It's Corked Up In The Ethier: 2008 LA Dodgers Thread

Lowe Will Get You Like a Case of Anthrax: 2008 LA Dodgers Thread
This Bullpen Gives Me Magrane: 1990 St. Louis Cardinals Thread
Please Bench D. Eveland and Weeks, Then: 2005 Milwaukee Brewers Thread
I Love a Man With an Emery Board: 1987 New York Yankees Thread
Outside the D-Train Doesn't Throw So Well: 2008 Detroit Tigers Thread
High Numbers Low Numbers Neg VORP Great: 1992 California Angels Thread

Outside the D-Train Doesn't Throw So Well

Hahaha!

FREE MATT KEMP

Seriously -- unless he's trying to make Pierre look somewhat appetizing to other teams, he shd really stop jerking him around.

Bob, AZ: Thoughts on Joe Torre in LA so far this season. It looks like he isn't handling the Pierre situation properly and some of his decision making late in games (like not bunting in the 8th inning on Sunday) has been awful?

Rob Neyer: (12:39 PM ET ) Let's just say I'm feeling pretty foolish for picking the Dodgers to win the World Series.

oh hell

Saito blows the save last night!

Matt Kemp is back in the lineup, and Torre indicated that his presence there will be the norm. Not literally every day, but more often than not, to paraphrase.

Every time Torre pulls some sub-Dusty shit like this, I really regret all the apologizing I'd do for him as if his management style didn't have anything to do with the Yankees being a collection of assholes.

Whatever. Keep staying the course with your precious 500 OPS vets, you fucking shitlord. What did Dodgers fans ever do to deserve him anyway.

From last night's game:

CS - J Loney 2 (2, 2nd base by M Morris/R Paulino, 2nd base by M Morris/R Paulino).

Third time's the charm, Joe!

omg, Hu's on first!

sorry if that joke's already been made

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nudodgers22apr22,1,806026.story

Left-hander Joe Beimel handed Martin a picture of a garden gnome cloaked in Dodger blue that is sold on the team's official website, telling him that he needed a "hitting gnome" similar to the gnome the relievers carry to the bullpen every game for good luck. Martin wrote on the image, "Hitting Gnome. Rub Me Here for Hits," and taped it on the back of one of the benches. Martin and Garciaparra said they touched the picture.

Penny got a hit without making contact with the image -- "I don't like gnomes," he said. "They're evil-looking" -- but wasn't about to question its power, as he said the offensive surge allowed him to relax and pitch six effortless innings in which he gave up only one run.

"It worked," Penny said. "We better have him in there again."

Martin laughed.

"It should," he said. "I'm not superstitious, but I'm not the only one who got hits."

Martin laughed again when asked whether he would purchase a gnome to put in the dugout.

"I'll put it on a chain, I'll be like Flavor Flav," he said, referring to the rapper and reality TV star known for dangling an oversized clock from his neck.

WHERE WAS GNOME LAST NIGHT?

http://dsp.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pMLB2-4602606p275w.jpg

I think the gnome was in the liquor store in the Hollyverm minimall at Hollywood and Vermont? Anyway if it was the gnome he followed me around the store and coldcocked me in the backside with his malt liquor. The manager said it was very disrespectful.

you should have thrown the changeup he would have never got a hold of you.

Thank you Larry Rothschild.

The gnome probably left in the 7th to beat traffic.

I am going to this duel tonight~.

RHP Chad Billingsley (0-3, 6.14)

RHP Edgar Gonzalez (0-1, 4.50 ERA)

Who will win the race to a no decision?

I think Billingsley is just starting slow.

packing list for tonight's game:

aspirin: ✘
Beachball: ✔
spare pencil for filling in diamonds: ✔
binoculars for watching the Eric Byrnes tweak show in left field: ✔

Beachball: ✔
spare pencil for filling in diamonds: ✔

DOES NOT COMPUTE

12 K's, 1 L for Chad Billingsley

Billingsley wasn't very effective.

Under the radar in the 9th was the debut of Cory Wade. He got called up this morning from AA Jacksonville for DeWitt. Wade has a very nice, true 12-to-6 curveball. Really nice.

Wade, a 24-year-old strike-thrower who had a 4.30 earned-run average in six relief appearances with double-A Jacksonville, was told he was being called up in a 2 a.m. phone call, flew all day to reach Dodger Stadium 2 1/2 hours before game time and pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

"I had no clue," said Wade, a 10th-round pick in the 2004 June draft. "When they told me I was getting moved up I assumed I was going to Vegas [Triple-A]," he said. "They said, 'No, the big leagues.' Oh, OK."

Martin and Garciaparra said they touched the picture.

Just what the Human Rain Delay needs -- another touching ritual.

It must've been hell for Nomar when he went through puberty.

Juan Pierre currently has a .400 OBP. I don't believe in nothin' anymore.

Vin Scully talking over Rick Ross/T-Pain (Matt Kemp's at-bat music)...

Juan Pierre currently has a .400 OBP. I don't believe in nothin' anymore.

Not even SMALL SAMPLE SIZES? Check in a month.

clayton kershaw looks pretty good

Matt Kemp is a pretty impressive player. That guy has a heck of an arm in the outfield.

Plaschkerection: Ethier's not even done hitting in the top of the first and Juan Pierre's uniform is already dirty.

Two XBH in ONE inning.

Heh take that wunderkind, sez Castillo.

This team is killing me. They either score ten runs or one. And usually one run more often than not. Also, Brad Penny has a 9.5 ERA in his last 4 starts.

Jeff Kent needs to go wash a truck or 20.

i got to see them on friday night. at least they won that game

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080604/capt.1d2c0ff6176245cab645fcb25ba614a3.rockies_dodgers_baseball_lad115.jpg

"Little punk-ass, I am not protecting you for shit."

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080604/capt.3a30a657c87442cf80511fdf3f8a4d7a.rockies_dodgers_baseball_lad116.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080604/capt.f906ea46b1eb4ed89e7cdd07a7cde03d.rockies_dodgers_baseball_lad113.jpg

Hiroki Kuroda with a gem against the NL's best offense. CG 4H, 11K, 0BB.

The shortstop blocked by Tony Pena Jr is now a Dodger.

I'm just surprised to see that Ned didn't insist on flushing more of McCourts money down the toilet and pay for the remainder of Berroa's contract.

back surgery for Furcal, out til at least early September.

I think I'm going to take up the Dodgers as a random NL team to follow. Anyone known if there are any decent web resources/forums/blogs about them? Google didn't seem to be yielding much.

Try the SB Nation Dodger blog for a start.

dodger thoughts is good. I also enjoy 6-4-2.

http://dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com/
http://www.sonsofstevegarvey.com/
http://6-4-2.blogspot.com/

Rad, thanks bros!

dodgerblues.com is good in a curmudgeonly sort of way.

alyssa milano's blog.

Now that Pierre has been pried from Torre's cold dead hands looks like this team is actually scoring runs.

OMG will Manny be at the game tonight???? I'm going.

-- felicity, Thursday, 31 July 2008 21:53 (Yesterday)

is his lol knee feeling better?

Which one?

C Kahrl:

If they have to or had to to get his Mannyness to agree to the trade, a deal that doesn't cost them anything now financially will end up becoming a bit of a millstone, since they'll be stuck with an increasingly fragile lead-gloved old man in left, and if that's what they wanted for their stretch run, why not just keep LaRoche and sign Barry Bonds?

Uh, what Ms Kahrl is referring to is whether LAD had to pick up Manny's optoins in order to get him to agree to the trade, which they did not. In fact, Manny/Boras's requirements were that the options had to be dropped.

"I really appreciate Manny being here, but I don't think he's our savior," second baseman Jeff Kent said. "Everybody wants him to be -- and, man, I hope he is. But we still have to pitch and we still have to play. Now that we're going to play with him, he'll make us better and we'll make him better."

I'd almost forgotten how much of a dick Jeff Kent is! I guess he was feeling a bit left out amongst all the Manny being Manny talk.

That's not dickishness -- that's Straight Talk!

that quote is possible the least dickish think that I have ever Kent be a part of.

*seen* Kent...

and if that's what they wanted for their stretch run, why not just keep LaRoche and sign Barry Bonds?

Uh, because Dodgers/Padres/Diamondbacks/etc. fans hate Barry Bonds, and would rather lose without him than win with him?

If you're being serious, then that's some seriously juvenile shit right there.

This is one aspect of the Yankees organization that I actually admire. One reason they've been such a successful franchise is that they're above all this junk -- they'll sign someone who addressed their team's needs and they really don't care if he used to play for the Red Sox or if he beat them in the playoffs the previous year.

Then why didn't they sign Bonds?

No room in the clubhouse for his chair?

It's called collusion, dudes.

lol I wuv u Shasta.

I can't tell if polyphonic is implying that all NL West GMs are fans of their clubs, or if the fans of those clubs are the ones who sign players.

Of course, Bonds is an exception. I'm just saying that in the past, the Yankees haven't had to think twice about signing "difficult" primadonnas like ARod, Giambi, Reggie Jackson, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Clemens, David Wells ... (they were one of the only teams that could afford to pay some of those guys at the time, but still)

Yankees Suck 2008

Like a lot of the fanbase, Manny says "Do-yer" instead of "Do-jer":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5MK-NwjGYs&feature=related

I can't tell if polyphonic is implying that all NL West GMs are fans of their clubs, or if the fans of those clubs are the ones who sign players.

I can't speak for the Dodgers or DBacks fans, but Towers suggested that the Padres might look into signing Bonds, and soon thereafter the Padres subsequently received mountains of angry letters from fans threatening to cancel their season tickets.

Not long after that, the Padres publicly stated that they wouldn't be pursuing Bonds.

I bet those fans are real happy now.

At Home He Fields Like Izturis: 2004 LA Dodgers Thread

I bet those fans are real happy now.

I think they'd be happier if the Padres had re-signed Bradley and Cameron.

If you ever got the sense that Bill Plaschke is the kind of guy who eats penis, you were correct:

http://defamer.com/5034899/layoffs-and-budget-cuts-drive-suffering-lat-sportswriter-to-eat-penis?autoplay=true

Ethier corking it up on Sunday:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/2778871651_4c7f7489e9.jpg

Great game. A one-pitch win for Beimel.

And now the Doyers have Greg Maddux. He can buy beer for Clayton Kershaw.

I bet those fans are real happy now.

:-D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2780414860_1a89e695f8.jpg

suck my diiiiiiiiiiiick

http://diningwithdre.mlblogs.com/

Andre Ethier, foodblogger.

The restaurant sits in an old converted bungalow house between a couple of other business and from the outside, it resembles nothing like I would have though a Spanish restaurant would look like. Then again, I don't have any idea what that would be.

chuck eddy?

Did the next sentence talk about Hot Pockets and pad thai?

falling apart!

thx for helpin the Mets out, Granola-eating creeps!

Orel Hershiser said at game's end the Dodgers "need more passion"; can't someone punt him out of the booth?

a trip to washington is definitely not the worst thing for this team right now.

WTF is it w/ folks surprised that Manny (21 RBIs in his first 16 games) is RBI-less in his last 6/7 -- I'm sorry, did LA actually think they traded for a .430 hitter?

a trip to washington is definitely not the worst thing for this team right now.

-- carne asada, Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:34 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

well this is working out well

WTF!

Dunn and Reynolds looked very uncomfortable facing Scott Elbert last night.

Kent apparently done.

what can i say? i had them left for dead.

small sample size.

So who thought both Saito and Furcal would make appearances before the regular season ended?

Magic number = 1

Nick (Los Angeles): Who is the best first round opponent match up wise for the Dodgers?

Keith Law: (1:31 PM ET ) Mets or Brewers. I'd definitely want to face either of those clubs with their bullpens and the way they're going to fry their rotations this last week.

Arizona is getting lit up by St. Louis right now. 10-3.

Giants wont be able to savor the series this weekend but Lincecum might get to pad his Cy Young stats facing a scrub squad on Sunday.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nomar Garciaparra discovered firsthand the headaches of being a manager.

Garciaparra managed the Dodgers in their 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on Sunday, taking part in Manager Joe Torre's tradition of turning his team over to a veteran player on the final day of the regular season.

Garciaparra, who had Mark Sweeney as his bench coach and Tanyon Sturtze as his pitching coach, was late to his pregame chat with reporters.

"I had an issue with one of my players," Garciaparra said, explaining that he had to find a pair of socks for catcher Russell Martin.

* * * *

Sturtze made two trips to the mound, visiting Clayton Kershaw in the sixth inning and Cory Wade in the eighth. Garciaparra made two pitching changes.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i134/dgoobl/Picture0277.jpg

do they do Ned Sublette covers?

http://cache-foo.deadspin.com/gawker/assets/images/11/2009/04/504x_tommy.jpg

Weekend at Tommy's

He probably hast had a nap in the last 45 minutes