Homestand kicks off tonight…
Another busy day getting back into the swing of things here. There will be a nice tribute to Buzzie Bavasi at tonight’s game and here’s the lineup against the Mets:
Furcal, SS
Pierre, LF
Kemp, RF
Kent, 2B
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
Jones, CF
DeWitt, 3B
Billingsley, P
Inside the Dodgers 
This is the line-up we need all the time. Jones has had his eyes checked and they are fine. He just having trouble getting started, and I hope that happens before September. Maybe this is the night. He needs a 3 for 4 night to get started.
Since when does Ethier not deserve to start? This is stupid.
Hey guys. Just got in and have been reading your comments. LOL. Some good ideas. I’m not sure how long Joe will stick with Jones. If he is still performing this poorly in June, Joe is going to have some difficult decisions to say the least. I believe Jones will get at least that long and I fear probably more. I’m praying that Jones gets his s**t together soon or we’re freaking screwed. Probably not wise to take a player that Atlanta gave up on. They are dead on the vast majority of the time. Keep your fingers crossed. At least Pierre is playing well for the time being.
Sorry, no Ethier is a bad line-up. Guy hits a home run yesterday…could do no wrong the first month…and now he has trouble cracking the line-up in favor Pierre and Jones. Granted, Perez is a lefty. But………………..WHO CARES? Free Andre!
I feel awful for Ethier. He doesn’t deserve this s**t!!
Perez isn’t pitching tonight. It’s RHP Figueroa.
Sorry rlglyn, but if Andre Ethier is not starting then it’s the wrong lineup plain and simple.
Jones or Pierre have to sit.
Ethier sitting 3 of the last 4 games, are you kidding me??
FU Joe Torre.
well pierre, ethier, and kemp deserve to play. while jones should watch
Nevermind. I guess it is Perez.
it’s obvious that pierre is going to play as long as he produces. the $9M contract has everything to do with that. so, who do you sit? kemp, who is on fire right now, or ethier? it looks like it is ethier for now. kemp took it on the chin earlier in the year. now, it’s ethier’s turn. it sure puts a perspective on things when the players with the highest salaries play, and not the players with the most talent and performance don’t.
This is horse Sh%t and Torre can bite me. And Ned deserves to wait tables, It’s probably the only job he wouldn’t screw up. Ouch wait a minute, I just insulted Waiters and Waitresses, I appologize that was wrong of me. Ned couldn’t even hold thier aprons !!!
I can’t wait until Jason Schmidt comes back and looks like Brett Tomko. And then Schmidt winning the 5th starter spot over Kershaw in the NEXT spring, even though Schmidt will be a gas can this second half and Kershaw will be mowing people down.
Book it. You all know it to be true.
Things should be fine however, Nomar will be back soon.
And I don’t care if they win by 40 runs, it sets a bad precedent. This Line up is CRAAAAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, Ethier has earned three of the last four games off? What a load of garbage!
I thought with Grady gone we might be through with the lineup BS, but here we are one month into the season and it’s been even worse this year.
Remember, Joe did play Tony Womack quite a bit a couple years ago and we all know he was a total piece of crap for a player so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised.
Since April 24.
When Pierre complained, he had started 4 of 12 games.
He has now started 5 of 6.
Ethier’s avg has dipped 20 points.
Juans has gone up 80 points in that time.
I was making plans to bring my kids down (7 hour drive from Sacramento) to Dodger Stadium to see thier very first Dodger game in person, but there is now way I am putting out $500- $700 or more for gas, tickets, hotel, food, etc…. Not for this drivel that Torre and Nedster keep putting out. It would be much cheaper and a lot less stress to introduce my kids to the Oakland A’s. At least they put the best team on the field.
Let me first start by saying I think Ethier should play. He earned the job that was up for grabs in ST. Now I know everyone is hot, but what does Torre do? Should he give up on AJ? I know its been 5 weeks and I’m starting to wonder if he will ever snap out of it. He wont snap out of it sitting on the bench. So how long does this go on? 3 more weeks? Pierre is playing too well to sit. Kemp is playing too well to sit. Does Ned do what they did to Frank Thomas? Its a tough situation.
All I have got to say is that this really sucks!!
Sorry, PierreEW (wherever you are right now), I know you want us all to think positive, but this is so depressing that Ethier has to sit after hitting that home run yesterday. This whole idea that Ethier can’t hit of left-handed pitchers is fine, but Jones isn’t hitting off of anybody. I’d rather take the chance that Andre is at least going to put the ball into play.
ANDRE – WE(THE FANS) KNOW WHO SHOULD BE PLAYING!!
Tbooklv, Ethier WAS playing too well to sit, but Slappy had his Mommy call Ned. Juan is playing above his average right now and it won’t last, he needs to go. I would rather see AJ in CF with his horrible AB’s than have slappy and his horrible Defense.
dnelson,
Ethier actually has hit lefties very well in his shirt career to the point of there being little difference for him versus righty or lefty if that makes you want to shoot yourself….
Well if you want to see AJ instead of JP, I have no problem with that. I guess my main question is how long does AJ get before it’s time to bail?
It seems like Ethier is getting the same treatment that Kemp got a few weeks ago. I know it’s not fair. I really hope none of them get hurt, but that or Pierre getting traded, this might go on for awhile.
As long as Ethier isn’t getting the pinch I don’t care what is done with AJ and Juan. they both suck but at least AJ can play his position.
jnv,
I have been to the A’s games quite often, and yes, they do put out their best. They are playing mostly the young kids (with a couple of veterans) and they are taking their chances with the young kids and so far it is paying off for them. They are right up there with the Angels. It’s going to be a fun team to watch, especially since nobody was counting on them to do anything but be at the bottom of the standings.
Nice way to reward Ethier for a HR yesterday.
Makes no difference who’s pitching, JP and E are both lefty. Only platoon that makes sense that way is JP/Druw or JP/Kemp. Guess Ethier is paying his dues now for JP & AJ.
Ned must think the fans are yelling Druw instead of boo.
Ned has a total dsdain for the young guys. He undervalues their achievements, their contributions and most of all their talent. On the otherhand, he vastly overvalues those same three things in veterans. Guaranteed when Nomore’s able to come off the DL, DeWitt’s gone again. Not only that, LaRoche will still be in Vegas. Fortunately when NG’s hurt again in a week or two, we’ll get one of the kids back.
Another guarantee – We’ll be buying at the trade deadline instead of selling.
Any other organization would be like Pavlov’s dog hearing a dinner bell if they had the young talent the D’s have, but I’m totally surprised Ned hasn’t traded most of it away [yet.] I think Logan should get a shot at GM, but honestly, I’ll take just about anyone now (except Sabean.)
REPOST FROM THE PREVIOUS THREAD (I hope this is interesting enough to merit the repost. If not, I apologize.)
This post will be a long one, but I hope you guys will enjoy. It is a story about, among other things the genesis of the James Loney Song. First a quick piece of background information: leekfink and I are brothers.
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On May 6, 1983 Lee and I attended a Dodgers-Cardinals game with a group that included my then girlfriend Jennifer. BTW, I was 19 at the time and Lee was 7. The game was a classic battle that ended 16-10 Dodgers. It was at that time the longest 9-inning game in National League history (not sure about the AL), and still would be if not for the introduction of mile-high Denver into the league. Although, the box score will tell you that Ozzie Smith committed one error that night, Lee and I distinctly remember that the Wizard of Oz committed two, a failing that could not have happened more than a very small handful of times in his career.
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See the box score here: http://tinyurl.com/3tc2u4
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But it was a small, otherwise insignificant moment that changed our lives forever. At some point during the game, the umpire made a bad call. The crowd booed and hissed, and called the umpire names and made all the usual comments about his eyesight and perhaps his parentage. Then, out of the blue, Jennifer yelled, “The umpire is stinking and unshaven!”
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That solitary “cheer” has led to 25 years of bizarre cheers. From that time forward, we have complained of bad and questionable calls with those famous words: “The umpire is stinking and unshaven.” But that was just the beginning. In the ensuing 25 years we have invented numerous cheers. They could be organized in many ways. One way would be to organize them according to the amount of sense they make. Thusly they could be divided into three categories:
1) Those that are weird, but make sense
2) Those that make little if any sense (At least not to the poor saps sitting near us).
3) Those that make perfect sense
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Below are a couple of examples from each category.
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WEIRD BUT MAKE SENSE
1) “The umpire is …. (you know by now)
2) “Stop Thief!” (Opponent stolen base attempt)
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MAKE LITTLE IF ANY SENSE
1) “Pepto Bismol!” (For an opponent caught stealing. Originated when Lee mispronounced “Picked him off!”)
2) “Et tu Ceasar” (Used to applaud Cesar Izturis)
MAKE PERFECT SENSE
1) “Pizzaman, he delivers!” (Mike Piazza)
2) The James Loney Song
I actually went to an A’s game a couple of years ago, I got to see Zito when he was really good. I go to Rivercats games all the time (AAA for A’s). The only problem with going to the A’s games is I feel like I am dishonoring the Dodgers!!! LOL I guess I shouldn’t considering they don’t care about the fans.
Lol!! Scott – thanks!!
This is so very frustrating!! I have been looking at stats and not seeing this whole lefty thing, but maybe I was missing something – thanks for the clarification that this has nothing to do with Ethier’s batting but who is getting paid more. lol!!
1) Andruw had flashes of having it together in April and July last year, but now such luck in 2008. If it’s not his eyes, that’s bad, because his numbers would indicate that’s the case. He’s failing in two of the three true outcomes – his K% is a staggering 34.7% of PAs. Well out of the ordinary. What’s alarming is that thus far, out of about 26 fly balls he’s hit, one of them has left the ballpark. If his vision is bad, then either he’s mentally lost, or he’s hiding a nasty injury.
2) Andre Ethier is having a tougher time against lefties this year. Remember how in 2006 we all were amazed how well he hit left handers? Fact is he had an absurd average on balls in play against them, which regressed, perhaps below the mean, last year. This year, his BABIP against lefties is matching the housing market at .182, meaning he’s due for a huge spike against left handers. Particularly mediocre to bad left-handers.
3) Speaking of BABIP, Billingsley still has some regression to the mean to come. If only the 5th inning would just stop being so troublesome. Why the 5th anyway? That just screams randomness.
4) Furcal continues to be super awesome. But as Vin Scully reminds us, Chipper Jones is super awesomer, although in more eloquent words. If Jones is not an all-star, there is something deeply wrong with major league baseball. Nomar is our main 3B guy on the ballot (and he may not be healthy for the allstar game), so why not vote for Chipper Jones.
5) “Perez has honestly got to step up and know that we’ve just used every guy in our bullpen the night before,” [Mets closer Billy] Wagner said at the time. “He can’t come out there and decide that, `Gee, he hasn’t got it today and so be it.”’
This is called idiocy. Major leaguers play to win every time. If I got to play a scene from Bruce Almighty, Wagner would blow the save on a walk-off homer to Andruw Jones.
The funny thing about the A’s right now, is that most of the players on the field were playing with Andre before he got traded to the Dodgers. I do feel a little weird being at an A’s game, knowing I am a Dodger fan, but I am also a baseball fan, and I love to see good players play. I think that’s why this issue is so frustrating because the “best” players are not playing.
I agree with you completely DNelson, I am a student of the game and love everything about it. I manage my sons little league team (AA Dodgers) The name was easy to get up here in NoCal!! LOL. And I have to play everyone for the most part, but I feel I am more loyal to the players that can play than Torre is, If it’s not broke don’t fix it!!
But the one thing that is constant with A’s fans and Dodgers fans is the knowledge. Every A’s fan I have met knows a lot about baseball and they expect Bean to put a product on the field that shows results. Nedster and Torre keep shoving these over the hill and worthless old timers down our throats and say “we are commited to winning”. I say BS they are commited to thier collective mistakes!
I added on to MartinLoneyKemp’s post in the last thread. But it was a great game, and we’ve been doing this for 25 years now. In honor of that game, we’ll be there for the 25th anniversary Tuesday night–Top Deck, Aisle 6. We’ll also be there Friday, along with our uncle, on the Field Level.
Anyway I am off to practice, We should go to an A’s game sometime Dnelson!
Lets Go Dodgers!!!
PLAY ANDRE NOW~!
I guess we all know who the 4th outfielder is.
I can’t see why they don’t just trade Ethier to a team that will appreciate him.
I’ts obvious Jones has CF nailed down whether he hits or not and no matter how many times he strikes out.
All Pierre has to do is keep his OBP up and he’s guaranteed to stay off the bench even if most of us feel he is unnecessary since we have Furcal.
The only good news I have is the Mets bullpen has been struggling so far this year and although this didn’t help us in the past maybe now since our offense has picked up recently we may be able to take advantage of it.
Let’s hope Bilz can keep up the strikeouts but cut down on his pitchcount so he can bring us to the 7th inning.
GO YA’ BUMS BEAT MY HOME TEAM.
Lol!! jnv – so, true, so true!!
The A’s fans are very nice to opposing teams. I went to the Red Sox/A’s series, and I was floored by how nice they were to them. I kept telling the people around me, “this would not be happening at Dodger Stadium.” A week later, I went to the Dodger series against the Padres, and the experience was the exact opposite. Dodger fans were horrible to the Padre fans (some of it deserved, I must say).
Well, as much as I am mortified by this lineup, I do hope we win tonight.
Although sitting Ethier regularly makes more sense than sitting Kemp, it’s still beyond dumb.
Also, about tonight–obviously, Kemp MUST start. I get starting Pierre how he’s playing now. But just a week ago, it was reported the Torre thought that Ethier had been the guy who had proven to be the most consistent and be in there everyday.
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What the heck changed? It’s not like Andre started tanking.
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I would have played Jones Sunday in Colorado, but he’s still not hitting. I don’t care about $9 Million or $18 Million a year contracts, you simply can’t hit .160 and be a major league starter–just ask Mario Mendoza.
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Jones needs to sit a few days to get his head straight and work with Mike Easlier in the batting cage. Then, he and Pierre need to split time until Jones wins the job or Pierre loses it.
Sweep the freaking Mets! These games are always more important for some reason. HATE THE METS! Tonight is the first start for Billingsley against the Mets. Oliver Perez is either amazing or awful, there really is no middle ground. He has the ability to strike out the side and walk the house. Patience is the key and we’ve been really great at that all season. Also, congrats to Matt Kemp for winning N.L Player of the Week!
GO DODGERS!
Andre will start tomorrow and Wednesday or something IS very wrong. Just win.
I have got to go home. I will catch up to all of you later. Have a great game, and thinking positive, maybe Andre will get in the game in the later innings (after Andruw’s usual 2nd/3rd strikeout).
Have fun up on the TopDeck (MLK/Leefink) – I want to hear those cheers up here in NorCal.
GO DODGER BLUE!!!!
I know all about career numbers but look at these split vs. lefties this season:
Pierre: (9 for 19) .474
Jones: (7 for 33) .212 1 HR
Kemp: (18 for 45) .400 2 HR’s
Ethier: (4 for 28) .143
Lineup is fine and this team has the best batting average in baseball against left handed pitching. Sit back and relax.
I will say that JP has been able to back-up his mom’s words in his last few starts, and has actually EARNED some playing time. But that time should be at the expense of Jones, not Ethier or Kemp.
Seriously, if Jones hasn’t gotten his average over .200 by Memorial Day, DFA the bas-tard. No matter what you’re on the hook for his salary – no one’s going to claim him (like Ned did Loaiza – Beane must still be smiling about that.) Hell, just make AJ Ned’s “special assistant” like they did Mueller.
There’s enough dead horses now to last us rest of this season and into next, especially when Nomore comes off the DL. I’m sure though that Ned will find us somemore the end of July…
I will be there Top Deck Aisle 3, last row like always.
Leekfink:
Pierre is not competing with Jones, I wish that was the case.
Horrible as it sounds, Ethier is still competing with Kemp.
It’s pretty obvious both Jones & Pierre have their positions NAILED DOWN.
Pierre vs Ethier; lefties vs righties:
2006 – Pierre vs LHP = .293, vs RHP = .291
2006 – Either vs LHP = .351, vs RHP = .298
2007 – Pierre vs LHP = .274, vs RHP = .301
2007 – Either vs LHP = .279, vs RHP = .286
2008 – Pierre vs LHP = .474 (19 ABs), vs RHP = .265
2008 – Either vs LHP = .143 (28 ABs), vs RHP = .366
Source: http://www.baseball-reference.com
Conclusion: Not much to choose from as 2008 statisics are too small of a sample and the other two years are very close.
PS – Pierre has 12 HRs in 9 years and a worse arm than my grandmother. Ethier has a good arm and 27 HRs in two years and a month.
New conclusion: Never mind. Start Ethier. Now.
I think Torre has realized how special Kemp is because he’s starting Kemp in the three spot against lefties and righties. Ethier is the odd man out because Pierre is hot and they have to hope Jones turns it around. You just can’t give up on him. Ethier leads the outfielders in at bats, so lack of playing time is not an issue. I just don’t see a big deal here.
Ethier needs to play over little Juan. I don’t care that Pierre is playing good, was Ethier playing bad? As stated by everybody, Ethier is the future and I hope Pierre is not, also which one is the more complete player ,and can actually throw out a runner?
It doesn’t matter dodgereric.
It would be good if you & others on this blog were running this team but you’re not.
I am just calling what I see and what I see is the team favors Pierrre LF__ JONES CF __& KEMP/ETHIER RF
I don’t like it ethier but it looks like we have to accept it.
i know this line-up is bad because now ethier has sat 3 of the last 4… and obviously we all want ethier and kemp in there everyday… but trying to be optimistic about joe and his baseball knowledge… i can’t help but feel like he already knows what he has in ethier, and he’s still trying to figure out jones and pierre… so he figures he needs to play them to see what he can get, and then when he reaches a conclusion about which is the lesser of two evils, he will plug in kemp, ethier, and whoever the 3rd person is… at least that’s what i HOPE is true…
Man I wish I could dream like you.
What are you smoking Saralovesrussell?
Kemp has actually forged ahead in OF ABs, but it’s close. From the Ds website as of now:
Kemp 105
Ethier 99
Jones 98
Pierre 68
My concern is that less than a month ago, Andre supposedly earned the starting position. Now he’s sitting more and more. He hasn’t earned the demotion. It’s not like Pierre is crushing the ball, is it? Granted, I haven’t been able to watch all the games lately, but a bloop here and a drag bunt into left field there and VIOLA, he’s HOT! Have a seat, Andre! I gotta play this tornado!
Alex, I respect your opinion very much. But I don’t agree that Pierre should be playing over Ethier. Now or ever. Make your case on Pierre vs Jones if you like.
I’m trying very hard not to be negative……………..
Just like last season Alex beats me to it see above 4:53.
Eric: Hasn’t it occured to you that Torre, when he has to make such a tough decision, possible prefers to go with recent stats as they indicate how a player is doing currently.
LHH’s batting .083 against Perez in 2008. Ethier is a more typical LHH than slap hitting Pierre.
2008 OBP against LHP Ethier .273, Pierre .545.
I’m not baseball smart enough to know what to do with Jones. So if he has to start in the hope it will bring him around, I’d at least think about starting DY in left, Martin at 3rd, and Bennett who is 4 for 9 with 2 walks against Perez to get as few LHH’s in the line-up as possible.
Sad truth is that Ned’s saddled us with two subpar OFers, paid them millions of dollas to be subpar, and paid millions of dollars for a manager who’ll play the subpar. Any other organization in baseball, save the Gnats, would field their best team period.
Ned must have been one of those kids that didn’t play with his new toys and just sat them on the shelf to look at them…
The only positive though that has come to my mind at this moment but I’m having trouble believing it is:
Pierre is being showcased.
It’s a wild dream but maybe some team can use him as a perminant DH.
Otherwise Ethier will be getting splinters before long.
Now Iam home, and I am still of the mindset that Ethier should be playing. I don’t care that he has had enough at bats, he hasn’t deserved to lose his job. This isn’t just a matter of giving him the day off, it’s just politics. It’s like when my son used to play little league (and sometimes now even in highschool and travel ball), the parents that seem to have the loudest voices are the ones that think their kid should be playing everyday, whether they have the talent or not. In this case it is Pierre’s mom (maybe she is talking on behalf of andruw too). I am sorry, this is just ridiculous. I teach young children, and you want them to know that there is merit in true competition, but I guess that isn’t the case in this particular issue. The three best outfielders at this point in time are Kemp,Ethier and Pierre,and that is who should be playing. I would feel differently if one of these three were struggling along with andruw, but currently, they are not.
Sorry for the long post, but my class (as young as they are) are following this issue along with me. They don’t get it either.
Should have said plate appearances, also Ethier > Pierre for life don’t get me wrong. I’m a member of the Dead Horsemen. Kemp without a doubt is our right fielder. Ethier should start every game. But, we have this little issue of Pierre playing well and Jones well…isn’t but that’s a whole other horse to beat to death. But it’s a lefty pitching tonight so either Pierre or Ethier had to sit tonight and Joe chose to play Pierre. But with Pierre in the lineup and Ethier on the bench we put up 23 runs in two games. Most of that had nothing to do with Jones, but you just can’t NOT play him. He’s not THIS bad. He’s just not. Ethier will play a lot, it’s just a week in a long season. That’s why I believe it’s not a big deal.
has anyone caught this article on yahoo? Interesting read about how the economy affects Dodger fans.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jo-mlbandrecession043008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
dodgereric – to gauge playing time, I’d suggest using plate appearences instead of at-bats, since ABs don’t include BB, HBP, Sacs, SF. Including yesterday:
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LA OF – PA
Ethier – 122
Kemp – 113
Jones – 113
Pierre – 78
pierres… i’m not ON anything… i’m just trying to envision a silver lining… i used to get all angry about the little things, and the lineups, and be super negative… but i found it did me no good… so now i’ve just been trying really hard to be optimistic and hope that the things we all hope for come true… the main thing is, that as long as we keep winning, we should all be decently happy.
Eric: Pierre hit .563, 9 for 16 in the last 4 games with 6 runs scored and 3 RBI’s.
Regarding the split numbers, lefty / righty for Ethier and Pierre that Alex and dodgereric posted: The important thing to remember is that Torre and company have only witnessed the 2008 and what they see appears to mean much more to them than past performance that they did not witness.
Sara – not a bad hope… Joe does seem a litle slow on the uptake. Sometimes with these line-ups it seems like we’re still in ST.
All I know is with JP AND AJ in the line-up, we’re giving away outs AND defense. If its only JP OR AJ, we’re only giving up outs OR defense.
PierreEMW, if I respect Alex, (and I do) I respect you more. You certainly have the right to your opinion as much as anyone else, and I’m glad that you have no qualms about giving it.
I know that it’s really easy to sit on the sofa and watch these games and play GM or field manager and think that you’re as good or better than the people that they pay for those jobs. I love Tommy, but that guy used to drive me nuts with some of his decisions sometimes. I know, who am I? But that’s part of being a fan, isn’t it? Goodness knows that if I were in charge, the first thing I’d do is abolish the 100-pitch limit and establish something more individual. But that’s just me.
You are absolutely correct in that it’s obvious what the Ds management is thinking, but I don’t have to like it. At work, they pay me to do a job. If I don’t like the way that they want me to do it, I tell them. Then I go do it their way because they pay me. But I don’t have to accept it. If I keep my mouth shut, they think that everything’s OK. Every once in a while, they listen to what I say and agree with me. Every once in a while, I find that they were right. Funny how that works out.
I need to go home now so that I can watch the game. Catch up with you later, Pierre. Go Dodgers. Let’s get a new streak going.
i completely agree enchanted.. if only we could combine jones and pierre into one decent outfielder.. sigh
JP over his last 17 games:
.396 .475 .472 .947
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His inevitable regression to the mean will have us howling.
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With only 4 extra-base hits for the season, he is hitting them at about the same rate – 1 every 17 AB – as Andruw Jones, 1 every 16.33.
Do the great majority of you who constantly post your nonsensical reasons why Grady last year,Colletti ,and Torre do the things they do really believe your crap. Every game last year Alex would post the line-up before it was out yet you would always say Grady is a moron with no basis for his line-ups. If Alex could predict the line-up at least 19 times out of 20 then you have to concede that Grady was being systematic. Now we have posts that say Colletti who grew up dirt poor is willing to risk his career because of what dnelson calls politics. Give a break please.
miketink
Politics do exist in youth programs ( I live it everyday), but the politics turn to money when you get up to the big boy level. The money the Dodgers have spent on players in these last few years have been astronomical, and the player isn’t living up to the cost. I hear the same thing every day from the gnats and Zito. The funny thing is about the gnats right now is that Rowand is playing with broken ribs and is still doing better than Jones.
interesting read from tony jackson’s blog, for those of you who don’t read it: (about matt kemp)
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To me, what really jumps out at you about his numbers last week was the fact he stole six bases. That represents more than a quarter of his career total, which presently sits at 23. It speaks to the fact the Dodgers are a more aggressive club this season. Matt told me in the clubhouse that he has the green light to steal unless a no-steal sign is on, which intrigued me to the point that I asked Torre in his pregame session who else had the green light. Turns out Kemp, Furcal, Martin, Pierre and Andruw Jones all have the green light, and the rest of the team at least some degree of freedom, as well.
“Paul O’Neill was never on his own, but he would steal 14 or 15 bases a year,” Torre said. “If they’re giving you something, then we tell all of them to take what the other team gives you.”
Going into tonight, the Dodgers have stolen 32 bases, tying them with the Angels for the second-most in the majors. That puts them well ahead of last year’s pace of 137, especially when you consider that 110 of those steals were by three players (Furcal, Pierre and Martin).
Thanks Sara. And good for you for being optimistic and looking for the silver lining. Ethier will get 400-500 PA’s. Pierre is just on fire right now and they won’t sit Jones no matter what.
I am with dodgereric – If we keep quiet, everybody will think everything is okay. I am a Dodger fan till the end, but I am just frustrated with these recent issues. I want the best players out there, win or lose, and that is not what is happening.
One way to gauge when all is lost: Sara will come over to the dark side…
saralovesrussell – that pace would yield 167 SBs this year, with 47 CS. The good news is the success rate is up. Last year the Dodgers were had a 73.26% SB success rate, so far this year 78.05%. Personally, I like 80%+, but allowing for a few ill-advised blown hit-and-runs (remember Loney running with Jones batting?), the 78% is very, very good.
It is ashame, but they’re not going to sit Furter’s $18M Jelly Roll. Ethier should be playing. Oh the sweet green icing flowing down.
Sara,
I will try to remain positive. It is a nine inning game and anything can happen.
Enchanted, let’s hope she is right – the dark side is a scary place – lol!!
Are you working on a poem/song for us tonight?
Actually we are the good side of the force. Frank and Ned are the Evil Empire. I guess that makes Sara, Princess Leah.
jhall – Ethier had more than 502 PAs last year; he qualified for the batting title. I’d be disappointed if he didn’t qualify this year, barring injury.
May the force be with us – and Andre!! – lol!!
i’ve been to the darkside.. it’s not much fun.. i hope i can stay where i am =)
“Enchanted, … Are you working on a poem/song for us tonight?”
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I want to see a rhyme of “lee.k.fink” and “miketink”
Go for it, enchanted!! It will be great for sure!
Yep Fogey, Ethier will get his PA’s. I’m not worried yet.
Ha! I thought this was hilarious. As reported by “The Onion.”
May 01, 2008
Nomar Garciaparra Tells Wife
To Meet Him On Disabled List At 8 p.m.
LOS ANGELES—Dodgers third baseman Nomar Garciaparra left a voicemail message for his wife, former soccer star Mia Hamm, asking her to meet him on Major League Baseball’s disabled list for a date Friday night. “Hey, after you’re finished grocery shopping, why don’t you swing over to the DL to grab a bite—I’ll be hanging out in my usual spot, right below Kason Gabbard and right above Alex Gonzalez,” Garciaparra reportedly said, stressing that she should meet him on the 15-day DL, not the 60-day DL. “Mark [Prior] and Mikey [Hampton] will be there too. Should be fun.” Upon hearing the message, Hamm complained that Garciaparra “always” wants to hang out on the DL, and expressed frustration that she has to tear her hamstring every time she wants to spend time with her husband.
Good stuff Kace.
I gotta go out for a while, but hopefully when I get back, the Dodgers will be winning, and maybe Ethier will be in the game, getting his chance at a few PAs. I can think real positive and maybe DY will get in the game too!
Enchanted – can’t wait to see the poem – no pressure – you are a natural!
GO DODGER BLUE!!
Shoot
I wanted watch the game on MLB-TV so that I can listen to Scully & I forgot that the Mets are blacked out so I quess I have to see the Mets Telecast.
I’ll be bouncing back & forth from room to room.
Just kidding Saralovesrussell.
Bummer Pierre. At least you get to watch it. I get blacked out for Cincinnati and Pittsburg games. Not a problem when its Cincy as it is usually on tv. Pittsburg I’m screwed.
Just came from outside and watching the Mets pregame.
LETS GO BILZ.
pierreseastmeetswest — I think you and I (and most people here) are on the same page about what we would WANT to see in the outfield. BUT–I am not even convinced that Jones and Pierre have jobs nailed down. Not just because Ethier and Kemp are good and Jones is playing badly, but it seems so strange that a week ago Torre says that Ethier is his most sure-thing outfielder and then he sits him down 3 of 4 games (and, in between, he homers). Torre’s thinking still confuses me.
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I am willing to live with certain scenarios–last season, people complained about Pierre and I said that we had to just accept that he was going to be in there every day, but right now I am not sure what to think.
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Except for this:
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Go Blue!
Now, that was a great inning from Bills. Keep it up!
FURCAL! AMAZING!
Sometimes, it’s like Furcal forgets that he’s supposed to set the table for everyone else to drive him in!
Yeah, Our leadoff man leading in homers. Show what a healthy Furcal can do.
I just turned on mlb.tv Where’s Ethier..
Ethier needs to play in place of Jones. Jones needs to sit for a few days.
I believe that Ferky’s HR is some sort of record for a Dodger.
Something to do with Johnny Ferguson.
Good job Bills. Good play Dewitt. Let’s get some more runs. I want nothing less than a sweep over these guys.
I hate the Mets.
Furcal is both a table setter and a power hitter.
Like having 2 players rolled into one.
Phillies take a 5-1 lead over Max Scherzer and the D’Backs in the third inning
I agree with you Leefink
Hot Dam’n!!! Go Billz!!!
I’m just saying what it seems to me.
That was a good bunt, Delgado and Perez made a great play to nip him.
Come on Billz. Stop them here.
It seems like Torre is favoring Jones & Pierre.
I don’t know if it’s the contracts or they are veterens.
Andruw getting a few boos. They are well deserved.
Holy Cow, what a play by Ferk!!!! Sweet!!!
OH MY FURCAL! I think we all may need to start the campaign for All-Star!
I’ve been voting for him. And writing in Kemp. Also Martin and Ethier.
DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!
Cutain call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DEWITT’S FIRST HOME RUN! OFF A LEFTY! Did anybody else see the other Dodgers sit and pretend like nothing happened and then all spring up to congratulate him? That was CLASSIC! And a curtain call! Wow, what a moment!
You’re right, pierreseastmeetswest, Torre does favor Jones and Pierre. He likes Furcal and Pierre at the top of the lineup, and even though he said Ethier had won the starting LF position, he’s not a man of his word. I’m afraid that Ethier is the odd man out, although he may sit Kemp to play him once in a while. It’s a real shame, but there’s not much we can do about it.
And they’ll hand 3rd to Nomore when he comes off the DL.
Way to go Blake!!!!!! Kids gonna give LaRoche a run for it.
It’s because Ned has his head up his a** and Joe went in looking for it.
KKKKKKEEEEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!
Unreal where Kemp hit that ball going opposite field
Opposite field again Kemp might be the best opposite field hitter in the game!!!
Sweet!!!
Matt kemp, way to hit em. Everyone needs to write in Matt Kemp for all-star. I’ve voted for him 50 times. 25 in my name and 25 in wife’s name
Looking good – we’re up 2-0 right now.
For daily coverage on the Dodgers, check out http://dodgersblog.mlblogs.com
I was not at all suprise at DeWitt’s HR but I’m very,very happy about it.
Kent, Loney, Kemp, Ethier & Martin all have 3 HRs
Kemp hits them to right field with the power As Mike Piazza used to hit them
I was just thinking that, rlglynn.
A solid 7 by Bilz!
ok so i have a question?
dewitt continues to produce for say another month and they leave him at third adn he plays the whole year…hits about 290-10hr. la roche plays decent but not great at AAA. what do you do next year trade one??? if so which one. or do you platoon them.
just curious
Phweuw But Bilz is still there, thanks to the shift.
Well he got us to the 7th.
When’s the last game we had 3 knocks?
man in china… they will resign nomore and play him over both laroche and dewitt. knowing how ned works it will probably happen
Sure hope Billz can go 7. I don’t want to see Procto. Makes my *** tight when Procto comes in the game. Aptly named he is.
Manfromchina, I think Dewitt will be with big club for a long time. Laroche has not lived up to his potential YET, although he may when he comes up again. Nomore won’t be back..
Kill Kolletti
And we thought Pierre was a waste. Geez!!
Bilz had a good night 6.0
hahah…can only hope your wrong
Another good one from Joe Blow.
LET’s HOLD THEM.
Brox looks OK.
B__R__O__X__T__O__N
COM’ ON SAITO
Sammy Says……..
Words of wisdom from our wonderful manager:
Dodgers manager Joe Torre said it was likely that Garciaparra would need to have a Minor League rehab assignment before he returns. But Torre said that when Garciaparra is healthy, he would reclaim the starting third-base job from rookie Blake DeWitt.
“He was doing well when he left,” Torre said of Garciaparra, who was hitting .226 overall, but was 4-for-12 in his last three games. “He jump-started in Cincinnati [with a home run]. He didn’t do anything wrong. He needs an opportunity to pick that up.”
Why doesn’t this reasoning apply to Ethier??
BABY! Three games back!
9 of 10 and another impressive win! Wins against the Mets feel GREAT!
Sweet win. Nice effort all the way around. Look out Snakes, here we come.
Right on redfox. And what has DeWitt done wrong? The answer is that he favors the veterans. Too much, in my opinion. It seems as though a kid has to outhit a veteran by a minimum of 100 points to play.
Many years from now when we look back to these years,
The nervous memories of Gagne’ and Saito followed by the happy final moments of a win.
We will treasure.
That is discouraging Fox. Doesn’t surprise me, however, still a load of s**t!! Won’t last long as Nomore will get hurt within 2 weeks, probably trying to f*rt.
And 10 out of 12, right Alex? That’s a nice run.
Pierre, I wish I could keep the good Gagne memories. Unfortunately all I can think of now are those needles.
jhall, let’s start the over-and-under when Nomar gets back. To make it interesting, you have to pick the amount of games, the injury and what causes it.
Wonderful, Amazing, One in a Row 5 to 1 Victory By Our Beloved Los Angeles Dodgers over The New York Mets! Super Hero Matt Kemp is Simply Amazing as demonstated by launching a 2 Run Rocket always helping his Teammates! Congratulations to Well Deserved Super Heroe Blake DeWitt for His First Home Run as he always Brings his dedication with much class to The Ball Park every day! Super Hero Rafael Furcal with another Home Run Shot is the Model Shortstop for He can do it all! Super Hero Championship Pitchers Chad Billingsley, Joe Beimel,lJonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito are just so Brilliant, They shine as Bright as The Brightest Stars! And Of Course, we must always mention Superman Jeff Kent, The Man Of Steel, Future Hall Of Famer, as just His Very Presence in Our Dodger Line Up makes everybody play to their Full Potential and makes Our Los Angeles Dodger Team Invincibly Strong! All the rest of Our Los Angeles were all Super! Our 2008 Team will be talked about for a long Time as They Continue to Play Perfect Baseball all the WAY to The World Series Championship Victory!
There is no doubt Torre favors the vets.
It’s so tough.
Ethier will get some playing time.
But it’s almost like he can’t afford to faulter.
DeWitt will have to fight to replace Nomar.
Maybe that will make them better players.
But I hope it’s for us.
Keep playing at this pace and we will win 91 games.
Yep Eric, we’ll do that.
Yes, jhall, it’s really too bad when you consider that the Dodgers would be a much better team if Nomar and Jones were on the DL. And dodgereric, you are definitely right about Torre favoring verterans. And what did LaRoche do wrong not to get his chance? He must be pretty discouraged at the way he’s been treated.
Like I said before; Ned’s got his head up his a** and Joe went in to look for it.
It’s not just that Ethier must feel that he can’t falter. He could go 3 – 4 with a knock and they’ll bench him the next game! It’s a shame and I don’t see how it can do anything but kill morale. I can only hope that everyone, Pierre included, can focus on the team and be happy that they are doing well. I guess They could all see that they might play 3 games out of every 4 or 5 as they continue to rotate around. Maybe Torre’s a genius. Maybe I’ll hit the Lotto.
I think Ethier knows that it is the money. Ned shelled out $36M a season for Jones, Pierre, and Nomore and they will get the nod.
Crap. Being negative again. I guess something is wrong with me. We’ve won 10 of 12 and are back in the division race. The D backs are 5 – 5 in their last 10, so maybe they are coming back to earth.
Forgot to copy a quote I saw while I was researching the Pierre/Ethier stats earlier. From:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/pierrju01.shtml
“Bill Plaschke’s unsavory fetish notwithstanding, Juan Pierre is probably the worst regular in baseball.”
Crap. Being negative again.
I dont want to be negative, since that was a great game, and man, what a great moment with DeWitt, but if Joe is really going to just hand Norma the job againwhen he clearly has so little to offer, I don’t know what. Norma doesnt offer us literally ANYTHING that DeWitt doesn’t. You can see that he’s liked in the clubhouse and he’s learning and improving. Not to mention the ridiculous benching of Ethier, who must be frustrated as heck these days. Norma needs to be benched or released Im sorry. and as soon as LaRoche is comfortable and doing well at Vegas, he should be up and make it a moot point anyway. Plaing Norma is not going to accomplish ANYTHING, either now or in the future. We need to find out who we have in DeWitt in LaRoche, NOW.
Amen Spelk!! DeWitt has done as well with the lumber as Nomore will or better and he can play great defense. It is just ignorant!!
I guess you’re either a Torre or a NegaTorre.
Good stuff Eric. However, right now Andruw has that distinction.
Yeah jhall, I guess that was written before anyone knew Andruw was capable of going 3 for Spring with 52 whiffs.
Well, if they are going to keep up this lunacy, all I can say is; you better win. Otherwise it is pretty foolish to lose while not playing your best team.
If you have your best team on the field and play hard and come up short, well, I can accept that. But if your playing the inferior team because of salaries and egos and lose, that is UNACCEPTABLE!!
Good game tonight Dodgers!! I only got to see the last 2 and a half innings on tv, but was updated all night long via phone/internet. I was estatic to see DeWitt get his first HR – I knew he would do it soon. He had come so close so many times before. Kemp and Furcal – you are the bomb right now, and that is a definite and very good positive. I also have to give kudos to Pierre. You are continuing to do what is expected of you. I know you all know this but you know who is now batting .158 (0 for 3 tonight and GIDP). How much more patient do we have to be? Even the Gnats have sent Zito to the bullpen and look how much money he is making sitting there.
There was an article posted about 30 minutes ago in the L.A Times stating that Ethier has been displaced by Pierre,and according to the article, Jones isn’t going to be sitting any time soon. It was stated that sitting Andruw is not an option because the dodgers need to get him back on track. In jhall’s words – UNACCEPTABLE!!
From L.A Times:
Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said DeWitt wouldn’t necessarily be demoted when Nomar Garciaparra, who has a strained left calf, is ready to come off the disabled list.
“We’ll just wait and see when Nomar gets back what our options are,” Torre said. “This kid, we know he’s a big league player.”
Since the Dodgers were swept by the Braves 4/20/08
Their record is 11-3.
Keep up the good work guys.
“That’s why they call him ‘The Bison!'”
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The Dodgers now have the seventh best record in baseball, tied with the Cubs.
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DeWitt done it!
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Doesn’t Joe know? “Everything’s easier with Ethier!”
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Delwyn Young — .375 AVG, .411 OBP. I don’t know what we’re going to do with this kid, but I’ll tell you this: DY can hit!!
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Billz lookin’ good. Let’s hope we don’t see Bad Chad for a long time.
I have been a loyal Dodger fan since I was 12, and I am 48 now, so for a long time. I have been reading this blog for a while now and really enjoy it. You guys crack me up. I have been happy to be a lurker, until now. I am so upset about the way Ethier is being treated that I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I have been a big fan of his since he first came up in 2006. I was never a big Grady Little fan and I didn’t think he gave Ethier the respect or the playing time that he deserved last season, but at least he never gave him a starting job and then took it away for no reason whatsoever. At least he was honest about the situation.
When Ethier won the starting job in left field to begin this season, which he totally earned {has earned about 3 times over in the last 2 1/2 seasons as far as I am concerned), Torre was quoted in the Times as saying that he didn’t want Ethier to be looking over his shoulder, which I took to mean that he would have to play his way out of the position and that he would be given the same consideration that Loney, Kemp, Martin or any of the other players that came up about the same time would be given as far as working their way out of a slump. Torre was also quoted as saying recently that Ethier was one if the few players that had earned to start every day. Well, obviously he is not a man of his word because Ethier has done nothing to lose the starting job, but that is exactly what has happened. I have lost all respect for Torre.
I have to give credit to Ethier for being so professional about the situation. He has to be dying inside. He did everything right in the off season, working out at one point twice a day, 6 times a week with a group of about six other major leaguers (read an article about it) and he also mentioned in an interview during spring training that he had joined a rock climbing club with his brother and was doing that twice a week too to build up upper body strength. I guess it comes down to how much money you make, not how hard you work. He showed his dedication to the Dodgers by coming to camp in top shape ready to fight for a job. In the meantime, Jones comes in looking like he spent the off season stuffing his face and continues to start regardless of how pathetic he has been at the plate. I am not saying that Pierre has not played well lately or that he’s not a hard worker, but Ethier has played well all spring training and all season. He did nothing to lose his starting job. If Torre wants Pierre in the lineup, it should be for Jones, not Ethier. Ethier has started off kind of slow against lefties this year, but he has always hit them well, going back to college. He should be allowed to work his way through that, but I guess it’s all about how much money you make and not how hard you work or how much dedication you have shown to the Dodgers. I was at the game tonight and the guy next to me yelled out to Jones that he should give Ethier half if his 18 million because he has done more to earn it.
I just hope Andre knows how many Dodger fans love watching him play and appreciate him and hope that he will be a Dodger for many years to come Sorry for the long rant, but I hate injustice.
Great game and glad Dewitt finally got his ding!
D’s are 9/10 and you are all still baggin Torre for his line ups….. AJ is an asset in CF on defence albeit a liability on the offence.Right now he seems to be using the abilities of players and there agressive nature to get the most out of everyone. will Ethier come back into the lineup with the bat of Thor? Probably will JP not like sitting? Definatly Will AJ not defend well in CF? Never.I think JT is doing a great job of using everyone on the team to produce a chemically balanced team that competes against one another for playing time in a winning enviroment.I think JT is doing a great job balancing the talent he has and finding extra ability from others as with the martin 3B experiment and finding playing time for the 2nd catcher where as Grittle always ran up a rusty has been catcher when Martin needed a rest.I’m not sure if anyone ‘owns’ there job on this team and feel that JT will make everyone earn their keep every week this year.The only player that i fear not being challenged is Loney and he is my Favorite with as much upside as Kemp however he is not challenged by anyone in the farm nor on the team and his performance is starting to have gaps VS the rest of team barring AJ at the plate.Just my observations so far and I like what I see for the mostpart.Y’all need to think out of the numbers a little more and think towards the bigger picture.WE NEED A WS RING!
Welcome bluecrew!!
Welcome bluecrew,
You have said what we all have been ranting about for days upon days now, and the funny thing is is that most of us thought this isssue would be a dead issue, and in some cases it has gotten much worse. We understood Ethier getting an occasional day of to play Pierre, but I think this is a total turn of events that nobody expected to happen. That’s why it is more frustrating now and at some times uncomprehendable of the decisions that are being made.
I know – we are winning, and that is what matters, but players who are playing well getting treated like this is just plain wrong.
Before the season started(when we weren’t sure if Ethier would start) somebody mentioned wearing shirts saying “Play Ethier, bench Pierre.” Maybe that needs to be reconsidered, but have it say “Play Ethier, Bench Jones”
Well we can always hope for the best and look on the bright side (We are only 3 games back behind the DBacks). It is another day of Dodger baseball and maybe Torre will wake up and think “I really need to get Andre into the lineup tonight.” He seems to be plenty concerned about Andruw. Why isn’t he just as concerned about Andre?
This blog sometimes amazes me. All winter long we hear about the waste Pierre is to this team. Then management goes out and inks Andruw….which was an overwhelming popular decision on this blog. We were all thrilled that he would be in CF with more pressure on Pierre to perform.
Now everyone is down on Andruw, with good reason. Frankly, he sucks. But when we start posting “I have lost all respect for Joe Torre” we are slipping into plain stupidity. Joe has been placed into an impossible situation, and in my opinion he is doing a great job. After all, we have won 9 our of 10. He does not have the option to sit Andruw. There is too much money there, so either Ethier or Kemp pay the price. Earlier in the season it was Kemp, now it seems to have shifted to Either for no reason other than Joe has no other option with Andruw. He could sit Pierre, but when he is playing well he is a real threat with his speed. But he should be sitting more.
Get off Joe everyone. The man is a hall of fame manager and we are lucky to have him. If you want to pile on someone (which you always do), focus on the record breaking waste of money Ned has blown on plenty of this roster.
I don’t appreciate being called stupid for stating my opinion. I am glad the Dodgers are winning and I never said he wasn’t a good manager, I just don’t like to see people treated unfairly and he should never had said the position was Ethier’s to lose if that wasn’t the case. He should have said nothing.
Some quick thoughts before they put me on the bench here at work:
Welcome bluecrewgirl.
dnelson, I think the T-shirt was “Pull the Trigger”.
Fisher928, of all things to worry about, I think the lack of competition for Loney should be in the back of the file cabinet. Like almost every other man in the Bigs, he has a level of pride that will push him, not to mention the big payday yet to come for him and all the rest in his position as long as he continues to produce. He’ll go through slumps and hard times. Loney is a keeper, don’t worry.
edwcarter, personally, I have to wonder about myself a little by complaining like I have during this great streak we’re in. It seems absurd, doesn’t it? Having said that, I’d like to thank Andre for his professionalism and maturity. From the Times article mentioned by dnelson above:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodrep6-2008may06,0,5242720.story
“I am not in a position to say anything about it,” Ethier said before the Dodgers played the New York Mets on Monday at Dodger Stadium. “Whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to do it.” and “I accept whatever decision’s made,” he said. “If I’m in, I’m in. If I’m not, I’m not.”
You’re a man, Andre. Hang tough. We’re with you.
Amen Dodgereric
bluecrew,
welcome to this great Dodgers blog. I for one have to admit that I underestimated Ethier. Although I have always liked Ethier, I never put him in the same category with the other youngsters like my namesakes Martin, Loney, and Kemp. But he has proven me wrong. Andre Ethier deserves respect, and I hope he will be a mainstay of the Dodgers lineup for the next five to ten years.
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fisher and edwcarter,
There are good reasons to be disappointed with Joe Torre. As the season began, it was a given that Andruw Jones would be the every-day centerfielder. Thus the outfield question was between three players for the remaining two positions. This blog took a vote, and it came out 47-1 as I recall that the other two regular outfielders should be Kemp and Ethier.
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Frankly, I don’t think anybody here had the least doubt that Kemp should start every day, and that if any youngster should sit it would have to be Ethier. But Joe surprised us by often sitting Kemp in favor of Pierre. Needless to say this was beyond stupid.
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You’ll note that during this 10-1 run we’re on Matt Kemp has hit in the 3-hole all but the very first day.
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Why we should give Joe Torre credit for figuring out that Matt Kemp is a superstud at the end of April when we all knew it long before that is a mystery to me.
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Why we should give Joe Torre credit for figuring out that Matt Kemp is a superstud at the end of April when he hit .342, 10 HR, 42 RBI in 292 ABS last year hitting much of that time low in the batting order is a mystery to me.
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Why we should give Joe Torre credit for figuring out that Matt Kemp is a superstud at the end of April when we all knew that he hit 7 HRs in his first 50 major league ABs is a mystery to me.
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I do have a guess. Joe sat on his hiny all Winter rather than getting to know his new team.
. I do give Torre credit for using Martin at third once in a while.
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And I like the fact that we’re running so much, although even on the running Joe was slow on the uptake. Six of our first twelve games were against the Padres whose catchers couldn’t throw Jeff Kent out on a regular basis, yet we attempted only five stolen bases against them in splitting those six games.
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The Yankee fans I know we’re quite happy to see Torre go, and his performance thus far makes me wonder if the hated Yankees won four World Series because of Joe or despite Joe.
Nice post and Welcome BlueCrew. Thanks for the additional info on Ethier and his training and dedication. It is obvious he is a class act and an asset to this ballclub. It is unfortunate that Ned has created the situation we are in at the present time which has its roots in the Princess Drew departure and Werth/Repko injuries. Ned is not a proactive thinker, he is reactive. Hence our current dilemma. Jones will be given at least another month to get his act together. His $18M and all-star resume assure that. If he is sucking this hard in June, Joe is going to have to make a decision. Stick with the once great player because of his salary, reputation, and Ned or go with the player that is producing. In the meantime, Pierre will most likely come back to his normal subpar .320-.330 OBP and fall back to the bench. Either way, I think when the division race gets really heated up, we will play the best available players and I believe management knows Ethier is definately one of them.
If Andruw doesn’t get it together soon, and Pierre returns to the Popgun he has been for the last three seasons, I hope Joe will give Delwyn Young a shot to start for a while. I know it’s wishful thinking, but if Tommy bleeds Dodger Blue, why can’t I dream in Dodger Blue?
Like I said yesterday, wait till gas can Schmidt tries to come back and starts taking the ball over Kershaw..Book it.********* Nomar. Won’t someone say to someone that the dude cant say healthy and we have a better 3b at 22 playing there RIGHT NOW.
As for Ethier, I would demand a trade. He is never gonna get a big contract if he just is a part timer
Kemp has made Torre look VERY FOOLISH for all the games he was benched with ridiculous excuses. Loney did the same thing to Colletti last year after he returned from being sent to Vegas so Nomar could play 1st base. But instead of learning from such situations, the lunacy just continues. Torre is without excuse for benching Ethier. Now he indicates the same for DeWitt, not to mention not giving LaRoche a chance. Joe is very inconsistent in what he says and how he treats the players. Winning steak or not, I (like some of you) find it very hard to respect him.
Dodgereric,
thanks for the info, and you are so right about that article. Ethier is taking this all in stride, and he is showing a tremendous amount of professionalism.
I am not sure how to get articles posted, but there was another article about Ethier out of Long Beach. He remained just as professional in that article as well.
ANDRE – YOU ROCK!!
I think it is still a bit too early to pass judgement on Torre. I’ll admit though that some of his moves have me bewildered at best and down right pissed sometimes. Time will tell and maybe make sense of his current thought processes.
It’s hard to argue against a manager who is winning right now.
As long as the players seem to be taking care of business (and being professional), who are we to say anything, I guess.
dnelson,
To post an article simply copy the website address, and paste it into your post.
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It was said in a post somewhere on this thread that Loney doesn’t have to worry since there’s nobody in the system challenging him. But I wouldn’t put it past Joe to pull something like having Nomar start over him at 1B, or maybe moving Kent to first while starting DY and/or Hu at second. These scenarios are, of course, ridiculous. But in the last two years Dodgers managment has instilled in me a degree of otherwise irrational paranoia when it comes to their mistreatment of our fantastic youngsters.
We’re kicking a** right now carrying a bloated buck and a half hitting outfielder. What is frustrating to me is the thought of; “Dam’n, how good could we be if we plug in another .300 hitter to this lineup everyday and lose the dead weight”.
dnelson, right click the address window when you’re in the article and hit copy. When you’re back here, right click again and hit paste. I’m just an old ditch-digger and I can do it. 🙂
jhall, I agree that it’s still too early to pass judgement on Torre. There could very well be a method to his madness that us mortals cannot see. But I think you know as well as I do that he’s in love with the idea of having two rabbits at the top of the lineup. And as much as we love Andre, although he’s no sled, stealing bases is the one weapon he doesn’t have in the ol’ arsenal.
http://www.presstelegram.com/moresports/ci_9164812
I am trying to see if it worked. Thanks for the help!
This should be the article about Ethier titled “Ethier Hitting, Sitting” from Long Beach Press – Telegram
It was released about 30 minutes after the LAT post. I was up late last night.
Yep Eric, I agree. It works when Pierre’s OBP is above .360 as it is now. However, when it is in the .320 range as it has been for the past few years, it doesn’t pan out. If Pierre can keep playing like he is presently, I am sure Joe will go with him. Probably a good idea, as it is working for now. Pierre maintaining this performance is the big IF. I am happy that he is performing and we are winning and I hope it continues. Winning is the bottom line..
ETHIER’S TIME WILL COME!!!
It did work – thanks!!
It showed up differently on my computer at work, but if you go down where the articles are underneath “More Sports Headlines,” it’s there.
Great article Nelson. Thanks!!
Thanks for the welcomes everyone. By the way, I changed my email address yesterday and it showed up okay on my first post, but this one and the second one show the email address I don’t want to use. It shows the updated address under my MLB account, it just doesn’t show up correctly now when I sign into the blog. Does anyone know why that would be?
Don’t look now, but Matt Kemp is knocking on door of the top 10 in the National League for batting Average (14th at .330) and RBIs (12th at 24). Kudos to Matt! Funny, I haven’t heard one word from all the “enlightened” bloggers claiming this guy was a disruption and a malcontent. The media is a voracious, bitter animal. Buy into very little of the innuendo it spreads.
Evidently you registered for the blog with the Fairydust address. I think the MLB and blog sign ups are seperate. You might try going into the blog section and changing the address/name or reregistering for the blog with the new name. Not sure if that is what is happening, but my best guess.
To me, I dont really care how well pierre is playing, because I dont want him to be the left fielder for the next FOUR YEARS. Do you? You can’t teach an old dog news tricks, and Im pretty sure he’ll revert to form in short order. We also know his defense is still a liability. A few hot starts doesn’t really change my opinion that he needs to be moved. Andre should start and should NOT be benched or traded to make room for pierre. As for Jones, he has saved us runs with his glove, and will do minimal damage batting eight until he gets it back together. I admire the job Torre has done, but some of the quotes that come out of him are troubling. If Ethier deserves to start and earned the job, and waa batting third a good deal of the early season, than nothing has changed and he still should be playing everyday. At some point NED, who created this mess and continues to create messes, needs to rectify this situation by trading pierre or jones, neither of which have a long term future with this team.
Let’s hope Ned has the foresight (what an oxymoron) to unload Pierre while he is hot. I for one do not believe he can maintain anywhere near his current production this year, much less 3 more. Ride the pony while its hot, but realize that it will come back to earth.
My hope is that this is why he is playing in the first place – to showcase.
What is ironic is that the Puds have no speed and the worst offense in the NL and could use Pierre. LOL
In the positive vein, I’m not sure anyone of us gave kudos to Pierre for his charitable efforts in the community that was recently on the Ds site:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080506&content_id=2649567&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
If I missed it, I apologize in advance.
jhall, I think I’d rather go the Marcus Allen route with Pierre than trade him to the Puds.
Good article on the D’s ’68 draft:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080506&content_id=2649567&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
Don’t get me wrong, I love most all of those guys. But looking at it, to call it the greatest draft in BASEBALL HISTORY, I’m not sure. Not one Hall of Famer in the bunch. I know I’m probably starting something with this, and you can make a case for why Buckner or Garvey should be in, but hasn’t someone somewhere had a draft that yielded 2 or 3 H of F guys? For sheer depth it was no doubt a heck of a hall though!
I agree, ride the hot Pierre pony until the clock strikes midnight and he turns back into a puddle of glue. That could be a couple days or a week, but his offense right now is a plus over his defense. HOWEVER, that playing time should come at the expense of Jones, not Ethier.
Very discouraging statements with regards to Nomore and 3B. Nomore’s a lame horse who needs to be put down. Fortunately, he’ll put himself down in one way or another inside of two weeks.
The trouble with management is that they have oldfartitis. This club needs proactive thinkers and doers, and a fresher face to lead them. I realize the political issues Joe’s faced with, BUT what he’s doing does not make it prudent or right. We’re winning games right now with 7 hitters and 8 fielders. That too at some point will turn back into a pumpkin and we’ll be right back where we started in spring.
I’d trade him to the Puds in a heartbeat. Then laugh at them next year and beyond when they are saddled (pun intended) with his salary and declining performance. Pierre is hot right now, but I don’t have any wild fantasies that it will continue for very long and especially not in 2010 and 2011. He may help them some now but it won’t put them over the top or ahead of us.
The Nomore debate is just total cr*p!!!!
All this wishful thinking – if only our wishes would come true!!
I hate to keep bringing up the team that is up here (Gnats), but their wishes came true – Zito is gone for now, and there is nothing wrong with him physically, and even if he comes out of the bullpen, it is only going to be on occasion for now.
Nomar didn’t do anything to loose the job at third( torre) he hit 226 with one homerun and can’t cover the ground that dewitt or Laroach but we will play Nomar and jones until we get a manager like Giaridy or someone that doesn’t play the old guys because they are veterans ,not who is best for the team
Torre states the Dodgers need Jones if they are to accomplish something special this year. I can’t disagree with that statement. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it will ever happen. By mid season Torre better have plan B….and I really doubt it’s Pierre’s “cannon” full time in left field.
Accomplishing something special means sending ned to the glue factory.
Ned’s eggs in Joe’s basket. Happy Easter Frank.
Pierre is the peeps, Jones is the big chocolate bunny, and Nomore is the cracked egg
jhall – lol!! laughing to hard to think of what to say
Glad you enjoyed it.
Loaiza is the jelly beans…
LOL
I love all the analogies – Beatles, Star Wars, and now Easter. I guess all we can do is sit back and laugh about it. It’s better than crying, I guess – lol!
2008 EQAs (factors in stolen bases but not defense):
.301 Ethier
.291 Kemp
.290 Pierre
Bottom line:
Pierre must go. No matter how well he’s hitting, it won’t last and his defense (mainly arm) is pathetic. Just go with Kemp, Ethier and Jones with DY or Repko filling in for Jones. Pierre is not going to get better as that contract keeps going up in the final years, so now is the time to trade him. Should be an easy sell to someone right now. PAy half the contract, get a lower level prospect in return and sayanara!
I know Jones has $ucked, but he still is better than JP in the field. Ethier and Kemp must play every day.
Also, time to put Nomar on the bench for good when he comes back. I’m sick of contracts out-ranking performance and what’s best for the team. In fact, waive him for all I care and have Blake start with Andy waiting in the wings. No need for a broken down has been on this team.
Let’s move on.
Well said Scott
Might as well have some fun with it. There’s nothing we can do about it!!
Joe likes Pierre’s speed. With Furcal, Pierre, and Kemp at the top of the order, Joe can run. Face it. Joe likes Pierre. Joe likes Andruw…likes his defense and power “potential.” Joe likes Ethier. Says he reminds him of a young Paul O’Neil. Joe likes Kemp. What’s not to like? But Joe can only play three outfielders at a time. What we’ve been seeing is what we’ll continue to see. Learn to love the musical chairs. As soon as Kemp chases a few outside sliders, he’ll be back on the bench, serving his crummy turn. As Kemp’s agent, Dave Stewart, said yesterday, “I don’t know how long that rotation is going to stay like that. I mean, at some point, you may eventually have to move one of those guys.” As for “trader Ned,” unlike Campanis, who used to excite me at the trading deadline, Ned depresses me. Mid-season acquisitions are NOT his strong suit…whatever that strong suit may be…
“Oldfartitis”. Made me chuckle, enchanted
$$$ + PVL > Performance = More playing time.
Not a good equation for success. I’ll bet they don’t use a formula like this to manage their stock portfolio’s. If they do, they’ll go broke.
That seems to be Ethier’s take on it…poor guy.
I just want to wake up tomorrow and see Pierre on someone else’s roster.
dnelson,
What do A’s fans think of Zito’s demise? Serves him right I’m guessing…
The only strong point Ned has displayed so far is putting his same old tired spin on the situations he has created and the incredibly bad player acquisitions he has made.
Remember way back when, when ST was firing up? It seems to me that Torre was prepping Nomar for a bench “SuperSub” role. What in tarnation happened to that?
Jhall–does that make Ethier the cool present that all the other kids got?
.
There really should not be a Nomar debate anymore. Part of being a regular player is being healthy enough to paly every day. Part of the chance Nomar got was to see if that could happen. The wrist micro-fracture in spring was flukey, but the leg problem he has now is the same old stuff. Nomar was great in his time, but his time is up. It’s not clear when (or if) Nomar will come back, but what is clear is that there is a 22-year old rookie who can do the job better, and last night hit what may be the first of a lot more home runs.
.
The only question about 3B now is whether it should be DeWitt or LaRoche. DeWitt has had the chance and capitalized on it. Everyday he seems to be getting better, and it’s harder and harder to keep him out. I’ve said that DeWitt has to grab the job by the throat, but he’s at .293 and may be doing that. But the only guy he should yield to is LaRoche to see if he can do everything he seems capable of doing–there’s no point to turning it over to a once-great player who’s become too fragile and ineffective to play everyday.
Eric,
Ned brought in the four horseman of the playoff apocalypse. Nomore, Pierre, Jones, and Bloaiza.
That’s what happened.
Silver lining category:
Blake Dewhitt has gotten an opportunity that these bozos would never have given him without all those injuries.
Black death category:
Nomar will be off the DL soon. Only God knows what Ned & Co. will come up with to make room. Probably send Wade down.
LOL Leek, Ethier is the Cadbury egg everyone wants.
Just like before. Nomore won’t last long. He’ll try to cut a f*rt and strain his oblique.
DFAable: Nomore, Loaiza, Park
Tradeable: Pierre
Benchable: Jones
Indefenseable: Ned & Joe
Since I work right next door to one, that’s an easy question. When I go to the A’s games with her, you always get the occasional Giants fan who will say -“You can take Zito back” and the majority of the fans will reply “He was fine when he was with us. You are the ones who screwed him up” And yes, they think it serves him right for leaving.
The same person I work with next door is also a Braves fan (Braves, first – A’s, second), and she is saying the same thing about Jones. As much as she didn’t want to give up Kotsay to the Braves, she is glad he is doing well out there. She watched Jones last year and saw the down hill slide. However, she does say, Jones wasn’t there for his bat – it was his defense (I guess the Golden Gloves are proof). And yes, I do forgive her for being a Braves fan. She went to UofG, and has been a diehard Braves fan ever since.
She hates the Gnats so that is extra points in my book (she’s my outside source of comfort since my family is made up of all Gnat fans)
thanks dnelson.
The Braves used to really get on my nerves especially stealing the tomahawk chop from FSU, but their average play the last few years has made them irrelevant to me. They used to be the Dodgers whipping boy back when they we’re both in the West.
I think Zito was slowly slipping before he left Oakland, and then you add all those millions and ka-splat!
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7478
Pretty much sums it up.
You are welcome, Scott
I enjoy going to the A’s games on occasion. It is a short drive, it’s not expensive, and you get to watch some pretty exciting American League teams, without the threat of them hurting the Dodgers (with the exception of Intra-league play and the WS)
Thanks for the article, jhall!
At least it is not just us thinking something is wrong here – lol!
Sounds like alot of fun Nelson.
Thanks for the link, jhall. Why does everyone else seem to understand? I guess it’s because they’re not writing the checks.
Seems as if someone should be held accountable.
No problem.
I’d like to chime in on Jones. 1/6 of the season has gone by, and we’re 3 games out. He’s overweight, way off with his bat, and is pressing to make good on that contract. He’s a vet with a strong track record, and he’ll pull through with at least 20 or so HRs by year’s end, while playing superior defense. With that said, you can’t bench him; not with that contract and upside potential. We’re doing well enough to stick by him now (it’s May 6th). If this were Sept 6th it’d be another story. A contributing Andruw will make us a much better team.
As for Pierre, Ethier, Kemp. Its gonna be whichever two are the hottest, or how the match ups look to determine who will start. That is until, hopefully, Pierre is traded. If Ned has enough foresight, he’ll pull that trigger on a Pierre trade as soon as Andruw gets his chubby head out of his you know what.
– On a seperate issue, I’m glad to see Blake DeWitt handling the 3B spot, however i still wanna see Andy LaRoche get a chance to handle 3B. He has big power potential and I’d like him to realize that as a Dodger instead of being traded for 2 months of a middle reliever later in the season.
Everyone around baseball with half a brain knows what we should be doing and shakes their head or laughs at Ned Collebotomy.
Good post D-dude.
Thanks jhall.
Good points dodgerdude.
Every now and then there arrives a perfect blend of video and music………………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjLwGbyTqko
Many of us are frustrated, because we see certain issues very clearly. For the most part we want the young players that are showing their capabilities to play. That would certainly include Ethier and Kemp, and probably DeWitt and LaRoche. I’m probably as outspoken and even brash in that direction as anybody I know on this forum. That is clearly not how our management works or sees things.
I bet that they are quite content, and maybe even delighted, that we have five capable ourfielders that can be shuffled with seemingly no loss in performance. They’ll clearly give Jones all the time he needs, and so far his total lack of performance has not been hurting us in the standings. As far as Pierre, Ethier and Kemp, they also figure that they’re getting the best out of that combination, and as long as that performance continues, we’ll keep on seeing the kind of lineups that we have. I bet there has been no discussion about getting rid of Pierre or trading Ethier. I don’t see anything changing with the outfield as long as we keep winning.
When Nomar comes back, he’ll get his starting position, because with our management it’s kind on an unwritten code that he won’t lose his position to a youngster because he went on DL. Of course, it it were me, I would figure that Nomar will play no role with us beyond this season, and that it is far better to see DeWitt developing or LaRoche trying to develop at the major league level than it is to accommodate Nomar, who’s only trying to boost his own resume for next season’s salary negotiations.
I’ll give you that Torre is probably the best at this kind of a juggling act without creating real disharmony in the clubhouse. I mostly blame Ned for creating the situation that we have with his overspending for veterans that should have found a home somewhere else. I’ve never liked him, and I can’t wait for the day when we’re finally rid of him. I think we need a man who knows baseball talent such as Logan White. I’m not sure that Logan has the kind of public image that McCourt seems to want for the GM position, so he is no certain bet to succeed Ned, even if we’re so lucky as to see him gone.
So, I will probably just have to continue haranguing management, and mainly Ned, whenever I feel particularly frustrated with their decisions. That’s the only recourse we fans really have. So…
Logan White, or anybody but Colletti in 2009 – or sooner!!!
Nomar will be a nice compliment to Sweeney as your prototypical right/lefty late-inning pinch hitters…provided the Dodgers stay in contention. Handing him 3rd base when/if/supposing/hoping he stays healthy seems dumb. I agree with leekfink…part of being a starter is, well, being healthy enough to start. And, sorry, I really don’t see DY’s long-term future with the club. He’s homeless, as far as a defensive position. His stick may be good but it’s hardly head-turning. I have a feeling DY and Loaiza (replaced by Schmidt) will not be a part of this club come August. Perhaps Ned can package them for an aging veteran that won’t help us down the stretch.
I’ve been reading this blog for two years now and don’t post much. Every now and then I actually try to read the postings written by Dodger “fans” (and I don’t mean everyone on here, you know who you are). But I stopped trying after all the whining- talk about beating a dead horse. I decided it would be interesting to read what the “fans” had to say after the Dodgers have gone 9-1 in their last 10. Wow- just more of the same whining, finger pointing, second guessing. Yes, Jones is having an awful year so far and may not turn it around this year. Yes, he makes tons of money. Does it really take 200 postings each day to confirm that? Last year, each day was 200 postings on how bad Pierre sucked (luckily don’t hear it as much this year since he’s hitting .324). Nothing wrong with a little debate but how about mixing it in with the good stuff? How about the year that Raffy’s having, huh? How about the Dodgers offense thus far? 2nd in NL in AVG, 3rd in runs, speed on the bases with 2nd in stolen bases, great OBP, and only 3 back of the best record in baseball? No, you don’t want to talk about that? OK, go back to repeating that Jones should be benched. And if Joe makes out his lineup based on what a small fraction of fans say on some blog, then I think that would be time for a new manager. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think Joe knows what the fans think when he hears the boos every night.
Well, happy whining. I’ll continue to read Josh’s postings but think I’ll continue to skip over the “commentary”.
LOL, Ned has the knack for that Kahli.
DY looked darn good at 2nd base this Spring. It’s a possibility.
For each his own, Marvin. If this were ’72 or whenever, I’d probably be “whining” about the Ds trading Valentine and keeping Russell at SS.
It’s going great right now and we’re having a lot of fun, but only a fool would think we’re going to win 70% of our games, let alone 90%. The point is that we can be better. It’s all part of being a baseball fan. We can disagree without ripping each other. If you read a little more carefully, you’ll see a lot of positive stuff. Join in.
Well Marvin, it seems that instead of WHINING about the commentary (hear the sniffling in the background) you might want to consider getting involved and bringing up some of those topics you mentioned. People would most likely respond to them and guess what: you will have a discussion about them. Of course if you want to get people to respond to your comments and topics you might want to drop the arrogant, self centered bullsh*t! No, it is much easier to come on once in awhile and WHINE about it with a snaughty attitude than to actually do something. But if that makes you feel better, Your Welcome.
Marvin, Marvin, Marvin.
If this was Kansas City or Tampa Bay we’d all be ecstatic. But this is L.A., home of outrageous ticket and parking prices, sellout crowds and championships in Anaheim. So we pretty much don’t want the same tired strategies that have led to zero playoff wins and a raping of the fans for the last 20 years.
I want more. I know many of these comments are very critical, but I grew up KNOWING Garvey, Lopes, Russell & Cey would be in the lineup every game, barring injury. I want to see some direction that makes sense. As messagebear said above, why are we catering to Nomar and stalling progress when he won’t even be with us next year? How about some vision?
If the Dodgers win the World Series this year doing the things I’ve been complaining about, then I’ll admit to being a dumbas.s and keep my posts happy and flowery from that point on.
*make that “1” playoff win and zero playoff “series” wins. Big difference.
I agree we have whiners in here…society has all shapes and sizes. But the majority of bloggers in here are downright funny, clever and passionate. Enter at your own risk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I need to enter Whiners Anonymous, it’s true. But we’re really talking baseball here. Play this guy, not that guy, etc. The personal attacks on Ned & Joe could be toned down (note to self), but most whining opinions here have been echoed and supported by real baseball experts and journalists, so it’s not like we all have our heads up our arses.
How about that Rafael Furcal, huh?
I believe our comments are critical discussion of the hot topics. Marvin’s comment was whiney!!
How about that Matt Kemp!
I reserve the right to whine. I used to take my transistor radio to high school back in 1969 and run the earphone wire up my sleeve, out the neck, and lean my head on my shoulder. If I can stomach Duke Sims popping up with men on base, then a few transient bloggers can put up with the whining. Besides, how do we know Joe and Ned don’t read this blog? Hi Joe and Ned!!!! Love ya!!!!!!
I’m still upset about the Buckner trade……..(snif)
I certainly hope Andruw’s A** is sitting on the bench tonight and Torre has the foresight to play Ethier. This guy is too good to be sitting on the bench. If Ethier played every day without fail, he would have 25 to 30 Home runs and over 80 RBI’S. That would be excellent #’s on any team. I’m so sick of seeing Andruw swinging and missing that third strike.
Let’s win tonight, I hate the Mets.
Torre said in the Times that he is sticking with Jones. Ethier has to get in, right? God help us if Kemp sits.
I predict Jones tonight will hit a hard ground out, a long foul and a 2-run dinger!
How’s THAT for being optimistic?
eric,
That would be extremely acceptable!
speaking of parking… everyone complains about the $15 parking at dodgers (i know it’s pricey)… but just to put things in perspective… i went to visit AT&T a couple weekends ago to check out the park and watch the giants lose to the reds… and parking there was $30!!! plus, they didn’t have any signs showing the price, so you don’t know until you pull up inside the parking lot to the attendant with a fat wad of bills in their hands… ugh
You guys are alright. You’re right, my post was off a bit. My bad.
No problemo Marvin. Welcome to the jungle.
Now THIS is funny: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-arod7-2008may07,0,6116581.story
saralovesrussell,
I have been to at&t for a couple of Dodgers Vs. Gnats games and the first time parking was $20 (2 years ago) and I went last year and we decided to take BART in from Freemont. With all the train changes and everything it cost us $25 dollars. At least with the Bart charges it goes to the city and not the Gnats! 🙂
welcome, Marvin.
I’d like to see Kuroda go 7 or 8 innings tonight. And as for Juan Pierre….just kidding.
It’s cool Marvin. Join in and welcome.
$30.00 freaking bucks to park. My god that is totally unacceptable. Wow.
I go down to Cincinnati and catch the Dodgers and we park for 7-10 bucks depending on how close you want to get. I pay $7 and walk 2-3 blocks.
jhall,
I paid $25 for the trains and still had to walk about 5 blocks!!!
By the way has anyone seen a line up for tonight yet?
dodgereric – this is the part that cracks me up.
.
” “I scouted her [my future wife] out for a month,” he [ARod] said. “I wanted to see her routine, and I wanted to see what time she came in, see how consistent she was. And sure enough, she was like a machine. She would come in right after work, and get on the treadmill and do her abs.” ”
Yes, jnv, I have done BART on occasion. If it is just a couple of you, it’s great, but if it is family of four, BART will cost in the $40s. Also, it depends on how willing you are to try driving in SF.
Dodgereric – funny article!!!
Marvin – Andruw can’t hear the boos from where I live (central valley) and where jnv lives (Sac area). This is the only place we can be vocal and be “so called” whiners. I am just referring to your first post, but I have recently read where you are understanding where we are coming from. So welcome aboard!
As for positive – my students are loving the Dodgers right now – They call the blue markers “Dodger Blue” markers. This is pretty cool to be influencing young minds (1st graders) into thinking the only way to go is Dodger Blue (especially in Gnat country).
Funny stuff Eric.
I guess that is life in the big city JNV. Wow.
dnelson, Way to go, I am sure you are pissing off a few parents! I have my son and daughter loving the Dodger blue also. Everytime I turn on the game they say “Dodgers rule, Giants drool”…… got to love the little ones!!
jhall, I would rather pay the $15 for Dodger Stadium anyday!!
That’s great Nelson. At least they will most likely see a championship in their lifetimes.
Yep, $15 is starting to sound like a bargain out there.
I have a few parents that are Giants fans, but not as many as I have had in the past, and truthfully, I try to be good about my hatred towards them. Quite a few parents have jumped on the Red Sox bandwagon, which I can handle (no threat yet!). The funny thing about the orange and black is that they are my kids’ school colors, but I still wear Dodger Blue to the baseball games, especially because I can’t have people associating me with being a Gnat fan!! It kills my son, too!! I actually was willing for him to switch schools so he could wear blue and white, but then he realized my motivation, and pretty much told me “Hell no!”
old fogey, also, ” I build enough courage after about 31/2 weeks.” Man, I thought I was bad.
I just hope when I do take the kids down to Dodger stadium Andre is playing, my daughter thinks he and Russell are “pretty” LOL. She is 8.
back to Dodger baseball – Are any of you part of the voting that is going on in the other DT blog? I have yet to get on that one (I like this one much better), but I do read it to see if we are all thinking the same things. They are a bunch of whiners too, if that is what we are being called now.
dnelson,
I know what you mean, I have noticed a drop off of gnats fans myself, I think there are a lot of people from SoCal moving up here. I see Dodgers and Lakers jerseys quite a bit.
That is funny about your son, I take it he is a gnats fan?
dnelson, you have my undying respect for doing what you do. And not just for creating Dodger fans in NoCal. It’s not easy being a teacher, now more than ever.
Just to comment on parking prices – Wow!!
Carload Admission to see 600-700 year old petroglyphs – $2
Admission to go see 900 indian cliff dwellings – $3
Carload Admission to White Sands – $6
Think I’m glad not to live in CA anymore…
That should say 900 year old.
jnv, lol!!
The girls in my class think Andre is pretty too!! It doesn’t help that there a posters of Andre, Russel, etc in the classroom, and that I have classroom stuffed animals that are named after the players. The boys, on the other hand, love watching the HR highlights that are shown on a daily basis. We get cheers and clapping at 9 in the morning. DeWitt got extra cheers this morning because it was his first. I am just thankful I work next door to a fellow baseball lover – she totally understands the obsession!!
My whole family is gnats fans – sorry to say. I pity them on a daily basis. However, they got their wish – Zito is sitting for now.
Good for you dnelson!!! It just goes to show there are some great teachers out there! 🙂
As for your family, just remember you pick your friends but you are stuck with your family!! LOL just kidding.
jnv – I even had a little girl who came in on Monday, and explained to me that Andre once played for the A’s. She was so excited to tell me something she had learned about one of my favorite players – it was too cute!!
Thanks for reminding me of all the positives that come from the Dodgers, and it has kept me from “whining” for now – at least until the lineup comes out – lol!
If anything, we b*tch more than we whine!!
Yes I will probably do more than whine when the line up comes out.
And it is really awesome to see the little ones getting excited about baseball. It is a tradition that needs to keep going, I know our kids won’t have heroes like we did but the game itself is bigger than the players. I try to stress to my little league team (8,9 & 10 year olds) that they are playing a “team” sport and to work with each other. There is enough “solo” activities (i.e… video games, skateboarding, etc..)
that made me laugh Jhall!! How true that statement is.
WHINER: Why can’t Ethier be the starter. He deserves it more then Pierre and Jone. I don’t know why Ned is so stupid and Joe does that.
US: Ethiers not in the lineup, what a load of cr*p!! Pierre s*cks. Ned is just stupid. They should fire him.
LMAO!!!!!
Sounds like you guys are bringing those kids along the right way. Good job and Thanks.
How about a whine with attitude – lol! I tend to feel more whiny when the lineup comes out because it tends to get depressing at times. After the game is played, I tend to get b*tchy depending on how the game was played by those in question. We all know Furcal, Loney, and Martin are going to be there and do great things – it’s usually a given. Kemp has just kicked butt lately, but because he is part of the OF, we aren’t even sure if he will be there on a daily basis.
GO DODGERS!!!!!!!
Tonight’s lineup:
Pierre, LF
Jones, CF
Kemp, RF
Kent, 2B
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
DeWitt, 3B
Hu, SS
Kuroda, P
“Furcal out with a stiff back.”
Yep Nelson, I could cry.
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