Winter Development Program

repost from previous thread.....I posted and then saw new thread.

Thank you dodgereric/Ward Dear, and a Good Morning to you as well.......sorry about the Chargers yesterday, but it certainly made my son a happy camper :)

......and yes, you are probably right about Dodger news today.
By nellyae16 on January 12, 2009 9:31 AM

Good Morning CP!!!!!

Good Morning to you too trublu!!!!!!

Thanks for the new thread, Josh!

That list of guest speakers reminds me of tests in school. You know, "Which of the following do not belong?"

My answer is: Darren Dreifort

Wouldn't you love to be in the room, listening to his words of wisdom? I mean, what has he got to talk about? How to steal money?

Good morning ITD boys and girls!
I know that Southern California does not have “winters” like, say, Midwest “winters.” But the weather here is weird. Here it is mid-January and this morning feels like it’s mid-August! I’m in a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops.

I am so tired of what Dodger management is doing (or not doing, as it seems). I mean, with regard to Manny & Borass, I say let them go. I’m feeling that even if (and that’s a big if) we sign Manny to a contract, Manny won’t be “happy” and in 2009 we’ll get bad Manny – the bad Manny that reared his ugly head in Boston, just before they traded him to us last year.

Ned – Just forget Manny and sign Abreu to a couple of years. Again, NO DUNN!!!

I know I’ve been high on signing Jon Garland, but the silence on him from the LEAGUE (not just the Dodgers) is starting to concern me. Is there a reason (is he hurt?) why no one even mentions him when talking about starting pitchers? But bottom line, we have got to sign a decent starting pitcher – at least one.

Good morning Nelly! So have you made it to LA yet? Or are you still stuck in KC?

And Eric, I thought the exact same thing when I saw that list. No, Darren does not belong…

I think they need a Winter Development Program for owners and GMs.

Eric – Maybe Darren can tell the kids at a young age how to get a ridiculous, long-a** contract and then stay hurt for the entire time. Oh, hey, maybe Schmidt can come in as another guest speaker!

Cp ~ LOL

Good morning Tru! Yeah, they can get some guest speakers to tell Frank and Ned how to get some b**ls and sign the players they need to sign!

By the way, Good Morning Nelly and Cp. Dodgereric and I have been at it for a while!

:)

LOL!!! dodgereric and CP!!!!

CP ~ at least teach them how to deal with people........Hoffman didn't come to us because the Brewers approached him in a friendlier manner. They kind of wooed him. Not that he would have been the best addition but, it makes you wonder how we deal with other potential players.

I know I’m kinda late in chiming in on this, but did y’all choke on Rick Monday’s words on the latest installment of the Inside Dodgertown video on the homepage? I like Rick Monday, but I’ve gotta believe that to narrate that video, Rick had to have several takes on it. I mean, it must be hard to “sound” excited about the Dodgers acquiring, drum roll please, Claudio Vargas and Juan Castro.

CP, my Dad used to call this "Chamber of Commerce Weather". Every New Years Day we'd watch the Rose Parade with the cameras showing sunshine and people in shirt sleeves at 8 in the morning on the 1st of January and he'd say, "Boy, can't you hear people all over the country saying, 'Marge, pack our bags. We're moving to California!'"

Tru, we dealt with Hoffman just like it sounded - "If you want to come, come! If not, we don't care. No big deal." Like players should feel honored or something.....

Yeah Tru. I would’ve liked to have Hoffman in the pen to teach Broxton his nasty changeup. But if it didn't happen, oh well. Not getting Hoffman isn’t the end of the world. But I read those articles about why Hoffman signed with the Brewers versus the Dodgers and his words just made me sick to my stomach. I mean, I take it back as far as CC. CC said that he wanted to pitch in So Cal and for an NL team. That takes out both the Angels and Pads. I mean, if you were CC and you had a choice (as far as So Cal and NL) between the Pads and Dodgers, where would you rather go? To the Dodgers. Now, I would NOT have offered a contract anything close to what the Yanks are giving him, and I’m not even sure if we would’ve been able to sign him if we offered something like 4 years + a player option. But, if a player’s desire pretty much puts him in our laps, don’t you owe it to your fans to at least offer something? I mean, I know they made an offer to Hoffman, but the lack of follow-up on the Dodgers’ part is just atrocious.

Hey Eric! I know what you’re saying. I’ve lived in So Cal my whole life, but I still have times where I can’t get used to our weather. I guess I should be happy that I do live in Southern California and don’t have to deal with “Midwest” winters! I mean, I was talking to my brother-in-law yesterday who lives about an hour northwest of Chicago. He was talking about the weather back there, and I said to myself, “glad I don’t have to live there.”

dodgereric/Ward Dear...........I just got a care package from one of my student's parents I had last year. Last week I got homemade jam from a former parent I had two years ago, and this week I got all my winter goodies. She gave me Clorex Disinfecting Wipes, Handiwipes, Purell, Airborne, Lysol spray, Febreze and the most important mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. She is a nurse at Valley Children's Hospital in Fresno/Madera, and last year she was always bringing stuff in for me then.

CP ~ I agree with you wholeheartedly!

Nelly – Sounds like your kids’ parents love you! :)

So it’s been a little while since I was here (although I read all the time). I mentioned it before, but has anyone here heard anything “unpleasant” about acquiring Jon Garland? I mean it’s not just the Dodgers. It seems no one is talking about him?

Nelly, that's really cool about that care package! I'm sure it takes a little bit of the load off your personal expenses. And that's a crime, BTW.

And personally, I like the MAXI Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Less work!

I hadn't played that video before, CP. I see what you mean. But that's what he's paid to do, after all.

Junie, did you play that video? There's a 30-second bit in the middle of it referring to your "Under The Lights" night.

CP ~ Last years, the year before that, and the year before that - absolutely wonderful parents. This year remains to be seen, but it's definitely not as good as last year. It probably is why the class is the way it is...............needs a lot of attention.

No I haven't shown the video, but I will when I get the chance.

Yeah Eric, he is paid to say that. But personally, well, I would love to hear what Monday and especially our Vinny REALLY think about what the Dodgers have done (or not done) this offseason. Actually, maybe I don’t want to know…

Nelly – Maybe this year’s parents are having economic woes like everyone else is and it’s rubbing off on their kids and then you see the end result when they come into class…

dodgereric - about the care package....she gives one to every teacher that has had her kids. So last year she would give one to me, along with kinder teacher. So, this year she gave one to Kyle's teacher, me and his kinder teacher (who happens to have his sister this year). So, it will be interesting to see how this line continues. She has one more still at home.

CP - It's not the care packages, it's just the general support that is frustrating......homework and permission slips not being turned in, notes not being taken out of backpacks for weeks, and then questioning why something is happening when the note was in the backpack all along. And what will happen is we send out a survey every year, and the one thing parents always mark us down for is communication. This is an across the grade-level problem. It's not just a room 5 problem. I can't complain too much really.....my neighbor teacher had a student come in on Friday and state that he was upset with his mom because SHE did not brush his teeth properly. The child is 7 years old.....you would think he would be brushing his own teeth by now. So, like I always say, it's just perspective.....the only thing I have control over is what happens in the classroom, and I make sure they are enjoying their time in here.

Henderson and Rice voted to enter Hall of Fame.

Ah, got it Nelly. Again, I give you all the credit in the world. Even if the desire was there, there is no way I could be a teacher. Too many personalities to deal with.

So Tru, I’ve gotta question for you. Now that Ricky is in the HOF, do you think the Dodgers will retire his jersey #? I mean, I can certainly understand the #s that they have already retired, but Ricky was only with the Dodgers a short time and at the end of his career. Interesting, huh? And I still don’t know why Andre Dawson isn’t in the HOF yet…

I think Andre Dawson should be in the HOF. It would be a hoot if the Dodgers did retire Ricky's #. Poor Tommy John had his last shot at entering.

Thanks, Tru. I'm really happy that Jim Rice finally got in. Freddy Lynn always got the attention, but Jim Rice was definitely the better player.

Sigh. Tommy John not in. Actually, as much as I liked Tommy, I still don’t know if he’s HOF material.

Well, I’ve gotta go. Got things to do around the house. I’ll catch up with y’all later…

I am leaving after this, but just wanted to say hi and bye to my fellow San Buenaventurian, crash!!! :)

Hey, CP! Nice summer weather in Ventura this weekend!

Okay, I'm still around - for this ONE post. Yeah crash, it is nice summer weather here! Take it easy! :)

Crash ~ I also thought Rice was an exceptional ball player. Even though I'm a Dodger fan through and through, I still admire and respect a good player when I see one!

New ITD opinion poll.

Who do you think will be in left field on opening day for the Dodgers?
.
(A) Manny Ramirez
(B) Adam Dunn
(C) Bobby Abreu
(D) Noodles
(E) Other

Here's is this "who do I think" over "who do I want" question again, and good afternoon to you enchanted. I think, because it's been so quiet off the JP front, that if we don't sign Manny, it will be him, with DY coming off the bench....so the way it stands right now..........I think it will be D, and he will be batting 2nd :)

Don't know if the Manny deal get done so, I'm hoping for C.
In reality if I were being honest it would probably be D....damn!

red pen....... I have no idea why I put "off" instead of "on"

By the way, nice to see you Enchanted. Hope you had a pleasant weekend.

On ESPN right before the announcement of the HOF selections, Steve Phillips said the dodgers should give Manny a time line for signing or not signing.......say one week. Phillips said that way we can move on and perhaps get Abreu before he is gone too and, we have nobody. Then it will be Noodles!

My vote is a combination of A) and D) :

Manny will be eating noodles in left field.

My second choice is C).

What can I say? I'm an optimist.

Shepherd ~ I hope you are right!

....to be honest, I think pitching is more of an issue right now than Manny over anybody else. I could be happy with Abreu, content with Dunn, and hope for the best with JP, and let Andre and Matt hit the hell out of the ball and be the stars that we know they will be, while hoping DY gets a shot at some playing time. However, pitching is a whole other issue right now because if we don't have pitching, Manny may not make a difference anyway.

Nelly ~ you mean you're not satisfied with Huggy Bear and Estes? LOL

I think it will be (A). Sometime, somewhere, somehow...

CP - I know you are not here right now, but to answer your question from the top of the thread, we are in Anaheim this week with the Angels, heading into Los Angeles and the Dodgers next week. However, we do Dodgers everyday in this classroom so really next week won't be much different than everyday in here other than the focus of geography as a the city of Los Angeles in the state of California. Well, maybe a little different :)

I would be okay with A, B, or C as long as D comes off the bench. Anything short of D coming off the bench is a problem unless we don't sign A, B or C and DY is physically unable to play.

trublu - No I am not :)

Ethier in left...Repko in center...Kemp in right...IF they DON'T sign Manny...but I think Dodgers will.................eventually. NOBODY runs on that outfield, if Manny goes.

Nells - the pitching issue is a point I took up last fall, but nobody would listen. Manny does little good if you're giving up 5-6-7 runs per game. This is why the focus should've been on CC and Sheets OVER Manny. Now we're discussing Wolf, Garland and Looper like they're more than just back of the rotation inning eaters.

Doing well TruMom, thank you.

Cp had a good question earlier about Garland, wondering why he is still available.........is there something wrong with him? A personality issue?

Is there an organized website that gives dodger records?

Showing for instance, the top five scoring teams in Dodger history and the most common batting orders; preferably divided by pre- and post- LA. Splits would be nice.

How about the top five Dodger teams by pitching ERA and SP record? Most saves in one season, most K's, lowest BA allowed, etc.

Shepherd ~ I'm sure there is and, Nelly, Enchanted or Dodgereric will probably find it for you. They have a knack for finding things.

As for myself, I'm pleased I can get on this site! lol

Tru, I think the biggest knock against Garland is his career .274 batting average against him. Even given that he's always pitched in the AL, that's pretty high, and makes him possibly a #4, but more likely a #5 pitcher in the rotation. Without Lowe, and given Billz is a #1, we need a #2 starter. Kuroda is not consistent enough to be a #2, and Kershaw is not yet proven.

Crash ~ who's out there that you'd like to have?

Tru, I'd like to have Lowe back, even though he is 35. He still is a good, consistent pitcher. Next best would be Sheets, but it would have to be a short contract, with incentive based bonuses (like keep healthy, make 30+ starts and we'll throw you a couple extra million).

Shepherd, baseball-reference.com has most of the stats you're looking for, but I don't know that you can easily manipulate the sorts that you want.

Lowe wasn't happy with the offer from the Mets and the analysts are saying the Braves, who he is in talks with now, won't give him much more. Apparently he was offered 3 years but wants 4. I think I'd give Sheets a try.

Lowe, being another Borass client is looking for way too much money and way too many years. Not only is Borass a shyster, he obviously doesn't have a clue or care that there's a worldwide recession going on.

Unfortunately, Lowe and Sheets are the only front end pitchers out there, so if we had to have him back I'd say OK, but certainly not for anymore money or anymore years than he's already being offered.

After my Sooners taking another BCS Title loss and the Steelers rolling possibly to the Super Bowl, I am back and ready for some baseball.

Hope everyone has had a good offseason so far.

What the heck will Dreifort be talking about at this? How to steal $$$ from an organization? or how to have bad mechanics?

Karros will be talking on hair styling? or How to date playmates?

lol

WHERE IS MANNY! Come on sign him!

Welcome back scurtis!!!

enchanted - the houses in Malibu are telling you how LA's power couple feels about the recession, so if Boras is reading all the things we are, wouldn't you be wondering "where's the money?" for my client too. I am in no way saying anybody deserves the amount money they are getting, but at the same time...........it goes back to the double standard the McCourts seem to have. Let's not spend money on the Dodgers because of the recession (the fans will understand), but it's okay to have four houses in these tough economic times.

Thanks Nelly!

GO BLUE!

scurtis ~ good to see you back!

Nelly, I think Forrest Gump has the answer as to why the McCourts are buying so many houses - "Stupid is as stupid does." They're dismantling this proud franchise with the way they conduct "baseball business". Or perhaps with the way they "don't" is more like it. Very depressing being a fan these days. We should all be real estate agents instead . . . . then we could appreciate the power couple.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090112&content_id=3740751&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

here's Sarah's Take ~ She's actually thinking somewhat like us for a change.

You are welcome scurtis!!

diggie ~ that really is the problem, isn't it? It's not who we are or aren't getting, it's the process in which we are getting (or not getting) players that is the ridiculous part of this whole thing. I get the understanding to a point about Manny and not caving to Boras, but what gives about not getting some quality pitching. It seems like management is more concerned with buying homes, building little leagues fields and playing chicken than actually finding some players who will make a difference. They might, but I doubt Vargas, HuggyBear and Loretta are going to make a difference.

It doesn't appear they're acting on the priorities that were set out after the season ended. Where's the new front-end starting pitcher? If they're not signing Manny, then who's the big bat? I'm ok with Loretta replacing Nomar as the first-choice utility guy, but the other two . . well, Frank/Ned will get their wake-up call when Jojo mismanages them and they break down. Difference makers, I think not! We need to make moves while there are quality players to be had, not pick up the bottom of the barrel. THAT'S NOT THE DODGER WAY!!!

Diggie, I'm afraid the Dodger Way is a thing of the past.

Diggie and Enchanted ~ the Dodger What? lol To make things worse, Mike just finalized his 10-year deal with the Angels.............no luck there, either.

Enchanted, the Dodger Way in LA is a thing of the past, but it is alive and well and residing in Anaheim with Mike Scioscia and his staff (shudder).

Diggie ~ great minds think alike!

Looks like we just stumbled on to why the Angels are the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" . . . sheesh!

Yep, tru, GMTA every time - lol

This is something that New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other eastern teams couldn't do.
At least not in the middle of January.
I'm assuming that Ramon Martinez was the pitcher, Pedro's brother.
Let's hope our young renegades, besides training, enjoy themselves.

I remember driving on Dodger Way just off Stadium Way!

I bet it's still there. :)

LOL!!!! That's funny shepherd :)

I see DeJon Watson hired Tim Wallach (51) and Franklin Stubbs (48), Tim to manage Albuquerque and Franklin as hitting coach for Inland Empire.

Good thing Ned didn't see them first or they'd be on the major league roster.

I don't know enchanted.........Stubbs seems a little young at 48

LMAO!!!!!!

For those of you who were up in arms about the JD Drew opt out clause in his contract, rest assured that Juan Pierre has no such clause and is not even halfway thru his contract with us. Good times Lemon.

Now back to waiting on Manny....Sorry for the interuption.

Congatulations to Vin Scully who was named Top Sportscaster of All-Time by the American Sportscasters Association.

LOL!!! Thanks for the reminder jungar........So you just made enchanted's option "D" on today's ITD poll that much more possible. Plus, I added the batting 2nd in there when I put my bets on option D (JP playing leftfield) in April.

Thanks jungar! I know that was keeping me up nights worrying that JP might get away from us.

Congratulations Vin Scully - FANTASTIC!!!!!

I'm closing the poll now.

Who do you think will be in left field on opening day for the Dodgers?
.
(A) Manny Ramirez - 43%
(B) Adam Dunn - 0%
(C) Bobby Abreu - 0%
(D) Noodles - 43%
(E) Other - 14%

Looks like we've pretty much decided that if Ned doesn't resign Manny, he's not going to sign Dunn or Abreu either.

So, the other (E) would be DY and Repko?

Think it was Kahli that said Repko.

Noodles! We don't need no stinkin' Noodles!

Yes, I do remember him saying that.........Ethier, Kemp and Repko, and nobody would run on them......very, very true :)

Pitching staff the way it is, McDonald better be able to pull off a pretty good imitation of a young Gooden and Kersh a seasoned Koufax or San Diego's going to have some serious competition for the basement.

It amazes me that you lose two starters, two relievers and a swing man and all you've gotten to replace them is Huggy Bear and Feces.

Signing Mota!

Pursuing Garland, Wolf, and Looper.
http://comment.mlblogs.com/search?blog_id=47511&tag=Dodgers

Flame away!

Shepherd ~ And, Mota is supposed to give us reason to cheer. Give me a break!

Tru Dat.

Hey shep!!

Mota - Nice choice Ned. So that's two roiders for Ned - one that can't throw it to the plate and one that can't throw it back.

I suppose Gagne is next.

Note that the time stamp on Enchanted's post is the same as the stamp on my message. I was not responding to Enchanted. The timing was coincident.

We are going to be the laughing stock of MLB!

No, Gagne is too busy shooting up. Remember our All Roids and Expensive Team?

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090112&content_id=3741706&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

....and this from our homepage :)

And what's this "set-up" man thing they keep talking about? Who did set-up for Brox last Aug-Sep? Was it not Kuo and Wade?

So now we've got this year's Procto. Who's next? We need another Sweeney.

Besides, Mota has a perfect record hitting in the past four years! When was the last time a baseball player had a perfect record?

Oh for Four!

Enchanted ~ with the way things are going, they will probably ask Sweeney to come back!

LMAO, shepherd!

Ausmus huh?

And I was worried I wouldn't have a variety of PVLs to write songs about.

Thanks Ned.

enchanted - you have soooooo many now, you won't know where to start - LMAO!!!!! I can see 1000 songs in our very near future if something amazing doesn't happen in the next 33 days.

wrt/ Ausmus:
Enchanted, don't exagerate about Ausmus not being able to throw the ball back to the pitcher!

He has trouble catching it in the first place. 4 PBs in 62 starts and 569.2 innings.

Actually shep I was referring to Bennett, but its nice to know Ausmus can pick right up where Bennett left off!

.......well, you probably do know where to start.

I can really appreciate seamless transitions like that.

LMAO!!!!!!!

The difference in GMs...

Cashman goes wild with the checkbook.

Ned goes wild with the piggybank.

Like you said.........no lack of material there :)

This all sounds pretty funny right now. But, I'm sure you all realize what a fine mess Ned and Frank have gotten us into....or as Frank Barone would say, "Holy Crap"!

Enchanted, maybe we should reprise our advice for Cashman and the Steinbrenners.

Let's see: Bonds, Shef, and Sosa are the top outfielders. McGuire is 1B. LoDuca is C.

Actually Frank told Ned, "I'm not much of a baseball man... pick a team you'd like to emulate."

Ned picked the Padres.

Ausmus' problem is that he CAN'T pick up where Bennett left off.

Question for Ned:

Exactly HOW are Vargas, Estes and Mota supposed to help this team?

I thought it was the Bad News Bears!

Enchanted ~ Merchandising! lol I bet they'll sell at least 1 shirt per player.

They'll be better off selling paper bags to put over your head Tru.

LMAO!!!!! It is good to laugh at a very depressing Dodger team right now. Mota ~ Are you kidding me?!? My family is already having too much fun with the Estes thing - now this. They are sitting over in their corner with Linsecum, Cain, Zito (I know),Sanchez, Johnson and Wilson as closer.

Well, Ned could have done worse. Of the original 8 teams in the NL, only the Phillies have a losing record: 8945-10099

Sorry, Phan.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/stats/historical/team_stats.jsp?c_id=mlb&baseballScope=NL&teamPosCode=all&groupByTeam=true&subScope=teamCode&statType=2&sitSplit=&timeFrame=3&timeSubFrame2=0

Just when you think it can't get any worse...

What's really sad is that right now I wish Ned had signed Randy Johnson.

You are right, Enchanted........we can be like the Saints, the year all their fans showed up wearing paper bags over their heads for the entire season! I think they called themselves the "Aints"

WE WANT Lurch?!?!?!?

He's taken, too.

I'm wearing a paper bag right now Nells.

In fact... in protest... be back in a couple minutes.

LMAO!!!!!!

OK, I'm back.

Oh, you are amazing, Enchanted.........LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We should all do that brownpaperbag#2, etc.

I bet we can end up with 1,000 brownpaperbags!

On ITD alone.......it would take no time to fill the stadium. That can be our new product for 2009.

Tru you read my mind!!!

I'm going to continue to be brownpaperbag until they do something of significance and quit embarrassing the team.

Me, too!
.
brownpaperbag#2

....if anything enchanted....I think this season, if things keep going the way they are... Schmirnov, Capt. Morgan, JB, Cuervo....and even Mr. Koolaid will be seen around alot.

LMAO!!

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now what would be really funny is everyone showing up with bags on their heads at ITD day.

Wait until your father sees this!!! He is going to LHAO.

Our new group can be B.P.B.U. (Brown Paper Bags United)

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

The B.P.B.U. formerly known as F.U.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor Dodgereric is going to wonder what the heck is going on if he arrives later!

We can have a picnic and everyone can bring a sack lunch.

It's only January 12. Why is nearly everyone's diaper in a knot? Manny is still available...Sheets, Garland, Wolf, even Lowe are still available. Ned re-signed Furcal and Blake (though I'm not really overly thrilled by Blake). Loretta is a good bench player. Schmidt "might" have something left in the tank. Andruw is bye-bye, as is a dinged Saito and Penny to Bostonville. McCourt and Ned may be stooges yet, but as of right now, other than the evil-empire Yankees, who's done more? The Gnats and Johnson? The Mets and K-Rod? The Angels and Fuentes? Please. Hold tight and take a deep breath. Have faith in Kershaw and Bills and Broxton and all the kids. Wasn't that the mantra 12 months ago? What changed? The arrival of dredlocks? Cole Hamels is a kid, for crying out loud, and he brought the Phils a crown. Dodgers don't need PVLs. With or without Manny, MartinLoneyKempEthier will be a force.

All that said.....SIGN MANNY and let's get to Vero...sorry...Arizona???!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Instead of wearing Dodger blue.....we have to be in camouflage.

I do believe in our young core wholeheartedly. They are the Dodgers now and future, and let's hope FranknNed don't forget that when it comes time for signing contracts for Martin, Ethier and Broxton.

Mota's driven me over the edge Kahli, and Ausmus may not be too far behind. PVLs are exactly what Ned's getting and whether they sign minor league contracts or not, sooner or later they all end up on the roster.

Mark my words there will come a day when Pierre, Castro, Ausmus and Estes all are on the field at the same time, and not just in ST.

enchanted, I didn't know who the hell brownpaperbag was! Have faith, my friend. In the worst case scenario, you got Repko in center and Pierre as cheerleader. To be quite honest, I've always liked Estes. Let's see if Honeycutt is worth his salt.

P.A.C.E. - Pierre/Ausmus/Castro/Estes We are all going to have to pace ourselves with the alcohol when P.A.C.E. is on the field LOL!!!!

I want to see Repko get a true shot at a position this season, and it wouldn't be such a bad idea to see what poor DY can do. I guess that is what ST is for.

All kidding aside, Pierre/Ausmus/Castro/Loretta is not a bad bench...and I think 3/5 of the starters will be kids. Estes is a win-win proposition.

That is true Kahli.......it is a pretty good bench.

I'm protesting Kahli. Until they start putting a real team together I'm symbolically wearing a brown paper bag over my head so I won't be recognized rooting for the Dodgers. I have faith in the kids, but absolutely zero in Ned filling the gaps with difference makers, and less than zero of Frank putting out any money to get decent players. Then of course there's JoJo...

enchanted, I feel your pain. But as a Dallas Cowboy lifer I'm having to deal with a management team far more dysfunctional than Ned and Frank...

LOL!!! Kahli - yes, you are.

I want a DECENT starter and I want him NOW!!!!

Oh no!!!

Oh YES!!!!

LOL!!!!....and I can't even get my name to change as it is written above on my sign in page.

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no FA action
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try.
I can't get no, I can't get no.

When I'm drivin' in my car
And that man comes on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more
About our useless friggin' GM
And he keeps hirin' washed up flotsam
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

Hey, nice song! Why don't you finish it?

LOL!!!! excellent song for theunknowndodgerfan.

Hi Junie! How was your day?

This aint PACE!!!
.
Get a rope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not that this hasn't happened many times before on ITD, but I think I have officially lost my mind once again.

Nelly---a mind is a terrible thing to waste!

Watch...Mota will be paid more than any other member of our bullpen, including the closer. And be the worse one. That's just Ned in a nutshell.

My school day ended better than it started, but it was a longer than usual Monday for some reason. How was your day?

dcollins......it is a terrible thing, isn't it?

thanks again jungar for the update.

But he's a veteran, jungar! Doesn't that make him better?

Mine was rather relaxed, nelly. I'm glad yours got better.

I have to say the weather was very nice and sunny here today after the thick layer of fog went away. So, I played wiffle ball with my PE group, which is always fun.

Well, I am glad your day went well......you deserve some relaxed, peaceful days.

I seem to be able to catch enough relaxation in the midst of all the chaos to keep it going. I'll never complain, too many have it much worse and I have so much.

I just got finished addressing 128 Eagle invitations. Is that still relaxing? :-)

Whiffle ball on a nice sunny day! Sounds perfect!

I totally understand what you are saying. Every time I complain about my class, all I have to do is go next door, and I get an instant reality check. I will take room 5 over room 6 any day. ...and as it stands, if we do lose class-size reduction, I am not the bottom 85 so that is something to be truly thankful for. So, I will gladly take my hard days over no days at all.

That is alot of invitations if I say so myself, but it also shows alot of hard work in making an awesome scout program.

Wiffle ball was fun. It takes a couple times through each group to make it run smoothly, but once we get it running smoothly, it's just plain fun.

It's a little corny, but that old saw works that says, "I used to complain about my aching feet until I met a man with no legs". When I start feeling sorry for myself, thoughts like that help to bring me back to reality.

Only 83 of the invites are with the troop. The rest are friends and family. I hope they don't all show up. There's no room!

I will have to write that one down.....it's a keeper :)

Well, that might present a problem if they all show up then, won't it?

I can say that tomorrow we are officially halfway through the school year......90 days down, 90 days to go.

One of my boys' dads today got told (in a very loud girl voice in front of all the parents picking their children up) that he looked like Andre Ethier. I apologized and told him it was truly a compliment, and he said, he knows all about it.

Speaking of Andre, did you ever watch that video that CP mentioned?

No, I will though............

Ye gods, look at the time. I gotta hit it.

God Bless you and yours, Junie!

Good Night Dodgereric/Ward Dear.........God Bless to you and your family as well :)

http://sportsblogs.latimes.com/sports_baseball_dodgers/

more money to be made by the McCourts perhaps

http://www.sonsofstevegarvey.com/2009/01/dodger-stadium-to-replace-warning-track.html

Pretty funny stuff and guess what?.....the name Ethieraholics got mentioned on here....How about that? That is an ITD original thought of by dodgereric and taken by me.

Mmmm... Mota when Cruz is available. I suppose we're now set in the bullpen. Here I've been worrying that management is taking no action to strengthen the team. Actually I now see that we've got all the time we need. We're only interested in the scraps of the FA field, and they'll be around till the end. No need to rush. The way that we're filling in the team now, it won't matter where Manny goes. The only consolation I see is that after the season Frank will blame Ned, and Ned may be finally gone - not that Frank's likely to replace him with anybody who has baseball knowledge or a backbone.

SELL THE TEAM, you couple of Power A-Holes!!!

Morning bear! Right on point as usual.

I also believe in our young players but I do remember the doldrums they were having after the all star break. Believe it or not, I was falling asleep during the game and I sit in Row A Seat 1 in the left Field section!! It took a shot in the arm in the guise of our Manny himself to get the team excited enough to play their hearts out! I know we have a good team although I don't know about the pitching yet. Please Ned, get D Lowe back so we can have some semblance of our pitching force back. How about Beimel?? What are they doing?? Maybe they are waiting to see how much Manny will cost and then the rest will fall into place. Anyway...good morning ITD. Good morning my dear friend DNelly and mom trublue. Another day that we keep our fingers crossed. GO BLUE. :-)

Good Morning ITD readers and writers!!!

messagebear - straight to the point as always :)

brownpaperbag - LOL!!!! I can't get past the name without LMAO. Between you and theunknowndodgerfan, I'm sure things will be quite entertaining today :)

xoxrussell - It's good to see you on here. You would think pitching would be something the Dodgers would be looking into a little more seriously than Mota and Vargas, but all hope isn't lost yet perhaps. Kahli thinks we still have time so I guess we just play the waiting game as usual and see what surfaces next. To be a little honest, I'm not sure I want to who surfaces next.

BREAKING NEWS (AP):

In a stunning development, Cy Young Award Winner Tim Linsecum of the San Francisco Giants has been awarded free agent status by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. The reason given was that he was illegally signed as a minor by the Giants.

Lincecum was quoted as saying, "I really appreciate the time I spent with the Giants as they treated me well, but I'm very excited for the chance to be a free agent so that I can sign with the team of my dreams, the Los Angeles Dodgers. I've already spoken with Frank and Jamie and they told me that all I need to do is accept a 50% pay cut, which I'm willing to do 'cause I love the Dodgers."

Dodger GM Ned Colletti was asked when the team would make it official and remarked, "I don't think this is something we're comfortable with doing. He's going to cost us a #1 draft choice."

Good Morning ITDland ~ I'm off to Costco in a while to pick up my year's supply of brown paper bags. If things work out for us and I don't have to use them, I'll save them for my husband............he's a Ram's fan and I'm sure he'll be able to use them next football season.

LMAO unknowndodgerfan!!! Kind of sad that this is really how the front office does business.

Good morning, ITD!

LOL Tru! As a former Rams fan myself, that's funny!

unknowndodgerfan, you had me going there for a while.......

Thanks dodgereric, brownpaperbag is my hero!

So unknown, are you new to ITD?

Good Morning trublu - make sure you pick up some brown paper bags for me seeing how I live with gnat fans and will definitely need them this year if we don't sign some players who will actually help our magnificent young core do their best.

Good Morning to you too, theunknowndodgerfan - Nice of you to join us once again this morning.

Good Morning Ward Dear/Dodgereric!!!

Oh, I've been around for a while. Been reading for a long time but until brownpaperbag posted yesterday, I never had the guts. He's inspired me.

I've been a Dodger fan all my life and have always defended them, but our current management team is driving me nuts. I'm staying unknown until:

Joe gets fired
The guy who hired Joe gets fired
The guy who hired the guy who hired Joe gets fired

Good morning, June Darlin'! Love the paper bag thing!

Nice take on Scott's "Fire Joe"!

Hi Nelly!

Who the heck is this "June Darlin'"?

You will be unknown for quite some time!
.
Nelly, sure will pick up some BPB for you!
.
And remember......B.P.B.U. (brown paper bags united) formerly known as F.U. is a force to be reckoned with!

I like F.U. better......

Just heard on SportsCenter that DLowe is signing with Atlanta pending the physical . . . .

So, F.U. it shall be!

Lowe is to get a 4-year deal, which is what he wanted.

theunknowndodgerfan - glad you finally got the nerve to come onto ITD. Welcome to the crazy and insane side of Dodger Baseball where there is never a dull moment. It's a guaranteed ride you will want to go on over and over and over again. You want to get off, but you just can't. As for June Darlin', June Darlin' is trying to figure out who she is herself. I will let you know when I find out :)

32 DAYS UNTIL PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT TO SPRING TRAINING!!
~DODGER BLUE THRU AND THRU~
***ETHIERAHOLIC FOREVER***

theunknowndodgerfan - do you know Perdita?

Lowe got a 4-year deal on the east coast, which is what he wanted. Key here is "on the east coast". He was not interested in L.A.

Draft picks!!!

Gee brownpaperbag, are talking to me? Cool!

No, I don't know Perdita. But I've admired her for a while, she seems to be rather.........unique.

Is she cute?

Braves get Lowe. We get Mota.

Whats wrong with this picture??

Criminy unknown, try using complete sentences!

I heard she has a hair problem.

What's wrong with this picture? Braves want to win, we want to be "fiscally responsible".

A hair problem? Me too!

Where is hers?

She's also bombastic and is a cultist with syntax issues.

Her favorite color is yellow and she's working on a cure for global warming.

Next is the swimsuit competition...

They say that people with brown paper bags on their heads have problems with extreme flatulence.

This is bad for Global Warming. I see the conflict!

She's bombastic? I'm a Methodist.

Back to baseball.

The good part about the draft picks is that the Yankees didn't get Lowe. So, the Dodgers will get a snadwich pick plus a high second rounder.

Close shep - they're mostly full of ****.

So when is this swimsuit competition? I need to get my thong back from my friend.

All of you are on a roll today. Great job!!!

Can I be a judge in the competition? I am totally unbiased.

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So it says now that after losing out on Lowe, the Mets are going to try and re-sign Oliver Perez, and what they're offering is 3 years for $30 mil. Since that's way out of what we'd EVER pay for "potential", that leaves Sheets, doesn't it? I'd sure like to know if he broke something in his arm last year. I've heard nothing about him this winter. He's a better risk than Burnett and a better pitcher to boot.

FRONT OF THE ROTATION, NED! THERE'S ONLY ONE LEFT!

Dodgereric ~ I agree with you 100% that we had better do something soon if we are to bolster our starting rotation.

Welcome everyone..I hope all is well. Not real excited about Broxton on the roster for the USA team...Not a fan of the whole concept...I feel these guys try to push too hard to get ready and they are opening themselves up to injury.

As for Mota, hopefully he will our Chan Ho of 09...

If we don't do something soon, we're going to need Mota to be the Chan Ho of '08, Schmidt to be the Sabathia of '08, Billz and Kuroda to get well, Kersh and McDonald to pitch like vets and Vargas to pitch like he has never done before ............ GOOD!!!

Seems a lot like banking on making your house payment with Lotto winnings............ it COULD happen but you better have a backup plan.

Funny how perception works. MLB.com proclaims the Braves have "secured an ace." Why just four months ago, Lowe was considered a #3-type starter.... He sure got better when the Braves plunked down $60 million.

theunknowndodgerfan - I like the odds. Why everyday I win the UK and Microsoft lottery on-line (I keep sending them my info, but their people must be really dumb because I still haven't gotten a check.)

3+ years ago Kahli, Frank secured an *ss.

Is that when he got married?

That's uncalled for, unknown..... :-(

If I were the Braves I'd hire Greg Maddox as a pitching coach QUICK. It seemed the only time Lowe flourished as a Dodger was when Maddox was his teammate. Says a lot about Honeycutt, too............

Maybe with any luck we can sign Rob or Chad Lowe.

Look out below ... the Marlins are not interested in Pedro Martinez and the Mets are not in any hurry to sign him. This sounds like Ned's type of guy.

Good afternoon ITD boys and girls!
Well, all I can say is whoopee, frickin doo. We have Guillermo Mota back. Again, whoopee, frickin doo…

Nelly – So you’re on the Angels now. They’ve got a great manager that, like winning ball clubs SHOULD do, is locked up for a long time to come. Mike is a good guy and an even better manager!

kpookiemon – That thought of Greg Maddux for Atlanta’s pitching coach was one of the first things I thought of when I heard about them signing Lowe. Don’t get me wrong, I like D-Lowe, but he is NOT worth $15 mil a year. I’m not even sure if he’s worth $12 or $13 mil a year.

You are right, Crash. We could probably get Curt too!

Nothing else is happening, might as well have some more hot stove fun.

What kind of deal could we swing to get Michael Young? Try and forget reality for a moment and imagine we don't have to deal with the Stooges. You were bold enough to trade off Russell Martin, enchanted (if you're still around). We're the first team listed as potential trading partners here. (I know, we're ALWAYS listed)
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/1138915.html

Pierre (it's my fantasy, don't ruin it), DeWitt (he gets to return to third, which they apparently need), we have a couple of crappy middle relievers now. Maybe we can sucker them into taking them so that we can ......... huh? My medication? Now? Sure, might as well..........

Hey Eric! Okay, a deal for Michael Young, huh. Hmmm. No, I’m not willing to part with Russ. Or Andre, or Matty, or Kersh, or Billz… But the prospect of having Michael Young at 2B is intriguing. You mentioned JP (a no-brainer there), DeWitt and some middle relievers. If Texas would take them, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’d be really sad to see DeWitt go, but you’ve got to trade someone to get someone. What I’m afraid of, though, is that JP, DeWitt, and some middle relievers wouldn’t be enough.

I’m afraid that they’d want a starting pitcher. NO WAY would I trade Kersh or Billz and I don’t want to trade McDonald before we REALLY get a chance to see what he has – for a full season, not just for the few games he played in the postseason.

Bottom line, I don’t see the Dodgers wanting to trade for Michael Young. But then again, I’m also talking about the same franchise that has its priorities screwed up…

Hey, can I play too? How about a three-way trade? Texas sends Michael Young to the White Sox. The Sox send Jermaine Dye and Gavin Floyd to the Dodgers. Then we send Juanpy, Bennett, and Brazoban to the Rangers.

new thread...

If the Dodgers trade for Young, he'll be playing shortstop by June 1 when Raffy goes down.