Belliard back…as is Ausmus
Slowly but surely, many pieces of last year’s team are coming back into the fold, as we just signed Ronnie Belliard for 2010. More to come soon, but wanted to let you all know as soon as it became official.
UPDATE: Ausmus back, too, to serve as Russell’s backup (and mentor as he did last year)
Inside the Dodgers 
That’s good news, Josh.
In related news, Blake Dewitt visits team psychologist…
Hey ITD.
It’s good to see Belliard back, it shows the Dodgers really know a lot of where their success came from last year. Belly did a good job of replacing O Dog (although I’ll miss Hudson).
I see Loretta got a front office job with the Padres, man he sure changed his coat fast.
I just hope this doesn’t take too much playing time from homegrown DeWitt.
And so Blake DeWitt gets threaded metal fastenered again.
Belliard as a reserve is OK, but don’t expect the kind of numbers he put up last September.
Ausmus – whatever. Can’t get thrilled over a reserve catcher, let alone one that’s long in the tooth, but so much for giving Ellis and May a shot.
LOL Scott!!!!!
Thus starts the new promotion…..All shirtless fat guys in the pavilion, with a red #3 painted on their belly get free Dodger dogs
Good afternoon everyone! Long time no see! Life has been good, but busy. I hope you all are doing well! I did like Belly and VP and what they brought to the team. Hopefully they can do it during a full season for us!
Belly is back! Portate bien Belly!
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Hey Mike! good to read you again!
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Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/
Ausmus is back too!
Welcome back, Perumike!
My select a seat appointment is Thursday. I am looking to make a lateral movement, two seats to the right. Hopefully they are available this time. The thing is appt is at 12:30.
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If you want, check out my list of Brooklyn Dodger players alive. There are 63. I am not done with the notes column but I decided to put it there and updated afterwards. I nned to do some real work.
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/
Garland signs with the Padres??
Another good signing. I’d like to see DeWitt play well enough to start with Carrol and Belliard coming off the bench. Actually what I’d really like to see is Hudson coming back, but since that is not going to happen, maybe DeWitt will get a real shot.
I think Belliard will be a reasonable RH pinch-hitter, possibly better than what we’ve had the last couple of years. I’m not so much worried about DeWitt’s playing chances. If he can show that he can hit major league pitching at a .260 plus clip, I think he’ll get plenty of time. If he can’t do that much, he doesn’t belong up here anyway. While second base seems to be the obvious question, I’m not at all sold that the other Blake will do much for us at third this season even if he stays healthy. I wasn’t impressed toward the end of the season with his limited contribution, so I can foresee a lot of playing time at third for somebody, much less trying to contribute what Hudson did for us at second base.
I’m totally confused now. Why did we give Jamey Carroll a two year deal??!! And how is Carroll worthy of more money than Belliard? I feel so bad for DeWitt. This is why its so hard to get attached to young players these days.
This from Dylan Hernandez
“The Dodgers are among the teams that will watch Noah Lowry work out in Arizona next Tuesday, but aren’t expected to be serious bidders”
This from Dylan Hernandez
“The Dodgers are among the teams that will watch Noah Lowry work out in Arizona next Tuesday, but aren’t expected to be serious bidders”
By crzblue2 on January 26, 2010 3:40 PM
Thanks Emma, but you left out some more interesting info:
“They were also in the room, watching as Ben Sheets signed his contract with the A’s.”
“They are expected to make an offer to Jon Garland, but are waiting until he signs a deal with the Padres before actually making it.”
“They are, however, serious players in pursuit of Mark Hendrickson, Shawn Estes, Eric Milton, Brett Tomko and Jason Schmidt.”
Whatever It Takes To Get You To Sell The Team, Frank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWweqP_ZWbg
LMDO!!!!!!!!!
Um, exciting?
I hate that I can’t watch youtube videos at work. No music, no videos. Ugh!
I wonder how much is Garland getting from the Padres.
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i like the Ausmus deal but option for 2011? Lucas May shoudl be ready by then. Ausmus can manage in the minor league.
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/
I hope Garland signs with the Padres. Good for him. He deserves better treatment than what he got here. I don’t recall, but who did we give up for him?
I think it was Tony Abreu
You are right Dodger4life!! I thought it was somebody we shouldn’t have unless we were planning on a more definite plan for Garland. Well, that was a waste then – geez!!!
As I was trying to point out a number of times last year, our management purposely wanted to get rid of Abreu, because his handling was an embarrassment to the organization. They screwed him up with his medical condition, so that he required a second surgery, and Ned made sure that he was on the minor league roster rather than with the major league club when it was done. That was a question of money. Then Abreu challenged the Dodgers officially over that handling and was awarded a special consideration whereby he would have been eligible for arbitration this year. The question of money comes up again. It was easier to just give him away than to have him around, and I expect that there was no love lost on Tony’s part for Ned at this point. I always liked Abreu, and I hope he does well wherever he gets to play. His situation just reminds me of the incompetence of Conte and Ned even when millions of dollars are not involved.
Just as an afterthought for that, Ned:
EAT ??das!!!
At least Ausmus has shown that he can catch the knuckleball, and I thought that Haeger showed some promise in a couple of his outings last season. I’d like to see him in the fight for #5.
In an effort to type something positive, I will say that it seems like the Dodgers did not overpay for Belliard (Carroll is a different story…darn, that’s negative) and I’m not opposed to Ausmus coming back although there might have been more cost-effective options, but it is nice having a backup with familiarity with the staff.
Back to my normal What-the-heck-is-going-on-here…once again, I have yet to see the moves that Josh mentioned that were going to excite the fans. Am I missing something here?
Great post @ 4:00 Eric. The video was spot on.
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I wonder if Frank will ever get us our “Precious” we would like to have. In the last year I’m now thinking no.
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I backed him and debated with others on here because I felt he deserved a chance. But in the last year & 1/2 my mind has changed. Of course his marriage troubles haven’t helped the situation which is also on Jamie.
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It just seems that once again the plan isn’t really there. I’m ok with Carroll or Belly but both?
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We didn’t have enough pitching last year and we’ve lost what we had. Just because Bills & Kersh are a year older doesn’t mean they will automatically be better. If we didn’t make it to the World Series last year due to pitching & our pitching is worse off this year then how should our expectations be going into the year.
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I’m okay with getting the back up catcher, a #4 or 5 pitcher, and a utility player signed if they also got a Lackey or another pitcher through a trade.
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I’m also way ok with trading Juan.
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& I’m okay with not getting Sheets. The dude hasn’t pitched for a year. He is often injured. The Blue has spent/wasted enough $$$ watching pitchers stand around icing their arms/shoulders the last few years. I think if Ned had signed Sheets & he was injured Ned would be pounded for the signing.
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I still would be happy with Smoltz. Or C.M. Wang. Smoltz more as a mentor to the young staff & I think Wang is still young enough to recover & he did have a couple of 19 win seasons in the AL East. I think he could be had on the cheap due to his injury. I don’t hear any rumors about him going to anybody else so why not kick those tires?
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Of course as Eric said we’ll hear after he’s signed by another team that Ned was just trying to reach him.
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I seem to recall a similar story with CC & Hunter. & they both later denied calls were ever made to them or their agents.
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So yes it would be nice if Frank sold the team.
Everything said by Dodgereric, Messagebear and Collie is right on!!!!!
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This isn’t being negative…just factual.
We had Maddux, and now we think about Smoltz, and they have merit as far their influence on the young arms and maybe more so their minds. What seems missing to me in those considerations is what Honeycutt does or should be doing to influence those same guys and minds. I know that the stats produced by our pitching staffs have actually been better than one would suspect from our comments that are read here, but isn’t it Honeycutt’s job to do and oversee a lot of that development? What do you think his value has been in the last couple of years?
Do you think Honeycutt helped Billingsley and Kershaw? When Billz lost it…Honeycutt never found it.
I’m not real big on signing guys because they may be good mentors. Just because a guy is an old veteran does not mean he will be a good mentor. For every Maddux there is a Kent or a Gonzalez. Let the coaches do the teaching and the players do the playing.
Emma I forgot to say hello, that goes out to everyone else as wel….
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I am not against Belliard, he has some power, in fact put bullseye’s on them guy’s instead of 3’s….Blake and Furcal are not youngsters and having plenty of options is good.
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Seems like a waste, with Garland… I do remember wanting another arm at the time though. Padilla was a mystery at that point. Very good points from everyone today.
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Peru good to see you back!
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Once again Eric, you are one of a kind…..an enjoyable kind also.
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I think we are set to start the season unless Pedro, becomes available, and is a bargain.
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Plenty of good youngsters and the front four can get the job done.
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I like Ausmus, and don’t have a problem with him being around.
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It’s time to work on the dream….I BELIEVE!!!
Parade of PVLs = Joe Torre comfort zone
If Belliard’s contract calls for a weight clause of 209 lbs. at the start of Spring Training or it can be voided, then I think Frank McCourt should have to show up at Spring Training with at least $40,000 CASH in his bank account or he is voided right out of town. That’s CASH, not leveraged loans!
NED’S DONE IT!!! – put together basically the same team that ended last year losing to Philly (well except the pitching staff is weaker, but who’s counting!!??) Kudo’s my friend. In a world gone mad where good teams (some say even maniacally) try to get even better, you sir have managed to tread water, and dare I say it, even managed to gain more parity with the rest of the league despite having some of the premiere young guns in the game. My hat’s off and my finger, I mean my thumb’s, up!!
And that goes double for Frank since I have two hands.
Bear — I’m okay with Honeycutt. I think the staff has been pretty good, but not deep enough and very young. I think he’s done a decent job.
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But IMO sometimes having a coach is great but having players who have been there and been there successfully & fairly recently can really help. Smoltz was a successful starter & closer so he could help Brox & the starters as well. We could even get a few innings from him. Maybe… But I would think he’s worth the risk.
CY – I agree, except for not with Smoltz. He is nothing like Kent or Gonzo. Also there is a difference between a mentor and a coach. Sometimes their lines cross & sometimes they don’t. I think Smoltz would be great for the staff as a leader. He’s not a bad PVL he’s a good one. Everywhere he’s been he has had a good influence on the other players. For most of his career he has had one of the best pitching coaches in all of baseball. I think when he retires he wants to be a coach. I think he would be a great addition. If he doesn’t last the season then you have the Elberts & Lindblom’s in the minors getting the experience they need & can come up during the season.
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I didn’t & don’t feel that way about guys like Estes, etc… Smoltz to me is in a way different level & would be an asset.
From the last thread: my choice would be (A) as the lesser of three evils. I would, however, much prefer (D) Mark Cuban, who has the bucks, brains, and balls to rescue this team before the economicallychallengedethicallysuspectcorrupterofahallowedfranchise sends this club over a cliff. If there are any Lithuanian waifs within webshot, I sincerely apologize for the use of the term”balls”….I have no problem with the signings of Belliard and Ausmus. This is the time during the Hot Stove season when you should be making these kinds of signings. The rub is that management is spinning these transactions as impact signings. So what we’ve got here is essentially the same ballclub with, minus Wolf, a weakened starting staff. If you stand still, generally, you fall behind. Nothing like bringing us back to the pack in the NL West….a couple of programming notes: MLBTV will have it’s Top 50 minor league prospects show tomorrow night. Any bets on how many of our guys will be on it? The Caribbean Series broadcasts start on February 2. Who doesn’t need a live baseball fix???
I think it is time for someone to have the heart of a Dodger…….Someone who can go against the grain and command respect for doing so…..we need some fight….We need a leader to step up on this ball club…….We need to get back to the likes of Pee Wee, and Tommy at the end of the dug out in is playing day’s. Frank can coin the term ( as only a politician can) but to live the life….to truly live the life….It takes leadership from within and some moxie…..This ball club is so fortunate to have the likes of the great ones that came before them….none better or more deserving than #42.
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Personally I am tired of talking about Frank…..( doesn’t mean I will stop….Just that if a tree falls in the forest….I like it when no-one can hear it.)
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These players who make the big league team in 2010, will have the undeniable pleasure of being linked to those greats through Vinny….and they should count their blessing in doing so…..
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The man can sing the song……and boy can he sing the song
But without the orchestra…..it just aint the same……..
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LET’S GO DODGERS LET’S GO!!!
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Make this season sting!!!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXT_voYw9FY
I’m all for mentors if they can still be fully productive as players. How much would Smoltz cost and how much does he have left in the tank?….. The only way you can really judge Honeycutt’s performance is by the stats. Imagine what we would be saying if the numbers were worse??
I respect the fact that people here feel Smoltz can help because he has been quite a pitcher for a number a years. However, I have a hard time overlooking his performance in Boston last year even though he seemed to rebound in St. Louis. I admit he could be a good influence, but who really knows? He spent all of his career in ATL, so its kind of hard to say. However, a low risk contract loaded with performance incentives would make sense, but I really don’t think he would go for that anyway, so it’s probably a moot point.
So I was watching this again because I was telling a Brooklynite that hates the Dodgers about it. The video still made me cry.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090627&content_id=5570212&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
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sniff
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/01/brooklyn_dodger_players_alive_1.html
Cy it is great to see your comments on here…..I do enjoy them…..As do I all the comments…keepin the conversation alive…..Thats a good thing….:-) Thanks!!!
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GO DODGERS!!!
Thanks Dodger4life. I enjoy contributing when I can, but I really enjoy reading all of the banter as well. It is always entertaining to read the comments.
I don’t have much to add to tonight’s conversation, but I just wanted to say it has been wonderful reading all the great comments tonight.
Emma, I have that in my fav’s….and it was a very heart warming jester….now don’t get me wrong….I want the best for Frank and Jamie….I do….But until they want the best for themselves, and those around them….I will be at a loss…… I have walked the road that those two are walking….to a point. I made my choices along the way, some good, some not so good. The good ones , never haunt me….they give me strength…..The not so good ones leave me asking for something more…….I had the pleasure of shaking Franks hand and thanking him for bringing Joe Pierre out to L.A. and I will always cherish that moment….It was a good one…..One that still bears truth, Honesty is a good policy, it doesn’t always get you what you want….but sometimes what we a want isn’t always whats best.
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I don’t know that made much sense….but those are my feelings…..
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GO DODGERS!!!
D4,
You make perfect sense! Don’t get me wrong on my reasons for posting about the ITD tour. It was just me remembering. I know I cannot change how Brooklyn fans feel about the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn. I wanted to share that with them just to see if they had seen it before.
Mentoring by Brad Ausmus…
1. Cut down on your stolen bases & runs scored by 30%
2. Be medicore at best with your arm behind the plate
3. Don’t block pitches anymore
4. Cut homeruns in half
5. lower your OBP by 30 points
6. RBI’s must be cut by 20 or more
7. OPS -150 from year before with runners on base
By 2011 Martin should be playing like Brad Ausmus.
Jungar…as lacksadaisical as Martin seemed at times…..In the end he had some moxie…..I’m all for the clean living….props to the Captain…..But when he was fighting mad….he was better…..Adversity has a way of doing that!!! L.A. is a special place, there is no other like it, trying to balance the good off the field….(and we all know the perks that come from playing the Ravine… I’m not just talking about the glitz and glamour but the good natured lifestyle in general) with the fight it takes to keep your edge on the field. Ausmus wasn’t the cause of Martins, problems…..I look for Martin to be in better balance this season….We’ve all experienced the growing pains…..Russ seen what happens when you lose focus….He will be ready…Will he be the leader we so desperately seek…We shall find out…..I’m on Martins side though…..
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It’s time to Rock…..
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUrnCLWqmzA
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GO DODGERS!!!!
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Jungar – Good points. Mentoring from Ausmus may be fine, but please don’t turn into Ausmus!
Other than getting contracts for the young players out of the way and avoiding hearings(and I am pretty excited about that, eventhough unless we have a change of ownership, is probably just prolonging their eventual departure), I don’t see anything real exciting that I am saying “Wow!” about. All of these acquisitions thus far have been okay, and perhaps needed, but all of us on here know we needed more substantial pitching. As always, I am hoping it all works out, but through the discussions and the comments read last night, our team isn’t any different than last year, and pitching seems to be a little worse off. The only difference is a year more experience. Will experience be enough? I guess we have to wait and see, and maybe there will still be that “Wow!!” moment. LOL!!!
Good morning, ITD’ers!
Your assesment is right on, nelly. Which makes me think that the big unknown for this season is potential injuries and which Manny we will get on the field. Will it be the guy we saw in 2008 or will he be sitting out 100 games and/or returning to the late 2009 form. I’m assuming that he’s now off steroids or adjunctive meds, but I also think that he’s been a career roider like some of the other guys of his generation and therefore we’ll get pretty much what we saw toward the end of last season. If that is the case, I’m realistically looking to finish about third in the division, and that will lay to rest Frank’s claim to our playoff record. Hope I don’t turn out to be right on this one, but then I’m also rooting for Jamie to maintain ownership in the team, so that they have to
SELL THE TEAM.
For the record I am fine with Ausmus, I was mostly joking..I am sure Ausmus is a great guy to have a around in all seriousness. Martin (right or wrong) wants to play everyday. We should let the other young catchers in our system continue to play every day. 1 game outta 7 is fine with me on Brad is fine. More might be needed due to martin and that’s another argument. This is is put up or be gone year for Martin and Loney to me and I don’t mean that meanly..I just mean maybe we should consider getting league avg at 1b and at catcher Martin the bad version is still a better hitter than most Catchers but his defense pisses me off and i value defense. Otherwise Furcal could go too. How soon until we pull his leadoff plug is gonna be my hot issue. I hope we never have to cause when he is on he is great. But in 4 years he has had 2 years below his own avg’s, 1 awesome freaking year and one year he played 36 games and had back surgery, he had 45 steals the last three seasons and 37 the first year with us and 46 the last year as a Brave. His lack of speed now hurts his hitting as much as the stolen base. I am confident in everything else. SP included but did wish we had gotten a better guy than Kershaw or Bills but that’s just wishful thinking and logic says there wasn’t something worth it for us or something we were able to do..but there is still time…
JOSH…what is up with the MATT KEMP rumors regarding the RAPE ALLEGATIONS? Are they rumors? I knew Rihanna was problems.
MsDR- I hadn’t heard about that with Kemp so I googled it and found the below article.
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It doesn’t talk of rape.
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http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2010/01/source-rihanna-should-beware-matt-kemps-past/
How ironic that noodle arm and fatty are both on the White Sox now…….
Maybe they’ll sign Schmidt…
Hi ITD.
It good that Ausmus decided not to retire, we can still use his help.
Hello ITD!
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Hello Joe Pierre! I don’t remember , but did you share with us how you became a Brooklyn Dodger fan? .
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D4,
How is your 11 year old daughter?
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Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/01/brooklyn_dodger_players_alive_1.html
Good evening all………..
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Emma, all three of my daughters are doing very well…..thanks for asking.
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Oldbrooklynfan and Jungar, it is good to see you two again…
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GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!
You too Rose 🙂
Dating Rhianna shines a bright spotlight on Matt Kemp, but honestly, so does playing for the storied Dodgers Baseball Club, and so does playing in the Entertainment Capital of the World. So does playing for an owner(s) who went from carpetbaggers to power couple to community philanthropists to splitsville TMZ magnets.
Thus is the nature of the celebrity-starved nation: Find bright young star. Place on pedestal. Knock down off of pedestal. Be sure cameras roll to watch the fall. Wait ’til they get back up, get the cameras rolling again, and get everyone enthralled by their “comeback story”. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
It happened to Kemp, it’ll probably happen to Andre, Kershaw, and whoever else the Yellow Journalist Jackals think will make a good story.
Did Kemp have a restraining order in the past? Yes. We all have stuff in our past we grew out of. And by nature of him choosing to date Rhianna, it shows that he is sensitive to the nature of domestic violence, which shows growth from the person he might have been when he had the restraining order in the past.
Nobody on this blog has done it, but I’m kind of tired of people around the net (mainly women) saying that this story coming out is a biproduct of Kemp’s dating Rhianna, as if she asked for what she got from Chris Brown. Like because Kemp’s dating her, before you know it, he’ll be doing the same without even thinking about it…
Looking at the radar and seeing the stuff going on in the world, with Haiti’s situation, the situation with our own country, and everything going on with the economy, you’d think one day people would get wise to the media’s trickery by means of distraction, their old bait and switch. Their message is clear:
Look at Tiger, not Wall Street.
Look at Kemp and Conan/Leno, not Haiti
I support Kemp dating Rhianna, not like he needs my permission. I hope him and Nick Cannon have cigars and champagne in Hefner robes reminiscing about landing their dream women. Nothing but happiness for all of them.
That goes for Jamie and the Doughboy too
OMG!!! Dodgereric – you really need to get a copy of this HBO special on #48. It is amazing, and this is only part 1 of 4.
Fabulous post Northstateblues!!!! Always the voice of reason I must say 🙂
I agree with Nellyjune, Northstateblues! Always fantastic!!!
I AM READY FOR SOME DODGER BASEBALL!
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Good morning all! HOPE Y’ALL having a wonderful DRE!
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COLLIETHEC thanks for the web link. I heard it on the radio and just came to ITD to see what’s up.
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Well it seems that we are not getting a STAR PITCHER but I will be praying for our YOUNG ONES to step up. I have faith on them…THEY CAN DEWITT! KERSH…you da man and lets go for +14 K this year! I have a feeling someone slapped some sense on MARTIN and he will be back strong! I hope KEMP can remain focus on the game (he has a big distraction)…ANDRE ETHIER will step up to the plate and will hear the crowd chant “ETHIER ETHIER ETHIER” and this year it will not be “MANNY MANNY MANNY”! Manny, what will become of him. He still GOT IT and will quietly rise back up again. LONEY will keep playing hard…he is one the most dedicated players I know….LOVE MY BOYS IN BLUE! 2010 WILL BE ‘D’ YEAR FOR DODGERS! WOOOOHOOOOO LET’S GO DODGERS!
NSBlues…that was a great post. It sucks that KEMP did what he did, and his skeletons will come out. Hey none of the players are perfect. Rihanna is a beautiful girl and I hope that she moves on from the whole Chris Brown thing, wish her the best. But each time I see Rihanna perform or a picture of her…I see sadness in her eyes. I feel that Rihanna is just a victim of the money hungry agents, producers, managers and all the Entourage that works for her…excuse me ….that she works for. And those people are the PROBLEMS. She is just a trapped puppet. And I just hope KEMP & Rihanna can keep their lives private. But it will not happen that way. Her greedy Entourage & the media will not allow it. And I just hope that KEMP is strong enough and remains focus on the game.
UNDERWHELMING!
I know these are just minor league signings, but it seems to me we’re inviting just too many to Spring Training to get any complete evaluation of anybody. That’s especially true since once again we’re sending a split squad to Taiwan and Joe’s eyes will again be away from the main camp. He’s asleep most of the time anyway, or do they call that semi-retired.
I think the term Josh used was “excited”
That was supposed to come after Tru’s “wow” comment…wierd how the times are all screwed up.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100128&content_id=7989100&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
Now, doesn’t that make you say, “wow”!
Cy ~ you are right….we are supposed to be “excited” 🙂
I’m wondering how long it will be before you and Bear explode, Enchanted?!
WOW!!
That was for dodging the Jim Edmonds bullet and stepping right in the way of a Timo Perez shot. Our Savior, how many guano-y players is Ned trying to amass?? I thought Koronka played for the Dolphins in the 70’s with Bob Griese and Mercury Morris (well he might as well have!) UN-MAKIN’BACON-BELIEVABLE!!!
But if Bear can maintain his composure, so can I. 🙂
Yay, love this freakin’ time warp!
I’m torn between images of this:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=dumpster+diving&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=qAxiS7_eLIvaNvyL2e4L&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCEQsAQwAw
…….and the most apropos line from Monty Python’s Holy Grail, “Dennis (Mannion), there’s some lovely filth down here….”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xd_zkMEgkI
What I’m really scared about is that we may already have a Jim Edmonds on our ballclub, and his name is Manny.
SELL THE TEAM, you bifurcated ownership!
🙂 LMDO!!!!!!
Wow, bear! You sent me scrambling to my dictionary with that one! LOL!!
We’s was all scrambling on that one!!!
I personally feel more edumacated now.
LMDO!!!!!
I’m wondering how long it will be before you and Bear explode, Enchanted?!
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By trublu4ever on January 28, 2010 2:21 PM
There’s a storm abrewin’ Tru…
I’m beginning to hear thunder and lightning, Enchanted 🙂
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Boo-hoo, we won’t be able to sign Edmonds….the Brewers got him.
It’s kind of sad when the ESPN Insider says besides the Padres, who are still re-building, we did the least to improve in the off-season. And, the Front Office wonders why we are upset!
But remember Tru, we’re getting more concession stands because, darn it, that’s where the money is.
Maybe my expression needs to change from WOW to HOTDOG!!
I think HOTDOG AND WOW will be changed real soon!
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YIPPEE, more concession stands!
Yippee!! Lot’s of great comments gang!! Two and a half weeks and we can light this candle!!! So far, so good, we haven’t set the baseball world on fire, but we haven’t done any knee jerk serious damage. I’m OK with what we’ve got under the circumstances and ready to play baseball. It’s been a long winter for all of us and it is starting to show in the posts. We need to get on the field. Josh, Thanks to you especially for all you do and the Dodgers for giving us this forum!!!! Excelsior True Believers!!!!!
Hot-f*cking-Dog Trumom!!! LOL!!! That is meant in a totally positive connotation as I am very excited about our Dodgers in 2010!!! And maybe it gets Bear and Beav off the hook?!!!! LMTO!!!!
Hey Jhall!!! How are you doing my friend? It’s good seeing you so positive. If you think back, we had our doubts at the beginning of last season, and they came out with a 13 game win streak, and anything can happen this season as well.
Hey Nelly!! So true and great point!! It’s all good mon amie!!!! I’m doing well, how about you? Thanks!!!
Gotta rack it for the night my friends!! Hope you all have a great night and a better tomorrow!!! I believe our Dodgers can get it done. Win or lose, I’m 110% on board!!!
Caveat!! 110% with the young core players!!! 0% with Frank and Jamie!!!! Goodnight!!!!
Good Night Jhall!! I am doing good as well. Take Care and God Bless :))
20 Days until pitchers and catchers report……
Daytona in 16 Days 🙂
Hello ITD!
Yippee 20 days till P&C report! thanks for the update Dnelly!
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Went to select a seat today. The seats next to me were not available so I roam around the stadium taking more pictures and just taking the beautiful view from there. Ran into Ben Platts from MLB as I was going up the escalator. I told him “I LOVE this place!” He said “I know!” LOL. I had a Dodger Dog, chips, soda and some peanuts. I went to the dugout level and took more pictures from there. I was looking for a particular name on the wall of players names but still I could not find it.
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D4L,
Did not know you have three girls! I was reading this blog from a year ago in January when I posted that and saw that you said in there “I am making cookies with my 10 year old daughter.”
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Have a happy Friday you all!
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp%3Fymd%3D20100129%26content_id%3D7993502%26vkey%3Dnews_mlb%26fext%3D.jsp%26c_id%3Dmlb&ct=ga&cd=D3LP5zXpCrM&usg=AFQjCNHq40Q43F9n3Sd251r7gWloO-GGNw
Ward Dear – Not that you probably don’t already know, but you can watch Jimmie Johnson’s HBO special on NASCAR.com.
Wonder how Ned let Loretta get away.
What a shame, *********!
SELL THE TEAM!!!
Whatever Bear said goes double for me!!
I see we’re supposed to be pursuing Wang (which if its like we pursued Halladay means nothing, but I digress…) Are we looking at him as a starter (long Wang) or a reliever (short Wang)? Either way Ned’ll probably end up getting threaded metal fastenered.
I have come on here twice today to see how’s it going, and each time I have LMDO!!! However, I have a feeling Messagebear is still holding back some – LOL!!!
A short Wang is better than no Wang at all 🙂
C’mon, we gotta get this guy…………
“Well Steve, Wang looks a little tired….”
“Looks like Joe’s going to take Wang out…..”
or
“Looks like Joe’s going to leave Wang in…….”
I know, I know, language. But turn on Comedy Central or MTV any time day or night. Basic cable channels.
Hey! No time warp! Haven’t had one of those in a while.
…….and yes, Junie. I watched Jimmie 24/7 last night on NASCAR.com. Just about the same time you made your entry about it. Pretty cool that you can watch a whole 1/2 hour show.
Hi tru! Gotta head for the barn, the little lady wants to go to dinner! See ya!
I am glad you get to watch it Eric. It looks like it’s going to be a great 4-week series. Have a great time with Chris!!!
“A short Wang is better than no Wang at all :)” that’s what trublu said.
Frank thought so too, but maybe Jamie didn’t agree.
LMDO, Dodgereric!!!
I suppose Wang will be ecstatic when he gets a contract signed, so that brings me to the question: Would you rather have a happy Wang or a Randy Johnson?
LOL, Bear and Enchanted!!!!
Chien-Ming Wang???? Holy Jason Schmidt. This guy just had his shoulder cut on is out until at least MAY, whatever that means. Guess that meansw he can put on his socks starting then.
Headline: Sore Wang plagues both Ned and Frank…
Hello ITDers!
I reported the time warp to Mark who runs the whole mlb blog sphere. It happened to me yesterdayo when I responded to a poster and I was the first post and he the second one.
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I am surprised that John has not added a new post about the USC UCLA game in February at Dodger Stadium.
Emma
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/
OML Kahli! LMUDO!
Hey Wally my brother!! How’s things in the great midwest?
I’ll try and catch up with y’alls later tonight.
:)))
Jhall ~ great to see you. I would love to see some of our young pitchers get a shot. To me, it’s better than some washed up has-been. However, I don’t know if Joe likes the youngsters.
Hi’Ya Beav!! Cold right now, but only a few weeks till spring. Thanks my friend/brother!!!! How are things in your neck of the woods?
HotDog….I’m in a time warp again!!!!
Hello gang!! I guess our starting rotation is Kersh, Billz, Kuroda, Padilla, and ______!!! I think we have some good prospects in Elbert, McDonald, etc…. My point is, I would like to see the Dodgers concentrate on developing pitchers. It is obvious that starting pitching (along with defense) wins championships. Since we seem to be under some cost constraints and can’t buy top notch pitching, we should strive to develope our own. I’m not very confident in Honeycutt as we speak. Should have offered Wolf arbitration.
Hey Jhall!!!
Great stuff Kahli and enchanted!!! LMDO!!!
I saw Gurnick comment about Garret “No Hustle” Anderson. Josh is probably hoping and praying the Dodgers don’t sign him, “I said something exciting, not something excruciating!” Holy crud (PG), if that were to happen, I’d really blow a gasket!
Sorry, it way Heyman, not Gurnick…
Any good??
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Good evening all?..
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When I was a kid, we had this Rodeo Arena next to my parent?s house
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( just above bull riding, you?ll see the backdrop where we would call the game)
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http://www.royrodeo.com/
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I called it Big D Park?..because if the batter hit it over second, it was a Home Run!!
It was fun for batting practice, it was like PierreVille!!
.
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During the Rodeo we would get some of the Rodeo Cowboy?s up to the school?.. You talk about fight?in.
These guys had spirit, and beer, and they always wanted to wager the outcome!
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Needless to say we would get 9 kids and 9 cowboys, and have ourselves a game. Now in a town of 150, getting 9 kids is a task?. so lets just picture the Bad News Bears on Steroids?.These Cowboys would show up with plenty of beer, and plenty of attitude?..and they didn?t run to good in them boot?s?so they slide like they were dismounting the horse in calf roping event. Tough game for a bunch of youngsters.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXzYrXWU_j8
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But we kept plugging along and them cowboy?s kept plugging
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXzYrXWU_j8
.
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We had a late game Rally, and won the wager?.Now how do a bunch of kids collect from a bunch of guys that showed up to raise Cain you ask?..I suppose cause we were just like them a bunch of tough kids??There were theatrics, but they paid us?..heck we needed money for the dance.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffr-G6abbxA&feature=related
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And that was like getting tickets to the to the show!!
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GO DODGERS!!!!
RED PEN!!!!****
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When I was a kid, we had this Rodeo Arena next to my parent?s house
.
( just above bull riding, you?ll see the backdrop where we would call the game)
.
http://www.royrodeo.com/
.
I called it Big D Park?..because if the batter hit it over second, it was a Home Run!!
It was fun for batting practice, it was like PierreVille!!
.
.
During the Rodeo we would get some of the Rodeo Cowboy?s up to the school?.. You talk about fight?in.
These guys had spirit, and beer, and they always wanted to wager the outcome!
.
Needless to say we would get 9 kids and 9 cowboys, and have ourselves a game. Now in a town of 150, getting 9 kids is a task?. so lets just picture the Bad News Bears on Steroids?.These Cowboys would show up with plenty of beer, and plenty of attitude?..and they didn?t run to good in them boot?s?so they slide like they were dismounting the horse in calf roping event. Tough game for a bunch of youngsters.
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXzYrXWU_j8
.
But we kept plugging along and them cowboy?s kept plugging
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIOVSr8UOxQ&feature=related
.
.
We had a late game Rally, and won the wager?.Now how do a bunch of kids collect from a bunch of guys that showed up to raise Cain you ask?..I suppose cause we were just like them a bunch of tough kids??There were theatrics, but they paid us?..heck we needed money for the dance.
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffr-G6abbxA&feature=related
.
And that was like getting tickets to the to the show!!
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffr-G6abbxA&feature=related
.
RED PEN = BEER…:)))
Good Morning ITD readers and writers!!!! Fabulous stuff last night Dodger4life!!
Option B is right up Frank and Ned’s alley.
Frank can reunite with his Red Sox idols, and he probably won’t have to pay them a dime for the rest of the season.
How much better can it get, and why wait until 2011, if you can snooker that Boston team into that deal right now.
SELL THE TEAM!!!
Hark! Is that light at the end of the tunnel?…
—————————————–
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/columns/story?id=4867638
Thursday, January 28, 2010 (Updated: January 29, 1:49 PM ET)
Dodgers’ talent high at lower levels
By Tony Jackson
ESPNLosAngeles.com
[Excerpts from the article:]
There was a time, and it wasn’t that long ago, when the stockpile of talent in the Dodgers’ minor league system was enough to induce foaming at the mouth among scouts from other teams and so-called experts from media outlets that chronicled such things. There was also a time, and it was right around the same period, when the only thing foaming at Dodger Stadium were the beer taps because the big league club with the storied past and promising future didn’t seem to have much of a present.
So now that most of those prospects have blossomed into full-fledged major leaguers, now that the Dodgers have reached the playoffs four times in the past six seasons and knocked on the door of the World Series in each of the past two, there is a widespread perception that the minor league cupboard has gone bare, at least on the upper shelves.
But is that perception accurate?
. . .
Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White, who oversees amateur scouting, said he believes that the talent at the team’s lower levels runs so deep that the Dodgers’ system might be as strong as a whole as it has been at any time since his arrival in 2002.
“To me, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to knock us down just because a lot of the talent in our system isn’t at the upper echelons yet,” White said. “I think after next year, the competition within our organization is going to be really fierce, especially in terms of pitching. There are going to be some really good guys who don’t make our staff.”
The Dodgers are holding a mini-camp at their spring-training facility in Glendale, Ariz., this week for several of their most coveted prospects, most of whom haven’t made it to Double-A yet. After watching all those pitching prospects throw from a mound, White rattled off a list of six guys — 2008 first-round draft pick Ethan Martin, 2007 first-rounder Chris Withrow, 2009 first-round sandwich pick Aaron Miller, converted catcher and recent 40-man roster addition Kenley Jansen and Dominican Republic natives Carlos Frias and Rubby De La Rosa — who all throw at least 95 mph.
“We actually have 15 guys who are 95-plus with good deliveries and mechanics,” White said. “Now, I know how attrition works, and all 15 of them aren’t going to pitch in the big leagues. But I guarantee you that five or six of them are all going to be ready in the next couple of years to push each other for jobs. When that happens, it’s going to be tough to figure out who makes the team and who doesn’t. I can honestly tell you we have guys who have better deliveries, better arm action and probably better stuff than [Chad] Billingsley and [Jonathan] Broxton had at the same age.
“That next wave is coming, and we have some strong position guys coming, too.”
——————————————————-
This either means:
A.) A bright promise of a future core pitching staff
or
B.)
BOSTON (APP) JULY 31st, 2011 – The Red Sox make a shocking splash at the trade deadline, unloading Tim Wakefield and David Ortiz to the Los Angeles Dodgers for James Loney, Chris Withrow and a player to be named later. The Los Angeles Dodgers will also receive cash considerations as part of the deal…
(about 2 1/2 months later)
LOS ANGELES (APP) OCTOBER 22nd, 2011 – The Dodgers complete the Ortiz-Wakefield deal yesterday by sending OF Kyle Russell to Boston.
…
Of course, I’m guessing it’s going to be A.
Option B is right up Frank and Ned’s alley.
Frank can get his Red Sox idols, and he probably won’t have to pay them a dime the rest of the season. How much better can that get, and why wait until 2011? Ned could probably snooker that Boston team into doing that deal right away.
SELL THE TEAM!!!
:)))
LOL!!!!!
Hi’Ya Nelly!!! Hope you and yours are well and happy this evening. I’m hoping for A North!!! However, B would not surprise me with our current administration. I’m with Bear, the sooner the team is sold, the better for our future!!!
SELL THE TEAM, FRANK!!!!!!
OR, SELL THE TEAM, JAMIE!!!!!
OR, SELL THE TEAM, FRANK & JAMIE!!!!!
Hi’Ya Trumom!!! Well wishes to you and yours as well. Always a pleasure to see you!!!
:)))
Hi, Jhall ~ always more fun when you are here.
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Guess we don’t have to wondeer about signing Byrnes. He signed with the Mariners. For a small market team, they sure have done a lot to make themselves better.
*wonder
Hey Jhall!!! We are doing great!! It’s a nice sunny day so I decked out in Dodger blue (Andre style) to urge on the spring weather – LOL!! Always………..always good to see you around here.
Northstateblues – I would hope for A as well 🙂
Thanks Trumom, same here!!! Marlins definately get alot more bang for the buck than we do. Duuuuuhhh Ned!!!!
The entire AL West is going to be fun to watch this season. They have all made some pretty good acquisitions, and it will even get more interesting at the half-way point with the teams not in contention.
Thanks Nell’, good for you.
You’re right DNelson(LOL), Angels won’t run away this year!!!
DNelson? How proper – LMDO!!!
:)))
I say we are good to go with what we’ve got. At this point, I don’t think we are going to get anybody that is going to necessarily make it a better team.
Note to the Dodgers, seek out Tom Seaver to coach Billz. They are the same pitcher!!!
I agree DNelson!!!! Any scrubs they get now only block our player developement.
Very interesting predictions on all the teams, and as for the Dodgers in relation to our division and the rest of the NL, nothing we haven’t discussed on ITD in detail. We are a pretty informative group.
sorry – here’s the article.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article_perspectives.jsp%3Fymd%3D20100130%26content_id%3D8000248%26vkey%3Dperspectives%26fext%3D.jsp&ct=ga&cd=wRVdutXWFGo&usg=AFQjCNFlTQgvd9FB50AJvzzbQaPTci4bEw
Put Koufax with Kersh and get Tom Seaver to coach Billz!! Honeycutt was a finesse pitcher. Billz is not. He’s a power pitcher. Mostly lower body strength. Maddux could do wonders with them all.
Does that mean….no Wang?! lol
With no Wang, Enchanted and Dodgereric will be very upset.
LOL!!!!
That would be great to see JHall!!!
LOL Tru!!! So far, the only Wang went to Jamie!!! I guess, Frank got the Wang inadvertantly!!! LMTO!!!!!
:))) LMDO!!!!
New thread!
Poor Ned, he’s left with the Fantasy Baseball Guide and a bottle of lotion. Jamie seems to be the only winner!!! LOL!!!!