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Viva Mexico
What are the odds that of the 13 pitchers from Mexico currently playing in Major League Baseball that two would be facing off in the same game and that it would happen on Mexican Independence Day? That's what's happening in the "biggest game of the year," which is basically every game from now until the end of the season.
The team is now actually ahead of last year's pace by one game, but the only thing that matters is the standings and though we were half a game up in the division through 148 games last year, a better record this year still finds the team trailing by 3 1/2 in the NL West.
A little research yesterday by Retrosheet's Dave Smith found the following:
Rafael Furcal has stolen eight bases in his last four games, just the 39th time that has been accomplished in baseball over the last 50 years. Furcal is just the second Dodger to accomplish that feat since the team moved to Los Angeles, as Maury Wills swiped eight bases in four games three different times in his career.
And a little research this morning by the Dodgers' PR Department found the following:
James Loney is hitting .571 (12-for-21) over his last five games while driving in 14 runs in his last nine contests. He is hitting .449 (35-for-78) with runners in scoring position and .426 in the month of September (23-for-54).
Andre Ethier hit his career-high 12th homer yesterday and over the last three months (since June 16), he is batting .315 (68-for-216).
Matt Kemp is batting .337 this season, the seventh-highest average in baseball and second-best in the National League behind Cincinnati's Norris Hopper (.340) among players with at least 250 plate appearances.
Here's the lineup for the homestand finale:
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Loney, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzo, LF (the "hunch" worked out yesterday)
LaRoche, 3B
Ethier, RF
Lieberthal, C
Loaiza, P
238 Comments
"Matt Kemp is batting .337 this season, the seventh-highest average in baseball and second-best in the National League behind Cincinnati's Norris Hopper (.340) among players with at least 250 plate appearances.
So that's why Kemp is sitting yet again? To preserve his average for posterity or something?
great day wen laroche is in there…i hope he has a good game. he should get some pitches to hit with ethier hitting behind him
I hope Loiza has a good game, and doesn't have any 'issues' with the home plate ump on the size of the strike zone today. That was his excuse for his poor outing his last game. I'll be crossing my fingers & toes come game time.
Keep the streak alive, and going for the sweep.
Just win baby!
Gonzo, LaRoche, Lieberthal……………………I guess they don't want to make the playoffs. I can understand playing one of these three, but not all of them.
Uh, LaRoche doesn't deserve to be grouped with Gonzo and Lieberthal. He's young and has great potential; the others guys are old and out the door.
Not playing Kemp is incredibly stupid, BTW.
This lineup makes zero sense.
guys matt kemp is getting up there in age. he didnt play yesterday and not today and with the day off tomorrow he will be fresh. ya since most 22 year olds need 3 days off in a row!!
Grady gets lucky with Gonzo and he continues to push his luck. Kemp is the teams BEST HITTER and he sits for the second day in a row. I can't stand this.
Somehow I have a feeling we will win this game with this lineup!
if anything at least La Roche is in there
The "managers" are at it again!! The "oldies" Have done pretty god: 1st Wells, then Nomar, then Gonzo. So what's the problem. Even the old Furcal has been burning up the base paths w/SBs. Big problem is the loser LaRoche-need to trade him away before his back really goes out. And Tomko-6 shutout innings-no "Bombko" there. Enjoy the Game!!!
UGH!!! To all you haters, just shut up already and wait until the game is over. Haven't you learned yet? You complain everyday…hey maybe this will be the game you're right, then you can come on here and scream Fire Grady! Aren't you cool? Just watch the freaking game, or rather don't.
Gonzo, LF (the "hunch" worked out yesterday)
Josh actually got this one right. The only possible justification for playing Gonzo over Kemp is a superstitious, irrational "hunch".
It doesn't matter who is in there we should be able to beat this pitcher. Gonzo is going to start some good no matter what and don't worry about Kemp. He would get the everyday job next year.
Its not about "wait until the game is over." Its about a manager that is that is continually making a stupid move.
If Gonzo is terrible today I won't come on here and say "I told you so". I already know I'm right, regardless of what happens.
good=game I hate when I do that. I wish we can edit are post.
Maybe Gonzo will get 6 more hits and get career hit 2500 and he won't be starting the rest of the year.
I love our players…but hate the way they are managed by Ned and Grady.
Manny, you are the definition of blind hatred…
actually I should've said maybe Grady would let him get 6 more hits and won't start him the rest of the year and used him in a PH role.
If you can give me a logical explanation for why our best hitter is not in the line-up today then you might have a point.
Otherwise, I think my hatred is very well-placed.
Don't hate & appreciate!
Now, I believe we face Francis and Redman in the doubleheader Tuesday. Both are left handers therefore Kemp most likely will be playing in both games of the doubleheader. I'm not saying that has anything to do with him not playing today, I actually believe it has to do with Ethier being a Snakes killer and Gonzo hitting a three run HR yesterday. Regardless it's another game we must find a way to win by any means necessary.
A win would calm my rage…
Alex: You've got it right-the complaining starts pre-game and just continues w/the nay sayers and the manager Wanna bes. Still haven't had anyone step up to my question: How much BIG League managerial experience do they, who are 1st to ctitize, have?
Kemp could have played today easily, but he's not. And our best hitter IS playing and batting third. Our most athletic player is on the bench. I could show you some splits on Edgar Gonzalez, but I won't I'll just say lefties kill him and that's putting it lightly.
My biggest surprise with the lineup is Laroche at 3rd, and 6th in the lineup. I knew Martin would be out from the posted notes yesterday. Seemed to me Nomar was getting dialed in. Maybe Grady's looking for better defense at the corner.
I actually would have started Abreu over LaRoche to get another left handed bat in the lineup. But, I'm interested to see what LaRoche can do batting sixth.
Are you saying we have no standing to criticize or second-guess because we have no big-league managerial experience.
Give me a break! Its common sense we're dealing with here. This ain't brain surgery.
All Grady has to do is pencil in four little letter onto the line-up card: K-E-M-P. Really, he shouldn't even have to think about it.
I rejoice over the achievements of youngsters, MARTIN, LONEY, ETHIER & KEMP. I'm also happy with KENT, NOMAR, GONZO & PIERRE for their contributions. I'm excited about the recent exploits of FURCAL. The starting pitching of WELLS, PENNY, LOWE & BILLINGSLEY and our usually marvelous bullpen HENDRICKSON & SEANEZ, BEIMEL,PROCTOR & BROXTON and our CY YOUNG & or MVP candidate, closer SAITO, should make everybody jump for joy. I personally feel that LITTLE'S good moves could aventually outweigh his faults. Regardless of what happens from here on, if anyone is still diappointed in this team all I can say is I fell sorry for you. Let's go LOAIZA, KEEP UP THE PRESSURE.
It would be something if Gonzo get another 3 run homerun. Maybe we needs more negative posts about Gonzo to get him going again lol.
ya so your saying that only ppl with big league managing experience can second guess grady. well that doesnt make any sense. plus gonzo has only 2 hits in the last two games and yes one was a homerun..but kemp gets at least 2 hits every game it seems like
Manny: I'm not saying you can't critize. But it's the same ole-same ole, day after day. You guys should come on and just say "ditto yesterdays complaints". We'd all know what you're talking about. Until you've actually done grady's or Ned's job, it doesn't have to be a continual put down. You've never been there-so just enjoy the game-comments afterward are cool-second guessing pre game *****!!!
Great games Friday and Saturday. I was there on Saturday. My brother and I with freshly minted Loney shirts singing the Loney Song (which I will re-post below for everyone), and it got a very good reception from the fans on the Top Deck. I encourage everyone to sing it! (Although, he's slumping–only 1 RBI single yesterday??? Not another multi-hit game???).
I will eat my words about Nomar on Friday, and he played well yesterday, so hopefully he is getting it back at the right time. The fact is everyone WANTS to root for him. Being at the game again reminded me he still gets the best fan reaction. Years of good play, being a local guy, giving back to the community, and being a good guys has earned him that. I will even credit him for moving to third for Loney (though it should have been done MUCH earlier). But I WANT to root for him. We all do. (Though it's also good to see LaRoche in there, as we'll need him too.
I'll eat my words (I did not post it, but I thought it) about Gonzo. That being said, it's certainly nothing against Gonzo to say that Kemp should be back in the line-up. Josh makes the point by showing he's the 7th-best hitter in the league.
Also, I am curious why Russell is sitting? Just for that extra rest? But again–14 games left, and he's automatically missing one in Colorado (probably the nightcap of the twin-bill). At this point, you have to play until you break.
Finally, why aren't the Dodgers, Phillies, Rockies, and Diamondbacks calling for an investigation of the Giants??? First, they blow the lead against the Padres Friday night after improbably getting ahead of Young, and then they don't even score off of Tomko. Seriously, it's not possible to not score off Tomko unless you are intentionally doing it. It's long been a Giant tradition to roll over against opponents when it hurts the Dodgers. That team has been a bunch of thugs and criminals since they were in New York (with all the football broughaha over the Patriots stealing signs, let's not forget it was the Giants who were the first to use technology to steal signs, when they won the Pennant in 1951–so the "Miracle at Coogan's Bluff" nothing more than a fraud [Pierreseastmeetswest should be incensed about that]). It's totally unprofessional, but predictable for those **** when it only hurts the Dodgers. But it affects that Diamondbacks, the Rockies and the Phillies as well. If we're out of it on the last weekend of the season, we should just let Broxton, Meloan, and Penny throw at those guys heads.
Anyway, we still have to win. Let's hope we do. As a reminder, here's the Loney Song:
My Loney has a first name,
It's J-A-M-E-S
My Loney has a second name,
It's L-O-N-E-Y
I love to watch him every day
And if you ask me why I'll say
'Cause James Loney has a way
With H-I-T-T-I-N-G!
How much BIG League managerial experience do they, who are 1st to ctitize, have?
Have you ever been president of the USA? Have you ever critized our president? Enough said.
BTW–I just sent a message to the team and Think Cure with my challenge and pledge to Think Cure. I encourage everyone else to follow suit (I have left the numbers blank, so you can fill in whatever you can and is appropriate for you, whether it's $5 or $5000. Obviously, each level was increasing. Win lose or draw this season, I think of Think Cure is one of the great things that the McCourts have done as the owners and stewards of the Dodgrs:
I want to issue a challenge to the Dodgers, so please pass this on the McCourts, Grady, the players, whomever. I will pledge up to $____ this year to Think Cure, depending on how the Dodgers do.
If the Dodgers have a winning record (a virtual lock at this point), I will donate $___.
If the Dodgers win the NL Wild Card, I will donate $___.
If the Dodgers win the NL West, I will donate $___.
If the Dodgers win the NL Wild Card AND the NLDS, I will donate $___.
If the Dodgers win the NL West AND the NLDS, I will donate $___.
If the Dodgers win the National League Pennant, I will donate $___.
If the Dodgers win the World Series, I will donate $___.
Think Blue!
Think Cure!
To Manny3vee, can't you expand your vocabulary.?? Do you have the education, to say other words ?? All you do is repeat the same old GARBAGE. Get REAL, Bro. Get off that kick. you are so negative, I feel sorry for you. you must lead a dull life
Get a new one,,GEEZ…..
Milkshake: Your 1st question is what I've been asking all along!! How much Big League Managerial experience do the nay sayers have? All I've said is wait til after the game-you can talk about what happened. Plus I really don't get what presidental politics has to do w/baseball. They are WAY different-or don't you see the diff? Enjoy the game-you keep this up, you'll get an ulcer!
Speaking of rollover…What about the Mets? It's like the Phillies own them or something. They are playing just terrible this weekend.
The Mets are playing crummy ball this weekend, but I can't accuse them of rolling over. The Phillies COULD catch them, and they only lead Arizona by a 1/2 game for a guarantee of home field advantage in the NLCS. The Giants are playing for nothing. They are almost guaranteed to end exactly where they deserve to end up–in the cellar. But they'll still try to ruin it for us if they can.
Speaking of the Giants, How did any of you like, when BOCHY put in a ROOKIE relief pitcher, last night against the Pads. Bochy is still rooting for the Madres…..
leekfink It's the same old song & dance every time this time of year. I mentioned it in a previous that the Giants can totally blow facing other teams in the division, but turn around, and have their 'A' game when they face the Dodgers. It's in their DNA to play spoiler against this team at the end of the season. The Dodgers would try to do the same against them in the spoiler role, but NEVER roll over against any other opponents. At least not on purpose!! lol
i hope lieberthal can call a good game
If I were the manager, I'd sit Pierre a bit more. If I were the manager, I'd start Lieberthal a bit more to give Martin a rest. If I were the manager, I think I would be a bit more aggressive, and I would require every player who ignores a 1B or 3B coach to wear a bikini on the next flight–that might reduce the baserunning stupidity.
But I'm not the manager. I'm not in the clubhouse. I can't know what Grady Little knows about his players and his club, so I don't really think I have the grounds to criticize the lineup he makes up.
But I would impose that restriction on runners who ignore the coaches.
I can see no reason for us to not be starting our best outfielders (Kemp and Ethier) every game. It makes no sense to me.
I agree Green except on 1 point. Everytime Kemp has ran through Donnely's stop sign, he has been safe. I truly almsot trust the runners decision just running the bases than I do Donnely's decisions watching the play un fold. He is far and away the worst 3B coach in the league.
Neither of today's starting pitchers is very good. Let's score early and often. Pull Loaiza and go to the bullpen when he gets in trouble, even if it's still early. San Diego will be tough to catch, so every game is like a playoff game.
let's jump on them right now.
Go rabbit Pierre! Go Loney!
Like I keep saying, Loaiza is horrible.
Thow a few strikes, Loaiza. You have *no* chance of getting outs if you just keep throwing balls.
Loaiza *****.
What did I just say? The A's were brilliant for letting him go.
Looks like Colletti got himself a Tomko replacement.
No wonder I went "Who?" when the Dodgers picked up Loaiza. He's pathetic, horrible. You don't hear about the middling to bad pitchers on teams that's not in your division.
Pfffft, unless the offense really cranks it up, we're losing a game to everybody today – Phillies sweeping the Mets, Padres virtually guaranteed to sweep the Giants given that they're playing Peavy today.
loaiza has nothing left..
Loiza Blows!!
I wouldn't be surprised if this stupid signing was the last straw for Ned. He could be gone.
From your lips, momoracci to McCourt's ears.
well it would really be something if Loazia ended up in the pen next year or something like that. Huge waste of money.
griffon64 is so foolish as to post that he never heard of the pitcher who finished 2nd in the AL Cy Young voting in 2003.
Now I know that year stands out like a sore thumb in Loaiza's career but he did have a 3.77 ERA in the NL in 2005. Also this is only his 5th ML start of the season.
Loaiza looks just like another Tomko/ Hendrickson, but at double the cost. What's another $8 million of McCourt's money. Add another couple of bucks for parking, and call it the "Colletti surcharge".
miketink – I only started following baseball, and specifically the Dodgers, in June of 2005. Before that, I lived in a part of the world that did not care about baseball at all, and therefore, did not follow any of it.
I know he has been injured, and I know that his career stats is not stellar. He appears to be fairly soft-tossing, a finesse style pitcher. He reminds me too much of Hendrickson for my comfort.
Also, I happen to a be a "she".
Grady dont let the game get away by leaving him in too long
man i didnt know this was a throw away game
Furcallllllllllllll come on Kent
I came to this "blog" because the general quality on the dodgers.com board is so low. For a long time this place was better but as some posters disappear and others appear the general quality here is almost as bad as there.
Don't you look at pitchers' splits?
Everyday you complain; Alex explains; you ignore and call Grady an idiot but you are clueless about pitchers' stats. How can that be?
The #1 stat on Gonzalez imo is SLG: (before today) 544 fof LH hitters, 370 for RH hitters. So LHs slug 50% better against him than RHs.
Come on Gonzo show your magic like yesterday.
The fact that you praise Kemp is hilarious. This proves that Grady hads no business managing. I heard that guys like Nomar and Gonzo were given a handshake deal that no matter what, they would get starts over kids. Crazy. Kemp should paly everday. Pierre showed be the one filtered in, but wait, he has a consecutive game streak going and he gave Grady a hog at the beginning of the year. One more point. If Grady and Ned had a clue, they would be looking down at everyone. All they had to do was bring Loney up straight from spring training.
Look for Wells to get a multiy year deal next year and for Tomko….ooopps…Loiaza, to be huge.
At leasty Dodger Talk is not bias, even though you, Jsh, try to make them homers.
I can still the Gonzo bashing now but what new about that?
I meant see not still.
for not fof
Yesterday I didn't have to to point out why you want LH hitters against Hernandez.
griffon- yet in spite of your recent intro. to baseball you can tell what ML pitchers are pathetic. Please get a job with the Dodgers so you can put this unusual skill to good use. You are pathetic.
Dang it Kent what the heck was you doing?
That was more Loney not going to third on the wild pitch, Kent got hung up because he thought Loney would move to third.
loney doesnt have that kind of speed with the ball barely getting past the catcher
I know that I'm just telling you why Kent got thrown out.
Oh man 7 gosh darn walks. I hope he get out of this.
Somebody pitch a **** strike!
Here's come Hull.
Here's come Hull.
Young must had help Hull out a lot on that one. Let's get some runs now. This is painful to watch with 8 walks.
Back to back single time to hit a bomb Mike. We can do this.
oops actually a single and a walk.
wow grady….just wow. lieberthal has really proven you can swing away with him. my god
One step forward.
Two steps back……..
what the **** was that.
you are suppose to bunt the runners over. that is a bull sh call. what a freaking rally killer. if we loose this game that was the inning.
this isnt the AL grady
Letting Lieberthal hit away instead of bunt is just another idiocy by Grady This game is being given away.
but Grady keeps the dodgers afloat guys!!!
You don't bunt with Mike plan and simple.
better warm up hernandez. veterans like saenz, loaiza know how to win games. they know how to pitch.
Just wanted to repeat my sentiments concerning this management.
In the game of baseball, like anywhere else, different people have different expectations. I take note of Grady's comments cited in an MLB.com article two days ago under the headline "Little keeps team afloat": "We left Spring Training trying to look forward to making the postseason, and right now we're a game and a half out of that position with 16 to go. What more can you ask?"
Talk about a difference in expectations and lowering the bar – myself and most of the baseball experts would have expected us to be the clear winner of our division. Expecting to contend for the playoffs might be OK for the mediocre teams with maybe half of the Dodgers' investment in payroll. I hope that Mr. McCourt would have had higher expectations as well.
I'm not looking to pile on the management at a critical time when we are still in the hunt for that playoff spot, but I've said all season long that I expect this team to not only make the playoffs, but to perform better than they have in the last twenty years. If that does not happen, then Colletti and Little should both be replaced. I stand by that expectation.
OK…I've had enough…GRADY goes and NED goes for signing another bad pitcher…oh, by the way, anyone notice that Tomko pitched 6 innings giving up only 4 singles last night?…amazing…I would have dumped Hernandez and let Tomko pitch out of the bullpen since we had to pay him anyway…Letting Lieberthal hit away was not SMART because he hasn't been hitting and we needed runs..
Another game Grady doesn't come through as a manager..With those kinds of games mounting, it's no wonder we're still out of the playoffs…and we go to Colorado, while the Pads play Pittsburgh for 4…the only way we could catch them is if it was the other way around..Even the Pads, like most other teams have trouble with Colorado in Colorado!!
I don't know why everyone is crying over today's game. This season was lost in August through poor play and poor management, then the nail was put into the coffin last weekend in San Francisco from incredibly poor management of the pitching staff.
Even Friday's decision to stick with Penny was a complete joke. It worked out for Grady, but it was the wrong decision based upon what he did with Penny in Frisco. He pulls Penny in a game he had decent control and command because he wants to avoid Penny taking a loss. That's a complete joke. Then Penny is allowed to hit for himself and then pitch into the next inning, allowing a 2 run jack.
I'm a season ticket holder and I have gone to fewer games this season than any other season. Fortunately, people are stupid enough to buy tickets on ticket exchange. I keep holding out every year, thinking that management will get a clue and put in a manager that has some balls and instinct. Grady has neither. He was fired from the Red Sox for good cause. He should never have been hired by the Dodgers.
Oh and as far as Grady's comments, this team has under achieved all season.
It was only the Giants and they ****. I wouldn't worry about Tomko anyway.
we will be paying loaiza 7 million dollars next year. that will be roughly one-forth of A-Rod's salary.
so eh…. Gonzo over Kemp again huh…
i know this is obvious, but our best outfield would be Gonzo, Kemp, and Ethier. But, it's not like anyone in management is interested in playing our best players.
Just wanted you to know that I have appreciated your comments and insights on this blog during the season, which seem more remarkable for the fact that your interest in baseball is just recently acquired. I'm sure that you won't be put off by being called "pathetic" by some self-styled know it all on the blog. And incidentally, you would probably do better managing this team than the present duo and their staff.
I just came back to this complaint dept., messagebear and others-why couldn't you get your critique posted before the DP? Lieberthal hit the 2nd pitch; wasn't that enough time. You 2nd guess consistantly which is in bad taste.
In this case I'll join you: Lieberthal should have bunted,Young should have PH not Garciaparra, Stults or Hendrickson should have pitched to Tracy.
DEL YOUNG has a nice smooth swing.
haha d young is a great man lol. ive never seen anybody play "lean like a cholo" as their batting song. and if you looked close enough you could see him smiling a bit. plus the ball fly's off his bat. id like to see more of the 25 old young, than the 40 year old gonzo :]
if things stay the same in this game, which i hope they dont…on this homestand
dodgers: 4-0
all in all, it was a 4-2 week. If we win 2 out of every 3 from here on out, we got a shot.
haha… good point bill. And the man that Loaiza replaced in the rotation DJ Houlton, pitched 4 scoreless innings in those 2 losses. just saying…
You are wrong…we can't afford to take 2 out of 3 when we'll be 2 1/2 back in the wild card and 4 1/2 back in the division…The other teams we're chasing have much easier schedules..our only hope was to sweep. Remember it is extremely difficult to win the series in Colorado..Remember I said that!!
Loaiza…another Tomko like signing by Ned…THANKS
One thing I'm not, messagebear, is a know-it-all self styled or otherwise. You were obviously projecting your great fault onto me.
Anyone notice we almost never win when Russell isn't catching??
Trouble's brewing here……….
i meant that if we win 2 out of every 3 from now till season's end, we may have a shot. But porb not. maybe more like 3 out of every 4.
hernandez to the rescue
Here comes Blowberto.
Game over.
Going into this series I said we needed to win 4 or 5 out of 6. We got 4, the problem is the Padres swept the Giants, which takes what is actually a good accomplishment and makes it seem less than it is. But, it's not over, in fact it won't be over till the last weekend when the Padres have to go to Milwaukee while we face the Giants. So, it's not over. Just overall a bad bad day for everybody.
dont worry guys we are still in this. and yes ino that is its gonna be hard to take the series against the rockies.
but we have mommentum.
we had a good homestand.
the rockies…who were in the playoff picture until they choked against the marlins this weekend are feeling down on themselves. we play them 7 times
we still play arizona 3 more times
and we play san fran at home for 3 games.
we still have a great shot at the playoffs!
Why do you continue your search for a blog that challenges your keen intellect.
Please, get the F outta of here you elitist, condescending little man.
We started our run too late..If we didn't have to go to Colorado for 4, I might think we have a chance..But with the Pads playing the Bucs, and the Phillies playing
the Cards and the Nationals…doesn't look too good to me…If we had only 5 of the games Grady lost for us back, we might have been okay…I just don't see us living up to our expectations any year with Grady in as manager…not piling on him, just stating the truth…and He did it again today..by not having Lieberthal bunt…and Ned did it again by signing a used up average pitcher like Loaiza…stuck for another year and 7 million….
I was at the game today and watching Grady completely hand this game away was too much for me to handle. I can't believe that he's going to be back next year. FIRE GRADY AND NED
The 3 games we were swept at home by the Dbacks before and the 2 out of 3 we lost to the Giants last weekend, was probably the last straw…I know the guys are fighting, but it will take a miracle to get in the playoffs now.
manny: I have held back in calling you the names you call Grady. I believe you are a total ***** you has no understanding of baseball. But I'll give you a chance, you MF. Why don't you ever answer alex's points? And I mean ever.
oh great..if Ethier gets on base, Grady is sending in the Tomato…He still doesn't get that he has lost it this year…probably won't get the chance anyway, but it's funny
Nobody's perfect, and the season continues.
They need tot take at least 3 of 4 in Colorado to stay in the hunt. The Phillies, and Pads are not going away quietly.
All the wins this week pretty much managed them selves. Whenever Grady has to make a play, he always makes the wrong move. Its crazy. Remember against the Cubs. Ethier should have been bunting but he ended up hitting a homerun. He got LUCKY. This time, Lieberthal, he got burned.
What happened to all of the Loaiza supporters? I knew he was a disaster from day one, much to the chagrin of some here. But now that he's showing his true colors, there's nothing but silence.
Josh, kick this miketink guy outta here.
Woo freaking Hoo… Loaiza, another "character guy" (DUI while driving 95+ in his Ferrari… too bad he can't throw as fast as he drives). 6.5 million… that's a pretty foolish gamble I think, but you can't ever have too man pitchers I guess. But a 4.60 career ERA, 1.40 WHIP. 1357 K's in 2050 Inn. These are very unimpressive career stats. And we can't even expect that from him because A he's 35 (turning 36 in Dec.) and B he's coming off an injury. Why doesn't Ned instead just grab McCourt's wallet from his back pocket, flush 6.5 million down a toliet, give Franky a wet-willy, and call it a day.
With all that said, Loaiza will now probably work out better for us than Schmidt or Wolf have.
Posted by: email@example.com | August 29, 2007 12:21 PM
i posted this when they announced the Loiaza signing… it's actually 7.5 million, not 6.5.
You act as if Alex's posts are the holy grail. I read them, take them in, and completely understand where he is coming from. I just happen to disagree with them.
If you read our discussions you would see that most of what Alex does is provide Grady's perspective for making out his line-ups. He himself said he doesn't always agree with them but he understands them. I guess I feel the same way about it, only that I probably disagree with Grady more often than Alex does.
The prevailing view here is that Grady is simply not a good manager. If he was any good he would not have gotten canned is Boston after taking them to the ALCS.
Your attacks against others on the blog are totally un-called for.You think you have some magical understanding about baseball that others don't. Get over yourself son.
Loiaza haters…he's pitched, what, all of five games this year? He's a good addition, especially for next year. Don't blame him or his wildness for this sour Dodger season. I blame the characters who have been here since day 1.
your attacks are un-called for as well . If you don't agree with someone, or are engaged in a heated discussion with a person, and believe he's using inappropriate language, and references, then why stoop to that level? You are just as wrong by doing the same in my opinion.
If anything, Josh can handle the situation if it escalates to another level and there's no need to continue the discussion in the way that another person is taking it, especially if you say someone's comments are "uncalled for", yet you do the same thing.
His name is miketink, not tinkerbell, for instance. You say his comments are un-called for? The same thing goes for yours.
I'm not taking sides on this one, cuz i don't really care about this "debate". But, the language and the way people posts is what Josh is talking about as a problem on this blog and why many are detracting from this place.
Loiaza isn't the root of all our problems, you're right about that. Moves like signing players like Loiaza, Pierre, Wolf, Schmidt, Gonzo, etc… are our problem. Ned Colletti.
people are detracting from this place because it's now September 16th and the Dodgers are in 3rd place in the division and the wild card.
messagebear – thank you for your kind comment.
Fortunately I have a fairly thick skin, and differences of opinion doesn't bother me all that much. I don't expect to be always right any more than I expect to be always wrong, and that makes for resilience to most characters, self-styled know it alls, and other assorted folk.
Tough game, though the loss doesn't go to Loiaza alone. You're not going to win if you score one single run on a solo shot in a day game in Dodger Stadium, when runs tend to be a little easier to come by.
As a team we continue to butcher the base paths a little bit. I'd like to see a nice stretch of game without mental errors on the paths.
i agree griffon..run one won't be enough to win this game regardless of who's pitching.
some can roll with the punches, some can't casino, i think you can.anyone remember that guy fisher? he couldn't. he was a jerk though.
Blame Colletti if you want to (I'm not a huge fan of his) but this Dodger team today looked very "relaxed," as though it were June. I don't like what I hear about the Dodger clubhouse, I don't like Grady's X's and O's during game time, and I don't like sleep-walking efforts like today. WHERE THE **** was KEMP? He, at least, plays with fire.
Loiaza had 7 BBs, we was lucky to only have 4 runs score on him. The offense was really bad though. team loss.
some can roll with the punches, some can't casino, i think you can.anyone remember that guy fisher? he couldn't. he was a jerk though.
Posted by: firstname.lastname@example.com | September 16, 2007 05:15 PM
dd17..i agree completely. Sometimes, you just have to get used to this place, and how it operates and take what you can from it.
Now one's forcing me, or anyone reading this blog to absorb every single post that's posted on this blog. So, i think, you can't get riled up if you adamantly agree with something posted and get into a heated war of words with someone and resort to name calling, bashing, etc. I thought that was reserved to the players and coaches? 😉 j/k
People are ALWAYS going to disagree, and i always respect the fact that people have different opinions that me, and we should all agree to disagree and be done with it.
And yes, i do remember fisher. I haven't seen him post in a while, and if i recall, when i first started visited this blog, was around the time he left or posted less, so i don't remember much detail about his posts off hand.
all the young guys play with fire. i would really like to see delwyn young play more. and def. kemp should start everyday. but i still think furcal pierre and kent all play hard and with fire. gonzo and nomar are the ones that look the most relaxed out of all the players in my opinion. i also just dont think that they are really happy with the situation that they are in..not playing everyday.
i mean you got all these young talented players…i think that we should play them. i makes me mad to hear every talk about how good the young kids for the d-backs are..but our young guys are better i think…but the world doesnt know it
How many games has grittle cost us?????
I can count at least ten!!!!
I totally agree with you.
I'm sorry for expressing my frustrations that way.
Won't happen again.
Wow, are you guys hearing dodger talk!!! ???
Bob Harvey just slammed Josh on the radio.
Kent plays hard…he's just low key about it. That's why I like Kemp…he wears his emotions, like Kirk Gibson did, for all to see. And hate or like Milton Bradley, he fires up a team, too. Playing hard and playing with fire are two different things. I'm sure Gonzo plays hard, but every time he gets on base he's chatting and smiling with the enemy. Save it for dinner after the game!
Roberto, I'm listening too.
Funny stuff!
roberto what did he say??
I didn't cant the whole thing.
Can you recap everything he said about Josh.
fisher and me got into it from time to time (One time was a really heated argument). But I think I recall telling you to straight out "shut up" a few weeks ago, and here we are talking about something else civilly and seeing eye-to-eye about it. Anyway, your post said it quite well, focus your hatred away from other dodger fans and towards grady, ned, and the players. (my interpretation of more or less what you said haha) (
I feel this is an appropriate place to insert a "Go Dodgers!")
Go Dodgers!
I totally agree with you.
I'm sorry for expressing my frustrations that way.
Won't happen again.
Posted by: firstname.lastname@example.com | September 16, 2007 05:28 PM
manny..that's good to hear. My point was, that it's no sense in resorting to that level, if you feel it's uncalled for in the first place. I wouldn't want anyone to get banned from this place, and if anything is out of line, it should and probably would be taken care of regardless. Thus, by going to that level as well, you risk getting in trouble. That's all.
Now, can't we ALL GET ALONG?! (even though we all seemingly disagree about everything dodger related? ;))
If Bob Harvey keeps it up, there might be an "accidental" power outage at KFWB. Right on, Bob!
Bob said that Josh called him while on commercials and told him "Your show is an embarrasement" Bob got mad and said that he is telling it like it is. That he is not a Homer. He says he is only being honest in what he feels.
I'm not defending anyone, but why would Josh do that? It's Bob's show, he has the right to say what he feels. Just because he is against Dodger management, that makes the show an "embarrasement" ? I don't understand it. Wow, and you got to give alot of props to Bob for standing up against the Dodgers. He ain't scare of them.
I need to listen I'm going to my car
Thanks for cooling things down.
I just think the frustrations of the season have reached a boiling point for me. You're right though. After all, it is "Just a Game."
JOSH IS AN EMBARRASEMENT with all the spinning he tries to do!!!!!
dd17…i agree with 100%. We have our disagreement's publicly on this forum, and i'm certain we share varying views on certain things dodger related. As always, we can choose to debate the issue, or let it be, since we're going to disagree regardless. But one thing's for sure, no one should be making it personal by resorting to comments that aren't baseball related to get your point across.
With that said, any frustrations should be geared toward bashing the Dodgers players/staff/coaches/management instead, and not each other! lol
As I remember, I mostly enjoyed Fisher's comments. Come on back, Fisher.
Just out of curiosity…what is Josh's job title with the Dodgers?
Is he their main PR guy?
YEP he's the PR guy. He replaced the guy that got fired a year or two ago
I don't think Josh ever thought Bob would air their conversation on the radio. Right ? Let's see if Josh posts anyting about this.
well, that sounds weird about. It's hard to say what went on with Bob and Josh, when only Bob is talking about it. You know how one-sided a story can get if only 1 person involved is talking about it. But then again, Josh has a right to voice his opinion abuot what he wants as well, and he might have just got caught up in it as well. Who knows?
But with that said, I am thankful to Josh for providing this blog for us Dodger fans, and providing us tidbits of info and other insights that we don't get to see. I'm sure he could simply give us the daily lineups and be done with it, without taking the time and effort to think about what he's posting here for the day and taking the time out to read all the comments here as well (including the anti-josh comments, which is just unfortunate, but whatever..)
Josh should know that this is KFWB last year, bob won't be back next year regardless. I give him a ton of creidt he has a backbone. Colletti must have hired Josh.
Flying out my window is the little bit of what is left of any respect I had for Mr. Josh Rawitch. How is it that someone who is in charge of an online public forum blog can slam a radio broadcaster for expressing his views and doing his job? Maybe its your job to come up with some lame defense of the bonehead management moves? You can't bite the hand that feeds right? Hope you get on your blog to explain yourself Mr. Rawitch. Are you just a tool of the Dodgers? Me thinks yes.
diehard, is there a typo in your first sentence? i'm not getting what you're saying?
KFWB will not air Dodger games next year. They haven't announced who but 980 said its not them.
was the conversation aired on dodgertalk or was bob harvey just talking about a conversation he had? i'm confused..please clarify if you can, since i wasn't listening to the radio
Hey casino, when you said Josh has the right to give his opinion you mean he can tell Bob what to do on his show ?
If what Bob said is true, I think it's a mistake by Josh.
I'm pretty sure that keeping this blog running is part of his job no?? I could be wrong, but makes sense to me.
diehard..gotcha..thanks for clarifying
The conversation was not aired. Bob said that Josh called him during the commercial breaks and told him to kiss the Dodgers behind I guess….
robert..like i said earlier, i wasn't listening to the radio so i don't know what exactly was said on the radio, and what happened between josh and bob.
My comment about it was just a generalization since i wasn't well informed.
I read in a blog (I can't remember which one, sorry) that KABC 790 is close to getting the Dodgers.
yea. i hope Josh posts something about it.
ok casino. no problem.
Josh… you are wrong. Harvey's callers are dopes, but he is maybe the only one that tells it like it is.
Everybody here is obviously very invested in different ways in this team, and we deserve to have somebody tell us good solid reasons why the best team is not out there everyday. If they lost everyday with the best possible team, that is fine, but i can not stand watching them lose when they do not have the best possible team everyday.
You would rather have these same interviews with the same cliche answers you hear on Dodgers live every night? Please! "Chad made the pitches he had to make." "Yeah, James is seeing the ball well right now."
That is not the "Dodger way" Josh.
Well if that is true then I feel sorry for anyone who has to go out of his way to defend Grady who is clearly not a good manager. To call someone else an embarrasment because they have an opinion is just wrong. And, Harvey's comments (from what I've heard) are spot on. Maybe next Josh will tell Kevin Kennedy to stop critcizing Grady too.
MESSAGEBEARER: When we were knocked out of the playoffs last year I felt the way you did. I expected this year we'd make it back and look more competative, in the post season, like we belonged in it. Now I think 2 things happened.____ 1. They waited too long to move Nomar to make room for Loney.__and__ 2. The scoring slum at the end of July. Elimanate those 2 things and we wouldn't be in the position we are now. Teams, would be chasing us. Who's to blame? I really don't know. But I still think we have a better team now. I think we can still do it.
Agreed, Pierres!
In retrospect you have to wonder how many games we could have won if Loney had been with us the whole year, but that, of course, is supposition. He may not have been the same player earlier in the season. I also think that when you match lineups with AZ or SD, we have a definite edge, but we're certainly trailing in the standings. I also think that letting Tomko and Hendrickson start all those games contributed a lot to our demise. I have to assume that our pitching prospects in the minors din't warrant being brought up and tried earlier in the season. Realistically, who is to know. As you can probably tell, I want to hold our management accountable for the results, even though they don't take the field and make the plays.
Always good talking to you.
MESSAGEBEARER: I like reading your comments even if I think you may go little overboard at times. How would you feel if we make it? I know you'll be happy, but How would you explain it?
I'm still hopeful, although realistically our chances may be slim. Taking 4 out of 6 from two clubs ahead of us in the standings is really a good achievement. If we just win each of the remaining series, it probably won't be enough – we'd have to sweep one or better yet two of them in order to make it, I think. I wonder if we should have pitched guys like Penny, Bills and Lowe with a day less rest than normal, so that we would not wind up with the dilemma of starting a Loaiza. Maybe we should have designated one of the relievers to take a turn starting like I remember Clem Labine doing very effectively. Teams don't do that kind of a thing anymore.
Anyway, I hope some luck smiles on us yet before the season ends.
Have a good evening now, Pierres. It's got to be late back east.
I think you're right on the Tomko and Hendrickson points, Messagebearer. I don't know that we had anything else in the minors, though i would like to think that Hull, Houlton, MacDonald or something else would have been able to produce better than Tomko and Hendrickson. I realize there is more to things than what I perceive as a fan and I know Grady isn't trying to lose. In addition, I usually let a manager do his job, but leaving 2/5 of our rotation in there to try to right the ship was a dangerous gamble that I think we are paying for now.
I'm not so upset about the Loney thing so much. I can even understand Kemp sitting on the bench yesterday. Since hitters are in there too long, they can really run into some ugly slumps when they press too hard. I think Loney has proven he is a little more intelligent (at least more than I was thinking he was a ballplayer). On the other hand, I wonder a bit about Kemp. He's a very talented player but he just seemed to make too many boneheaded plays out there. And he looked a little dumbfounded by Doug Davis the other night.
Good Night, Messagebearer.
We might have a decent chance of making up some ground if we weren't going to Colorado..We have to play practically perfect baseball to get it done there and I just don't see that happening…I see Francis is going for them on Tuesday against Chad…Not too many teams do well in Colorado…We need a miracle now..
By the way, I think Bob Harvey of Dodger Talk is terrific..I am one of his constant callers and we see eye to eye..He tells it "like it is" and not probably what Dodger management wants to hear…But what he says makes sense…I have always said that Ned lost this season in the off season with his questionable signings of Schmidt ( should never have been signed even before he was hurt)and lots of others..and the questionable moves during the year..I'm not sure Ned has the right philosophy for this team and that worries me…not to mention his manager!!
Matt Kemp is batting .337 this season, the seventh-highest average in baseball and second-best in the National League behind Cincinnati's Norris Hopper (.340) among players with at least 250 plate appearances.
Josh made our argument for us.
I've been reading this blog almost from it's inception and have been an infrequent poster. My posts have become far less frequent this year as the bile and hatred of many of you has increased. We're all entitled to our opinions and should express them, but that doesn't mean that we should attack those who express opposing views. Frankly, it has become a shouting match and many of us "veterans" have abandoned the blog or at least our participation on it.
I am no big fan of Grady's, and I'm not in favor of all of Ned's moves, but we're certainly better now than we were before they came to LA.
Josh, you have every right, as well as the responsibility to defend your employer and co-employees. Despite what some people have posted here, you run the best blog at mlblogs, and I'm sure that the silent majority of us appreciate and support your efforts. It's a shame that a few hot-headed, rude, self-important, self-proclaimed experts feel the need to impose their "expertise" and vitriol on the rest of us. Keep up the good work, and
I'm sure that somewhere on this blog somebody has already ripped Grady for not bunting yesterday with Lieberthal and runners on 1st and 2nd, instead Grady decided to let him swing and swing he did, right into a double play. Anyways, I mention this because I was watching the game in Arizona on the DBacks television broadcast. Mark Grace, who is the DBacks analyst, said that Lieberthal was probably going to bunt and that Melvin thought the same thing since the corner infielders were creeping in. When Lieberthal swung at the first pitch, Grace said "Grady Little certainly know more about baseball and managing a game than I do, but this is crazy"… When Lieberthal hit into the double play Grace said "I just don't get it, you're down by 2 runs and you have the opportunity to put 2 runners in scoring position with Nomar on deck, and you let a guy who has started 5 games in the last 6 weeks swing away".. he then said, and this is something that may interest all of you Grady haters, me included.."these are the types of decisions that Grady Little has made all season that has Dodger fans here in LA calling for his head. And it's the same type of decisions that he made when he was in Boston, unbelievable, but hey, we'll take it".. So there you go, we're not the only ones scratching our head.
Thanks for that mention of what Gracie said…couldn't agree more..but what else is new?!..We cannot go any farther than we have already with Grady…it's a no brainer…but Ned may not see it because I'm not convinced he has the right thinking..not happy about so many of his moves and non moves…
Oh, the DBacks and Pads play tonight, so we could be further back before we even start in Colorado…Colorado to me is the worst place for us to play 4 games right now…Even the good teams ( Yanks, Mets, Pads, etc.) struggle there….really a shame our schedule and our manager.!!! lol
Yesterday, as I flew in from my month long European vacation, I was pleased to hear that the Dodgers were going for the sweep. I heard that Loney has been basically engulfed in flames the last three weeks, I hear Kemp was big for us against the Pads and has been amazing, THEN I had to watch the game sunday for my first game in over a month. Looks like Grady's still up to his same *** backwards style of managing. Not bunting with Lieberthal was nothing short of moronic. Have we won a game with him catching? I dont think he has an XBH this year. He has been pullng this **** all year and he has the balls to make stupid comments like the nintendo baseball one. Your right Grady it is as easy as RBI Baseball but you still manage to EFF it up when it counts! FIRE GRADY.COM ressurection I say.
How apropos, kiper, and just one example of how we've given this season away. Both the D'Backs and the Pads have outmanaged Grady, even with less of a lineup every day that we have had with the Dodgers. I'm laying the entire blame for this demise in the hands of Colletti and Little. It all started in the off-season by a GM who is clearly outwitted by his contemporaries. At best, Colletti belongs as an assistant to somebody, preferably with a leaning toward veteran players. Little should never have been managing again after being retired by the Red Sox. If the owners choose to only let one of them go, it will no doubt be Little. If it was in my hands, I'd FIRE THEM BOTH as soon as we're mathematically eliminated.
BTW, this thing with Josh calling Bob Harvey is interesting. Josh is just spinning himself deeper and deeper into the ground. Soon he will be at the earth's core and burnt to a crisp if he keeps up tactics such as those. I would have loved to have heard that last night. Although I wouldnt doubt Bob stirring something up and going out with a bang.
Hello guys & girls_____I don't want you to think I'm egnouring anyone but I've an importantant appointment and I haven't time to read any comments. I just wanted to express how I feel at the moment. I think the most important thing right now is the team. Regardless of their chanches. I feel at this moment they are COMPETATIVE. They are not the best, but I think they can be in the post season starting 8. Simply I mean their chances of making it this year are as good as anybody elses. Most important I feel, if not this year, this drough that has lasted for 20 years soon will come to an end. WE ARE FORMING A CHAMPION.
"And, anyway, perhaps all they might agree on is this: They have little respect for management."
That is a quote taken from Jon Weisman's blog describing the clubhouse mood of the Dodger players. At least a lot of fans share that opinion of management. The question arises – WHAT MANAGEMENT?
I guess the question is, do the young guys respect and or buy into Grady Little's MO? I think that with Colletti already saying that Grady will be back, the young guys are the ones that will have to deal with him next season. We know that Gonzo is gone and I really believe that Jeff Kent is not up to putting up with Grady's style beyond this season. The veteran pitchers have nothing to worry about, they can get rocked in the first 4 to 5 innings of a game and Grady is gonna ride it out with them, so they have no problem. It just remains to be seen how his style affects pending free agents and their thought about coming here and playing for a manager who is less than bright. I can see it now, "Listen Tori, we'd love for you to come play in LA with us and althogh you hit 35 HR's and drove in 105 runs, we would like for you to take your GOLD GLOVE and play LF, see we have Juan Pierre in CF and he plays everyday, but you'll get the majority of the starts in LF, we'll just platoon Ethier and Kemp a little more than last season."
You get the feeling we're not gonna be players in the FA market?
… and don't blame Loaiza.
After all he's missed most of the season, and it's like being in Spring Training to start him up in the thick of the pennant race. He may even prove to be a valuable acquisition NEXT YEAR after he's had the Spring Training behind him. What does it tell you about our management when in the last month of the pennant race we have to depend for 2/5 of our starting rotation on pitchers on whom other teams have given up. We're probably lucky to be batting .500 there with the starts that Wells has shown us. Obviously we didn't have minor league prospects who were ready or who had been prepared for these assignments. Would that have been a management responsibility? Could Stults and Houlton have "pitched in"? They were not brought up in time to develop a level of confidence. Our GM did not get us any triple A pitching prospects during the off-season or the season, if our own farm system did not have any ready arms. That's why Colletti is as complicit as Grady in the demise of our season.
messagebear, i agree. Loaiza did not have his best stuff yesterday, but ultimately one bad pitch in the 2nd inning had him in a 3-0 hole, and that could have changed if Grady decides to bunt Lieberthal. You get runners into 2nd and 3rd and a base hit ties it, or a fly ball makes it a 1 run game anything that the Dodgers could have mustered from that inning changes the flow of the game. I certainly don't blame Loaiza.
Looks like that Gonzo "hunch" didn't pay off yesterday. I wonder if Kemp would've left 3 on the bags? We still have a shot at getting into the postseason, the light at the end of the tunnel just shrunk a little.
Yes, and Grady is blocking whatever light there is to still be seen at the end of that tunnel.
I went to the game and I was astonished to see Grady's line up. I tend to believe that there has been a healthy compitition between some of these guys with the line up always changing, but yesterday was no time to play Gonzo and Lieberthal. With Monday off Lieberthal can play in one of the two games in Colorado Tuesday. Martin would have been plenty rested with one day off.
As I looked at the scoreboard in the fifth inning Loaiza had only given up that one hit. We should have bounced back.
It's time to give Grady number 86!
In my mind, I'd say that the Dodgers' chances of reaching the post season at this point is almost – not quite, but almost – nil. Certainly, if I were to fabricate a percentage likelihood from my imagination, it would be a single digit of some sort. We just won series from the two teams ahead of us in the division standings, and yet, we lost a game on our most realistic chance, the wild card. Both the Phillies and the Padres swept their series while we just took two out of three. Neither the Phillies not the Padres are remotely likely to tank at this point. The Padres have an easier schedule, with the likes of the Pirates in their way. It doesn't matter what the Phillies' schedule is if the Padres are unlikely to play four games worse than we do until the end of the season. Why four? We're two and a half back. Well, the Padres have an extra game on their schedule that they'll have to lose to make it two back for us, and then we need three more to pass them, since they won the season series again. If that can be achieved, we can glance over to see what the Phillies did.
No, I suppose this season pretty much tanked with the hitters going 0.080 or whatever the exact percentage was with RISP back in August when we lost so badly.
On the flip side, if it wasn't for that slide, we'd likely still be perched atop the NL West. How would the collective we be feeling about the team and about management then? Pressure magnifies mistakes and makes successes seem small and bleak.
I betcha Little and Ned wouldn't be pulling the same amount of flak from the fan base.
The general feeling is that the veterans have been played too much this year, and that may well be true. We can look forward to some being gone next year and barring a brain freeze from Ned clogging up the roster with more unproductive veterans.
The rookies had to prove that they could carry the ball club, and I think they have done that this year. I know all of us fans never had any doubt, but you have to remember that the front office guys have their jobs on the line if the club sinks under some struggling rookies. We blog guys only have to hope nobody remembers our self-assured rants and make us eat our words.
Next year should be looking up if Billingsley, Martin, Loney, Kemp and Ethier all become regular starters. I have my doubts about LaRoche, because of his back problem and because articles I've read over the past two years seem to sometimes cast a shadow over his work ethic. I have my doubts about Abreu, too, though I do think he's just a year behind on the development curve compared to the others, would benefit from sharing some time with Kent at 2B if Kent comes back, and will be solid from mid to end 2008 onwards.
If the off season brings us an upgrade somewhere in the starting rotation ( I would take Wolf's option – that may yet be a bargain ), the culling of iffiness like Hendrickson, and perhaps a strong 3B or 2B, if any happen to available without great cost ( other than dollars? ) that would be good. It probably won't happen, since the only 3B available might be A-Rod, which is unlikely, or expensive trades, and if Kent's back, nothing will happen at 2B.
The Dodgers are not in horrible position, but they have to face the reality that the Padres are as good or better than they are, without the big payroll, and that the Snakes may well be as good or better, too, and that the Rockies is just a short step behind. If we want glory over the next few years, we will have to work for it. It won't be handed to us just because we have a strong crop of youth.
On a final note, I respect honesty more than I respect spin. It saddens me that the Dodger organization under McCourt seems to have become entwined with spin. McCourt is big on saying how he's about the fans and listening to the fans, but it seems, to the casual fan, that he'll say this without allowing anybody to get a word in edgewise.
well if the young guys dont want to play for grady because of the way that he manages, and the mojority of the fans dont want him back…then i think frank shoud fire him!
he has done 3 big things that the mojority of the fans wanted done to the stadium. well i think there is a bigger thing the fans want FIRE GRADY!! i mean if the players dont repect him then, they wont play as well as they are capable of. A coach really has a lot of influence on the ballplayers, especially the younger ones
i have a comment on that should have been bunt situation!!!
first of all… if grady wants to go for a kill, he should have let martin Pinch hit for lieberthal then just use chad moeller to catch the next inning…
that's why we have an all-star catcher! he is good! he can hit!!!
Mr. McCourt can assert himself anytime now:
As I was watching the game yesterday and the Dodgers had runners on 1st and 2nd with no out and Lieberthal coming to the plate, I thought, OK here comes the bunt, Nomar will come up with runners in scoring position, Edgar Gonzalez will go into a different frame of mind as a pitcher, alls good. If Nomar hits a ground ball, a sac fly and base hit, the whole dimension of the game changes. But, Grady decides to swing away. Now, here is what I'm getting at, does anybody else see this and have a problem with it? What is Ned Colletti thinking when he see's Lieberthal not bunting or Frank McCourt, or Dave Jauss, or what is going through Rich Donnelly's mind when he looks over to the dugout for the bunt sign and it isn't there? What about a vet like Jeff Kent thinking, OK here we go, and then… ????? What about Loaiza, thinking he's gonna get back into this game with his teammates and oops, and what about Lieberthal being hung out to dry, to be a goat because of Grady's inadequacies or indifference as a manager. Grady let Lieberthal take the fall, because everybody blamed him for hitting into the double play, but no!! Grady Little is the goat, not only in this game but in this season! I cannot for the life of me figure out why nobody calls out Grady Little, everybody stays quiet as he makes a mockery of the Dodgers. Everybody knew that bunting was the right thing to do in that situation, but Grady has an aura about him that he thinks he's smarter than everybody else, or maybe it's arrogance that he has. Maybe he thinks, everybody else would bunt, not me. I know that my ranting means nothing to the Dodger organization, and a few of you out there on this blog will say, "Kiper, just shut up" but I'm sorry, I love the Dodgers and I see them in a situation to reach the post season and the man who mostly holds their fate in his hands is doing nothing to help, I can't take it anymore. Good luck to the Dodger players the rest of the way, you guys are on your own as your manager has shown you.
PS regarding this quote from Weisman's DodgerThoughts blog:
"And, anyway, perhaps all they might agree on is this: They have little respect for management."
That is only one side of the story told in that blog entry. The other side doesn't mention this sentiment.
It occurs to me that any story any journalist writes about clubhouse mood without making multiple visits to the clubhouse under all kinds of circumstances would be incomplete. If you walk in after a B-team loss, it would be different than after a win where vets played a role, or a win where everybody played a role, or a loss where everybody tanked, or the vets did, etc etc etc. I don't know how much time, and at which points in the day, the journalists writing these stories spend in the club house, so I have to remind myself not to take their writings as an absolute just because it supports what part of me wants to believe about the Dodgers, namely that the youth is the future and are being treated unfairly by management.
That doesn't mean this isn't true any more than those articles mean it is true, of course. But it is a remainder to be careful with snap judgments off of a few sentences.
I agree with your take on the potential bunt situation. I made a comment on that right after the DP on this same blog, and I'm sure most of us could see it the same way. Yesterday was, of course, just one game. There have been examples of that kind of ineptitude by Grady all season long. Let's not forget that Grady is Colletti's man. Draw you own concludions.
I have been tough on Ned for two years. I know I am right. He can move on and we can be better or we can look forward to the same **** next year. He adds no long term vision, just how can we compete today. About the best thing I can say about him is that he is not afraid to make trade or add free agents in order to try and cover up his mistakes. It worked last year but not this year. I stand by what I said 2 years ago, we will never win a WS with Ned as our GM. My question to you all and to McCourt is just how long do u need in order to belive it.
jungar, I think the proof is in the pudding, as they say. I thought the Ned was the right man when they hired him and when he made all the right moves last year. I have not completely jumped off the Colletti band wagon, but I have less and less respect and faith in him everyday that he allows Grady Little, of whom I've never been a fan of, to manage the way he does. I lost a lot of respect for Ned when he said that Grady was doing a good job with this team in spite of injuries and bad seasons by some players. I'm not buying, Grady has had plenty of opportunities to secure the west or the wild card and his managing "abilities" have cost the Dodgers to many games and if Ned Colletti thinks that's good managing then I am ready to jump off the Colletti wagon. I'll give Ned the benefit of the doubt until the off season, but with Grady, the Dodgers will never win.
Next year we will start the year with Penny, Lowe, Chad, Estaban as our five starters.
We will have pretty much the same main 4 guys in the pen (Proctor, Beimel, Broxton, Saito)
We will probably have the same lineup out there aside from Gonzo.
So I don't see us being that much better next year.
oops forgot Schmidt. (it's not tough to do. )
and Kiper, we will have the same manager.
Here's to hoping Broazaban gets healthy as does Tsao and Kuo…
Here's hoping we have a different manager and GM…LOL LOL….we can wish , can't we?….Someone just asked a question at ESPN.com on one of their baseball chats…If you want to have a laugh, here's the question..
" would you trade Matt Kemp for Hidaki Matsui?..Can you believe that?..Moderator said the Yankees would do it in a minute….!!!!!
We lost because little want to, I didnt explain what happend with this lineup in the middle of the stretch, Garcia Parra, Kemp, Martin out of the line up I dont understand
jungar, I know we'll have the same manager, but it sure feels good to vent. LOL!!!
Just in case anyone still has faith, Lieberthal will catch game 2 of the doubleheader in Colorado….End of discussion!
Have we ever won a game he has caught?
drpdedblnd, I don't know if we've won a game with him or not, but it's not about him, it's about how Grady Little puts him in situations to fail. He is not a good manager and Lieberthal was an All Star catcher a few years back. It won't matter with him catching tomorrow, what will matter is who is in the line up with him and Grady's decision making, not Lieberthal's presence.
ok kiper…agree about Grady..but I think we won't have enough to make the playoffs…we now have to jump over 2 teams in the wild card that have easier schedules…It's a shame…because those 10 or more+ games that Grady lost for us would have put us in a great position….Likely not to change anytime soon…sad to say.
Maybe Jim Tracy can help us like he helped us when he was here.
I wonder what is the combined starting record for..
my guess is that will add up to all you need to know.
20-30 is the record above.
so over 25 million in starting pitcher salary for 20 wins.
If Nomar get 1 more HR he will be paid a million per HR in 07.
That's a big IF…..and the only way it is worth is if it's a HR to win a spot in the playoffs (walkoff, pinch hit, etc.)
If McCourt went ape **** after 05 when we lost three of our most important players for pretty much the whole season (Drew, Izturis, Gagne) what is he thinking now?
Is this accetable. I bet it is. Hey we won more games than last year, our kids got a year older and we just had some bad luck as all the veterans that Ned signed got unlucky and all of them were bad this year….when the reality is all of them did what was pretty much expected. Nomar hadnt played a full season since 2003 and what do u know. Gonzo's numbers are the same as last year. Kent played great but at 39 just couldn't play as many games and Furcal was not the Furcal from last year due to injury. oh yes this will all be explained away so easily. Pierre did what was expected of him right? 180 to 200 hits, 90-100 runs and 50 steals. Schmidt, well that was unlucky, so was Wolf. So was Tomko, I mean normally he is just a below average pitcher, this year he was terrible. Oh yes I can see the spin already.
If blowing the season doesn't make McCourt fire the two culprits, then we better develop a Cubs' mentality, because World Series will be a long time coming.
In 05 it was annoying, the guys brought into help the big club just did not pan out. it happenes and I can understand it. But our minor league system was bare, there were no people of talent to bring up. No one to hold down either.
This year we brought guys in and didnt play younger players and that has cost us the pennant this year and player development for following years.
That's not just an error in judgement, thats an error in philosophy and that what I have a problem with.
Granted, the following is just one columnist's opinion, but "holy cow" from the L.A. Daily News' Paul Oberjuerge:
"The Dodgers have an unhappy clubhouse.
"They are a team in only one sense: They wear the same uniform. (At least until the next clubhouse-churning trade.)
"The Dodgers' 2007 motto might as well be: "All for one and none for all." It's every man for himself.
"All you need do is spend a few hours in the dismal and dreary cellblock that is the Dodgers' clubhouse to pick up the energy-sapping vibe.
"Is there any team with a winning record in baseball that seems to enjoy itself less than the Dodgers?
"Any team with less apparent chemistry or camaraderie?
"Any team where surliness is more readily accepted as acceptable behavior? Any team with less clubhouse leadership?
…"The team's natural leaders, veterans Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciaparra, are reticent to a fault. Maybe you get that way when you're in the latter stages of careers and feel as if speaking up brings nothing but trouble. (Remember Kent and his abortive 2005 attempt to straighten out Milton Bradley?)
"Some of the self-impressed kids have heads rapidly outgrowing their ball caps. Which rankles some veterans. Who are considered irrelevant by some kids.
"And if they all wanted to talk about it, not that they really do, serious issues of language arise in a clubhouse where English, Spanish, Japanese and Cantonese are native tongues.
"And, anyway, perhaps all they might agree on is this: They have little respect for management."
That is sad…like they had a chance with management…but this makes it even sadder.
Is there a minimum at-bats to qualify for rookie of the year? Cuz seriously – it should be Loney. He's gonna be a hall of famer…hope i didn't jinx him…lol

subset: commoncrawl


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Factor score estimation with > 2 cat...
Mplus Discussion
Categorical Data Modeling
Jan Ivanouw
posted on Sunday, March 06, 2011 - 1:19 am
In Technical appendix 11 factor score estimation is described for continuous and for binary y variables.
Is there any technical appendix or other notes describing factor score estimation for categorical y variables with more than two categories and with y count variables?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Monday, March 07, 2011 - 5:50 pm
No. But with ML estimation and categorical and count outcomes factor scores are obtained by the standard EAP approach discussed in IRT, where EAP stands for expected a posteriori.
Jan Ivanouw
posted on Thursday, May 12, 2011 - 2:02 am
Concerning count indicators:
Could you give a little more hints on how the factor scores are calculated?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, May 12, 2011 - 8:00 am
It is done in line with factor scores for the IRT model as discussed in for instance
or any IRT book. It requires progamming an iterative algorithm - cannot be done by hand.
Jan Ivanouw
posted on Thursday, May 12, 2011 - 2:13 pm
Thank you for your help.
I have a problem whith understanding the litterature, though.
As far as I understand the Muraki/Engelhard paper and other IRT textbooks (Embertson & Reise, 2000; Ayala, 2009), they assume categorical indicators with a preestablished number of possible response categories (like dichotome data or Likert-type data). My problem is how to apply the EAP to obtain factor scores with count data (Poisson-type).
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, May 12, 2011 - 7:01 pm
The principle is the same for counts. I don't know off hand of a reference for EAP with counts - we haven't written it down explicitly in a paper.
Jan Ivanouw
posted on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - 2:57 am
I am sort of stuck with this problem. I don't know if you could help me a little further.
I have not found any useful reference for calculating factor scores using EAP with counts.
Can I use for instance an adaptation of eq 229 and 230 from appendix 11?
In the output from either Poisson or Negative Binomial models, I don't get any residual variances, but they seem to be necessary for calculating factor scores?
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Thursday, September 29, 2011 - 8:56 am
Mplus computes factor scores for count factor indicators. The general formula of (222) of Appendix 11 is used. With counts the f(y) part of the formula is a Poisson or Negative binomial distribution. The expected value of this expression is used as the estimated factor score. This is obtained via numerical integration. In other words, there is not an explicit formula that can be used. The formulas for computing the posterior on page 151, bottom two formulas, in
may also be helpful.
Poisson and negbin don't estimate residual variances, although negbin gives a scale factor which is used in the above computation.
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This should be easy but I can't seem to find the right way to do it.
I have an equation of the form $a x + b x + c y + a z + d z = 0$, and I'd like to solve for relations between the parameters $a,b,c,d$, etc. such that the equation holds for all values of $x,y,z$, etc.
This is a very simplified example of the kind of equation I'm dealing with; there are actually 308 variables $x,y,\ldots$ and 42 parameters $a,b,\ldots$, making this nontrivial. As in the short sample equation, different variables could have the same parameter and could appear multiple times with different parameters.
So far my best attempt is:
Solve[ForAll[{x, y, ...}, a*x + b*y + ... == 0], {a, b, ...}]
This yields the correct solution on a smaller equation (about 20 variables and 9 parameters) but is far too slow for this one. Is there a more specific technique I could use that's more optimized for this kind of problem specifically? Leaving out
ForAll yields solutions in terms of the x-variables, which is kind of useless.
EDIT: nikie mentioned a much better way to do it (in the comments)! Thanks!


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Drive-by suspect charged with attempted murder
Jacksonville police say victims identified 22-year-old ex-con as gunman
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After several of the victims of Wednesday's drive-by shooting identified Carnell Davis as the gunman, the 22-year-old was arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Channel 4 has learned that Davis was released from prison in May and has been arrested three previous times in the last six months.
Five people were shot in front of a small store at the intersection of Tyler and Windle streets in the New Town neighborhood of Northwest Jacksonville.
Breon Allen, Caron Black, Jamar Evans, Dominique Kelsey and Cornelius McNeill were all transported to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center. They have all since been released.
With information from witnesses that Davis drove past the store in a blue Ford Explorer just before 5 p.m. and fired several shots at people in front of the business, police obtained an arrest warrant. Davis was arrested Thursday evening at an apartment not far from the crime scene and was booked into the Duval County jail.
Davis' brother, Chris Davis, said police arrested the wrong man.
"It's just so messed up how they got my brother charged with this," he said. "I know for a fact. I've been in the street. I know my brother did not do that. And then they put his face on the news and he did not do that."
Channel 4 has learned that Davis has had several previous arrests, including attempted murder in 2008, armed burglary, assault and battery and accessory after the fact the year he turned 18. In September 2009, Davis was sentenced to four years in state prison and released in May of this year.
In June, Davis was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in August on drug charges and in September for resisting arrest without violence.
Chris Davis said regarding the June arrest, no gun was ever found.
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