On the first day of the 2008 season (at least it is for us), we start to focus all of our attention forward. But as I’m cleaning through a bunch of emails I’ve saved over the season, I just came across one with all the predictions of the "experts" at the beginning of the 2007 season and found it interesting.

Some have done pretty well with their predictions, others were more than just a little off. No one actually got them all right, but it makes for interesting reading…

ESPN’s experts (full 2007 predicted standings) and Dan Patrick

USA Today

Yahoo Sports

Baseball Prospectus

Hardball Times

CBSSports.com

Wall Street Journal

Sporting News

Sports Illustrated

Some of the others like Fox Sports and NBC Sports are now dead links so you can’t go back and check them out.

And Diamond Leung of the Press Enterprise posted this link a while back that actually has standings based on predictions. It hasn’t been updated yet this week, though.

I almost forgot how many people were picking us to win at the beginning of the year, but as they say, that’s why they play the games on the field, not on paper.

Anyway, it’s something to look back before we turn all our attention forward.

It is a day to simply appreciate the fans. In a year that hasn’t lived up to any of our expectations, you all have come out to the stadium in record numbers, spent your hard-earned money and devoted your time to following the team. Many of you have come here every day for the past seven months for Dodger news and insight and to post daily messages, sharing your thoughts with the front office and other fans.

For this we thank you.

Here’s the lineup:

Pierre, CF

Valdez, 2B

Kemp, RF

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

LaRoche, 3B

Ethier, LF

Hu, SS

Stults, P

To the question about the Spring Training schedule – it’s still a little while away from being finalized. It would make sense that usually that comes out before the regular season one but that’s never the case. There’s just a lot more tweaking that goes into spring schedules than the regular one, but stay tuned. Once it’s out, we’ll post it here.

The lineup for tonight’s game:

Pierre, CF

Valdez, 2B

Kemp, RF

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Young, LF

LaRoche, 3B

Hu, SS

Billingsley, P

The 2008 Dodger schedule is here. Please note it is subject to change.

There’s also a page dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Los Angeles Dodgers, which can be found here at dodgers.com/anniversary

As for tonight, here’s the lineup against the Giants:

Pierre, CF

Valdez, 2B

Kemp, RF

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Ethier, LF

Moeller, C

Hu, SS

Wells, P

My apologies. I was wrong and the 2008 schedule won’t be on the team photo calendar this weekend, but the tentative version will be online tomorrow so keep an eye out for it. I can tell you, though, that we will be opening up at home against the Giants at Dodger Stadium, celebrating 50 years of Major League Baseball in California.

Here’s the lineup for tonight:

Pierre, CF

Young, LF

Kemp, RF

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

LaRoche, 3B

Valdez, 2B

Hu, SS

Loaiza, P

For the fan that asked about next year’s schedule, it will be on the Team Photo calendar that is given away at the stadium on Saturday.

Here’s tonight’s lineup:

Pierre, CF

Hu, SS

Young, LF

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Ethier, RF

Moeller, C

Valdez, 2B

Lowe, P

Officially, we now look to next season as it is no longer possible to make the postseason this year. It’s a huge bummer for everyone here and for all of you and there are plenty of ways to dissect what went wrong and what went right. Some of it is obvious, some of it is not so obvious, but all of it certainly going to be considered when Ned and his staff start planning for 2008.

However, several of you have already commented on this and I have to say, I disagree with the entire premise of Bill Plaschke’s column this morning. I obviously have pointed out when I agree with him and in this case I guess I’m just curious where he has come up with the idea that "the kids are no longer untouchable."

Was it from the December live chat that Ned had with fans when he said, "I wouldn’t want to say that anyone is an untouchable because you never know what offer may come your way. I do put great value in our young players, especially after we saw how they competed at the big-league level last year?"

Or was it from his chat with you all last month when he said, "If the right deal presented itself, we would be open minded to moving anybody?"

Ned has repeatedly said for the last year that there aren’t any untouchables and now we’re to believe that suddenly in one week, the team is going to change course. It just seems a bit odd to me. I truly have no idea if we’re going to trade a young player this winter, just as I was not involved in the trade discussions that went on around the deadline. But to characterize this in the fashion it’s been characterized and to hypothesize that Matt Kemp is the kid that will be traded just seems really out there.

Besides, can a "youth movement" reall "crash and burn," in a matter of a week, as Bill writes? I find that hard to believe.

   

Despite the day off yesterday, we’ve managed to stay busy so I haven’t had much time to post anything besides lineups. I hope to do so shortly but for now, in case anyone missed it, earlier today Takashi Saito was named one of 10 finalists for the DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award and it’s an officially sanctioned MLB award that’s voted on by fans. With all you did for Russ at the All-Star Break, hopefully many of you will take the time to give Sammy the recognition he deserves.

The lineup for tonight:

Pierre, CF

Kemp, RF

Loney 1B

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Ethier, LF

LaRoche, 3B

Hu, SS

Penny, P

Pierre, CF

Abreu, 2B

Kemp, RF

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Ethier, LF

LaRoche, 3B

Hu, SS

Billingsley, P

Pierre, CF

Abreu, SS

Loney, 1B

Kent, 2B

Gonzo, LF

Kemp, RF

LaRoche, 3B

Lieberthal, C

Wells, P