A busy day in the desert

Thanks Josh and thank you for giving feedback on Ned and how he will respond to some questions. Of course, we are all looking forward to opening day and real competition.

Thanks Josh - here's a question for Ned:

Ned, how worried are you about Saito's recent struggles this Spring, and what are the plans if these continue into the regular season? How concerned are you that this could be his age catching up with him?

Thanks Ned - always appreciate the insight!

Chris

http://www.dodgerfan.net

Question for Ned,

Both Nomar and LaRoche were playing well in the spring before they both went down with injuries a few minutes apart.

Once they both return, are they going to be battling it out all season or is one of them more likely to be given the every day starter's job at some point?

Thanks for keeping the young nucleus of Dodgers together.

Scott

Dodgerdude, hit the draft we're good to go!

Josh- thanks, as always, for the great work here. It is appreciated.

Question for Ned:

Hi, Mr. Colletti. Thanks for taking the time to look through these. Quickly, I'm wondering if the opinion of the fans play into your decision making process. I understand that you have access to a wealth of resources and information that may not be available to the average Dodger fan and that you always try to act in the best interests of the team, but when a majority of knowledgeable Dodger fans come to a concensus about a particular situation, does that have any bearing on how you move forward?

Ned,

I understand that young players need to to mature and all that, but when you have a talent like Clayton Kershaw how can you hold him back? Two questions: (1) Do you think he'll make the team out of Spring Training (possibly as a reliever to keep his innings down until later in the saeson); and (2) If he dosen't make the team, when do you anticipate calling him up?

I think you have don't an excellent job - Keep it up!

Regards,

Mark

http://www.ladodgertalk.com

For Ned,

How many of the 25- and 40-man roster decisions are yours and how many are decided by Joe Torre? If yours, how much do you depend on Joe's advice?

Question for Ned,

I know that the Dodgers are bit by the injury bug right now but do you feel that we have competent in-house options to fill the holes (primarily at 2B and 3B) before our regulars are healthy? More specifically can Hu play 3B and Young play 2B in your opinion? Any other options?

P.S. I have always wanted to work in professional baseball on an administrative level, this game is a passion of mine. What type of experience would it take and who would I go about sending my resume to?

Question for Ned Colletti:

A notable trend in MLB front offices today is to have at least one full-time statistical analyst (typically a person with a math degree) on staff. The World Champion Red Sox hired Bill James* as a special assistant in 2003; they've given him two World Series rings since. The Padres, who seem to contend for ofter than their talent might indicate, employ Chris Long as "Senior Quantitative Analyst". Do the Dodgers have or have plans for a statistical analyst on staff?

(left out the footnote!)

* I know James' degree is in economics, but that field of study does require strong coursework in the mathematics of statistics.

Hi Ned

Thank you so much for talking to us fans. I have some different questions i think, not so much related to the roster..

What would you say do the dodgers organization use most technology wise?

What advancement have been made in technology do u find fascinating and useful. Like do guys take home video of their swings on their labtops to review or pitchers throwing against them the following day etc?

What type of new tools are used beyond non traditional baseball methods in the training room, practice facility or computers/video and management side?

How advanced are the dodgers, maybe versus other teams, in advanced stats and computer usage in evaluation or are the dodgers more of a traditional team that uses scouts primarily?

How far are we pushing the envelope on non traditional baseball stuff (or do we care to even?) and what are examples? I hear some teams employ advanced stats and computer guys to develop models and algorthims and things like that. Using super computers ans well as number crunchers and programmers/developers, not so much a "baseball" people within talent evaluation and management?

Jason

Thank you and Go Dodgers 2008 and beyond......

Just so you don't think we just talk that way in Indiana: I meant to say "You have done an excellent job, not "don't."

;)

Question for Ned-
Manny Acta has recently come out and questioned the risk/reward of basestealing and has cut the Nationals sb attempts in half. Do the Dodgers have a minimum SB success rate to make sure you're achieving a net gain on the basepaths?

Thanks- Brian

Any hope for pictures of the Dodger Stadium renovations?

Jason Repko, from a Saturday Gurnick article that reports that he has sore quads:

"My body is tight, and some people might call it overcautious, but after last year, I'd rather take a couple of days off. That's a lot better than possibly getting injured," said Repko. "Maybe it's a mental thing I have to get over. I've passed the mental block on my hamstring. I don't think about that."

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

Repko last played a week ago today. Because he has an option left and Young doesn't (and they've been playing both Kemp and Ethier in CF some, probably just to see if they are credible for a few late innings here and there), the roster decision about Repko may be a fait accompli and management may be encouraging not to rush it.

Current Dodger OF depth:

Jones

Kemp

Ethier

Pierre

Young

Repko

Paul / NRIs that stay at AAA.

The one thing I miss about games being played in Florida, is that I was able to make my morning go by much faster at work. From 10am to 1pm I was pretty much guaranteed an easy 3 hour breeze. Now I've got to wait until 1pm, or in tonight's case 7pm.

Hello...You will have extra choices besides a Dodger dog to eat this year at Dodger Stadium. Check out my blog.

http://baseballislife.mlblogs.com/

ok so i have been reading this blog for along time and with the upcoming season imminent i thought i should make it a habit to post. The most common topic on the blog is pierre who i have mixed emotions about. He is fun to watch guys, i know it you know it, watching jp lay down a bunt in the first inning, before the sun has even gone down...i mean thats baseball as the games charter stars played it and it is ridiculously rare these days. so its hard for me to say put that guy on the bench cuz...will any fan want jp going into the game in anything but pinch runner??? i dont...and ethier is good...proven even...but his value is high and of the young dodgers making impacts over the last two years i see him as the one with the lowest ceiling so why not ship him out and get what we can for him while he still qualifies as a young budding star cuz i dont envision any allstar games from him and i think that locking him in the lf-7th spot in the order for the next 5 years cuz that is a spot we could up grade in the coming years so there is an argument to take what we can from pierre and see what other options present themselves over the next year or so

Seems to me we can get an immediate upgrade in LF for the next 4 years by starting Ethier and getting rid of Pierre. Speaking of a low ceilings, Pierre's is non existant. He is in decline. There is no upside.

gsutton: shipping out an inexpensive asset to "get what you can for him" is not a strategic move. Identifying a true need and seeing if you can afford the price, assuming it's a reasonable price, is a sounder strategy for improving a ballclub.

Also, starting Ethier, or simply not trading him, is note "locking him the lf-7th spot for the next five years." Next offseason is the first time he is even eligible for arbitration, so he would not be a barrier to upgrading should an opportunity arise. The 4 years and $36.5M remaining on Juan Pierre's contract is a big obstacle overcome.

Question for Ned.
Is there any interest from other teams for Pierre and are you open to trading him?

Incidently, Pierre is not fun to watch. Weak pop-ups to left and weak ground balls to 2nd are getting old. Plus I cringe whenever a ball is hit to left field.

Here dead horse, here dead horse. WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Here's a graph that illustrates the JP OBP issue. The bottom line is that JP once was above average in getting on base and for the last three seasons has consistently been slightly under league average. Giving 700+ PAs to a guy who gets on base below league average is a BAD PLAN if your goal is to score as many runs as possible.

http://72.3.227.208/graphs.aspx?playerid=443&position=OF&page=1&type=full

check out the other tab for more graphs. There's one that shows his ground ball % has been declining and his fly ball % increasing, while his line drive % also is decreasing.

Tony Jackson reporting another minor injury for Saito:

"Saito had been slated to pitch in tonight's game with the Royals, but instead, he was left back at PHX Muni with tightness in his right buttocks. Allegedly, he would have been able to pitch if this were a regular season game, but this is a precaution."

I'm less worried about Pierre (at least for the moment) and more worried about Kent and Nomar being unable to perform. They don't exactly have "young" bats, so their timetable to contribute will be pushed back even farther than their physical ability to get on the field. And I see it as a chronic problem. Dodgers will be playing the hide and seek game with the disabled list all year.

Fogey, great website. Thanks.

Kahli, with Nomar and Kent out of the lineup, it makes it even more crucial to start Ethier over Pierre.

yea ethier isn't expensive but this is los angeles, the dodgers play in the second largest market in the league...lol...we can spend and i agree that keeping him isnt locking him in but i like ethier and i would like to see him do well and i think that is a spot we will have to upgrade in as we move more towards being a perenial power and tho you will probably jump on me for not putting the teams best interests first...i must say id rather see andre catch on and entrnch himself in another...preferably american league....outfield rather than let him get comfortable here and then il have to feel bad when i root for the upgrade

ok and in a much less conrtoversial id like to say i cannot wait to see kershaw pitching on prime ticket tonight...first time of many *Baseball Gods Willing*

Andre may never develop into an All-Star outfielder, although I'm not ready to concede that, but he certainly is currently one of the three most capable outfielders on our roster. I think if he is allowed to play every day, he is very likely to have a breakout year, meaning over 20HR with an average around .300 and probably 80 or so RBI's depending on where he is placed in the order. Would that be respectable enough for a third year player? He's proven capable against both lefty and righty pitchers, which is very desirable. I think that the next year or two is when he is likely to mature most as a major league player, and we would be very foolish to overlook his capabilities, trade him, or place him in a secondary role in the outfield where he is held back from that full development. While we don't know what his upside may be, we certainly know what it has been with Pierre, and may we never be unfortunate enough to find his downside limits - I think we're seeing enough of that this ST.

gsutton: I will give you a hearty AMEN on Kershaw.

gsutton,

How do you know it will be on prime ticket tonight?

gsutton, welcome to the blog, its always good to get fresh insight and opinions...not to beat on a dead horse (pun intended) but the Dodgers do have a finite payroll (regardless of how big it is) and that money could be better utilized if we can find a suitor for JP. Next year we will potentially be losing DLowe, Loaiza and don't know if Schmidt will ever come back. That would leave us with Penny (option year), Billingsley and Kuroda (still unproven) as our 2009 starters. Sure Kershaw will be around but he made need additional time in the minors to iron out his big league game, Kuo just can't seem to stay healthy and nobody else has really shown big league promise. With the inflated rates of top shelf pitching these days, the Dodgers would be best suited to penny-pinch and make a run at a legitimate starter (which will cost big bucks). So while our payroll is bigger than most, we will still have some big holes to fill this offseason. I for one don't want to see another Tomko/Hendrickson situation in '09.

thunderbolt507 - I see it in the TV listings on zap2it.com (be ready to click the "skip advertisement" link repeatedly.

Ethier is just coming into his prime years. I don't see us having to upgrade on a .280-.300 BA/15-25 HR/80-100 RBI left fielder. And Bear is correct, our pitching staff is going to go through some changes in the next couple of years and pitching wins championships. Having the money available if needed to upgrade the pitching is more desirable. Even if Ethier is consistant at .280/15/80 and above average defense, it would be hard to upgrade that for a reasonable cost if there was even anyone available.

Glad to have you aboard gsutton!

Ethier may not have the ceiling Kemp has, but I fully expect him to become a solid "complimentary" outfielder who'll annually bring 15-25 HRs and 75-90 RBI to the table per season in his prime. It'd be a rare event to field three all-star caliber OFers (not that I don't think Andre can't sneak in there at least once) and I can't remember the D's ever having that luxury. JP no matter how you slice it just doesn't excite me in any way, though he does make my blood pressure go up.

The D's could find themselves having to resign Lowe - the FA class at the end of the '08 season is extremely thin. Sabathia will command too much money and too many years. I can see the Ds going after Sheets if he's healthy though. I too hope we've seen the last of the Bombko/Lurch type 4th and 5th starters.

Kirk Gibson was never an all-star. I'm not saying that Ethier can be Kirk Gibson.... I sort of see Ethier a slightly lesser version of Paul O'Neill.

c harris and enchanted: that money may not be necisarry for pitching...names like mcdonald, elbert (tho acknowledging his possible injury issues), withrow (tho acknowledging his age), morris or any of the pitching prospects in the system make me pretty comfortable with the dodgers pitching legacy without mentioning the phenom wearing 96 this spring....i know its not wise to bank on young pitching (e.i. edwin jackson, greg miller) there is pitching to be had that gives alternative options to spending excessive amounts of money on a starter...why not just allow a new crop of young guns to come in with the secure bills kershaw and penny top three because i expect bills to break out this year

i thought paul o'neal was great...if he can get to about 85 percent of paul o'neal i promise i will retract all previous statements

Dodger Lineup for tonight's game vs. Royals on Prime Ticket:
Furcal, Sweeney (DH), Kemp, Loney, Jones, Martin, Ethier, Hu, DeWitt

Kemp is our new Mondesi. Incredible ceiling and talent. So far, he looks to have a better work ethic than Raul. It would be hard to be worse. I liked Mondy alot and it was ashame he never realized his true potential. For him and us fans. If Kemp works hard he can be great. Ethier is a Dusty Baker type outfielder. Good basic instincts and talent. Very solid low maintenance ballplayer. A very key part to a championship team.

At the risk of getting the torch-carrying, pitchfork-wielding, blog villagers all in a frenzy, Diamond Leung of the Press-Enterprise posted this blog entry at 5:21 P.M.

"Juan Pierre was seen in the clubhouse staring into space looking glum. He declined comment when this reporter approached. The lineup was eventually posted and Pierre wasn't in it. During batting practice, Joe Torre stood side-by-side with Pierre in left field, chatting for nearly 15 minutes. "He's fine," Torre said. "He wants to play.""

And the thunder rolls.

I agree sut - would prefer we have the home growns in there, but we'd be relying on Kersh to put in 32-33 starts in in his first full year, and Mac and some of the others may only have Sept under their belts. If Sheets is healthy I'd rather see them go after him than retain Lowe, who with Boras is going to command top dollar and probably 4 years - way too long for a 34 year old pitcher.

If for some reason this year tanks, and/or Hu/Abreu & LaRoche's play makes them expendable, come the trade deadline I'd like to see Ned see what he can get for the likes of Nomore, Kent and possibly Lowe. We always seem to take on dead weight at the trade deadline - be nice to cut some loose for a change. Might as well stock the farm if you can.

And he knows that she knows.

Pierre's cover as a starting outfielder has finally been blown.

I miss the early day spring training games too. It's weird to see a Dodgers Spring Training game that starts this late in the day, outside of the Freeway Series. Dodger Baseball was the most welcome distraction early in my school day.

Definitely a small grievance, compared to the Florida town that loses their -Town name after 60 years, and will likely have to paint their town the colors of a team they've hated since they took up residence at Coogan's Bluff.

I guess that's a dead horse of a different color, though. I look forward to catching a ST game in Glendale sometime in the next few years.

I hope Kemp turns out to be at least as good as Mondesi. Seemed he could throw a runner out at the plate from the warning track. Plus, I think our current catcher is waaay more clutch than the catcher we had when Mondi was patroling RF at the Ravine.

Is that a Piazza bashing??? Blasphemy I say....blasphemy!!!

I was not thrilled with the move from Vero as I am in the mid-west and have been to Dodgertown 12 times. It was a connection to the old Brooklyn days as well as a chance to connect with my team on the west coast that I cannot attend home games. I was however encouraged by the attendance at the Arizona games and all the Dodger fans present with their signs and gear. It is most likely the prudent move at this time and I wish them well. I like vacations in Arizona. It is hard and sad to see the ending of an era.

hey i like martin just as much as the next day...but im not ready to give you that mercury...i didnt watch the second half of the 98 season i was so hurt...but heres martin becoming worthy of those sentiments

****heres too (as in raising my cup in a toast

Salute!!

drinkinmercury79: I was totally perplexed how you could claim Piazza wasn't "clutch", but in this context I guess you mean as a plate blocker?

...man i forgot how much i loved piazza...has he found a team?

Anytime we think we have bad ownership, just remember Ruppert Murdoch.

It is a great tribute to this blog and you all that we all love our Dodgers through thick and thin and will be there no matter what. Also it is great to be able to share opinions, vent, opine and not be personally attacked or called names. I watch other blogs and do not participate because most of the time they regress into personal attacks and name calling. Rather childish. I enjoy this blog mostly because of all of you who I consider great fans and knowlegible about baseball. Thanks.

Tomko battling for the fifth starter on the Royals. Yep, that sounds about right.

Hendrickson the opening day starter for the Marlins. That doesn't sound right. Or are they that bad?

Go Timberrrr/Lurch. I wish you well against everyone but us.

Now that's the way to start a ballgame. Looks like a great line-up tonight.

Furcal batting from the right side vs. the lefty leads the game off with a home run to the opposite field, Sweeney follows with a double off the wall

FURCAL leads off game with an HR in to the right field stands

Ferk for leadoff!!!

jhall: and Odalis Perez is starting Opening Day for the Nationals, in their new ballpark. Hendrickson and Odalis both opening day starters, whoda thunk it.

DEWITT that was not bad

Sweet defense by DeWitt!

Not me Fogey.

Bot 1st... Kuroda Pitching:
DeJesus grounded to third on a smooth play by DeWitt

Grudzielanek grounded to Furcal

Gordon grounded to Loney

0 Runs 0 Hit 0 LOB 1-0 Dodgers

Kuroda looked good in the first?

[list]Look like the Tigers have signed could've been Dodger Miguel Cabrera[/list] Ex Dodger Mark Hendrickson, always a favorite of mine, will be the opening day pitcher for the Marlins[/list]

I tried something but I see it didn't work.

Fogey: he looks very good, he throws so well that's a good sign for him and us

Thanks mister_jo93, I can't get eyeballs on the game right now.

Top 2nd... De La Rosa pitching:
Martin flied to left

Ethier walks

Hu hits an infield single on a impossible play by De la Rosa (nice save by Gload because the throw was so low)

DeWitt struck out swinging on a full count

Furcal grouded to short

0 Runs 1 Hit 2 LOB 1-0 Dodgers

I meant Piazza's defense, and also I remember many a time when the Dodgers were on the ropes and he couldn't come up with that clutch hit for the win in the 9th. Of course, he had no problem knocking the Giants out of the playoffs, or getting us runs in the other 8 innings, I just remember being let down by him constantly when we needed a win in the 9th.

Russ might still need a few more years of seasoning before I could really debate Martin v. Piazza, but I think his D is way better than Piazza's, and he has shown that he can put us in front in the 9th. Seemed like even repeated sessions with Scioscia didn't help Piazza's D, Martin just has it.

Yeah, I guess I probably am a little bitter, since I remember him saying that if he went in the HOF, he'd go in as a Met, shortly after joining the team. Wish I could find the quote. One of the greats in Dodger history. I think that at this point, though, I'd take Martin's D, speed and clutch ability over Piazza's at the same point in their careers.

Sophomore Season Comparison:

(_____G AB R H 2B 3B HR GS RBI BB IBB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG)

'93 Piazza 149 547 81 174 24 2 35 0 112 46 6 86 3 4 .318 .370 .561

'07 Martin 151 540 87 158 32 3 19 1 87 67 1 89 21 9 .293 .374 .469

Good to see Furcal going yard to start the game.

[list]What's the matter?[/list][list]Don't the Dodger telecasters get along with MLB-TV[/list][list] We're always getting the other guys.[/list]

O.K forget it.

Fogey: that's fine i live in France so it is 2.41 AM and i'm looking on streaming television. Maybe i cannot write PBP all this game it's too late and i wake up early tommorow because i go to school.

Bot 2nd... Kuroda pitching
Guillen struck out swinging

Teahen grounded to short

Butler singles up the middle

Gload grounded to second

0 Runs 1 Hit 1 LOB 1-0 Dodgers

mister_jo93 - you are a French Dodger fan? That is great!

I like all that ground ball action from Kuroda.

When misterjo stops posting the PBP can someone else take over. This is the only way I can keep up with the game.Thank You

Fogey: Yes i'm a huge french Dodger fan since 2002 when i saw my first baseball game between the Dodgers and the Giants at Dodger Staduim on FSN with my mom because she lives overhere (Las Vegas exaxtly)

Fantastic mister_jo - I'm glad we have international Dodger fans. Thank God, the army, Al Gore or whoever for the internet!

I just joined mlb.com. Direct tv for ballgames in St louis area too expensive. Anyone else getting games on mlb.com. I have the mlb premium. do the games get clearer on 700k when the season starts? Anyone got an answer?

Top 3rd... De la Rose pitching
Sweeney reaches on base by a fielding and a wild throw by Gload

Kemp forces Sweeney at second

Kemp stole second easily

Gathright robs a XBA and a run from Loney in leftcenterfield gap

Jones struck out looking

0 Runs 0 Hit 1 LOB 1-0 Dodgers

glad to have you with us mister! - and thank you for the PBP!!!

Royals tie it up on high chop to the mound with runner on 3rd.

Fogey: Oh yeah i'm very happy to support the Dodgers because i like their history, the fans and everyone else... And we have Joris Bert in the minor league system (he played for GCL Dodgers last year)

Bot 3rd: kuroda pitching
Buck doubles on line drive t left centerfield gap

Peny grounds to short, Buck goes to 3rd

Gathright hits an infield single on a very high chop over the mound and he jumps over the head of Kuroda he looks like Bruce Lee on that play, Buck scores

Grudzielanek flied to right

Gordon struck out swinging

1 Run 2 Hits 1 LOB 1-1 Tie

ETHIER OPPOSITE FIELD SHOT...Off a lefty, bench feel good J.P?

If Torre runs it somewhat the way he is now things will be looking up. I hope he doesn't go back to Little's Pierre starting every game. Maybe JP will get upset and who knows? Losing his 434 game streak will sure upset him. ETHIER HRs we're ahead again 2-1

Homerun -Ethier!!

Case closed!!!

No doubt now, please Joe plays with Ethier and sits JP on the bench!!

GSutton, there's your upgrade.

HU triples and scores on DeWii's grounder 3-1 Dodgers.

see ya juan.

I admit I know absolutely nothing about the Royals, but that looks like a brutal line-up they have - are these their starters? If so, will they win any games?

Bathroom wall in Dodgers clubhouse.
Pierre was here.

hey jhall...you right...i have no other response lol

After a Furcal single & Sweeney walk KEMP knocks in Raffy. 4-1

That mountain's starting to look like Everest for Pierre.

Top 4th... De la Rosa pitching
Martin lined to right

Ethier homered on the opposite field 2-1 Dodgers

Hu tripled on line drive to right field line

DeWitt grounded to second, Hu scores 3-1 Dodgers

Furcal reached at 1st on a fielding error by Gordon

Sweeney walks on a full count, Furcal goes to 2nd

Kemp singles up the middle, Furcal scores and Sweeney goes to 2nd 4-1 Dodgers

Loney struck out swinging on a foul tip

3 Runs 3 Hits 2 LOB 4-1 Dodgers

Most of these games whether Floria or Arizona all have the same patent. Dodgers get out to an early lead and then they give it away. Let's hope we can hold the lead. Even though it don't count, wins always feel good.

After Billy Butler singled Gload triples him in and its 4-2 Dodgers.

Bot 4th... Kuroda pitching
Guillen bloops to left but Kemp makes a nice running catch

Teahen grouds to first on a broken bat and on a nice diving stop by loney and throws to Kuroda just in time

Butler singles up the middle

Gload triples on a flyball to deep center just over the wall, Butler scores 4-2 Dodgers

Buck flies to right

1 Run 2 Hits 1 LOB 4-2 Dodgers

Both teams have the exact same shirts, same color different name.

We are 4-15 against National league teams and 1 tie and 4-1 against Americal league teams and 1 tie. Playing better against Amer league

If Ethier plays every day he hits at least 25 home runs this year. Hew's hitting them to the opposite fiels better which he didn't do last year.

After singles by Martin & Ethier De Witt singles in Martin with 2 out. 5-2 Dodgers.

Way to go, DeWitt. DeWitt's my man! I really want him to beat the odds and make this club out of AA.

Top 5th... Soria pitching
Jones struck out looking on a great curveball

Martin singles to left

Ethier singles on a hit and run play on a high chop to short, Martin advances to 3rd

Hu struck out looking on a curveball

DeWitt singles down the leftfield line, Martin scores and Ethier goes to 3rd 5-2 Dodgers

Furcal grounded to second

1 Run 3 Hits 2 LOB 5-2 Dodgers

Ethier's GS last year was opposite field!

GSutton, LOL. We're all in this together my friend.

GOOOO Andre' GOOO AWAY J P!!!
Ethier will be a better player than Paul O'Niell, a solid corner OF who will give you .290-.310 20 HR and 85RBI or more.. Come on Ned this young man WON THE JOB!!!

Dodgers ort to be in blue more often during the RS. Not to give up their white, which is the best looking uniform in the world. Especially with Dodgers writen across the shirt. But once in a while wear the blue.

Hope some other GM buys enough of the, "I'm not getting enough ABs to get ready" BS so they'll take JP guts, feathers and all.

Bot 5th... Kuroda pitching
Pena bunts single to left

Gathright grounded to third, Pena goes to second

Grudzielanek flied to right, Pena advances to third

Gordon struck out looking

0 Runs 1 Hit 1 LOB 5-2 Dodgers

Ho hum - Ethier two hits and a walk in 3 ABs.

Ned, hire that Mary Kay consultant and purdy up JP so someone can come a'courtin'.

lol enchanted. Theres no amount of lipstick that will beautify that pig.

jhall, I haven't been in here since early afternoon, but I agree with your comment to my comment. Given Nomar and Kent, or lack there of, Ethier becomes even more vital. If Pierre starts, where is the power coming from? Jones and Kemp? A bit from Loney? Are you kidding me? Injuries to the two graybeards may have been the worst thing to happen to Pierre. His "speed" game is no longer a luxury; it's become a burden in light of the power outage.

How 'bout a little "fired" scarecrow?

Ned really backed himself into a tough corner on this one. THe other GM's will not give up much for JP, plus he will have to pay at least 1/2 the salary for a few years.. Over paid lst year for JP and will be over paying for a few more years..

Ethier, Jones and Kemp - OH MY !!