Dodgers Week 1 In Review: Starting Off On The Right Foot
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 10:00 AM PDT
in Dodgers Weekly Reviews
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The Dodgers opened their season with the rival Giants, and got things off to a good start, winning three out of four games. The season starting mid-week has thrown things off a bit, and we open with a "week" that is really just a four-game weekend set. But whatever it was, it was good for the Dodgers.
Dodger Batter of the Week: Matt Kemp is the clear winner here, as he was the offensive star of the opening four game series. Kemp hit .417/.533/.833, which blew everyone else away, and he had three of the seven Dodgers' extra-base hits and three of the nine Dodger walks. The Dodgers have one home run and one stolen base through four games, and Kemp has them both.
Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Just as Kemp was the easy choice for batter of the week, Clayton Kershaw is the clear pick for pitcher of the week. Kershaw was magnificent on opening night, throwing seven scoreless innings, allowing just five baserunners while striking out nine.
Week 1 Record: 3-1
13 runs scored (3.25 per game)
19 runs allowed (4.75 per game)
.333 pythagorean winning percentage
Quality Is Job One: The five starting pitchers the Dodgers started spring training with (including Jon Garland, who is currently on the disabled list) combined for 103 quality starts in 2010, which would have tied Oakland for the major league lead. So far this season, the Dodgers have had three quality starts and won all three games. Then again, the Giants also had three quality starts in four games, and they lost two of them.
Southpaw Starters Two Decades Apart: Kershaw made his first career opening day start on Thursday night, and was the first left-hander to open the season for the Dodgers since Fernando Valenzuela in 1988. That season ended pretty well for the Dodgers. Valenzuela actually opened this season too, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to a loud ovation before Thursday's game.
Worth The Wait?: The Dodgers did not hit a home run until the fourth game of the season, with Matt Kemp breaking the ice with a first-inning home run Sunday night off Barry Zito. Kemp's home run came in the Dodgers' 109th plate appearance of the season, the longest the team has had to wait for its first home run since 1996, when Billy Ashley hit home run number one in the 109th PA of the season. The last time the Dodgers waited until their fourth game to hit their first home run was 2002.
Taking One For The Team: Lance Cormier had a 6.00 ERA for the week, but I considered making him an honorable mention for pitcher of the week. Why? Well, because the Dodgers were down 8-0 on Saturday after six innings, and relievers Mike MacDougal and Kenley Jansen were already used. The Dodgers needed somebody to eat up innings at the end of the game to preserve the bullpen, and Cormier obliged. He threw 42 pitches and allowed two runs, but he got through those three innings without the Dodgers having to burn another reliever. "You hope you don't need it," Mattingly said of the mopup work, "but when you get it, it saves your bullpen." In fact, the Dodgers went into Sunday night with a full compliment of relievers available (outside of Jansen and Cormier).
Sin On Saturday, Repent On Sunday: In 2010, the Dodgers lost four games on a Saturday by a margin of eight or more runs. In each instance, the Dodgers came back to win on Sunday. The same thing happened at Chavez Ravine on Saturday, as the Dodgers were battered by the Giants 10-0, and the Dodgers came back to win 7-5, and take the series.
Transactions: None this week, the first week of the season, but the Dodgers did open the year with five players on the disabled list: Casey Blake, Vicente Padilla, Garland, Jay Gibbons, and Dioner Navarro.
Game Results:
- Thursday: Dodgers 2, Giants 1
- Friday: Dodgers 4, Giants 3
- Saturday: Giants 10, Dodgers 0
- Sunday: Dodgers 7, Giants 5
Upcoming Week: After four games at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers head out for an eight-game road trip through most of the NL West. This week brings trips to Colorado and San Diego, but also brings two off days, the only non All-Star week this season with more than one off day.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| 4 Off |
5 at Col 5:40pm |
6 at Col 12:10pm |
7 Off |
8 at SD 7:05pm |
9 at SD 5:35pm |
10 at SD 1:05pm |
Week 1 Stats
| Player | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SB/CS | BA/OBP/SLG | OPS |
| Kemp | 15 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1/0 | .417/.533/.833 | 1.367 |
| Carroll | 12 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0/0 | .300/.417/.500 | .917 |
| Thames | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | .286/.286/.571 | .857 |
| Furcal | 12 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/1 | .333/.333/.417 | .750 |
| Ethier | 16 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/0 | .333/.375/.333 | .708 |
| Uribe | 8 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | .286/.375/.286 | .661 |
| Barajas | 13 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | .250/.308/.250 | .558 |
| Loney | 16 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | .133/.125/.200 | .325 |
|
|
||||||||||||
| Ellis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1.000/1.000/1.000 | 2.000 |
| Paul | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | .333/.333/.333 | .667 |
| Miles | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | .222/.222/.222 | .444 |
| Gimenez | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | .200/.200/.200 | .400 |
| Gwynn | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | .167/.167/.167 | .333 |
| DeJesus | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | .000/.125/.000 | .125 |
|
|
||||||||||||
| Pitchers | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | .000/.111/.000 | .111 |
| Totals | 140 | 129 | 13 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 1/1 | .248/.300/.333 | .633 |
| Pitcher | G | W-L | Sv | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | FIP* |
| Kershaw | 1 | 1-0 | -- | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0.00 | 0.714 | 1.06 |
| Kuroda | 1 | 1-0 | -- | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3.86 | 0.857 | 5.91 |
| Billingsley | 1 | 1-0 | -- | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4.50 | 1.000 | 5.03 |
| Lilly | 1 | 0-1 | -- | 4.2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7.71 | 1.500 | 2.56 |
| Starters | 4 |
3-1 | -- | 24.2 | 21 |
10 | 10 | 3 | 21 | 3.65 | 0.973 | 3.69 |
| Guerrier | 2 | 0-0 | -- | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.00 | 2.250 | 6.20 |
| Hawksworth | 1 | 0-0 | -- | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.00 | 3.000 | 2.20 |
| MacDougal | 1 | 0-0 | -- | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 3.000 | (2.80) |
| Kuo | 2 | 0-0 | -- | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5.40 | 1.800 | 4.40 |
| Broxton | 3 | 0-0 | 3/3 | 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6.00 | 1.000 | 11.20 |
| Cormier | 1 | 0-0 | -- | 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6.00 | 1.000 | 7.20 |
| Jansen | 1 | 0-0 | -- | 1.0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 36.00 | 6.000 | 5.20 |
| Relievers | 4 |
0-0 |
3/3 | 11.1 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 11 |
7.15 | 1.941 | 6.82 |
| Totals | 4 |
3-1 | 3/3 | 36.0 | 35 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 32 | 4.75 | 1.278 | 4.67 |
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Comments
I hope you never stop using brown & mustard for the Padres, ever.
http://www.mikesciosciastragicillness.com
I will always call those "classic" Padres colors either
“Baby Crap” or “McDonald’s”. Get right on that, Crayola.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I remember the brown McDonalds uniforms, so you must too
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions
look at Oysters Rockafeller over here : )
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 10:20 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm the opposite, the only times I've gone there were when I was a kid.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
We need to pound the Rockies 12 – 0 to get our pythag straightened out.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Is Gibbons going to come back this week?
If so Blake and Gibbons, which two do we lose?
Ellis, IDJ, Paul, Gimenez have to be the candidates
I’m thinking Ellis and IDJ but Donny might have liked the luxury of three catchers.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
No; Gibbons needs minor league rehab games first, starting Thursday
DeJesus for Blake, (sad to say) Paul for Gibbons
Hector is a candidate for Redding/Ely/Garland on Sunday
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions
IDJ for Blake for sure
Ellis or Gimenez for the other move.
I don’t see them cutting Paul yet.
When Garland’s time comes though… and then Padilla… hrm, things get dicier.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
(But certainly Cormier could be cut, or, yes, Jansen sent down.)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
So Mac has a negative 2.8 fips? Am I reading that right?
if so how is that possible?
These hands will always be rough
strike out half your batters, good things happen.
Also, many things don’t work in the extremes.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions
I would bet money that Blake starts Wednesday at Coors
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Maybe daytime baseball in Cleveland had a bad hitters eye.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Don’t send Gibbons there!
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions
He’s also a better player than Jamey Carroll, Aaron Miles, or Ivan DeJesus. He’s playing
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
I'd rather have Blake fielding at 3rd
and Uribe back at 2nd where he’ll be of better use to Dodgers. And have Carroll spot starting like he should be. imho.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Agreed.
Between Old Man Blake, Fragile Man Furcal, and Fat Man Uribe, he’ll get plenty of work.
by Riffraffselbow on Apr 5, 2011 12:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Thames with an infield hit and the rare Dodger Stadium triple this weekend. Not a one-tool player after all!
yeah that was all Thames, had nothing to do with the RFer
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions
right? if only boxscores had fullsize scorecards with them, and they showed the Magellan like path he took to try and get that ball
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions
It was definitely in part due to Huff's serpentine route ;-)
but… to be fair Thames also did rip the snot out of that ball, it was almost off the wall. A very good outfielder likely catches it but it’s not like Thames didn’t hit it there. At any rate, I have faith Thames is gonna provide some offense for LA this year, though he’ll be streaky as usual.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Madsen’s agent must love this. Per www.baseballhq.com
"Can we necessarily rely on him? I don’t think so." That was GM Ruben Amaro’s recent assessment of the chances of Ryan Madson (RHP, PHI) filling in for injured closer Brad Lidge (RHP, PHI). In the same Philadelphia Inquirer column, the team’s pitching coach is quoted discussing Madson’s "anxiety" and how the game "speeds up on him" in the ninth inning.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
True, but you don’t usually get it spelled out like that by the GM, they usually couch those comments in a different way.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
“What do you want from me? He sucks,” Amaro added. “But I’m stuck with him. Unfortunately, I have no control over the decisions of which players are hired to play for this tea—— what do you mean, I’m the GM?”
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions
He’s the one who signed him to a $12mil/3 year deal. Free agent at the end of the year, so who knows.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
He is a lights out setup man, so that contract was not unreasonable for a team with lots of mullah.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
I was unaware that Riyadh was fielding a MLB team.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
Right. He’s very good. Which is why I don’t get the argument. This idea that the ninth inning is a harder 1-inning outing than the other innings is ridiculous.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
On the other hand, LaTroy Hawkins.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Apr 4, 2011 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions
Right, history has shown that excellent setup man don’t always make the transition to closer. Since we know they have the stuff in inability to excel in the new role, has to be mental. Why I have no idea but we can find more then one setup men with great peripherals who did not make the transition.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Yep, I think guys like Hawkins and Madson are the exception rather than the rule, but some guys just can’t do it.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Apr 4, 2011 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions
The argument is based on him being bad in the 9th inning
in real life. If he thinks its harder to pitch in the ninth, it may actually be harder for him to pitch in the ninth.
These hands will always be rough
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I had no control over that dea—- what do you mean, my signature is on the contract?,” said Amaro.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
“Dude has the cojones of an infant,” Amaro continued. “We tried to fake-trade him to Japan, but Japan was like ‘F that, we don’t even fake trade for pussies of that magnitude.’ So I’m stuck with this jackwad.”
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Man, the game speeding up on you as a pitcher is the worst feeling i’ve ever felt, athletically or otherwise. It’s like being stuck running on an endless treadmill that is going faster than you can keep up with, with no buttons to hit to slow it down and no way to get out of it except to keep running until someone else pulls the plug.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Reminds me of this. (Page is rated PG for language, don’t vouch for anything else on the site)
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Apr 4, 2011 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions
YAY
I’m moving back to Los Angeles!
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
If so, does Pomona really count as Los Angeles?
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
probably not, though it's in LA County
I’d likely be living at home…maybe?
Now I get to make fun decisions like, where do I live? Do I buy a car and commute? Do I try and get a job in the area around school, at school, whatever?
New things to obsess over, hooray!
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
the preferred nomenclature is Claremont
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
my HS math teacher pronounced that word like Norman Claycha
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
which ultimately led to his life of crime, selling meth in Riverside County
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 11:16 AM PDT up reply actions
And now he pitches for the Giants under an assumed name.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
haha me too
they’re offering me a 30% fellowship, too, which is awesome.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
That is the best news of all!
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions
You get to become a “fellow”? Dave Stewart has his eyes on you.
I really have no idea what a fellowship is, but it is must be awesoke if you think it is awesome.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
just means they’re paying some of my tuition. It’s impressive because to be considered for institutional aid, you had to apply before Feb 1. I didn’t get my file complete by then, but because of my “academic promise”, they’re giving me money.
Hooray!
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
It means she gets to hang out with hobbits and dwarves.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
I already have Smeagol...
awww poor Bodhi, missing a toe and slinking around
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
Congrats! Claremont should be honored to have you.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Congrats!
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Some people just aren't into meth
These hands will always be rough
by nolander on Apr 4, 2011 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
sorry baseball fans....
miz and cena were laying outside the ring and ref counted them out and called the match. the rock came down and said it was not going to end like that. then the anonymous GM sent an email. the rock went to read it. told the the email it doesnt matter… had the fight resumed no holds no DQ, then he rock bottomed Cena, miz covered, got the belt, then finished miz with the peoples elbow.
i must admit. this anonymous GM bit is great
an email is sent to a laptop at a podium, and somebody has to go read it. I wish Frank would try this out. 
Bodog let you bet on Wrestlemania. Don’t bet on professional wrestling.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Apr 4, 2011 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions
I had to learn that lesson the hard way.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Apr 4, 2011 11:42 AM PDT up reply actions
When I was 12 years old, I watched The Destroyer and Freddie Blassie wrestle. I also watched Roller Derby, until I figured out that theer were only four teams, and they kept being from new cities.
Then I grew up.
Baseball is a game, and games are supposed to be fun.
Whoa wait, are you telling me that professional wrestling is fake?
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Apr 4, 2011 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Next thing you know you guys are gonna be telling me The Office
is not a real documentary.
These hands will always be rough
I’m one of those people who doesn’t like The Princess Bride partly because I can’t understand a word of what Andre the Giant is saying.
Not understanding what Andre the Giant is saying is one of the great joys of The Princess Bride.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions
I admit to being very tired of Mandy Patinkin. Here’s how I get through it: whenever I see him, I remind myself that Christopher Guest is in the movie!
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions
Good God
Didn’t like the Toy Story franchise or Princess Bride………..
For strike three or a new lease on life did you enjoy Galaxy Quest?
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Worst comment ever.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Dude I can’t hang with tornados. That’s some real serious business stuff.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
At least you’re far enough to do no harm. I liked your “/cracks another beer” comment several threads ago. Sunday night is the new Friday night.
That was the beauty of it. It was 11:00 on Sunday Night for me.
I had 2 more and woke up with a headache today.
Pain is just weakness leaving the body.
Recovery
1. Sleep
2. Caffeine
3. Pain pills
4. Water
For some reason, I do okay all week until Sunday rolls around . . .
You'll like this
Scott, Gary madeleine got into Claremont and they’re spotting her a 30% scholarship for her “academic promise”
11:15 AMFerguson, Mike very good
what the heck does academic promise mean? signing a 18 year old with a 3 mil. bonus?
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Heh.
LookoutLanding:
The Angels are paying Scott Kazmir $12 million this year, or $480,000 per mile per hour
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Anyone know if the free preview of extra innings is still going on? debating lunch at home.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
keith
ate at a waffle house
did not have sweet tea
took my picture at the Ryman
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Stranger then fiction that Butler has the experience of playing in a Championship game not UConn.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
At some point, the attention needs to go to the Butler players themselves. Everyone talks about the mystique, the coach, the school. How about the actual guys playing ball? I imagine the coach is using this to full advantage in his pep talks (See: I’m doing it too!)
After you make both free throws…and you will make both free throws…
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Howard is a baller, but besides him, on talent, they don’t match up with the big boys. There’s gotta be something that’s got them here besides talent. They’re executing and they’ve had some luck (see also: coaching, “mystique”)
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Don’t get me wrong, they have several fine players. But it’s not like UConn was picking between Mack and Kemba.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
That is obvious
but Mack carries the team as much as Howard who seems to get all the attention. Maybe because he is white and apparently a really weird guy.
I think Howard gets the extra pub because he stands out — he has goofy hair and looks somewhat awkward — more than because he is white. In the same way, Noah got the bulk of the pub for those Florida teams, even though Horford and Brewer were as crucial. Lee Humphrey was also pretty good and got almost no press, even though he was about as white as they come.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
It needs to happen
So close last year. I swear I would rather poke out my eyes than have another BCS conversation here, but it might be good for changing that as well.
I will withhold my opinion on this matter, lest we rehash that old debate again
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 11:30 AM PDT up reply actions
I hope Butler wins, that way the NIT champ Wichita State has an equal claim to being the best team this year
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Or CBI champ Oregon. Go Pac-(digits)!
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
I don't get that analogy?
Finishing second in the top NCAA hoops tournament would = winning the NIT?
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Heh.
I went to SF State. We barely have sports. But it also made me less biased when it comes to college sports.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Worst baseball field in the CCAA. Fucking Gators.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Pretty terrible. Hurts that they just hadn't had almost any athletic budget.
Which is sad for a school that actually long ago had a great tradition. Vic Rowen-coached football teams, track and field, even pretty decent hoops teams (Div II). Oh well.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
all I am saying is that 28-9 with a tournament win and 29-8 win a tournament win are indiscernible
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Not really.
One team would be acknowledged to be 2nd best in the country while winners of that other tourney (or any of those other tourneys) are quickly forgotten and considered (fair or not) to be more like the 60th best team in the country.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Probably closer to about 45th. There are a lot of crummy conferences, and an NIT winner has got to be considered at least as good as a 10 or 11 seed.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Yeah I wasn't sure what the number would be, agree that some of the fingey teams from tiny conferences
wouldn’t or shouldn’t be considered as good as Colorado or Wichita… but that sounds about right.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Fringey, rather. Fingey sounds dirty.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Legit True or False question: if Hayward’s half-court bank shot goes in last year, Butler v. Duke is the greatest college basketball game of all-time?
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions
Maybe “most memorable” is a better word choice here
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions
Hard for anything to ever beat the NC State victory with Charles slamming in the air ball as time expired.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Only because I was incredibly into the NC State run.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Yeah
But that’s the level we’re talking here.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions
True or False: I should feel bad for not knowing who Chris Mullin is.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
I know who Chris Mullin is!
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Shit, is my webcam on again?
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Michael Cooper knows who Chris Mullin is, and also knows Mullin should have had a flattop at all times.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Yes that link is safe for work, and awesome
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions
SFW says you, DENIED ACCESS POLICY says my computer.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
nah, youtube gets blocked here (thank god or I’d get even less work done), but I think I know the scene he’s linking.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
What do you think it is?
I’ll give you one guess
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions
hanging with Mr. Cooper, Coop tries out for the Warriors
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
You are really kinbote-ing this up
Hell no!
That link is to the Lakers 1986-1987 championship video (“The Drive For Five”), which features Michael Cooper receiving the defensive player of the year in 1987 before Game 5 of the conference finals, then going out and shutting down Sleepy Floyd, and also swatting the shit out of a floppy-haired Mullin.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Sleepy Floyd, one of the great NBA nicknames
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Robbing the world of another great Eric! :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Eric has a separate computer already set to GFY me. He keeps it ready, just daring me to cross the line.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions
What kind of superpowers are we talking about? Flight? Invisibility? Heat vision? Superstrength?…
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions
It was meant as a term of derisive endearment.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 12:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Did they make any other video like that? I must have watched the Drive For Five video a thousand times as a kid
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions
They made “Back to Back” the next year, which I also watched a ton.
There are other championship videos from the 1980s, but they are more NBA-general and not as team specific as those great videos are.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:58 AM PDT up reply actions
There was a NBA blooper VHS i watched 400 times. Can’t remember the title, but there was a lot of Doug Moe in it.
Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers!
With Marv Albert and Frank Layden!!!!
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 12:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I had both
The first one, plus the first NBA Superstars are in the pantheon of epic NBA videos.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions
That, and Magic Johnson: Always Showtime, which was made just before the HIV, got worn out.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Non-Sequitor
I miss the Forum so much. I haven’t been to a Lakers or a Kings game since they moved
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 12:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m saying False because I have to think UCLA played in whatever is considered the best. Or that Duke/Laettner game.
I think maybe yes. Follow-up: what is the greatest CBB game ever? I can only think of moments (Laettner, Edney, Webber’s TO) but not any wire-to-wire games stand out to me.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Before big time TV, but people swear by the 1974 ACC Final between NC State (with David Thompson) and Maryland. That was when only one team per conference made the NCAA Tournament.
Also, there were a couple big OT NCAA finals. I think Wilt lost to UNC one year, then a few years later Jerry West and WVU lost to Cincinnati, but maybe I’m mixing up teams on the last one.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:39 AM PDT up reply actions
The only game I remember being a big deal was Magic/Bird, but I believe that was more about the players than the game itself.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Huge hype going in but to my memory it was not a classic game.
I remember one UCLA game where I think it was Richard Washington made a base line shot to win the championship but for all I know it was just a game to keep them playing. Wasn’t that Wooden’s last game?
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Yep
to me that has the one game with the most pressure on any team, you know those players wanted to win it for Wooden.
Aren’t you guy who just on Saturday warned about casting stones from a glass house?
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Yes, I’m a hypocrite, but at least we didn’t trade our entire farm system to hit Yunieski Betancourt 6th.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Apr 4, 2011 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Silly me, I thought it was to get the 2009 Cy Young award winner.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Who, arguably, is largely canceled out by starting Yunieski Betancourt.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Apr 4, 2011 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Betancourt just hit a looong double, almost a home run.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
So Betancourt hits his long double to lead off.
Nyjer Morgan bunted him over to third.
Will Nieves struck out.
The pitcher flew out to left.
No runs and a hit.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Reg was saying what a great album Billy Joel put out
Man, Tony Danza-esque with the throwing motion.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Bentencourt would bat 4th on these dodgers.
by Tripon on Apr 4, 2011 1:14 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
slowly raises hand
we left in the 6th.
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Apr 4, 2011 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't want to sound like some know-it-all and going by GScott's standard
I could start my knowledge of sports around 1970.
Maybe it was the fact that we went to library as kids and that I liked sports so I got books about sports. I read really bad biographies and glorified histories (but also read books like “Glory of their times”, “Boys of Summer” and the Macmillian Baseball Encyclopedia.
This probably explains why I could not remember the Periodic Table or the list of Presidents.
Don’t forget the TV show and book “Greatest Sports Legends.”
by Eric Stephen on Apr 4, 2011 11:51 AM PDT up reply actions
I checked out books about old Dodgers and Yankees my grandfather told me stories about. I did not check out any Willie Mays books. Basketball is watched but not followed in our house. I knew Rodman because of the antics, the Bulls and the Lakers, in that order. I found out yesterday that he played for the Pistons.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
no worries, I just don’t check Twitter like, ever, so shoot me a fb message if you end up going.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
You and 499,999,999 others
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions
There’s antimony, arsenic, aluminun, selenium….
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Ricky Weeks hits #3
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Second only to The Inscrutable H.U.M.M.A.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions
The Responsible C.P.A.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 12:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I forgot to mention this earlier
But I was a guest on this week’s edition of Purple Row radio. Interview was recorded Saturday.
I will take on the work for $5,000 a month.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Nah, he’ll do some bait-and-switch on me and I’ll be forced to send them to Grenada or something. No, I accept only cold, hard cash.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Eric can rest on Thursday
as no Southern California professional sports (Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks) scheduled, there are no Pac-10 competitions in any sport and even the MLS is off.
Have not checked the cricket schedules.
So when are we reminded as to why Brewers were trendy pick to win pennant this year?
I get the Greinke thing, and they have a good lineup, but no depth, no help in farm system now, pitching questions…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Sort of yeah...
Cards have issues, Cubs look meh, but the Reds sure look dangerous.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Volquez and Arroyo are awful.
Not sure about the back end of the pen either with A Rhodes gone. Cordero is a good for a gaggle of earned runs.
I like their offense though, especially in this division.
Well I guess the answer could be today, if the score holds up...
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Beachy is a 24 year old that projects to a 3.80 ERA even though I’ve never heard him mentioned as a prospect.
@andrewngrant
How much cooler would it be if Gameday had Counsell’s stance?
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
I'm sure they'll figure out a way
to get Batting Stance Guy in there somehow
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
Predictions for 27 weeks of baseball
Batter of Week:
Matt Kemp 10 times
Ethier takes the honor 9 times
Furcal 2 time winner
Fodder 5 times
Sands 1 time
Pitcher of Week:
Kershaw 8 times
Billz 3 times
Kuroda 4 times
Lilly 2 times
Kuo 4 times
Brox 3 times
Other bullpen guys 2 times
Rubby 1 time
How many times did the bullpen get Pitcher of the Week honors last year? And how often was it because the bullpen pitcher really had an awesome week, and how much was it because of lack of a viable starter candidate?
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Loons Roster announced
I made a fapost here. I’ll continue to update that fanpost when the other rosters are announced
From Gameday it looks like (Not J)Martin Prado went Vlad Guerrero on old friend Saito.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
haha I thought the same thing. That pitch was way high up but he crushed it
"Champions last year," he said. "Not this year." - Rubby De La Rosa after shaming the Giants in ST
It's probably Broxton's fault, though.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
by underdog on Apr 4, 2011 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Martin Prado takes Sammy Saito deep
and it’s tied 1-1 in Milwaukee.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
I love, love that guy and so enjoyed his time in LA
but parting ways with him was definitely the thing to do. Alas.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
He’s pitched for peanuts and while he hasn’t been dominating he still would have been the second best pitcher in our bullpen.
@andrewngrant
Surely age is going to catch up with him one of these days, though.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Oh he could be toast this year no doubt, but he would have definitely helped the team in 2009 and 2010.
@andrewngrant
We’d still have Josh Bell and Steve Johnson, for one, though I’m not sure what that does for us nor am I upset with that trade in the slightest.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
OK, if you’re going there… if LA keeps Saito, meaning they don’t trade for Sherrill in ’09, what happens in the NLCS?
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Puerto Rico finally gets voting rights, becomes a state and is decalred country’s 5th best vacation destination behind Hawaii, San Diego, New York, and Fresno.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Fresno?
"Champions last year," he said. "Not this year." - Rubby De La Rosa after shaming the Giants in ST
What he means is that things grow fast there. A baby gestates in just seven months. A child is fully grown by age eight.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
The place looks like you could remake the tornado scene from “The Wizard of Oz” there.
Baseball is a game, and games are supposed to be fun.
If you spend too much time in Fresno, Bakersfield starts to look like the emerald city.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Actually Merced is kinda cute little town
and isn’t that where the newest UC campus is? Gateway to Yosemite!
I once did the Amtrak to Yosemite thing with my g/f (train to Merced, bus in to Yosemite). The bus driver lived in Merced and went on and on about its charms. More than it deserved. But at least I left no longer thinking it was a total dump. Only partial.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Dunno. I wouldn’t have guessed Sherrill or Broxton underperform against the Phillies, so I’m assuming the results still stand if you put Saito in Sherrill’s spot.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Then, from the dugout in Game 1, Beimel is able to signal to Jeff Kent TO FUCKING STOP AT THIRD BASE and JD Drew TO FUCKING GO BACK TO SECOND.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
heh
"Champions last year," he said. "Not this year." - Rubby De La Rosa after shaming the Giants in ST
no
but they are famous for their GC Monday’s. Other stuff is supposed to be good too
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
I also may be confusing them
with Clementine
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
I was thinking Campanile tho
They have Grilled Cheese Thursdays.
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
place is a+
they have great stuff there.. a little pricey but hey its the west side. they have a walforf-ish chicken salad that is divine.. cookies are also good too..
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Apr 4, 2011 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Love mayo
Just made a roast pork sandwich on french bread with mayo, Phillipes mustard and melted smoked cheese.
Divine
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
Surprisingly it works
Apples, walnuts and chicken salad are a good combo
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
mayo and sour cream. To a lesser extent, guacamole too, but I’ll have some homemade guac now and again.
I have two
pineapple and coconut (particularly sweetened coconut)
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
When I am finally recognized as Supreme Overlord of All Things, coconut will be outlawed.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Except if you're all Tom Hanksed on an island
then it should be ok
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
There are things with coconut by-products I like though. Like there many delicious curries and sauces that require coconut milk. I can get on board with a Pina Colada on the beach on a hot day.
Shredded or shaved coconut mixed into something on the other hand…
Overall mine would be seafood
My brain just can’t get past its prejudice against sea animals. My brain just won’t stop screaming at me that its gross even when my tongue is trying to tell it to chill out, its not so bad.
These hands will always be rough
I have a friend who hates chicken
WTF?
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
He also never uses milk with cereal
and is a Cubs fan. So he’s pretty fucked up
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
It is
Its something I’m working on, for the sake of my wife who loves seafood. I just need to force ffed myself more crab, salmon and tuna.
These hands will always be rough
What is your take on Sweet potato fries with sour cream and sugar dipping sauce. Had it in Nashville this weekened and it was fantastic.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Don’t dislike sweet potato fries, just never saw the point if they offer the regular kind.
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
butI'd probably eat a grilled tire
if they serve it with sour cream and sugar dipping sauce
Do the chair know we gonna look like some punk-ass bitches out there?
RE: Saturday lineup
My boss asked about how we lost 10-0 Saturday and I explained that we had both a homer-happy pitcher going on a warm day game and rested all our starters because it was a day game after a night game. Her response?
It’s not like it’s a back-to-back in basketball. Baseball is twenty minutes of action spread out over three hours. What the hell do these guys need to rest for?
I didn’t really have a good answer for her because I’m not sure I disagree. It’s a long season, to be sure, and Furcal is an injury case, but baseball isn’t exactly the most demanding sport physically.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
While there’s something to what she said, I dunno. These guys are going to play a hundred and sixty-two times over the next six months. That’s a lot and it’ll take a toll on anyone. My personal feeling is if you’re going to have a policy of resting guys on the day-game-after-night in August, you should have that policy in April, too… but (a) maybe that shouldn’t be an absolute, and (b) resting all of ’em at once every time they need rest might not be a good policy.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Seriously
In most sports they get days off between almost every game, in baseball its day after day with the occasional off day. That’ll take its toll.
These hands will always be rough
Plus once you factor in pregame stuff it’s about six-seven hours of kinda physical activity every day. I do say that baseball is very close to not being a sport, but I can see how that would wear on you.
@andrewngrant
you’re all right, it does wear on you, especially relief pitchers and catchers. But we’re also talking about Game 3 of the season and in the middle of a home series where they don’t have to worry about hotel beds or travel the next day. It was a day game sure, but it wasn’t a getaway day.
Apologies, I’m sure this was hashed out.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
It’s the “house money” argument we dissected like crazy back in 2009. D2X is basically punting that game and getting everybody their rest so that they can be ready to win the series on Sunday.
BTW, if LAD wins the first 2 against SD this weekend, watch out for a shit-tastic lineup behind Ely/Redding on Sunday.
by Michael White on Apr 4, 2011 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions
but that’d give them 3 off days in a week. Do you still do it?
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Would I? I’m not sure. I think D2X will though with the logic of it being a long season and with the AAA pitchers throwing anyway the club is likely looking down the barrell of a loss.
by Michael White on Apr 4, 2011 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Here's what we will hear
We are in the middle of a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, day game after a night game, all the usual stuff.
I noticed that twice in ST games I saw
I think it was both the White Sox and Cubs, they kept their regulars in long after the Dodgers started subbing guys out.
I would fully expect if healthy, the games played leaders will be Kemp, Loney, Ethier, Furcal, Blake, Uribe, Carroll, Gwynn, Thames, Barajas
the fielding of the b team makes me less aggravated since they wonthe series yesterday..
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Apr 4, 2011 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Braun singles with one out. They’re bringing in the lefty to face Fielder. Still 2-1 ATL
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
I’m thinking about Prince Fielder, and I’m wondering if he is the douchiest player that I actually want to see play for my team.
I don’t really like Prince — he makes it hard to root for him when he does stuff like charge locker rooms. But both because of need (Dodgers need a big bat and at his position) and talent (no doubt he is great) I would fully support having him on the team, even if he is hard to root for.
What do you think? Is there a douchier player that you’d go, y’know, let’s go get him?
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
I cant believe he had the second highest fielding percentage for an NL 1B last year.. (behind pujols, tied with jim loney)
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Apr 4, 2011 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions
I supported signing Barry Bonds after 2007.
I think at his price point and number of contract year commands, he’d be someone we renegotiate his salary and trade for John Ely in 3 years.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Bonds a few years ago when he was just sitting on the free agency market basically begging the Dodgers to make an offer. Randy Johnson I would have done.
by Michael White on Apr 4, 2011 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually
they are co-winners of the NL Player of the Week.
Underdog’s favorite Dodger acquisition dream, Carlos Quentin was the AL Player of the Week
old friend andruw jones
starting in the OF for the yankees today. break a leg, druw
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Apr 4, 2011 1:58 PM PDT reply actions
Martin: You were fat when we were on the Dodgers.
Andruw: You were shitty.
Both laugh.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Cap’n Jetes: You guys best stop swearing in my clubhouse.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Chavez: Ow, my back.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
by Nolij on Apr 4, 2011 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
yankee apologist
Cowherd was on the radio the other day trying to front like Cashman was a shrewd gm because he got chavez ‘for nothing’.
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Apr 4, 2011 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Orioles looking to go 4-0
Up 5-1 right now.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
File Under: Things that don't matter
Dodgers ranked 10th in ESPN power rankings
http://espn.go.com/mlb/powerrankings/_/season/2011/week/1
These hands will always be rough
Why do we even keep that file?
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Apr 4, 2011 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
Most of the local team blogs got callouts. Only the Phillies, Padres, and Nats did not. I wonder if ESPN has blogs for those guys, and if they do, I wonder if their authors are like, WTF?
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
ESPN.com
has local team blogs at least for MLB, NBA and NFL teams. DT joined after it was brought onto ESPN LA. The season before that, they had a smaller number of blogs, of which Chad’s was one of them.
OK, then, seriously: why would they give hat tips to 27 of the 30 team blogs, but leave out three? Seems odd.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
More ludicrous to me than 0-3 Sox still being #7: Pirates take 2 of 3 from the Cubs, get ranked 14 spots lower.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Those rankings seem odd
though granted, a team’s overall worth and “power” shouldn’t be based just on first few games, which could be flukey or whatever. But then again, I have no idea what basis they are using if not for that.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I'm reading Feeding the Monster
Manny being Manny in LA seems like nothing compared to Manny being Manny in Boston
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
and it seems that Dre is just pulling a Nomar
With two years remaining on his contract, he said “Fans are going to miss a lot of good guys. I’ve said it all along. You like wearing a guy’s T-shirt with his name on it – maybe he won’t be here next year.”
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
So what you’re saying is that Dre will get traded at the deadline in 2012, and then the Dodgers will win the World Series?
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Nomah!
Another local boy made good
by Josie Becker on Apr 4, 2011 2:55 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
did you know
that Theo Epstein’s grandfather won an Oscar for the screenplay Casablanca?
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
Philip, I guess Juiius is Phillip’s twin.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
I don't know if anyone caught this yet
Loons announced their opening day roster
Zach Lee will be on it
Jake Lemmerman will not, so he will be headed to Rancho Cucamonga
OWNED
It is one thing to build an analytical paradigm that leaves out leadership, hustle, focus, intensity, courage, and self-confidence. It is a very, very different thing to say that leadership, hustle, courage, and self-confidence do not exist or do not play a role on real-world baseball teams. The people who think that way, not to be rude, but they’re children. They may be 40-year-old children, they may be 70-year-old children, but their thinking is immature.
Bill James
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
by Maddz on Apr 4, 2011 2:54 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Sure
the problem is is how the hell do you quantify courage in baseball?
These hands will always be rough
I think he’s saying that certain things are quantifiable, but the very fact that their not quantifiable doesn’t mean they do not exist.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
Yep
but you can’t really expect people to be comfortable seeing a guy hit a buck fifty and suck on the field just because he is a supposed PVL.
These hands will always be rough
My view is that no one ever says that it is not part of it
It’s a given that it is part of it (as it is everywhere) but the problem is trying to figure out how much of that plays a role. Also, some (not so much me) get annoyed when outsiders try to put this as the big reason why so and so player is not performing well.
Mayhaps we should stop looking at spreadsheets in our parents basement.
Very, very few people think this so why bother writing it when this column has been written seven million other times.
@andrewngrant
Isn’t Maddz reading an old book, so it is new for her?
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
That’s not really the point I was going for but I suppose if you think your line of thinking is the only valid way to go, you get defensive when it looks like it may be impinged in any way, shape or form.
I do think that sabermetrics are a great and extremely valid (and valuable!) way to look at baseball. I just don’t think it’s completely exhaustive. I realize this is a methodological – if not ideological – quandary, but I did find it very interesting that the quote above comes from Bill James and not Buzz Bissinger, you dig?
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
But…I’m not getting defensive. When you throw down a quote that’s a strawman argument and go “boom, roasted” what else is there to say.
No one with an opinion worth listening to thinks that these guys are baseball playing robots. The thing is that players without courage or intangibles and what not tend to suck in a very, very tangible way and I’m not remotely qualified to talk about who had the most heart (and who is really?) so I stick to the tangible.
@andrewngrant
And also keep in mind that intangibles have to eventually have to turn into runs, otherwise they actually are irrelevant. And since runs don’t just appear that means that some other tangible number on a players B-Ref page has to get affected. If a player goes balls out every play that shows up on the scoresheet under the very tangible “hits”. For the most part giving a guy credit for intangibles is mostly double counting his contribution.
@andrewngrant
Which is one reason why Craig Biggio ranked highly on James’ lists. There is, however, the issue of being a “good teammate.” If Jeff Kent’s dickery was such a negative impact on the team that his teammates did not do their job as effectively, then some of that blame could be attributed to Kent. Whereas, if Sean Casey’s happy attitude and winning smile made his teammates play better, then he deserves some credit for that as well.
I have no clue whatsoever if either of those things really is the case, but it does speak to the non-statistical impact a player might have.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Sure basic stats, but if Jeff Kent’s dickery had an actual negative effect you could go back and demonstrate that Kent’s teammates constantly under performed.
@andrewngrant
Let’s say, for instance, that Jeff Kent’s shenanigans were sloughed off by most players, but only Hee Seop Choi was so bothered by it that it affected his performance. On the one hand, you can argue that Choi’s intangibles were weak which then is reflected by his performance, but in putting together a team, you would want to consider that Kent may have that negative effect on someone else.
By the same token, Matt Kemp may watch Casey Blake play hard and be motivated to play harder (i.e. better), but James Loney might not. Is there a tangible effect, sure. Is there an analytical way of isolating Casey Blake’s teammate helpfulness, I don’t know.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
I guess once you get to that point, sure, any benefit the player offers would just get written off as statistical white noise.
But could you make a list of the Casey Blakes of the league versus the Jeff Kents? And would your list resemble anyone elses.
@andrewngrant
I guess this might speak to a deeper issue of the correct way to build a team and whether or not you want to go by things that are only statistically significant.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
I’m agreeing that this is something that you couldn’t just use numbers to identifity.
However, if it’s not statistically significant it’s probably a very minor effect because if it was a big thing, it would show up consistently in the numbers.
@andrewngrant
ok
How about the San Diego Padres in 2010?
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
They all played really good defense
and their pitchers didn’t get hurt like at all for the first 3/4s of the season didn’t they? Sounds tangible.
These hands will always be rough
Perhaps the other guys playing good defense
made everyone else try harder?
These hands will always be rough
Maybe their hot streak was random chance and they suddenly rolled snake eyes?
I want to back off of that a bit. “Random chance” is too strong. But I believe luck played a role in the Padres’ effectiveness, and their luck ran out.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
oh you
Instead of looking for individual statistics, I would say a team “playing above their heads” might be a sign of team chemistry.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
Suggesting that playing over your head is because your team has great chemistry is just as presumptive as suggesting someone playing below their ability has some sort of mental attitude/confidence/etc issue.
Therein lies the issue. You can’t prove good teammates have a positive impact any more than you can prove poor teammates have a negative impact. Also, as someone mentioned above, the fact that casey Blake is a good teammate and impacts Matt Kemp doesn’t mean he has an imapct on everyone.
It’s an exercise in futility in baseball and doesn’t matter nearly as much as it would in a sport like basketball where the team relies on whoever has the ball to function within a system and get teammates involved.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
I’m arguing collectively, not individually. Saying Broxton has “something wrong upstairs” is different than saying “The 2010 Mets had no chemistry, and that’s why they were terrible, collectively, as a group”
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
There are a bunch of things that are out of that team's control
the schedule, their health, their opponent’s health, weather.
By its very nature, baseball is an inconsistent game and luck plays a factor.
Stat explanation:
The Padres have a major advantage over everyone, they play in a park that you can’t hit home runs out of. They abuse this by getting cheap pitchers that don’t walk anyone and let people put the balls in play.
Over the first four months, every single player on that team was having a career year defensively. Then they decided to screw with that by adding two mediocre/bad glove guys in Ludwick/Tejada, people returned to the mean defensively and the team fell apart.
@andrewngrant
I thought it was because they traded the Alabamian Dick to the White Sox
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
But how do you quantify in this case that Ludwick’s defense was so bad that it made everyone else’s defense worse?
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Furthermore, how do you screw with someone having a career year? Break their pinky?
/weeps
But seriously, either they were really lucky and we choose to call it luck and then they regressed to the mean – Ethier coming through in clutch situations in 2009 and then decidedly not doing that in 2010 – or we start to consider that maybe you have something else in play.
Also, the Padres had the best record in the entire MLB for a stretch of time, and from what I’m hearing, a majority of those games must have taken place in Petco, right? Or at least they won an overwhelming number of games at home to displace the losses on the road?
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
The Dodgers also had the best NL record as late as mid-June. There is no way to quantify hot and cold streaks, why they started, how long they last, why they ended, when they’ll start again, the middle area of normalcy between being hot and cold. The best you can do is accumulate the best group of baseball players you can and hope for the best on all the intangible stuff assuming you aoid things like putting Milton Bradley and Paul LoDuca on the same team.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Equal at home on the road last year. Good defense is good defense though and the Padres benefit more from a sudden defensive explosion than anyone.
@andrewngrant
And really if we go down this road, I can’t win. Eventually I’m gonna hit something that I’m going to attribute to luck (since there is a ton of luck in baseball), then you can attribute it to chemistry.
@andrewngrant
Which is why people don't like
arguing chemistry and/or mental makeup. At some point you are just spinning your wheels.
These hands will always be rough
That's the thing
I have no idea. And I’m not sure anyone else does either. I am reasonably confident Kent is a dick. I am reasonably confident more of his teammates dislike him than like him. I have no clue at all if he affects their ability to perform.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Eddie Collins a HOF second baseman
and probably a legitimate candidate for best of all time, college educated at a time that was not the norm.
He played for many good teams, one of which was the famous 1919 Chicago White Sox. It is written that no one on that team like Collins because he was getting paid more than anyone else and no one talked to him aside from on the field.
Baseball history is full of stories like that.
And the flip side was that everyone on the Charlie Finley A’s hate each other and they won World Serieses. Was Collins a bigger jackhole than Reggie because his team hated him so much they dyed their socks? Doubtful, since Collins teams did win 4 championships. But did his non-stat contributions affect the team? Probably.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
keep in mind that a lot of the “clubhouse guy” stuff has zero effects on the game being played and a bigger impact on things like preparation. It’s a lot easier to want to get to the park and get your work in if the guy(s) you’re showing up with are fun to hang around versus “shit, I have to go work on double plays with that bastard? Fuck him.”
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Sure, but if people are less willing to work on double plays with him it would end up as “sucks at turning double plays” which if it’s because he’s a dick or has bad range has the same effect.
@andrewngrant
i was agreeing with you. I just mean that “jeff Kent is a tool” doesn’t equal “Cesar Izturis hits .220” but it might mean that if Cesar Izturis doesn’t want to show up to the weight room or whatever if it means avoiding Kent.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
James Loney had his best years when Jeff Kent was our 2nd baseman.
Not that it means anything.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Oh, 2007. True or False: If 2007 James Loney were here instead of 2011 James Loney we’d have much less to worry about.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Suppose not. Hey guys, if one of our worst offensive players was our best, would you like that? Would you?
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
and block Jerry Sands?!?
never!
These hands will always be rough
by nolander on Apr 4, 2011 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
and here I was, going to write “Nolander wouldn’t”
and you go and prove my point. I love you
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
But James goes out of his way to show the statistics in which Biggio’s “intangibles” become tangible. The famous one is the year he got hit by a bunch of pitches and didn’t ground into a single double play. The idea was that, sure, he didn’t hit as many home runs as Griffey (James particularly mentions Griffey), but Biggio did everything else better.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
I was agreeing with that. I just have put a paragraph break between the Biggio point and the next point.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Who knows how all this works out
Jackie Robinson had not played any professional baseball until 1945. He played maybe 50 some games in the Negro Leagues before his one year in AAA in Montreal. He went from there to become for about a 6 year stretch, a legitimate candidate for a the best player in baseball. (His WAR from 1947 to 1953 is second to only Musial and from 1949-1953, he led the Majors in WAR). (Another amazing stat, if you go from the Integration era 1947-present and measure WAR for players from age 28 on, Robinson’s WAR is 9th on that list, behind Barry Bonds, Aaron, Mays, Schmidt, Musial, Morgan, Frank Robinson, and Clemente)
A phenomenal athlete, intelligent and competitor beyond compare for sure. But what if he was the fifth Black to play or the 25th, would have been so driven to excel? We don’t know how much those intangibles have to do with what he did, his tangible numbers tell us he was great, what they don’t tell us is why.
If you ever read some of James writing
like in some big book someone gave you, you would fine that James is as much a lover of all those types of qualities as a player and despises some who are really rotton people (see Hal Chase).
I always thought what James point was with stubborn thinking like fast guys lead off. He was pleased when the Angels had Brian Downing lead off, felt he was second to Rickey in the AL at leading off.
I knew I should have changed the header. I am not complaining about James.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
If you want to have long discussion over beers we can do that later
I do think that sabermetrics are a great and extremely valid (and valuable!) way to look at baseball. I just don’t think it’s completely exhaustive. I realize this is a methodological – if not ideological – quandary, but I did find it very interesting that the quote above comes from Bill James and not Buzz Bissinger, you dig?
Here’s the thing, using a Bill James quote without any context makes it hard to know what exactly he is talking about.
Way back, when I first bought his Abstracts, I loved how he would be able to write about new ways to look at the game. And this wasn’t like he was saying anything revolutionary, Mike Schmidt was still the best player, Rod Carew got a lot of singles, and Jack Morris won games. But he would add some nuances and make you think about why a walk was a good as a hit, why bunting was a bad idea, etc.
Like I said, he liked to examine stubborn un-truths and try to see if things could be done differently. But he never lost the human connection and you just couldn’t account for that in a tangible way.
I would argue that the sabermetric approach to the intangibles (considering them as generally unknowable) is the right one that preserves the complexity of baseball player as people.
People are extremely complex and a lot of the people who cry the hardest about the use of stats are the ones that treat players the most like robots, putting them in broad categories like hard worker/lazy or good person/bad person and assuming that people they label in “good” categories make teams win more and people they place in the “bad” piles as making teams win less. But anyone who’s interacted with people at any time in their lives knows this is not true and has seen intelligent, well-meaning people not work well together and people who you wouldn’t think would get along at all be extremely productive.
age old question, stick with what you love or what you are good at.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Baseball stadiums should be unique and interesting
beyond that I say its all up for grabs.
These hands will always be rough
There is none more interesting than Dodger Stadium.
When the Astrodome was built, it was said to be the most architecturally modern stadium: more space station-like. Built for the times. But if you look at Dodger Stadium, what could be more architecturally pleasing, and modern looking, even thought it’s the second oldest stadium in the National League.. Its cut into the side of a hill, and from the aerial view is a spectacular display, and it overlooks the City of Los Angeles! How much more could you ask for?
Baseball is a game, and games are supposed to be fun.
it really is a marvel. I think it’s the Loge entrance, third base side, that feels kind of Jet Agey to me, the one with the bar when you first walk in
For night games, go to the First Base side and go out on the walkway by the foul pole. The lights from downtown are amazing!
Baseball is a game, and games are supposed to be fun.
I maintain that if they ever build a new Dodger Stadium, they should just build it back to back with current Dodgers Stadium and change the view to the city. New Dodgers Stadium will also be the next time they host the All Star Game. I do not, however, feel they should ever build a new Dodgers Stadium.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
I know this entire thread is classic Josie, but to be even more nitpicky, used to be Stadiums faced nice natural views…Oakland Hills, Candlestick overlooking the Ocean. Now the trend is to look at buildings, but buildings are lame. Give me my chaparral covered hills anytime over downtown Pittsburgh
Blame Baltimore
It didn’t have any natural beauty, so they made warehouses seem charming. Then everyone copied. I’m looking at you, San Diego.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
plus, bridge!
I get what you are saying about Natur vs buildings, but thats a purty backdrop imho
These hands will always be rough
that’s mindblowing
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua
Finest modern ballpark! It would be a hell of a buy if you were a billionaire, team should be cheap and you can build up a dynasty in that fine park.
by DodgersKings323 on Apr 4, 2011 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions
this would be dope but the sun would be in everyones eyes in the evening
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on Apr 4, 2011 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions
you bring up an interesting point. Though I think the sun would be up high enough during the summer months to not affect it anymore than it already does.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Joe Morgan doing the color commentary? What sport would they play? I vote for ping pong.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
I think Quidditch.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Boom Shaka Laka
Amazing what one little Final Four can do for you. It will become moot if he has another run, when some major conference will pay him triple.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
my assumption is that it was Kenley Jansen’d and wasn’t called for, but that the pitcher got around it funny and it came out with odd spin.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Jansen didn’t know what he was throwing anyway.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
I’m going to watch more closely, but I wonder if he throws from the same side of the rubber to every hitter. Guys learning something new tend to try to find a process flow for it and follow that pattern every time until it’s second nature. I noticed Ted Lilly changes sides based on the hitter’s handedness, but I bet Jansen doesn’t.
*Changing sides isn’t something I’d advocate for since it’s a whole different set of release points that you’d have to train.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
two off days this week. Weird.
Are you gonna go to Angels opening day? I hear they’ve got a bomber doing the flyover
Holy Shit
I AM going to the opener and didn’t even know it! Seriously, my dad bought a ticket package, and is out of town this weekend so he sold me the tickets without me realizing it was opening day. Awesome!
These hands will always be rough
He wasn't going to be able to afford the 20-25 game ticket plan
on his own, the plan the whole time was for me and my bro to buy a few games off him. That way we all get a savings on tickets. He treats me to games all the time(taking me to the angels dodgers game in Anaheim for example).
These hands will always be rough
did they end up doing the flyover on our opening day? The Giants banner thing I mean.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Detroit will be happy to play some AL Central teams
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
I don’t this year, going to root for the White Sox and a Dunn der Title
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
I really don’t want to watch Pierre and Andruw in the World Series.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Is Pierre getting traded to the Yankee’s or is Jones getting traded to the White Sox?
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
The question of the day is will Kinsler hit another lead off home run. If not will he continue to slack off and only hit a home run. Will Nelson Cruz keep pace, will Josh Hamilton say screw all of you and hit three tonight, will Mike Napoli hit two against Bedard and take the team lead?
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
by meercatjohn on Apr 4, 2011 3:55 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Mets are dicks
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6293296
“Yeah we used you so much we think your arm is going to fall off, sorry bro, no multiyear deal for you”
These hands will always be rough
They offered him a guaranteed deal a few years ago. He was too good for it…
by Michael White on Apr 4, 2011 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions
BTW
again the issue when your catcher is a valued offensive player and you don’t have the DH.
How many times a week do you rest Posey?
give them more reps at 1st?
Posey can probably play short as well as Tejada too.
These hands will always be rough
This team, called the Indians is playing their’s at 1st base when he’s not catching. They did the same with Victor who is not Vector.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
So Posey is going to play first
where they have log jam with Belt and Huff (outside of all the other outfielders). And to some extent, is that really a rest.
No one put a gun to their head and told them to sign Huff to the position their best prospect plays who happens to be left handed so sitting him against LHP and letting Posey play 1st base would not have been the worse solution.
Right now they are in a pickle.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Heh
I mean huff did play 500 innings in the OF last year, fairly evenly split between LF and RF, and wasn’t anywhere near this bad.
These hands will always be rough
What I don’t understand is why Huff was not playing in the outfield during spring if they even had a notion that Belt might make the team. I’m sure he will settle back in to being an outfielder but he’s still going to hurt them, though he may never have as bad a series as this last one.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
He did play 29 innings in 5 games this spring
which is uh probably not enough
These hands will always be rough
No one also told them to do that
while paying DeRosa and Ross 12M this year, plus the Rowand money too, heck even Torres is making 2.3 million.
Pat the bat has the most friendly contract which makes him both a candidate to keep or cut lose.
We gave him a chance and then he sucked
they straight up said they wouldn’t give him more because he was used too much and they thought he would get injured. I’m a bit shocked they would put that out in the press so blatantly.
These hands will always be rough
He ended up with the Yankee’s who is the loser here other then the Mets?
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
The correct answer is, “You’re a LOOGY. You get no multi-year deal until you provide extensive value”.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Student in class is doing a presentation on Kareem Abdul-Jabarr
Only, she refers to him as “Abdul-Jamarr” after she said his name right the first time.
Abdul-Jabbar means “servent of the mighty”
while
Abdul-Jamarr means “servent of the jabowocky”
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
1200 guys
have major league contracts. I’m wondering if there’s a team out there willing to cut one of them for Jon Link.
Hey silverwidow
Your next comment will be your 15,000th.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
he didn’t check. he has an excel spreadsheet macrod to the TBLA articles and fanposts that alerts him when someone gets close to a milestone. Quick Humma, what’s my Comment/Day pace?
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
I'm at about 40 comments a day
over 23k. I take solace in it being spread between two blogs.
These hands will always be rough
Whatever your pace is, Gary, it would be better if the rest of us weren’t such assholes.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
Just upthread there was a whole argument about stats being brought up or down by one’s teammates being “great character guys” or jerks!
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
haha, way over my head. I thought you were making fun with how animated I get and my pace goes up.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Also note how I assumed that we are jerks bringing your stats down, not great people helping you realize the best posting rate that your ability will muster.
Hm. Perhaps there is only one asshole here, and perhaps his name rhymes with Kavula.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
beinga douchey teammate isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes that is what motivates others around you. Another issue with motivating teammates performance is that it takes many forms and is responded to in many degrees and in many different ways.
Damn it, I started the argument again.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
I think Kent said something like “yeah, if I hated a guy I’d do my best every day just to show how much he sucks”.
@andrewngrant
The Yankees do know how to hit home runs.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
this is probably my pettiest yet
That triangle hanging off the side of the scoreboard and off the grandstand. I dunno what it’s doing there, and it bugs me
Also newer ballparks use a million wires to hold up the back stop for some reason, killing the view IMO when you are now farther from the field as it is. Some people didn’t like the block letters they used in LCF and the cheap “longines” type of clock they put in. I still hate split upper decks too
by DodgersKings323 on Apr 4, 2011 6:01 PM PDT up reply actions
CF restaurant, ugly grey metal barriers between sections and yes those triangles, i kept up with its construction on baseballfever……..
by DodgersKings323 on Apr 4, 2011 5:59 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Dee Gordon lied to me
On Twitter he says that he will miss Chatanooga, so I asked him (basically to confirm) that he is going to start in Albuquerque. He responded, “naw sorry.”
He is now saying that he is an Isotope.
If you can’t trust Dee Gordon to give you an honest response on Twitter, who can you trust?
Maybe the team changed their mind? He could've been as surprised as you were...
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
6-4-3 DP for Mr. BSOHL
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
With Granderson on first, Mr. BSOHL strokes a single to right. Granderson goes to third and then BSOHL steals second.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
I think Erik Bedard actually pitching in a big league game deserves more than a cursory mention.
He’s not doing very well.
@andrewngrant
I am hoping no one else makes a 2pt basket
Right now both teams 2 pt field goals are tied with Bill Walton’s 21 in 1973
there will be a cheap hoop or two likely
Had a PJ Clarke’s burger tonight, first time in a decade, was really really good
by Hollywood Joe on Apr 4, 2011 8:25 PM PDT up reply actions
the butler kids look like they are shooting blind folded by sound
and you got your wish eh?
by Hollywood Joe on Apr 4, 2011 8:26 PM PDT up reply actions
connecticut wins best is show
horrible line, really contrived
by Hollywood Joe on Apr 4, 2011 8:28 PM PDT up reply actions
NPUT
http://www.truebluela.com/2011/4/4/2091094/colorado-rockies-series-preview
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
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