawed…
Glad that we started Opening Day with our unofficial fifth starter – things should only get better after this.
can someone remind me what the heck juan pierre is doing on our team? And Gonzo for that matter?
Why on Earth would Matt Kemp platoon with Andre Ethier? Ethier proved last season that he hits lefties every bit as good as righties. I sure hope that Little puts Kemp in Left Field tomorrow and leaves Andre Ethier in to play. Gonzo looks a little tired today… perhaps a rest tomorrow would be good. : )
Did Ethier hurt himself???
And Lowe can’t even make it to the fifth inning… amazing. This should be his last opening day start, no matter how good he does this year.
“can someone remind me what the heck juan pierre is doing on our team? And Gonzo for that matter?”
Simply… Ned Colletti panicked when the Giants were looking at Pierre for four years… and then offered a FIFTH year to him!! And nobody will take him in a trade unless the Dodgers pick up part of the salary… so who knows.
This is only one game. We need to give this experiment a good three or four weeks to see how good he’ll be or not. We own him, so there’s not much else we can do.
why is ethier being replaced by clark? he’s made some good defensive plays… um ok genius Grady. Yeah and i agree, why the heck isn’t Gonzo getting pulled for Kemp on Tuesday? Are we afriad of hurting his feelings yet? Cause Im not.
No Grady would not want to have Kemp and Ethier in at the same time. That would be too many YOUNG talented players. He and Coletti are much more anamored with old veterans who, yes they have been to the World Series, but are now washed up.
The season is over. We’re done for the year. I’m turning the TV off now. Where’s my straight razor when I need it most?
this is a pathetic way to start off the season. Lowe looked lost, our offense is in need of a little Furcal, Gonzo looks pathetic in the field, Pierre throws like a girl and grady sub in Brady Clark for Andre Ethier.
but more importantly guys, hows the character of our team doing?
was our character really THAT bad last season besides the Penny v. Lofton incident and the Penny v. San Diego umpires last season? Did anyone ever fight with Drew?
“but more importantly guys, hows the character of our team doing?”
Don’t anybody ever mention the name Carolyn Hughes… we’ll just pretend that didn’t happen.
Kharma’s a real bummer sometimes…
OK, losing opening day stinks, but we do it about half the time (I always seem to remember us having better years when we lose opening day, but it’s just flukie).
Substituting Clark for Ethier is a textbook move. Ethier made the last out, so Clark moved into the Pitchers position, and Hendrickson would hit ninth. Managers learn this in little league.
Obviously, Lowe’s poor outing is not good. And I am still not pleased with Loney getting sent back to AAA–what more does the guy need to do to prove that he should be in the big leagues? I read Ken Gurnick on mlb.com writing that there is no room for Loney until after 2008, and that’s just unacceptable–the team needs to find a way to get him at-bats.
But it’s the first game. There are 162 left. We were always going to lose one even to Milwaukee. I think we can probably give it a week or two until we decide that major changes need to be made–but we can certainly wait until the first three-game series is done.
Kevin. Seems to me we had a bit of a relapse last year when visions of 2005 went through our heads. Keep the faith. Just not going to beat Sheets today but a better performance by Lowe would have been encouraging. The season will be a tough one but a good one. I wish we had one dominant pitcher but we don’t. Perhaps we have to wait on our own – Billingsley, Elbert, Kershaw etc. to get a prime time #1 starter. Good job by relievers today. Maybe tomorrow the bats will warm up. GO DODGERS!!
Sheets looked like the ace out there today. That’s how an ace should pitch. It’s only one game lets just hope this is not what the Dodgers will look like all year otherwise it will be a very loooong year. I still say the kids should be playing over the older guys. Where’s Loney when you need him? Oh that’s right he’s in triple A. Don’t despair, we have Gonzo .:-)
Sorry Harold… the straight razor thing was tongue-in-cheek. I know this is only one game… but it was the only “Opening Day” game we get this year. Hopefully our “Home Opener” will go much better. Sheets was unbelievable today. Can we trade for him? : )
nah we cant…Sheets doesn’t fit Ned’s philosophy…maybe in 15 years when Sheets is old and washed up.
from rotoworld:
Matt Kemp will get a start against left-hander Chris Capuano on Tuesday, manager Grady Little said.
Little isn’t committing to a platoon, but Kemp wouldn’t be on the roster unless the Dodgers planned to get him into the lineup against lefties. Unfortuantely, it’s likely that most of his at-bats will come at the expense of Andre Ethier, rather than Luis Gonzalez. Despite the difference in ballparks, Ethier had more than 100 points of OPS on Gonzalez against lefties last season. Ethier is also the better defender, as has already been made obvious in Monday’s game.
yep–that pretty much sums it up.
I’m just glad spring training is over so people would stop saying “uh, what month is it, guys, check your calendars.” That got pretty annoying after the 12891283th time.
Actually Elkim, if memory serves… I stated “Calendar Check”, including this one, only eight times. For you, I am certain, was eight times too many. Point taken. Let’s just not get our panties in a bunch until the first three or four weeks of the season are over with and under our belts, okay?
why shouldn’t we get our “panties in a bunch”?…this game could cost us the division. Last years opening day lost cost us the division. Plus the obvious stupidity of management is making it even more frustrating.
No… managements obvious commitment to trading for and then playing Julio Lugnuts every day when we had the very capable Ramon Martinez on the bench when Jeff Kent went down with his oblique injury…
That is what cost us the division last year.
Can we not reason here and say that one game does not a season make? And in reality, each and every loss goes against us losing a division… we just hope not to lose as many as the rest of the NL West, right?
Talk to me in a month…
Go Dodgers!!
This is my first post on the Blog. In reading many of the previous posts it amazes me how many “experts” there are out there. There is so much negativity regarding management’s decisions. No disrespect intended, but come on guys….there’s a reason that those guys work for a major league baseball club, while we all sit at home on our computers. I agree with some of what is being said though. Loney should have made the team, but stop complaining about it. He’ll be up soon enough. As for Kemp, he should definitely get his at-bats since they chose to keep him. Hopefully he’ll be allowed to fill in for Gonzalez more than Ethier. I’m just excited that we have begun another great season of baseball. This is going to be the year that the Dodgers go all the way!!!
i would love to see someone make a good argument to carry Matt Kemp and not James Loney…also if someone can make an argument for the Kemp/Ethier Platoon id love to hear that as well cuz i can’t figure any of them out
Anyone watch the Dodgers Live pregame show with Vin and Ueker? I saw a part in my lunchroom when I was getting my morning coffee. Thought it was pretty cool. Josh, perhaps that can be something that can be added to the Dodgers In Demand.
Easy boys. It’s only one game. We can still take this series.
In all honesty, we could have had Koufax on the mound today and he probably wouldn’t have beaten Ben Sheets. He was outstanding!
I have to agree with our newest blogger jhutch3. Let’s lose the negativity and get behind our beloved Dodgers!
The day wasn’t a total loss. I made it over to the ******* in Burbank and FINALLY got my 1974 Steve Garvey foul ball signed. Steve is a great guy and very personable. And, to top things off, I also won a pair of tickets to an upcoming game!
GO DODGERS!
EUREKA! Why didn’t I think of that? Let’s replace Charlie Steiner with Bob Uecker? That would be GREAT!
“Keep the Faith” is right! This is one game with six months to follow. We’ll be there at the end.
jhutch3 – Welcome aboard. This blog connects the Dodger faithful across the US and for me in Canada. One definite benefit for me is that I learn so much from the guys who post. Secondly, I have friends now who I have never met and perhaps never will. About your negativity thing, I agree, we should be positive as most are. However, part of the fun is being an armchair Dodger GM, just as in a fantasy league. That means that we will talk about what we would like to see happen with the roster, who makes the team, plays where and when. That means that at times we come across as critical. I personally don’t mind questioning roster moves, lineup moves, etc. but really dislike it when we move to being critical of Ned or Grady when the moves they make don’t match ehat we think should have been done. We all have our preferred way of management. I love a youth movement but know that Ned and Grady know much more than I do and know the reasons for their decisions. I believe they have a plan that extends beyond this season. For me this is the first day of spring in Nova Scotia- the first regular season Dodger game in 2007. Go Dodgers!!!!
53. This has to be the year. You are on a roll. A Billingsley ball, a Garvey ball autographed, free tickets. Way to go. Go Dogers!!!
Hope Kevin didn’t see my typo. GO DODGERS!!!
someone once said about baseball (maybe it was lasorda),” that you win 54 and lose 54, it’s the other 54 that determines the season.”
not sure what to make of this game, but i don’t understand the infatuation with lowe as the opening day pitcher. obviously his numbers are brutal and he seems to get better later in the year. why not schmidt or even penny?
also, what is up with the whole bigbie, loney and kemp manuevers? obviously there must be something that escapes the fans, but personally i would tell gonzo, at this stage of his career, on a new club, that
he will be platoon a LOT through the season. why rest kemp and ship out loney
and bigbie for an aging and slipping gonzo?
let’s all breathe and come back for a win
tomorrow. agreed?
Agreed Spirit! I also agree that Kemp should platoon with Gonzo. The argument for sending Loney down was that he shouldn’t be “sitting”, so based on that argument one can only assume that Kemp will be playing somewhat regularly. I personally can’t wait for the day when Billingsley is the starting pitcher, Martin is catching, Loney is at 1st, Abreu is at 2nd, Furcal is at short, LaRoche is at 3rd, Kemp in Left, Pierre in Center, and Ethier is in Right. I’m glad to have joined this blog and hopefully I can add something to the conversation from now on. Thank you all for accepting me into your group.
adam dunn! dangit, that’s the bopper i wanted for our OF.
anyhow, i hope that loney is down in AAA just to learn and play the OF since we’ve got abled bodies in the bigs. it’s the brady clark acquisition that has me confused. keeping saenz as our RH pinch hitter and now kemp as our RH OF with CF skills makes clark unnecessary. then we’d have a roster spot for bigbie, at the very least. were we not able to get ‘future considerations’ for dessens while keeping our roster full of young and intriguing players?
i don’t understand why mgmt is so keen on ‘protecting’ nomar and keeping him at 1b. i’d prefer to see to see nomar at 3b or subbing at SS and let loney who has nothing left to prove get a shot at 1b.
i do understand that nomar is one of few boppers we have in our lineup, but explain to me how having RAMON MARTINEZ start at SS on opening day is good for our lineup…
MAX – it’s easy to understand !! Righty vs Lefty, hit for average vs hit for power. Management is hoping he can light up some HR’s. Loney is no OF and it doesn’t make sense to have him out there expecting him to do the job.
SpiritComm – it was Lasorda that said 54W 54L 54 ? and I was thinking the very same thing.
Welcome aboard jhutch3 – we can use a cup half full guy on this blog !!!
53, your on a roll buddy. Now lets get a win tomorrow !!
Kevin – Your wife sounds like she’s a Doctor or something, so take a little red pill tonight and get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is another day and another game !!!
Go Dodgers !!!
if they want home runs from Kemp start him. If they aren’t gonna start him everyday then they are just stunting his growth. Loney is ready and while he may not be an outfielder by trade he has a better arm then Gonzo and more speed.
A typical DODGER BEGINNING.
I saw GRADY in spring training and he was wearing the standard DODGER uniform shirt, today he was back to wearing his maternity smock. Does anyone know why he prefers the smock?????
GO BLUE
stringtest – Are you saying we got it backwards today with Ramon and Nomar? You know Nomar is just Ramon spelled backwards. I think that Grady feels the best way to get the most out of Nomar is to keep him at first instead of risking injury at 3B or SS. I certainly hope the mission for Loney is not to pump up his HR perhaps at the expense of solid contact hitting with good BB/K ratio.
51 – not sure but see some other managers doing it. That would not go over well with Tommy. I would like to see the managers dress in regular uniforms. GO DODGERS!!
welcome aboard Hutch. As Harold explained, we truly love being DODGER FANS. We also enjoy being armchair Managers & G.M’s.
“53” You are one lucky devil.
GO BLUE
jhutch–I think that Kemp plays right and Ethier plays left on the Dodger team of the future (Kemp has the better arm). But other than that, you are spot on.
I have been confused by the Kemp promotion and Loney option, but they LA Times notes tomorrow sheds some light on this:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodrep3apr03,1,277428.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-mlb-dodger
It suggests that the Dodgers are facing a lot of left-handed pitchers the first 8 days of the season. The implication in the article seems to be that Kemp might head back to Las Vegas after that (unless there is an injury, or he hits the the tar out of the ball like last June). That might bring Bigbie or Loney back up. (BTW–speaking of team chemistry, have you seen the comments that Kemp has made–he and Loney seem to get along very well, and appear to be rooting for each other. The future is bright.)
The bad news is that Furcal’s ankle swelled up on the plane to Milwaukee. I like Ramon Martinez just fine, and Little tries to get everyone an occassional start so that they are ready. And if Raffy were coming back on Saturday, fine. But if Furcal is going to have an extended absence, it makes zero sense to have one of the best shortstops in baseball playing first base, while an excellent first basemen and the team’s best hitter-for-average is in Las Vegas.
I don’t object to protecting Nomar, but we have to also recognize that he’s one of the best athletes and most versatile players we have. Let him move around for crimeny’s sake.
old school. old school. old school. everything this management team does is so overly conservative. flexbility is great but it means you have to be creative. They have to know they are NOT putting together their best possible lineup.
Agreed.
It’s amazing how much people overreact about one game – granted it was an ugly one where everything that could go wrong basically did, especially in the OF, but the biggest mistake the D’s made was simply starting Lowe today. I have faith in DLowe for most of the season but he’s been terrible the past two – and now three – opening days as the starter. I hope they learn and remember this for next year, at least! Other than that, it’s laughable to hear people pushing the panic button. Whatever you want to say about some of the moves the front office made in the off season, I don’t think it’s fair to say that Grady Little won’t hesitate to bench someone or platoon to get a hotter hand more looks and a colder hand less, if that’s what it takes. I guarantee that there’ll be more kids playing, and soon, if the vets look as terrible as they did today (save Kent).
But remember: Miller Park is a tough place to play, Ben Sheets is one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball, and it’s just one game, for pete’s sake.
personally, the move that always had me wondering was the j. pierre move. they could have just as easily kept k. lofton and platooned him with repko or kemp.
lofton is just as good a base stealer and was great in the two hole last year. plus look at the savings?!?
my only hope is pierre and his lollipop arm get moved to left field next year to make room for kemp/repko.
i could never understand that move. it makes no sense, i love JP as a player, but that clogged up our farm system. i didnt think his arm was that bad, but that 1st to 3rd weeks pulled on us brought a glaring weakness to the forefront. if were gonna try to win on pitching and defense, than we need some better defenders. that routine fly ball over gonzos head was so pathetic and it really looked like he needs to be a dh somewhere on some mediocre al team. he is a liability out there , at this rate its gonna be a long season. i hope grady has the cajones to make some drastic moves if bs like that keeps happening. and gonzalez needs to settle down on that first pitch nonsense, hes looking desperate.