Dodgers Need The Return of Billingsley
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 12:33 PM PDT
in Game Previews
262 comments
Tonight, the Dodgers can clinch a playoff spot, with a little help from their friends in Arizona and New York. However, of more pressing concern is what they do when they get to the playoffs. A big part of their success could rest in the fate of tonight's starting pitcher, Chad Billingsley. The pressing question on seemingly everyone's mind is what is wrong with Billingsley. Joe Torre insists its a mechanical flaw, but who knows exactly what the problem is?
What's more important is that Billingsley corrects whatever is wrong, because the Dodgers need him. Since starting the year 9-3 with a 2.72 ERA, Billingsley is 3-7 with a 5.40 ERA. Not all of those 16 starts have been bad -- half of them are quality starts -- but Billingsley is clearly not the same pitcher he was or can be. He has two, maybe three starts left in the regular season to build some momentum for the postseason. A healthy and productive Billingsley gives the Dodgers a much better shot in the playoffs than giving the ball to known mediocrities Jon Garland or Vicente Padilla. Tonight is step one in Billingsley's recovery, returning to the starting rotation after skipping a turn last week.
Starting for the Nationals is Ross Detwiler, who is still seeking his first major league win after 11 starts. Detwiler is 0-6 with a 5.80 ERA and a 4.72 x-FIP. He is coming off one of his best starts, as he allowed just one run over five innings at Philadelphia last Thursday.
Last night the Dodgers won again on KCAL Tuesday, exploding for 14 runs in yet another Tuesday triumph. The Dodgers are 17-5 in Tuesday games on KCAL, with one more remaining next week. The Dodgers have outscored opponents by eight or more runs in 14 different games this season, and five of those have been on good old channel 9.
In three games against the Nationals this season, the Dodgers have scored 33 runs.
**********
Geoff Young, proprietor of the great Padres' blog Ducksnorts, wrote an interesting article for The Hardball Times about empty .300 batting averages. It includes this line about our own Juan Pierre:
...at least we'll all be able to say that we saw the man with the emptiest .300 batting average ever ply his craft during our lifetime. Not everyone can make that claim.
**********
The Dodgers have fared better offensively against lefthanded pitchers than righthanded pitchers. Of the ten regulars (including Ronnie Belliard & Juan Pierre), eight have higher OPS versus southpaws than righties. Ethier's struggles against LHP have been well-documented, but I thought it was interesting that the large difference in his OPS is offset by Kemp's difference the other way. Kemp's 1.116 OPS against lefties is the eighth highest in baseball.
| vs LHP | vs RHP | |||||
| Player | PA | BA/OBP/SLG | PA | BA/OBP/SLG | OPS Diff | |
| Martin | 115 | .287/.417/.362 | 443 | .248/.338/.326 | +.116 | |
| Loney | 129 | .288/.380/.441 | 483 | .285/.356/.404 | +.061 | |
| Hudson | 145 | .310/.369/.500 | 450 | .281/.350/.391 | +.128 | |
| Belliard* | 73 | .250/.342/.453 | 194 | .268/.301/.421 | +.074 | |
| Blake | 127 | .317/.441/.564 | 428 | .270/.342/.447 | +.217 | |
| Furcal | 145 | .283/.352/.433 | 494 | .256/.322/.347 | +.116 | |
| Manny | 75 | .277/.373/.538 | 320 | .308/.434/.565 | (.088) | |
| Kemp | 138 | .382/.449/.667 | 485 | .284/.336/.458 | +.322 | |
| Ethier | 172 | .204/.291/.368 | 474 | .310/.392/.588 | (.322) | |
| Pierre | 109 | .337/.438/.404 | 289 | .306/.351/.389 | +.103 | |
| Dodger Totals | 1382 | .279/.367/.441 | 4595 | .271/.342/.410 | +.055 | |
| *Belliard's splits with Washington are included in his totals only | ||||||
Also, happy 25th birthday to The Bison, Matt Kemp, who is riding a 13-game hitting streak. That is the third longest hitting streak for the Dodgers this season, behind Orlando Hudson's 17-game streak in May (remember him?) and Kemp's own 14-gamer to start the season.
**********
Check out Xeifrank's simulation of today's game here.
Don't forget to RSVP for True Blue LA Day at Dodger Stadium, on the next-to-last day of the regular season, October 3 against the Rockies.
Get your guesses in for our today's "One, Two, Three Strikes, You're Out," here.
Game Time: 4:05pm
TV: Prime Ticket
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Nats Lineup
from the Washington Post:
Harris – 7
Guzman – 6
Dunn – 3
Zimmerman – 5
Dukes – 9
Bard – 2
Maxwell – 8
Gonzalez – 4
Detwiler – 1
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 12:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Man, Detwiler is
even more due than Chad B is! Hopefully the fact that Bills and the Dodgers are more talented will win out over the “odds.”
Win or lose though I just hope he pitches well.
The commenter formerly known as "Dashiell".
by underdog on Sep 23, 2009 12:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Time for the Dodgers to stop making sh*tbags like Detwiler look like Cy Young. Another 14-2 drubbing would be stupendous.
by KellyStephen on Sep 23, 2009 12:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Detwiler was the 6th overall pick in the 2007 draft, so he’s inexperience, but hardly a “sh*tbag”. He’s exactly the sort of guy who could pop up with a great start.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Juan was making much less money, would there be less animosity?
empty or not, how many players hit the .400/.470 level after 100 ABs?
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 1:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I didn’t sense any animosity in the article, nor was there any in my comments.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Of course
He’s one of the best 4th OFers in the league. If he were paid like one, I don’t think anyone would be hating on him. Although maybe they would because peeps like Joe Morgan would be clamoring for him to start somewhere.
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Meh
I don’t even think Pierre is the best 4th outfield option in the Dodger organization, let alone the league. I prefer Paul or Hoffmann since both play much better defense than Slappy, Manny and Ethier—- therefore I think they give you more of what you want from a 4th outfielder.
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Regarding Geoff Young's blog about "empty .300 hitters"
“Pierre is an easy target for ridicule because he isn’t nearly as good as some people seem to think.”
THAT’S the reason he’s ridiculed? If anything, it’s the other way around- people don’t appreciate him ENOUGH. His nickname was “Slappy McPopup”, someone started a site called “Pierre Out Watch”…the list goes on and on. Yeah, he’s been mostly a singles hitter (outside of surprising gap power this year), but what about the way he steals his way to second and third? How about the fact that he never gets injured? That doesn’t ever seem to count for anything when people bring up statistics to talk about a player, but it should.
This is why I don’t like using stats as a first, middle, and last resort when discussing players. The same kind of arguments are often made against Loney, where time after time people use these metrics to show he’s 21st out 30 first baseman in this category or that, when anyone who just watches the game knows what he brings to the Dodgers. Stats are fine as a COMPLIMENT to an argument, but shouldn’t be used as someone’s thesis on whether or not someone’s a good player.
Getting back to Pierre, you can call him a lot of things, but “a marginal big-league talent” wouldn’t be one of them. Keep in mind that he was a huge part of a 2003 World Championship against the Yankees. Speaking of which, if he should be ridiculed for anything, it’s this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl0dqWhzU6k
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 1:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I understand it more with Loney (before his recent better power #s)
power is more of a job req for a 1b
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
There are more articles praising Pierre in the mainstream media than any other Dodger, in relation to his performance. Nearly every one mentions how Pierre is alwas one of the first to show up, and such a hard worker and a great guy, etc. That’s all well and good, but unless it translates into performance on the field, it doesn’t mean much.
As far as his steals, he only has a 69% success rate this season, which isn’t very good. And that doesn’t include the 6 times he has been picked off.
The fact is, Pierre has not been a good player since 2004, yet until last season he was a fixture in lineups every single day as is he was a star. He is having a nice season this year — FOR HIM — but he is clearly the 4th outfielder on this club. I like having him as the 4th outfielder, but as nothing more.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Good take
I particularly despise the “he’s the same player he’s always been” line. BULLSHIT. He sucked in a full-time role from 2005-2007.
by silverwidow on Sep 23, 2009 1:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think
the point is that people heap critcism on Pierre in what seems like a personal way. He is being paid too much and his contractis too big, but people will criticize the guy for being an everyday ball player, showing up on time, being a decent human being and then being recognized for it. I personally get sick and tired of the shitty nicknames for the guy and people ragging on him.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think it is just a product of frustration
in terms of seeing the D’s throw so much cash at overpriced/over-the-hill talent in the past few years. nomar, andruw, etc.
but no one can accuse JP of mailing it in in the first 60 games of the year.
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t think it was an issue of effort. For instance its not like Pierre has stopped trying since the end of May. He had great numbers to start of the season, but his BABIP was very high (over .400) and thus it was unlikely to continue. Over time, given enough at-bats, Juan Pierre will hit like Juan Pierre.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, if anyone is to be blamed it is Colletti for signing Pierre to that awful contract. vr, Xei
by Xeifrank on Sep 23, 2009 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
69% isn’t just not very good, it’s bad for the team.
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But in the past he has had good stolen base percentages
and if he was playing everyday, I would think they would be better.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If he was playing everyday, I think it would be worse
Tired legs and all that. JP is now 32, and once a player hits his 30s, he gets slower, not faster. And he doesn’t suddenly read pitchers better – I’m sure Pierre has been good at that for some time.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is a good point, but stealing bases seems like it
is a rhythm type of thing where you have to be consistent with it.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
OTOH, there always the types, like Chase Utley, that steal less frequently (20-something) but are very rarely caught. Picking your spots seems like the antithesis of “rhythm”.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah picking your spots is valid too,
but Chase Utley plays everyday.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am sympathetic to your argument, but as far as “watching him play,” can you really rely on this? Do you watch every player every day? If not, how can you compare? Its nearly impossible to have any perspective when watching only one team mostly with only a smattering of other teams.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:26 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Also, to add to that, I am paraphrasing Bill James and/or Crash Davis here, but the difference between a .250 and a .300 hitter is roughly one hit per week. Can you really tell the difference between the two just by watching? I doubt it. That’s where stats come in.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It was fairly obvious that
After 2007, the Dodgers wanted to upgrade their outfield. Which is why they went out and signed Jones. And Torre basically started the season with Ethier, Jones and Kemp as his starting outfield with Pierre filling in as the 4th OF.
And that really hasn’t changed since that time, only injuries and suspension has allowed Pierre to play more than he was probably pencilled in to play.
Now, in spite of what Eric says above which is true, its clear that his teammates respect him, he’s been from what I can see, a mentor to Kemp and probably is respected not only in the Dodger clubhouse but league wide.
Sure, the names are probably a bit harsh but even those of us who have been around since the signing have always tried to separate the personal from the performance. I still believe he will be difficult to move until at least next July but time can only tell.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, after Ramirez was suspended,
I sure as hell was happy that Juan Pierre was there to fill in. Sure, it is the same Juan Pierre that he has always been, but the Dodgers were benefited by having him there instead of having to rely on a guy like Hoffmann or Xavier Paul. He was a known commodity who could do some things to help the club. From years 2004-2008 I would like to see how Pierre stacks up as far as league average and how far off the mean he is.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
From 2004-2008, Pierre hit .295/.339/.370, for an OPS+ of 85.
Among the 170 batters in MLB with 2000 PA over that time, Pierre ranks tied for 153rd in OPS+
http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/JA5dF
There were 18 CF that had 2000 PA from 2004-2008, and Pierre ranked 16th in OPS+ among them
http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/tDGT3
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well obviously with those numbers
he is in the lower rung of outfielders, but still he was good enough to qualify with at least 2000 at bats. My argument is that he is overpaid and for too long, but I disagree when people say that he is not a capable major league player. He is a good fourth outfielder for a good team like the Dodgers and a starter on a bad team. Or even a starter on a good team that has power everywhere else but in Pierre’s position, maybe.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So
his numbers are bad, but his manager was so stupid that he gave him 2000 PA anyway, therefore Juan is actually sort of good?
You ask Eric to give you his stats, you see that they are horrible, and then you say, oh well he could still be a starter in the major leagues.
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, because there are
only 170 batters with 2000 plate appearances in that time. Even if he ranks low out of 170 guys, that is only 170 guys. If Pierre ranked 900 out of a 1000 guys, it is a different story. But to rank 153 out of 170 guys in four years leads me to believe that he is a Major League caliber player. Only 170 batters over that time were able to have that many MLB at-bats. Call it however you want, the guy is a qualified major league player. My argument is against those who say that Pierre is AAAA player or only good for pinch running. Come on now.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you lower the PA threshold to 500 PA from 2004-2008, there are 505 players, and Pierre ranks tied for 371st.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
also using 500 PA, Pierre was 32nd among 49 CF from 2004-2008
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Have you got a link Eric?
I’m curious to see the names that are right around Pierre in those lists (and I think you need a B-Ref subscription to enter this query.)
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Links
CF – http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/pmhrZ
all – http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/9rx62
Players like So Taguchi, Jason Tyner, Deivi Cruz have an 85 OPS+
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you wanted to, could you call those guys AAAA players?
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Only if they played in the NL, according to Keith Law :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
BTW, that’s cool that SBNation has a subscription to BB-ref. I was going to ask if you expensed your subscription costs on your tax returns…
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I did have a personal subscription, but I just let it expire.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
No. AAAA players are guys not good enough to stay in the bigs very long, but can dominate in AAA. Mitch Jones being the recent example.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lol
An old Marquis Grissom had a higher OPS+ playing in SF (arguably worst hitters park) than Pierre.
by PHAT JULIO on Sep 23, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey thanks for the numbers you put up.
He is a below average player, but I guess I just like what he brings to the team.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
As the plate appearances go down, so too does Pierre's
ranking. But something should be said for his ability to play without injury. Of the 49 center fielders with 500 plate appearances, why didn’t a lot of those guys qualify for 1000 or 2000 at bats? I can’t just believe it is because PIerre’s managers were too stupid to not play him.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pierre’s durability is an asset, for sure. He is to be commended for keeping himself in good shape.
Then again, it is easy to ease up on the old legs jogging back to the dugout after an out. Just kidding :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Haha,
good one. I got a guffaw from that one.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry for asking so many questions and not looking it
up myself. I am at work right now and was just heaped a bunch of work to do.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 2:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm sympathetic to YOUR argument, as well
but I just think there’s TOO much emphasis on it sometimes. And no, I don’t watch the Dodgers every day, or even close to it (unfortunately). But to me, Loney, more so than Pierre, is a better example of how stats can be deceptive at times. For example, anyone who looks at Adam Dunn’s numbers versus Loney’s would probably pick Dunn in a second. But if you see them both actually hit- the way Loney takes pitches, fights off the tough ones, what it looks like when he DOES get a hold one- it might not be quite as clear cut. (I won’t even talk about their defense, as I’m in a merciful mood after yesterday’s game.)
Anyway, just my take. And I agree that Pierre has gotten a LOT of positive coverage in the national press this year, but given the criticism that he often takes from the more hard core fans, I don’t mind so much.
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
well, speaking of Dunn
I do think that a player chooses to place himself on awful teams to some degree.
I give guys like Texiera and Holliday (spelling on both?) credit for this, and would consider guys like Dunn (and his ex-teammate Junior, and Barroid) as somewhat diminished along the same lines.
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t get the Bonds’ point. Barry made a choice to move one time in his career, and the team he joined became (in large thanks to him) a 103-win team in 1993. And up until the last 2 years really, the Giants were always competitive. Did he ever have a choice to go somewhere else?
And Matt Holliday has not yet even had the choice to choose his own destination.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also while Dunn had a choice
It was fairly clear that there were no good teams in the market for him unless he had a shot at going to the Rays.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
obviously, I don't know the mechanics of the trades, contracts etc
and know less than nothing about the way that system works in MLB relative to all of the moving parts involved. But Barry seemed VERY content to reduce the Giants to “The Barry Show” in his last few years. His lack of a ring, to me, says a great deal about his character. This stance is one of the more subtle components of my brand of Joe Morgan-esque idiocy.
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's Barry's fault that the Angels hit like 50 home runs in that World Series?
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
referring to his post-series career, more
but as for his sterling defense in that series, or the fact that someone with his career record didn’t exactly rake in the pennants…
This argument can also be brought to discussions of Wilt, Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Malone, etc, even Santo if we’re really drunk
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wasn't Barry's postseason when they faced the Angels like one of the best
individual performances of all time? I know he has the record for most homeruns in a postseason from that year (Beltran’s insane run with Houston nearly caught him though.)
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bonds and Beltran each had 8 HR in their respective record postseasons. B.J. Upton had 7 last year heading into the WS, but couldn’t add one for the record.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
1.994 in the WS
but he only appeared there once, which is my point
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You realize baseball is a team sport right?
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
"chooses to place himself on awful teams to some degree."
sorry if the last three words present a challenge in terms of syntax
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't really understand what you mean then
how did he choose to place himself on awful teams?
Don’t sports fans generally get upset when the star player asks to be traded to a winning team? Now we are supposed to villify Bonds (and Griffey) because they didn’t do that?
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
forgot lebron and ted williams in the previous list
as you said, team sport. is part of being a champ letting an organization have room (financially and otherwise) to put complementary talents on the organization? subjective, of course. I think it matters, and I think a ring means something. But that’s just me.
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Griffey signed what was widely considered to be an under-market contract when he went home to Cincy.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I didn’t forget Lebron or Ted Williams. Ted Williams is a bit before my time and Lebron plays basketball, so I’m not sure how relevant it is including them in this conversation.
I really don’t see what exactly Bonds did which limited the organization financially or otherwise.
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bonds Giant teams went to the playoffs four times and didn’t make it when he first got there despite a 103 win season! He had good enough teammates a lot of the time. Baseball playoffs can be such a crapshoot that rating players on whether or not they “won” a WS strikes me a bit too high of a threshold.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bonds signed a 6-year deal with SF before 1993. That contract ran out in 1998, and the Giants were a pretty good team.. They would win between 86 and 100 games for each of the next 6 seasons. Those were not awful teams.
He also signed his extension in January 2002, a 5-year deal. No offense, but I don’t think you know what you are talking about.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
also acknowledged above
and I would posit that the fact that BB couldn’t get it done with consistent .560 teams (and was downright horrible in the postseason with the bucs) could support my perspective
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So what was Ted Williams and Ernie Banks to you then?
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
ted's mililtary service
really kind of dwarfs his baseball, actually
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Last I looked Wilt Chamberlain owned a World Championship Ring
and did it in an era where you could not freely move from team to team.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
he never brought one to the bay
and his # of rings is wildly disproportionate to the talents of someone who scored 100 points in a game… in my opinion.
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think you are way off base on your assesment on all the players you mentioned
not just Bonds.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
can't believe I forgot rod carew
also on that one
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Angels before Rod Carew: 0 division titles
1st 4 years with Carew: 2 division titles
Its like you are trying to be more and more outrageous with each post, just for shock value.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But Carew doesn’t have a ring.
A ring in a box.
;)
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
these are just the most extreme examples
which is an inevitable October discussion, I’m just trying to get the postseason warmed up.
Let’s take the other perspective – doesn’t Joe Montana’s sweet play in the postseason constitute a big part of his legacy?
Of course, this is the crux of the eternal cosmic Joe Morgan/Bill James rift.
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The mediocre Twins teams Carew played on had some pretty crappy pitching. The ’69 and ’70 Twins – the former managed by Biilly Martin, lest we forget, went to the playoffs with some pretty fine pitching.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wilt played, what, 2 1/2 seasons for the SF Warriors. He won a ring with the 66-67 76ers, in the middle of the Celtic Dynasty.
In both baseball and basketball, one guy can’t do it alone. Wilt won when he had decent quality teammates, e.g.k Jery West, Hal Greer.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The man had two rings
and he’s still being ragged on 44 years later. It is like everyone is supposed to be Bill Russel
which is not possible.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Adam Dunn has an OPS of .950!
I know your whole point is that you don’t trust stats, but how on earth could Loney’s intangibles make up such a gap in their production?
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not saying that I don't TRUST stats
just that they should be used to SUPPORT an argument, as opposed to making one.
Specifically regarding Loney and Dunn, I’m thinking more along the lines of Loney’s batting eye. You have a guy on 3rd with 1 out, I’ll take Loney over a guy who strikes out as frequently as Dunn any day. Also, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he (Loney) does so well with runners on base- the pitcher has much less margin for error when someone has a great batting eye, and James often makes them pay the price.
Don’t get me wrong. I know a lot, probably even most, people would take Dunn- on offense, anyway. But I also think there’s room for improvement on Loney’s end, where a guy like Dunn has almost certainly reached his peak. Maybe my perspective isn’t even the “right” one (to the extent that there is such a thing), but it’s definitely not one you can come up with just looking at the back of these guys’ baseball cards.
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I will bring this full circle to use stats to support your argument :)
You have a guy on 3rd with 1 out, I’ll take Loney over a guy who strikes out as frequently as Dunn any day.
Runners on 3rd, less than 2 outs:
Loney: has driven in runner 25 of 40 times (62.5%)
Dunn: has driven in runner 16 out of 42 times (38.1%)
Of course, Loney was once 17 out of 20, but his 8 for 20 since is 40%, still a bit better than Dunn’s seasonal numbers.
See, its all good! :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Loney’s BABIP in those situations: .481.
Unsustainable! :)
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's awesome!
Backing me up, using the very method I deplore! ROFLMAO Thanks, man! :))
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
O-Dog is back; Beard sits
Furcal SS
Belliard 3B
Ethier RF
Ramirez LF
Kemp CF
Loney 1B
Martin C
Hudson 2B
Billingsley P
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Game Simulation
What is the success or failure rate of the game simulation? Just wondering how actual compares to the predictions.
by RawhideBlue on Sep 23, 2009 1:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
We’ve done tests, and the conclusion was that everyone should bet their house on every game based on Xeifrank’s simulator, and just press the winnings every successive day.
Of course, that is the also the same strategy that led to Bruce Dern’s character to own all of Diggstown.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
For me, Diggstown delivered the highest performance to expectation ratio in movie history. I expected nothing going in, and it was GREAT
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The movie that fits that description for me is “The Castle”. Walked by it 100x in Blockbuster and finally rented it. It was funny and made my gf of the time cry! In a good way.
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
hey wait is Diggstown a boxing movie? That ruled.
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 2:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The ending was one of my favorite of all time
when you see it for the first time you think we are so screwed, when you see it for the 10th time you can’t wait to see Brue Dern’s face. One of the creepier but believable bad guys in a movie you will see.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you used it to bet against the ML last year and this year, you’d pretty much break even against the juice. If you had a time machine and used it to bet with in seasons prior to 2008, you’d be printing money. :)
In otherwords, in backtesting it did very well. The lines have gotten quite a bit tougher, probably due to the more sabermetrically savy people betting on baseball. There is still plenty of room for improvement/features, so I will let you know when the printing press is back open for business. :)
vr, Xei
by Xeifrank on Sep 23, 2009 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
A nice shot of Blake's HR last night
from Jon SooHoo / Dodgers:
“Nice home run, Casey. You get to rest today now.” :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Just noticed…Monday’s game is a 9:30am start Breakfast in Pittsburgh (well, lunch there, but you know what I mean).
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 1:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I noticed that, too
it’s gonna be funny listening to a ballgame on my way into work. :)
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This sucks!
Just going into class that day, noooooooo
by PHAT JULIO on Sep 23, 2009 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The sooner you quit school the sooner you can get on with your life.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey thanks for the advice
But I’ve been raised to finish for what I started.
by PHAT JULIO on Sep 23, 2009 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Speaking of finishing
Clayton Kershaw got his first career game finished last night
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
ya, school sucks. Best day of my life was when I finished college and got me a job.
vr, Xei
by Xeifrank on Sep 23, 2009 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m so looking forward to that day… another 2 years from now.
You wanna know how great baseball is? The greatest basketball player ever left his sport to play baseball.
by Jesse Sparks on Sep 23, 2009 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Look forward to it, but savor the memories of college. Study hard but also have a good time. Twenty years after graduating college, I often remember the crazy things that went on in college.
vr, Xei
by Xeifrank on Sep 23, 2009 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Happy Birthday to the Bison
:)
Let’s hope it’s a birthday to remember for him and all of us as well!
by Ivdown on Sep 23, 2009 2:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Bison Birthday!
Thank you Mrs. Kemp for birthing our star CF 25 years ago today.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:15 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Juan Pierre gets more mainstream love
then any hack has ever gotten which is why the blogs dump on him so much to make up for it. The idea that no one works harder is only perpetrated by the writers who aren’t even around to see who’s working out. Everyone works hard but for some bizarre reason a few players get singled out as “being the hardest worker in baseball”. Production is all that counts, it is like the company tool who spends 12 hours in the office spinning his wheels but can’t produce as much as the lazy programmer who puts in 4 hours and spends the rest doing a Dodger blog.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:18 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Game notes for both teams added to the bottom of the post, above, if anyone likes to read those sorts of things.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Using championships to define players is not a fair measurement
While no one can deny what Bill Russell did with the Celtics, Magic and Jordan did with Lakers and Bulls, Dimaggio, Mantle, Berra and Ford did with the Yankees, or Bradshaw, Starr and Montana did with the Steelers, Packers and 49ers, it takes more than one good player to get a title.
Barry Bonds was certainly close, a lead into the 7th inning wins a fair number of games but it was not to be. If West and Robertson didn’t get titles in their last few years, would their great careers be deemed failures? I’ll argue that Baylor and Malone were at least as great a player as Kevin Garnett.
Winning a championship is more luck than choice and is usually out of one person’s control, despite what you may personally feel about Barry Bonds, his lack of World Series rings should not be used against him.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 2:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Oscar Robertson agrees wholeheartedly with this statement
and I think Stllahater is very much the minority in his discussion.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
amongst people who know who bill james is, totally in the minority
with everyone else, maybe not so much
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Big O did get a ring with the Kareem-led Bucks of course.
Or was he still Alcindor then? Kareem deserves more credit than he gets for that championship. Robertson was 33 by then, not the player he once was, and played in 64 games that season. The rest of the team was:
Lucius Allen
Bob Boozer
Dick Cunningham
Bob Dandridge
Gary Freeman
Bob Greacen
Jon McGlocklin
McCoy McLemore
Greg Smith
Jeff Webb
Marv Winkler
Bill Zopf
Does that look like a championship team to anyone? In 70-71, Russell was retired, but there were still very good Knicks and Laker teams to contend with, among others.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
indeed
and if I had to pick a person who personified the characteristics of a true champ, kareem would be at or near the top
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bobby Dandridge was a very good player
And he played for several playoff teams and won 2 rings.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I picked Oscar
because he was the best basketball player in the world but had no rings until he luckily teamed up with Lou Alcindor to win the ring. And yes that was a very good basketball team. Very good.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Obviously, since they won
And I know some of those players were good. But compared to the West – Baylor – Chamberlain – Goodrich Lakers of that year, or the Willis Reed – Clyde Frazier – Bill Bradley – Dave DeBusschere Knicks? I think Kareem has to get a lot of the credit for that being a 66-win, NBA champion team.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Marino, anyone?
The mail man and Barry S?
Poor them.
by PHAT JULIO on Sep 23, 2009 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sanders is the most interesting variation of all of the guys named
In terms of the turf issue. The agony of da feet…
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
how about our very own hitting coach?
poor guy started with the team a year or two after their last penant (depending on when you want to start counting), then retired the year before they won the World Series?! Then, he comes back into town as a coach, right when they stop showing UP to the World Series!
Hopefully, his luck will change this year!
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow
I remembered him not getting any rings with the Yankee’s while playing but didn’t realize it had carried over to his coaching career.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Must make the supersticious cringe
by PHAT JULIO on Sep 23, 2009 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If the Rangers would have won the WS after they fired Buck Showalter, it would have been very, very freaky :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
too bad...it would have made a great 5 year rebuilding plan
Just hire Buck Showalter for 4 years!
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nice!
That reminds me of the variation on the classic joke:
Q: What is the University of Kansas’ version of a 3-point play?
A: 10 free throws
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anyway back to the column
we really need good Chad to show up. Not just for the Dodgers but for True Blue in general which spent a good amount of time trying to convince people that Chad was an Ace only to find out he isn’t. All those mid season comparisons to some of the greatest young pitchers in Dodger history have been cast aside with his 2nd half performance. Really at this point I’d have traded Chad without blinking for Halliday and when it was mentioned on the SB Nation trade site I defended Chad as much as I could. But right now he needs to step up and deliver and quit going down that train of plainville. If he becomes Ismael Valdez I’ll be very disappointed.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
Certainly of all the guys who were on that Jacksonville team, Bills has been in the spotlight for a long time now and he needs a good game tonight.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
at least one of us was speculating about the starting lineup
in terms of the possibility of one of our starters falling apart as of last month. but maybe that was just excessively speculative and somewhat obnoxious…
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't understand the point of speculation while the season is underway.
If you had said Chad Billingsley is going to fail and this is why, then that would be interesting. A column saying what do we do if one of our starters fails over the next month is pointless to me. But luckily many other people might be interested since every week someone wants to predict what our playoff rotation is going to be and it won’t be decided until Oct 4th.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:54 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
And I thought this all started with
A random thought about JP.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t mind speculating. That’s part of the fun of blogging, getting to play armchair GM/manager.
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Halladay's had some bad starts, too
I’d be against trading ANY of the kids for short term gain, unless it was clear that they weren’t going to pan out in LA. We’re nowhere near that point with Chad yet.
But yeah, I’m really disappointed, too, that not only has he not proven the mid-season doubters wrong, but for now, I’ve actually become one of them! :/
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Baseball is unique among other sports when discussing the validity of players and championships largely because other sports have the exclusivity of the ball. Only one person at a time can have the ball.
In baseball, it is a series of individual matchups, and while teamwork is involved, winning is largely a team effort in that its hard for any one person to have such a huge impact over one game (except maybe a starting pitcher, but he’s pitching only every five days anyway, so that effect is muted).
In baseball, I don’t think it is right to label any player better or worse based on championships.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:49 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
I'd go one step further
and say it is even unfair with a sport where five players are on a team. Because I saw what one player like Wilt could do against a team like the Celtics.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
certainly, the NBA
is probably the one league where you can look a handful of teams and say I’ll go there and try and win a title.
But its still pretty much a roll of the dice of it working out.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'll respectfully disagree
And posit that the fact that this is the #1 Dodgers blog is a product of your talent and work, Eric, and not an accident.
I think being a champion is far bigger than sports.
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the compliment, but wouldn’t it be different if I could only blog every 9th post? :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
naw
we’d scroll through the bad ones
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Or maybe the fact he came on board
right when the Yahoo contract was created. Eric would be creating the same excellent content and even now True BLue is a distant 2nd to Dodger THoughts so does that make True Blue a loser in your mind?
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not so sure anymore that TBLA is a distant second...
TBLA gets more comments than DT nowadays doesn’t it?
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Our average site visit length has basically tripled this year though. Users average roughly 3 minutes per visit here.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I love DT
and thanks to DT I found TBLA (and thanks to ClipsNation I already had an SBNation logon so it was easy to join.) But whilst TBLA gets a boost from Yahoo, DT also gets a huge boost for being on the LA Times. I’m curious how much of a bump Jon got when he moved from the Toaster.
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I would bet his numbers went down
we’d have to ask Ken what his numbers were before he left but I don’t think it is any of our business.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i'm pretty sure the general loserdom of Tribco
outweighs the traffic, excellent as the site may be
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 3:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm quite the opposite
I found TBLA through an e-mail my sister sent with all kinds of Dodger blogs, TBLA being on top. Once I joined, I immediately got hooked, instant baseball fan nirvana. I immediately took advantage of the fanposts and posted my opinion on the trade deadline last July. It’s awesome to talk not only baseball and the dodgers to other members, but sports in general. Not many of my friends are sports savvy and there aren’t any clubs or programs my college has that associate with sports fans (Haha), this site ranks as the 3rd most viewed site in my computer. Right before espn.com and wikipedia. Anyway, I found Dodger thoughts through TBLA and ot hooked on right away.
by PHAT JULIO on Sep 23, 2009 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nice, that’s why Eric understandably doesn’t view other Dodger blogs as competition. Blogging is great as everybody links to everyone else. If you have a good take, you’ll get visitors…
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have been lacking on the Tuesday trivia during the season. I plan to make that a recurring offseason feature, starting in early November :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
much more importantly
TBLA has AAA trolls like me ;)
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 2:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
We are not close
to the hits that DT gets. We have grown tremendously but are still not even close to being a the top blog in our own Division. McCovey Chronicles dominates the competition.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 2:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
My only point is that hard work and great work
do not always turn something into a winner. When I see someone saying such crap I assume they lucked into a situation which put them on top and haven’t lived long enough to know how quickly the tables can turn no matter how hard you work or how good your work is.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
but it takes a certain special something
to have over 50 PAs in a row in the postseason without an RBI
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Besides the only thing Eric cares about
Is getting that lineup posted first.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
and working in references to Oyster Burns.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Carrying the torch, my friend!!!
I want to make a t-shirt with his picture and the phrase “Oyster Shooter” :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe even with Burns somehow doing the Shooter McGavin move :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
MCC does not have a DT-equivalent as competition.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I never worry about that stuff. I don’t view Jon as competition. I still comment often on the site, although not as much during games.
I mean, obviously it would be great to end up being “the top Dodger blog” or some such thing, but its not going to happen anyway unless I’m doing things for the right reasons anyway :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
My only point is that comparing MCC stats to TBLA is not apples-to-apples.
Your conclusion is spot-on.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right
but that is a whole different topic and not related to the “winner” topic that initiated this thread.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm pretty sure
DT gets lots of views of the blog posts (as it should) but the comments section there is a bit of a broken record. Here is much more dynamic, interesting, and worth reading (IMO).
This site will eventually be the most visited.
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Several long-time interesting commenters at DT have been on a seeming hiatus
Which probably contributes to the comment rate going down there recently – Jon had a blog post about that.
One thing is for certain – this site has a much, much better look and feel for game thread commenting. That can get very tedious at DT, scrolling up to the comment box, posting, refreshing, scrolling down to the latest comment. And the response time to his requests from the blog software people is ridiculously long. He’s the best blogger with the worst support staff.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right
leaving the Toaster was the right move financially but he left behind his support system. The simple requests he needs to make his blog user friendly could be done by any web programmer in no time at all. Why it takes so long for these requests to get completed is beyond me.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah it's sad
what Tribune has done to DT. I see Eric as the best dodger blogger, jon as the best dodger writer. As a writer more than a blogger, he needs a support staff that kicks ass and instead it’s the obvious. A pity.
I feel like DT has a few commenters who don’t add a lot of value but take up a lot of space and comment constantly about things unrelated to the Dodgers, sports, or Los Angeles. It gets boring, whereas this site is fast-paced and intetesting all the time in the comments section.
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So basically, you hate Phil’s work here? ;)
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Argh
I was hoping no one would point that out, I meant to say “eric and company” and also instead it’s the opposite, not obvious. Anyway. My 2 cents
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, because "and company" is just so heartwarming
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry dude, I am not a good person— ask my friends!
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If I had any friends they would tell you the same thing about myself.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
your avatar is a meerkeytar so you can count me as a friend on that basis alone.
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
a few commenters who … comment constantly about things unrelated to the Dodgers, sports, or Los Angeles.
But Jon likes that. I do too, BTW. I started there, still comment there, but migrated here when it was Andrew’s blog, but really moved up my participation after Phil’s, and later Eric’s, arrival.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like it too
and even when things go on tangents about stuff I don’t follow, like Top Chef, its not difficult to scroll by.
I view TBLA as my “home blog” of sorts, so I like that we occasionally discuss the Clippers and Pac-10 football here….
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 3:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree completely.
Everybody here come from different angles and opinions and it is all bounced off the wall as if at a good bar watching the game with some buds. It is fun!
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
and a few times this season, that has been literally true, in my case :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sometimes is it fun
sometimes it is tedious and painful. Many commentators here are like Jekyll and Hyde and many a time I’ve read a game thread and said that’s it.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I enjoy the game threads here because sometimes they get a little outrageous
and I get a good laugh from that.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 3:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
and that you guys allow that outrageousness is what I like about it.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I suppose it is unquantifiable why I like your threads, but sometimes
you just go with what you like.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It really doesn’t bother me when people vent, especially because usually it’s a few swear words and then it scrolls on by…
by LA Taco on Sep 23, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can pretty much say
that when the Dodgers win the game threads are fun, when they lose many of you act like they are the Nationals.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
What gets to me is when frustration comes out over relatively small things. You make an out 65% of the time in baseball. “Fuck.” is not a useful comment just because a guy made an out.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:19 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, but i think some people are just saying that
in a flippant way like you would when watching with a group of guys.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Saying it requires near-zero effort. Posting it requires five keystrokes (including the shift) and clicking “post”.
Too much work for me!
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I too get tired of hearing someone curse constantly,
but sometimes when well placed, it is funny and it seems people here are adhere to that mostly. But I haven’t been around that long.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Couldn’t have said it better.
You wanna know how great baseball is? The greatest basketball player ever left his sport to play baseball.
by Jesse Sparks on Sep 23, 2009 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The hottest ticket in town
An invite to Lamar Odom’s bachelor party.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 3:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Kershaw is slated to start “Sunday or Monday” per Joe Torre. He explained “Sunday or Monday, because Rick [Honeycutt] hasn’t told everyone involved yet.”
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Blake is sitting with a recurring issue with his lower left leg. He felt it coming out of the box on his HR yesterday.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
wow
we’re going to have to start sending in a pinch runner to circle the bases for him!
by sarcastro9 on Sep 23, 2009 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is quite the eclectic game preview thread
Juan Pierre, Ted Williams, Lebron, DT, MCC; and some actual discussion of the game to be played :)
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 3:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Only the abortion/health care/social security issue of Chad Billingsley left to be broached :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I somehow even failed to drag someone else into it....
ya know… the guy with the losing career record in pac-10 road openers…
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 3:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Can we specualate on Thome and the postseason roster?
Since he can barely walk.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm starting to think no
there’s no sunk cost factor here (as it wasn’t Tony Abreu who was dealt for Thome) so there’s not going to be any conflicted feelings about it. Plus, I find Torre to be pretty shrewd with the postseason roster. If he doesn’t think Thome or Chad can contribute, he’ll simply leave them off (IMO.)
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 3:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sweet, out of school
Now a 45 minute drive home… Just in time for the Game.
by PHAT JULIO on Sep 23, 2009 3:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Thome is a loser by the way as is Bagwell and Biggio. And Mauer.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
My favorite Mauer stat (courtesy of Rob Neyer, updated to include this year):
Number of AL catchers with batting titles not named Joe Mauer: 0
Number of Joe Mauer batting titles: 3
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is why your are the best blogger in town.
That is amazing. Now I have to do see how it shakes up in the NL. For some reason I would have expected Berra to have one batting title.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ernie Lombardi twice (1938 & 1943). Piazza came close.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And
Lombardi was considered the slowest man in baseball. Legend has it that he hit the ball so hard the infield all played on the outfield and yet he still led the league in hitting.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
also remarkable
Mantle was incredibly fast despite a knee that kept him out of Korea (and would have been amputated had his infection happened just a few years earlier)
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Stan Musial has zero rings after his age-25 season. They won the WS the first season after he retired. Stan the Man is a loser.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good thing Willie Mays won
in 1954 and Hank Aaron in 1957 because after the age of 23 those guys were losers.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
elements of truth are there in the sarcasm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Cleveland_Indians_season#Game_6_2
postseason biggio in 182 PA: .234 /.297 /.323
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Torre said Chad just needs to get “that one good outing under his belt” and “that will be enough.” Enough to do what, I don’t know…audio kind of cut out. Torre also mentioned Bills could even pitch a few innings here and there next week “just to stay fresh.”
He went out of his way to say when Bills is on he is dominant. It sounds like Torre wants Chad in the rotation. Its just up to Chad now to grab that bull by the horns.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Never grab a bull by the horns
or the balls.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe that has been Chad’s problem!
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Perhaps he just needs glasses like Charlie Sheen’s character on Major League.
by RawhideBlue on Sep 23, 2009 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
TBLA has 227 comments (including this one) in this post, which went up at 12:33
DT’s lastest post went up at 12:15 and has 60 comments.
Not that it is a commenting competition, just sayin’.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Of course any Dodger blog gets an artificial, unsustainable, comment bump when a Juan Pierre discussion rises up from the glue puddle like a phoenix from the ashes, only to see the poor dead horse beaten into glue once again.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
the glue factory came to mind
when JP had that injury last year.
by stillnotah8er on Sep 23, 2009 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But generally
If its a night game, DT usually gets more traffic and comments than TBLA does. Partly because Phil and Eric work and don’t post a new thread until closer to game time.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
On the pregame show, Torre added, “I hope I’m more anxious than Chad is.”
He also stressed the importance of repeatability of his motion and mechanics. Torre said it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, “its basically a matter of hitting the glove.”
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
In other words, Torre knows with certainty that Billingsley has the skills and the stuff, and that he just needs his groove back.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He sounds like Torre really has a deep love and connection
to our man Chad Billingsley.
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 3:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Joe is all about confidence
I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say a bad thing about someone, he simply stops using him.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
…and then compliments the benched player on how well he is taking the situation. :)
It really is a gift.
Like Red Auerbach basically inventing the 6th man and creating a sense of pride about not starting.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like hwo Torre backs him up.
He ain’t going to let Bills drop off the end of the earth on his watch.;
by Ian Capilouto on Sep 23, 2009 3:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I apologize to meercatjohn for mentioniing this.
But according to Ron Artest, if you tweet him an invite for a home cooked meal, he may take you on that.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 3:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Might be the first time ever the words “Artest” and “poison” were used in literal sense in the same sentence :)
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Artest is a character and is good for the game of basketball.
For a period he was one of my favorite players. I’m just not a fan of the old guy jumping on a teams bandwagon to get the ring he couldn’t get when he was in his prime. I’m talking to you Karl Malone and Gary Payton.
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He was traded
and yes if he wins a ring with us it won’t be so special since he did nothing. Yet
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He had to waive his no-trade clause.
by David Young on Sep 23, 2009 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
With next Tuesday being NBA media day
And USC playing Cal next week, I expect the local baseball teams to have to share the local media coverage with those big stories.
by bhsportsguy on Sep 23, 2009 3:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
When was the last time USC
had three loses in the Pac 10?
by meercatjohn on Sep 23, 2009 3:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
52-8 since beginning of 2002 in conference
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
non-UT loss was at Kansas St in 2002
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Methinks it was Carson Palmer's junior year...
so 2001
by mwhite06 on Sep 23, 2009 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Excellent conversation in the preview thread, peeps.
But, its time to graduate to the game chat:
http://www.truebluela.com/2009/9/23/1052077/bison-birthday-game-chat
by Eric Stephen on Sep 23, 2009 3:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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