Vagabonding

Thanks Josh for the update. Think Blue- Nomar get better ASAP!

Thanks Josh. I love the daily info you bring to us fans.

My post from the last thread and my feelings about this situation:

MESSAGEBEAR FOR DEWITT!!!

DeWitt is my man for third. I hope he gets his big chance.

If Nomar comes back, I hope it is to fill a utility role. When LaRoche comes back, I hope he has a real fight for the job with DeWitt.

I'm just for DeWitt!!!

Does anyone have any faith in Stan Conte to diagnose anything?

I'm with messagebear on DeWitt IF Ethier's in left. My guess is that DeWitt's the weak bat in the line-up then. If JPs in the line-up, he's the weak bat and I don't think the D's can afford two, especially if Kent's down as well.

I don't know of anyone outside of Dodger management who can maintain any confidence in Conte. Unfortunately Conte will probably be around as long as Colletti is. I, of course, also agree that Ethier's got to be in the lineup for us to get any kind of a start this season.

Any chance Ethier learns to play 3rd base ? I just can't believe this dude will be on the bench.... Sad.

I agree with the assessment of Stan Conte, I did not like the hire, never will, we have Schmidt thanks to him knowing and feeling confident in his medical history. Way to go Stan!!! Bring back the real Stan as in Stan Johnston!!!! Go Cowboy I hope you are happy in whatever you are doing now!!! Down with Conte!!!

Anyway in the Nomar article, it mentions that Abreu had to be called at the hotel and was late. There is something going on with this kid, he just does not comprehend how big an opportunity he has. He is blowing it and will have no one to blame but himself.

I hope that Dewitt can be up to the task. He seems like a gamer and if he does get the opportunity and does not succeed, how will he react? It is always dangerous with young kids. Maybe we will catch lightning in a bottle. I would be happy with 250-260 avg with a little pop and good defense until Laroche gets healthy.

If Nomar is not ready, let alone Kent, the Dodgers can't afford to start Slappy McDribbler in LF with a young rookie at 3B and maybe 2B as well. They need Ethier's experience and all around good play.

Why do we need an extra crappy lead off hitter when Raffy is already one of the best?

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Uh, Andre's a southpaw.

Yes, in order to accommodate Ethier at third base, we'd have to re-arrange the bases so as to run them counterclockwise - too revolutionary a concept, I'm afraid.

Anyone get the feeling that if the D's get out of the box slowly with JP in left that we'll be seeing Ned's and Joe's pictures up on the wall in the post office?

counterclockwise... Anyone ever remember playing hippie baseball?

Sorry, we do run the bases counterclockwise, so we'd have to run them clockwise in order to put lefthanded throwers as third basemen.

messagebear - that could be why the D's are so confused on the basepaths :)

Let's hope Joe uses his infinite wisdom and throws the best lineup out there. I don't want to be coming here every day during the season like last year hoping and praying Ethier and Kemp are in together.

Why is this so hard for them?

$$$$$$ scott

Schmidt for brains?!

Hey, this clock-wise thing can be done - Gary Cooper was righthanded, so he had to learn to swing and run up the third base line in Pride of the Yankees. They just flopped the film to make it look like he was running to first.

Relatedly, maybe in highlight reels we can run the film backwards and make it look like JPs throwing lasers back to home plate.

Maybe we should run it far enough backward that we never signed Phew and Schidt.

I forgot Ethier was a southpaw... Too bad.

It's hard to talk about how awful the Giants look up here in NorCal (eventhough I still am - lol!!) when we may be end up with a similar problem if the line-up isn't done the way it should be.

Ned is a Giant clone. Doesn't bode well for the Blue.

dnelson, I agree with you. I am up here in NorCal also and I give my friends **** for the Gnats this year but if Slappy Mcdribble is the starting LF'er we are going to be in a race with the Gnats for the cellar.

Jhall, Ned is running the D's just like Sabean runs the Gnats.

Yep, JNV, the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. Rats!!!

What on earth was "hippie baseball"? Did you run the bases with your hash pipe?

When the dude shows up at the press conference to announce his hiring with a runners up ring all proudly shown, u know your f-ed.

Ask Tommy what he thought about the 2002 Angels..u think tommy would be wearing Kingman's ring?

I can't imagine what was going through McCourt mind when he hired Ned.... That he wants to be just like the Gnats? He should have just kept Depodesta.

LOL Jungar.

Nice point Jungar.

jnv - so true so true, and the scary thing is I live with Giant fans, and they are laughing because the decisions for the Dodgers should be so easy. It is going to be one interesting season of baseball, but hopefully it all gets worked out and the Dodgers are on the winning end.

hippie baseball - was actually a softball, but basically you could hit the ball wherever and run to anybase you'd like (as long as you still touched all the bases before going home.) Kept a raucus bunch of 2nd graders entertained for recess anyways.

Hey, a thought just occurred to me. Maybe Pierre's parents couldn't afford the right glove for little Juan and he's really a right-handed thrower. That would explain that lousy arm.

And maybe he's really a right-handed bat with POWER!

dnelson, time will tell. Lets hope we are all being overly pessimistic about it all.
Where in NoCal are you? I am in Roseville, outside of Sacramento.

Down in the valley in Merced - went to Sac State though so I know your area very well.

I predict either Kemp or Ethier won't play today. Intead of fielding the best possible outfield, we get to see the One Trick Pony in LF. How fun.

dnelson - I used to live in Oakhurst.

Good chance you'll get to see Kershaw in Fresno.

I know the area a little. Hopefully Kershaw will be in AAA that way I can go to The Sacramento Rivercats and watch him pitch.

I saw DeWitt play in all his games in Vero, and he is not yet ready to handle 3rd base in the Majors. His fielding, or lack of, led to 3 runs in 1 game alone. Balls get by him too quickly, before he even reacts. He was steps too slow on balls that major league 3rd basemen would have easily made the plays. Needs lots more work - not ready.

When he's ready, Kershaw will jump from Double-A to the majors. I think it's in his best interests to avoid the PCL's rough parks.

When I was about ten years old I had a baseball field watch. The second hand was a guy running the bases backwards.

I hope to see Kershaw pitch, too. I do like watching the Rivercats when we can get up there. I haven't been too many Fresno games, though. We tend to go to SF to see the Dodger/Giant series. I also go to watch the A's play as well since they are close, and they usually aren't a threat to the Dodgers. I go to Dodgers games mostly during the summer when I am out of school. However, I will be at Dodger stadium for the San Diego series in mid April.

Just saw the pics of the 1st workout in Arizona....it is a depressing looking place compared to Dodgertown. I sure hope the new site is spruced up better than what they are showing of the A's ballpark.

I think I letting my bias for dodgertown is showing.

This may be harsh, but if Dodger fans treat Pierre like they (and rightly so) treated Tomko maybe management will get the message. All we want is the best players to play.

Pierre's probably giving the team the best he has to offer. Unfortunately for him he's going to get caught in the crossfire because this is about who is the best LF and whether or not the GM and manager are going to sack up, swallow their pride and do what's best for the Dodgers and their fans.

dnelson, I used to live in merced too. I went to high school in merced, gvhs. now im in minneapolis... dodgers need to get rid of juan pierre lets send him to another team for bats, balls and rosin bags...

That's exactly right Scott. Phew's best is not as good as Ethier's. It might play well on some teams, but not on the Dodgers. Even if we didn't have Ethier, I would rather see Repko or Young than Phew. I simply don't like his game, or lack thereof.

I think Scott hit the nail on the head!!! As everyone else has said, I am sure he is a nice guy but nice doesn't get the job done!!

Nice plus a .400 OBP would be nicer. And a nice job. Or something like that.

dodge16_12
If you went to GVHS than you are younger than me (MHS was the only school back then). It's good to see a Dodger fan in Minneapolis. The farthest east I got was I lived in Memphis for three years. As for the Dodgers, I am a huge Ethier fan so I kept thinking my view of him was bias, but from the look of this blog, that isn't the case. It's like most of you, it has very little to do with Pierre. It's just the right now, Ethier is the better fit for this current team. I can't wait for opening day!! I am having an all out baseball day in the classroom. My bell rang - gotta go teach P.E.!

Here's today's lineup:

Furcal SS

Ethier LF

Martin C

Jones CF

Kemp RF

Loney 1B

Hu 2B

DeWitt 3B

Hey guys, check out the lineup at mlb.com scoreboard. I sure wouldn't mind this one on a regular basis - at least until the injuries are healed.

You beat me to it, momo!

Doesn't the game start at 3:00? where is the line up?

Thank you momo! Now that looks like a good line up!

Yep, I'd take it for opening day.

White Sox vs. Dodgers Lineups for today's game:

Owens, Cabrera, Swisher, Konerko, Dye, Pierzynski, Crede, Uribe, Buehrle

Furcal, Ethier, Martin, Jones, Kemp, Loney, Hu, DeWitt, Penny

One question? Is that our opening day lineup? I like it if Kent and Nomar are sidelined. I might do play by play, I'm a huge March Madness nut, so my focus could be on that. I may find a way to balance the two.

I think JP will start hearing boos from "knowledgeable" fans if he "hits" like he's been doing in ST and/or makes some lollipop throws that allow runs to score (and to those points, he'll earn a few jeers.)

Unfortunately, that then will prompt the casual fan into joining in without really knowing the reason why. Once that happens at the game, the sportswriters will start chiming in in their columns and the whole thing will snowball.

Sad thing is that he'll still be the same player he was last year.

The "culprit" if you will in this situation is Ned, and shame on him if he puts JP in that position by not trading the man.

I'll give Ned these two weeks to make the move - who knows, maybe he's just waiting to see who's available to make a trade for, but if it goes beyond that and it comes down to fans booing their own player, then one seriously has to question the one in charge. In large part, we'll be shooting the messenger (JP) and not the author.

Looks like a good test, the Whitesox are playing their regulars.

i wonder what pierre is thinking *giggle*

He should be thinking....."hmmm this bench is mighty comfy".....

White Sox vs. Dodgers Play By Play Coming Up!

"I'm the fastest man in the dugout!"

Hu/Furcal up the middle is pretty tough to beat.

its actually proven impossible....

hey maybe pierre's already on his way to the whitesox dugout (wishful thinking)

I like that JSpelk. LOL

Jspelk, I was wondering the same thing, maybe he was traded to the whitesox and he wasn't allowed to play.... I think a tear actually formed!! :-)

I have a feeling that Phew will become somewhat of a clubhouse distraction if he doesn't get his way. Ned needs to do the right thing and unload him at any cost to a team that will appreciate/tolerate him.

God help our next stinkiest player when Phew is gone. LOL.

Interesting that Josh never updated the post with the lineup like he said he would. Maybe something's cooking behind the scenes?

Top 1: White Sox Batting: Brad Penny Pitching: Russ Langer (voice of the 51's is doing play by play subbing for Steiner, in my opinion he's excellent, he really does a tremendous job painting the picture for the listener)
Jerry Owens grounds to Hu at second

Orlando Cabrera grounds to Furcal at short

Nick Swisher strikes out swinging

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 1/2 inning No Score

Crisis intervention for Phew.

jhall,

The point has always been that he's the weak link and anyone else would suffice. Maybe Nomar is next on the chopping block, but he WAS a great player at one time at least.

Agree Scott, Nomar was a great player at one point in his career, where as Slappy has always been what he is.... Servicable at best.

Yep, Scott, if Nomar stinks it up early, then he will be next. Or Kent. They won't get it as bad as Phew because at least they will be gone after this year. Part of the problem with Phew is that we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. If we knew this was his last year, it would be somewhat tolerable.

Ferk and Andre both with singles to start the game. Go Andre.

I like Ethier in the 2 hole with Ferk leading off. Perhaps Joe does also.

Boo-Ya!

Bottom 1: Dodgers Batting: Lefty Mark Buehrle Pitching:
Rafael Furcal singles to right taking the outside pitch and going the other way

Andre Ethier singles to center, Furcal to second

Russell Martin on a full count strikes out looking on a run and hit, Furcal thrown out at third, Martin thought it was outside, Ethier advances to second

Andruw Jones walks on four pitches

Matt Kemp forces Jones

0 Runs 2 Hits 2 LOB End of 1 No Score

Top 2: White Sox Batting: Penny Pitching:
Paul Konerko singles to center

Jermaine Dye 6-4-3 Double Play

A.J Pierzynski grounds to Hu at second

0 Runs 1 Hit 0 LOB End of 1 1/2 No Score

You guys don't really think JPs moving on do ya???

Bottom 2: Dodgers Batting: Buehrle Pitching:
James Loney strikes out looking

Chin-Lung Hu strikes out swinging

Blake DeWitt walks on four pitches

Brad Penny forces DeWitt

0 Runs 0 Hits 1 LOB End of 2 No Score

Wishful thinking enchanted.

If the fans are ready to boo Pierre, at least we ought to qualify those boos and carry a bunch of signs that say:
BOO FOR NED!!!

That would be only fair.

Is a little odd that he's not in the lineup on the first day the team is together again... but lets not ready into it yet.

Did you happen to notice that he is not in the lineup? Does anyone know when he started a game last? I mean in America?

THIS is game I actually want Pierre playing; "showcase" him for Ozzie Guillen! ;)

jegiboney, Slappy didn't go to China.

Old Fogey, If he played and went 0-fer that wouldn't "showcase" him to well.

Ok! Sorry. I got mixed up. I didn't know Slappy meant Juan Pierre.

Top 3: White Sox Batting: Penny Pitching:
Joe Crede pops to Kemp in right

Juan Uribe grounds to Furcal at short

Mark Buehrle strikes out looking

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 2 1/2 No Score

Bottom 3: Dodgers Batting: Buehrle Pitching:
Furcal HOMERS to deep left, 1-0 Dodgers

Ethier pops foul to third

Martin singles to left center

Jones 6-4-3 Double Play

1 Run 2 Hits 0 LOB End of 3 1-0 Dodgers

jnv828, you're right! The true showcase is to PR him later and have him swipe a couple of bags.

Furcal making his bid for the leadoff spot!

Top 4: White Sox Batting: Penny Pitching:
Owens flies to Jones in center

Cabrera grounds to DeWitt at third

Swisher pops to Furcal at short

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 3 1/2 1-0 Dodgers

furcal is SO superior to Pierre in the leadoff spot it's a freaking joke. What were they thinking batting him 2nd with one out already every game?

I know we all cringed everytime grittle made a line up last year, BUT he did bat Ferk leadoff. So I guess he wasn't completely off his rocker.

A healthy Raffy is so superior at leadoff that it probably gives us a couple of extra wins this season. There are just so many reasons to have Pierre on the bench, or better yet off the team for good.

Bottom 4: Dodgers Batting: Buehrle Pitching:
Kemp flies to right

Loney grounds to second

Hu grounds to short

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 4 1-0 Dodgers

Someone post their ideal lineup would be.

Ideal lineup?

Same as today with LaRoche at 3B and Kent for one more year at 2B. If not Kent then Hu.

Top 5: White Sox Batting: Penny Pitching:
Konerko grounds to DeWitt at third

Dye strikes out swinging

Pierzynski foul flies to Ethier (interference called as bullpen interfered with Ethier's path to the ball)

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 4 1/2 1-0 Dodgers

Diamond Leung reports on his Press-Enterprise blog:

"Like I reported before, THE DODGERS see Ethier as an inexperienced player who does not have a full season's worth of starting under his belt."

================================

Paging Colletti, Torre and company ---- Ethier QUALIFIED FOR THE BATTING TITLE LAST SEASON, despite being blocked by Luis Gonzalez too often, thanks to MANAGEMENT'S decision. He has 946 career PAs! Hello! McFly! He's not some wet behind the ears rook like, oh, Hu.

==============================

Diamond's whole post is worth reading:

"Nomar Garciaparra is "doubtful" for opening day due to a microfracture in his right wrist, according to Manager Joe Torre. That leaves Tony Abreu as Torre's first option to start. Blake DeWitt, Chin-lung Hu and Ramon Martinez are also in the mix, though Hu has yet to work out at third. Second baseman Jeff Kent started jogging today.

Torre said he recently spoke to the four outfielders as a group and told them to understand it won't be an easy decision for him. "I have no lineup in my mind until I have to," Torre said. The Torre described it he had two groups of outfielders - two guys who are experienced and talented, and two guys who are inexperienced and talented. Torre said he has always leaned toward experience, but would withhold a final decision until he sees Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp more during these final 11 exhibition games. Like I reported before, the Dodgers see Ethier as an inexperienced player who does not have a full season's worth of starting under his belt."

Penny has faced the minimum through 5 innings. He is mowing them down apparently. Awesome.

Furcal
Ethier

Kemp

Jones

Loney

Martin

Kent

Laroche.

Furcal
Martin (assuming he actually gets to rest some this year)

Loney

Kemp

Jones

Kent

Ethier

LaRoche

thats Coletti feeding Joe garbage.

Thanks old fogey, Ethier is no snot nosed kid, we traded Bradley for him 2 seasons ago. And might I add, since the day he got here I have been waiting for him to get his shot. I think he is going to be a very good ball player with a great attitude!

or what Charris said. either way is fine by me. get er done.

I cannot for the life of me understand how the Dodgers can think Ethier is "ineperienced".. and even if he was, he's clearly superior to pierre anyways. Does anyone actually expect fans to buy that explanation?

Bottom 5: Dodgers Batting: Buehrle Pitching:
DeWitt strikes out looking

Penny strikes out swinging

Furcal doubles off the wall in right

Ethier robbed by Owens in left center of a double, hit it well

0 Runs 1 Hit 1 LOB End of 5 1-0 Dodgers

Hey Josh -- I was curious when the parking opens at Dodger Stadium? I noticed you said 11 once and then more recently said noon.

Thanks! Looking forward to the event and I'm really glad to see the Dodgers doing this kind of thing.

Thats the funny thing about our team this season jungar, if the right 8 guys are in the line-up- 6 of them can be put anywhere from the 2 to 7 spots and our production would probably be close to the same.

Furcal is blowing up

Furcal
Loney

Jones

Kemp

Kent

Ethier

Martin

LaRoche

I don't want to see Martin in the 2 hole. He will get to beat up. I think Loney has the potention to be a great # 2 hitter except no speed.

Ned to Joe: "What do you think about Pierre? Isn't he fast? and to think I got him at a bargain price of 5 years and 45 million! I had to outbid that smart Giants front office."

Joe: "Don't the Giants $uck?

Ned: "That's because we got Pierre first!"

Joe: "I mean, didn't they $uck when you were there too?"

Ned: "Uhh....."

loney (or Kent to be fair) may be our best three hole guy really..3 hole is guy who can come close to .300/.400/.500

or martin

I switched up Jones and Kemp.
Kemp 3rd and Jones 4th

If we were to get rid of Pierre who would be the 4th outfielder?

DY is out of options so it would more than likely be him.

Top 6: White Sox Batting: Penny Pitching: Abreu replaces DeWitt at third and Crede grounds to him, Loney scoops the throw out of the dirt for the out
Juan Uribe singles to right (breaking the string of 12 straight set down by Penny)

Uribe steals second and goes to third on a throwing error by Martin

Alexei Ramirez pinch hitting for Buehrle singles to left, Uribe scores, 1-1 Tie

Owens 4-6-3 Double Play

1 Run 2 Hits 0 LOB End of 5 1/2 1-1 Tie

Furcal
Martin (I don't see why he'll get more banged up here than elsewhere in the lineup)

Kemp

Jones

Loney

Kent

Ethier

Third Baseman

Speed at the top.

Kemp is our best all-around offensive player.

Respected power in Jones.

Loney!! -- 'nuff said.

Kent before Ethier because they're about even so respect the old guy.

Furcal
Martin

Loney

Jones

Ethier

Kemp

DeWitt

Abreu

Pitcher

The team that's on the field right now is very good looking, if I may say so as I hear it on the auto.

I mean MLB-TV Audio.

Their is absolutely nothing wrong with batting Martin at the top, how many years did Piazza bat 3 or 4? Pudge and Kendall used to do it too. My main concern with Martin is getting the kid some rest, I don't want to see him prematurely burn-out like Kendall did (and no it wasn't because of where he hit as much as how often he played).

Isn't Hu on 2B?

Your right charris,
If Torre gives the kid some rest then batting at the top of the order is no big deal. but if he is abused like last year than it is too much IMO.

At the top of the batting order?

Yeah jnv its tough because Martin is such a good hitter but he faded quite a bit in the second half last year and I think it's pretty obvious why. If he's well rested he has 5-tool potential.

Bottom 6: Dodgers Batting: Righty Mike MacDougal Pitching:
Martin reaches on a two-base throwing error by Cabrera at short

Jones walks

Kemp grounds into a double play, Jones out at second, Martin to third

Loney walks

Hu triples down the right field line, Martin and Loney score, 3-1 Dodgers

Tony Abreu strikes out swinging

2 Runs 1 Hit 1 LOB End of 6 3-1 Dodgers

Am I right Abreu is on third? He replaced De witt last inning Right? Nice 3-bagger by Hu. 3-1 we're ahead.

Martin is what drives this team, He is the Dodgers in my opinion. He handles the pitching staff well, He runs like a rabbit, hits the ball for average and power and he can gun down runners at second. I just want to see him play as hard in October as in April. Thats all.

I think we better get used to playing without Kent and Nomar. First of all, they're both playing with declining skills, and their physical capabilities are declining as well - if it isn't the wrist and the leg, it will be something else during the season. Neither of them should have been with us this season, nor should Ned, who's responsible for both of them still being around and on the payroll. I would be perfectly satisfied with young guys like DeWitt, Abreu, Hu, and LaRoche, when he gets back, playing out this season with us. We may not get to the playoffs, but what's new in that, and Kent and Nomar will not bring us there. At least the young guys getting their experience will give us a base to work from next year.

Penny pitched a good 6 innings, that's the good word for the day.

I almost wish Martin would give up catching and go back to 3rd, I know we have good young talent there but I want to see Russ have a long and prosperous career.

If Conte says Nomars okay , then you know he's soon for the DL.

Russ Langer, I never heard him before, he has a nice style. Sounds a lot like Rick Monday.

Saito seems a little off today.

I wouldn't want Martin to stop playing catcher. He is made for the position. If you look up catcher in the dictionary you will see a picture of Martin!!! :-)

Top 7: White Sox Batting: Takashi Saito Pitching:
Cabrera singles to left

Swisher taps to Saito for the force at second (1-6), throw to Loney a little late

Konerko doubles over the head of Abreu, Swisher to third

Dye grounds to Furcal at short, Swisher scores

Pierzynski grounds to Saito, 3-2 Dodgers

1 Run 2 Hits 1 LOB End of 6 1/2 3-2 Dodgers

BEAR your dreams are coming true.

Saito got banged around, but I wouldn't worry about that right now.

If Martin was to stop being catcher who else would go over the wall backward to catch a foul ball?

Pierre get moving.

If Martin went back to 3rd, we would need a catcher.Let's let things be.

FURCAL! 4-FOR-4

Pierre scores on Ethier's single, Furcal to 3rd. Than Martin doubles in Furcal 5-2 Dodgers.

KEMP a 3-run homer 8-3

Make that 8-2

In Progress Report:

Bottom 7: Dodgers Batting: Octavio Dotel Pitching:

Juan Pierre pinch hitting for Saito walks on six pitches, Dotel started 3-0 got two strikes and then walked him

Furcal singles to right (4 for 4 on the day), Pierre to third

Furcal steals second

Ethier hits a sharp single off the glove of Uribe, Pierre scores, Furcal to third, 4-2 Dodgers

Martin doubles down the left field line on a hanging curve, Furcal scores, Ethier to third, 5-2 Dodgers

Jones strikes out swinging

Kemp HOMERS TO DEEP CENTER FIELD, Ethier and Martin score, 8-2 Dodgers

(Pitching Change, inning will continue...)

Bottom 7: Dodgers Batting: Octavio Dotel Pitching:
Juan Pierre pinch hitting for Saito walks on six pitches, Dotel started 3-0 got two strikes and then walked him

Furcal singles to right (4 for 4 on the day), Pierre to third

Furcal steals second

Ethier hits a sharp single off the glove of Uribe, Pierre scores, Furcal to third, 4-2 Dodgers

Martin doubles down the left field line on a hanging curve, Furcal scores, Ethier to third, 5-2 Dodgers

Jones strikes out swinging

Kemp HOMERS TO DEEP CENTER FIELD, Ethier and Martin score, 8-2 Dodgers

(Lefty Boone Logan relieves Dotel)

Loney check swings a grounder to first

Hu grounds to third

5 Runs 4 Hits 0 LOB End of 7 8-2 Dodgers

I'm glad they kept Kemp. There were to many trade rumors about him. Now I see why. Also it's good to see Furcal healthy. He is basically known for his speed but it's good that he has some power too.

Ideal - Pierre pinch-hitting. That's his spot. Way to keep hitting, Ethier; way to bomb, Kemp.

Nice goin' Jon.

Top 8: White Sox Batting: Jonathan Broxton Pitching: Pierre in left, Ethier moves to right, Kemp gets the rest of the game off
Crede grounds to Hu at second

Uribe strikes out swinging

Josh Fields singles to left

Owens singles to left, Fields to second

Cabrera grounds to Hu at second

0 Runs 2 Hits 2 LOB End of 7 1/2 8-2 Dodgers

I had to laugh, when it was said that Pierre wouldn't steal to give Furcal a chance to go for the cycle.

I don't think a cycle would count in ST but we'll take it after 36 years right?

Bottom 8: Dodgers Batting: Bobby Jenks Pitching:
Abreu grounds to third

Pierre grounds to second

Furcal lines to left

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 8 8-2 Dodgers

I think that IS Monday in there with Langer. Am I right Alex?

Let's Go Joe

Hu to Furcal to Loney DP How does that sound?.

Top 9: White Sox Batting: Joe Beimel Pitching:
Swisher singles to left

Konerko 4-6-3 Double Play

Dye pops to Loney

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB

White Sox

2 8 1

Dodgers

8 10 1

WP: Brad Penny

LP: Mike MacDougal

Time of Game: 2:17

Tomorrow is Randy Johnson vs. Chan Ho Park at 1 p.m in the west. Brad Penny's spring ERA is a ridiculous 0.59. Oh and Ethier should start over Pierre.

yeah dnelson, I was class of 2002 at gvhs... as for dream lineup this year

furcal

martin

loney

jones

kent

kemp

ethier

LaRoche

Dodger may feel more at home in their own territory in the U.S.

Holy Cow!! Nice game. I had to step out for a couple hours but am very happy upon returning to see the result. Thanks Alex, again it is great to be able to go back and see what transpired. I vote Ferk and Andre, 1,2. If Ferk doesn't lead off and Ethier doesn't start, someone needs their head examined.

Bombko pitching for KC tonight on MLBTV. Got to catch some of that. LOL

Trying to use some logic here...

Assuming that Abreu/DeWitt and Hu have to start for Nomore and Kent, there's no way that Torre can afford to start JP in left, lest you have one of the weakest line-ups imaginable.

I also don't think Torre can honestly sit there after watching today and not have both Either and Kemp over JP...

I personally prefer Either in the 2-hole behind Raffy, both for his discipline at the plate and being a lefthanded bat with some power. If Kent can't go, I slide Martin in his batting slot, with Hu going #8.

Still a formidable line-up with:

Raffy

Eithier

Kemp

Jones

Loney

Martin

Abreu/DeWitt

Hu

I still get a kick out of how Ned..

1. Nomar 20 million (could hardly make the field last year and DL ed already

2. JP-50 million and we cant give him away.

3. Jones-37 million apparenty to be a defensive upgrade over the 50 million dollar guy.

4. Schmidt 47 million. Playing for the Dodger like a true Giant. as many HR's as wins in odger career.

Thats 156 million. (but of course players in their primes who hit for power don't want to come out west. Give me a break. Money talks.)

And then he has the audacity to complain that we didn't win because we don't have players in their primes.

jungar - I guess we should be grateful Gonzo didn't take Ned up on that 2nd year, or we'd really have a mess on our hands.

I imagine the only consolation if the D's stumble and bumble to another 4th place finish is that the Nedster probably won't be back.

I would think for job security's sake that you'd put the best players out there you could field. Then if you fail, you went down with your best.

So let's say by some miracle Ned finds a taker for JP this season. What happens next year if Andruw tanks in '08? Now you've got an $18m albatross for another year.

I'm all for bringing in the right FA to plug a hole or to put you over the top, but somewhere along the line Ned needs to at least kick the tires before he buys. Obviously Conte tells everybody what they want to hear. Its like taking that used clunker in to the dealership's mechanic to have a look before you sign the papers - you might not be getting ALL the details.

So far with JP & Schmidt, we've gotten the crank shaft.

I'm not sure you can place the Andruw Jones contract in the same light with those other contracts. It's only two years for a guy who's still in the tail end of his peak years. 18 million per is a lot of money, but limiting the contract to two years minimized a lot of risk. I want to also add that, at the time, I was for the Schmidt signing as he was one of the best available pitchers and the contract was limited to 3 years. Though I'm definitely not counting on it, I still hopeful we can get some good innings out of the guy.

LOL guys. I am totally in agreement. I like the posts earlier about how the Gnat fans are laughing at Ned and the Dodgers for even considering starting Phew ahead of Andre. I,m sure the same is happening in San Diego, Arizona, and Colorado. The GM's for those teams must be very thankful that we seem to have lost our freaking minds.

Anyone thought of the idea that ned is a mole sent to us by the giants? Ya never know. I think Scmidt is still on the Gnats payroll.

Maybe Ned is a mole period - can't see what's in front of his face (or doesn't want to see.)

Oh yea JSpelk, we've definately thought about it. What is amazing is that McCourt brings in someone from the Gnats, and expects a winner. Geez! What does Ned do, brings in Bombko and Schidt. Then saves his old organization from signing Phew. I think he is more of a goony bird than a mole.

LOL Enchanted.

Today Matt hit a three-run homer. I'm glad it wasn't a day when he was riding the bench so Pierre could start.
I am trying to understand the logic that would keep a guy on the bench who can give you three runs with one SWAT, so you can start who has no power, the ability to steal an occasional base, and the lack of defensive skills which gives up almost as many bases as he steals.

rintinjim, do you know if there were any cameras around, I heard he really got a hold of it, I'll check ESPNEWS or my local outlets I guess...

Only camera phones.

That's the whole thing in a nutshell rintin - it defies all logic and baseball sense.

I pray to that big Dodger in the sky that we're all wrong about Ned and that he's really working to move Pierre along, and chuckles when he reads the blogs calling for his head.

If he straightens out the situation in the next couple of weeks maybe we'll all get a good chuckle out of it.

But we're not laughing right now Ned.

We're not laughing, but the other GM's, managers, fans, and players are.

Between Frank and Ned, it makes you wonder which one's Edgar Bergen and which one's Mortimer Snerd...

****

Dang it jhall, guess we're just on here for our own amusement... gettin kinda late back there isn't it?

Yep!! I hope Ned amuses us soon by unloading Phew.

Schidt, this is nothing. PierreEW and I stayed up all night watching the China games.

I only put the Jones one in there because its crazy to pay 37 million for a defensive upgrade. Meaning, if you even consider not going with the all around better OF of the three we all know.

Ethier hit better than Jones in 2007.

It's really going to be interesting if a majority of people at the games start to boo JP. That alone might make the guy want out of town.

At this point in time, I don't think there's much of anything JP can do to please the fans. Ned's set the poor guy up so that no matter what he does, every mistake is going to be magnified and scrutinized on the blogs and in the press, and every good deed dismissed. Unless the guy's superhuman, he's been set-up to fail.

Well, it'll be interesting to see what does develop in the next couple weeks and into April/May.

Good point Jungar.

Ned set the guy up to be rich. Ethier has exposed his incomplete and deficient game and Ned's shortsightedness.

I was sold on the Jones signing, but him coming in somewhat overweight and not currently swinging the bat well at this point makes him not much more than a defensive upgrade. If he puts up decent numbers he'll maybe earn some of his $18m, but if he does tank like some people think he might, there's another $36M down the drain.

but otherwise not nearly as foolish as the others. In general I feel that is exactly what Ned needed to do and for once did not seem kneejerk, but he's gotta go the final step. I feel Jones will rebound. I see 40/110

but then again..

1. Were not brave fans. Honestly. They don't seem all that torn up over there. The Braves in general have done things right. They have a culture there and stability there for years, they win. They basically said, we would rather build our line up around a guy Texira and not Jones is pretty clear. Jones, unlike Schmidt has been there for his whole career..so a little more riding on it. Jones will go in the Hall one day (I belive).

2. To be very fair My main criticism for Schmidt signing last year as I wrote here as it happened was common sense logic. Nothing else. No stats I throw out all the time etc. I said, why on earth would the Giants let there Ace go? A guy by all accounts a good guy and a tough competitor?

Unfortunately, JP's not much if any different than he's ever been as a ballplayer. Even Moleman should've been able to see those deficiencies and understood that when you need a power hitter you don't go out and get a guy who can't hit ANY nor field his position adequately.

Don't get me wrong, JP's maybe #5 on the outfield depth chart in my book, but we do have to assign the responsibility where it lies, and that's with Ned.

I still think JP's just one of the symptoms, not the disease itself.

Deep Down what bugs me is that it seems like Coletti has been forced into this youth movement, that he is the wrong GM in terms of what he likes for this particular collection of talent. We swim upstream almost versus our own GM.

I want the guy, like Epstein, (who if you read how smart that guy is you really have to give it up) who makes solid moves for three years ahead. Not someone who feels compeled to trade Wilson Betimit (no matter what you think of him as a starter, as a role player he was very useful)for a middle reliver (when we had guys more than likely who can pick up that type slack, but of course they are not proven to be medicore) when your org chart has a brittle nomar and sadly a brittle laroche and an unseason Dewitt..it's things like that. end of rant. i'll shut up now.

sorry, right. Enchanted..

No one can tell me that if given the opportunity (and I will admit, he has not been able to stay on the field) from what I (just little old me) saw, previous to 2007 in thier careers, that Repko couldn't have manned CF (for 500k) if you couldn't get a good one. I agree they needed one if possible, but not a bad one. So you chill, let you your guy develop, don't put an anchor around us on a "complimentery player"

this whole thing is tough on Joe and I can only read that as positive, it's tough cause it's playing the better player versus playing baseball ettiqutte and politics.

When you have a chance to do something to cure the disease, you generally will do it. I agree, the main problem is Ned and his unwillingness to eradicate the problem his shortsightness/incompetence created.

http://tinyurl.com/2osvag

Jason Schmidt ... still is not throwing off a mound and is not expected to be pitching until May or June, according to manager Joe Torre.

Now it's June

--

Honeycutt better watch out, Schmidt may be "pitching Coach" soon LOL

I'm definately pulling for Andruw to have a great year. I'm thinking more 28/105, but even 25/90 would be a vast improvement from last year. And your right, this move doesn't appear kneejerk. But it only works if he's a replacement for JP and not E. or Kemp.

I think when anything comes to the Giants, Ned has a win at any cost attitude. Hence we ended up with Bombko, Schmidt, and Pierre. Maybe he's trying to show them up, maybe he's trying to show them he should've been their GM. I don't know, but there's something going on there.

Torre said he started Ethier because he wanted to see him bat against the left-handed Mark Buehrle, and he liked what he saw.

"In the first inning, he fought the ball off [for a soft single], the sign of a good hitter," said Torre. "He gets the most out of every at-bat."

Kemp stranded two runners in the first inning and pulled a pitch into a double-play grounder in the sixth, but launched his third homer of the spring off Octavio Dotel in the seventh.

"Matt's still learning," Torre said. "I thought the ball he hit was a sacrifice fly, but it didn't come down. He gives at-bats away sometimes trying to pull, but he saw on the double play to stay in the middle of the field."

Through Thursday's game, Pierre is batting .200, Kemp .304 and Ethier .352.

Jungar, you hit the nail squarely on the head. Why would you spend $45M and give 5 years to an admitted, complimentary player. They are $1-2M a dozen.

exactly jungar. everything ned seems to do is reactionary versus thinking three steps ahead of the game. I wouldn't say theo is perfect after signing drew and lugh (ick) but no doubt he WILL see them as a sunk cost if they become ones and move on. i have theorized that ned likes to be able to take credit for all of his moves when they work out, and blame someone else when they don't. hence wanting sign evey FA out there instead of using the kids. when ned was first hired people in the know said "wrong guy, wrong time" for this organization. they were right. we should have started to rebuild after 05. end of story. nothing could have been worse than 05, and management should have build around the up and comers and stop the cycle of signing veteran garbage under the guise of being competitive. Then maybe the kids would have the "experience" by now that everyone find to be so important. Oh and if you're going to bring in veterans, make sure they are the kind that actually WANT to mentor young guys.

Really, if you wanted a speedster that can't hit for any power nor play defense, why not get Nook Logan for $500K?

Oops, we did.

Well said JSpelk. Ned is just a freaking spin doctor. And not a terribly good one at that. He is not a baseball mind or GM.

I just think Ned thinks Veterans who have been there know what it take to win.

I am 37.

I feel it's 100 the opposite.

No matter what, Kent goes home to Motorcycle dealerships and a wife a boys and so much CASH it's sick. Same with Nomar. I am not questioning their desire, they want to win as bad as Loney. But look, both those guys are out on the sidelines and as much as they have the talent and desire..their bodies and minds are conditioned differently.

Young guys rule. They will bond more, play hard for each other and do whatever it takes to make names for themselves.

Maybe it hits home for me right now for having a new baby, but I am so much more at peace right now with just being a good dad, nothing more nothing less that really everything in my life has taken a backseat. Im very at peace and content, and it's strange feeling 26 but being 36 and moving into those years. You younger guys, you will see..and you older guys probably can share similar experiences..It's gotta be like that to some degree for those guys.. It's nothing new to baseball, it's life. Why fight it. If you have the talent (we do) go for it. They may be wild horse but will take you further and for longer. As GM it's your responsibility to get them there, I just feel he is aprehensive and it sends the wrong message.

Watch The Dodgers try to put lipstick on JP so they can peddle him in the flesh market. They will give him some starts, giving him some credibility, and claim without a red face or a long nose, that he is a valuable asset.
The truth is he will be a good fit somewhere else. Look, Brady Clark found starting position with the Mets.

Good luck Juan.

I think a big part of the problem was a very successful 2006. That team really overachieved, and both Ned and Frank started believing their own rhetoric about winning now.

Both thought it would carry over into 2007, and when Drew bolted, Ned saw 2007 slipping away before it started. After that was a series of dreadful signings and resignings.

Ned's probably just another of the symptoms. Frank doesn't seem to have any clear cut vision or game plan to whom he hires as GM. Hence you get a DePo one time and a Ned another.

Amen Jungar.

RinTin, it is going to take a lot of lipstick to doll up this pig.

Oink Oink suey pig pig pig

WHACK!!!

lol jhall

Mary Kay couldn't make this one look good.

By the way, congratulations Jungar.

Carnitas!!!

Jungar. I share most of your opinions on Colletti. As you know, I've been one of his biggest criticizers. The guy isn't the brightest GM out there, but in terms of bringing the kids along to allow them to succeed, he has a pretty good track record. While he does it at a ridiculously slow pace, our top prospects have performed well thus far in the majors. Martin, Bills, Brox, Kemp, Loney. We've been able to successfully keep and graduate these guys to the majors. He hasn't imploded the youth movement (whether he's wanted to our not is another story), and he hasn't cuffed us to any longterm albatross contracts. He gives away prospects like Sergio Pedroza, Joel Guzman, Edwin Jackson, Chuck Tiffany, Wilson Betimit... seemingly all for middle relievers like Proctor. This angers me as much, or more, as anyone else. But thankfully none of these guys has amounted to much yet, and we still have most of our top talent in the minors. Hu, LaRoche, Kershaw, Elbert, McDonald are on their way up as well.

We had a guy like Epstein in DePodesta. Not as good with the media, but as smart, if not smarter than Epstein. Now he's working against us in SD. Its hard to look at any of DePo's moves and say "that move hurt us." Most of his moves worked, some may not have helped us a whole lot, but not many of his moves hurt us.

Thaanks guys..

Yeah totally dodgerdude...You have good points (u all do)I guess he really just needs to stay out of the way at this point..and JP is that albatross if they let it..

In my opinion, this offseason Colletti did everything within reason to improve the club other than trade away Pierre. Kuroda and Jones will improve the team. Pierre needs to sit.

Good post DodgerDude. I do see Phew's contract as an albatross however. And it is getting in the way(imploding the youth movement). Same with resigning Nomar and Kent. Luckily, those two contracts, though, ill advised, were short term and not albatrosses'. Schidt signing was just total idiocy. Everyone with an inkling of baseball saavy knew he was toast.

Gotta wonder why they keep Conte around and still trust his judgement.

gulp, from my fantasy update...

Mar 20 OF Andre Ethier continues to make a strong bid for a place in the starting lineup rather than sharing time with Matt Kemp, who is expected to be the Dodgers' primary right fielder and is having a strong spring himself. Ethier is hitting .340 with a team-high five home runs and 13 RBIs. Three of his homers have gone to the opposite field or straightaway center, something hitting coach Mike Easler says Ethier has to do to be productive.

Speaking of Fantasy Baseball:

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Thanks DodgerDude.

Geez, Ethier didn't just knock on the door to the starting lineup, he kicked it in.

Im in. I'll go sign up now.

im in lets do this!!!!

On the Dodgers website, Joe Torre said that whatever outfield decision that he makes would be unpopular... umm, where have you been Joe, every single Dodger that is certifiably insane wants Pierre to sit his butt on the pine. You're a smart guy Joe, how about making the right decision and sitting down the 44 million dollar left field with an oversized uniform and play Andre!

Dear Joe,

Please see this blog for the popular outfield decision. What was the final tally of the outfield vote the other day? Wasn't it about 44 for Jones-Kemp-Ethier, 1 for a platoon, and none who wanted Pierre in the starting lineup?

Doesn't matter what's popular though. START THE BEST THREE OUTFIELDERS, JOE!!!

And it's very obvious to all who those three are.

Andrew Jones is a big improvement for the lack of power that we had last season. But the player that is has really being improving in the offseason is Matt Kemp.
I think he is going to have a big year this year. He has the potential to lead the clubl this year in home runs. It is just going to **** when Kemp and Either share playing time. It will take away playing time from Kemp. When Either really belongs in left.

"Torre: If it's a close call, you've got to give the benefit of the doubt to experience."

I seem to remember the Phillies letting a kid play and play and play at third base despite the fans trying to boo him off the field, and now Mike Schmidt and his 500+ HRs and umpteen Gold Gloves is in the Hall of Fame.

LET THE KIDS PLAY! IT'S THE ONLY WAY THEY'LL IMPROVE!

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Posted by: dodgerdude17@yahoo.com | March 21, 2008 12:04 AM

Nice article on Dodger minor league prospects. Things are looking good on the farm; thank God for Logan White and company.

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080320&content_id=372005&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

The closeness of the current dodgers.com poll is ridiculous. This should be a no-brainer. (And if JP must play, do the LaRussa/Yost and bat him 9th.)

old_fogey,

No way that poll is real. How could it be that close without manipulating the results? Frickin' joke.

They manipulated the results already, they listed really the only 2 guys that could by old school standards.

I know if Furcal god forbid got hurt, then sign me up for Martin or Kemp in leadoff over Pierre.

Think we have to remember on that poll that most fans responding are probably casual and only know what they know from reading the likes of Jackson and Plaschke, hence, its quite skewed.

manipulated or not, still scary.

its bs,no way over 1000 people actually voted for him, he doesnt even come close to the Ferk

Thanks old fogey for the article....Good read!

Quote from Joe Torre:
"I wish there was an easy way to make the decision. A manager might have loyalty to a player, but loyalty to the team takes precedence. If there's a decision that makes the team better, then being loyal to one guy is not fair".

This is encouraging. Alot of the things he has been saying suggest that he has not decided but will make the best choice for the team. Seems at times like he is setting the table to give Phew the bad news. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Jhall, that's exactly how I interpreted that quote as well:

"If it's a close call, you've got to give the benefit of the doubt to experience. But if you feel certain that a decision makes the club better, that's the decision to make. I really haven't come to terms with it. Pierre has a track record. Andruw Jones has a track record. The other two kids, [Ethier and Matt Kemp], have ability. I wish there was an easy way to make the decision. A manager might have loyalty to a player, but loyalty to the team takes precedence. If there's a decision that makes the team better, then being loyal to one guy is not fair."

He sets it up that if Ethier and Pierre were equal he'd lean towards Pierre. But leaves open the fact that Ethier could make the team better, which means that's the decision he should make. I personally said it would take until June. But, Ethier is showing the new crew what most people already knew and lets just hope they stay healthy.

It sounds like he's dreading to tell Pierre he's going to be pinch runner specialist. Pierre will complain and demand a trade - guaranteed.

Yea guys, I get the feeling that Joe knows what he has to do and he is interjecting statements like the above to kind of start softening the blow. That and he is dreading the talk with Phew. It's kind of like by saying these things now, Phew kind of knows it is coming so when he gets the news he will have already prepared himself somewhat for it. Hope Ned can find a place where he is a better fit. I wish him no ill will on a personal level. However, on a professional level, I detest his presence on this team and the negative ripple effect it has.

If Pierre is traded sometime during the season, to me it is essential we talk to Furcal about an extension and the sooner the better. We technically have two lead off men as of right now, we could not have any if Furcal walks and we trade Pierre. Just something to keep in mind.

yep. trade him Coletti. Spare Joe. Trade him for a back up 3b.

If I was Phew reading and hearing the comments and statements that Joe has been making this past week, I would be thinking that the other shoe is about to fall and I'm going to be sitting.

"That's going to be my toughest stuff I have to deal with, the outfield," said Torre, who said he spoke to all four players early Thursday, then called Pierre into his office for a short postgame chat.

I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall in that office.

Yep, he's preparing Phew for the bad news. Good news for us however. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the individual.

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**** of an ending to the western kentucky vs. drake game.

3bomb, from way behind the arch

Obviously, Raffy heard what I wrote about him not liking the other middle infielders, since he had 5 triples and no doubles. He hit one and decided to stop at second for a chat. :)

Ho Hum. another 4-5 day for Raffy. He makes this seem routine.

Eric, I thought the same thing. Torre: All starting outfielders step forward! Hold it Pierre.

Rintin: LOL!

TODAY'S LINE-UP

Pierre, LF

Furcal, SS

Kemp, RF

Loney, 1B

Jones, A, CF

Hu, 2B

Abreu, 3B

Bennett, C

Park, P

It's garbage that Ethier isn't playing.

Let's just hope that Slappy McGroundout goes 0 for 4.

What time does the game start?

It's just Torre pretending to give Pierre an equal chance at this point. What could he possibly do to out do Ethier at this point?

Game starts at 1 p.m. PT (22 minutes from now)

Anyone else notice Torre is batting Kemp and Loney 3rd and 4th? There's no use in complaining about spring training lineups, but we can get ours reps in about Ethier over Pierre!

Thanks momo

Andre has nothing left to prove. This is good, Joe can get a good look at Phew and see how inept he is.

Give him enough rope and he will hang himself.

Think Torre needs to see some of those rainbows in from left for himself, though if I'm the D'Backs, I specifically tell my guys NOT to run on him.

I have no fear that Slappy will do very little with the bat. He's only got a .167 against Johnson lifetime.

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks Play by Play Coming Up!

Chan Ho Park vs. Randy Johnson

Pierre, Furcal, Kemp, Loney, Jones, Hu, Abreu, Bennett, Park

Burke, Hudson, Byrnes, Jackson, Drew, Upton, Snyder, Ojeda, Johnson

All players have something to prove all of the time.

If you are in my lineup, I expect your best, every day. What you did yesterday is good for gloating yesterday. Effort, running out grounders and dropped Ks is expected every at-bat. Hitting results, in the form of avg, OBP, slg, runs, RBIs are monitored, spliced, and diced continuously. Defense and pitching is similarly scrutinized. Splits, results against RHP and LHP, are analyzed and players will be used to the best advantage of the team.

No one is exempt. If you object to making millions to play a game in which you are scrutinized: maybe another team will pick you up, goodbye.

If I were the Dback's I'd be going for two on pierre all day, only to slow up and get gunned down by his cannon.

Let him dhowcase his mad outfield assist stats and impress Torre on his way to the starting job.

Then run on Phew all year long and win the west...

Phew, soft pop-up to shallow left. Surprise.

Top 1: Dodgers Batting: Randy Johnson Pitching:
Juan Pierre pops to left after about 8 pitches

Rafael Furcal walks on 5 pitches

Matt Kemp strikes out swinging on that patented slider, (Johnson started Kemp on two sliders on the outside corner for strikes, Kemp worked two balls before going down)

James Loney broken bat grounds to short

0 Runs 0 Hits 1 LOB End of 1/2 inning No Score

as long as Pierre keeps stinking it up we are home free!

Bottom 1: D'Backs Batting: Chan Ho Park:
Chris Burke pops to Pierre in left

Orlando Hudson strikes out swinging

Eric Byrnes check swing grounds to Park

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 1 No Score

Loaiza isn't going to be happy in the pen after a good spring. But Chan Ho is just unbelievable right now.

Top 2: Dodgers Batting: Johnson Pitching:
Andruw Jones pops to first

Chin-Lung Hu grounds to second

Tony Abreu strikes out looking

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 1 1/2 No Score

Momoracci, I know you mean well but if Park stinks it up in this next inning I'm blaming you, lol.

I sure hope that Joe bats Furcal leadoff and I am not fond of the idea of platooning out either your leadoff guy or 2 hole guy(regardless of who they are). Chemistry between the two top guys is important.

Hey DeadHorsemen,

Pierre is upset about not starting yesterday's game. From Ken Gurnick,

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Juan Pierre was back in the starting lineup in left field on Friday, one day after coming off the bench as a pinch-hitter, then meeting with manager Joe Torre after the game.

Torre, who has acknowledged that the Dodgers outfield jam presents his most difficult decision of the Spring, said he met with Pierre on Thursday night after sensing that the veteran "was not happy about not starting."

"It's one thing about not playing. It's another thing about not playing and pinch-hitting," said Torre. "I asked him to be patient with me. When we got Andruw, nobody talked to him. I wanted to go out of my way to let him know what my thinking was."

Pierre earlier expressed disappointment at not being told that the free-agent acquisition of Andruw Jones not only meant he would be moving to left field after playing center field most of his Major League career, but also that he was in a competition with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier for the final two outfield starting spots.

Pierre signed a five-year free-agent contract before the 2006 Winter Meetings to play center field and has the longest current consecutive games played streak in the Major Leagues at 434.

"I don't expect him to be happy about it," said Torre. "He just wants to know my thinking. I told him when I know, I would let him know before somebody else does."

Entering Friday's game with the Diamondbacks, Pierre was batting .200, Kemp .304 with three homers and Ethier .352 with five homers. Kemp started in right field and Ethier was on the bench.

Slabby McDribble's gotta go

"pierre upset about possible role with dodgers" hmmmmm sounds like a great guy. see ya pierre!

Bottom 2: D'Backs Batting: Park Pitching:
Conor Jackson singles to right

Stephen Drew lines to Loney and doubles off Jackson at first

Justin Upton bloops a single to right

Chris Snyder forces Upton (5-4)

0 Runs 2 Hits 1 LOB End of 2 No Score

Great, another stupid whiner like Gonzo. Man, I just hate this!!!

Phew is going to raise a stink. LOL

Hey dumba**, get your OBP over .360 and you won't have to worry about it. The ball is in your court stupid.

Woe is me, I got 800 on my SAT and I didn't get into Harvard. Waugh. It's not fair.

Slappy picked off!! LOL, Bowa's going to open a can of woop *** on him.

Top 3: Dodgers Batting: Johnson Pitching:
Gary Bennett flies out

Chan Ho Park doubles down the left field line on an 0-2 pitch

Pierre singles up the middle on a 1-2 pitch, Park scores, 1-0 Dodgers

Pierre picked off (1-3-6)

Furcal singles to right center

Kemp strikes out looking

1 Run 3 Hits 1 LOB End of 2 1/2 1-0 Dodgers

YES! Pierre got picked-off. (Sorry, I care about the Dodgers long-term, so I must root against him).

Park cruising along nicely. From watching his China start, he looks positively nasty again.

When we got Andruw, nobody talked to him.

And so Does Ned.

How does anyone not talk to him. I swear, Ned was suppossed to be this great communicator that depo wasn't and no wonder there are clubhouse issues..just go Ned. Pierre should be upset, that dosen't mean I want him playing, I am just sayin..

is it wrong to agree with you momo D: cause i felt the same way, some butterflies.... almost lol

Sheesh! Remind me not to go to war with you guys. I sure wouldn't want to be out in front if you had weapons.

Ned assumes Joe will cleanup his mess. Just like he did with Grady last year. Only Grady just went along with Ned's regime. We'll see if Joe does.

Bottom 3: D'Backs Batting: Park Pitching:
Augie Ojeda fouls to Pierre in left

Randy Johnson strikes out looking on a breaking ball

Burke walks

Hudson popped to Loney

0 Runs 0 Hits 1 LOB End of 3 1-0 Dodgers

how many earned runs has parked allowed over this ST?

Hot Dam'n.

Zero. Nada. Zilch.

Jones unloads.

BOOMSHAKALAKA

"Slow Bat" and all.

I'm glad myopic Pierre only cares about his crappy self. Get lost loser!

Top 4: Dodgers Batting: Johnson Pitching:
Loney reaches on a fielding error by Byrnes created by the sun, Loney hustles all the way and makes it to second (love that hustle!)

Jones HOMERS TO LEFT just inside the foul pole, Loney scores, 3-0 Dodgers

Hu walks on four pitches

Abreu grounds to third, Hu to second

Hu caught stealing third

Bennett singles to center

Pitching Change...inning will continue)

I keep reading that the Dodgers have 2 lead off hitters? I can only see 1 Furcal, the other guy is a joke who hardly gets on base.

Trigger can't possibly think he's better than Kemp and Ethier. Nice 'team" guy also - kinda like Gonzo.

Ned's mess just keeps getting bigger and bigger...

You know, it wasn't personal with Pierre, but I think it's going to start getting personal just like with Gonzo.

Pierr: You are full of **** to be upset about not starting. So, Colletti promising you playing time is more important than the team playing it's best players? F you!

The 2006-07 offseason has to go down as the WORST IN DODGER HISTORY.

Ned is stuck in quicksand with Phew. The more he fights it to save face, the worse it will get.

"Trigger". That's rich Enchanted, lol

Top 4: Dodgers Batting: Johnson Pitching:
Loney reaches on a fielding error by Byrnes created by the sun, Loney hustles all the way and makes it to second (love that hustle!)

Jones HOMERS TO LEFT just inside the foul pole, Loney scores, 3-0 Dodgers

Hu walks on four pitches

Abreu grounds to third, Hu to second

Hu caught stealing third

Bennett singles to center

(Brandon Medders relieves Johnson)

Park forces Bennett

2 Runs 2 Hits 1 LOB End of 3 1/2 3-0 Dodgers

WHERE IS ETHIER??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I am so mad I want to throw my screen straight out the window. I HATE HATE HATE HATE PIERRE.

Sorry guys, I've just about had it with selfish players, and yes, you can show up to the park early and work hard and still be selfish.

after what i read on his little temper-tantrum about sitting, pierre does not belong on this team not even as a courtesy runner

Geez! Torre hadn't even made his decision yet and Pierre is whining about a pre-season lineup?

We sure find out fast how nice these allegedly "nice guys" are when their playing time starts to come into question.

Pierre is French for "jerk".

If a player you liked had that same attitude, you would admire him for having a "competitive" spirit.

Unselfish people don't talk about throwing their screen out the window at a minor ST frustration.

HATE PIERRE? What has he done to you except to want to play. I agree that Ethier is better last year and this ST, but what does that have to do with a player's aspirations and desires?

Shep, Pierre should be on his knees thanking God that he's been able to fool this league for 7 years running and make millions of dollars. So, the jog is finally up, deal with it with class.

Ned should be the one to blame. Pierre is who he is. A one dimensional player that had his left arm transplanted with a hot dog. I hate pierre's game, you hate Pierre's game. We all hate Pierre's game. But, Ned, in all his baseball wisdom made the shrewd decision to give Trigger 44 million for 5 years. What a freaking joke! Ned, swallow your pride and give him his unconditional release.

*jig* - sorry

What has Pierre done to me? TRY TAKE PLAYING TIME AWAY FROM BETTER PLAYERS AND CREATE AN UNGODLY AMOUNT OF OUTS.

Scott, I agree.

However, he has to moderate his public statements, not his competitive desires.

"shepherd96" = french for "Pierre's Momma".

Momo, and?

People in this world are dying of starvation and you choose to get worked up about a player who shoots his mouth instead of saying, "I just want to help this team."

The way the system is Pierre gets paid $9 million to do what he does. He didn't create the system, he is just profitting from it legally.

shep,

Right, nothing wrong with WANTING to play, every player should, but he needs to be a little realistic. Ethier is no minor league scrub, but a major leaguer with an above average first 2 seasons under his belt.

I don't know. All Pierre has going for him is people respecting his work ethic and "good guy" status. I think he's on thin ice with the fans now, who previously only blamed Ned.

Thunderbird, I'm sure your Momma is so proud of you!

Let's keep it civil. So much for a scoreless spring for Ho.

Dont get me wrong, i think pierre's work ethic is great, all players should have his desire to play the game. But for someone who is not willing to do whats best for the team, should not be on the team im sorry, and dont get me wrong i was a Jeff Kent Fan until the arguements on our youth movement, im still a fan, but when players do that to their own team it crosses a line that shouldnt be crossed.

Bottom 4: D'Backs Batting: Park Pitching:
Byrnes pops to Furcal

Jackson walks

Drew walks on a full count after a lengthy battle

Upton on a full count strikes out swinging, Jackson and Drew steal third and second, but unintentional interference is called on Upton, Jackson and Drew are returned to second and first

Snyder homers to left, Jackson and Drew score, 3-3 Tie (You could tell Park didn't have the same stuff this inning, he's worked hard this inning and left a meatball over the plate for the HR)

Ojeda flies to Pierre in left

3 Runs 1 Hits 0 LOB End of 4 3-3 Tie

Shepard, I agree with you that Pierre didn't create this monster Ned did. And I think some people on here are just venting about the possibility of dealing with the albatross for 4 more years. And you are also right if it was the star player getting mad over playing time he would be called a "gamer". But I digress, Pierre needs to go for the health of the team and the health of this blog!!! :-)

Right On Alamo.

lol, shep, I'm kidding. btw, my momma is very proud of me.

Scott, you are right, but it is his mouth that is wrong this time, not his desire and effort.

Let's see if it continues. If so, fire away! Otherwise, we are creating a circular firing squad.

no hard feelings guys, just want what's best for our Dodgers!

Scott, That is why we are all fired up over the Pierre issue....We just want whats best for the team.

I am not surprised that Phew actually is more concerned with hiself than the good of the team. He is probably just coming to grips with the fact that Andre is a better player and better option for the starting left field job and Ferk is a better lead off batter. It is called denial. First stage. Next will be anger. When he is benched, he will get mad and ask to be traded. Good. Then he can do bargaining followed by depression and finally he will have to accept it.

It is obvious that Pierre is going to be a problem if he doesn't get to play regularly. It will cost the Dodgers dearly as a distraction and disruption to team chemistry. Ned NEEDS TO ACT NOW and correct his mistake!! TRADE OR RELEASE Pierre for the good of the team. Why put Torre is such an awkward position or try to hide behind him. Anyone with any baseball sense knows that Ethier and Kemp must play everyday. Why is it taking so long to make that happen???

We are all agreed that JP needs to be traded or sold. Antagonizing him will not help that effort.

Top 5: Dodgers Batting: Brandon Medders Pitching:
Pierre bunts out to third

Furcal grounds to second

Kemp singles up the middle

Kemp steals second uncontested, Snyder dropped the ball

Loney flies to center

0 Runs 1 Hit 1 LOB End of 4 1/2 3-3 Tie

It was the walks that sunk Park. The HR just provided the means.

Thanks Alex!

Well, let's see what happens next.

Russ Langer & Rick Monday talking about Reiser, who could have had a great career if he didn't have a habit of running into walls. What present Dodger does the injury prome Reiser remind you of?

repko

Wrecko!!

repko

I just came in and I see Park ran out of scoreless innings. He is only human and we didn't expect him to be purfect.

Repko, give Scott a cigar.

Park's ERA is now 1.69

What is Loiza's era this spring?

Bottom 5: D'Backs Batting: Hong-Chih Kuo Pitching: Martinez in for Loney at first on the double switch:
Jesus Merchan pinch hitting for Medders walks

Burke 6-3 Double Play

Hudson flies to center

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 5 3-3 Tie

How come Dodger announcers have such a pleasant way to show their favoritism?

We might be seeing the fall of Pierre. Somehow it seems like the beginning.

Loaiza's ERA is 3.00 in 12.0 IP.

Park's ERA is 1.69 in 16.0 IP.

I see what happened Chris Snider hit a 3-run HR. Thanks Alex.

HU knock in that run***?

What's this talk of Ethier or Juanpy playing 3rd? It's a joke, Right? They are both left-handed fielders. I can't remember a lefty 3rd baseman.

San Diego is leading in OT v. UCONN...

Yes, it was a misunderstanding. They can't even platoon, because they bat Left.

I remember some long running games, when we were ran out of infielders and some south paws went over there, but nobody regular.

Thank you Shepard for the info.

Ramon gets his occasional hit.5-3 Dodgers. Torre said that Ramon is what he is.

ah, nothing like Juan for 4.

Juan for Four. LOL Scott. Phew, what is that smell?

The limburger.

Raffy does it again!

I don't know how the majority feels but I hope Furcal re-signeds 6-3. Kemp looks like he's really going to be something. Nice 2-run RBI **8-3

Top 6: Dodgers Batting: Dustin Nippert Pitching:
Andruw Jones singles to the opposite field in right

Jones steals second

Hu singles up the middle, Jones scores, 4-3 Dodgers (very impressive at bat, he tried early to go the other way and fouled some off and then singled up the middle)

Abreu flies to center

Bennett singles to right, Hu to second

Ramon Martinez singles to right, Hu scores, Bennett to second, 5-3 Dodgers

Pierre grounds to first, Bennett to third, Martinez to second

Furcal on a full count reaches on an infield single to the right of second, Bennett scores, Martinez to third, 6-3 Dodgers

Kemp doubles off the wall in right center, Martinez and Furcal score, 8-3 Dodgers

Hong Chih Kuo (or Mr. Batflip)

strikes out swinging

5 Runs 6 Hits 1 LOB End of 5 1/2 8-3 Dodgers

Kemp: 17 RBI in fewer than 60 AB!

Furcal: 12 RBI in Fewer than 60 AB!

These guys are having a great ST. Anyone who talks about platooning Kemp after this ST needs to get real.

"Mr. Batflip" That's hillarious. Remember the post game interview with the Met's coach. He had steam coming out of his ears! lol

Hey Shep, could you give us Canon's stats?

I missed the early part of this game and I've been going over it and I see Juanpy knock in a run and Jones had a two run HR. ALEX I just want to say that you are doing a wonderful job. I don't know how you do it. GREAT JOB

Hey, I was at the infamous bat flip game last year. Back-to-back-to-back jacks!

Kemp's HR in that game was into the Loge level inside the foul pole.

I wasn't at the game that Kuo flip his bat, but I saw it on T.V. One of the few Dodger games I didn't attend at Shea.

I thought the "new and improved 2008 Dodgers" were going to keep their dirty laundry behind closed doors, out of the media's prying eyes and ears. I hope Bowa takes a bite out of Pierre. As for the #5 spot....I just have NEVER liked Chan Ho's demeanor between the lines when things get sticky. Maybe he's changed, but I've never considered him a gamer.

Wait a minute, I think that game was in LA.

hey pierres,

I was at Dodger Stadium...lol.

Man, with Park and Loaiza fighting over the 5th spot and Schmidt out until who knows when, it is sure is a great time to be Clayton Kershaw.....

Bottom 6: D'Backs Batting: Kuo Pitching:
Eric Byrnes flies to Kemp in right

Jackson doubles down the left field line

Drew on a full count flies to Jones in left center

Upton on a full count walks

(Pitching Change...inning continues)

They need to put Ethier in for Pierre for defensive purposes and keep him from lucking up with a blooper and going 2-5 and getting a meaningless SB or two in an 8-3 game.

If Kuo did that bat flip in Shea he'd have the biggest set of you know whats and he'd be my hero for life. The fact he hit a home run was enough for me, the fact he did the bat flip was amazing and the fact it was the third in the series of a back to back to back and the fact I was there to see it. Incredible moment and he will always be Mr. Batflip to me.

Ned created the situation with Pierre by trading for Jones, not speaking to Pierre about what was happening, and then giving him the impression that LF was his. Pierre has a right to be annoyed by the way Ned handled it. Now Torre is supposed to make the decision and perhaps be the bad guy. Ned needs to correct his mistakes and MOVE PIERRE NOW. He goes off half-cocked by giving Pierre a 5-year contract in the first place, then mishandles the Jones signing, and now does nothing to remedy the matter. If he can't handle the GM job, then he needs to be replaced by someone who can.

Yeah if you look up Scott I corrected myself, I forgot that game was in LA.

Bottom 6: D'Backs Batting: Kuo Pitching:
Eric Byrnes flies to Kemp in right

Jackson doubles down the left field line

Drew on a full count flies to Jones in left center

Upton on a full count walks

(Mike Koplove relieves Kuo)

Snyder homers off Koplove to deep center, Jackson and Upton score, 8-6 Dodgers (Snyder has all 6 RBI's for the Snakes)

Ojeda lines to Pierre in left center

3 Runs 2 Hits 0 LOB End of 6 8-6 Dodgers

I wonder why he didn't leave KUO in there?

Maybe if we click or heels three times while saying "Slappy", he'll go away.

Or maybe Dorothy's house will land on him.

Or Repko.

Is Chris Snyder trying to be a Dodger Killer with that 3-Run HR making it 8-6.?

2 HRS for Synder. My fantasy catcher (yeah I realize its a sleeper pick) is doing well.

Snyder is playing like an ex-Dodger.

LOL Enchanted.

Got to run, catch you all tonight for some late night horse kicking.

Kuo must have reached his pitch quota.I mean this is ST.

You mean Snyder is playing like Snider?

Did you hear about in 1985 the Red Sox wanted to trade Boggs for Hershiser.

There's no place like the bench
There's no place like the bench

There's no place like the bench

Ned needs to float in on his bubble and fix things.

Top 7: Dodgers Batting: Jailen Peguero Pitching:
Jones doubles down the left field line

Hu pops the sac bunt up to the catcher

Abreu strikes out swinging

Bennett walks

Mark Sweeney pinch hitting for Martinez walks on four pitches, bases loaded

Pierre grounds to second (The writing is really on the wall, isn't it?)

0 Runs 1 Hit 3 LOB End of 6 1/2 8-6 Dodgers

BYE BYE Slappy

I've been giving JP too much credit likening him to Trigger. Trigger was a stallion. He's more like Dale's horse Buttermilk - an old nag.

I think, AT LEAST IN ST, Torre's going to play merry-go-round, with Ethier, Juanpy & Kemp. I guess it's to see who falls off first. This is better than waiting for Juanpy to play himself out. This would be, I don't think, too good to do during the RS.

na na na na

na na na na

hey hey hey good-bye!

We're a week away. Pierre has fallen off.

I meant to say I wouldn't like to see them being rotated during the RS.

Sad thing is, in a market where no one wants his services anyway, he's managed to LOWER his trade value this spring.

Think Ned's got a new "special assistant."

WE know He's fallen off But we have wait for Torre to come to HIS decision.

enchanted,

We don't need another front office person valuing speed and hard work over everything else.

PierreEMW, about an hour ago you asked about left-handed third basemen. A Google search found this site:http://www.netshrine.com/vbulletin2/archive/index.php/t-10502.html

It's a blog site from 5 years ago and someone came up with a long list, mostly with only 1 or 2 games at third. But there was a guy by the name of Hick Carpenter who played for the old Cincinnati Red Stockings in the 1890s who played 1059 games at 3rd in 12 years.

Among others on the list that I recognize are Willie Keeler (44 games), Don Mattingly (3 games), George Sisler (2) and Hal Chase (1).

pierres,

Joe knows who he HAS to play for the betterment of the team.

you've got a point there scott.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Let's hope you're wrong, Scott.

We throw another run away 8-7.

How 'bout some cheese to go with that Buttermilk whine?

Maybe Ethier should pout his way back into the line-up tomorrow.

I'm sure right now the D's are becomming the laughing stock of the league.

Bottom 7: D'Backs Batting: Scott Proctor Pitching: Sweeney at first, DeWitt at third
Merchan flies to Kemp in deep right center

Burke doubles down the left field line

Burke steals third, the throw goes off the glove of DeWitt into left field, Burke scores, 8-7 Dodgers

Robby Hammock on a full count strikes out swinging

Jeff Salazar strikes out swinging

1 Run 1 Hit 0 LOB End of 7 8-7 Dodgers

If he does anything just for the betterment of management we go NOWHERE. I think he knows better. I'm hoping.

Matt Kemp is tearing it up.
Everything he is hitting is to the opposite. field

To be PERFECTLY FAIR, there isn't a single Juan Pierre quote in that Gurnick article; it is all Torre quotes. According to Gurnick, it is Torre that says he "sensing that the veteran 'was not happy about not starting.'" Unlike Jeff Kent last September, JP hasn't run his yap to the press and JP can't control what Torre says to the ink-stained wretches.

I think I am one of the original Dead Horsemen? The right choice is, of course, Ethier.

At least the throw didn't rip up DeWitt's thumb ligament.

Boy, my 70 year old index finger is sure getting a workout. I wish JOSH will start a new thread.

Top 8: Dodgers Batting: Peguero Pitching:
Furcal robbed of a base hit by a diving Salazar in center

Kemp flies to deep right (caught by Upton right in front of the wall)

Andre Ethier now in right field with Kemp in center strikes out swinging

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB End of 7 1/2 8-7 Dodgers

As long as Torre is talking the way he is talking, it shows he knows the score. He may be giving Juanpy the benefit of the doubt, right now, but he sounds like he is building a new situation. Of course that new situation as far as we're concern already is here.

Upton ties it with another D'Back HR 8-8 in the bottom of the ninth.

Make that the Bottom Of the 8th.

Bottom 8: D'Backs Batting: Rudy Seanez Pitching:
John Hester singles to left

Drew fouls to DeWitt at third

Upton homers to deep left, Hester scores, 9-8 D'Backs

Trot Nixon pinch hitting for Peguero singles to center

Alex Romero lines to Pierre in left center

Merchan flies to center where Kemp makes a diving catch

2 Runs 3 Hits 1 LOB End of 8 9-8 D'Backs

Thank god slappy mcdribble grounded out with the bases loaded!!!

fogey - do you think that Torre's trying to hang Pierre out to dry with his comments? or do you think he's stating fact? If its the former, its a really passive-aggressive way to turn public sentiment.

I didn't realize that was a 2-run HR by upton and the Dodgers couldn't do anything about it and lose 9-8. Wow I'm pretty bad at this.

Top 9: Dodgers Batting: Lefty Clint Goocher Pitching:
Blake DeWitt strikes out swinging

Hu flies out to center

Delwyn Young strikes out swinging

0 Runs 0 Hits 0 LOB (Good game, result doesn't mean jack squat)

Dodgers

8 13 1

Diamondbacks

9 9 1

WP: Jailen Peguero

LP: Rudy Seanez

SV: Clint Goocher

Time of Game: 3:20

No PBP until Tuesday against Milwaukee which will be the last Arizona spring training game and the last of the play by play reports I will do this spring. The next two games are on KCAL here in Los Angeles and for those who are not in L.A the next three games including the game against Kansas City on Monday will be on MLB.TV.

Is this the kind of year we are looking forward to? How many games have we lost this spring with the opposing team scoring in the 8th or 9th inning to beat us on a come from behind.

Thank you Alex, as usual you did a great job.

thanks alex! really enjoy getting your updates.

rl - don't worry about it too much - torre's still trying to figure out the last of the pen. If it was a real game, Brox an Saito would've closed it out.

Thanks Alex for all the ST PBP - we all really appreciate(d) it!!

Actually if teams are coming from behind in the eighth and ninth in spring training that's a good thing. Scrubs play in those innings and we've won where it matters...in meaningless games. Results don't mean anything in the spring. It's not like Seanez will be pitching with a lead in the 8th or 9th.

These are not typical Dodger loses, we were much better at holding leads. I think we'll be alright with our regular bull allignment ending with Broxton & Saito.

enchantedsunset - what I think means exactly the same as what Alex said about the result of today's game, but I think Torre was just being honest and he's also trying to prime the pump a little.

dodgerdude17@yahoo.com

Hey do me a favor, go to our fantasy page and go to the team owners page and let me know what my user name is..I cant log in cause I forgot and i creted an yahoo account just for this. The mail i gave it to send me info is an old e-mail.

Or just delete my team BLU and I will re add myself.

Ooooh, Oooooooh, that smell,
cantcha' smell that smell.

The Phew gets around yooooou.

jungar:

jayungar71

thanks!

Fantasy Baseball:

ID# 237649

Password: password

Yahoo Fantasy Baseball League,

-I made it specifically for this blog, join and use your bloggers email as your team name so that we can identify ourselves easier. If you're a regular blogger, join. Josh I want you in this league too.

ID# 237649

Password: password

"Ned, Joe here. I think it's time. I know, I know, but look. Pierre is Pierre. Young is out of options. 3rd base is manned by two guys who can't seem to stay healthy. So......yeah, exactly.....exactly! See if you can get Crede for Pierre, Young, a kid pitcher we'll use as bait, and lots of cash. Take it and be thankful for the favor. Opens up Ethier and Repko and gives us a warm body down at 3rd who just happens to have a World Series ring. Yes, I said a World Series ring. What do you mean you don't know what a World Series ring is?"

Ned, its time to move Pierre along. He can't hit - one seeing eye single in his last 20 or so ABs, many of which were against inferior AAA and AA pitching is embarrasing - you can't steal first base.

Amd Torre's comments, directly attributable to JP or not isn't going to sit well with L.A. fans, and you're going to end up with a player people boo without regard for his play. Great PR to have 100,000+ at the coliseum booing its own player - I'm sure that'll really increase his value.

As we're getting to picking the final 25 for the start of the season, here's my take on it.

1. Even though DY has no options left, if he stays, Repko goes. I think that DY has had the opprotunity to show what he's got, and he blew it, and Repko could be a more significant part for our season success that DY. Management will probably keep DY, but I would go with Repko.

2. Both Nomar and Kent should start the season on DL. Neither has had sufficient ST play to contribute in the early games. I would let DeWitt play third and Hu second, and see how that goes. I doubt it would be worse than either Nomar and Kent at 70%, and it would give both youngsters experience and a good evaluation. I think that Abreu could be in the mix, but it seems like he's blowing his chance at being a major leaguer as well. Again, management will probably keep Martinez because he's Ned's favorite, but I don't see how he adds enough positive to the situation.

3. I would keep Kuo for the bullpen and, more importantly, for the occasional left-handed situational starter.

4. I would, of course, start Ethier, Jones and Kemp in the outfield and let Raffy lead off. That is the best start that the Dodgers could guarantee themselves, given the unproven situation on the infield. There's always an opportunity to switch Pierre in the mix later on, if the first combination is not working, but that would be the right thing to do if competition in ST is to mean anything.

It would be easier for Joe to just make Pierre the starter, the fact they have not yet is pretty encouraging...on many levels.

If kent isn't able to go this looks like the probable roster. The infield at 3rd and 2nd as well as Pierre if he starts in left is a major worry!!!!

Pitchers

1 Penny

2 Lowe

3 Billingsley

4 Kuroda

5 Loaiza

6 Beimel

7 Broxton

8 Proctor

9 Saito

10 Kuo

11 Park

12 Seanez

Hitters

13 Loney

14 Furcal

15 Martin

16 Kemp

17 Jones

18 Ethier

19 Pierre

20 Bennett

21 Sweeney

22 Hu

23 Young

24 Abreu

25 Dewitt or Martinez

I don't think Dewitt makes the roster. And you don't really need Sweeney if you have Pierre/Ethier and Young. I know they signed him, but its a wasted spot.

Just to funny not to post the whole thing..

FIRE JOE MORGAN

Where Bad Sports Journalism Comes To Die

This Column Is Eternal

It doesn't matter that it was written two and half weeks ago. This column will live on through the ages. They will speak the name of this column and shudder in fear and awe. This is the ur-column.

Pierre and Plaschke, a pairing like prosciutto and melon, like mini-golf and beer, like Travolta and Cage. Behold.

Dodgers' Juan Pierre is right where he belongs

I would argue that Pierre would belong better in the cast of the movie Gosford Park than atop a major league lineup.

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- There's a boxer in the house.

There's a tiresome stylistic contrivance in the house.

"Yeah, last year, I got beat up pretty good," says Juan Pierre.

There's defiance in the house.

You see how he brought "in the house" back for another spin? You see that? That's what it takes to play in the writing big leagues, son. Take notes. Repetitive notes. Fragmented notes.

Poetic notes.

"If people really think the reason we lost last year was because my arm wasn't strong enough, or because I didn't get on base enough, hey, that's cool, I'll be the man, I'll take it," says Pierre.

Look, spare me the martyr ****, dude. A guy who loses his house to a tornado is a victim. You ain't no victim. The Dodgers lost for a bunch of reasons. It definitely did not help them that they gave the guy with the second-worst OBP on the team the most ABs.

There's resolve in the house.

"I'm coming into this season with a chip on my shoulder . . . just like every season," says Pierre.

Does that mean we can expect EqAs of .256, .253 and .255 (Pierre's last three chip-shouldered seasons)? Maybe you should try playing happy or somethin'. Mix it up.

Fans don't appreciate him. Statisticians can't calculate him.

No. No no no no no no no. They can. They really can. They did. They are. The fact that you, Bill Plaschke, for some reason believe that Juan Pierre plays an entirely different, incalculable, unknowable, ineffable, ethereal, spiritual, intangible, holy, effervescent, incorporeal, bioluminescent, antioncogenic game that is emphatically not baseball does not make it so.

They have run the numbers, and they are ugly.

Bloggers downright brutalize him.

This is akin to saying "Everyone who has written on a typewriter despises rabbits." Blogging is a medium, nothing more. It is not a religion. It is not a creed. We do not all think in lockstep. This is a ************* boring-*** recording.

I like him.

Boom! The Plaschke turn. You thought I was going one way and then I went the other -- Plaschke-style. Let me show you how it's done:

"Most people hate turtle ****. They say it's stinky. They say it's runny. They say it doesn't serve a purpose anymore in today's workaday world.

I like it."

Now that the Dodgers have added Rafael Furcal's health and Andruw Jones' pop, I think Juan Pierre's presence at the top of the lineup will be as oversized as his cap.

Um, is he going to get any better at, you know, hitting and stuff? He's turning 31 this year. He's been very bad, I don't know if you've been watching the Dodger baseball team or anything...

Now that the Dodgers have moved him to left field, I think Juan Pierre will fit as easily there as his bat fits on a bunt.

Because if at all possible, you want your left fielder to slug .353.

Now that Joe Torre is installing an aggressive running game, I think Pierre's ability on the basepaths will be as evident as the dirt streaks on his jersey.

Is he really going to steal more than the 64 bases he stole last year? That would be a terrible sign because it would mean he would be eating up like 700 plate appearances. Also: will baseball writers ever tire of mentioning dirt streaks as a proxy for baseball skill? Perhaps when we move to silicon-based fields, as I am proposing we do in 2011.

Now that it can be a complement instead of a cornerstone, I think the idea of Juan Pierre will work.

New euphemism for "**** player": "complement."

"My game is not pretty, it's just not pretty," Pierre says. "You have to be an old-school guy to appreciate it."

Your game is extremely pretty. It's exciting to watch guys take huge leads, play cat and mouse with the pitcher, kick up dirt when they slide. It invigorates the crowd. Kids love it. This is the best thing about your game -- its entertainment value. Casual fans probably love watching you play, and I don't blame them. You're f.u.n.!!!

Yours is a crowd-pleasing style all in all, Mr. Pierre -- so it stands to reason that if the crowd has turned on you, well, things probably aren't going well, are they?

That's one more reason this will be a good year for Juan Pierre.

Torre is one of those old-school guys who appreciates him.

"He does things the right way," Torre says.

If I were implausibly saintly The Wire Season 5 character Baltimore Sun City Editor Augustus "Gus" Haynes, I would slide my wise-person glasses down my wise, wise nose and pithily growl, "Cut that quote." Because it's the billionth time we've read that about the millionth different player, and it doesn't add anything. It detracts.

Contrary to the winter hopes of many Dodgers fans, Torre's lineups have indicated that Pierre will be the starting left fielder ahead of Andre Ethier.

It makes sense.

Sure it makes sense. Andre Ethier is a major-league caliber player who gets on base, hits for some power, plays good defense, has a decent throwing arm, and is currently 25 years old. Juan Pierre is a professional longshoreman who has convinced a baseball team to pay him tens of millions of dollars despite the fact that he cannot get on base, cannot hit for power, runs borderline-insane routes in the outfield, and has an arm so feeble he struggles to open jars of kalamata olive tapenade.

What's the issue here?

Pierre adds an irreplaceable speed component to the top of the Dodgers order. And, in left field, what Pierre lacks in arm, he can overcome with that speed.

That too. What Pierre lacks in OBP (twenty points to Ethier last year), he can overcome with speed. What Pierre lacks in EqA (eighteen points), he can overcome with speed. His zero homers -- well, he's fast. His 32 extra-base hits -- he's speedy. His team worst 75 OPS+ -- guy can motor.

"Johnny Damon never had much of an arm, we moved him to left field, it worked out fine," says Torre. "You can offset that kind of arm with your aggressive play. You can get good jumps, get to balls that other guys can't."

Johnny Damon is on the downslide. Johnny Damon is 34 years old. Johnny Damon was never a big power hitter. Johnny Damon has like fifty-nine different injuries. Last year Johnny Damon out-OPSed Juan Pierre by 62 points. It was Johnny's worst season in seven years.

Pierre also brings something that, during last season's doldrums, everyone seemed to forget.

You can find it in a locked box in his Fort Lauderdale home.

It is the severed finger of Angela Lansbury.

He's one of only three Dodgers with a World Series ring.

But the finger -- the finger is what will lead the Dodgers to victory. Well, it'll have about as much impact, anyway.

You know who else has a Florida Marlins 2003 World Series ring? Ugueth Urbina. The evidence is conclusive: World Series experience causes you to travel to Venezuela, pour gasoline on some men and commit attempted murder on them with a machete. Ugie Urbina: he's a winner™!

"The young guys know about it, they ask about it sometimes," Pierre says. "But I don't like wearing it. I'd rather lead with my actions."

"I'd rather lead off and finish third, first, second, second and first in outs in the league the last five years."

Those actions were uninspiring early last year, the first of a five-year, $44-million contract that was questioned before the ink was dry.

Trying too hard, he spent much of the early season surrounded by boos for a mediocre batting average, an awful on-base percentage and general ineffectiveness.

There you have it: when Juan Pierre ***** ****, it's because he's trying too hard. When some dickface like Pat Burrell or Adam Dunn posts a low batting average but a high OBP, he's a lazy ********. Plaschkevision.

"Yeah, I heard everybody," Pierre says. "It was like, 'Pierre, you stink' ... 'Pierre, go away' ... I heard it all."

I don't really advocate yelling insults at players, but hey: sort of perceptive work, there, Dodger Stadium crowd. I'll see you at the ballpark in person several times this year. I'll be the one in the Juan Pierre Laker jersey (Crossovers, trademark dak).

He batted .308 after the All-Star break, three points higher than his average during Florida's 2003 world championship year. He finished with 41 runs batted in, the same as in the championship year.

Batting average has never ever ever ever been Juan Pierre's problem. That's one of the like two and a half baseball things he's good at. The issues are twofold here, though: 1. Batting average is stupid and 2. Batting average is really, really stupid. Actually, I'll make another point here: in the second half of 2006, Juan Pierre improved (presumably from not trying too hard) and hit .311! He had found his stroke! He was bound for a roaring comeback! Sign this man to a $300 million deal!

Then in the first half of 2007, he batting averaged .282 and OBP-ed .311. :(

You can do a lot of fun things with pre- and post-All Star Break splits. Will Juan Pierre settle in and become the Juan Pierre of 2003-2004, when he was a valuable major league player? It's possible. Weird **** happens all the time. But after three execrable offensive years, it's hard to bet on a guy who's permanently out of his twenties.

He scored four fewer runs (96), stole one fewer base (64), and, with the exception of a lack of plate discipline amid a lousy offense, he performed just as he did in Florida.

With the exception of getting on base, the most important thing a hitter can do, he was fantastic.***** Rafael Furcal's lousy year! He's to blame for Juan Pierre's lousy year. Thank god Furcal's ankle is healthy so Pierre's eyes will work again.

In the end, Juan Pierre did exactly what Juan Pierre does.

Embarrass everyone except Bill Plaschke.

While unfairly taking the fall for a team that crumbled around him.

What exactly is unfair about saying a player burned through a ton of at bats and didn't help the team? You know what's unfair? Andre Ethier, a better player in every aspect of the game except baserunning, is being denied playing time because of a bad contract. These are Ethier's prime baseball years. He's not going to be playing as much baseball as he should. He will never get these years back. He is not a kid anymore. He's played in 279 major league games, and he's played well in those games.

Juan Pierre hit zero home runs last year. Mythical fairy creature David Eckstein hit three, for Chrissakes, and he swings a three-inch bat carved out of a candy cane.

The truth is, the idea of Juan Pierre was a good one, and still is.

Plaschke has spoken. This is The Truth. They will carve this column on alabaster tablets and hang them in our most hallowed halls of justice. Wise men will memorize these words and teach them to our young to prepare them for the trials of life. This column is the new Torah.

http://www.firejoemorgan.com/

If anybody notices a thread change please alert us. I doubt if my old finger can make it all the way.

Opening day lineup?????

Either---Kemp

Darn, I don't think we'll have Alex with us today. Don't expect anyone else to undertake his style of play-by-play, but it would be great to see someone who's watching the game give us an occasional highlight and the score.

Oh, and we haven't heard from Josh. I suppose he's doing a press summary of what a team-spirited guy Pierre is.

"As long as I'm starting and leading off, I'm a Dodger all the way" - Pierre

Funny being in a park with lights from the Polo Grounds. And being the home team. I can see nobody is posting. It is pretty tiresome.

In absence of our man Alex I'll try to a little play by play

Lowe 2IP 6 up 6 down 3 K's

B1

Pierre lazy pop out to ss

Furcal ground out

Ethier single

Loney strikeout

ill do my best to keep updating--Nothing beats Scully NCAA hoops and 80 deg

B2

Jones made out (missed how)

Martin Double (cf-rf gap)

Dewitt RBI Double (rf line)

Dewitt picked off 2nd (2-6)

Abreu HBP

Lowe ground out

1 run

2 hits

end of 2

LAA 0 LAD 1

DeWitt doubles in Martin in 2nd.

T3

Napoli flied out to center

Aybar flied out to left

Loux strike out

3 perfect for Lowe

Go, DeWitt - I'm really rooting for you. Just think, this could be your year, and we could be comparing you to Ron Cey years from now.

the game is on mlbtv for free today. if you want to watch it you can. pierre *****, we need ethier, jones and kemp. as I write this pierre just hit a weak ground out to second base, he is 0-2 so far.

bottom of third

pierre gounds out weakly to 2b

Furcal gounds out to ss

Ethier walks on 8 pitches

Loney long single to left center, Ethier to third

Jones grounds out sharpley to third, furcal forced out at second

1 hits 1 walk 0 runs 1-0 dodgers

Scully says west is best in NL

B3

Slappy McGroundout grounds out

Furcal ground out

Ethier BB (8 pitch AB)

Loney long single to lf-cf Ethier to 3rd

Jones lines to 3rd (FC loney out at 2nd)

0R 1H 0E 2 LOB

LAA 0 LAD 1

top fourth

figgins out (didnt see it)

matthews jr walks on four pitches

anderson flies out to jones

Hunter single to left center matthew to third on hit and run

kotchman grounds out to second

1 hit 1 walk 0 runs 1-0 dodgers

Scully speaks mostly of opponents. Why not? We know the Dodgers.

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