I hate these kinds of games....

You know, the games that we lose, maybe, 9-1! Yeah I hate those games. We let in runs on errors that would have ended the inning, and (save for one inning) we forget how to hit. Aaron Sele wasn't able to continue the dominance of his first 6 games, so we lost.

We now stand: In a dead heat for first place with Arizona.

I Am Back and the Dodgers are on TOP!

I got back a couple days ago but I have been sleeping too much to make a coherent post. I am now back and in charge (although things are kind of hectic right now) and, more importantly, the Dodgers are in first place after a win over the Rockies today.

Not much time for a really good post, but things are looking up (even though Jeff Kent and Bill Mueller are on the ground) because our offense and pitching have been on FIRE! Let's hope the flame doesn't go out...

Going Away for the Week

I am going to New York and Washington, D.C. tomorrow and I will not have access to a computer. Not that this will pain anybody, because I have been rather slow to make posts lately.

Well, time to pack!

Ice on the Fire... ;(

All good things must come to an end. So we won 15 out of eighteen. So we won nine of our last ten. Today we got a much needed reality check by losing 10-4 to the Nationals. Not only did it shut up the moronic "We are going to the World Series for SURE!!! LOLOL ROFL!!!" crowd, it also kept us 'smart' fans in line. I was about to jump onto the "World Series 4 Life lololol!" crowd if we won a few more games. We still have a chance at making the playoffs (a very good one at that), but we are not quite as good as the team we have seen the past 3 weeks.

Not to say we aren't good, though...

Trolls

The 64 Anonymous Posts that I got today are good examples of Trolls.

While I am flattered by the compliments given to my site in these posts, I am also dissapointed that somebody is so lifeless that they have time to make 65 anonymous posts on my site. It actually just depresses the hell out of me.

Please stop. You aren't making anybody laugh.

Get out the brooms!!!!

SWEEEEEEEEP!!!

I usually wouldn't get this excited over three games, but I cannot stand the Angels and how they claim to be a team of L.A. We all know now who the best team in L.A. County is now!!!!

12-3 in the last 15 is quite impressive. We are also creeping up in the division. This is the month where the new Dodgers strut their new stuff.

I was looking at the lineup and it is really something. Everybody in the lineup has or will hit over .300 and/or OBP over .370 in their career. That is something not every team can say. Also, everybody in the lineup has considerable line-drive power, while we have 4 home-run hitters (J.D., Nomah, Jeff, and Andre Ethier). WOW!!!! That is something to boast.

King of L.A. in a BIG Way

Dodgers beat Angels, 16-3

And more importantly, Jeff Weaver lost to us! Everybody worked on offense and the pitching could have done anything (although they did do quite well).

All Angels fans are phonies and living a lie, because we are the only real team in L.A.

There's Something About Penny

Maybe Penny is an All-Star. A 2.53 ERA, 2-1 K-BB ratio, only 2 homers allowed, and a .233 opponents batting average. It would be nice to have a Dodger pitcher in the all-star game again...

As for offense, (suprise suprise) Nomar provided what we needed with a 2-run single. I have mixed feelings about the start of the season, but things really seem to be looking up.

So Much for our Master Plan

We lost the game, and with that we lost a good chance to take first place very soon. It looks like the Rockies have escaped on the wings of Byung-Hyun Kim. The fact that we lost to Kim is insulting. The fact that we only scored one run (in the first inning!) is even worse! The person that drove in our solo run is (what a suprise) J.D. Drew. So far I see two easy all-stars: J.D. Drew and Nomar Garciaparra. Whether Jeff Kent, Rafael Furcal, and Brad Penny make it to the All-Star Game will depend on how we finish this month. This could be great or awful, and let's hope for the first possibility!

Even though the Rockies escaped, they are far from off of the hook. They are now in third place (San Diego swooped in to the lead) and we are currently in fourth. Our division is extremely tight at the moment, which only makes this part of the season more crucial...

Takin' down the Top D-O-Double-G?

And no, I do not mean Snoop, I mean the rockies. We now stand 1.5 games back, and we could take first place if we sweep Colorado this series!

About today's game, Nomar is for real. So is J.D. Drew. So is Jeff Kent, as a matter of fact. Our offense is looking more solid every single day, and the pitching is holding up just fine. I am getting fairly excited about what I have been seeing lately out of the Dodgers. Just pray they can keep it up.

A Good Series

1. We took the series 2-3.

2. We held Bondsy homer-less.

3. Offense produced quite well (17 runs in 3 games).

4. Pitching held up (10 runs in 3 games).

Adsalfkshdglk!

Another game lost in the 9th inning!!!!!

Adsalfkshdglk!

We really had a win there, but we completely lost it in the 9th inning, AGAIN! Danys Baez blew his 5th save (he has really lost his early-early season gleam!).

This was a depressing loss and it is making me borderline depressed. The only medication for this depression is for the Dodgers to get safely over .500. A speedy recovery would be the Dodgers swooping into first place with a stunning winning streak.

We Beat S.F.! We Beat S.F.!

The 'Beat LA' chants were not enough in the first game of the series because we won 6-1! Brad Penny was great, relief was spectacular, and the offense was outstanding (excpet for, ironcially enough, J.D. Drew and Jeff Kent).

Today.

1:05 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Aaron Sele

On the MOund for the Giants: Noah Lowry

Sele is coming off an emotional win, so he has an advantage. Hopefully that first game of Sele's was no fluke.

Barry, Here we Come!!!!

Ah, our first series in San Francisco. The 'Beat L.A.' chants will be rampant as we play this 3 game series.

7:15 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brad Penny

On the Mound for the Giants: Matt Morris

Penny is eating it all up while Morris is falling flat on his ass. It should be interesting to see if Penny pitches to Bonds or around him, and how our defense plays him.

Oooo...

The streak was fun while it lasted, but alas, it has come to an abrupt end. What a ridiculous end. We lose a game over a stupid throwing error by our best fielder. Ouch.

On Fire and Lovin It

See, Dodgers, when you jump to a 9-0 lead, you can give up as many runs as you want! YAY!

Tomko dazzled, and the offense sizzled. Mmm good cookin! Even Bret Tomko had a good day at the plate. We won this game 9-6 because of the usuals: Nomar, J.D. Drew, Jeff Kent, and Rafael Furcal. Remember when I said this season could be decided this month? I hope I was right, because we are cooking!

Phew

Recap of Last Night: Phew!!! If we had blown that lead, I would have become an Athletic's fan. Thank God the offense came through at the right time. Every Dodger starter (except for Jason Repko, who left with an injury before he got an at-bat) had a hit. We need more games like this!

Today's Game:

7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brett Tomko

On the Mound for the Astros: Taylor Buchholz

If Tomko pitches well the game is ours. We need to beat a guy with the last name 'Buchholz.'

Today's Game against Houston

7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Jae Seo

On the Mound for the Astros: Andy Pettite

If things go as this game should go statistically, the Astros should win. But Pettite of new is not the Pettite of old, so anything could happen.

A Long-Needed Break

This break came at a bad time; right when we swept the Brewers and were starting to get hot. But nontheless, it is a break, and the Dodgers needed a break.

The First Sweep!

It was nice to get this out of the way, because it was sad that we did not have one already.

10-2!!!!

Aaron Sele was suprisingly good, and the offense was quite potent!

Russel Martin launched one, as did Olmedo Saenz and Rafael Furcal. Andre Ethier was speedy and clutch. The offense was amazing overall, and we did not even have our best hitter J.D. Drew in the lineup.

Yes!

I Could Get Used to This

I like these ninth inning wins!

Last Night: Dodgers win 5-4

Nomar drove in the final run again.

Danys Baez blew a save at first, but then 'recovered' to get the win. He has been quite shaky lately and it is getting slightly scary.

Today: 1:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Aaron Sele

On the Mound for the Brewers: Ben Sheets

I wonder which Ben Sheets we will be seeing today. Will we get the ace who will inevitably shut us down and make every Dodger Fan cry? Will we get the young pitcher with control problems who might walk everybody in the lineup atleast once? Only time will tell...

...

7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brad Penny

On the Mound for the Breweres: Jared Fernandez

We should blow this Fernandez guy out of the water, and Brad Penny should keep the Brewers at bay.

Alright

That's really great that we finally won a close game, it really is. But we need some consistency. I think that by the end of this month we should be able to find out if we are a playoff chance or not.

But as for this game, I saw some good things. For one, we saw Russel Martin, who was pretty impressive (2 RBIs). We also won a close won after we gave up a lead, which is something that will probably happen a lot this year (if we are lucky!).

Absolutely Pathetic

We allowed three runs to the Padres, were shut out by a guy named 'Clay', and are in last place in the NL West. Things could not get much worse.

But we have another game today, oh joy!

7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Derek Lowe

On the Mound for the Brewers: Chris Capuano

The Dodgers are so utterly depressing it makes me sick to my stomach.

I want a Recovery from Yesterday

7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brett Tomko

ON the Mound for the Padres: Clay Hensley

Oh So Frustrating

Again, we totally screwed up. This posts are getting sickeningly unoriginal and we are now in LAST place. Good job Dodgers. How many fans do you want to alienate this year? I might be one of them (of course I would never convert to being an Angels fan, but the Blue Jays and the Indians are looking tasty at the momen for a new team to like).

So please never have a game like this again!!!!

Good Job to: Olmedo Saenz, Andre Ethier, Dioner Navarro, and Jae Seo. But it wasn't enough.

We should Beat San Diego

With a record of 12-15, and with the club playing the way it has been playing, us Dodger fans our not feeling too good.

7:10 LA Time Gametime

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Jae Seo

On the Mound for the Padres: Chris Young

Ai Dios Mio!

Another come-from-behind loss.

Here is how it played out: In the top of the fifth we led 6-0. After that inning, we trailed 7-6. We lost 10-8.

Nomar was great, Drew was great, but the pitching was just plain awful. I felt like going to Arizona and pitching myself (not a pretty site), and I might have done better than Odalis Perez did (thats a big might, though).

Today Vs. A-Zona

6:40 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Odalis Perez

On the Mound for the D-Backs: Orlando Hernandez

O-Dal is coming off of 3 straight wins/great starts and it would be great if he continued his success in this game against the A-Zona D-Backs.

I Know Why I Feel So Damn Repetitive!!!!

It is because the Dodgers only have two types of games: close wins and close, depressing losses.

Today was a close, depressing loss. Score: 3-2

We had some great chances to score, though. Sandy Alomar Jr. came up with the bases loaded and one out, so he decided to swing at the first pitch, and hit it so that the fielder could turn an easy double-play.

Brad Penny pitched great though. Six innings and 3 runs should equal a win, but you never know with this Dodger club.

For the record, we have had 14 close, depressing losses and 12 close wins as of tonight. That puts us in fourth place, behind everyone besides the Padres.

On To Arizona

6:40 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brad Penny

On the Mound for the D-Backs: Claudio Vargas

Both teams are 12-13. We have our best pitcher on the mound, and our best hitter (J.D. Drew) hits very well off of Vargas (.417 average; 5-12).

Aw, Dude!

This is the type of thing that we cannot have happen.

Up five to NOTHING in the BOTTOM of the NINTH, we give up 5 runs (courtesy of Lance Carter and Danys Baez; Baez gets the Blown Save, his ERA is now 1.32). Then, in the bottom of the tenth, we give up the winnings run.

Derek Lowe was great, the offense was good, and we still lost. Shameful relief usually leads to a lot of stupid losses like this one.

J.D. Drew did not get on base today, which is saddening to me, he had quite the streak going (something like 33 games dating back to last year, but I am too lazy to check up on the exact number right at this moment).

Sweep! Sweep!

1:05 LA/San Diego Time

I really want a sweep...

On the Mound for the DOdgers: Derek Lowe

ON the Mound for the Padres: Chan Ho Park

You're kidding me, right? Chan Ho Park!?!?! This should be an easy win for us, especially with Derek Lowe on the mound.

Please do not lose to Chan Ho Park, Dodgers. Save your dignity.

I'm Tired so I'll Make this a Quickie.

Dodgers win 4-2

Tomko is brilliant.

Drew makes great catch and gets on base again.

Nomah hits homerun and a sac-fly for 2 RBIs.

Baez gets another save (ERA is still ZERO!!!).

We've won 3 of 5 so I feel OK

7:05 PM in San Diego Time (same as LA Time)

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brett Tomko

On the Mound for the Padres: Clay Hensley

Hensley has struggled while Tomko has been servicable. I would like to see Tomko have an awesome game her against a struggling Padres offense.

Yuss! Yuss! Yuss!

Thanks for that, Seo. We needed a glimmer of hope from you and we got it in the Dodger's 3-0 win over the Padres. Six innings and no runs. Bravo!

As for the offense, two men deserve the kudos for today. J.D. Drew is one (who always seems to get kudos), and Dioner Navarro is the other. Drew drove in two runs with a single, and Dioner had an RBI single, stole a base, walked twice, and did not allow any stolen bases.

We are starting to heat up. ***Knocking on wood***

San Diego Must Die

7:05 LA TIme

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Jae Seo

On the Mound for the Padres: Chris Young

Jae Seo has been bad this year while Young has been mediocre. Seo needs to have a good start sometime, so I thought today might be alright.

No Game

no game...

Yeah we lost, but I have been Thinking and...

... Maybe I have misjudged Jason Repko because of his SFUT and his history as a SFUTer. He also was really really really bad last year.

But his year (besides his SFUT), he has actually been one of the better players on the team. Before tonights game (which we lost 8-5, by the way), he was hitting .321 with an OBP of .410. In 18 games this year, he has more than a third of his RBI total from 129 games last year. He is also walking more, running faster, and hitting the ball harder.

I don't want to rain on anybody's bubble but: What did he do last offseason? It might just have been some kind of natural transformation, it could have been a new workout regimen, or it could have been -s-t-e-r-o-i-d-s-. But let's hope not. I am going to bury my head and say that 1) it is two easy to tell (which it most definitely is!) and 2) he was a 1st round pick and he is just living up to expectations now.

I am dubbing him a G-SFUTer. This term has a double meaning: either Good-Super-F*cked-Up-Thrower or Gangsta-Super-F*cked-Up-Thrower.

In my dictionary, Gangsta is synonymous with awesome.

Hopefully he is a Better Pitcher than Pinch-Hitter

5:05 LA Time

Last night, before making a valiant effort at winning the game for the Dodgers, Odalis Perez took one of the ugliest swings I have ever seen. I want him to make the Astros make those same swings.

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Odalis Perez

On the Mound for the Astros: Wandy Rodriguez

Wandy is either the best name ever or the worst, I cannot decide which one.

They are both 3-0 but O-Dal is having a worse year statistically.

Mmph

Aw shucks...

We lost 3-4 in 14 (yes, 14) innings

I hate Ramon Martinez, because I need a scape-goat. No, even better, I hate Steve Lyons. Steve Lyons is the worst announcer we could possibly have. His comments are so unintelligent, so unoriginal, that he has become a fountain of baseball cliches. All of his comments have the thought level lower than some 3-Year-Olds I know.

Sorry Steve, but I needed a little pinata, and you were the most stupid donkey out there.

Anyways, the game was almost won, but we just had the pitcher in the worst spot possible, so when Odalis Perez came up with the bases loaded, I pretty much figured out this game was not ours to win.

Good job to: J.D. Drew (even though you left early, I think this game makes 29 or 30 consecutive games where you have reached base), Brad Penny, (Those two are my MVPs so far), Takashi Saito, Lance Carter, Franquelis Osoria, and Kenny Lofton.

SOrry

Sorry I couldn't post feedback on yesterday's game last night, my cable was out, which prevented me from getting onto Blogger.

So what happened?

Derek Lowe and Andy Pettite truly duked it out. Each pitched seven innings and allowed one run. The one run we scored off of Pettite was my man J.D. Drew hitting a solo shot (it seems he hits one almost every game now).

Then Takashi Saito came in and won the game after almost losing it. Yes, he allowed one run, but he also hung in there long enough to record a win.

So how did we win?

With FIREWORKS. In the top of the ninth, Nomar Garciaparra comes up with the bases loaded. He is only looking to make contact against the menacing Brad Lidge, and he does the next best thing. He hits a GRAND SLAM! OH YEAH!

Danys Baez came in for the save after Lance Carter came in for no reason (I hate Lance Carter).

On to Today's Game...

5:05 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brad Penny

On the Mound for the Astros: Fernando Nieve

This game should be an easy win. We have our best pitcher this year on the mound and they have a former reliever on the mound. Please tell me that the Dodgers can hit off a guy named Fernando Nieve.

Say it Ain't So, Ned?

Ah Cody Ross, thanks for that 7 RBI game. I hope you have many of them with your new team, the Cincinatti Reds.

As for you Ned Colletti, bad move. Trade Repko to the Nationals (I guarantee Bowden would love that scrappiness of his), but leave Cody alone. He was a solid outfielder and that 7 RBI game will stick in my memory for a while.

You may have made some good free agent moves, but the little trades are what truly count. Let's hope this doesn't count too much.

Who do we get?

A PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER! You cannot be serious. Atleast trade him for a decent prospect, not for some nobody who the Reds will be willing to give up after this year. Tisk tisk, Ned.

All I know is DePo, rest his soul, would have traded REPKO.

A Little Different than the D-Backs

This next series is against the Houston Astros, and they are much better than the Diamondbacks.

First, they have great pitching. We are lucky because the only one of their aces that we face is Andy Pettite.

Next, they have a potent offense, led by the breakout all-star Morgan Ensberg. We will have to face this offense all three games...

So,

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Derek Lowe

On the Mound for the Astros: Andy Pettite

Despite Pettite being an overall better pitcher, he has been sub-par and Derek Lowe has a good chance of outperforming him. But then we must hold on to the lead, and as Dodger Fans know, this is easier said than done.

Hopefully this IS the game that sends our Season Up...

I said this morning this could be a momentous game, and I sure hope that's what it was.

Brett Tomko: W (he's 2-1), 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER

J.D. Drew: 2-4, Solo Homerun, 1 RBI

Bill Mueller: 2-4, 2 RBIs

Danys Baez: S (5)

Everything looked well oiled and was working on all cylinders. Starter was good, Relief was good, Hitting was good.

Let's pray it was the beggining of good things.

Another Must-Win?

It is hard to remember this many 'Must-Wins' this early in the season. But here we are again and here is another 'Must-Win.'

1:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brett Tomko

On the Mound for the D-Backs: Russ Ortiz

We are both 8-10, and we are both struggling alot. Could this be the game that sends the season spiraling in one direction???

What the Seo?

Aw Jae, dude. Not cool!

3.2 innings, 5 runs.

We lost 5-4. If you could have held it together, this game would have been OURS! But dude, you totally lost it.

There were some good things, but not enough to win. Nomar went 2-4 in his debut, and he scored a run, and J.D. Drew is still tearing it up. Also, Rafael Furcal stole his 5th base of the season.

But otherwise, we really sucked. We REALLY sucked.

WHAT THE SEO!?!

NOMAR!

Game at 7:10 LA Time

Today is when Nomar Garciaparra is scheduled to come back into the lineup. What does this mean for the Dodgers?

1. James Loney and Olmedo Saenz have been kicked from the lineup. Loney was OBPing .295, and Saenz was .324.

2. Our first base becomes slightly better.

3. Our first base defense becomes weaker. James Loney was a superb defensive firstbasemen. This shouldn't keep him in the lineup, but it is a point that must be made. So Loney will go to Vegas while Saenz becomes Nomah's backup.

If parts of our outfield still suck, one possibility is Nomar playing outfield and calling up Loney. Calling up Loney would probably cost either Repko or Ledee. You know I would pick Repko in a second.

YES! J.D. Comes Through

J.D. Drew: 2-4, 1 solo home-run, 3 RBIs.

Shawn Green: 2-4, N0 home-run, no RBIs

YES!

It may seem petty, but I am glad that Plaschke has nothing to write about how much better Shawn Green is than Drew. It simply isn't true. Although he hasn't quite lived up to his expectations due to his health, J.D. had more talent than anybody since Barry Bonds when he first came up to the majors. No matter what you say, you cannot justify Shawn Green being a better player than J.D. Drew.

Besides that moral victory, we also had a statistical victory. We won 6-3, and O-Dal Perez pitched 6 innings, allowed one run, and had four strikeouts. Another small victory we had was the successful rebound of Danys Baez after his last disaster. He earned his fourth save in 5 chances.

As for the three runs not provided by J.D., Jeff Kent drove Kenny Lofton in in the first inning, James Loney doubled in Bill Mueller, and Rafael Furcal doubled in Jason Repko before J.D. Drew knocked in Furcal.

J.D. Drew leads the team with a .340 average (Jason Repko also is hitting .340, but he is a SFUTer and he has played less than Drew, which disqualifies him from the 'contest').

First Series Against Arizona

7:40 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Odalis Perez

On the Mound for the Diamondbacks: Orlando Hernandez

O-Dal is 2-0, Orlando is 1-2, and he has been struggling a little bit. We both have the same record (7-9) so this game could really help the Dodgers out.

No Game Today

Thank the Lord we can take a day off from losing.

It was Fun Until we Lost

Dodgers Lose, 5-4
Ugh...

I am really tired, so rather than point out the good, I am going to make fun of the players who lost this game for us.

Sandy Alomar Jr. might as well lay down face first on the basepath and he would be safe more times than now. It was hilarious watching him trying to score. I could hear him panting through my television.

Jason Repko, I was so proud of you when you hit that home-run. I was even more proud when I saw what a powerful arm that you have. In fact, that throw probably went farther than your home-run did. If only you were standing in the parking lot, then the throw would have hit the catcher's target and gotten the runner out with ease. Seriously, that throw was not an Error. Error doesn't come close to describing it. It is more like a SFUT (Super-F**ked-Up-Throw). You and Roger Cedeno should have a little contest, and, even though Cedeno is quite the SFUTer (Super-F**ked-Up-Thrower), I still think you have him beaten. I actually quite enjoyed your 'throw' this evening, and if the net wasn't there, you might have hit an illegal alien crossing the border.

Hopefully tommorow will be different...

Today's Game

Cubs @ Dodgers

at 7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brad Penny

On the Mound for the Cubs: Sean Marshall

Sean Marshall is a rookie who will be pitching his third game of his career tonight. Brad Penny has been the most productive Dodger starter. I expect the Dodgers to score off of Sean Marshall so all Brad Penny needs to do is pitch his game.

J.D.! J.D.! Kenny! Kenny! Takashi?

What a game! Pitching held up and the offense pulled through at the right times.

Pitching: Outstanding. Derek Lowe started it off, and Takashi Saito (my new hero until he has a bad game, and then I will trash him and deny his existence) kept it going. Takashi struck out 4 in two perfect innings, and there is nothing more a reliever can do.

Hitting: It was nice to see Jeff Kent in the lineup again, and we got lucky with his head injury. Nothing much from anybody at the plate except for J.D. Drew. That last hit was picture perfect. Bill Mueller didn't get a fair chance to knock anybody in, because he walked 4 times.

Coaching: If Grady Little called that steal by Kenny Lofton, he should be damn proud of himself. A stroke of genius is what it was. The Cubs knew it was coming and couldn't do a thing.

It was nice to see victory, and now we are ONLY a game below .500, and two games behind the Giants/Rockies.

Tuesday's Game Against a Real Hurler

Gametime: 7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Derek Lowe

On the Mound for the Braves: Carlos Zambrano

Carlos Zambrano is (in my opinion) the best pitcher we have faced this year. He throws hard pitches that are even harder to hit. He is in the same category of pitchers as Jason Schmidt: heat throwers who struggle with control.

If we walk over 4 men, we have a shot.

2 games below

This was not a game that we lost. The Cubs won this game, and it wasn't our fault.

That being said, we don't get points for a game like this one. Decent pitching, but only one run from our lost and confused offense.

Offense, if you could pick it up in the next few games, that would be much appreciated. Pitching, if you could keep it up and maybe improve a little, that would be nice too.

We are now 3 games behind the division leading Giants.

It Truly is a Game of Shadows

I have recently finished Game of Shadows, the book by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters depicting the rampant use of steroids in all sports, particularly track sports and baseball.

The biggest story told in the book is the one of Barry Bonds and BALCO. Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams (the two reporters and authors of this book) show the world the crap that has been going into Bonds's body since 1997.

He uses Growth Hormone, Deca-Durabolin, the Cream, the Clear, a drug called EPO, and more! A typicaly Barry fan would say that 'He is innocent until proven guilty' at this point in the conversation and he would be technically right. But the only reason that he still is innocent is because prosecutors have been hanging back on the subject of Bonds because they do not want to be responsible of killing baseball. I say that because they are killing baseball even faster by not prosecuting the steroid users.

This book is so full of information that I think you need to read it (along with Moneyball) to consider yourself a good baseball fan. There are so many people out there barking about BALCO when they have no idea how sophisticated their steroid program really was. They fooled EVERYBODY, even the incredible Olympic Steroid Testers. In fact, if BALCO had just been a little bit more careful where they put their trash and how they labeled their documents, Victor Conte (owner of BALCO) would still be dealing steroids like crazy. All they needed was a simple paper shredder and a way to cleanly dispose of syringes and they would have been home-free. It really shows how dumb criminals can be...

Anyways, I suggest, if not command you to go out and buy this book right away. I promise you will be suprised as to the extent of 'roids in sports.

Cubs @ Dodgers

7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brett Tomko

On the Mound for the Cubs: Greg Maddux

Maddux has done amazingly and Tomko has been inconsitent. It would be nice to get back to .500 AGAIN.

So now our offense is Screwing Up?

Dodgers lose, 2-0

The past 3 games, we scored 4 runs. Our pitching only gave up 5. So after the first few games that our pitching was atrocious, our offense is now falling apart.

But the worst part of this game is what happened to Jeff Kent. He was beaned by a change-up and left the game woozy. While it may seem like he will be fine, I remember Travis Hafner losing a lot of time last year after being beaned. Let's hope for the best, but expect the worst.

BTW, even though Jae Seo lost the game, he was impressive in his six innings of 2 run work.

Happy Easter, I hope we win

HAPPY EASTER!

Gametime: 5:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Jae Seo

On the Mound for the Giants: Brad Hennessey

Let's hope that Seo can rebound after that last 'performance' of his.

A Lot of good things happened tonight...

in the Dodgers's 3-1 win over the Giants.

1. Odalis Perez was spectacular. Seven innings, one run, and 3 hits.

2. Dioner Navarro showed off a bit: Knocked in 2 runs with an RBI single and an RBI groundout.

3. Kenny Lofton got a hit.

4. Jason Repko never came into the game (which is almost always a good thing)

5. The Dodgers did what I said: draw as many walks as possible. They took SEVEN!

6. WE WON (even though we are at .500 again).

April 15th, versus Giants

7:10 LA Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Odalis Perez

On the Mound for the Giants: Jason Schmidt

Schmidt has not been the same ace since the steroid policy got harder. Come to think of it, same with Odalis.

The key to beating Schmidt: Draw a lot of walks and don't become discouraged if you strike out.

How long can we keep this pattern going?

We win a game, lose a game. Lose a game, lose a game, win a game, win a game. It is unbelievable.

Dodgers lose, 2-1.

Not a bad game that we played, just a game without offense. In fact, our pitching was phenomonal. Brad Penny pitched 6 innings of 2 hit ball and the relievers did their part. The only slip-up was Hong-Chih Kuo, but he only let up 1 run anyways. Our offense was abysmal. One run, off of a solo shot from Jeff Kent. As always, Danys Baez was spectacular.

The thing that really went wrong was that the Dodgers left 14 men on base. That is just bad. The Giants also had a hell of a game. Jamey Wright was outstanding. We also held Barry hitless, even if we did walk him twice.

One nice little side not: Kenny Lofton came back tonight in a pinch-hit situation, and even though he didn't reach base, it was nice to see him again (particularly because he kicks Jason Repko out of the outfield...).

A Game it would be nice to win...

Tonight. 7:40 LA Time

Dodgers are 5-5, Giants are 5-3

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brad Penny

On the Mound for the Giants: Jamey Wright

Jamey Wright is only a mediocre pitcher so it would be great to rough him up.

It is raining at my house, so it might be raining at Dodger Stadium. That would suck...

Mmmmmm... Cody Ross

Thankyou Cody!!!

Dodgers win 13-5

Pitching was mediocre and the hitting was off of the charts! Derek Lowe pitched a quality start and the relief held on.

The big story was Cody Ross who hit a grand slam and a three-run homer! He should definitely boot Repko out of the lineup, because he has produced more than Repko this one game (even though Repko had a good game)! Every player that started in our lineup but the pitcher had atleast one hit.

Great job, Dodgers.

(Another) Must Win

I feel so repetitive...

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Derek Lowe

It would be nice to see something from him.

On the Mound for the Pirates: Oliver Perez

I hope he screws up, but I doubt he will.

The pitching needs to step up in a big way. We can't lose three out of four to the Pirates!

Gametime: 12:35 Eastern, 9:35 LA Time

How Many Runs do we need to Score?

Another loss that should have been a win. And pitching is at fault. Brett Tomko couldn't pitch 6 innings, Kuo lost it bigtime, and the rest of the relief staff couldn't keep it close.

Every game except for one we have scored atleast 5 runs! We should have one or two losses, and we definitely should not be under five-hundred.

Good job offense (except for Repko). The first seven players in our lineup had atleast one hit. The first person to NOT have a hit was Jason Repko.

We might have won the game had Repko not grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. Jason Repko is HIDEOUSLY unproductive in clutch and non-clutch situations, and I would consider him worthless after todays performance.

Sandy Koufax Statue

Every club with a player almost as good as Sandy Koufax has a statue of that player. The Dodgers should have a statue of Sandy at Chavez Ravine and you can help!!!

Sign the E-Petition!!!

It is necessary to rebound.

After yesterdays loss we really need to win today and tomorrow. We cannot afford to keep playing .500 ball, because we are so much better than that.

Gametime: 7:05 eastern, 4:05 LA

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brett Tomko

I think he will have a good game today and prove to be a decent pickup for Colletti.

On the Mound for the Pirates: Paul Malholm

He has done terribly this year (0-1, 7.50 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP) but did okay last year (6 starts, 3-1, 2.18 ERA, 1.16 WHIP). We can probably take advantage of him because he is young, but he was a 1st round pick in 2003, so be wary of him.

Shameful Play

Dodgers lose to the Pirates 6 to 7.

So many things went wrong in this game. While it was nice to see Jae Seo start a game, I think that he might be better suited to a relief role where hitters see less of him. The Pirates caught on to his off speed pitches after the suprise of them wore off. I also think that Grady Little didn't pull Seo fast enough. After Ryan Doumit homered, Seo should have been pulled. He was obviously loosing it, but Little thought he could finish the innings without more bloodshed.

Another note on the game is that Jason Repko sucks. Three strikeouts? Here is the move that I propose: Move J.D. Drew to centerfield, and let Jose Cruz Jr. fill Drew's spot in right field. Repko could be a pinch hitter, give some of our outfielders rest, and be a key pinch runner late in games.

Lance Carter had a rough night as well. It seemed strange to leave him in for a second inning but that turned out alright. He will probably be this year's Giovanni Cararra.

Grady Little did some good things as well. He called two steals (Rafael Furcal and Jason Repko), and he also called for a player to run on a 3-2 count with one out and it saved a double play.

Overall, this game was extremely dissapointing. Losing like this to a team like the Pirates (especially a team like the Pirates that is being managed by JIM TRACY) is simply unexceptable. Grady Little needs to put a slightly better lineup on the field (when I say this I am mainly referring to Repko) and choose when to pull pitchers at better times.

I would also like to give props to Bill Mueller, who went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and TWO HOME-RUNS!!!

Today Vs. Pirates

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Jae Seo

" " Pirates: Ian Snell

It should be intersting to see how Jae Seo in his first start this year...

That's What I am Talking About

This is what the Dodgers should be doing game after game. Bravo to the pitching. Bravo to Odalis Perez, and bravo to the relief pitching for holding on to the lead.

The offense was awesome as well. Rafael Furcal defined 'leadoff man' in this game. 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs. Jason Repko showed something we have seen rarely from him if at all. Olmedo Saenz went 3 for 4, and even Cody Ross did great.

What the Dodgers did this game is something that is very good and something that should become routine: PUMMELING INFERIOR TEAMS!

To some it may seem as if I am overreacting, but I believe that this is a good sign. This game the lowly players on the Dodgers (ie Jason Repko) stepped up when great players stepped down (ie Jeff Kent, who went 0 for 4, and J.D. Drew, who was not in the lineup).

A little off topic here, but it seems as if Grady Little gives his stars more rest than Jim Tracy did. Can somebody tell me if I am just halucinating?

Today's Game against the Pirates

The Dodgers are a much better team than the lowly pirates, but this series is just going to come down to consistency. Nobody can slack off at all this series. We need to remember where we are in our division right now and hope that we can get higher with a good series.

1:35 Eastern Time, 11:35 Los Angeles Time

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Odalis Perez

If Odalis does not give the fans something to cheer about he can expect boos. Odalis is the type that talks the talk but might never walk the walk.

On the Mound for the Pirates: Zach Duke

If I remember correctly, Zach Duke was a small fantasy phenom last year. He was unbeaten for a while last year and he was officially the hottest thing in fantasy baseball.

But that was all last year. The Dodgers need to take control this year and they need to really pummel the Pirates in these next four games.

P.S. If you hate the Eastern Time Zone Day Games, raise your hands!

A Bad Start followed with a Recovery

The Bad Start:

Yep, this was a game the Dodgers should have easily won. Derek Lowe pitched 6 strong innings and our offense did OK. The thing that went wrong was our bullpen. Brazoban couldn't hold it together, and Tim Hamulack threw the game away. We definitely had the superior team on the field today, but we didn't do everything we could have possibly done.

The Recovery:

Brad Penny did almost everything he could have possibly done this game. He pitched 7 great innings and knocked in his own run. James Loney played some good baseball today and could be a very pleasant addition to our team this year.

I am extremely happy we don't have to play Bobby Abreu for a while.

While we have gotten onto an okay start, we cannot keep playing this way. Tied for 3rd in the division, our pitching (especially the starters, but also the relief) needs to buckle down for the season. The good thing is that the season has only begun, and a lot of things can go on during the long season.


By the way, I am currently reading Game of Shadows, the tell-all book written by two San Francisco Chronicle writers about the BALCO scandal. I never realized how many athletes were using these drugs and how sophisticated the steroid system is. The BALCO scandal is also an incredible story in itself.

I should have a review posted in the next week or two.


Well, that is it for this post, and on to Pittsburgh for the Dodgers...

Sunday's Double-Header

First Game starts at 1:05 Eastern Time, 10:05 Los Angeles time.

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Derek Lowe

On the Mound for the Phillies: Ryan Madson

This game should be a win for the Dodgers, because I think that Derek Lowe is a superior pitcher to Ryan madson. Lowe has had a head cold the past few weeks and this game should determine whether he feels better or not.

Second Game of the Double-Header:

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brad Penny

On the Mound for the Phillies: Jon Lieber

Brad Penny is 1 and 0, Jon Lieber is 0 and 1. Lieber is looking to bounce back and Penny is looking to continue strong. This should also be a win for the Dodgers, but Brad Penny is the type of pitcher that will look like an ace for a few games and then look like a little-leaguer the next few (which is basically what every pitcher on the Dodgers is like).

Forgot to mention this in my last post, but it turns out that Gagne will be out of commission from six weeks to eight weeks. Danys Baez is the sherriff until then.

Today and Yesterday's Game

Sorry I couldn't post anything on yesterday's game YESTERDAY, but it has been almost impossible to get to a computer lately.

Yesterday's game was a good one. Brett Tomko proved himself
with 6 solid innings, Hong-Chih Kuo was great, and Danys Baez is looking like he might be able to fill in Eric Gagne's shoes.

JD Drew was hitless, but he did walk, which is something you can always count on him for. Our offense was servicable, and the best thing of all is that we won a game with players like James Loney filling in for our stars.

Today's Game:

is postponed.

Derek Lowe was suppposed to pitch for us, and I think he can really use the rest.

He will face Ryan Madson tomorrow as part of a double header.

This is not good news...

Eric Gagne announced he will undergo surgery, and this surgery could leave him out for a while. Something about reconstructing nerves...

Thank the Lord we picked up Danys Baez, but I wouldn't be suprised if he turned an ankle leaving the airport in Philadelphia tonight...

Simply put: Depressing

Okay, so we lost. It was an exciting series, and we blew it. But who cares? The season is in disarray. We don't have Kenny Lofton or Nomar, and now JEFF KENT (probably our best player) and Olmedo (I mis-spelled it earlier, SORRY) Saenz, who is our best first basemen.

So: James Loney, welcome to the big show. You are now officially our best first basemen.

And: Um... GEE! I wish we had Antonio Perez right now. Good job Colletti. Does this mean we might be seing Delwyn Young or Joel Guzman? Could be a fun little expirement...

And: Odalis Perez, you are an awful pitcher. Wow... Where is Scott Erickson when you need him.

Good News???

J.D. Drew is the MAN! Rafael Furcal is his twin brother, the MAN! Bill Mueller is their other twin, the MAN! Jason Repko is their little brother, the SCREWUP!

Well, Dodgers, have a safe trip to Philadelphia...

Our club can still keep it together, but it will just be a little bit harder.

Today's Game

10:10 Eastern Time, 7:10 Dodger Stadium Time

Braves - Dodgers

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Odalis Perez

On the Mound for the Braves: Horacio Ramirez

The box scores are not up yet but you can get them at the same two sites posted yesterday.

What I do know is that Nomar Garciaparra will not be in the game today, because he was placed on the DL yesterday due to a strained muscle.

What the Garciaparra injury means: It means that Olmaedo Saenz will be playing way too much, and it also shows that we made an incredibly dumb move when we traded Three-Seop Choi (I will go on and off calling him that and Hee-Seop). First base could have been our strong point, and now it is one of our weak points (nothing against Olmaedo, but he is never going to be a full-time player like he once was).

Sweet Victory...

How nice it is to be winning again! Even nicer to have some of the main reasons for the win being two DePo pickups: J.D. Drew and Brad Penny. Almost everything clicked in this game: Offense scored over 4 runs, pitching was solid (besides an 8th inning scare), and fielding was alright. Let's hope tomorrow is the same way.

BTW, Kudos to Bill Mueller and Jason Repko (gasps from the crowd) for solid play.

Bummer...

Hmmmm... Bummer about yesterday's game. I guess D Lowe just wasn't quite ready what with his head cold and all. Atleast J.D. Drew, Jeff Kent, and Rafael Furcal were clicking.

But today is a new day, and with a new day comes a new game!

Today's Game:

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Brad Penny

On the MOund for the Braves: John Smoltz

Today's Lineup will be up later, but I will not be able to give a direct link. It can be found on mlb.com or Yahoo! Sports.

Brad Penny will have to be an Absolut Ace today in order to win John Smoltz. Our best hope is that either our offense clicks or Smoltzies age catches up with him. I think you can expect a quality start from Brad Penny.

I will not be making predictions after last nights catastrophie, and also, I would probably list the Dodgers as the winnners every night.

Pray for Sun

Away with you Rain! Be Gone!

Anyways, the lineup is up now, and I am too lazy to copy and paste it in.

Today's Lineup

Opening Day!

Everybody, say hello to you Los Angeles Dodgers!

Finally, after months of anticipation, we get to see our full squad playing for the Championship.

We are playing the Braves, today, and they are going down.

On the Mound for the Dodgers: Derek Lowe

He got hot near tghe end of last year and is hoping to continue is dominance for the club this year.

On the Mound for the Braves: Tim Hudson

A slightly dissapointing season last year after a hot start, and is hoping to stay on the right track this season.

The Starting Lineup isn't listed yet, but keep checking when it comes closer to game time!!

My prediction: Dodgers 5, Braves 3

Lowe will come through for us this year and he will keep his ERA under 4 for most of the season. Hudson will pitch 6 and 2/3 innings of 3-run-ball, but the Braves Bullpen will screw it up for them. Gagne gets the save, Lowe the win, and Danys Baez the honorable mention for great set up ball-play!

have fun watching the game!

Jeff Kent extended

Second Base has been secured until 2007, and there is an option for 2008. Hopefull Mr. Kent will keep his production at a level where he will not have to be ashamed when he does retire.

Also, Aaron Sele and Brian Meadows will not make the team. We called Tim Mamulack.

Adios, Hee-Seop...

Good bye, Hee-Seop Choi.

I will never forget you, you will always be Three-Seop Choi after that game where u hit three homers.

You will be in Boston now, a team smart enough to use you.

I am sorry that we were so ignorant. Farewell.

My Fantasy Baseball Primer

I have decided to write my own Fantasy Baseball Primer. I am not a noob who thinks he knows everything about Fantasy, because I have actually won a league before (unlike many so-called 'experts'). I have a cousin who is playing Fantasy Baseball for the first time this year, and he asked me to write this. I hope this can help you and my cousin win your league or at least buy some respect in your league.

I am putting them in order of value, which is their production balanced by where they might fall in your draft (this is a statistic made in my head).

Firstbase:

1. Albert Pujols - Averages 40 homers a year and is going to hit over .300 AGAIN.
2. Travis Hafner - Not many of you saw this one coming. He is young, on a great squad, and poised to tear it up.
3. David Ortiz - Big Papi rules. He also doesn't have to worry about being hurt in the field (like Hafner).
4. Derrek Lee - Not going to be like last year, but he should do well.
5. Tie - Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton - Consistency=domination.
6. Mark Teixeira - Hardcore hitter.

Also watch out for: Nick Johnson, Jason Giambi, and Nick Swisher.

Second Base:

1. Chase Utley - The next Jeff Kent
2. Jeff Kent - The first Jeff Kent
3. Alfonso Soriano - Hits homeruns and steals. You are lucky walks don't matter.
4. Luis Castillo - New team, new player.
5. Felipe Lopez - Power player that isn't too popular yet (good for shortstop and thirdbase as well)

Also watch out for: Ricky Weeks, Jorge Cantu, and Ronnie Belliard.

Short Stop:

1. Miguel Tejada - Duh!
2. Michael Young - The last white hope.
3. Johnny Peralta - Kicked ass last year, and he can only get better this year.
4. Rafael Furcal - Steals and scores.
5. Derek Jeter - I hate him but he can play.

Also watch out for: Cesar Izturis (insurance for Furcal), Jimmy Rollins, and Julio Lugo.

Third Base:

1. Alex Rodriguez - Duh!
2. David Wright - He is going to be DA BOMB.
3. Aramis Ramirez
4. Eric Chavez - He is a machine, and a good one too.
5. Hank Blalock - Everything is bigger in Texas.

Sorry for the lack of ingenuity at third base, but the good players are obvious.

Also watch out for: Morgan Ensberg (he would have been #6 on the list), Melvin Mora, and Bill Mueller.

Outfield:

1. Miguel Cabrera - Duh!
2. Vladdy Daddy Guerrerro - Duh!
3. Andruw Jones - Duh!
4. Manny Ramirez - Duh!
5. Carl Crawford - Speedy and powerful.
6. Jason Bay - Became quite the baller last year.
7. Johnny Damon - Be careful of the Yankee Syndrome.
8. Hideki Matsui - So solid.
9. Bobby Abreu - So many tools.
10. Adam Dunn - Strong man, quick bat.
11. Ichiro Suzuki - High average hitter.
12. Lance Berkman - Killer Bs for LIFE!
13. Ken Griffey Jr. - Looking for last year again.
14. J.D. Drew - Would be higher, but has health issues.
15. Carlos Beltran - Praying for a good year.

Also watch out for: Juan Pierre, Milton Bradley, and Chad Tracy.

Catcher:

1. Victor Martinez - My worst move last year was dropping him.
2. Joe Mauer - Rare find: a catcher with 1st Base hitting skills.
3. Jason Varitek - Mr. Consistent
4. Dioner Navarro - Poised for a great Sophomore year.
5. Gregg Zaun - Good catcher on a great looking team (Toronto).

Also watch out for: Russel Martin, Jason Kendall, and Ivan Rodriguez.

Starting Pitcher:

1. Dontrelle Willis - I think he will bounce back from the WBC.
2. Chris Carpenter - Not going to be last year, but he will be decent.
3. Pedro Martinez - Stronger run support!
4. Roger Clemens - Assuming he plays.
5. Johan Santana - Ace.
6. Jake Peavy - Killer Change-up that makes hitters cry.
7. Mark Buehrle - Mr. Consistent for me last year.
8. Kevin Millwood - Beware of Texas, he could backfire (but he is a great hurler).
9. John Patterson - Great pickup for me last year.
10. Roy Oswalt - Part of Houston's big 3.
11. Barry Zito - Starts slow, heats up faster than anybody.
12. Carlos Zambrano - Throws HEAT!
13. Mark Prior - Throws HEAT (when healthy)!
14. Josh Beckett - This low because of Fenway Park Syndrome.
15. Tie - Roy Halladay and AJ Burnett - Both could carry the Jays to the playoffs.

Also watch out for: Tim Hudson, Bartolo Colon, and Carlos Silva.

Relief Pitcher:

1. Mariano Rivera - My best move last year: cheating some guy into giving me him.
2. Brad Lidge - So what if he combusted last postseason.
3. Francisco Rodriguez - His nickname says it all: K-Rod.
4. Chad Cordero - Surprise player of last year.
5. Eric Gagne - Yeah, I am just a little bit biased.

Also watch out for: Derrick Turnbow, Bob Wickman, Joe Nathan, and Danys Baez (insurance for Gagne).

A FART ON FRANK McCOURT!!!!!

Frank McCourt came out with some statements revealing what a retard he is and how small the glass box he lives in is.

I really haven't been this mad in a while.

And just when I thought my blood pressure would return to a safe level, our owner came out with this one: Idiotic Statements.

Another Non-Dodger Article on: The Internet

I said in my latest post that the internet is growing, and it could not be true. We can do almost anything on the internet; we can send e-mail even better than ever with GMail, shop for just about anything, get jobs on the internet, put the internet on our cell phones, and choose from a variety of different browsers to surf with.

GMail:

The new frontier of e-mail. Instead of deleting e-mail or putting them in thousands of folders, you can archive them with labels! Instead of having to type in a ton of contacts, you can make contact groups! Set Vacation Auto-Responders! More as well! (Caution: Not everybody can just sign up for GMail, you need to be invited) Yahoo! is reportedly coming out with a new e-mail system that could be better than GMail.

Stores:

Shopping at stores is almost completely unnecessary. Buy stuff off of places like Amazon.com, Buy.com, BestBuy.com, and more, with just the click of a button!

Jobs:

I have never used a place like Monster.com to get a job, so I will not go into much detail. The fact is that we can get jobs over the internet, which is pretty amazing! No interview, no problem.

Internet on Cell Phones:

Usually the browsing on phones is not very great, but Opera Software's Cell Phone Browser is supposed to be amazing! It is called 'Opera Mini' and it is free to download. The home-page is the Google home-page with a little searchbar. If anybody has tried it tell me how they like it!

Browsers:

For Windows, you have the options of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera (again). Firefox and Opera crush I.E. in just about every subject. Firefox is more Internet Explorer-Friendly, but when you get used to it Opera can be better. I am using Firefox at the moment because it works better with Blogger. If you get one of the two I reccommend, make sure to customize it to fit your wants.

And the Internet is only just beginning to getting good...

Rise of the Blogs!!!

The time for Los Angeles Sports blogs to take advantage is now, at a time where the LA Times is fading into oblivion. The latest hit on the Times is falling on Joel Stein. Stein wrote an article saying that he did not support our troops not only in Iraq, but ALL over the world. It is okay to state this opinion, but he is being shred apart because it turns out he knows nothing of the military. In 10 years, there will not be an LA Times, and blogs will have taken over. The mainstream newspapers will be t he New York Times and the Wall-Street Journal, neither of which have sections on teams outside of New York (the WSJ barely has any sports at all).

As the internet is on the rise (look at Google), so are blogs. They can be updated more often and stay more current than Newspapers, and they all specialize in what they do. Oftentimes Newspapers try to do to much by featuring too many sections, so the papers become watered down. The two papers who are successful while still carrying a big load are the New York Times and the Wall Stree Journal.

The only problem with blogging is that the income is sufficiently less than that of newspaper writing. So those of you with companies out there, stop putting ads in the LA Times, and instead put them into a blog. The LA Times will become non-existent and nobody will see your ads! Put these ads to a better use and give money to the bloggers!

What was this post about? Honestly, I just was stir-crazy from the lack of Dodger News as of late. Do not be surprised if you find any only slightly-Dodger-related posts.

Molina Rumors...

All of my buddies have been telling me that they are hearing about Bengie Molina and the Dodgers striking up a deal. To start this off: I will be extremely pissed if we sign B.M. Why do we need him? To back up Navarro? I thought that was Sandy Alomar not so Jr.'s job. Start ahead of Navarro? Is this some kind of sick joke?

Maybe Colletti has a secret deal with the Giants to screw us this year.

I think the real reason is that Nedley thinks we can win the division this year! And what happens if we win the division? We get our heads taken off by the Cardinals in the NLDS!

First he trades two promising pitchers (Edwin Jackson and Chuck Tiffanny), then he trades one of the Goggle Club Members (Duaner Sanchez)! This is not fair to the fans of the future. I bet he is getting some phone calls from the Dodger Fans on their deathbeds saying: "I need to see them win before they die!"

Ned, don't F**k this up for me.......

Shorin up da pen...

Colletti shored up our bullpen in the present (not the future) by trading Edwin Jackson (that is okay) and Chuck Tiffany (I am a little pissed about this) for Danys Baez (perfect setup guy which allows Yhency Brazoban to become a Middle-Relief Pitcher) and Lance Carter, who I am not familiar with yet.

I cannot make a great judgment on this deal so I will give it an:

Incomplete

Furcal News

Rafael Furcal, our money-man, will go under the knife for arthroscopic knee surgery. I do not know how soon he will be okay and if he will play in the WBC...

Theo on the Dodgers; Kent on his Wrist

Theo said (I am paraphrasing) that he would have taken our open GM job but it was too close to leaving the Sox.

Theo: This is not marriage. All that the Red Sox care about is that you quit, and you will not hurt their feelings more by coming to Los Angeles.

In other news, Jeff Kent will have surgery, but it is no biggy. Just to eliminate some pain in his right wrist.

BAD NED! NO!

In a move of stupidity, the Dodgers have traded Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll, the futures of our bullpen, for a very good Jae Seo, and the almost 30 year old pitcher Tim Hamulack, who will enter his second year in the bigs this year.

Move Analysis:

I can dig Seo, but giving up two young hurlers for one young hurler and an idiot is SO not cool with me.

Grade: D-

Ouch...

Happy New Year!

Hope you have a great start to the New Year,

2006!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Millwood Gets His Paycheck... From the Rangers

Dash all of those hopes of seeing Kevin Millwood pitching in Chavez Ravine next year, the Rangers and their bulging wallet have stepped into the picture. Millwood will earn 60 million dollars over the next 5 years, a deal that Captain Ned could never have matched. Millwood is 31, and it is going to be hard for the Rangers to justify paying him 12 million dollars at age 36...

XBP

Bored out of my mind when I woke up this morning, I decided to think up some statistics to play around with. After five minutes of brain-storming, I came up with Net Power, which I believed was a sexy-enough name. The formula was Total-Bases/At-Bats. Net Power was nixed because it is actually a little thing called Slugging Percentage! I still wanted a stat that would reward hitters who hit a lot of extra-base hits instead of stats that reward slap/single hitters.

The result was a stat called Extra-Base Percentage, abbreviated XBP (because X is cooler than E, and that is science).

Formula: (2B+3B+HR)/AB

Purpose: If Bob can hit 80 Extra-Base Hits in 500 ABs, he is going to provide more offense for his team than Rex, who can hit 55 Extra-Base Hits in the same 500 ABs.

I am going to be testing XBP out over the course of the season, just to see if it gives accurate information on a player's performance.

Please notify me if, in fact, this stat has already been coined.

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to spend th morning nuzzled (is that a word?) in my new copy of the Hardball Times!

Tackling David Wells

One hot topin on DodgerThoughts.com this morning and last night was the prospect (hahaha that was a pun and you will find out why in a second) of trading a prospect for David Wells, the 43 year-old pitcher on the Red Sox. Here is how I analyzed him, using my new Bill James book as help:

My Estimate of Possible Years he Would Help:

2-3 years if he plays that long

Best Prospect I would Consider Trading:

Edwin Jackson

Bill James' Projected Stat Line in his latest Handbook:

G | GS | IP | H / HR | SO / BB / HBP | W / L | BR/9 | ERA

32 | 32 | 192 | 212 / 22 | 114 / 29 / 6 |12 / 9 | 11.5 | 3.88

In other words, he is projected to do very well next year. I saw Boomer (for that is his nickname) pitching when I was in Boston over the Summer and he pitched a CG, so of course I think he can still play. He does not allow many baserunners per 9 innings (BR/9 is very good), he has a good ERA, he has a tremendous SO/BB ratio (almost 4/1!), and it is obvious he can still play. The question is for how long, and that is very unpredictable in somebody like Mr. Wells, who is 43.

The problem lies here: David Wells can give you about two or three quality years and then will probably retire. We do not want to give up a prospect (I think that is what the Red Sox want for Boomer) that will give the Red Sox more than two or three quality years, because then it would be a bad deal.

If Ned Colletti finds a prospect who will not do very well in the majors, and the Red Sox like him, give it a shot. But do not go out there and shoot out some Chad Billingsley or Justin Orenduff.

Ned should play this deal extremely conservative and make sure he does not get ripped off. We can hold over the NL West ship and maybe win with the team we have right now, and David Wells would only tighten the fort (sorry those were two horrible metaphors). This kind of deal should be very, very tentative.

P.S.

My Bill James projections for our club will probably come after the Boomer situation sorts itself out, so hold onto you trousers for now.

One thing about my Bill James Post

Keep this in mind:

He is projecting Albert Pujols to hit over 800 career home-runs...

They could be amazingly accurate and predictive, or they could be ridiculous.