Today's lineup and ThinkCure tidbit

Lineup not bad. Just wish Nomar was in there. But, I guess old timers need a day off now and then. Come on Dodgers, let's win this one!!

Wow, winflava was first today. Not hard to believe since I'm the only one here today!

You're not alone anymore!

Even though we lost last night, I still feel we are winners.
I hope everyone has that same confidence in this line-up that I have.
They all have a chance to make things happen.
Although we're missing Nomar as a starter today, we still have Martin, Loney, Kent, Blake, Ethier Kemp & M. Ramirez.
YES anyone or two or three of them is capable of bringing home the victory. Who knows? maybe it's Berroa's time to blossom.
A good outing from Kershaw and our remarkable bull pen can do wonders for us.
I'm sure the players are full of confidence & enthusiasm, no matter what score is.
GO DODGERS!!!!!

Hey trublue and eric!!
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eric ~ you must have checked in during the caution - LOL!! I just got home from church, and the first thing I saw when I turned on the race was a caution. I thought you might be here - HA!
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trublue ~ looks like Andre is making a name for himself. I like seeing him do well and get the praise he so richly deserves this year. It's weird how it took Manny to come to town for Joe to see what kind of a player he can be and finally getting the recognition for things he really has been doing all season.

Even though we lost last night, we did come from behind again. So let's look at the positives like our friend PierreEMW!

Good Afternoon PierreEW!! How are you doing out on the east coast? Dodgers are looking very good just like you said.

Hey everyone, good afternoon from Las Vegas... Just giving you an update... Astros 3- D-Backs 0!!

Hope Kemp stays hot, but hope he doesn't tag on a fly ball off the wall again. His base running absolutely stinks. Good to see Dre in there.

Go BLUE!

I read a comment from Cameron after the game and he said that the ball hit by Andre hit the tip of his glove and if it hadn't he thought it had enough on it to go over the wall. If only.....

Things look good over in Houston.
Fingers crossed please.

Great outfield play last night by both teams except Man Ram's throw to first.

Doing O.K Debby,
Just looking forward to the game.
If we don't get Vin on MLB.TV, I just might watch on TBS.
Those guys might not be rooting for the Brewers.

Well finally sombody is here! Thank God, I thought for a while that after wiping out your names, they took you out permanently!

I must say, I don't think Kemp knew (or anybody else)whether the ball would've been cought -since you never knew with those Brewer outfielders-or would go over the wall, so he had no choice but to tag up and see what would happen.
I'm sure if he knew he would've at least made it to 3rd.

Still 3-0 Stro's going into the 7th

Although I am in NO WAY putting last night's loss on Kemp, the play to make in his situation is to get right up to second base before the catch in case the ball isn't caught. He's fast allright, but to tag up and take second is not easy. Looking at the replay last night, he didn't think about tagging up until it was too late anyway. He shouldn't have returned to try.

He's better than he was a year ago, but he still has a lot to learn on the bases.

That's great to hear PierreEW!!!
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Almost game time ~
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LET'S GO DODGERS!!
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dnelly, nells, nelle, June, mom, Miss Debbie and Mrs. Nelson ~ Ethierahlics and very proud of how well Andre is doing - Ethieriffic!!!!

Today, we get back into 1st!!! Day off tomorrow... Then Tuesday.... 1st is ours... AND ONLY OURS!!! Go Dodgers, keep playing the way you have and this division is yours for the taking... Arizona will actually have to play someone fairly decent soon, and we get Colorado after the day off... I like our chances!!

Oswalt is pitching a hell of a game today.

"Colletti says Penny could return as reliever"

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2008/08/colletti-says-p.html

OH GOOD IT'S SCULLY on MLB.TV

For what team eric? Not ours I hope!

Ours. They don't think there's enough time to rehab him to return to starting, but enough to get him into the pen.

Do we count on the guys that we have, or do we make a move.....ahem.... Maddux....?

I suppose that would be okay. He's only good for an inning or two.

Way to go Kershaw!!!

Way to buckle down Clayton!!

Matt Kemp makes up for last night in a hurry!! Way to go Matty!!

K E M P # 15 IS OFF AND RUNNING on 1ST PITCH.

Trublue, where is everyone? It seems so quiet in here.

My gameday is wigging out... wtf is going on... It looks like Loney just homered,.... but it's not saying anything

M A N really RAMed that one #6 already as a Dodger.

That's Rad. Both guys were pissed on how the game ended. Manny with the K and Kemp with the Ethier play. Both hit bombs. .

My Loney has a first name,
It's J-A-M-E-S
My Loney has a second name,
It's L-O-N-E-Y
I love to watch him every day
And if you ask me why I'll say
'Cause James Loney has a way
With H-I-T-T-I-N-G!
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By leefink and martinloneykemp

I take it back.... MANNY!!!!! AND LONEY!! LIKE I SAID... TODAY WE MOVE BACK INTO 1ST!!!

We could really knock this thing open with an even bigger 1st.

GOOD START!!

Nice 1st inning, we needed that after a night like last night. It's hugely important to get Clayton a lead like that early... Helps settle him down.

Brandon ~ it is quiet in here. It will heat up as the game goes along. I watch when we are up and listen when the Brewers bat. We should have had a bigger 1st, but I'll take it.

KEEP STAN CONTE AWAY FROM KERSHAW!

Is Kershaw OK!?!?!?!?

I don't like Sundays. No Jhall; no enchanted; and where the heck is obi!

Arizona down to final out.

Clayton needs to get Kendall to roll into a double play and have the pitcher lead off next inning.

Kershaw's okay. Joe Torre just said that Penny is through for the year.

Arizona goes down 3-0... Could be a good day.

OK, So I repost my question... Any suggestions? Do we go get Maddog, or do we go with who we've got?

Did Clayton hit the pitcher!?!?!?

Maddux is still out there. I think Joe wants him. I think his presence would halp the rest of the staff, don't you?

Kersh sure likes to get himself into trouble... Luckily for us, he's also really good at getting out of it too.

No, pitcher got infield single.

Kershaw's walking the tightrope early here.

KERSH struggling there, but no runs, hope he settles down.
Isn't it sooo relaxing knowing the Snakes lost?
Nice game by Oswalt.

Completely, I would love to have Maddux. His prescence alone would be awesome... His pitching every few days would not hurt either.

Kershaw does not have a hit yet... This would not be a bad time for that.

About Maddux ~ the Dodgers would have to pay him and I don't know if they want to spend the money.

We hopefully don't pull what we did last night, and have a great first inning, and then not show up the rest of the game.

well Trublue, what are our options? It'd be different if we were not in a pennant race towards the end of the season. McDonald would be a good option, I just don't know if we should call him up in the middle of all of this. Stults is good or really bad... It's a tough call.

We will get a lot more runs. As we go through the lineup again. Have faith, brandon.

LET'S GO KERSH.

If we don't trade for Maddux we need to call up J Mac as soon as possible. I like Stults but he is a crap shot. Jason Johnson is Jason Johnson but that is usually good enough for Joe. He doesn't care how horrible you've been in the major leagues he only cares that you've been in the major leagues. That makes you good in his eyes.

I thought that was a goner! Nice catch from Matt!

Does Corey Hart wear his sunglasses at night?

whew!! That was close.

a bit late, but:

Let's go!
Batter up!
We're taking the afternoon off!

It's a beautiful day for a ballgame
For a ballgame today
The fans are out to get a ticket or two
From Walla Walla, Washington to Kalamazoo
It's a beautiful game for a home run
But even a triple's okay
We're gonna cheer and boo and raise a hullabaloo
At the ballgame today!

Had to post that great, since I'm taking the afternoon off... well, I have it off, but they tried to call me in, and I decided that, as my American Philosophy professor at Chico State once said, "Baseball is the priority." He was a Yankees fan, but he's definitely wise.

WTG DODGERS!!!!!

Good to see that Kersh kurve (6-12) when it drops in for a strike.

Andre hit that hard, just to the wrong place.

That was a crazy ab by Manny...

I haven't felt this confident in every Dodger batter, in a long time.

Looks like Suppan has shaken off that rough 1st. He seems to be getting in a groove since.

Damn Cameron!

Cameron kills us no matter what uniform he wears.

Manny with the glove!

OK, a high pitch count and the Brewers lineup is exactly why we can't repeat yesterday and just tank after the first inning!!

It might be me but---I like Kershaw Kurve but I think his fast ball is very awkward, like he using too much shoulder or something like that and it seems to usually end up low.

WOW! Berroa steppped in dung, and came out smelling like a rose! LOL!

At least we get the pitcher's spot out of the way for the 5th.

Does 3-1 win this game? I'm seriously nevous after last night, that we've not shown a whole lot of fight after the first 2 days in a row.

A N D R E!!!!

YEAH DRE!!!!!!

Regarding Penny, to keep him it would cost about the same we decided to pay Loaiza. For what he has done and what he still may do, I think its worth the money considering it's 1 year and SP's cost a lot.

Thats why Pierre should NEVER play over Ethier.

OUR MAN E T H I E R does it again # 14.

Another point for Andre in the everyday leftfielder battle... This guy deserves to be that position not just the rest of the year, but for many years to come... Totally showing major upside and consistency!! This team has totally become a major player since the Manny trade.

Who do we replace Manny with if we don't resign him next year? Just curious... Because lets be honest, it's only because of his presense in the lineup that we are suddenly hitting better, on a much more consistent basis. We have to have that power prescense in the lineup... Not too many teams have won by singleing you to death.

Loney is getting his share of hits but I'd sure like to see him hit a double digit 10 th homer.

You know, I think this Kershaw kid has something going for him.

I've read comments from both Matt and Andre about how they are learning from watching Manny's approach to his at bats and its great to see them put what they're learning into action. When you think about it, prior to Manny, except for maybe Sweeney (don't laugh he was a great pinch hitter for most of his career and has been showing signs of coming around), the Dodgers have not had any veteran that has really seemed interested in wanting to help the young players. Kemp and Nomar have never really made any attempt whatsover to fill that role and Blake seems like the type that keeps to himself too. I know Manny has his critics and he can be contrary. I'm not saying he's by any means perfect, but he is a great hitter and he does seem willing to take the time to pass on what he's learned to the younger players, which we have sorely needed and we are seeing results.

The Brewers have a hit in every inning.
In case someone didn't know.

I meant to say Kent and Nomar, instead of Kemp and Nomar.

Kemp & Ethier, I would say, are moving past the learning stage.

Agreed PierreEW, they definitely are and it's fun to watch.

Berroa blossoming ?

KERSH pitched a nice quality game.

I gotta admit Sweeney got screwed on that call. Clearly way in off the plate.

I would consider both Kemp & Ethier as HR threats.
They've arrived.

Nice 1-2-3 inning hold for Johnson.

Perhaps Sweeney got jobbed on that call. He's certainly seen enough called strikes this year to know one when he sees one.

Seriously, has a hitter ever had a more embarrasing year than Sweeney. OK, Andruw. There's one. But name another. He's now 9 for 73 (.123).

Kent leads by example.
If he leaves, we'll really miss him.

Andre!!!

Nice piece of hitting by Ethier there. He's really hitting his stride now.

M A N N Y! Maybe @ 10 to 15 lbs ago he would have been safe there at 2nd.......

Pierre 25 RBI ---Manny 21RBI

The thing that impresses me about this run by the Dodgers is that it's against quality teams. We're doing a great job of winning at home like we should be, but even more important is that it's against winning teams. Wait until we play lesser teams and the D-Backs have to play better teams, lets see then if they can mantain the same level of play that they have been. I see a losing streak coming up for those guys.

From the standpoint of personal numbers and as an example for the younger Dodgers, there's no question that Manny's presence has been huge. You can see and feel the sense of excitement in the Dodger Stadium crowd when he's at the plate. He's made it more fun to be a Dodger fan. He's made our offense a force to be reckoned with, something that wasn't the case earlier in the year. Can we resign him? Can we afford not to? We have no power prospects in the minors less than 2 or 3 years away. Jones may never recover his past level of performance. Anybody with similar ability to Manny's will cost as much. We'll have to clear a lot of payroll to make it happen. Maybe Schmidt will have the sense and good grace to retire. Kent will probably call it quits. In a short time span, Manny has become too key a part of this club to not make a major effort to keep him here.

rough day for Casey Blake

Have you read this article yet? The one that quotes Kent as saying, "Vin Scully talks too much".

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers17-2008aug17,0,7839070,full.column

I especially liked the part where he turns the math around and says that he's the one who has helped Manny, because Manny's hitting better here than with Boston! Shrewd!

I can't help but like the old fart.

totally agree seesky

Looks like Torre's keeping in Johnson to finish things up. This could be a great role for him. But I still want to know who becomes our 5th starter now?

I'd like to see Stultz as the 5th starter, but I guess we'll see.

Let's go Chan-Ho----Park this car.

Brandon ~ for a mere $2million, we can have Maddux

DOH!!!!!

Somebody, either on the last thread or earlier on this one, made the comment that we aren't playing many teams with a winning record in September. But we are also playing those teams mostly on the road.(22 of our last 34 games) We'll have to be road warriors in order to pull this off, something that may be tough to do in the last month. A lot of teams, especially th Pods and others in our division with nothing to play for themselves, would like nothing better than to knock us off. We'll have to keep playing as well as we are now to do it.

I seriously hate when things get like this... Get all nervous in a game that should just be over.

I'd have left Johnson in. That error came back to bite. HARD!

OK... If this crap happens AGAIN!!! I swear!?!?!?

I'm getting nervous too, brandon. Why can't anything be easy?

Okay, that's an out... this is a real nailbiter.

Bring in Brox? Or Kuo? I mean, do we have a freaking set up guy!?!?!? Our bullpen has a pretty decent sized hole in it!! Not good.

Darn! New ballgame

@#$%*&@#$&@#*%&#@$*&#@*&%*&%#@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything can change in a New York Minute.

OUCH!!! One too many sliders. Can't fool Braun twice in a row on the same pitch. He's too good of a hitter.

Unbelievable. I thought we had this one in the bag.

everytime we have the lead we blow it now or allow a few runs our bullpen sucks now i still dont know how we have the best era our bullpen is only good when were behind

northstates ~ I AGREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At the risk of starting another argument, we have a Clueless Idiot for a manager. Johnson was pitching just fine.

absolutely unbelievable.

Kershaw gets screwed out of another win. Pathetic!

-

Can they scrape out another walk off win?

Error(s) or not, that's pathetic.

I agree with you eric. Always out thinks himself.

Hopefully, we'll come through in the bottom of the inning. My nerves can't take another extra inning game. At least we have some big guns coming up to bat.

Wow, I don't care what the numbers say...our bullpen sucks.

I'll just bet that he was thinking, "Well, we have the day off tomorrow. I get to rest Kuo and Brox, but Park needs a little work........."

Absolutely the stupidest manager we've ever had.

Agreed, eric. If it ain't broke.....

Its okay, we are going to win this one.

Ugh, Braun just helped me win in like 3 fantasy leagues though. So we better come back and win.

The Brew crew does have ALOT of come from behind wins this season. You can never count them out.

It's daytime, and Bison is leading off... anythings possible.

Its also pathetic to bring in Sweeney to PH with runners at second and third and one out. If ever there was a time for a contact hitter (Nomar or JP), that was it.

No disagreement eric, Jojo is an idiot.

hopefully he hits a homerun we dont want to see him in the bases again

K E M P!!!

YEAH KEMP!!! Let's end this NOW

Loney makes too many errors and our bullpen cannot hold a lead without sammy saito.

I don't understand why our pitching has to go to hell once we start to become decent offensively.

Cory Wade's absence has been HUGE!!!!!

I leave for 2 seconds and my worst fears come true!!! This is CRAP!!! How do you leave Park in after the first couple of runs!?!!?? ARGH!@#?!@#?!@#@#?

mY POST AT 4PM... WHAT HAPPENED NOT 30 SECONDS LATER!?!?

Bring in Brox? Or Kuo? I mean, do we have a freaking set up guy!?!?!? Our bullpen has a pretty decent sized hole in it!! Not good.

By brandondaughrity@hotmail.com on August 17, 2008 4:00 PM

Is it just me or have we had to sweat out the last couple innings wayyyy too much lately?

I can't believe that Cameron didn't find a way to catch that ball.

We had better bring this game home now!! This is bull!! This team has been playing great, but still has a LONG way to go!

ETHIER !!!!!

eithier

I LOVE ANDRE!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW!!! A total miracle!!!

I'll do it for her...

ANDRE EVERETT ETHIER!!!!!

AWESOME!!! Is Eithier a STUD, or what?!!!!!!!!!

YEAH DRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUANPY WHO????????????????????????????

What does Andre say???

Ball game!!! These guys are playing offense like no other!!!! Please let our pitching catch up to our offense!! Please baseball God.. Please!! We HAVE TO HAVE PITCHING!! Great win though!

and im still pissed. we should of never had to bat in the bottom of the ninth

From the outhouse to the penthouse. Andre!!!!!!

YEA ANDRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE SHOULD NEVER SEE PIERRE AGAIN

Way to go Andre!!! Can we stop this stupid platoon with Pierre now?

Keep there heads ringing Dre!

OK Torre, how in the name of God's Wonderful Green Earth are you POSSIBLY going to justify benching this guy, just to "keep Juan Pierre sharp"? For crying out loud, he came within a couple of feet of winning last night's game, too!

Fu-Q Phew!!!

I am so totally screwed!!! Obi-Phew thought bubble!!!!!

guys great win, absolutely awesome... but our BULLPEN is in serious need of some gut checking.... We've got to start closing out games!! This is getting scary with our pen!! But still great win.

LMFAO Sky!!!!

Biemel - the one pitch win. 4-0. Phil Regan was The Vulture. Biemel's The Chupacabra.

AMEN SEESKY, AMEN!!

That's what I was looking for Sky!! LMAO

57 Dodger=jhall1218

we need another releiver.

WALLY!!!

Great win Dodgers! we just went 6-1 against 2 of the tougher teams in the league, we have 3 more against the nationals and a couple series against the giants and padres, there is no reason why we dont take this division!

Joe Torre is incapable of OVERTHINKING. In fact, Joe and his staff's mismanagement of the Dodger bullpen reminds me of an '80s episode of Battlestar Galactica. [Think of DodgerEric as STARBUCK and Joe Torre as CYLON ]

Starbuck: (referring to the crashed Cylon ship)

Not exactly a text-book landing. No offense, but were you at the controls during that touchdown?

Cylon:

Cylons work as a team. We are equals.

Starbuck:


Yeah, well that's a very nice policy except when things start going wrong. So, what happened during the landing?
referring to the crashed Cylon ship)

Cylon:

The situation did not compute.

Starbuck:

So you didn't know what to do. What happened next, someone whip out the manual?

Cylon:

Yes. The manual did not help.

Starbuck:


What did you do when it came time for a little personal initiative?

Cylon
We were taking a vote when the ground came up and hit us.

JHALL ~ i knew it was you !

Hey Beav, totally sweet, eh?!!!!

I am at school, and for some reason my name has changed again. I am under a JP curse I think. I have been trying to fix my name all day, and it's not working. I am assuming my name at home will remain Nelly, but who the hell knows anymore. I am cursed!!!!
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ANDRE ETHIER YOU ARE ETHIERIFFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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dnelly, nells, nelle, June, darlin', Miss Debbie, Mrs. Nelson and now Diamondeb ~ all ethieraholics!!!!!!!
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Ward dear/Wally/Beav~ what happened to me? Help!!!!
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Hopefully I can go back to being nelly soon. LMAO!!!!!!

Hey TruMom!!

He can't sit Andre now!! HaHa!!

diamondeb!!! LMAO !!! Hi Mom!!!

They'd have a serious win streak going if they'd closed out the three games they dropped this past week and a half.

Hey, I'm starting to feel left out. Same boring ol' name.

BTW, sam, Loney is 6th in the NL in fielding % for starting 1B.

Wouldn't you've liked to see Phew's face when that second one went out??

eric we will have to come up with a name for you. sorry can't have winflava, that's me.

For the most part, we've had a good bullpen all year. We're banged up a little right now and, sometimes, guys just have off days. We're playing a good team, too. The Brewers aren't exactly the Nationals. Earlier in the year, our offense wasn't potent enough to rebound from an inning like that. Now, we are. Just look at it as the offense picking up our bullpen on a bad day.

No excrement, e. If we had won last night and those two descents into hades in Frisco, this would have made 11 straight today.

obi, that was rich!!

Sure Loney made a couple of miscues that cost us, but you have to hang it on Park just as much. He had two outs and an 0-2 count on Braun. Fortunately today, 'Dre came to the rescue.

I am leaving school and going home. I want my name back please ~ LMAO!!!!!!

dnel, to change your name, log in to your mlb account, then when your account page comes up, click on "Nickname Preferences" on the left sidebar. You can change it there.

Diamondeb sounds like a madam in the old west.

What a day for all the ANDREAHOLICS!!!
What a clutch performance by a Class Guy!!!
Class will always come out.

Enchanted. someone on Dodger Thoughts just asked the same question, if anyone saw Pierre's face when Andre hit the homer. He said he wanted to know what someone's face looks like when they know their job is lost.

bluecrewgirl, as Ed McMahon would say, "HI-OHHH!!!"

If Andre had been allowed to play every game (which any other manager would have done) coming out of spring training when he was hot, he would have over 25 home runs and be leading the team in RBI'S. Pierre should never lead-off for the Dodgers again and be used strictly as a pinch hitter/runner...

Hopefully, this ends the Andre/JuanP bulls@#t!!!. Then, again, there is JoJo.

You are so right, boblee. What a shame Joe didn't realize it.

I'd like to think that Blue, but we are talking about JoJo. My guess is JP will be right back in there against the next LH we face. :(

You are probably right, enchanted. But, there is always hope that JoJo will finally realize that given the chance, Andre can hit left handers. Pierre can't hit anything.

What a finish! That Ethier kid is pretty good huh Joe! We've got two lefties coming up in this series with Colorado so I'm not getting too excited yet. We all know Joe is going to play Slappy in those games and now he's even thinking about playing Nomar at first and benching Loney. Remember he actually had to think about who would give him a better at bat - Loney or Berroa. Today was the first time since June 27th, 2002 that all three outfielders for the Dodgers have homered in a game. I promise you that will never happen if Juan Pierre plays. Joe is going to make or break our season, this series will tell us all we need to know about Joe.

bring on the ROX!

Thanks Dodgereric!

Maybe we're the 2007 Rockies? Who says lightning can't strike twice?

Northstate, I had forgotten about that. I used to love Johnny Carson.

DNelly, or should I say DiamondDeb, lol, a friend of mine who was at the game and knows I'm a big Ethier fan just called me and he said he and his friend moved down behind home plate before the bottom of the 9th and they were yelling for Andre to pull the ball right and hit it out and he said the place went crazy when he did.

Enchanted, I am hoping Joe will finally do the right thing so I am trying to be positive about it. Andre's always hit lefties well in the past and he has 3 or 4 hits against lefty relievers recently. He just needs to get at bats against them to keep working through it and regardless, what he brings in defense over JP is enough. I am going to the game on Thursday, so just to be safe, the opposing pitcher had better not be a lefty.

hello ITD!! THAT IS EXACTLY WHY YOU DON'T BENCH ANDRE!!! man WHAT A WIN TODAY!!! ANDRE IS ON FIRE!! i'm so happy for him! he's doing such a good job!!

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Acardona = ETHIERaholic!

I was pleased to read that article where Bowa praised Kemp saying that he's already at where he (Bowa) thought it would take him another 2-3 years to get to. So then, what's Kemp going to be in 2-3 years? We could have a serious monster in our midst.

And they say that names were changed to protect the innocent? LOL.

enchanted - Kemp is doing great!! i mean look at today!! kemp hit the 4th lead-off home-run for our team this season (the other 3 were hit by furcal) yeah he does strike out a lot but he's still (very) young and learning! he's a great player in my book!! I would LOVE to see him in dodger blue for MANY years to come!!

LMAO!!! enchanted/Beav ~ I went from being a mom to being a madam. What will your father,Ward dear, think? ~ Everytime I was tempted to sign on during the game, I always thought, "enchanted's going to come up with some wise a** remark," and sure enough, you did. It shows you how much I know your thinking for sure. I knew you would have fun with the name. LMAO!!!
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Northstateblues ~ I tried that several times, and it said the information was saved, and then I would log on to ITD, and it would go back to diamondeb. This is the name I use when I first went on for auction items a year ago. Anyhow, I can see it's fine here at home so I will continue to figure out the clich at school. Thanks for the suggestion :)

The offense since that guys arrival has been great, Great, GREAT!!!!!! The ability to come back and win late has been a pure pleasure to watch.
But this inability to close out games lately has got to be a major concern.

hey dnel! is our boy on fire or what!?

On the homepage they are referring to Andre as "Andre the Giant" - ETHIERIFFIC!!!!!!
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BTW ~ I missed the walk off homerun. I left the classroom to run copies - go figure!!!! However, thanks to mlb.tv, I can watch it over and over and over again.

Aw mom was that you?? That's the last time I let Wally talk me into using those funny websites...

Pay no attention to the Visa bill when it comes in.

= Beav

Dnelly, it's when you log on and find that you're listed as DIAMOND DAVE that you should begin to worry. :-)

thinkblu16 ~ he is smokin' right now!!! It is wonderful to see. He needs to keep watching Manny because whatever he is doing, it's obviously working.

DNelly, thank God for being able to watch the highlights over and over. He'd better be in the lineup on Thursday. I think he's been on the bench the last 2 or 3 games I've been to.

haha! absolutely Nelly! I hope Joe realizes now that even if its lefties pitching, Andre is the better choice to put in the line up!! i can't wait to go to another game and wear my SIGNED Ethier shirt!! haha!!

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Acardona = ETHIERaholic!!

LMAO!!!! enchanted/Beav and Obi :) too funny!!!!!
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Beav ~ I was wondering why you and Wally were not fussing over going to bed so early.

bluecrewgirl - I KNOW!! the last game i went to Andre was on the bench but they brought him out in the 7th inning and sure enough he got the hit to bring Russy in and win the game!!! hopefully BY NOW they realize Andre NEEDS to be in the line up!!

maybe they should call this blog "Ethieraholics Anonymous"...???? LOL!!!

Thinkblue, he got a hit off the bench in the last one I was at too. It was the one where he had been sick all day prior to the game. Maybe it was the same game.

bluecrewgirl ~ I certainly know the feeling. We sat there for a whole weekend watching Andre ride the rail. I was glad he did that versus sitting on the bench like JP, or I wouldn't have seen him during a game at all. We were behind the dugout. Is there a lefty pitching Thursday. I know Wednesday is - it is Francis

bluecrew - no i went to the game last tuesday against the phillies.. but the game your talking about was a great play by Andre also!

.
man i LOVE that picture on the home page with the boys lifting Andre in the air!! with the title "Andre the giant" how awsome is that!?!?

Acardona = Ethieraholic!!!

I'll have to go check that out Arcardona. I haven't seen it yet.

thinkblue16 ~ so very cool!! Just Ehtieriffic!!!!!

It is a lefty on Thursday, Rusch, but Andre is hitting .400 against him, so I am going to hold a positive thought that he'll start against him.

Dnelly - haha!! i love these words with Andre or Ethier in them!! "ETHIERiffic" too good!! but yes that picture and title on home page is absolutely Ethieriffic!!!!

bluecrewgirl - yeah check it (the picture) out! i'm sure all the "Ethieraholics" are LOVIN it!! i know i am! and with Andre hitting .400 against that pitcher i'm sure he'll get to start! i'll keep my fingers crossed for you! i wanna go thursday too but its a black out date on my tickets so i'll have to wait :-(

I just finished watching the bottom of the 9th - absolutely remarkable!!!!

Dnelly - I also missed the bottom of the 9th.. i have it recorded but my family is watching the olympics so i haven't had the chance to watch it yet :-( i'm sure i'll watch it OVER AND OVER AND OVER!! haha even though i WENT to the game last tuesday when Andre got that walk-off double to get Russell in i STILL set it to record at home and watched it OVER AND OVER!!! LOL!! yeah my family thinks i'm crazy... LOL!!

Yeah sam, I pulled that Loney fielding stat to show you that he's not such a bad fielder. So he made a couple of errors. So what? Exactly who do you think should be playing first base? Nomar? Sweeney?

James Loney is our first baseman. He's not going to make every play. He's also made a lot of tremendous plays there for us. Are you saying to get rid of him? If not, what's your point?

"loney almost lost us this game!"

He's also leading the team in RBIs.

Loney just had a Southwest Airlines wanna get away moment like they all have some games. He's still a top notch first baseman.

Errors happen. Its up to the pitcher to overcome the miscues, which Park didn't. He had Braun down 0-2 and let him take him deep. Fortunately 'Dre was there to pick them both up.

With JoJo's recent comments, I wouldn't doubt Loney's starting to look over his shoulder. Besides Russ, Loney's the only one JoJo hasn't messed with yet.

James is doing a wonderful job, and like everyone has said over the past few days, errors happen - it's part of the game. Give these poor kid a break!! I know the Brewers won yesterday, but I'm sure jj Hardy wants to take his through the legs error back, too.

I also think James is doing a great job. Remeber, Blake had a mental meltdown during the Giant series and he is a veteran. There is no way JP should ever start a game ahead of Andre! Park blew the game by becoming unhinged. He had two outs and a 2 strike count and should have closed the deal.

Joe Torre has cost us more games then James Loney's errors and Matt Kemp's base running mistakes combined.

Max ~ I think you are right. From some of the lineups he's put out there (like giving Russell and Kent) the same night off, to putting Juan as his leadoff man and sometimes by just not having faith in his own pitching staff.

Exactly Max!!!! Very well said - thank you !!!!

Someone told me that the Rockies changed their pitcher for Thursday, but it's still a lefty. I am hoping 2 walik of winning hits, and almost a 3rd last night along with stellar defense will be enough for Torre to finally give him a start against a lefty.

I think it's great the way Russ, Andre and Matt always give each other hugs and big support when one of them has a big moment. Russ was saying after his walk off hit earlier in the week how happy he was for Andre and that he works really hard and is harder on himself than anyone else could be.

You guys... The one thing I keep thinking about is the Manny trade ending up like the Maddux trade a couple of years ago. Maddux comes over, plays a huge role in us getting to the post season, pitches really well.... Following year, we let him get away... If that same thing happens with Manny, I'll be really ticked off. The guys is playing a gigantic role in our new offense, and don't get me wrong, I love all of the guys, I just don't see any of them having the same effect on the lineup until kemp shows he can hit a lot more homers. He's well on his way, but in the meantime, we need a definet power bat in the lineup. Manny cannot be replaced as far as just mere prescence. I'm not saying the guy will always bat .400 with homeruns every 6 at bats or something crazy, but he is the bat that we've been looking for, for years. WE HAVE GOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO KEEP HIM. The dodgers have always had great pitching, we've always lacked that power bat to get us over the hurdle, even the 88 team had no power other than Gibby. This is our chance to lock him up for a few years, and I honestly could care less what Frank Mcourt does with his money, or how much he spends, it's not my money... So, using the excuse of him wanting to much money, I really don't care how much money he wants... The goal here is to win a championship... Our chances are greatly increased with Manny on our roster than without. We seem to have finally found the blend of veteran and young leadership to allow us to go a really long ways towards a World Series.... Lets keep it going this year, and please Ned, Frank, and Screaming Meanie.... RESIGN MANNY!!

I hope you are right, bluecrew. We keep hoping for that to happen and for some reason, Joe feels he has to play Juan. Hey, maybe it finally sunk in that Andre is his man!!

I'm with you Brandon. I know a lot of people don't want Manny signed. But, I like the way he swings the bat, sure. But, more important is the way he interacts with the players in the dugout and in the batting cages. PRICELESS!!

I hope so trueblue. I don't know what more he can do to prove himself. Not only would he have more home runs if he hadn't been jacked in and out of the lineup, his batting average would no doubt be higher and we'd likely have more wins too.

I know, bluecrew. Even the announcers on TBS kept saying Andre is the perfect #2 batter because he hits the ball where it's supposed to go and hardly ever strikes out. He is not a selfish hitter.

samjones, I have no idea who the hell you are, or who you think you are... But I'm confusing you for someone who does not make any sense what so ever. I'm not even going to respnd to you... Anyone else have anything to say about this tool... On top of that, I don't take kindly to being called a noobie, and I highly doubt that dodgereric will either. I'm 27 years old and have been a Dodger fan my entire life, no questioning of that. But you're telling me that there's not a problem when we've blown as many saves this week as we have? You're crazy, our defense is fine, our offense has grown greatly, our pitching has been awesome all year, but we're in serious need of some bullpen help right now. We have had injuries, and now guys who are not normally closers or set up men are doing those jobs. It's showing in the results that they coudl use someone.... We blew a 4 run lead in the 9th today, last week we lost 2 games to a team that could barely beat a t-ball team... We lost those games in the 9th as well.... Look, it's ok that you're on drugs and your sentences and grammar make no sense... That's fine, but trust me, our defense is not the problem. Does anyone know who this samjones is by the way!?!?!?

Sam ~ you have to lighten up! Good grief, you don't have to attack people for saying something you, personally don't agree with. This is a forum, so naturally, we have different views.

THANK-YOU BRANDON!!!! You said it much better than I did. I was so angry, I could barely type.

Eric ~ if you are out there, I want you to know I value what you have to say. I respect and admire you and always enjoy what you have to say.

The last post on the latest Blue Notes blog is hilarious. I thought you would all appreciate it.

http://sportsblogs.latimes.com/sports_baseball_dodgers/2008/08/everybody-loves.html

here's a little song for my boy thats getting the job done!

.Listen, Torre
Ain't no pitch to high
Ain't no ball to low
Ain't no outfield wide enough, baby

If you need a hit call 'Dre
No matter what inning
No matter if we're losin or winning
Just call on 'Dre
He'll be there with a double
Even if we're in trouble

'Cause baby,
There ain't no pitch high enough
Ain't no ball low enough
Ain't no outfield wide enough
To keep 'Dre from getting an RBI

Joe remember the day
He set you free
He told you
"Always count on me not JP"
From that day on 'Dre made a vow
"I'll be in the line up
Some way,some how!"

'Cause baby,
There ain't no pitch high enough
Ain't no ball low enough
Ain't no outfield wide enough
To keep 'Dre from getting a home run!

No wind, no rain

My Bat is alive
Way down in the count
Even when i foul it out!
JP if you ever need a helping hand
I'll be there with a double
Faster than you can!

Don't you know that
There ain't no pitch high enough
Ain't no ball low enough
Ain't no outfield wide enough
To keep 'Dre from getting an RBI

Don't you know that
There ain't no pitch high enough
Ain't no ball low enough
Ain't no outfield wide enough
TO KEEP 'DRE FROM HITTING A HOME RUN!!

.
Acardona = Ethieraholic!

Sam, disagreements in points of view are fine, in fact we debated one half the night a week or so ago, but please do not personally attack another poster because they don't view things the same or get the point you're trying to make. Rational debate is fine, but condescending remarks cross the line.

acardona dives into the deep end!! Great song!!

Well now, that explains everything. Sam's a Giant fan. Need I say more.

<|:(0)

enchanted - LOL thanks!

Superb Acardona!!!! LOL!!!!

trublue - nope! that explains it ALL!!

Maybe we can get Matt, Manny and Russ to dress up like the Supremes and record it. I know it was a Diana Ross solo song, but would still be funny.

jhall ~ No kidding!!!!!!!!!!
.
AWESOME ACARDONA!!!

why thank you 57dodger!! (this is jhall right?)

Gee mom, its amazing isn't it? HaHa!!

Yep Acardona. For some reason they started using the nickname I have in there.

Don't you guys think we should treat Sam like Joey?

bluecrewgirl - LMAO!!! just the thought makes me laugh!!!

.
thanks Dnelly! i thought all the Ethieraholics would enjoy that... i don't know if anyone on here has used that song though... i hope its original!! :-)

An old fart with CLASS!!!

Wally and Beav ~ Your dad is a real swell guy, and he definitely knows his baseball.

Jhall - same here but it's fine with me... i started getting e-mails from people i didn't know so i was planning on changing it anyways... I love how there's an assigned mom and dad for this blog!! lol!!

Acardona ~ don't forget momII

Probably a good idea Acardona.
Sam, you should obviously seek help and counciling.

TruBlue - not a chance!! it would be a crime!! lol :-)

Sam, I hope you know you are addressing a lady, not that it seems to matter.

Sorry you have gotten caught in this TruBlue.

what kind of debate is going on here?

this is getting childish

whao whao sam!! whats with you man!?

enchanted ~ thanks. And, ajay, you are right!!

What true, sober, Dodger fan would ever admit to being a fan of Giants-Yankees-Padres, who are without a doubt the most hated, vile, unholy troika in all of Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodger History, and arguably all of Baseball?

"Report any abuse or spam"

Wally/Beav ~ six year olds behave better - this is ridiculous!!! June darlin' is very upset that she doesn't even know what to say.

Is anybody Reporting any abuse or spam

Obi's in the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nells - i'm right there with you!! my little nephews wouldn't even disrespect someone like that!

.
nothstateblues - you got it right!!!

ajay - yes

Sam, why the disrespect for TruBlue ?

MomII a.k.a. TruBlue - i think you should have the pleasure of clicking on the "report any abuse or spam"!

sj ~ I am referring to how you reacted to dodgereric - you are being a jerk to say the least!! Any other word I am thinking of would get me kicked off!!

Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself.

"Report any abuse or spam"

August 17, 2008:
8:04 pm
8:09 pm
8:27 pm
8:33 pm

He got angry with me because I tried to defend Eric and Brandon's point of view

Sorry TruMom. Unfortunately there are alot of mentally ill people out there.

Yep North, they're going to be a bunch of them.

jhall - very well said!
trublue - we ALL got your back!

Thanks, jhall. I appreciate the kind thought. I just cannot stand anyone attacking any of you for no good reason. i know, we should ignore that kind of stuff. But, sometimes you just have to stick up for your buddies.

I know what you mean Tru.

Jeez - we'd be happy to debate a point of view without the BS - look how long we spent last week on the swood/JP issue.

So, jhall/enchanted ~ how's it going? LOL!! I missed being around here today (classroom set up and the name thing - diamondeb), and then I finally get to come on, and all this crap is happening. Iwent back and watched the important innings of the game, and Andre did a fabulous job!! What a way to earn his spot back, and yes, I am with you enchanted, I still see JP playing here and there when there's a lefty pitching.

One can only hope that the fool can't reproduce.

Enchanted ~ and, rintinjim and tink too!

Diamondeb. I like it!!!! LOL!!!

ok i have to go everyone! great win dodgers!! great home run Andre!!! GO ANDRE, RUSSY, MATTY, LONEY, MANNY, KERSHAW!!!! GO DODGERS!!!

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trublue/mom - like i said we got your back! don't worry it'll be reported!!

.
even though there's a damper on the mood right now i hope you all have a good night!! lets not let this dude make us forget our win today!! good night everyone!!

.
Acardona = Ethieraholic!

jhall ~ I think he already did (joey)

Yeah, that was a great win. Now all the Dodgers have to worry about is winning the games they're supposed to.

That was PIYP funny 57!!!

Night acardona. No worries!!

57 dodger (that's going to be hard to get used to) ~ I may be stuck with that name when I post from school. I used that name back before I came onto ITD - it was just my Dodger account name. However, enchanted thinks it's a madam's name - LOL!! June darlin' can't be a madam - LOL!!!

G'Nite Acardona. Unbelievable Beav!!

Good Night Acardona!!!
.
Beav - LMAO!!!!!!!

sj ~ If you haven't noticed, we like to have fun around here too. And, yes, we may be backing our friends, but that's what we do around here. You picked on people that we care for on this site, and when you pick on them, you pick on all of us. If you want 24/7 serious talk, then find another site. There are plenty of them for any team that you wish.

Once and for all Mr. Jones. We are all here to talk Dodger baseball and we don't always agree. But, we never call any one names. I still can't find what you are so upset about from brandon. I've read everything he posted and can't see where you are having such a problem.

Does any one know if Manny has made any kind of comments about staying in LA?
I would like to see him finish his career in LA. He is such a great hitter. And makes people around him good. Yes he is 36 years old, but look at the numbers that he puts up. If bonds put up the numbers he did at his age. I am sure Manny can do the same, hopefully money is not an issue. Manny is already bringing money, to the dodgers.

Super Extra! Read All About it! Live From The Daily Planet! Dodgers win on Thursday, Thanks to Masterful Performance By Hiroki Kuroda and Home Run Blast By Matt Kemp and The Rest Of Our Dodgers! Dodgers Win again on Friday behind the brilliant Performance of Super Hero Chad Billingsley,Home Run Rockets by Super Heros Casey Blake and Russel Martin and of course Superman Jeff Kent's 3 or 4 at the Plate and the Rest of our Dodgers! Sunday! Oh Sunday! As Vince Scully so eloquently described it as a Miracle, These Game First Place Los Angeles Dodgers of Ours came from behind and won 7 to 5 over the Milwaukee Brewers!The Super Hero Andre Ethier Belts 2 Rocket Home Runs, The last One a Two Run Rocket Home Run Blast in The Bottom Of The Ninth to secure The Victory! Andre, you are a humble person and are a truly Magificent Example of A Los Angeles Dodger BaseBall Player as your uniform is Royal Blue! The Great Super Hero Manny Ramirez Shows His Incredible Super Powers With His 2 Run Outer Space Home Run which knocked some faint white kyptonite out of the Way, going 2 for 4 at the plate,with a Total of 3 Wonderful RBI'S and a Run Scored! When Our Great All Powerful Dodger in the Sky Flung His Great Stars in the Sky, The Brightest One He gave to Manny Ramirez & He ordained that He would Become A Los Angeles Dodger in the Majestic Year 2008 A.D., and that Manny would use His Super Powers and Help Lead Our Los Angeles Dodgers to The World Series Victory!Manny, You are One Of A Kind! The Amazing Super Hero, who is just that as He never ceases to amaze and astonish us, Provdes His Always Powerful Punch, With His Orbit Blast Home Run, 2 For 5 At The Plate, and Run Scored always bringing Tremendous Spark to the Team!Absolutely Amazing, Matt!Super Hero Clayton Kershaw and The Rest Of The Pitching hung tough even though kryponite appeared to weaken us, until Andre Ethier's Bat desolved the irritant!Super Heros, Tower Of Power, James Loney, Majestic Russel Martin and great Angel Berroa were Absolutely Spectacular Wth their combined 5 Hits and Russel 's 2 Walks!Way to Go,Guys!Super Heros, Owner Frank McCourt, General Manager Ned Colletti and Manager Joseph Torre's Threefold Cord Will Not Be Broken As Their Unity Has Struck Fear Into The Weakened, Cowardly kryptonite and will dissolve it Forever when the Final Victory is Won! And of Course,The Incredible,Invincible,Inpenetrable,Man Of Steel, Our Very Own. Superman Himself, Jeff Kent, With his Cutch 2 For 4 At The Plate And Run Scored is always There When His Teammates Need Him! All of Us Fans Were and Are Super eroes!As Ordained By Our Great All Powerful Dodger In The Sky Before Our World Was Created And Is Irrevocable, Has Decreed The 50th Anniversary Of Our Beloved Los Angeles Dodgers In Los Angeles As the Super Great Year Of Jubilee And Victory As These Chosen Los Angeles Dodgers Will Be Crowned World Seres Champions For The Seventh Time In This Year 2008 A.D., As Superman Jeff Kent and His Super ero Teammates Will Receive Their Much Well Deserved But Hard Fought World Series Championship Rings!

ndeschenes you outdid yourself!!!

"get this straight i come here to talk dodger baseball and dodger baseball only wow...amazing how people can take things out of context"
By samjones1121@yahoo.com on August 17, 2008 9:15 PM

Only here to talk Dodger baseball? Hmm....

"class? hahahaha wow you are a old fart."

By samjones1121@yahoo.com on August 17, 2008 8:33 PM

"this is a blog its not an essay fa**t"

By samjones1121@yahoo.com on August 17, 2008 8:09 PM

You're talking about something, but it's not Dodgers baseball.

NSB ~ Thanks!!!

ndeschenes ~ INCREDIBLE!!! I enjoyed the whole post however, I had to copy and paste the Andre part - just fabulous, and you couldn't have said it more perfect. This is one of your best all around posts (IMO) for this beloved Dodger team!! Have a wonderful evening and a spectacular tomorrow in which the Dodgers get a well deserved day of rest.
.
The Super Hero Andre Ethier Belts 2 Rocket Home Runs, The last One a Two Run Rocket Home Run Blast in The Bottom Of The Ninth to secure The Victory! Andre, you are a humble person and are a truly Magificent Example of A Los Angeles Dodger BaseBall Player as your uniform is Royal Blue!

By ndeschenes@securenet.net on August 17, 2008 9:25 PM

The pictures in the photo gallery are great!! This is turning out to be a super year - who would've thought?

The best part was the group hug at the end!!

Andre and Matt,too - very cool!! I like Andre name for Matt,too (Kempster).

even manny was right in the middle. Did you see Juan?

Juan who?

(jk)

LOL - NSB - thanks I needed that tonight!!!

Juan who!? You know Juan!, the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude! :-)

Hi Obi ~ missed you

Super win!
Andre is the
Man
Incredible comeback!
Shockingingly great offense today
And Manny is continuing to become the
Newest Dodger Hero
Another great Dodger win, let's
Start a new winning
Streak.
Hail to the great new rookie starter, the new
Orel Hershisher, Clayton Kershaw! He can be the
Left-handed ace we've been waiting for!
Ethieraholics are Ecstatic!

LOL!!! very funny boys!!! "Juan who?" will get used alot now just like "Juan for four"

Where have you been eric? You missed all the D** fun!!

heheh... I swear, that was the first words out of my mouth after reading your comment, trublue!

eric ~ Ethieraholics are definitely happy people tonight because this has been a well deserved thing just waiting to happen. His patience that Torre told him to have has certainly paid off, and whatever he is learning from Manny, he obviously is taking it to heart.

I know, NSB. It still made me laugh and I can go to sleep on a happy note.

How do you like my tribute to ndeschenes?

Don't forget to check your email.

Ethier's HR has caused KCAL to order new episodes of "Juan Pierre, Dugout Cheerleader" for the rest of this season.

LMAO!!!!!! ERIC - ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT!!!!! VERY, VERY INGENIOUS!!!
.
Ward Dear ~ Wally and Beav will be very proud!!!

That's quite odd. I see posts from Tru, nelly, north, enchanted, jhall, acardona, obi, ndeschenes, carcyn and ajay, and then a bunch of blank spaces inbetween.

ME TOO!!

Obi being Obi is down right hilarious!!!
.
eric ~ still very impressive!!!!

Okay, Miss Debbie, now that eric & obi are here to keep you company, I think I'll call it a night. I'm worn out from all the sparring I did earlier. Have a good night/morning everyone. See you tomorrow

BTW, nice song acardona! You are on our blog!

have a good night, trublue!

Good night trublue!!

Good night TruBlue! Are you over your hangover?

Good night. Thanks for all of your help tonight. I really appreciate it.

Yes I am eric. Thanks for asking.

eric ~ LOL!! If she wasn't, tonight sure got her over it.

I've had my share, but not in a loooong time. You get smarter as you get older. Usually. :-)

heheheh, Obi

eric ~ I was there ~ she only had one drink, but it was one of those fruity ones with 5 different alchohols. I think it was the talking about ITD that got her so tired out. She kept bringing up all the name changes, and it just made us giggly and laughing to the point of crying. Between enchanted being numbers and westernmost turning into winflavor, we lost it, and now our family thinks so too.

At least you guys have fun with it. My family just act like Lurch on the Adams Family. You know, shaking their heads while walking away and muttering, "uhuhuuhuhuhuhuh...."

eric ~ my kids shake their heads plenty, believe me!!!
.
How did NASCAR end up today? When I left to go to school, Edwards was leading and Kyle was just behind. Jeff Gordon had just left the race a few laps before that. Iwill go look myself, but you always give better details.

So, when there is NASCAR and Dodgers on at the same time, do you go back and forth? split screen perhaps?

All of you are all happy about Ethier hitting that walk off correct?
.
Well I am no longer a supporter of his.

The guy is a punk!

Funny thing today at church ~ The message for today was on the line "That's Not Fair" and how people use that instead of thinking about all the things they are thankful for. My mind went straight the issue with JP and Andre on how each of them took their situation and placed it in a different frame of mind. Andre took all the positives out of the situation, while JP took away nothing but negative things. The funny thing about that, is JP is the one before every at bat that has the ritual of showing who and what he believes, but he doesn't show it any other time throughout the way he carries himself on or off the field.
.
The message also made me think about my classroom and what every one has said about the year I am about to take on, but I am finding I am not feeling the "That's not Fair" attitude. I am looking at it like a challenge that has been put in front of me.

dcollins ~ if you are not kidding then it's not you - LOL!! Welcome to the ITD late show :)

"stir it up... little darling...stir it up..."

Carl Edwards won it, Kyle Busch was "the first loser" as they say over there. My boy Jimmie had a good car today, maybe not good enough to win, but a top 10 for sure. But he got tangled up in the same mess that eventually took out Andre's favorite driver. I never did see how they ended up that way, but Tony Stewart, Jimmie, Jeff and one other ended up trying to put 5 pounds of stuff into a 3 pound bag. Stewart knocked Jimmie into Jeff. Jimmie had a tire go down and had to pit under the green flag and went down a lap. He didn't get that lap back until there were only about 15 laps to go and ended up 17th. Gordon blew a tire a few laps after Jimmie pitted that sent him into the wall and ended his day.

When there's a race and a Dodger game at the same time, I'll have the race on the TV and Gameday on the laptop. When the race goes to commercial, I switch to the Dodgers on TV and switch the laptop from Gameday to Pitcommand on NASCAR.com. It gives me all sorts of views of the race and, get this, the radio communications between Johnson, Chad Knaus (his crew chief) and his spotters! Very cool!

I don't know what I'm going to do when the NFL starts up.

"Me and Matt Kemp were out there looking at each other when they tied it up, saying, 'What the heck's going on?' It's a big emotional swing, but you've got to jump right back on it and stay mentally tough in that situation," Ethier said.
"We've had to come up big in some situations. And when they present themselves, don't back down. Go up there, tough it out, really grind out that at-bat and make the most of it."
.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/sports/94071.php

You know, lost in all the Ethierheroics, these boys have really developed that 'never-say-die' attitude that can take them a long way.

LOL!!! That NFL always throws a wrench in around here too. I did see what happened between Jimmy, Jeff and Tony. I saw Jimmy come out for his tire change, and then a few laps later Jeff left for the garage, and that's when I left to go to school.

If you are in the least bit interested in NASCAR, the next race is one you should watch. It's at Bristol, NC. It's Saturday night. Bristol is a little 1/2-mile track that has steep banking, so the speeds are good. The place is shaped like a bowl, with 150,000 seats around it and 43 cars roaring around! They used to knock each other all around the place, but there hasn't been much of that with this new car. It's still one of the best tracks they go to though.

I know you all are like huh????
.
Well don't worry, I'm just kidding! I still have a man crush on the Dre. But...
.
I have a story about a boy named 'Dre, a girl named Wifey and a boy named DC.
.
DC was watching his favorite team the LA Dodgers. He was tired after only 3 hours of sleep, then work for 5 hours and resting soundly on the couch while enjoying the game and some good eats.
.
DC saw his favorite Dodger Every Day Dre hit a HR to give his beloved team a 4-1 lead. He later saw as Dre got a hit and scored another run on a hit by a newer Dodger, Manny.
.
Well, DC's flame AKA Wifey showed up in the top of the 9th inning just as an x Giant (UGGGGHH!!!) delivered a hit to score a couple of runs. Now the score is 4-3. Wifey sits next to DC as they worry as the last week or so they've seen numerous games where there were some lucky bounces for their opponents as well as they didn't make the plays to clse out the games with wins.
.
Then bammmmmm. Oh noooooooooo! 5-5. But still alive.
.
Here is the 10th and Wifey says don't wrooy it's Matt. He can do it, and Matt does it with a single!! Woo Hoooooo!
.
DC says it's like yesterday. Every Day Dre is up with Matt on 1st. He'll pull though. After all he's Every Day Dre.
.
Dre swings... the ball flys... did he do it??? YEAHHHHH yells Wifey as she jumbs to her feet, jumbs up with excitement and WAM!!!! Smacks her head into the chandlier above her head and splits her head open.
.
Now Wifey is on the couch clutching her head and starting to tear up as she isn't really sure what just happened.
.
Okay, I'm not Ndeschenes, but to make a long story short... 4+ hours, 2 staples, some ruined clothes, towells, carpet, and $200.00 later we are at home and Wifey is okay.
.
And that is why I was kidding that I was angry at Dre!
.
Do you think he'll pick up the DR. bill???
.
Sorry this is long but like I mentioned earlier I've only had 3 hours of sleep and DC not good without sleep!!!

Excuse me, I must be getting tired. Bristol is in Tennessee, not North Carolina.

I know ~ this team as a whole has really stepped it up a notch. Even if today's gamed ended up being a loss, it is just so much fun to watch now, not that I didn't like watching before, but it's not like I am hoping for a comeback of some sort, I know there will be one. Also, they just seem like they are having fun again.

Wow, dc, that is SOME STORY! Tell Wifey that we're all thinking about her here on ITD Late Night!

Yes, I have seen that race (on tv) many times. When we lived in Tennesse, we had friends that went there every year. They said it's one of the best.

I hear that the people (like your friends) that have tickets actually pass them down in their wills.

When asked about her injury in the bottom of the 9th, Wifey took the high road and stated "I just took one for the team." "It's all about winning and today we got the win, are tied for first, and playing team ball." "Besides tomorrow I get ICE CREAMMM!"

Ouch!! dcollins~ That is just terrible - I am so sorry! However I must say I do the same thing, but I am never near a chandelir. Ouch!! I really hope she is okay.

Wifey gets any winflavor she wants!

Yes, I have heard that too, eric. They were young at the time, and I believe they got them from their parents or grandparents.

I made a few errors in my story. Bottom 9th, not 10th.
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& jumps is spelled with a ps!!
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There are others but it is late.
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Eric- thanks for the sentiment.
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From the looks of things earlier I missed a hum dinger in here today!!
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Dude got real angry that people didn't agree with him.
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Maybe it's the full moon or maybe it was Sunday afternoon frosty adult beverages?

Thanks Nelly. It was the weidest thing. From a second of joy to an emergency. She was really gushing and she has long hair so I couldn't tell how bad it was.
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She has never had any kind of injury in her life.
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Me on the other hand...I'm always getting dinged up.
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I was really scared for her as I love her and all. I was really scared that she was going to pass out on me, or I on her!
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She is a trooper though. Funny that she was raised a Giants fan and became a Dodgers fan from dating/married to me.
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She was like I'm so embarrased. Are you going to tell them on the blog???
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How can I not share that story. It is a classic for our marriage.

dcollins, hope your wife's doing okay

dcollins ~ Oh wow!! It just sounds so painful. Well, I am glad she is going to be okay.

My favorite NASCAR race is Talladega. Especially when I play a video game. Big fast track, 3 corners (sorta), and FAST.

NSB--Thanks. She is ok. Right now she is sleeping away. She had a headache and her head hurt but she had a codone and that helped her out.
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It definately was a scare. Now that it's over were joking about it.
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Has anyone seen the movie Carrie? The scene when they pour the red paint over her at the end. I think it was red paint. I never saw the whole movie but have seen that scene. Well my wife has long straight hair and well there was a resemblance.
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It was also funny having to explain to all the medical staff how it happened. Espicially when we are in Norcal.
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My Wife was worried they would give her a hard time but they didn't.

Talladega is a great track as well, north. The polar opposite of Bristol, they never lift their foot off the gas. At the night Bristol race, they'll show the disks on the front wheels as they are glowing red. They've had tires melt off the bead from the heat.

We drove past the Talladega track on our summer vacation last year. Man, that place is almost literally in the middle of nowhere!

I was playing that video game at Talladega myself. I almost had a race won when that clown Dale Jarrett knocked me into the infield grass!

DCollins, I'm glad your wife is okay. These recent games have definitely nail biters.

I meant to say have definitely been nail biters.

LOL!!! too funny eric!!!
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dcollins ~ I have scene the movie,and yes, that's exactly what I was picturing. I am just glad she is okay. However, that will be a fun story for you and your wife to tell.

Thanks BC Girl.
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A couple comments from the game.
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A great win. I wish we didn't have to fight at the end.
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Unlike some of you guys, I wasn't to unhappy with Torre's move with bringing in Park. I didn't really know why he did that since JJ hadn't really gone through their lineup already.
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But Park has done well all year long.
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Torre made the move and you have to trust all your players which Torre did with Park (Although maybe not as much as with JJ).
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Park got the ground ball for probably only a force out, but Loney didn't excute and made matters worse by trying to force a play.
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That to me is on Loney. But this is a team game so it isn't really on any one body, as Park needed to pick up Loney and he didn't. But Ethier picked them up! The Manager made the moves and the players didn't make the plays. That to me is pretty much it.
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Last week I wanted Torre to go with Kuo in the Saturday night game and rest Broxton so he could go on Sunday. Well Torre went the opposite and it didn't work out. That wasn't really on Torre. The players have to make the plays and they didn't.
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Sam J. although he was pretty irrational and plain rude to everyone that was here and has had to read his outburst, was correct to a degree. Our defense has let us down. It isn't just the pitching. Loney makes that play and there isn't a walk off Wifey to the hospital HR by Dre. Blake makes the play in SF and we are celebrating being alone in 1st.
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Where I don't think he was correct was we do need more pitching. They have also let the team down. Baseball is all about excution, one little play/pitch at a time. Some of our relievers haven't excuted lately and I think that is a combined affect of injurys and a tired bullpen. Losing Wade was big in my opinion. When I watch Manny at bat I'm relaxed that he'll come through. I had the same feeling with Wade. Even though he was a rook I was comfortable and happy when he was coming in.
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Anyway I'm sorry for rambling. I just wanted to throw my pennies into the pot!

dcollins ~ your pennies are always taken here. :)

Careful dc, your name will get changed to "ramblinman"!

A bittersweet article on Maury Wills:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-streeter18-2008aug18,0,5397064,full.column

LOL Eric!
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My ramblin has come to an end.
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Wifey wants me to get to sleep. I've been checking on here and posting in between clean up form the earlier accident and pretty much am finished so good night to you all.
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Make sure you enjoy the day tomorrow as it is ice cream (Or frozen yougurt) time. I'm having some!!
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Oh and also I'm pumped as yesterday I purchased my tickets for our trip to the Ravine in September. Section 44 or 45 I can't remember. It is down the left field line row B for one game and row D for the other. I'm not sure of the new seating but the row seems to be fairly close to the field. Let's hope so!!

I think I'm done, too. Catch ya'll on the flipside!

Eric, Thanks for sharing the Wills article. I was a big fan of his (one of the many yelling "go-go-go" whenever he got on base). Wish there was something we could do to assist getting his number retired and giving him his props. He was a big part of the success of the 60's Dodgers.

Ward Dear ~ Thank you so much for the article on Maury Wills. It was great, and let's hope the Dodgers Organization does the right thing. Also, still very impressed by your post at 10:04 pm. You get the award for creativity for the day - A+.
signed ~ June Darlin'
P.S. ~ Sorry about falling asleep on you and dcollins. I was reading my book, and the next thing I know, I wake up and it's 2am.
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dcollins ~ I hope your wife is still doing okay. There were probably alot of Ethier fans that had the same reaction, but how many of them went to the Emergency Room as a result of it - We now know one.

Godd morning in ITD land ~ dnelly, I don't know if you're still home but, have a great first day of school. Hope your classroom is full of wonderful children and that by the end of the year are all Dodger Blue and especially Ethieraholics!

Morning All !!

Wow DC, guess that went a little beyond rubbing some dirt on it! Glad your wife's OK.

Good morning enchanted ~ I feel for DC's wife too. That is something that would happen to me. I'm kind of a klutz. I would find it difficult explaining to people how I hurt myself if I had hit my head but, my husband would tell everyone and laugh as he was doing it! He thinks I'm hilarious. Maybe that's why we've been together nearly 45 years. I keep him laughing all the time.

Gooooood morning ITD!!!

No sheriff in sight yet. Hope he's out roundin' up the rustlers.

Did anyone see that Tex/TB game? lol Hamilton got the Bonds treatment with the bases loaded with 2 outs TB up by 4 runs and walk in a run on purpose and Byrd made the last out.

The dback fans are idiot.

http://www.forums.mlb.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ml-diamondbacks&tid=34690

Good morning eric!

sl7180 ~ didn't see the game but it sounds like a good move by the manager.

I'm praying it won't happen when Manny is up in that situation.

I know. That's why we need a good hitter behind Manny.

GREAT MORNING ITD!

Hey I'm back. ETHIERHOLIC is here. I am sooooo proud of the DODGERS' right now, specially ANDRE ETHIER!

Everyone was great, so we lost one game but we are still tie at first.

I don't know if it's just me, but I've been watching the news, well the DODGER'S news from the local news station here in L.A. and man all the attention is just going to MANNY...HEY NEWS PEOPLE ETHIER DID 2 HRs IN ONE GAME!...SSSSSShhhhhh Maybe it is just the ETHIERAHOLIC on me. But I'm glad that the ITD knows who is doing what.

MS DNELLY good luck on your first day on school. You need to get a stamp that says ETHIERRIFIC for the students papers each time they do a ETHIERRIFIC JOB!

Good Morning ITD writers and readers!!
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Well what do you know! I show up to work and the ITD God must have heard my request to have my name back. Thank goodness! I kept thinking of clever things to say in response to all the smart*ssed remarks that enchanted would have said ~ jk, Beav~
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I loved watching the highlights this morning on ESPN - great stuff. Also, I guess Jeff Kent is a little upset with Vinny. Did you catch that. He's tired of people telling him that he is doing well because of Manny. If you haven't seen it, you need to. It sheds a little light on Mr. Kent - not such a team player ethier (either).
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Catch up with all of you later!!!

I had Kemp and Ethier on my fantasy team damn 3 homeruns felt nice.

Dodgersrule ~ The LA Times has a great article for all of the ethieraholics. No mention of Manny, either.

Good morning TruBlu!

It might make sense to walk someone with the bases loaded, but I don't think I could ever do it. The same goes with walking ANYONE, Bonds included, unless it's to set up the double play. It might be smart, but IMO, I just think it's gutless. I'd rather play straight up. I hated walking Bonds unless it was in the above situation when you'd walk anyone else. I'm also sure that someone, or multiple someones, will be disagreeing with me here, but I don't like to play that way. The same goes with that old 'hack-a-shaq' technique. It's playing within the rules, yes, but I just feel that if you can't beat someone straight up, you probably don't deserve to win.

sl, you're right, AZ fans are scum if they're calling us out for booing Gagne. If memory serves (and again, someone here will correct me if I'm wrong), didn't we offer Gagne a fair contract to return? Didn't we pay him a huge salary which he collected while injured for virtually the entire term? Didn't he say that he'd sign for less money to stay? He's just another Boras client who goes where the money is $1 better. He's not in a Dodger uniform anymore. Just another mercenary. And one who cheated as well. Yes, he was extremely popular. Yes, I love "Game Over". If I was at that game, I'd have booed him too. And I have NEVER booed a Dodger on the field in the hundreds of games I've attended. I left a game in disgust once, but I never booed anyone in Dodger Blue.

I feel differently about players who were traded away. But the ones who leave for a slightly larger payday are fair game as far as I'm concerned. IMO.

Hello everyone. Sweet win last night and incredible game from our Andre. Ironically, Gagne did us a favor by leaving. He hasn't been nearly as good or healthy without the juice.

Good Morning, dodgersrule!
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Definitely have to look into getting a stamp - LOL!!, and thanks for the well wishes. No criers is all I ask for on the first day. Last year I had two who cried for two weeks, and that's no fun.
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Good Morning tru - thanks!!!

Good Morning Ward dear, Wally and Beav!!! Fun night last night to say the least!!

MS Dnelly for those criers just let them hold ETHIERbear for a little while and if they don't stop crying than that means that they are GIANTS fan...well that is reason enough to cry...just have lots and lots of patience....

Eric ~ You re right about the intentional walk. After thinking it over, I changed my mind. I too remember the walks to Barry and could not stand it. So, I'm a flip-flopper. It's early and my brain isn't functioning yet. Thanks for straightening me out. I also agree with the Gagne booing. I'd boo Beltre too. He has really suffered after leaving the Dodgers.
Dnelly explained your posting last night and after reading it again, I couldn't have said it better myself!

Good morning jhall. Glad you're here

Good morning TruMom!! Thanks, you too.

Good morning jhall and nelly and dodgersrule! Off day today. What kind of trouble can we get into?

By the way, who's going to be our 5th starter?

Oh, glad you liked the post, TruBlu! And I loved the way everyone had your back last night. Wish I'd have been here for you, but I sense there may be more chances.

Morning Nelly, and Trublue. Thanks for the backup last night, that samjones guy was insanely lame. Anyway, just saying mornin' from Vegas. I'm sure the guys are glad they've got a day off today. Starting tomorrow, we march into sole possession of first place!!

TruBlue..the fifth starter according to Torre will be either Stults or Johnson.

It looks like your answer is right here. From yesterday:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080817&content_id=3324249&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

"Dodgers manager Joe Torre said he would be comfortable using either Eric Stults or Jason Johnson as his fifth starter if Brad Penny cannot return from the shoulder issues that have plagued his season.
The Dodgers have decided to skip Penny's spot in the rotation this time through because of Monday's off-day, leaving Torre to decide between Stults and Johnson when the spot comes up Saturday in Philadelphia, unless the Dodgers go outside the organization to fill the position. "

Maddux?

Morning brandon! Yep, looked like you were well covered in here yesterday! Feels good, don't it?

As far as Gagme is concerned, he was coming off two injury plagued years and management had to know by then he was a juicer. The fact they even offered him a contract was probably ill advised. Just because he was a Dodger, I can't condone his use of steroids anymore than Bonds and the rest of them. I'd have booed him just for that reason alone. Being a Boras client is just icing on that cake.

Speaking of which, has there ever been a Boras client we've actually gotten our money's worth out of?

Brandon ~ You are welcome. Could not let him get away with what he was saying.

Thanks xoxo ~ After you said that, I do remember reading about those two.

I would love to see them get Maddux just because of his baseball sense and he'd be a great help to Billz & Kershaw.

Yeah eric, it really does. Pretty cool, the guy had no argument and made no sense whatsoever. So... i replied to him ;) haha. I'd still love to have Maddux, I've been saying it for days, I really think the guy would help us an awful lot. Plus you can't measure his amount of knowledge he could pass on to Kershaw, he can still pitch better than 99% of 5th starters too.

The Dbags are playing the Puds in AZ while we're playing the Rox. It would be just like the Puds to lay down, although they're almost even head-to-head so far (7-5 AZ).

Wow Brandon great minds do think alike. I said the same thing about Maddux. Thank goodness our friend is gone or we would be called out on this too and be called idiots or worse.

Its OK Tru, I'm retarded because I'm still not convinced signing Manny is a good idea (though I'm coming closer to straddling the fence.)

Of course I'm also bombastic :)

I'd be OK with Maddux!!!! Could use his experience and influence down the stretch.

I think Manny just hired Boras as his agent. Won't that make it difficult (or nearly impossible) to sign him?

Maddux wouldn't be too expensive, only about $2million or so. We can all chip in LOL

I think Lowe is a Boras client, and he hasn't been completely awful. But Andruw, Princess Drew, Gagme (love that, e!), Beltre, I know I'm forgetting people. We're due for some luck.

BTW, if you have a few minutes, there's a pretty good article on Boras:
http://www.laweekly.com/news/features/the-boras-factor/16440/?page=1
It's a little old now, but I found it interesting.

And I think we have to make a run at Manny. It would be hard to replace him. The FAs aren't so plentiful. Unfortunately, Boras knows that better than anyone.

OK, I can't go more than a few days without a JP inspired song. Beach Boys - All Summer Long:

Mama’s on the phone to Uncle Ned
(Mama’s’ on the phone to Uncle Ned)
Remember all the things your Juanpy has said
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High socks, long pouts and a crooked thong
(High socks, long pouts and a crooked thong)
You’ve been callin’ Ned all summer long.
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(All summer long we’ve seen JP)
We’ve seen enough of him
(All summer long we want ‘Dre please)
Won’t be long til JP’s days are through
(JP’s days are through)
Got us Andre
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Pop-ups, ground outs and bunt or two
(Pop-ups, ground outs and bunt or two)
Rode this dead horse until he was glue
Every now and then we hear a whine
(Every now and then we hear a whine)
Now its time for Juan to ride the pine
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Won’t be long til JP’s days are through
(JP’s days are through)
Got us Andre
Every now and then we hear a whine
(Every now and then we hear a whine)
Now we’ve got our ‘Dre all summer long
(Now we’ve got our ‘Dre all summer long)
[Fade Out]
Now we’ve got our ‘Dre all summer long
(Now we’ve got our ‘Dre all summer long)

Eric ~ Great article. I think we have to keep Manny. He's good for the team and the clubhouse as well.

enchanted ~ "ETHIERIFFIC!"

Superb Beav!! LOL!!!
Have a great day everyone. Catch you all later.

You have a great day too, Jhall

LMAO, e! Again, I knew it was you when I read, "Rode this dead horse until he was glue"!

See ya jhall! Stop by when you can stay longer!

A short five minute, and I just wanted to stop in and say "hi", and see what the topic of the day is.
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Dodgersrule ~ No criers today - yeah!!! Ethierbear is a great solution, however ~ thanks!!
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Lots of great posts so far boys and girls :)
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Enchanted ~FABULOUS SONG!!!!!!
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dnelly, nells, nelle, June Darlin', Miss Debbie, and Mrs. Nelson ~ ethieraholics and having a great day!!!

bye jhall!!!

Hiya June darlin'! See ya June darlin'!

New thread!

Hi Ward Dear! How is your work day going? Sheriff must be out for the morning ~ LOL!! My day so far is fabulous!!

Ok Gang.....We finally got our wish....Looks like Kemp, Ethier, and Manny are our outfielders...with the occasional bone to Pierre....I would only make a run at Manny if we could get him for 2 years...any longer and I think it might not be as good......
I'm glad Penny is out...he hasn't helped us for about an entire year now and I don't care if we don't resign him...he's been serving up batting practice balls for almost a year..!!!...
I love the way the team is playing, but I am a bit concerned about the bullpen...without Saito, it lengthens the bullpen and I hope on the road we don't have more games like we did in SF...I'm not nearly as confident in the bullpen as I was last year, when we didn't have any hitting..lol....They have been okay, but Brox worries me a bit...and I would never have brought Park into the game yesterday...He has been pretty good this year, but is known to give up the long ball....and who throws a pitch 0-2 like he did yesterday??...I was really amazed, especially because of the count...!!!...
Well....let's hope we can continue our streak with the Rocks coming to town...they have given us problems in the past...and then the big test will be the road trip....especially in the band box known as Citizens Bank Park...in Philly...
Go Dodgers...Ethier , Kemp...have been unreal...Manny of course too...., but it's so nice to see the major improvement in Kemp and Ethier.!!!!...Go Dodgers