M.I.A.
The subject is not a reference to the singers of “Paper Planes,” which became the Dodgers’ de facto victory song last season. It’s actually me who was missing in action over the weekend. I was not in Atlanta and didn’t get to a computer much, so hopefully you all survived the weekend with one long post.
We open up a seven-game homestand tonight, as you probably know, and it’s starting to feel like a pennant race at Dodger Stadium now that the calendar has shifted to August. For those of you old enough to remember the 1984 Olympics here in LA, we’ll be honoring several Olympians throughout the week with first pitches so come on down and show your national pride…or something like that. All I really remember of those games was that I had tickets to a track and field event and never wound up going, which is a bummer because it could be another 50 years before the Olympics come to Los Angeles…
On Wednesday, we’ve got the Mannywood poster which is pretty freakin’ cool, if you ask me. And the usual Fireworks on Friday, Webkinz for kids on Sunday…plenty of reasons to come out and support your team, which just so happens to have the best record in baseball. The poster is below, as is a sneak peak at the Manny Curtain Call bobblehead, which will be given away on Sept. 16.
UPDATE LINEUP:
Furcal, SS
Ethier, RF
Manny, LF
Blake, 3B
Kemp, F
Loney, 1B
Hudson, 2B
Ausmus, C
Kershaw, P
Inside the Dodgers 
Thanks for the new thread Josh. This will make Messagebear’s day! lol
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GO DODGERS…………..DODGER BLUE THRU & THRU!!!!
Talk about “Ruffling Some Feathers”! LMAO!!!!
I can’t wait for messagebear’s response to this one. LOL!!!! I am still mad that others haven’t gotten one yet that deserve one just as much as Manny does. No names need to be mentioned (Andre), but it would be nice for them (Andre) to be recognized in this way for all their (Andre) accomplishments this season as well. Just saying……
….and Josh, welcome back and thanks for the new thread.
Here’s a thought I had the other day Tru – if Mike Scioscia was our manager, Billz would by now either be an “ace” or would be pitching for someone else. Can you imagine Scosh not getting in his face for letting other pitchers take liberties with our hitters? If he were managing, Billz would either have to get mentally tough (which I think is mainly his problem), or he be moved on.
I also think if Scosh had Brox, he’d be totally unhittable. No way whould he let Brox get away with everything being outside.
Kemp would also be batting 3rd.
Andre who Nells?
I’d LOVE to have Scosh as manager, BPB. That would be a dream come true! I’m wondering if it is Martin’s call or Joe’s to have Brox pitch outside?
ANDRE ETHIER NEEDS TO HAVE A BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT!!!!!!! HIS FANS NEED A BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! I’D DRIVE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE RAVINE FOR AN ANDRE ETHIER BOBBLEHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!
Some things are better left ignored, Tru.
I really enjoyed all aspects of last night game, not least of which was that shi*head didn’t need to contribute anything. Creating two bobblehead nights for him just shows to me that management is interested in promotion not performance. Might as well call the stadium Mannywood and be done with it. Just make sure to an an * after it.
JOSH….Thanks for finally posting a new thread… I don’t remember anything on the 84′ Summer Olympics either. But my brother also had tickets to the track & field events and I remember going for the car drive to drop off my brother and friend for the event. At the time I lived in Inglewood so it wasn’t that far of a drive.
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That’s a cool bobble head for MANNY.
But I am with NELLY….ETHIER deserves a BOBBLEHEAD. So if Dodgers Management were able to set a date and design totally different bobble head for MANNY quickly…why can’t they do one for ETHIER. SNEAK IN another bobble game this season.
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NELLY – BEAR always have something interesting to say.
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I’ll be attending today’s game…and I’ll be showing my support for the BOYS IN BLUE…GOOOOO DODGERS! Let’s keep on winning…
ETHIER let it be 23.
KERSH let’s go for 14 strike outs
KEMP stay HOT HOT HOT!
MANNY just be MANNY!
MARTIN all we need is number 4.
BLAKE hope you are OK and hope to see you on 3rd.
LONEY…golden glove!
Furcal…keep on jumping!
HUDSON…O’Dog…YEY!
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ROSE
Good to see you, as always, Messagebear. It was an enjoyable game last night and we even got a new pinch hitter. I’ll be JP was ticked off when Schmidt got the call. Of course, Joe must have seen him pouting and put him in later.
Scioscia would do Broxton the same way that he did Krod and bring him in when they need 1 and 2 outs for a cheap save. I can’t believe how many cheap save that he got with Krod. When was the last time that you ever seen a closer that didn’t average an inning per game?
The Angels already locked him up until 2013 I think. I’m going to check cot now.
Sciosia would make a great choice when Joe retires. Think he’d come back?
n/m that 2018
He does have an opt clause after 2015.
O Great One – Andre – #16, Right Fielder, leading the team in HRs and RBIs – Ethier, if you must ask š BPB – Are you sure you are not Ramslover in disguise instead of enchanted? I usually only have to answer that question to him.
messagebear š
Actually quite a few Shad:
Brian Fuentes 41 games 35.2 innings
Trevor Hoffmann 32 games 31 innings
Kevin Gregg 52 games 49.2 innings
Kerry Wood 40 games 37 innings
David Aardsma 50 games 49.1 innings
Lindstrom/Nunez duo 85 games 78 innings (both avg. under 1)
George Sherrill 42 games 41.1 innings (with O’s)
Brad Lidge 42 games 38 innings
Matt Capps 38 games 34.2 innings
Huston Street 48 games 45.1 innings
Joe Nathan 44 games 41.2 innings
Oh OHHH! Messabear is under the Torre/Media/Management influence and not recognizing ANDRE and his TALENT
lol of all that was this year?
lol all that was this year?
http://firstinning.com/players/Charlie-Haeger-a/
Here is your #5 starter and I’m surprise we haven’t even given him a shot as the #5 spot yet.
Chiming in on the Scioscia comments – imagine what improvements he could make with Russell. I bet he’d teach him to at least throw to the correct side of second base!
How dare anybody say that about me (me under Torre/Media/Management influence and not recognizing Andre; where have you been, lady) – Andre happens to be my favorite player, and I think he’s at least currently the best that we have on our team. I also especially like Matt and the development that he’s achieved this season. I personally think that the two should be batting back to back in the order. In spite of his lack of power so far, I also like Loney, because he manages to get his RBI’s when given the chance, and Blake has been a nice surprise and I suppose stabilizing influence for the team. I very much like Orlando Hudson and hope that we find a way to keep him beyond this season. I don’t think that Furcal is helping as we would have expected, and I think Martin has regressed badly. The pitching staff is kind of a work in progress, with the bullpen doing very well, and the starter staff more living on hope than quality, with Kershaw having the edge toward a real quality status.
I totally have no use for the ownership, the GM, or the aging legend Joe. If anybody could remove one of them, it would be at least a 1/3 improvement to the ballclub.
So THERE, but you really got my goat, and I can shoot from the hip too.
Charlie Haeger didn’t throw his 3rd straight complete game but he did throw six innings and gave up zero earned runs to earn the victory. Over his last three starts the knuckleball must be in special fluttery mode with 24 innings, 3 earned runs, and 25 strikeouts.
With the trade of Carlos Santana and the demise of Lucas May as a prospect Dodger fans have been rightfully worried about the catching pipeline. That pipeline took another hit when the great catch and throw catcher Kenley Jansen was recently converted from catcher to pitcher. However we may have two catchers who could help in future. They are far down the pipeline but the performances of Gorman Erickson and Jeremy Wise in rookie league Ogden at least give some hope. They are both old for this league and I don’t normally talk much about rookie league performances other then informational tidbits but these guys are so hot I thought I’d pass it on. The Pioneer league is an offensive league but the numbers are still worth noting. Erickson’s.964 OPS (5th in the league) is a far cry from what he produced last year. With three more hits last night and five runs batted in he does not appear to be slowing up in August. Jeremy Wise is a bit older at 24 coming right out of the draft this year and started hitting the minute he was put into the lineup. With a .933 OPS he is hanging right with his partner. Why they are both in Odgen instead of one in Great Lakes is only a question that DeJon Watson can answer.
There your power to bad they playing in rookie ball don’t know if it going to translate to success in the major.
Torre moved him back there (the #2 slot in the batting order) Friday. “I should’ve gotten smarter a long time ago,” Torre said.
Ummmmmmmmmmmm, hey Joe, check out the ITD blogs for the past 4months. You SHOULD have gotten smarter.
As far as Carlos Santana, I wasn’t real concerned when they traded him. But I was furious when they started bandying about the names of Jerry Garcia and Grace Slick for Halladay.
MESSAGEBEAR….I am just bursting your bubbles LOL. Don’t worry…I know how you feel about ANDRE, and how you feel about MANNY & MARTIN. I know this blog is full of ETHIERAHOLICS. And everyone here loves and respect our ETHIER. I don’t think I have ever read anything negative about ETHIER…NOT including Phans comments. SORRY!
Here is a little something to make it up….
http://www.totalprosports.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/andre-ethier.jpg
ROSE
Bear shoots from the hip with a shotgun š
LOL Kahli!! Now how is it you feel about Wolf again? š
2009 Season
Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS
AKR EAS .282 99 323 69 91 22 1 19 77 172 66 61 0 1 .401 .533 .934
Minors .282 99 323 69 91 22 1 19 77 172 66 61 0 1 .401 .533 .934
Ouch Ned why oh why I know it still the minor but still after what he did last year and now these number this year.
KAHLI: I don’t think TORRE listens to anyone. And about being smarter??? Who knows, maybe someone should tell him to put KEMP on the 8th slot and then maybe he will feel like he has to move him to a better slot.
Last 10 Games: (Current team only)
Date OPP AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS
Jul 24 ALT .333 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Jul 25 ALT .750 4 1 3 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0
Jul 26 ALT 1.000 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Jul 27 ERI .250 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0
Jul 28 ERI .500 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
Jul 29 ERI .250 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Jul 30 ERI .600 5 1 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
Jul 31 @BIN .333 6 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0
Aug 01 @BIN .333 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Aug 02 @BIN .333 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0
Totals .432 37 9 16 3 0 4 14 3 6 0 0
Is hard to get this guy out of my mind and if he’s going to keep this up but if he turned out as a flop when he reach the major than is ok.
Talk about things working out well, huh? The Dodgers dominated the Braves yesterday, as the pitching, hitting, and defense all came up big.
Chad Billingsley was absolutely dealing, and he allowed a mere 3 baserunners through 5 innings while striking out 9. Unfortunately, he left the game with what was later classified as a cramp.
“I told Russ [Martin, catcher] I was cramping — not every pitch, but when I was striding, and he looked in the dugout,” said Billingsley. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Russell Martin, the snitch. š®
Billingsley said he wasn’t really hurt, blamed the cramp on the effects of a humid summer night and his tendency to dehydrate and said he expected to make his next start Friday night against the same Braves.
Don’t lie to us, Chad. We all know you were cramping because 90% of your body weight is in your legs and you didn’t drink enough water before the game. Thunder thighs.
“He was very strong-willed at that point,” said [Joe] Torre. “I almost gave in, but I would have never forgiven myself if something happened. You pitch to compensate and all of a sudden you hurt your arm.”
A wise decision by Joe Torre, but calling Billingsley strong willed? Unpossible! The media has told me he’s weak and doesn’t have what it takes to be a warrior! Surely Torre jests.
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So can Matt Kemp still not handle hitting higher than eighth? After having a huge July, Kemp is continuing his hot hitting into August. After today’s game, Kemp is now the most valuable center fielder in the major leagues by a rather large margin. Hell, if you consider Ben Zobrist a second baseman (I do), Kemp is the most valuable outfielder in the bigs this year.
**********************************************************************************************************
I absolutely could not understand why Torre burned through three relievers to get the last four outs. Scott Elbert was on cruise control until he got into a bit of trouble when he put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 down. Given that the Dodgers were leading by 8 runs, why not let Elbert just work through trouble? What’s the worst that’s going to happen there? 8-3? But no, Torre brings in Guillermo Mota to face a righty, and after Mota surrenders a hit that scores a run, Torre calls for George Sherrill to take care of a lefty. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, he brings in Ramon Troncoso to finish the game.
So to recap, while he could have just left Elbert in to finish all four remaining innings, Torre ended up wasting three of his best bullpen arms to get four outs in a 7 run game. God.
Here’s a suggestion to the Dodger front office: instead of trading away top prospects because you “need” bullpen depth, why don’t you just tell your manager to stop being such a ******* moron?
Look like someone wasn’t happy about Torre burning the bullpen again.
lol Martin the snitch
Good afternoon all…..
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Welcome Home Boy’s
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We played much better last night, not as sloppy as we have been playing.
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LETS BEAT THE BREWERS TONIGHT!!!!!
GO DODGERS!!!!!
BRING THE RING TO L.A. IN 2009!!!!!!
MARTIN the Snitch…don’t think so. CHAD were did you read this…is actually funny, but I don’t think that MARTIN did it to snitch on Billz.
http://www.memoriesofkevinmalone.com/2009_08_01_archive.html
Actually it better on the site I guess someone reply and called Martin a snitch.
OK, Rose. LOL, you got me. Although, if you look back on some of my posts a couple of months ago, you’ll see that I was ready to take Andre to the woodshed at the time.
Yeah Denny Hamlin!!!! :)))))))))))
Good …afternoon ITD blogmates.
I started reading Josh’s thread and thinking “oh..oh….prepare to read Messagebear’s reaction.” but it was mild compared to what I was expecting. lol.
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Looking forward to today’s game with Kershaw!
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/
WTG Hamlin
Well it look like Baker killed another pitcher and now going to miss a year.
MESSAGEBEAR – Well when Andre was in a slump that is when he needed our support more….yes he got us mad, well it was more fustration. But glad he got out. And our love for him never really stopped.
That is how I feel about MARTIN….I don’t feel the MARTIN LOVE here anymore by the bloggers…but I will keep supporting him (while he is still a dodger) and hope for the best. Maybe someday he will totally be out of the slump he is in and MARTIN 2008 will be back.
There should be a Dre, Russ, Loney, Billz, Kershaw, Broxton, O-Dawg, Mattingly, Bob Schaefer, Ken Howell, Larry Bowa or Mitch Poole bobblehead night before theres another Manny Bobblehead night. I wish the Dodgers would act live we’ve had a superstar player before. We are acting as if Manny is the only Hall of Fame caliber player to put on a Dodger uniform. We are acting like a small market expansion team who got their first superstar. It’s embarassing. Dodger fans already get a bad rap for being fairweather and leaving games early. This Manny promotional overkill just makes us look worse but he’s a cash cow and McCheap is miliking him until his teets are raw.
About last night…I’m glad Joe found it appropriate to use two over our best relievers, Sherrill and Tron, in a complete blow out. No wonder the bullpens taxed…O and don’t forget Mota for one batter. Joe drives me nuts sometimes. I wonder if Matt Kemp will be batting 8th tonight. I’m sure he will! In 5 games as our number 5 hitter Matt has 11 RBI’s. Joe wants that type of production hitting 8th!
O and a Vin Scully and Nancy Bea Hefley bobblehead night before another manny one as well.
I respect your feelings about Martin, msrussy, and I do the same with those who champion JP. I’m sure that both are genuine in their desire to help the team. I’ve been harsh on Martin, and pretty much everybody has been that and worse with JP. Since we’re all Dodger fans, it’s good to see that there is someone to support everyone on this fine team of ours. I’m going to relent and try to show my better side to those who may get offended by my harsh criticism of certain players at certain times – I say that with ONE EXCEPTION, of course, and nothing in the above is to absolve my opinion that our owners, our GM, and yes, even our manager are total SHI*S! You wouldn’t want me to transform entirely, now would you.
Don’t you dare tranform, Messagebear! You are one in a million!
Rosie,
For me if they have the Dodger uni, I support him. I want the whole team to do well.
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Hey, did you all know that Doug M….eyechart (can’t spell his name) was at Dodger Stadium Sunday working out.
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As every year since the event got started, I am going to the WIN baseball clinic. Ausmus is hosting it this year. After the clinic, there is the lunch with Q & A session for Joe, Loretta, Hudson and they just added Loney. Last year was the first time that it included a luncheon wtih a Q & A panel and I drected my question and comment to Don Mattingly. This time I am not sure who I am going to direct my question to and what I will ask.
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/
The indignation at steroid users by the media and fans is getting really OLD. There’s a list of 104 names…and those were only a sampling of a handful of guys tested before there were any penalties, MLB just wanting to get a “feel” for the scope of abuse. The sage Canseco has said he believes 90% of players were using PEDs in the 90s and beyond. No reason to doubt him. Seems all players were using “something” because it was not against the rules yet. Jocks are always looking for ways to get a leg up. So Manny and Ortiz and A-Rod and Barreeeeee and McGwire and Sosa and Palmeiro and Petit are outed, but there are SO MANY MORE. I mean, hell, we get our collective dander up over Gagne and LoDuca, but does anyone here REALLY believe Karros and Piazza were clean? Cut me a break. It’s like being ********** at offensive and defensive lineman in the NFL the past 30 years. Yeah, steroids are harmful. Yeah, players are idiots. But let’s not be hypocrites. Just WHY are we mad? Tainted statistics? Rule breakers? Law breakers? I haven’t figured that one out yet.
I have no idea why fans are mad for steroid use. I don’t remember anyone complaining in the 90’s watching all those home runs. I also don’t understand why guys before steroids were banned are called cheaters. They didn’t break any rules baseball had in place. I wouldn’t even call guys who tested positive for steroids after bans were put in place cheaters. I’d call them complete idiots! Every era of baseball was tainted somehow. I don’t even think steroids is the biggest scandal in baseball history. Anyone remember the 1919 Chicago White Sox? Talk about undermining the integrity of the game! The real criminal in this steroids debate is Bud Selig. He’s the one who should be blamed here. He hasn’t taken responsibility for his lack of action and instead has thrown every major league baseball player under the bus.
Maybe its because our steroid boys didn’t win anything Kahli.
Would you be more upset if every single player on our current team was juicer or would you be more upset if our team intentionally lost the world series for monetary gain?
I am not on steroids but I am on day 10 of my Manny Ramirez (HCG) diet and I have lost 17.5 pounds. I have felt good during this time. Plenty of energy and no hunger pains. My blood pressure has gone from 144/84 to 120/72 and blood glucose from 233 to 149.
32and53, kind of like Manny’s batting average the past week or so.
Wow! Brian! Congrats on losing 17.5 pounds and way to go on lowering your blood pressure and blood glucose. I wish one of my cousins would do something about his diabetes.
Emma
Way to go Brian! Keep up the good work!!
messagebear – Just like enchanted, don’t you change one bit. Like you said we all have our favorites and it’s another thing that makes this blog great. These players will not be around forever, and we will be on to our new Dodger favorites and Dodgers we don’t care for just like we always do.
ANDRE DESERVES A BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT!!!!!
aeversaw and kahli, I think you raise some interesting questions. Back when Manny was suspended, my son was really upset as we all were. He felt deceived by Manny. Now he is not a huge Manny fan but understands how Manny’s bat can help the Dodgers. He also understood how much emphasis the Dodgers were placing on Manny. Anyway, I tried to argue that for years baseball has been full of deceptions both legal and otherwise. The pitcher tries to deceive the hitter. Fielders are taught how to come up with a line drive and show the umpire the ball has been caught even when the fielder knows full well he did not catch the ball. Fielders try to deke a runner into believing the hitter popped up the ball when in fact the ball has been hit to the opposite field. And let’s not even talk about the phantom force outs we see almost every game at second base! And what about the hidden ball trick, seldom seen but terribly embarrasing if one does get caught? True, most of these deceptions seldom work (except for the phantom tag at second which seems to have become part of the game), and others, such as the spitball, have been banned by rules changes. The fact is players still try these things.
I believe the issue many have with PED’s is the fact that even though baseball may not have had any rules against them, society did. Therefore, in order to obtain these substances, an illegal act is committed. Obviously baseball was in denial about PED’s and could have done something about them a long time ago. Body builders have been using this junk for years but no one really cared much. In fact, I am not so sure anyone really cared much until high school players started using this junk.
As I recall, Mark Maguire made no secret he was using a supplement and at the time the ingrediant was not banned by major league baseball. In fact, Major League baseball has been so hypocritical about this whole issue by coming down hard on minor leaguers prior to imposing rules on major leaguers. If Congress had not gotten involved, Major League Baseball might not have ever imposed sanctions on PED’s
So why is everyone upset? I still believe baseball fans see a purity in the game that is not associated with other sports. We loved the power explosion even though many were wondering why it took so long to break Ruth’s single season record and took so little to break it again. So like it or not, PED’s are part of the game just as the Black Sox scandal, spit balls, and the abuse of alchohol and other drugs. The problem is there may be more “cheaters” (past and present) than non-cheaters and certainly many who are suspect.
I vote for a Nelly bobblehead.
I too vote for a Nelly bobblehead doll….. lbirk. In the meantime, I will leave you all with this image.
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It sort of resembles Nelly when Andre hits a homerun, or Denny wins a race…..Yeah Andre!!!!!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7_ECwVfr8I
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GO ANDRE!!! GO DENNY!!! GO NELLY!! GO DODGERS!!!!!
New blog post at http://northstateblues.mlblogs.com . No drawing this time, just some soul searching regarding Manny Ramirez, one of my favorite outfielders of the past 20 years before moving to L.A., and how I’m affected in the wake of what happened that day I felt like Bruce Lee kicked me in the gut.
Oh yeah I almost forgot….God love Her š
lbirken – We were just talking about your whole speech last night at dinner. About how baseball has had their issues since the beginning with past vices and illegal (or socially unacceptable) activity.
….and thank you for the kind words about the bobblehead. I have a 7 year old nephew who does his own version of what he thinks every player’s bobblehead should look like. He even included Joe Torre. They are all pretty cool and it’s funny that he knows their personalities, batting stances and defensive stances so well for only being 7.
Dodger4life – That is pretty much it!!! However, when (Dodgereric – hopefully you have watched the race already!!!) Denny won the race today, I cheered first and then cried. It was happy and sad because he was crying because his grandma had passed away earlier last week. However, thank you too, for the visual – I think :)))
I really can’t blame a guy pre-drug testing for taking steroids. If you see the competition has an obvious edge over you because of a supplement they are taking wouldn’t you want to take it? I’m not even willing to call them selfish. Most of these guys have families to take care of and if their job is in jeopardy because some guy who is on roids is getting more playing time then them don’t you think they’d try to level the playing field?
I’m pretty libertarian about my views of everything in life and I’m no different about PED’s in baseball. I wouldn’t ban them. I’d test for them and if someone tested positive I wouldn’t suspended them. I’d make them go out on the field and let the people have their say. Public humiliation and having a reputation ruined is far more harmful then missing 50 games and a couple of million dollars. These guys are adults and have a choice if they want to juice or not. They have to suffer the consequences for the decision they’ve made. It can be public humiliation, ruined reputations, not being voted into the Hall of Fame or even dying when they are 50 due to an enlarged heart from the years of using steroids. Banning and hiding the positive test list has made everyone a suspect and its unfair to the guys who are clean. I believe Bud Selig is doing this to cover his own *** and If he’s going to be blamed he wants everyone else to be blamed with him.
Also, if you’ve read the Mitchell Report most of the guys doing it used them to recover faster. Baseball is their job and support for their family and like I said they should have to suffer the consequence for their decisions. Banning something doesn’t level the playing field. Guys will still juice if its banned or not. It’s like gun control. If you ban guns the criminals will still have them and law-abiding citizens are left defenseless.
aeversaw, it is interesting the reaction to all the PED stuff, especially from those accused who have denied using. I think a lot of this comes from the fact that one of their own, Canseco, ratted them out. At first no one believed Canseco and probably for good reason. I don’t recall why Canseco decided to bring all this out in the open but I do recall few took him seriously at the time. And now someone is leaking information that players were assured would never be made public. Who is leaking this information and why?
Well lbirken, there’s 3 possible suspects…The Players association, why would they rat out their own players? The lab that analyzed the test, what do they have to gain for releasing players name? Finally, Major League Baseball, what don’t they have to gain from releasing names? They can cast a handful of players as villains and deflect criticism from themselves. Bud Selig can say he’s tried everything to clean up the game and say that only a few players were used steroids and it wasn’t a wide spread problem. As much of a ****** as Jose Canseco is he’s never been wrong about names he said used steroids. If he says 90% of players were using he could be right. How bad would Bud Selig look if it was a league wide issue and he turned a blind eye to it because baseball’s revenues were blowing up!
Lineup update, Matty at 5th! Better than 8th!
Don’t look now… Matt Kemp is the most valuable Center Fielder in Major League Baseball.
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=cf&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=6&season=2009&month=0
I grew up and loving baseball with people like Hodges, Snider, Jackie, Campy, Newk, and you get the idea of that era. They had their own ways of getting a competitive edge, be it scuffing the ball, spitters, and so on. The White Sox deal of cheating the game for a payoff was a national disgrace, and I don’t recall anybody justifying it. Guys like Mays and Aaron were the competition, but I respected them and their records for their proven abilities. There may have been different chemical aides like amphetamine, etc., but it did not seem to become a problem until some of those well laid records were biting the dust in record numbers by guys who were ultimately proved to be taking substances that seemed to greatly enhance the natural abilities. It is a shame that baseball wasn’t able to deal with that issue at the right time, and the fault lies mostly with the adverserial attitudes between management and the players’ union.
It’s probably also true that when things got out of hand, more players than not may have been using some substance or other. Those on the list of 104 may very well be just the tip of the iceberg and may have the blame shifted against them unjustly, or I should say disproportionately. Everybody who played during that era is suspect. I think it’s unfair to the seven who have been identified that the rest of the list is not made public.
One who has been identified and implicated could simply own up to the fact and say, “it was a time when everyone seemed to be using something for an advantage either in performance or recovery, and I did it. In retrospect I’m sorry if that seems deceptive, and yes, I would have been a better man if I had stayed away from it. I can only hope that our fans will understand and forgive it and that the game will be improved by making changes so that chemicals will not influence any future performance of both major leaguers and especially the kids who aspire to being such.”
But what do we see when the names become public or when people are called to account before the Congress, for instance – not that I consider the Congress to be the right inquisitor of moral values. We see lying, obfuscating, playing cute and compounding the initial personal failure by making one self be bigger that the integrity of the game itself. That’s the part that I’m not willing to forget and forgive. There’s no real repentance, and the only sorry seems to cover the event of getting caught. Those under suspicion should rightly be avoided for the Hall of Fame, and all their achieved records should be either suspended or marked with that asterisk. That’s why I’m disturbed that one of our own is nonchalantly continuing unabashed from day to day to be in our lineup. Of course, he’s not the only one now, nor even one of few who are still being adored on our ballfields, because many of us prefer to see winners on the field regardless of how they stay there. Like someone said, it makes all the difference if it’s our steroid user who prevails. That’s why I won’t cheer for a certain individual even if he wears our team colors, although in respect for those colors I will not boo him. It just makes me somewhat sad that our best passtime is still beset with such reservations.
I also hold Bud Selig and the players union responsible for this mess. I too understand why a player might try anything to gain a competitive edge although the health risks certainly should have been more of a deterrent. The hypocrisy is when a player says he did it to help the team. Really?
I have fond memories of baseball from years past as well but I wonder had such things been available to players of the 1950’s and 60’s, especially when they had no job security, would they not have tried them? Those players tried to hide injuries because they knew someone was waiting to take their job and there were no guaranteed contracts. My guess is some players would have tried just about anything to gain an edge and keep their job. Would Sandy Koufax take a chance on some career saving surgery had it been available at the rather than retire? We will never know.
Brilliant pieces of writing Messagebear and lbirken!
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Love this lineup tonight……….by George, I think Joe has finally gotten it!!!!
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GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!
I have no real objections to the Dodgers or any organization trying to make an honest buck. The players are paid a lot of money and they are the reason we go to the ballpark. We love the game but without the players and their quirks, we could just go watch high school and college baseball or minor league games if all we wanted was to watch baseball. I am sure some of you do just that. So I get it when teams use the players as marketing tools. Wasn’t “Game Over” with Gagne just one of most exciting things ever?
But I too object to a second bobblehead for Manny considering the timing. And the poster to commemorate an exciting but not really all that historic moment with regard to Dodger history? I agree that this has everything to do with marketing than it does to honor the player. I am sure Ethier will get his bobblehead soon enough.
No one thinks differently about a player who gets a cortisone injection for an injury…cortisone is a steroid. Guys in the 60’s and 70’s took speed to get an edge on the baseball field. Hell, Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter on LSD! This era is no different from any other era. This all points back to Bud Selig. He turned a blind eye to players using steroids in the 80’s and 90’s because baseball was making more money then ever. He was the first one to “get caught” if you really think about it. He didn’t want baseball to be seen as a drug abusers paradise so he vilified players and made it seem like they were the bad people. I honestly can’t blame someone for using steroids in a highly competitive sport. Bud Selig is the one who should get the blame not the players. Bud Selig was a different type of abuser. He got high off of all the money baseball was making and its explosion during the 90’s. He didn’t care if the guys were taking roids, HGH, HCG, LSD or speed. He was making money. Some reporters brought up the steroid issue and he deflected the criticism onto the players and threw the whole league under the bus.
No one thinks differently about a player who gets a cortisone injection for an injury…cortisone is a steroid. Guys in the 60’s and 70’s took speed to get an edge on the baseball field. Hell, Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter on LSD! This era is no different from any other era. This all points back to Bud Selig. He turned a blind eye to players using steroids in the 80’s and 90’s because baseball was making more money then ever. He was the first one to “get caught” if you really think about it. He didn’t want baseball to be seen as a drug abusers paradise so he vilified players and made it seem like they were the bad people. I honestly can’t blame someone for using steroids in a highly competitive sport. Bud Selig is the one who should get the blame not the players. Bud Selig was a different type of abuser. He got high off of all the money baseball was making and its explosion during the 90’s. He didn’t care if the guys were taking roids, HGH, HCG, LSD or speed. He was making money. Some reporters brought up the steroid issue and he deflected the criticism onto the players and threw the whole league under the bus.
Good point lbirken. I feel if steroids were around in the 1950’s and 60’s the players of that era would have used them. People will always be people. Some will always try to gain an advantage even if it is doing something that is dishonest. I always laugh when I here people say that today’s players don’t love the game the way the players from the 1950’s and 60’s did, and today’s players are only in it for the big contracts. Well it was impossible for old time players to get those big contracts, because they didn’t have a union or free agency. If they had the chance to do it they would have.
“LSD wasn’t his only drug. Ellis sometimes swallowed 10-15 amphetamines before a game. ‘I was going out there on the average of 75 milligrams,’ he says. ‘Some guys I pitched against, we would try to guess which one of us was higher.'”
Don’t for get the huge Cocaine problem in baseball during the 80’s. Think that didn’t help guys get up for a game or help their focus? I don’t buy this “oh what about the kids? baseball players are role models” argument either. Dock Ellis said it best “If parents need athletes as role models, they’re in trouble.”
Tb4 Where did you see tonight’s lineup? The gameday is not up yet.
Sorry stupid me it’s at the beginning of the thread. Brain lock!
LOL, tbw!
Anyway, enough of the history lessons and drug talk. Let’s enjoy the game and root for our team to win another game.
That’s what it’s all about lbirken. Go Dodgers!
GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good to see the Dodgers back in the familiar confines of Dodger Stadium, where they usually play winning baseball.
I actually can’t wait to hear the familiar sound of the voice of the legend, whose name doesn’t even need mentioning.
GO BLUE.
Nelly, I agree the time is way overdue for an Andre Bobblehead Night. It also bugs me reading all these articles now saying Andre has been hot since he’s been back hitting in front of Manny. He won the National League Player of the Week both times this season when he was mainly batting cleanup behind Manny. He didn’t get moved to the 2 hole until after he won the player of the week in July. I’m not saying Manny isn’t a great hitter and that hitting in front of him wouldn’t make for better pitches, I just get annoyed when Andre doesn’t get the majority of the credit for his success because he’s the one who deserves it.
lbirken, I agree with your post. I also think it’s hypocritical that Pete Rose is banned for life and may never get into the Hall of Fame because of his gambling issues. Gambling is an addictive disease just like drug abuse and alcoholism. They gave Steve Howe and others chance after chance with their cocaine issues. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have gotten chances, but how come Pete doesn’t get another chance? I always hated the Reds back in the days of Bench, Rose, Morgan, etc. when they were one of the Dodgers’ big rivals, but I can be objective and say Pete Rose was one hell of a baseball player who gave his all every game.
bluecrewgirl – my sentiments exactly, and it’s very frustrating to hear/ read it over and over again. I just think he is naturally a good 2-hole hitter. He can hit for contact, he can draw a walk, he can hit it out, and he makes the pitcher work most of the time with his lengthy at-bats (whether he is out or not), which only helps the entire club enabling them to see quite a few pitches. Plus, he is not the speediest guy on the team, but he has beaten out a few infield hits this season as well.
Well according to Meatball, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.
The Dodgers are at home.
They’re not losing.
BUT I can’t get the Dodger feed on MLB.TV.
I think you mean Meatloaf.
O.K. I finally got Scully.
Oh, You’re right, vi4ecc
NellyJune ~ I’m cheering here for the loss!
shhhh!!!!!!!!!!! the gnats lost š
Shad That’s good news! Last time I looked it was 2-0 Giants and with Cain pitching I just assumed they would win. What happened?
truebluewill – I always have to be quiet about my celebrations when the gnats lose because I live with gnat fans š
Everytime you get “Internal Server Error” it puts you in a time warp!
That was Clayton’s best inning so far.
I was telling you, NellyJune that I was cheering the Giants loss loud and clear!
Nelly Must make for some interesting dinner conversation.
Alright Orlando, Clayton and Raffy!!!!!!
sorry – that was Ausmus š
RAFFY’s hitting ’em.
I think it’s a good sign that Manny is making good contact at the plate.
I could teach Nelly to hum a real good dirge; the trick is that you don’t want to smile under any circumstances while doing it – that would be a real family no-no.
truebluewill – Most of the time it’s not too bad, but we do have our moments. As long as we keep our lead, there is not much they can really say at this point. However, it is always intense when the two teams play each other.
messagebear – If they can say “The Dodgers Suck” and “Beat LA”, then I can hum š I really shouldn’t say “they”. My husband is pretty good about keeping the conversation about two teams with goals, but my son likes to ignite the fire so to speak every once in a while.
The trouble with Kersh is that one minute you want to go and hug him, the next you want to hit him upside the head. Tonight I’d like to have that two by four.
Geez I just got here and he walk 3 in r rows.
LOL!!! messagebear š
I guess true mean somebody else not me because I just got home and see the Giants lost.
Well, that could have been a lot worse. Let’s get that run and some back boys!!!!
I like that not one hit in the inning and we’re trailing.
I think Messagebear should be the ITD Sheriff! lol
I was filling while Shad was gone š I knew who you were talking to truebluewill.
I wish Torre didn’t burn the bullpen last night.
Ohh Wild Kersh.
Shades of a young Koufax.
Shad I’m so use to your updates I just thought it was you before I realized it was Nelly.
Well everyone, signing off for the night to watch the rest of the game and then head to bed. I’ll be in San Diego until Friday without internet, so I’ll figure out how to survive! Talk to you all later!!!
Braun singled in the 4th, Shad.
Maybe next time.
hey swood… I remember you!
Liked reading the earlier banter betwean aevers, lbirken and truebluewill, very convincing. I said my piece on my blog, and am now ready to vacate with the rest of you back to the wonderful world of baseball, beer in hand (My PED).
Time to get that win.
Great to hear from you, swood, and I bet a lot of us remember you. Last we heard you had some plans for school. What finally worked out for you?
HowYa Doin Swood
Hey swood… I remember you…. Now let’s get some freakin’ runs!! and throw some damn strikes!
I hate it when we have issues with teams we should really be beating easily
it has been an extremely long time since i have posted on this blog I doubt many of you even remember me… kershaw desperately needs more consistency so does billz but they are both young so im sure it will come. i dont understand batting ethier second when he has 22 hr. i would bat hudson second ethier third and manny clean up
Hey guys its great to hear from you all again… I am doing well Im getting ready to head off to Clemson University in a couple weeks
When i used to comment daily there was a blogger named diehardblu or just ‘diehard’. Have any of you guys heard from him or kept in touch with him?
Hi ITD,
There is good news, it could have been very severe scoring, weaver restored order, at 3-1, and we have many innings to score runs. I like the poster and bobble! and I shall pass the flask and wait for the blue dream machine to produce!
Brandon i live in Fairfax Virginia
wow it seems like braun kills us every year…same with weaver
wow it seems like braun kills us every year…same with weaver
Hey swood… Clemson huh? You live near SC?
is it just me or does braun always have a big game against us? i never feel comfterable when weaver is pitching
Over here Koufax… I might be ready for it tonight š
Keep it up Weaver
After I said that he gave up a hit to the pitcher geez
Ah, that’s not too bad then… Same side of the country at least
Wow!!! Welcome back swood and Brandon. I remember both of you, and Brandon you were on the other night as well, right? Are you still living in Vegas? We were just there last week. swood – Clemson, that’s wonderful!!!!
I’m staying up one more half inning. Got to get up early tomorrow. Maybe they’ll get some of those runs back now.
Wow sometimes it’s hard to figure this team out. Stinkers on Saturday, world beaters yesterday, and so far back to stinkers tonight.
Good night all.
Wow!!! Welcome back swood and Brandon. I remember both of you, and Brandon you were on the other night as well, right? Are you still living in Vegas? We were just there last week. swood – Clemson, that’s wonderful!!!!
Why that Son of a Brewer.
Well, I bet Bud Selig’s happy.
Damnit!! I hate losing to inferior teams!! Especially when the Giants lost!!! Now Colorado is only going to be 6.5 games out… unless we pull this out somehow… ARGH!
whoops, and a beer chaser now!
Hey Nelly… Yup, still in Vegas.. I was on the other night yeah. I mostly read these days, don’t comment too often because the blog is a pain in the butt. Koufax… I’d be all for some of that flask now….. This is what scares me about the playoffs… This is very likely to happen
Well, thats enought for me. Back to our losing ways. Good night
I really think having to play a late game yesterday and arriving at the airport at 4 AM this morning could be the reason for them being so flat. That scheduling sucks.
I think it’s time for Pierre to start tomorrow and give Manny and his not being able to hit the ball *** a day off
bluecrewgirl… I’m going with your theory tonight… Because normally, on full rest, we should destroy the Brew Crew… We better win 2 out of 3 this series!
Hi Brandon & Swood ~ good to see you again. However, I think you are bringing us bad luck! lol
I want Pierre in the lineup tomorrow and damn another dp
hey trublu… haha… thanks!! I’m on here every night usually… I just don’t post… I just like reading what you guys have to say.
I DON’T WANT PIERRE IN THE LINEUP THE REST OF THE SEASON!!!!
We beat ourselves. pathetic. At least the cards outplayed us.
I agree Shad… I think Manny needs a day off
I saw you the other day, Brandon. Are you enjoying your Vegas job?
If Juan plays, it won’t be Manny who gets the day off….it will be Matt or Dre and I DON’T WANT THAT!
With all the ‘Mannywood” revenue, he isn’t going to sit at a home game!
Let’s come back.
yeah, things are ok… I’m really getting tired of vegas though… getting burned out… my job is really boring actually… I do have the mlb.tv and watch the games at work š
untimely hitting and all the walks killed us tonight
So, is anybody thinking that Ausmus should be playing more games? LOL!!!
Well, thank goodness for mlb.tv, Brandon!
NellyJune ~ I’m sure brownpaperbag and messagebear think so!
Martin may be backing up Ausmus, if this keeps up.
…and Kahli too š
I do agree that he needs to have more games off… Martin that is
Good Evening Ward Dear!!! How was your day? I see you are a bit tired. Did you watch the race? :))))))))
Manny just does not look right at all
Anyone feel a Trevor Hoffman meltdown coming!?!?!? Is it 2006 all over again!?!?! hahaha….
That Bobblehead doll looks more like Don Mattingley.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………
Time to destroy hoffman again
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………
You’re right, Dodgereric!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………
There 2 right there homerun now
Come on Pierre triple.
James McDonald looked pretty good again working on his ERA.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………
time warp š
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz………………
Chanting… 2006….2006…2006…2006!!!
We’ve beaten this guy before.
2006!! 2006!!!2006!!! Let’s remind Hoffman what we can do to him in the 9th!! Come on boys!!
I’ve been having trouble commenting.
But I’m here.
My Loney has a first name,
It’s J-A-M-E-S
My Loney has a second name,
It’s L-O-N-E-Y
I love to watch him every day
And if you ask me why I’ll say
‘Cause James Loney has a way
With H-I-T-T-I-N-G!
By leefink and martinloneykemp
2006!!!!!! 2006!!!! 2006!!!! 2006!!! Come on everybody!!! GET WITH IT!! 2006!!
That right there is an excellent example of:
1) why you should never leave a game early and
2) why the “save” is a horrible stat
WOW!
2006!!!2006!!!2006!!!
NOT JUAN!!!!!!!!!
kEEP THE CHANT GOING!! 2006!!!2006!!2006!!
2006!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2006!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now we are.
We came soooooooooooooo close.
DAMN!!!!!!!!!!
Sigh leave it to Pierre to bunt come on Martin
ALRIGHT!! COME ON TRU!!! 2006 2006 2006!!!
come on dre!!! 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006!!!!
The story tonight was this kid Manny Parra.
Bizarre 9th inning….bunt on a steal….frozen runner at third on a bunt with two outs……Manny being Manny–lately.
2006!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COME ON DRE!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHOA!! HOW’S THIS FOR DRAMA!?!?!?!?!?! 2006 2006!! 2006!! 2006!!!
COME ON MANNNNNNNYWOOOOOD!!
WOW, BASES LOADED, MANNY UP……………..2006!!!!!!
2006 2006 2006 2006 2006!!! come on mannnnnny!!
DEJA VU!! HOFFMAN???? HAHAHA!!! COME ON BOYS!!! 2006!!
DAMNIT!!! This team just does NOT give up!! But Manny is killing me lately!!!
Close, we will get them tomorrow!
sigh wish Weaver didn’t give up those runs.
We are NEVER out of it.
Manny*roid SUCKS!
Sit that bum Manny down tomorrow and kick Pierre I’d rather let him swing away
Oh Crap. Say it aint so Manny. Those kershaws walks> Darn!
Alright, I’m outta here guys… I tried my chant… it almost worked… sorry if it got to be a little over the top!! I had to try!! haha… see ya
Kersh wasn’t at his best tonight.
Alright, I’m outta here guys… I tried my chant… it almost worked… sorry if it got to be a little over the top!! I had to try!! haha… see ya
Good Night Brandon!! It is great seeing you around again, writing that is š
Where is seesky with his flask? We could certainly use it after a game like tonight’s.
Let’s face it, Manny hasn’t been right all season. Before the suspension he struggled; I have a feeling he knew what was coming down long before the public. Then 50 games off. And now the “catch-up.” Joe says his bat looks slow. Yikes! You know what MY first thought is……………………..
No more Manny bobblehead cancelled it and make a Ethier one.
Wolf is a winner š LOL!!!!!!
I am sorry Kahli – just too tempting to say it.
Oh Manny, well you came and you caved without raking……
Are you going Barry Manilow on us Kahli?
Big Time!!! When all else fails…. Actually was eating an early dinner tonight in Laguna Beach and that song drifted through the air. It was either that song or “Sarah Smile” or “Sailing.” Must have been caught in a bad early-80s time warp.
Kahli, I’ve tried “writing” that one 3 times now and can’t get it to work.
Well, out of those songs, “Mandy” is the most remembered I would guess. Did anyone ever do a Manny song using “Mandy”?
This stupid time warp is getting worse. I sent that last one at 11:01 on my laptop. When there’s a bunch of us on, it’s an exercise in futility.
I am guessing it was Enchanted or Dodgereric.
Well I was right sort of………
The mlb clock and my clock are about 10 minutes apart now. Before I left on our trip, it was only 7 minutes apart. The gap is widening.
Good Song – Well, it will be easy to interchange Deacon Blues for Dodger Blues. I am listening to it, and some of the lyrics are writing themselves somewhat already,yes?
Actually, a song that’s been drifting in my brain for a week is “Deacon Blues,” in honor of the Dodgers visit to St. Louis and their overall play lately.
“They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when Dodgers lose…”
etc., etc……..
Ideas????????
These gals need to get tough…..
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M89c3hWx3RQ
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What could I do???? What should I do????
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Your playing like a bunch of Sue’s
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GO DODGERS!!!!
BRING THE RING TO L.A. IN 2009!!!!!!
Hey Dodger4ife!!! How is it going? LOL!!!!
“They call Barry Bonds San Francisco’s pride,
Call us Manny’s fools.”
As far as song writing, not one idea has come to mind for me all summer.
………..and Kahli – Boy, were we fooled. Then again, the Bonds’ fans are still in denial he even did anything at all. At least we are honest enough with ourselves as fans to know that Manny must have been on something more than just a female hormone.
Hi Nelly!! It is going well…. The pitching staff is a little disapointing these day’s……. Andre has been doing well though, and Kemp just continue’s to step up to the challange.
How are you doing???
Just realized the title of this particular blog is a tribute to Manny: M.I.A.
*dissapointing
Doing good Dodger4life!!! The Dodgers didn’t win, but Denny did, and that was just awesome. It was a very sad and emotional victory lane, but it was wonderful for Denny nonetheless.
Is it possible to have the bullpen be our Ace pitcher? Seriously, without them, we would be in a big mess right now. I know we are waiting for the day that it breaks down, but so far it has been surprisingly good. The homerun by Braun could have easily come of Kershaw as well. Ryan was just having one of those nights. So, other than the pitch to Ryan for the homerun, our bullpen still managed to keep us in the game.
Wishin’ and hopin’
And thinkin’ and prayin’
Plannin’ and dreamin’
Well, that songs always reminds me of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” – LOL!!! It does have possibilities though.
Yes Denny had a great race today. I was happy for him. His team gave him a really good car and he was on a mission. Good for Him š
I really hope Josh changes the thread early tomorrow. I am tired of seeing mannybobblehead every time I refresh this thread.
“Ned? Yeah, hi. This is Joe. We haven’t really talked since before last Friday. How’re things?”
“Look, Joe, I know your pi**ed I didn’t get you a veteran arm for the front of the rotation. Look, I tried to get Washburn.”
“Ned, if I can be frank…funny that would make me Jamie’s husband…anyway, if I can be frank here…….”
I’m picturing a brown paper bag over that bobblehead every time I have to look at it. Take it and stick it, Josh, you know where.
Happy Birthday, Cat!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great day!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – CAT…WISH YOU LOTS OF HAPPINESS AND LOTS OF DODGER VICTORIES….! I know that would make your day!
Last night game was very interesting. We arrived early to the game and even during the Dodgerās stretching time they looked tired. My husband noticed Kershaw looked worried. Kershaw was just not there at all. To walk in two runs and one of those runs was the winning run for the Brewers. KEMP, LONEY & HUDSON were the Dodger players of the night. The ninth inning was the exciting one. Our boys were determined to win. Loney & Hudson they were not ready to give up. We had sooooo many chances. But PIERRE couldnāt do it… MARTIN couldnāt do it, ETHIER couldnāt do and MANNY couldnāt do it. The BREWERS were making simple mistakes that we just didnāt take advantage of. I know my MARTIN did not play….sniff sniff, but Ausmus was alright as a batter.
*
My night was still exciting regardless of the loss. I was lucky to seat down low near HEARTRUSS or CAT. She has great box seats and my seats were right behind the CATS great seats, so no all-you-can-eat for me. CAT was really nice and she came over to seat with my husband and me for awhile. (Easy for her to come over to us than for me to go to the box seats…I tried but ushers wouldnāt let). We chitchatted for awhile and took some pics. She was lucky enough to be able to go down and chat with the Dodgers…ANDRE & KEMP. LUCKY CAT. My husband told me to go down to meet Andre, but when I first saw Andre come out to stretch out…I tried and thatās when the usher told me I couldnāt. Men they always have some usher standing right between the box seats and the NOT box seats. And the parts that sucked the most was that I forgot my camera….I had the Dodgers so close to me and NOOOOOO camera. Well my husband and I made it in the Dodger KISS CAM.
*
Tonight will be different night….the rainbow was shining brightly out by my house this morning, the rain came down this morning and just sprinkle a light shower, our boys had a good night sleep and hopefully got a good rest and a and it is CATās BIRTHDAY. WE WILL WIN TONIGHT. GOOOOO DODGERS!
ROSIE
MESSAGEBEAR….it is fine to let your fustration against MARTIN, TORRE, JP, GMs etc…. here . It makes it interesting to read and very fun. And releasing fustration is good. That is why this blog here….you say what you want; good or bad. But just as long that you don’t talk about the bloggers. You can say all you want regarding any MLB players, teams, coaches. BEAR keep this blog interesting….LOL
Dodgers start a game with this song…ENJOY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_2rrxONlLo
Happy Birthday Cat! Many happy returns!
New post up at my blog at http://northstateblues.mlblogs.com . Couldn’t get back to sleep, so figured I’d post my thoughts. All about last night’s game, with a bit of Depeche Mode thrown in for good measure. Wouldn’t have added the last song lyric if I hadn’t read your post, Rose. Everything is alright, because we know our team would rather lose on their feet fighting than on their knees sulking.
And found an awesome live performance of the song that I used for the title of my post, with the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins. Guess I should wake up in the middle of my sleep more often.
Good morning ITD boys and girls!
I didnāt get to see all of last nightās game, but I listened to the end. Great comeback in the bottom of the 9th, but not enough.
I donāt know how much Iāll be able to post today or for the next few days, but Iāll be reading at least. I donāt feel like my normal, jovial self right now, but I know I have a lot of prayer warriors on ITD, that I had to say something. Last night I called and was talking to my mom. While we were talking, I heard a āthudā and a sound like she dropped the phone. She didnāt pick the phone back up, so I made some phone calls and a few minutes later, someone who works for her condo complex came to my momās door. They called 911, the paramedics came and she was eventually taken to LA County Emergency Room. My son drove me down to the hospital last night. They did a CT Scan and saw a little blood on the scan. Sheās now in Kaiser, Woodland Hills and sheās having more tests; she’ll be there for a few days. She had a mild stroke; this is the second time sheās had a mild stroke. So needless to say, please say a prayer for my mom Lily for her rest and recovery. She seemed okay when I saw her last night.
Thanks.
And itās Catās birthday? HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAT!!!
Good Morning ITD….
.
I was in the middle of trying to motivate the starters on our squad…….(Randy Sue….Billzy Sue…Kershy Sue….) However CP I will pause for the cause and say a prayer for you and your mom. I wish and hope for the best.
.
I am with Rosie though…. in thinking that ( Tonight’s Gonna Be A Good, Good Night! ) unless Kuroda Sue, decides to make it unanimous. For real though these guy’s need to man up on the mound.
.
Go Out There and Rock Us Tonight Baby!!!
GO DODGERS!!!!!
BRING THE RING TO L.A. IN 2009!!!!!!
CPO…Prayers for you & your mom! Always count on us, and I hope everything will be fine.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAT š
.
GO DODGERS GO!!!!!!
Thx Bob, thx Rose for your prayers. It doesnāt feel right, but my husband and I were supposed to pick up my mom for the game tonight. Well, Jim and I will be going and sitting in my momās season seats, but the extra ticket we have, well, heās trying to see if someone from his office can go. And I also have her tickets for Thursday nightās game too. Weāre going to go, but it just wonāt be the same, doesnāt feel right without her. But after saying thatā¦
GO DODGERS!!!
GO KURODA-SAN!!!
CP, I’m also praying for your mom. She’s in good hands, my friend. And here’s a big hug for you, too.
CPO – Would your mom rather the tickets go to waste or to be used by someone who loves the Dodgers? Just think, will you be able to enjoy the game? Or are you going to be worrying about your mom? Take it day by day see how things are with your mom. Hopefully by Thursday she is feeling better to see the Dodgers win. But I will keep praying.
CPO ~ my prayers are with you and your Mom, too.
CP – I’m saying prayers now for your mom and for you, too.
OK, class, required reading for today:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AtFu9eYDBX8zyTngEwfVkGgRvLYF?slug=ti-dodgerspitching080309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Iām getting ready to leave shortly after 4:00 for the game, but I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and prayers for my mom and I. Itās greatly appreciated. Weāll stop by the hospital on our way down to the game, so thx again to everyone. I still have my issues right now, but itās extremely comforting that I have so many prayer warriors here on ITD.
Oh, and Kahli, thx for the article. Very telling indeedā¦
GO DODGERS!!!
GO KURODA-SAN!!!
Kahli ~ from the article, I assume WE NEEDED TO GET ANOTHER PITCHER!
Kahli ā Okay, I did my homework. Now my opinion: Chad is getting better. He showed signs of greatness once again in Atlanta. His problem was the same as DodgerEricās ā lack of hydration. Canāt imagine the coaching/training staff will let that happen again in August. It wonāt be an issue in October, whether in St Louis, Philadelphia, or SF. But he will need to own the inside of the plate.
Kershaw had one bad game. Heāll be fine, just look at his showing in July. But can we count on the 21-year old in post-season? No track record there, so weāll take what we get. Iād rather bet on him then bet on some others.
Kuroda could get the job done. He can sometimes pitch really, really well, and other times just canāt get the job done. He did have two nice wins in postseason last year, including throwing over Victorinoās head.
Schmidt? You have to be a fanatical optimist to think heās going to help us in the postseason. All we can do is keep sending him out there every fifth game until he convinces Torre whether or not he has learned to pitch. By the way, he didnāt look much like Greg Maddux on Friday, because Mad Dog averaged only two walks per nine innings.
Wolf? He is either a #4 or #5 pitcher. If Schmidt could get his act together, Iād rather see him than Wolf in the 4-man rotation in the postseason (I know, Iām dreaming).
CPO – Enjoy the game! GOOOOO DODGERS!
KAHLI: Read the article….DODGERS have a big chance in winning! Dodgers have the MLB best record and somehow we are still winning games. We have the pitching and the power hitters, arms for throwing from outfield, we have good chemistry among the players and excellent fans. All we need is for coaches to mentally prepare them to what’s to come. WE CAN DO IT!
Cpomp, my thoughts and prayers will be with you and your mom in this difficult time.
What I got from the article is the problem with post-season match-ups, not regular season. Let’s say Kuroda gets his act together. He faces Lee/Lincecum/Carpenter. Billingsley faces Hamels/Cain/Wainwright. Kershaw faces Blanton/Zito/Pineiro. Forget the American League for now. First things first. Actually, looking at this, my only fear would be Game 1! Mommy, does Wolf HAVE to pitch a game four?
There Was No Joy in Dodgertown
By Pill Blaschke
LOS ANGELES – They came. They saw. They squandered.
In a season so improbable, the impossible happened.
With bases loaded, 2 outs, and runners on all bases, Casey was not at the bat.
Instead, it was L.A.ās favorite, Manny Ramirez. And he struck out.
What?
Yes, that Lying, Cheating, Roiding, BLASHEPMOUS, GRINNING EX-BASEBALL CON struck out.
The horror.
Mr. Rally Man tallied no big slam-as. Daylight came, and me want go home.
And all of Dodger Stadium, the sad sheep, were as bad as their Giants fan neighbors to the north, eating up every minute of it. Hoping for some more tainted magic. Hoping for another roided chance. Hoping for another timeless classic to tell their musclebound vascularized grandchildren about.
Well, that hope went dry.
As the Dodgers hopes ran dry, now only a dwindling 24 games over .500. The messianic Angels at their heels, with their shepherd Mike Scioscia leading his flock through the Valley of the Shadow of Depth. Thatās Playoff depth.
When will the Dodgers ever learn?
When will the insanity end?
When will I learn to type in paragraphs?
Like the narrator in the old Tootsie Pop commercial narrated, The world may never know.
——————————-
When not in his office, Mr. Blaschke can be seen making Woody Paige look like a genius on Around The Horn, M-F at 5 EST on ESPN.
Since the lineup hasnāt been posted yet, here are my thoughts on that subject. ManRam (or Man*Roid) has been struggling, so need to adjust his position in the lineup. We need to protect him better to get him some better pitches to swing at. So why not this?
.
Furcal
Hudson
Kemp
Ramirez
Ethier
Blake
Loney
Martin
Kuroda
.
time check 4:18
Nice story, NSB. When are you coming down to write for the Times?
Crash: not sure, I was hoping to shoot for something with a little more job security.
NSB – Good point. But seriously, I like your writing style.
Kahli, I find the article you mentioned and ones similar somewhat amusing and telling at the same time. Clearly, the writers and talking heads think the Dodgers made a huge mistake by not making a deal for Halladay or Lee and that the Dodgers can’t win with the current roster. Maybe some here do as well. However, none of us really know any details about what it would have taken to make these deals. Ned gets blasted a lot but as I and others have noted, the so called young gun core of players is still on the field every day hopefully gaining more experience and getting better. Bills and Kershaw are still both works in progress and the Dodgers have somehow found a way to win a bunch of games. Are they looking a bit ragged right now? Yes, I think they are but both the Giants and Rockies are playing much better now than they did earlier in the season. Do the Dodgers have enough to get very far in the playoffs? Maybe on paper they do not but fortunately the games are not played on paper. I will say I find it a bit disturbing that as Manny has slipped into a crevice the team seems to have followed him there.
The reality is this Dodger team is a bit of a mystery. Other than Manny, there are no superstars, no one particular player who is well known for hitting home runs, driving in runs, shutting other teams down from the mound or anything that gets the attention of the national media. Yes, the Dodgers have some talented players that many of us think are on the verge of stardom. Yet the team has done pretty well so far on what some of us have called “smoke and mirrors”. After farting around last night in a fog they almost made a great comeback but look how they even got close: a bunt when the baserunner probably had the base stolen and a two out sucessful bunt with a runner on third that still did not score the runner. This is the team we have come to know and love and I think we understand it better than some of these writers.
new thread.