Sunday morning
Happy Easter to those celebrating…here’s hoping we can get out of town with another victory.
Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzalez, LF
Kemp, RF
Valdez, SS
Martinez, 3B
Wolf, P
In case I don’t get a chance to post again before tomorrow, remember to get to the park early, as it’s always a hectic day on Opening Day. There are special benefits to getting to the stadium early tomorrow, so check it out.
Inside the Dodgers 
Happy Easter all. Let’s get the sweep today. Still looking forward to seeing Andre and Kemp in the lineup togeher. Go Blue!
Doesn’t Gonzalez EVER take a day off? It’s a shame that millions of dollars makes one immune to crappy play. Get Ethier in there already!
LuGo does not deserve to play and even wore Ethier is rotting away on the bench. Hopefully JP gets some hits today.
This Gonzalez stuff is getting ridiculous. Even if one believes he should play MOST of the time, today would be the obvious time to give him a day off. He’s proven over the last few years that he can’t hit lefties, while Ethier’s proven that he can. And then there’s the whole defensive issue.
Getting Gonzalez was one thing. Continuing to play him EVERY SINGLE DAY against all available evidence is simply denial. Guys that age just don’t play every day, even if they’re good, which Gonzalez is not. The fact that he is playing today is just one more bit of evidence that Flanders and Grady are so hard-headed that they’re unwilling to admit a mistake even when it’s obvious to the rest of the world. They’re just going to keep riding that horse until he gets to the glue factory. They don’t even realize he’s already there.
I have a feeling Grady will let it ride for another week or two, and if he keeps playing this terribly he will be relegated to bench duty.
gonzo is playing because hes hitting 278, which is tied for second on the team with kent. kemp is leading the team. but he has fewer at bats than those two. plus hes a proven vet. and hes proven in the past that he can hit better than he can play defense. so i think he should play. veterans always get the nod over the younger guys because they ve done it before. ethier had a great season last year but gonzo has put up 16 great years. hes gonna play until he earns his way out of the lineup, doesnt matter how good kemp ethier and possibly loney do.
but i too am really looking forward to the day ethier and kemp are in the lineup together….and who knows maybe even loney as well :]
He may be hitting .278, but his OPS is .649 (which is pathetic for a corner outfielder). Combine that with his horrible defense and it screams “bench player.”
LOL…..
What a FIERCE lineup.
Back to the 90’s for the Dodgers.
Mediocre baseball. Barely hovering over .500.
That’s what you get when replace a stud GM, DePo, with a old school fool, Colletti.
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As always, http://www.joeyp190.blogspot.com
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Arod is off to a great start, it will be interesting to see what happens with him. The Yanks will regret letting him walk if it happens.
annnnd Ethier has sat the last 3 out of 4 days. Id start to worry if I were him.
Playing Gonzo this much is INSANE…
I mean can Ned and Grady really tell us with a straight face that this is the best possible lineup our club can field?
RIDICULOUS is right.
last year vs. lefties
Gonzo: .259/.322/.408
Andre: .351/.378/.468
but of course stats don’t mean anything when you have proven veterans!
even if Grady/Ned looked at stats, which I don’t think they do all that much, I doubt they’d care that Ethier OPSed 100 points higher than gonzo against lefties. They’d say Ethier’s stats is based on one year and thus are unreliable. I really don’t think they have any intention of taking him out of the lineup. It appears that they’ve soured on Ethier, who basically hasnt been a starter since August. And considering he was carrying the whole offense at points during last year, I don’t get it.
if you based every little thing on stats i guareente a baseball team would not win. baseball isnt just stats but i guess thats why gradys the coach and not some fans. and hes doing a **** good job of it too. postseason with the redsox and with the dodgers in only 3 three years of being a major league manager.
The Red Sox were a STAT BASED team when Grady was there.
momoracci- oh really? and how do you make that assumption?
Happy Easter to everyone. Looking forward to gametime. Let’s get those Giants again!
I’ve got an awesome idea. This idea I think makes sense for the whole season.
Let’s complain about every lineup fielded every day. Because, man, if you haven’t made your point complaining about the five previous lineups they fielded, you will probably make your point the sixth time! Let’s all keep it up! It’ll be a great way to enjoy the season, micromanaging every move on the field – even before the sample sizes are large enough to be meaningful.
puppyhead01- well said!!
It’s not an assumption, it’s a fact – their GM, Theo Epstein, uses sabermetrics much like his friend Paul DePodesta. Bill James, who’s an influential statistician and writer, also works for the Sox as a consultant.
the managers job is to put the best possible lineup on the field…i think as fans who pay and spend a S H I T load of money on the Dodgers we have a right to complain. Grady IMO hasn’t done his job.
Here we go AGAIN. Why oh Why
does JP swing at the 1st pitch
He MUST work, that count, to start the game….NUTS ?????
NOMAR!! great dig!!
Wolf’s command still isn’t back. I think it would be smart for him to maybe make a couple of minor league starts just to get his command back.
**** even Gonzo’s home run looked weak and pathetic.
This Wilson Valdez situation is eerily reminiscent of Cody Ross last season and he was let go
Max Power. Nice response to puppyhead.
Considering how much cash I contribute in terms of time and money to this team each year, I feel I have every right complain about poor line-ups. It’s almost insulting to be told we can’t speak out against the decisions our team make (and yes, even and a day by day basis). I mean, who are we dealing with here, the Ned and Grady or Bush and Cheney???
I would say a high number of the informed Dodger fan-base realizes that the quality of our line-up is suffering because management is favoring high paid veterans over cheap, promising youngsters. If there’s the slightest chance that Ned might read our complaints and somehow rethinks his approach then I am totally in favor expressing displeasure.
I don’t think people are complaining for its own sake. I think people see a genuine problem with the hard-headed tendencies management is starting to exhibit.
THAT CERTAINLY WAS NOT WEAK AND PATHETIC! TWO HR’S! 3 for 4 day for Gonzo! Bring out the broomsticks!
Wow! Way to go Gonzo! Two HR’s on a power-starved team, I can’t complain. I’m getting ready to blast the Randy Newman out of my windows for all the Giants fans up here. The Blue Broom looks as though it might sweep through San Fran once again.
🙂
nope. still don’t like him. or his defense.
ya i guess we should only base our lineup on stats. i mean 3-4 with two homeruns and 4 rbis is not that great of a day.
and if lineups were only based on stats, then they wouldnt even have to play the games and the yankees would jus win every world series.
Guess we cant complain about LuGo today ;).
I’m not taking the hate bait.
Not gonna do it.
Trolls keep trolling.
Dodgers keep rolling.
Haters keep hating.
But I’m not baiting.
-Is it just me or did the strike zone shrink by a third when Billingsley went in? I thought he got robbed of strikes more than a few times.
-Garciaparra may not be hitting too well right now, but hopefully that changes after he sees the twins again tomorrow. He’s really come around as a first baseman, and is starting put me at ease with his awesome digs.
-Wilson Valdes needs to play third base. Although his protect the plate zone seems to double in size in in x-2 counts.
-dictionary.com says the definition of durable is “Lasting; stable.” Here’s to hoping Zito 8.18’s ERA keeps up.
It’s kind of a bummer there’s no shuttle going up to the stadium.
WOW, DODGERS SWEEP!!!!
To quote the immortal words of Jackie Gleason, ” HOW SWEET IT IS”.
HAROLD, I don’t know if you were able to catch the game today but GRADY wore his uniform shirt today.
GO BLUE!!!
kday01 – We were at my Mom’s today with family and had a great Easter dinner. Couldn’t catch the game. Glad to hear Grady wore the team uniform. Hope he is superstitious and continues to wear it. My Mom will be 87 later this month and still watches baseball regularly. Is a Blue Jay fan as there are so many of their games televised here.
Back to the Dodgers. Box score looks interesting. Nomar and Pierre will come around. Pleased for Kemp and Gonzo. Just not enough spots on the diamond. Valdez and Ethier need to play. It seems, regardless of management style, we are doing quite well after the disastrous season two years ago. I know we want the WS in a heartbeat but one step at a time. We took one last year and look like we can take another this year. Pitching is the key. Jim Traber again spoke very positively about the Dodgers on his show and he doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean.
I still think there is a plan and the youngsters will appear in significant roles as they did last year. I can’t really complain as I do not contribute anything to the franchise other than my support from four time zones away. And, complaining seems to be counter productive. I too dream of Ray’s kids filling the lineup card – young, enthusiastic, real Dodgers and affordable. All in good time. I expect Ned has done a good job of making us respectible again in a hurry. If a mistake in firing GM’s was made in the past, I think it was firing Dan Evans. His was under his watch that the farm system blossomed again. It’s up to Ned to continue to cultivate it and harvest it. He will.
What is really getting old, just like the fake dodger thoughts poster guy is all the griping about Gonzo and Pierre. All you baseball geniuses out there calling the line up a joke etc….. we get it, you don’t like Pierre and Gonzo- now give it a rest. Please. Its ruining the blog. And you guys look pretty silly today as we hang 10 on the Giants and Gonzo has 2 dongs and 4 RBI.
Some of the young guns are struggling on the farm. Loney and LaRoche terrible starts. I’m sure they will come around as will Pierre. All in good time. Greg Miller, pretty good start today, but still trouble with the strike zone with 5 BB in 3 innings. The guy I wonder about is Delwyn Young. He has hit well throughout the minors and off to a great start this year. Why is it he doesn’t get a real tryout or a trade to a team who could give him a shot? Seems to have a good attitude and work ethic. Perhaps he doesn’t have enough speed to emerge as a good player like Dave Roberts or Reed Johnson after their 26th birthdays. He is on the forty man roster so must been seen as having some potential.
as long as we come to the realization that Pierre isn’t Devon White out there we’ll be at peace with his errors out there. I’m expecting Pierre to be average in CF nothing more nothing less.
Opening day or bust!
It will be the same lineup against the lefty Jeff Francis tomorrow afternoon in the home opener. Valdez, Martinez and Kemp will all be in there.
drj884 – You are absolutely correct. We have what we have and not doing too badly. The Red Sox/Ranger game is on Sunday night baseball. JD Drew and Kenny Lofton are playing. They were last year’s targets. Hard to critcize Gonzo today. Wait for things to unfold guys.
So Ethier is missing from the lineup again?
“I mean, who are we dealing with here, the Ned and Grady or Bush and Cheney???”
Dumb. You’re dealing with a bunch of Dodger fans on this blog who hate hearing the SAME complaining day after day. Just grace us with your wisdom once a week and everyone will be happy.
What a great win today… and I completely agree with the Randy Wolf comment. He really did knuckle down and get the job done today. Bills had it rough for a bit, but he’ll rebound quickly.
But what’s really amazing is where all the anti-Gonzo posts are now? Where are they? Gee… the season’s only a week old and people are already sending him off to the pasture.
As for Ethier and Kemp… they’ll get their playing time. It’s a very long season and who knows when they’ll be called in to play every day. And we already know that Andre can hit lefties… so no worries there. These two have the rest of their careers to play every day.
So yah… the jury is still out on whether or not Gonzo can play at this pace all season long. But I find it utterly ridiculous that people could pass final judgement on this guy after only a few games. This guy is our teams’ best hitter right now. Kemp and Ethier will be just fine…
Also, how many aliases does this troll have anyway? I’ve counted at least ten or twelve different email addresses. This dude has a real talent for holding conversations with himself. Truly pathetic…
And finally… I hope everyone had a very Happy Easter holiday… those who celebrate it that is. Harold, I hope your Spring is getting warmer for you. Four-in-a-row has a way of making you feel warm inside. And all of you who will be at the home opener tomorrow… have a Dodger Dog for me! I’ll have something similar and not to mention my 99.9% correct Tommy’s Chili recipe to boot!
Go Dodgers!!
Listen up PUP. You keep hearing the same complaining because management is making the SAME mistake day in and day out. Keeping JP and LG in the line-up day in and day out will is not an honest effort to field our best possible line-up. We may be winning a few games right now, but I fear that we’ll see more games like the first 2 against the Brewers with greater frequency.
Also, WHO ARE YOU to tell us what we can complain about or how frequently we should do it?
BTW, if you hate reading it so much, then why do you keep coming back for more? I’d say that’s pretty DUMB.
Well said, puppyhead. I have run into too many Dodger fans in my life that are so quick to react to some insignificant situations that really need more time before a comment or judgment can be made and well it does get quite annoying to see it so frequently. These are the kinds of people you wouldn’t want to be stuck in an elevator with since they seem to carry with them a panic-kind of attitude. I mean…the season is 162 games!! I remember last year someone making a comment about Kenny Lofton being washed up after a few games (due to his lack of hits) and well he finished up with a pretty decent average.
I love the comment above. The “who are you” comment which is a comment that can be redirected right back at the very same poster. Let me demonstrate: Who are you to complain about who they are about your complaining?
I also love how the poster makes it seem like the reader merely comes back to read more complaining. I think the reader returns to read the unrepetetive banter. I’d say his high school conclusions are pretty dumb. But then again, who am I to say that 😉 LOL
Wolf looked AWESOME today….!!! Hopefully they will keep on playing good ball…!!!
Bleedin’ Dodger Blue…
G
Ognir, I think have a right to complain about someone telling me to limit my discussion on a particular topic. I’m not on here telling anyone to shut up, which is what you and puppy seem to be doing.
We all have our opinions about what the Dodgers should and should not be doing. This blog allows people to express those opinions.
Also, wouldn’t you think the fact that certain opinions are so “repetitive” serves an an indication that perhaps those people are on to something?
One last thing; and i think its something we all can agree about…
GO DODGERS!!!
Dodgers looked awesome today. I dont think anyone is trying to be annoying, this is just an outlet for us fans, who care greatly about the team, to express our thoughts. Everyone has a different opinion and hopefully we can all learn from each other.
Complaining/outspoken fans is exactly what Frank McCourt wants.
The more fired up Dodger fans get, the more invested they feel in the team.
The more invested they are in the team, the more likely a fan buy tickets to games, buy merchandise, etc. Heavily invested fans increase their likelihood of being exposed to Dodger sponsors by watching games and visiting the Dodger website)
In the end, as with every successful organization, all that matters is the Dodger organization taking money out of your pocket and putting it in theirs.
Is there a point to this? I don’t know. Maybe you’ll run into former Dodger great Jeff Reboulet and he’ll know the answer. But until that happens, it’ll be open to ponderment.
Oh yeah, I’m not a big fan of pepperoni *******.
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Dimes my friends… dimes.
the **** stood for n1pples.
I echo you’re feelings David86 at the end of the day we all love the Dodgers
One more thing. I heard Ned’s holding a “Most Handsome Dodger” event where we, the fans, get to vote for the sexiest Dodger.
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My vote’s for Ricky Ledee.
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I mean, c’mon.. it doesn’t get any more classic than his AB picture.
David and rgonza…THANK YOU!
Some people see the glass half empty, others see it half full.
Dodgerdude– say what you want, but dont chastise others for criticizing your views. After all, your views are stupid, but even if they werent, which they are, you are still being hypocritical. I think your handle is somewhat inappropriate, bc you seem to not be so much about the Dodgers as you are about your own pessimistic, uninformed opinions. I hate to add fuel to the fire, but it is very annoying- regardless if it meant to be.
People who do not understand and appreciate baseball tend to hit the panic button early, and look to place blame in all of the wrong places. I love Ethier and Kemp and there will be a day in the near future where they will both be starting, but they are young kids and Grady is treating them accordingly.
Really great game and great series. The starting pitching is look outstanding and i dont really see that letting up. We have a logjam on the 25 man roster, no doubt about it, but it is a great problem to have and will no doubt work itself out over a very long season. Anyone who says our management is doing a poor job is ignoring fact and going on personal bias. Feel free to espouse your beliefs, just know they are wrong and a cancer to this great blog where Dodger FANS (not those who “invest tons of their cash and time”) like to discuss legitimate issues, and have rational discussion. Dodgerdog, i invest my heart in the Dodgers, so blow me bc your cash and time are meaningless to myself and anyone else who reads this blog.
Let’s see, today’s blog started out something like this:
momoracci – “Doesn’t Gonzalez EVER take a day off? It’s a shame that millions of dollars makes one immune to crappy play. Get Ethier in there already!”
davidb86 – “LuGo does not deserve to play and even wore Ethier is rotting away on the bench.”
enders – “Getting Gonzalez was one thing. Continuing to play him EVERY SINGLE DAY against all available evidence is simply denial.”
momoracci – “He may be hitting .278, but his OPS is .649 (which is pathetic for a corner outfielder).”
manny3vee – “Playing Gonzo this much is INSANE…”
To which Luis Gonzalez responded by going 3 for 4, two home runs, four RBI’s, and three runs scored. I’m not convinced that Andre Ethier would have put up those kind of numbers, but I am confident that Luis Gonzalez will have several more days like he did today. Please don’t give up on the old guys just yet. (Spoken by an old guy).
And how about Ramon Martinez? He was outstanding today at 3B. I would be a bit concerned if I were Wilson Betemit, that’s for sure.
Great game today and great road trip. I’ll take 4 out of 6 on the road all season long!
It’s a long season guys. No need to bash the team (or each other) just because the line-up of your choice doesn’t match Grady Little’s line-up. We have an outstanding ball club and as long as we are putting up W’s, let’s praise our boys instead of bashing them.
Man I can’t wait until tomorrow! I can taste those Dodger Dogs now!
GO DODGERS!
after a bad start we win 4 in a row.Great week, WE could use a whole lot of weeks like this one. Lots of time for our prospects, they will help this year, just wait and see.
3 more quick wins againt col. is next up.
Look, if Gonzo playing well leads us to the post season and the WS, so be it. Although thats a lofty assumption. I think the frustration with Gonzo for me is I am just not excited to see him play. He’s not an exciting player anymore. He was a star on a another team. As was Nomar. As was Kent. Not saying they can’t be productive now, but I think for some of us, seeing the youngsters from the farm is far more exciting and entertaining. I understand the dodger management has to have stability, and went out and signed players who would bring that. Some fans care about recognizing the names on the jerseys more than having a young talent come into their own. The dodger management has to supply that. I think we all want to see each and every promising rook get their chance, and alot of them will. It is isn’t realistic to field a team of rookies like the drays and marlins do. The Dodgers have a large market to answer to and a large enough payroll to ensure it never happens. I think again, what some of us might be struggling with is that there are no stars on this team blocking young talent, just mediocrity. Even the much ballyhooed pitching staff is filled with recognizable names but no true aces or stars. All of these things are fine for now if it brings stability and guards the management to criticism, but if mediocrity continues to usurp the place of young, upcoming talent even when its ready to contribute, its disappointing. That’s how I see it, feel free to disagree.
very eloquent ewk…
Lets see. My view are stupid and uninformed. You don’t even know what my views are!!!
I think you need to relax a bit. I’m a huge Dodger fan, and my point about spending time and $, which I don’t have much of, was simply to illustrate the fact that this team really means a lot to me. Perhaps you’ve met people whose agenda is show people how smart they are, but you’ve got me totally wrong. I’m all about the Dodgers all of the time.
In fact, if the amount of anger in your post is a reflection of your passion as a Dodger fan, then I think we have something in common.
Lets stop hatin on our own…we’ve won 4 in a row for cryin out load.
For the record, i wasnt the one hating on our own…
and, come to think of it, you are the one who seems to be angry after winning four in a row…
“Keeping JP and LG in the line-up day in and day out will is not an honest effort to field our best possible line-up. We may be winning a few games right now, but I fear that we’ll see more games like the first 2 against the Brewers with greater frequency.”
“the quality of our line-up is suffering because management is favoring high paid veterans over cheap, promising youngsters. ”
“genuine problem with the hard-headed tendencies management is starting to exhibit.”
–Your words my friend.
For the record, I’m not the one calling other dodger fans “stupid” and asking them to “blow me”. So i don’t know how you can conclude that I’M the one hating.
…and to say that I’m angry about winning four in a row makes no sense
Look, you might think you have an idea about what type of fan I am and what my views are about how our team is run. But what you’re really doing is constructing a straw man that does 2 things for you: 1) Make you feel like you’re adequetely rebutting my so-called “stupid” views and 2) apparently, “blows” you.
Nonetheless, I agree with most of what you said in your post in terms of being patient and seeing how the current line-up plays out. My biggest worry, however, is that management might be under-valuing the contributions our young guys can make. This, in turn, could lead to stunting their development and/or perhaps bad trades. Now, it might turn out that our vets shine and we make some great trades to get us over the top. Or, it might turn out that our vets stink and management is forced to sit them down. The worst case, of course, would be trading our young guys before our vets stink. At which point we would be at the whims of the quality of those trades.
The gist of what I’m saying is that I really hope the presence of Pierre and Gonzo’s contracts doesn’t cloud Ned and Grady’s sound judgment.
Those are some reasonable arguments you quoted. The problem with your post was it that it does not substantively respond to any of those points. You simply resorted to personal attacks about my character and propositioned me for some oral.
I noted the points on which we agree, but you have yet to say anything meaningful as to my other concerns.
hahahahahah.wow, that should shut every gonzo vs ethier lefty comparison down. thats not an average lefty on the mound, that was barry zito former cy young all star stud. please guys i think we can all agree gonzo is not ted williams, but he can hit still…the only thing i worry about is his pathetic defense, ive never heard in my 22 years someone say they are in a defensive slump. ethier is just not proven, anyone calling for ethier to carry this team and breakout like we all would like, just remember how bad he looked at the plate from mid july to the end of the season.
……totally overmatched and often left looking red faced….enter marlon anderson.
1) Opening day is tomorrow, and that should be fun for everyone. I’ll be in class,
but I’ll be rooting for the Dodgers and thinking about how much more intersting following the game on gameday would be than learning about how to use SAS.
2) Will Grady Little continue last year’s practice of rewarding great performances with a day off?
3) Ramon Martinez and Wilson Betemit are both hitting for a .067 average so far. I would put Betemit in, though. The advantage of Betemit is twofold: he’s more likely to hit the ball harder, and he’s more likely to foul off a pitch. Betemit, at least from what I can tell, is among the more adept Dodger hitters at hitting foul balls and having long at bats, registering more pitches per plate appearance than anyone else in the regular lineup, including stats going back to 2001. Over the past few games, it’s been clear that short innings are not good for your offense. Besides, he homered in a nationally televised game against a left-handed pitcher in Dodger Stadium last year (yes, Odalis Perez, but still).
4) The cynical “Dodger Blues” site wisely suggested that Furcal’s return from the DL should be put off for a little while. Not only can Valdez hit, but it would be wisest to get Furcal to heal more fully, so he is not nagged by an injury for a month again, or worse, that his injury recurs. Remember Furcal was barely better than a pitcher in the lineup in April last year, and also remember everything Eric Gagne said. I know we’ve had some changes with the training staff, but all I ask is that they do the right thing here.
5) Where I go to school (George Mason University, thus “patriot”), one of the buildings in the freshman housing areas is named for former President Eisenhower. On one of the walls in there is the following quote:
“Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels – men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.” – Dwight David Eisenhower
Perhaps this goes for us as Dodger fans too, in LA, Virginia, Canada, or wherever else we may be around the globe.
marlon anderson=luis gonzalez ,if he played every day.
…but better defense.
our outfield is packed and people are gonna start being held accountable by performance…. kemp is here to stay and i cant wait to see him go 30/30.
a. I am just calling you stupid, not “other Dodger fans”
b. You prove my point that you are uniformed/pushing the panic buttom by “worrying” about management trading youngsters, something that they have NEVER done.
c. I didnt say anything about your character, simply that your points were dumb, nothing about you as a person.
d. Why should i rebut your own biased concerns? you say management isn;t doing an honest effort– I say trust management because they have proven they can win and willing to do what is nesessary to do so.
You say management is favoring high price vets over promising rooks, but what you fail to mention is that the vets are PROVEN while the rooks are simply promising. Being PROVEN means you get the benefit of the doubt.
If i tell you to blow me, you know i am not propositioning you for anything, so why dont we leave the ***** retorts at the door.
If you cant see how you are hating from your very own quotes than i suppose you are blind– which would actually explain a lot. Please dont respond to this- agree to disagree.
And i am honestly dissenting from the opinions of dodgerdog. I just think my dissent is more honest than his.
the word that was bleeped out was p@nsy. I dont know why they censored that.
I’m all for debates about the quality of players or the decisions of management, but I don’t think we need a running argument between dodgerdude and ewk216, and who’s dumb, who’s character was insulted, etc.
Here’s what we know–after a one week road trip, we’re 4-2. 88-68 the rest of the way should win the division, and if we win 4 games a week through October, we’ll have a parade downtown in October.
As for the question marks on the board, JP is not doing well so far, but we know he’s going to get a lot of opportunity. Gonzo after a slow start at the plate is hitting well. And though his defense leaves something to be desired, his offense is making up for it. Betemit is not hitting well, and neither is Nomar. But Nomar’s going to play until he says he can’t, and has proven that so long as he is healthy, he’ll play well. The only question is with as poorly as Betemit is playing, does it become time to try to have him move across the infield and give Loney a chance. If Betemit is still hitting .067 a week from now, that issue will likely heat up.
The starters have been good, the bullpen has been great, the infield defense has been remarkable, and Russell Martin is quietly and unsurprisingly being the team’s MVP (hitting, hitting for power, calling great games, throwing runners out, blocking the plate).
So for right now, don’t expect anything to change. If you want Gonzo to ride the pine, you’re going to have to wait until he plays himself out of the job. Until then, enjoy the games, enjoy opening day, and if you go to the Stadium, let us know how the parking system works out.
a. My opinions are similar to those expressed by “other dodger fans,” thus, calling me stupid implicitly includes those dodger fans that agree with me.
b. I have not pushed the “panic” button. I am simply noting my concern that management might be going in the wrong direction.
c. How is calling me “dumb” and “stupid” not saying something about me as a person?
d. How is my concern biased? I do trust management. But its not a blind trust. If someone has a problem with how things are being run then I think there is nothing wrong with saying something about it.
Like I said, its totally possible the current plan will work out. I just don’t think its the best way to go.
I don’t think my view are dishonest, dumb, or stupid. They’re just different than yours.
I agree to disagree–and I can respond to whatever post I please. If you want to make your own rules go start your own blog.
I agree leek. I’m done.
Thanks Kevin. Must admit the snow cover is beautiful. Highways clear in a day this time of year but snow right now is not my favorite thing. Getting anxious to plant. Nice post Kevin and leekfink. Great start to our season. The season will be punctuated with ups and downs. Guys not performing well, overachieving, getting injured, going on streaks, fans second guessing but it all averages out. Good to look at the positives.
I don’t think we have an overwhelming #1 pitcher but several good ones with a few good starts in a row. I’m thinking the Yankees with all their firepower would love to have our staff. We do have good relief pitching and depth in pitching. That is to Ned’s credit. Seven potential starters on the staff and guys like John Meloan and Greg Miller waiting in the wings. Some baseball analysts have concluded the Dodgers can best survive an injury to a starting pitcher.
I have to conclude Gonzo and Pierre are major league caliber ball players. Perhaps not the best but could play for many teams. The fact we have guys waiting to get in the lineup keeps them hungry and again demonstrates our depth, both on the Dodgers and at AAA. Again, not too many teams have that luxury. We, in fact, have two good lead off hitters, once Raffy plays. Another luxury.
One week does not a season make but it was a good week. Inner defense good, catching very good, pitching good, Kent looks healthy, Nomar, Pierre and Furcal yet to produce and history tells us they will, seventeen extra base hits in six games with four of them home runs and we haven’t played at home yet. Doesn’t get much better than this. GO DODGERS!!
I still think Gonzos washed up. That said ,I would be very happy to be wrong, if he helps us win games. Ditto about Pierre.
fliegel – Gonzo certainly isn’t at the height of his career. We know that. We also know that he will give all he can contribute. When and if that is not enough, Grady has lots of options. He will use them. You are right, the absolute bottom line is games won so I have no doubt management will tend to that bottom line. GO DODGERS!!
That’s the bottom line eulman. I’m just a little concerned about the games against the better teams,but time will tell.
you said >>One more thing. I heard Ned’s holding a “Most Handsome Dodger” event where we, the fans, get to vote for the sexiest Dodger.<<
Dude that’s ***, we’ll leave that up to the chicks.
bluebleeder
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that was a joke, retard.
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you obviously either
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a) have no sense of humor
b) have no idea who Ricky Ledee is and/or what his AB picture looks like
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or
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c) you’re totally overcompensating for the fact that you think you might be *** after reading my comment
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I can almost imagine what bluebleeder went through while reading my comment –> “hmm.. Sexiest Dodger Contest.. for real?!?! man, that’s a great idea!! oh no wait… i’m.. a GUY.. i should post a comment saying its the CHICKS’ job to choose the sexiest Dodger… not.. me… yeah..”
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Hahaha