8-8-08
With tonight’s Opening Ceremonies in Beijing, China, it’s worth a look at various Dodger ties to the Olympics over the years. Dodger Stadium hosted the 1984 Olympic baseball games; Dodger Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda managed the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team to a Gold Medal against Cuba; and the Dodgers participated in the first-ever Major League games on Chinese soil this past March at Wukesong Stadium, site of the 2008 Olympic baseball games. Terry Tiffee, who played for the Dodgers in six games this season, and Mike Koplove, who has played for Triple-A Las Vegas, are both on the U.S. Olympic team.
Meanwhile, a win tonight would put Joe Torre within one win of tying Joe McCarthy for seventh place all-time. To get there, we’ll need to beat a former Cy Young Award winner (I know, I know, he hasn’t exactly lit up the world since joining the Giants), but it will be our fourth former Cy Young Award winner in the last eight games.
But, we’ve managed to win 16 of our last 21 at AT&T Park, so here’s hoping we’ve got a few more in us here by the Bay.
Here’s tonight’s lineup:
Kemp, RF
Martin, 3B
Kent, 2B
Manny, LF
Blake, 1B
Jones, CF
Berroa, SS
Ardoin, C
Inside the Dodgers 
im reposting this on this thread…
alrighty my dodgers friends im headed to the game soon so im going to sign off… have a great time… I know I will… GO DODGERS!!!!
first? If not, whatever. GO USA!!!!
jnv and dodge16, have you considered getting yourselves “eliminated” by Kruk, Kuip and the Jints announcers? I was considering it for the game I went to last Wednesday, but had no idea how to do anything to catch their eye from Infield Reserve. It would be a badge of honor for sure, those hacks.
Any word on who Penny replaced on the 25-man roster?
Have fun Dodge16!!
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interesting line up to say the least – didn’t see that coming, but I guess, Andruw deserves a shot, and I guess JP not in there is a good thing.
GO DODGERS!!!!
Northstate,
I always tape the games I go to, to see if they eliminate me or not. And you are right they are hacks!! I can’t stand listening to those two.
I might be the only one, but I would rather see the “fridge” in center instead of Slappy.
Interesting no Martin, ethier (either) – hmmmm! Not a whole lot of bats in the lineup if you take out Martin and Ethier and replace them with Ardoin and Jones – very strange 🙂
And it’s interesting that Martin is out of the line up again??? anyone know why?
Tell us what it means to be eliminated.
nevermind I just realized he is at 3rd!!! DUHHHHHH
I am with you on that jnv!! I hope Andruw does well because if Andre has to sit, I rather it be for a hitting Andruw, who can field the ball vs. a ground out, slap hitter who can’t throw the frickin’ ball.
Martin is at third, Blake is on first. No Loney.
lbirken, the announcers for the gnats telecast go through the stands and find Dodger fans in the stadium and then cross them out of the screen with their nifty little pen.
you got that right Dnel.
lbirken, yeah, they act like high schoolers in the locker room. They cross out people with their telestrators, like Madden for Morons.
I agree, if Kemp is in right and with Manny in left, I would rather see Jones over JP in center as well.
That is so lame for announcers. However, I would consider it an honor to get eliminated so in a way it is kind of funny. I can’t even imagine a Dodger announcer doing such a thing although the thought of Charlie Steiner with a telestrator pen is a bit frightening.
Hope Russell’s okay. I think he deserves 2 days off… even though I think he might’ve tried his hardest to convince Joe to put him in otherwise. Joe’s an old catcher, so they probably see eye to eye on both sides of the issue.
Thanks for the clarification, lbirken ~ still, very interesting lineup.
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jnv ~I will look for you guys to get eliminated – that will be worth watching that gang to see if they eliminate one of the two of you. By your description I can probably figure you out, and I know what Dodge 16 looks like already and he’s going to have on an Ethier jersey.
I hope they do, that would be classic!!
so im guessing nobody knows who got replaced by penny?
MARTIN IS PLAYING!!! 3RD BASE!!!!! ETHIER IS OUT!!!! WELL HOPEFFULLY HE COMES OUT AS A PINCH HITTER. I HAVE RELATIVES ATTENDING THE GAME TONIGHT…..BOOOO THEM…..THEY ARE GIANTS FANS….BOOOO…..
Does anybody know if Ethier has a bobble head out or coming soon?
Good luck BOYS IN BLUE!
I haven’t heard anything about who Penny is replacing on the roster but think about who Nomar will replace when he is ready. Sweeney?
Let’s face it, we, as Dodger fans, have been spoiled all our lives listening to Vin. I was also fortunate, in my youth, to listen to Ernie Harwell who, IMO, is in the same class as Vin. Most other announcers are ex-jocks, blatant shills, or both. They are so overly conscious of who signs their paychecks that they can’t even make the pretense of being objective. GO DODGERS!!!!
Weird line-up, but then again, it is Joe. I for one would love to somehow magically get Andruw going so that we could actually pack a punch beyond Manny. Kent in front of Manny was one of JoJo’s rare good ideas.
Now its time to kick some serious Gnat butt!!
Penny better do a good job today!
I’ve been trying to find out who Penny replaced, but haven’t found it yet. I did find an article that said if Penny doesn’t pitch well, we will probably get Maddux, off the waiver wire.
By all rights, Falkenborg (or Troncoso) should be moved out to make room for Penny.
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Strange that Joe should sit both Loney and Ethier against Zito. Zito does not over power lefties.
Thanks Dodgersrule. I totally missed Russ at the 3B spot.
I’m afraid that Andruw’s “going” has gotten up and went and, probably, permanently.
Dammit, I saw Kemp leading off and was expecting to see Ethier in the lineup…
Wait…why is Blake sitting out???????? Stupid Dodgers…
Blake is playing 1B, so Loney is sitting out.
I just gotta say, this lineup suks. Positions 1-5 are great, but then we have Jones, Berroa, and Ardoin? That’s like only half a lineup. Hey, if we’re going to give up on the game going in, why not bat Sweeney cleanup?
JOJO has us all confused with this lineup!!!! 🙂
this blog is gone up in a frenzy
Everyone is all confused
Its just Joe being Joe.
Let’s hope the lineup confuses the Giants. Sometimes these hunches pay off.
Ya and most of the time logic pay offs!! but don’t tell Torre that, we might be 10 games over 500 then!!
Okay, okay, this lineup makes total sense (not!). It’s the Pierreless lineup, except that Joe is confused and thinks that Andruw hits better than Andre. He also chooses to bat Ardoin over Loney. Finally, he’s decided that Kent should be in front of Manny. So we end up with a (close to) killer lineup for 1 through 5, but then four weenies for 6 through 9. Then when Manny comes to bat with one runner on, the Jints can pitch around both Manny and Blake to get to the weenies.
I think he’s playing Andruw because if he can’t hit against Zito, he’s pretty much a lost cause, and even if he does hit against Zito, big deal!! Also, JP could never throw a ball from triple alley to save his life. He can’t throw the ball from normal spots in centerfield. I can see JP sitting the whole series just because of this reason alone. Then again, Joe can be Joe, so who knows 🙂
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GO DODGERS!!!
You all are being far too complicated. You have to think simple like Torre. Zito is left-handed and was actually good when Joe saw him in the AL. This is an all right-handed lineup. Nothing more. But 6 through 9 will be some fearsome black hole.
I’m pretty happy with any line up without Pierre. Pierre gives u what he gives you so if they play it that scares me, with Jones they are banking on improvement, same goes with Kent (not to same degree obviously).
Nice interview with hot prospect Andrew Lambo who is faring well in Great Lakes (low A) as a 19-year old, i.e., young for the league.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=979
He describes “patient” hitting better than Torre does; he gets it.
“That’s all a hitter can really look for, is to get your pitch to hit. If you sit there chasing a pitcher’s pitch, you’re going to have a hard time…. When you’re in a pitcher’s count … you might strike out on a tough pitch … [but] Getting fooled, for the most part, is looking stupid on a hitter’s count like 2-0 or 3-1 when they throw you something that’s not your pitch – and you chase it.”
hey westernmost/old fogey!!! Where have you been lately? Haven’t seen you here in a while. 🙂
Miss Debbie – I tried to post before I left, but that was right after that little earthquake got the server funky or something!
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We celebrated our anniversary (20 years) in Las Vegas last week, and spent all this week catching up at work! Left money, but had a great time. God I love casinos. The noise, the lights, the waitresses (“Cocktails? Cocktails?”), hell, even the smoke!
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I didn’t even attempt to wade through two weeks of posts, but I imagine the place melted down when the Manny trade came through. I saw that crawl across a sports book TV screen, and one of the first things I thought of was, “what is the reaction at ItD?” !!
Interesting interview with Lambo. I read the entire article and for a young player he seems to have good mental approach to the game. He certainly does not lack confidence.
lbirken – yes, I thought he came across pretty darn well for a teenager! He may turn out to be a huge steal since he was a FOURTH round pick.
westernmost ~ We were in Las Vegas two weekends ago to visit friends who live there (we were residents there when I was first married). So, it seems like you enjoyed yourself – that’s always a good thing. Well, we are glad you are back. Yes, the reaction was mixed at first, but now that it has sunk in that we have Manny, most people are happy about it, some are cautious about a long contract, and there are a few who don’t like the idea at all, but everybody is still happy the Dodgers, for the most part, are doing well. Some of us just wish Joe would get over his love for Pierre and play Ethier more often, but Andre seems to be taking it in stride, so we will just have to wait and see.
He kind of sounds like a young Andre. Confident yet reserved. Thanks for the article old fogey.
Hey fogey, glad you’re back!, and glad you had a good time too!!
I don’t know anything about this web site:
http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles/helium-watch-andrew-lambo.html
But the writeup seems sound and there is a nice gif showing Lambo’s swing. That is a classic, sweet swing, nice and quiet.
enchanted – thanks, glad to be back.
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jnv – you are welcome, enjoy the swing gif.
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Miss Debbie – Understandable; heck I had mixed reactions and I’m just one person! Manny’s a stud and a playoff push makes sense, but there are questions for 2009. I gotta admit that I pay close attention when Manny comes up!
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OK gotta run – places to go, people to see. Let’s see Blue kick some Giant tail!
I am also out of here and am leaving early in the morning to spend the day in San Francisco before the game. have a good weekend everyone……
Thanks for the link fogey – gawd I love lefthanders with a pretty swing.
Have fun jnv!!!
hey are there any high school baseball fans? have you heard of the AFLAC High School All-American Game at Dodgers Stadium tomorrow? I have very nice seats, comp seats, if anyone wants them. let me know..
Bye jnv – Have a fabulous time, and I will be looking for you to get eliminated – lol!!!
See ya, jnv… Have fun and do us proud!
“I’m told the team is now going to begin selling officially licensed bandanas with dreadlocks coming out of them.”
– Tony Jackson
my biggest fear realized. ugh, that’s going to be hideous 😛
LOL!! Maybe Anduw needs to get one and wear it for games. Interesting lineup. I’d much rather have Andruw than Phew playing center, especially if Ethier is not playing. Let’s hope they get it done. Zito had a good outing his last time out against the Puds.
Go Penny, Go Dodgers, Go Braves!!!!!!!!
LOL!!! oh no!!!
Bonsoir Nelle’!!!! Hope you had a great day. You too Sara!!!
Hope everyone had a great day!!!
jhall ~ the Dodgers can’t afford to have JP’s arm in that outfield, especially centerfield – triples alley will eat him alive, ethier (either) that or the right fielder is going to be a very busy man. Unless, Joe is being Joe, I really don’t know if you can put JP in centerfield there, but Grady did it last year, so who knows.
fantastique, jhall et le vôtre ?
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I got alot accomplished in my classroom, which is looking pretty good right now.
thanks jhall, hope you did too..
sara – the bandana thing is not a good idea, but knowing LA, they are going to buy thousands and thousands. I know you already know that – LOL!!
ha, oh, Blake is playing 1st. Thanks for pointing that out…still Stupid Dodgers tho. haha
sara – I agree with dnelly about the bandana. Bad idea but they will sell them to all the kids — they were wearing dreads when we went to the game Friday night. Some people commented on how cool they were.
Frank is going to cash in all he can on Mannymania!!
Anyone else feel like our Blue is being managed like a little league team?
After seeing the starting lineup I decided to try and be positive about it and instead of using BALL OF CONFUSION, pillage the work of Bernie Taupin and Sir Reginald Dwight
🙂 Apologies to all in advance.
MANNY AND THE VETS
Hey kids, sitting down together
The spotlight’s hitting something
That’s been known to Boston weather
We’ll kill the fatted calf tonight
So Andruw, stick around
You’re gonna hear BEAT LA sounds
Shouted out by clowns
Say, Dnelly and Sara, have you seen them yet
Oh but they’re so spaced out, Manny and the Vets
Oh but they’re aged and they’re AARPable
Oh Manny he’s really keen
He’s got footlong dreads a blue doo-rag
You know I read it on the I-T-D blog, yeah
Ma-Ma-Ma Mannie and the Vets
Manny, Manny, Manny, Manny and the Vets
Hey, if people will buy it, I don’t blame him.
Superb Obi!! LOL!!!
“Oh but they’re aged and they’re AARPable”
Great line Obi – LMAO!!
Wow!! Obi ~ SPECTACULAR!!!
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I think enchanted said it, but dodgereric’s going to have a lot of work to do when he gets back putting all these songs onto the website.
Like everyone else here on ITD, and Joe too, I’m expecting a big game out of Ardoin tonight… LMAO!!
Speaking of enchanted, there he is ~ good evening 🙂
Hi Mom. The fort/club house is coming along swell.
Matt and Russell are the only two young guns in the lineup tonight – wow!!! I remember back in the day when it was just Jeff out there with all the kids. Joe certainly is getting what he wanted – a veteran lineup 🙂
Anyone notice there might be a slight drop off after our fifth hitter? LOL
To hell with Minolta, this line-up is only from the mind of Joe.
Hey Beav!! Gee, are you and Whitey building another fort.
That’s wonderful, Beav, and yes, we all noticed the nice drop off Joe left today. I guess we will have to wait and see like always.
LOL!! Joko be feelin’ it baby!!! He is so not there. HaHa!!!!
You can never have too many forts Wally!!
Uh-Oh… I’ll be back later. I have to lay off on the lam for about an hour.
The Gnat’s saw Joe’s line-up card and they decided they’d counter with this line-up:
Darrell Evans
Marc Hill
Bill Madlock
Willie McCovey
Chris Speier
Gary Thomasson
Terry Whitfield
John Montefusco
Why does Jeff Kent always get the green light?
falkenborg was sent down.
sorry – DFA
Unlike Kent and Manny, I doubt Druw will get many boos in the bay.
Who said Danny would have a good nite???????
OK, who had Ardoin on their fantasy team?
Nice job Kent!!
Geez. I just looked at direct tv’s sat/sun sports line-up. Cowboy game tomorrow nite at San Diego. Cartds/Cubs game. Little league world series playoffs, numerous Olympic games I wish to see. Good thing I have Tivo. Dodger/Giants game on MLB/TV. Sounds like exciting week-end…
Well, a Jones that could have shed 20 pounds could have beat that throw…
Look at it his way boblee – it was good exercise for him! LOL!!
Well, who would’ve thought that inning would have turned out like that, but let me remind you, Zito is pitching. It’s not like he’s had the greatest year. However, I am enjoying this game very much – 🙂
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Boblee – Go Chargers!!! (jk) LOL!!!
I really do like Kent hitting in front of Manny, I think thats a great 1-2 RBI punch.
Berroa is beginning to do a decent job with the bat, and his average is creeping up. Way to go. Wish that Andruw could run.
Dang it – and we thought the bottom of the line-up couldn’t produce.
That Torre’s a genius!!
If thats Loney at 1st thats an out.
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, the Braves are up 8-1 in the 5th.
Penny’s doing better than I expected.
8-2 now
I imagine the third inning silenced the Nells home 🙂
It sure did, enchanted!!! LOL!! Nells’ is very happy right now 🙂 Then again, they know Zito, too – LOL!!!
8-4 braves, bottom 6
Penny looks pretty decent so far. Hopefully, we’ll only be out by 1/2 game by the end of the game.
Does anybody find it at least halfway encouraging that Andruw hasn’t struckout yet?
Already,I can see the improvement in Penny. He’s throwing alot easier than before he went on the DL. Good outing, so far.
Enchanted, at least he’s making some contact and not overswinging so badly he almost falls over like he was before.
Penny didn’t do bad for just coming off the DL. He showed a little rust, but did well enough. I did notice his velocity was way down compared to normal. Now let’s hope the bullpen holds the lead.
Giants bullpen is terrible, though, so Joe needs to take that into consideration when thinking Andruw is making improvements. I want him to do well, but it was Zito pitching and tomorrow will be Correa, which pitched well against us last time.
Well, Benji made some noise, didn’t he – LOL!! At least it was just one- GO CORY!!!!
DNelly, Id love to see Andre get the next two starts. He always hits well against the Giants and I want him to get back on track and get in a groove.
Marty’s sure having a tough time lately.
Welcome to the Dodger-Gnat riivalry, Manny!!
10-5 Braves top 9.
I hope so bluecrewgirl. He did very, very well at AT&T park last time, so hopefully Joe remembers that sometime this weekend.
enchanted – I noticed that about Russell too. He seems really off balance, yes?
Just following along and not watching nells, but it seems to me he’s probably pressing to get on infront of Manny. I think a week or so of hitting 6-7 to take the pressure off would do him good.
Not like we’re exactly raking as a team tonight against some rather poor pitching.
I think you are right,enchanted. It just looks like he’s swinging for the fence, therefore, making him appear to be off balance.
Game over in Phoenix. 11-6.
Chan Ho made Benji look pretty bad, that time.
Just got back from visiting friends from Florida.
Happy about what has happened so far tonight.
We have to remember with Russ that even though he’s an all-star and silver slugger, he’s still young and learning.
I sure hope Russ breaks out of this funk he’s in soon.
That’s it. Manny stinks. LOL!!
I guess this is Manny’s first O’fer since joining the Dodgers. I’m far from being worried.
Sure, and he and Matt were the only young ones out there today,enchanted. What happened to all the young guns. Joe/Ned sent them all away or sent them to the bench. I know James is getting a very well deserved rest, but boy, has the make up of the team changed in the last few weeks ( some good, some bad)
Wonder if Ned’s mustache gets another gray hair or two when Manny has an 0 for 5 night. He’s probably sitting there thinking right now, “Please God, not again!”
Agreed nells, Joe can’t win without his vets. I think we’ll see DeWitt and Hu again in Sept. McDonald too, maybe DeJesus. Other than Ethier though, Ned and JoJo sure closed the kids out of bench roles.
Let’s go Brox
Not a good trend. C’mon Brox, get us out of it.
What does Johnny B say?
Fu-Q Y’all
Fu Q y’all!!!!
That had me worried for a minute with Winn at the plate. He usually kills us.
Half game out now. I’m hoping for a sweep!
Broxton makes us wiggle a little again before getting his man.
1/2 back
Don’t know what happen yet, got to check the box.
No worries Blue. It was just Park and Brox having fun giving the Gints fans hope, then taking it away. 🙂
Nite all. Let’s do it again tomorrow. The Braves too!!
Good night Beav!!
Nite, enchanted.
Different lineup but good results. Pleased with Penny. Maybe he has it back, only allowed one hit. I’ve been in Virginia for a few days and head back to Long Beach today. Watched the game on MLB.tv and it was just over. It’s after midnight here. Exciting to see Danny hit a homerun. I noticed that poor Russell is in a deep funk. And Manny was 0-5 but the Dodgers still won!!! The announcers crossing out Dodger fans was pure adolescence. Oh well, what do you expect from Giants announcers. So now the Dodgers are 1/2 game out of first. Go Dodgers. Sweep those evil Giants. 🙂
dnelly and trublue, i’m pretty sure you both know how i feel about the bandana, and the man the bandana’s are modeled after.. bleh 😛
also dnelly, i agree with you about how joe seems to be trying his hardest to minimize the “kids”.. i’m NOT happy about that.. also, i talked to doyle (andre’s junior college coach that was interviewed in before the bigs) today and he seems to think andre’s going to be traded.. scary thought.. he says he still talks to andre and i told him to tell andre that he’s the most solid outfielder on the team and he deserves better. doyle agrees.
obi! i’m in your song lyrics~ 🙂
brad’s velocity was down.. but he did the job tonight.. hopefully he doesn’t feel anything bad tomorrow or the next day. that’ll be the test.. i’m sure he’ll work up his strength as long as he can keep pitching..
russell’s swing has gotten LONG again. just like it was at the beginning of the year when he was struggling.. being pull-happy.. he needs to shorten up his swing and just focus on making good contact.. i know he will soon because russell doesn’t usually slump for too long..
jeff really seems to like batting 3rd.. keep him there~
Hope he’s wrong about Andre being traded, Sara. That would not be a good move in my opinion, but just like Matt and James, he’s been in a lot of trade rumors and he’s still here and hope he stays here.
sara – thanks for the good news about Andre, but you know, he has to go if he is not going to play everyday with the Dodgers. It’s not fair to his fans, and it certainly isn’t fair to him. He deserves so much better 🙂
bluecrewgirl and dnelly, i think doyle is just speculating.. as a baseball person he’s just saying that the situation would dictate such a move.. i figure if they’ve held on to andre this long, they must believe he has a future with this team (unless they resign a certain outfielder to another albatross contract).. but who knows what this offseason will be.. if they keep attempting to minimize the kids, then maybe they’ll change the franchise goals yet again and go back to the philosophy that has gotten them no where..
Andre has only played two full games in the last nine days. It wouldn’t even bother me if Andruw were hitting and JP could throw the ball. It bothers me that he is soooo much better than the two of them right now and Joe just doesn’t see it. So, if Pierre or Jones is not gone, and they sign Manny, Andre is not a bench player, so what other choice do they have then to trade him. So, it’s like enchanted said, Andre’s already been traded, just not physically yet. He’s been traded for JP and Andruw Jones – yuck, yuck and yuck!!! I really hope I am pleasantly surprised and something happens to change things for him – sending Pierre packing would be ideal 🙂
DNelly, I am sitll hoping they will make a deal to get rid of Pierre and cut their losses with Jones after this season. At least they saved some money by not having to pay Manny and Blake this year. I don’t see how they can really be that clueless not to know how much better he is than Pierre and Jones (meaning the player Jones has become, not what he was). Plus, he hasn’t come close to how good he’s going to be as far as I’m concerned.
sara – it sure does seem like the philsophy is changing, doesn’t it? It doesn’t seem so much about keeping our own anymore as it is who is out the to acquire next.
what a game… now that was fun… manny is a beast… I feel that hes gonna hit one out tomorrow
I know – I am holding out for the hope that a trade for JP and/or Andruw happens. That would certainly make matters alot better. Also, I still hold onto that thought that Joe keeps telling Andre to be patient, and I think there is something to that more than just sitting on the bench. Like always – only time will tell 🙂
i know.. i know.. i just keep hoping that i’ll wake up one day and be pleasantly surprised.. that day has yet to come.. i really don’t know how i would respond if they traded any of “our guys”.. i would imagine my outrage at the most recent trade wouldn’t begin to compare..
Wow!! dodge – you did get to see a great game!! It must have been great seeing Danny hit that homerun. How were the fans around you? The gnat crew did eliminate a few Dodger fans, but I don’t think one of them was you – lol!
i think that upside is so important and yet i think that most of management doesn’t quite grasp the concept..
i think that we better hope that ned isn’t around to make any decisions.. but the better manram is here, the more likely ned is to stay. i cringe at that thought.
those homer idiot announcers are the absolute worse in the business. they are classless and think the giants are actually good.
I was getting crap from the giants fans but not to bad.
on a funny note there was a giants fan yelling at kent that he sucked and yelling profanities at him when he was on deck in the third. after he hit his double, coming into the dug out he yelled how did you like that to that fan. it was funny… even giants fans were laughing at the guy
haha dodge.. that’s funny. nice kent! way to put the guy in his place..
You mean Jeff was actually being funny – that’s great!!! I think you are right about Manny, he had is one day to get acclamated to the Giants fans, and he will be up and ready to get them tomorrow. I’mglad to hear you weren’t verbally tortured too much. However, I am sure it helped that the Dodgers were winning – lol!! It was very quiet around here, but my family is used to the Giants losing when Zito pitches, and after Danny hit the homerun, they knew the Giants were toast 🙂
Maybe making all this money off of Manny will allow Ned to just give JP and Andruw there walking papers and say “see ya” – lol!! I know ~ wishful thinking on Ethier’s behalf 🙂
Wonderful 6 to 2 Victory by Our Beloved Los Angeles Dodgers over the San Francisco Giants! Tremendous Super Powers Displayed by Matt Kemp and The Pitching Staff,Brad Penny,Cory Wade,Chan Ho Park and the Great Jonathan Broxton!You guys definitely have World Series Championship Victory on your minds and played like it! Way to get that base hit,Chan Ho Park! Super Hero Manny Ramirez, It is Super that you are now a Dodger and by displaying Your Winning Attitude and producing Tremendously at the Plate and on the Field! We love you,Manny! And of course, The Indestructable,Invincible,Incredible, Our Very Own, The Man Of Steel Himself, Superman Jeff Kent who along with the Rest Of His Super Hero Teammates, always gives us Faith to Believe in Our Seventh World Series Championship Victory, which will be, Struck Tremendous Fear again in the the now yellow kryptonite, with His Bases Loaded Clearing Double! Jeff, you are Mr.Baseball! All the rest of Our Dodgers were Super Heros as well as All of us Fans and Management! Oh Sing and Cheer for The Great Dodger in the Sky Has Pronounced World Series Victory by Our Los Angeles Dodgers In this Supernatural,Jubilee 50th Anniversary of Our Wonderful Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles This Amazing Year Of 2008 A.D.!
Super wonderful post Ndeschenes!
Love the story on Kent Dodge! Way to stick it the Gnat fan!
This might be sticking my neck out a little but I got a feeling that if HAPPY DAYS aren’t here yet, then they’re RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.
GOOD NIGHT FOLKS!!!!
Thanks for the compliment Crzblue! As well, Super Heros Danny Ardoin and Casey Blake Deserve Super Honorable Mention with their Cannon Blast Home Runs to help Propel us to Our Well earned Victory! It is All Part Of the Plan Leading to October Glory when our Beloved Los Angeles Dodgers will be Crowned World Series Champions and Superman Jeff Kent and his Super Hero Teammates get their Super Extremely Well Desreved Word Series Rings as kryptonite is Destroyed Forever!
ndeschenes, good to be here with the night owls. Yes, they are our heroes…every last one of them. Pierre gave us that nice triple and Druw gave us his pinch home run. Best thing about tonight was Manny going 0-5 and still kicking their a**. The big question…for tonight, anyway…is who protects Manny now that Manny is protecting Kent? Which remaining Dodger strikes fear into a pitcher? I’d say one. Kemp.
Torre has attractive choices in Andre Ethier (3-for-7 against Correia) or Juan Pierre (7-for-16).
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http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080809&content_id=3279301&vkey=news_la&fext=jsp&c_id=la
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Joe, for heaven’s sake, play the guy with the better arm, which if you don’t know, is Andre – 🙂
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Good Morning, ITD writers and readers!!!
Ethier understands
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Andre Ethier was discussing how the addition of Ramirez resulted in an extra body in an already crowded outfield when it was mentioned to him that he seemed more at ease talking about his irregular playing time than, say, a couple of weeks ago.
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“Yeah,” Ethier said, shrugging his shoulders. “You want to have fun. Sometimes you struggle and sometimes you fight it and you have to decide what your goals and what the team goals are. Sometimes you have to take a step back.”
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Though Ethier was frequently complimented in recent weeks by Manager Joe Torre for becoming increasingly consistent at the plate, he has started only two of the seven games the Dodgers have played since acquiring Ramirez.
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Asked if it made it any easier knowing that it’s Ramirez who is pushing him out of the lineup, Ethier said, “It never makes it easier. You want to play in every game. . . . I’ve been here for three years and I’ve been through a good season and a bad season like last year. It’s a lot better having a good season than to go through a bad one. That makes it easier.”
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http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodfyi9-2008aug09,0,5898077.story
Good morning dnelly — If it’s a choice between Andre and Pierre to play, I too would take Andre. I don’t care what his stats are against Correia, he hits well at AT&T Park. Not only that, you are so right about the defense. There is no way Juan can cover triples alley and throw the ball to make a play. Saying all that, Torre will probably play Andruw again, just because we won with him last night — not that he had anything to do with it. Joe seems to like the old guys right now, which is sad, because the youth is our future.
Good Morning, trublue ~ The article said Andruw would probably sit, that’s why Joe made the statement he has Andre and Juan to choose from. My guess is Andre will play Sunday against Cain, and JP will play today, which will really piss off jnv and dodge16. At least dodge16 is going tomorrow, too. Then again, nobody expected yesterday’s lineup so who knows what he is thinking.
Oh, I see. If JP plays I hope every ball is hit his way. As far as I’m concerned, Andruw should sit the rest of the season. What a waste, even the Giant fans sitting close when he was on deck, said why take a practice swing, you’re going to strike out, anyway.
Did you know Bernie Mac died? He was only 50. The article says he died from complications from pneumonia – sad 😦
Yes, I heard it this morning. Very sad, indeed. Watched some of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics — so boring, the U.S. team had the ugliest outfits.
Morning nelly. Looks like a great day for sports around the world. Little baseball, football, olympics, little league. What more could a person want.
I really think Andruw is going to start playing better without pressure on him. He hasn’t struck out as much last 3 games he’s
played. I may be wrong, but I think he’s going to start being more productive. We’ll see.
Good Morning, boblee – I didn’t watch much of the opening ceremonies last night (mostly because I was watching the Dodger game), but I do like watching the events themselves. I used to swim and play water polo in highschool/college so I tend to watch those the most, but all the other sports are kind of fun, too, especially the ones we don’t see everyday. Andruw does seem to be swinging better, but it was against the Giants and Barry Zito. I think we need to see what he can do against the better Giant pitchers or even the Phillies when they come to town. At the moment, I still think Ethier should be out there. He killed the Giants last time at AT&T, but Joe doesn’t seem to have memory of that, I suppose.
boblee, I know Andruw hasn’t struck out as much but he can’t put much on the ball, doesn’t get it out of the infield. He may be more relaxed, but I don’t think he cares.
This 3 outfielders for 1 spot is retarded. It is almost impossible for a ballplayer to maintain any rhythm without consistent playing time. Thus, it is clear that Andre should be dropped from this platoon, since his lack of consistent playing time will actually affect his performance. Meanwhile, we can continue to provide the incredible level of performance we have all year.
Love,
Andruw Jones, consistent .163 hitter
Juan Pierre, consistent slapout hitter and total *********
Good morning ITD boys and girls,
I know my visit yesterday was brief; very brief. And actually, this one won’t be much longer, but I just wanted to sign in and say hi to my ITD buddies!!! 🙂 I didn’t see much of the game last night; we were watching the opening ceremonies and switched back and forth during commercials. Great to see we won and the snakes lost!!! We are only 1/2 game behind!!! Yeah!!!
Hey dnel – I saw you were looking for me yesterday. Sorry it was short, but actually, I thought I was going to the fair yesterday. We didn’t. My husband was tired and didn’t feel like going. We’re busy today, so I think were not going to the fair today. Tomorrow’s the last day of the fair and we may or may not go. Oh well. We already went once.
Gotta love Uncle Joe and his hair-cut priorities. What a fun-loving guy. The A’s of the early 70s will always be remembered for their rebel spirit and breath of fresh air. Joe, you continue to disappoint. Oh, and congratulations on eclipsing the .500 mark with 47 games remaining in the season. No way Grady Gump could have topped that milestone.
Did you notice that since 1921 only one major leage player had a lower batting average than andruw with over 200 times at the plate Bob Uker must be going for the record
Kahli, is Uncle Joe forcing him to get his hair cut? AFTER the Marketing dept spent a week cranking out DreadHead wear?
What’s next, asking Donnie Ballgame to “SHAVE THOSE SIDEBURNS!!!” ?
quiet in here…
Just got back from the store wearing my LA hat, and not one person even gave me a dirty look. Of course, could be expected after last night.
northstatesblues, Yep…Uncle Joe asked Manny again on Thursday and he will comply when the Dodgers return home. There’s also a rumor Manny wants to sign with the Yanks to get back at Boston. Whatever. Just hit home runs, Manny.
Hey Northstateblues!!! I have been in and out all day, but haven’t really checked in here until now. During last night’s Giants telecast, Krukow and gang said that Manny had until Monday to have his hair cut. That’s all I know on the subject other than the article on the homepage, but it doesn’t say anything specific. How are things in nor-cal?
Kahli ~ the Yankees, huh?
Joe’s deadline for Manny cutting his hair is just another example of how out of touch Joe is with today’s players. Who cares how long his dreads are as long as he keeps hitting? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it . I think David Crosby of CSN&Y said it best:
ALMOST CUT MY HAIR
Almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It’s gettin kinda long
I could have said it was in my way
But I didn’t and I wonder why
I feel like letting my freak flag fly
Cause I feel like I owe it to someone
Must be because I had the flu’ for Christmas
And I’m not feeling up to par
It increases my paranoia
Like looking in my (rear-view) mirror and seeing a police car
But I’m not giving in an inch to fear
Cause I promised myself this year
I feel like I owe it to someone
When I finally get myself together
I’m going to get down in that sunny southern weather
And I find a place inside a laugh
Separate the wheat from the chaff
I feel like I owe it to someone
Outstanding Obi!!! At this point, if Frank is planning on making money off of his hair, I can see a few more Mondays go by (like until the end of the season) until it gets done. I guess we will see how much power Joe has if this is what he really wants.
Why wouldn’t it surprise me the way this organization is run, that they would have this mass-marketing of dreadlocks, and as soon as they hit the market, Joe forces Manny to cut his hair? It just seems like such a three stooges thing to do.
Did you get your monitor cleaned off from yesterday Obi??
Hey, enchanted!! I guess through this hair issue, we might find out if making money is more important than a team image, or what Joe thinks is a team image.
Hi guys & gals, I think Joe will get his way with thie hair issue. He seems to always get what he wants. I think the higher-ups would prefer he play the youngsters and Joe does it his way. Who knows, they may have wanted to depart with “you know who” but Joe got his way.
good afternoon to all the ITD readers/bloggers!!
i am back from camping and very happy to hear brad got a win on his first game back!!
Welcome back Acardona — was fun reading your posts during our trip to LA last weekend.
thanks TruBlue!! i’m happy to hear i made your trip more enjoyable!! it’s a bummer i didn’t get to meet you at Andre’s autograph day! i did meet debbie and obi which was great!
i’m very happy that joe is sticking with having Manny cut his hair! and i honestly hate how his batting hat is SSOOO dirty!! it just looks very unprofessional to me!
I agree with you about the batting helmet. Even the Giant announcers could not believe the helmet was only one week old!
acardona ~ obi was at Andre’s autograph day? I didn’t know that – hmmm!!
looks like Andre is most likely (hopefully) playing tonight! more good news to come home to! but some very sad news coming home to is Bernie Mac!! how sad!!
This hair thing is really funny. If it was a “normal” player, not much would be said about it. Beimel cut his hair but still kept the messy style. Since Joe made somewhat of a deal out of it Manny should cut the dreads a bit, perhaps to the shoulder. The dreads would still be visable. Joe already said if Manny cuts his hair and goes into a slump Joe’s *** is on the line. The Dodgers can still sell the silly dread wigs and everyone will be happy, right?
As to the dirty batting helmut, how did he get it that dirty so quickly? I agree that some of the players wear disgustingly dirty helmuts and sweat stained hats but other than telling them where they bat and if they are playing that day, there does not seem much they can tell a player to do.
I just had a thought, Acardona, wouldn’t it be a riot to have dinner with dnelly, enchanted, obi, and some of the other bloggers. I bet we’d be laughing all night long!
Dnelly- OOPS!! i meant to say cpo! haha!! i don’t know where obi came from! LOL!!!
Considering that Manny is free money at the gate to Frank (how he and Ned pulled that one off to have Boston pay him I’ll never know), and seeing as how they’re marketing dreadlocks, presumably at a premium so Frank can make somemore free money, I would think that he would trumph Joe on the hair thing.
TruBlue- “riot” is the perfect word!!! LOL!! that would just be a blast!! and yes the laughing would be endless!
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Dnel- wait now i’m confusing myself haha!! it was cpo right?
I understand what you are saying enchanted about Manny’s mane but doesn’t Joe want to be the BOSS.
The continuing non-importance of Manny’s hair. Maybe Sky Saxon is a Dodger fan…
You’re pushin’ too hard, Joe-pushin’ on me
You’re pushin’ too hard, Joe-what you want me to be
You’re pushin’ too hard about the things you say
You’re pushin’ too hard every night and day
You’re pushin’ too hard
Pushin’ too hard on me (too hard)
Well all I want is to just be free
Wear my hair the way I wanna be
All I want is to just have fun
Live my life without Joe comin’ down
But you’re pushin’ too hard
Pushin’ too hard on me (too hard)
Well, better listen Joe to what I’m tellin’ you
You better listen Joe, or we are through
You better stop all your foolin’ around
Stop your rantin’ all over town
‘Cause you’re pushin’ too hard
Pushin’ too hard on me (too hard)
Well I know there’s a lotta teams in the league
I know some would stay by me
So if you don’t think I’m gonna try
You better ask yourself the reason why
‘Cause you’re pushin’ too hard
Pushin’ too hard on me (too hard)
Pushin’ too hard, pushin’ too hard
Pushin’ too hard, pushin’ too hard
Pushin’ too hard, pushin’ too hard
Pushin’ too hard on me (too hard)
Ibirken- yeah i agree about the helmet there’s not much they can make him do about it but it just look bad to me.. if i were joe it would bother me.. haha as for the dreads it would be pretty unfair to make other players (like biemel) cut their hair and then someone new comes along and they just say “its ok your hair doesn’t matter” you know? i personally don’t like when athletes grow their hair out like that but i have no say about it.. lol
Way to go Kahli!!! Outstanding!!
Joe’s probably IS the boss Tru – Frank’s kinda the Rodney Dangerfield of owners.
I think enchanted’s right. I think Frank making money is going to go further than what Joe wants.
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acardona – it was cpompe1 🙂
Remember Gagne’s sweat stained hat? He wore it the whole season. Kind of like when we were in school and wore the same gym clothes the whole school year.
ditto, Kahli! I wish I had the talent to come up with the songs & poems like you and some of the others. Maybe if I stick around long enough, my creativity will flow. LOL
haha thanks dnelly!
[Did you get your monitor cleaned off from yesterday Obi?? ]>
Enchanted, I was about to clean it off when I noticed the coffee I had spewed all over it had dried and formed into a perfect image of Manny Ramirez’ batting stance. I immediately took a picture of it and put the monitor up for sale on Ebay. Last time I checked the high bid was $5,740.29 with 10 days left. I’ll be sure to send you your cut of the sale. 🙂
LOL TruBlue!!
McCourt ought to grow dreadlocks…and then fire Joe and Ned. Heck, for all I care, he can fire them BEFORE he grows dreadlocks…
I agree. I always had the vision that someday Mike Scioscia would come home and manage the Dodgers. wouldn’t it be great!
Kahli – I think McCourt has to grow something else first before he can fire Ned and JoJo.
Darned if there isn’t a new thread.
On your mark, get set…
GO!!!!!
Obi — I’ll bet Andruw is the high bidder on Ebay item!