Sunny days
The sun has come out at Camelback so it’s actually starting to feel like Spring Training. Of course, much of our days are spent indoors in an office, but for those of you in town or able to get to town, these are the two weeks you really want to do it. Tons of access to players, autographs, etc. It’s a very cool vibe and it doesn’t cost a penny to come out. Of course, then you don’t get to see a game, so perhaps planning a trip around the last few days of workouts and first few games is the way to go.
Joe Torre told the media a bit ago that he has a pretty good idea who the Opening Day starter is but he hasn’t yet shared it. As soon as he does, we’ll tell all of you.
Otherwise, it’s a relatively quiet day around camp. We certainly appreciate all the comments on the ITD blog and there’s no way I can ever expect everyone to see things the way I see them. All we can do is try to explain our thinking behind various decisions we make and continue the dialogue with all of you. This sort of communication was not nearly as easy until we started this blog several years ago and it’s part of what makes this a fun place to “hang out” online.
Inside the Dodgers 
Josh, I do appreciate the fact that you do try to give us insight into the thought process of management. That being said, I think that many of us just feel that the thought process is very flawed at this point in time. However, I do give you credit for continually sharing information.
McCourt: Mr Enchanted, That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought-out suggestion.
enchanted: Thank you, Mr McCourt.
McCourt: Overruled.
On a lighter note, we may be one step closer to testing for HGH:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-bbo-mlb-hgh-testing,0,491429.story
Perhaps Josh, Frank could come on ITD to “set the record straight” of any inaccuracies or false conclusions we’re drawing from articles and reports we are receiving. It would obviously boost readership and participation on the blog, and may allay fans minds as to what’s going on behind the scenes.
Just a suggestion…
Too bad they take our suggestions with a grain of salt, Enchanted.
Josh, if you could arrange this with Frank it would be better if Frank would do a written statement covering some of the contentious points rather than you sitting down with Frank and then relating back, “Frank said this” since credibility is one of the points of contention.
I see the time warping issues continue.
I’d prefer a video statement with polygraph in full view
Hi everybody
I was just notified by MLB-TV that they deducted their annual fee out of my checking account for the ’11 season.
So spring has sprung for me and I’ll ignore any snow that comes my way.
I just hope they improve it a little.
This a long but easy reading article from espn.com. It is about the NBA but there are a lot of elements to this article that apply to some of the discussions we have had on ITD about the baseball fans, season tickets, ticket prices and the general way clubs are run.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100224
Cy, thanks for your comments about our little back and forth from yesterday.
lbirken, no problem…I just wanted to clarify where I was coming from so you didn’t feel I was attacking you in anyway.
Cy, I appreciate your concern. I took no offense to your comments. I will sometimes “defend” a position just to try to expand the discussion even though I may not actually believe in or agree with that position. I usually am not trying to get anyone to change his or her position but only to point out that sometimes there are other ways to look at things.
That’s what we do here, “discuss” and we have fun doing, too! That’s what makes ITD the best blog around.
?Bout time for a song… George Strait, All My Exes Live in Texas
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_DVyJh0ngo
ALL MY EXES DON?T PAY TAXES
.
All my exes don?t pay taxes,
And taxes are a thing I really hate-to-see.
But all my exes don?t pay taxes,
And that?s why Californi?s the place to be.
.
?Ol Jamie?s out in Malibooey; wanted me to give her room,
Sweet fraulein in Holmby Hills, she?s given po? me the broom
Old J. Luskin from Baltimore, somehow lost civility,
But that Doughboy datin? Taiwan vacation?s all write off to me.
.
All my exes don?t pay taxes,
And taxes are not anything for her-and-me.
But all my exes don?t pay taxes,
And that?s why Californi?s the place to be.
.
I remember those old frigid winters where I used to live.
And it brings to mind another time when I had to give.
But thanks to screwy lawyer hooey, I can live the life.
This year I think I?ll get a deduct for my estranged wife.
.
All my exes don?t pay taxes,
And taxes are a thing I really hate- to- see.
But all my exes don?t pay taxes,
And that?s why Californi?s the place to be.
.
Some folks think I?m hidin?,
Its been rumored that I lied,
But I?m alive and livin? Cali-free.
©NedCo Broken records 2010
NedCo – “If its not broken, I don?t want it”?
Yee Haw Enchanted!!!!
Way to go, Enchanted!
Only in America!
Explain that one, Josh.
A pair of scumbags that can take out $108 million from their “investment” and not pay a dime in taxes, federal or state. Smells like tax fraud, or at the very least tax avoidance to the most extreme degree. I say it’s Unamerican. Wonder whether the Chinese system would allow that to happen when they become ownership partners.
McCourt sumbags, scumbags, scumbags.
#482, 482, 482 to the nth degree!!!
Can’t help but enjoy this comment from the LA Times…..
Cool, calm and consistently at his best in the clutch, Kobe Bryant is the Andre Ethier of the Lakers. . . .
Or maybe it’s the other way around? . . .
http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-crowe25-2010feb25,0,4937968.column&ct=ga&cd=JwZYVq4a6cw&usg=AFQjCNHeihvS7z8ImtcGdZMHN2-ukxFx1Q
Good late morning to everybody! I hope you are all well.
.
Birk — thanks for that link to the article. I thought it was a great read. Funny thing was that as I was reading it I thought this reminds me of something NSB would of written. Anyway I thought it was really right on.
.
& as far as CY & Birks back & forth the other day I was wanting to post but couldn’t at that time. But the pricing thing like what the Dodgers are doing with the Yankees games this year has been in affect as pointed out, for many other teams for awhile.
.
I mentioned awhile back that the Giants are basically charging about double for any Dodger tix compared to say the Nationals.
.
But also as mentioned just because you can doesn’t always mean you should.
.
MLB has wanted to have kids be able to go to games and be interested in them because after all they are the future fans. Well making it tough to go to games because of the cost will only shoot yourself in the foot if your planning on being on the ownership boat for the long run. Unless you just aren’t good at business.
.
The same is with RBI (Reviving Baseball In The Inner Cities). There has been a large drop in African American players in the league so this program is a great one that helps kids who might not be able to participate in playing the game play it. If you play the game you generally will fall in love with it and watch it, and in some cases realize you are great at it and play for years to come (Such as with Big Game James & Jimmy Rollins). Many kids in the inner cities don’t have the income to go to 14-15 games a year so they can see the Yankees. Building fields is great but you should also keep the cost of attending games down.
.
I mean Honda’s aren’t as expensive as a Volvo so should Honda jack up their prices to that of a Volvo? Or an Acura? Or a BMW? I mean they make a great car after all, so why not. I mean since they can then they may as well…
.
I’m sorry, but in my opinion just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
.
In terms of Josh, I understand he’s doing his job and I’m not unhappy with what his job is or how he’s done it. I would drop my job in a second to do his. I would love to work in the baseball world & for the Dodgers. Just because your bosses can be putz’s doesn’t mean you don’t do your job.
Josh — As far as questions or topics we’d like covered, I’d love to learn a little more about the area of scouting or ranking players.
.
I’ve always enjoyed going to Minor League games and many on here have access to some of those teams. I think it would be fun to go to those games and be able to watch some of the youngsters with the eye a scout has.
.
Like how they rank players with regards to their skills. Such as a with a certain pitchers fastball, change, etc… There is a way they rank their skills and I’d like to learn more about that.
.
An acquaintance of mine works for the Giants and has been in charge of the minor leagues for them in the past. I always wanted to learn and know more about it but he’s more of a friend of a friend.
.
Watching MLB’s 50 Best Prospect show was really fun and peaked my interest in a big way.
.
I mean after all most MLB teams are going young these days.
.
Thanks for asking & please see if MLB could hire the Geek Squad to fix the time issue with this blog as well as the server errors, etc that we all experience.