DodgersOsoria

Game 112: Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies 7:2

2006-08-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome back Jeff Kent! Upon returning from the disabled list, Jeff Kent returned with two big hits. He also had a new feature to him -- a first baseman's mitt.

Kent homered, doubled and drove in three runs Monday night, as the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to ten games with a 7-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The four-time All-Star second baseman also made ten putouts in his first start at first base since last September.

"I was hoping he'd be rusty. He's not," Rockies manager
Clint Hurdle said. "He was going to come off the DL
sooner or later, and he's got some good history
against us. There's a handful of guys like that.
It's like a rock in your shoe or a burr in your saddle.
We can't seem to shake him."

Brad Penny improved to 12-5 on the year, after pitching eight strong innings for the Dodgers and allowed five hits. The only downside to his performance was the fact that he gave up to solo shots. The All-Star right-hander struck out four, walked none and helped himself with an RBI double.

"I was throwing a lot of changeups and breaking balls
early in the count," Penny said. "They were hitting the ball decent,
but right at people. And that's always huge for me. Fortunately,
I got a lot of early outs tonight and a lot of great defense behind me."

Penny continued his dominance over Colorado. He is 4-0 with a 0.99 ERA in four starts against the Rockies this season, and 9-2 in 14 career starts with a 2.16 ERA. That is the lowest by any pitcher against Colorado.

"Obviously, Penny has more than had his way with us.
He's dominated us," Hurdle said. "The problem tonight was
his first-pitch strikes. He was shaving corners away. Late
in the count, he was shaving corners in with his breaking ball.
He was just on top of his game."

Penny retired his first 11 batters and held a 4-0 lead before giving up a homerun. Another homer in the eighth cut the Dodgers' lead to 5-2, but J.D. Drew responded with a two-run double in the bottom half.

"We're doing everything good right now," manager
Grady Little said. "The pitchers have been consistent,
both the starters and relievers, and we've been getting some
good, timely hitting. We've got a different team right now
than we had a month ago. There's some different faces
out there and they've made a big difference in this ballclub."

The Dodgers' winning streak, which is five games shy of the franchise record set in 1924, began one game after Penny initiated a heated confrontation with center fielder Kenny Lofton.

Not to restart the debate, but maybe Penny's outburst resonated with the team.

"I think all of us had doubts at that time, but we went through it
and we learned from it," Little said. "They learned it's not the end
of the world. You're going to go through a lot of good times
and a lot of bad ones. It was just a matter of everyone doing
their job the best they could and seeing what they could do
to make a difference, and it's paying off.
Now we'll just continue to go forward."

Rockies pitcher, Josh Fogg allowed five runs, eight hits and four walks in four in a third innings. The right-hander was removed by Hurdle after giving up a bases-loaded RBI single by Julio Lugo that made the score 5-1. After crossing the foul line, Fogg crossed the line with plate umpire Sam Holbrook and was ejected after complaining too strongly about his call on a previous pitch.

Lofton, who was 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, tripled in the first inning and scored on Kent's two-out double. The Dodgers made it 2-0 in the second when Russell Martin singled and came home on Penny's double into the left-field corner.

Kent, who missed 18 games because of a strained muscle on his left side, drove in two more in the third with his 10th homer.

"He's not the most vocal guy, but he leads by the way he plays,"
Martin said. "He's a tough player and a tough competitor,
and you just kind of feed off that. And with him back in the lineup,
he's going to help us out a whole lot with his bat.
You could just see that he's locked in. Every swing he took
tonight was perfectly balanced and he was taking good hacks."

Three of the first seven Colorado batters were robbed of hits on diving plays by three different infielders. Kent smothered Brett Hawpe's smash up the line in the third and ran to the bag for the out.

"His defense was great," Jason Repko said. "I just think it's great
that he could come out here and just right away be willing to go
there and help the team wherever it's needed."

Some thoughts:

1) Andre Ethier went one for two, raising his average to .350 on the year. Is it too early to seriously be considering a shot at Rookie of the Year of Ethier?

2) Ricky Ledee seems to have finished his time in Los Angeles. He took his last at bat on Monday, as the Dodgers have put him on waivers and the New York Mets have claimed him.

Fantasy Roster Rundown -- Alberta Mariners, June 30th

2006-08-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

As promised earlier, here's the start of updated roster moves on the team. The Yahoo Public teams I leave fairly constant, so there won't be many ch-ch-ch-changes... those that are changes are highlighted in red.

Batters:Catcher:
Jason Varitek, Boston Red SoxFirst Base:
Derek Lee, Chicago Cubs
Justin Morneau, Minnesota TwinsSecond Base:
Richie Weeks, Milwaukee BrewersThird Base:
Rich Aurilia, Cincinatti Reds
Garret Atkins, Colorado RockiesShortshop:
Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles DodgersOutfield:
Willy Taveras, Houston Astros
Austin Kearns, Cincinatti Reds
Jeff Francoeur, Atlanta Braves
Jason Bay, Pittsburg Pirates
Dmitri Young, Detroit Tigers
Aaron Rowand, Philadelphia Phillies
Pitchers:Starters:
Brett Myers, Philadelphia Phillies†
Jason Marquis, St. Louis Cardinals
Felix Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
Bronson Arroyo, Cincinatti Reds
Rich Harden, Oakland AthleticsRelievers:
Fransisco Rodríguez, Los Angeles Angels
Scot Sheilds, Los Angeles Angels
Oscar Villarreal, Atlanta Braves
Eric Gagne, Los Angeles Dodgers

† This position is obviously going to be filled with a new pitcher, in light of the fact that Myers has been removed from professional baseball as a result of a minor wife-assaulting incident. A waiver request for Jamie Moyer is pending until July 3rd(!!!)

A Little Fudging and Smudging

2006-08-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Foreward:
At the beginning of this fine baseball year, Schuyla' and I made a few predictions regarding the fate of the divisions and various trophies. As we all know, these predictions don't always go the way we plan, and the All-Star Break seems as good a time as any to rethink our theories. Now to be clear, for the most part we'll be sticking to our guns, but there are a few glaring errors (mostly on my part), that need to be addressed. --Dyslexia

NL East:
Dyslexia picked Atlanta Braves, now picks New York Mets
Schuyla picked New York Mets, will stay.

NL Central:
Both picked St. Louis Cardinals. Both will stay.

NL West:
Dyslexia picked San Francisco Giants, will stay.
Schuyla picked Los Angeles Dodgers, will stay.

NL Wild Card:
Dyslexia picked New York Mets, now picks Atlanta Braves.
Schuyla picked Milwaukee Brewers, now picks Cincinnati Reds.

AL East:
Dyslexia picked New York Yankees, will stay.
Schuyla picked New York Yankees, now picks Boston Red Sox.

AL Central:
Dyslexia picked Cleveland Indians, now picks Chicago White Sox.
Schuyla picked Chicago White Sox, will stay.

AL West:
Dyslexia picked Oakland Athletics, will stay.
Schuyla picked Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, will stay.

AL Wild Card:
Dyslexia picked Boston Red Sox, will stay.
Schuyla picked Toronto Blue Jays, now picks Detroit Tigers.

NL MVP:
Dyslexia picked Andruw Jones, will stay.
Schuyla picked Albert Pujols, will stay.

AL MVP:
Dyslexia picked David Ortiz, will stay.
Schuyla picked Vlad Guerrero, now picks David Ortiz.

NL Cy Young:
Both picked Pedro Martinez. Dyslexia picks Brandon Webb; Schuyla picks Tom Glavine.

AL Cy Young:
Dyslexia picked Johan Santana, will stay.
Schuyla picked Roy Halladay, will stay.

NL Rookie of the Year:
Dyslexia picked Prince Fielder, will stay.
Schuyla picked Ryan Zimmerman, will stay.

AL Rookie of the Year:
Dyslexia picked Ian Kinsler, now picks Francisco Liriano.
Schuyla picked Joel Zumaya, now picks Francisco Liriano.

NL Manager of the Year:
Dyslexia picked Bobby Cox, now picks Willie Randolph.
Schuyla picked Ned Yost, now picks Willie Randolph.

AL Manager of the Year:
Dyslexia picked Eric Wedge, now picks Ozzie Guillen.
Schuyla picked John Gibbons, now picks Jim Leyland.

NLDS:
Dyslexia had Atlanta over New York in one series; St. Louis over San Fran in the other. He now has New York over Atlanta and St. Louis over San Fran.
Schuyla had St. Louis over Milwaukee and New York over the Dodgers. He now has New York over Cincinnati and Los Angeles over St. Louis.

NLCS:
Dyslexia had Atlanta over St. Louis. He now has the Mets over St. Louis.
Schuyla had New York over St. Louis; he now has the Mets over the Dodgers.

ALDS:
Dyslexia had Boston over Cleveland and New York over Oakland. He now has Boston over the White Sox and New York over Oakland.
Schuyla had Chicago over Toronto and New York over Anaheim. He now has Chicago over Anaheim and Detroit over Boston.

ALCS:
Dyslexia had New York over Boston and stays with that prediction.
Schuyla had Chicago over New York, he now has Chicago over Detroit.

WS:
Dyslexia had Atlanta over the Yankees. He now has a rematch of the 2000 Subway Series with the same result.
Schuyla had New York over Chicago. He stays.

Afterword:
In writing these rewrites, it seems like everyone has a tendency to stick to their guns unless they're obviously wrong. And my co-blogger, though I respect him somewhat, is an overzealous Yankees fan and Met hater. I applaud him for his candor above, though he has apparently not looked at the standings. The Tigers will need a collapse of epic proportions to miss the playoffs and the Yankees certainly have some catching up to do. And while I think he passed the latest round of Dick Pound-approved Crosstown Rivals drug testing, he picked the 40-49 Braves who are 13.5 games out to make the playoffs. For now, his predictions are far more ambitious than mine. And in this case, ambitious means "more likely to be wrong." Just kidding, Dyslexia. --Schuyla

Crosstown Rivals is sponsored by JustGreatTickets.com, your home for Chicago White Sox Tickets.

DIRECTV Now Offering Regional Baseball in HD

2006-08-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

DIRECTV announced today that it will now be offering Major League Baseball games in HD courtesy of the regional sports networks that broadcast them. From the release:

"DIRECTV is now broadcasting all MLB games produced in HD from the following RSNs: FSN Prime Ticket (Los Angeles Dodgers), FSN West (Los Angeles Angels), FSN Bay Area (San Francisco Giants, Oakland A's), FSN South (Atlanta Braves), FSN Houston (Astros), FSN Detroit (Tigers), FSN Florida (Marlins, Devil Rays), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland Indians), FSN North (Minnesota Twins), FSN Northwest (Seattle Mariners), FSN Arizona (Diamondbacks), FSN Rocky Mountain (Colorado Rockies) and Turner South (Atlanta Braves).

"On July 18, HD MLB games from YES Network (Yankees) and FSN Southwest (Rangers HD games will be seen only in the Dallas DMA) will be available, as well as a continuous 24/7 HD feed from NESN HD (Red Sox). In August DIRECTV will deliver HD MLB games from SportsNet New York (Mets), as well as continuous 24/7 HD feeds from Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic HD (Orioles) and Comcast SportsNet Chicago HDTV (Cubs, White Sox)."

Notably absent from this carriage deal are my San Diego Padres...

However, lest you get too excited, here's a caveat: "The RSNs' HD games will be broadcast by DIRECTV via a local market spot beam, and as a result, the RSN programming will be available only to those customers who live within the local DMA (designated market area) spot beam and the RSN team territory. The games will be available at no extra charge."

So you'll be able to watch your home team's games in HD but not any of the others around the country. For that, you'd have to subscribe to the MLB Extra Innings package, but it's unclear exactly how many baseball games in HD you would receive. Another caveat is that you'll need DIRECTV's new MPEG4 receiver with the five-line LNB dish to get these HD channels.

In addition to the MLB games, DIRECTV will also carry NHL and NBA games that are televised on the RSNs when their seasons start in the fall.

This announcement is a big deal because the cable companies often use the fact that they offer the regional sports networks in HD as justification for choosing cable over satellite. Many analysts, myself included, have confirmed that rationale. But as with local broadcast networks, which are becoming more and more available in high-def over satellite around the country every week after having been available only via cable or an antenna for a couple of years, the regional sports networks will no longer be the exclusive provence of the cable providers. For fans of baseball and competition in the marketplace, that can only be seen as a home run.

Out and about

2006-07-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

(click on thumbnails for larger images)

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline with son Sean

Kirsten Dunst in Soho

Mandy Moore at a game at Dodgers Stadium

Gwyenth Paltrow in London

Lindsay and a friend in NYC

Jessica Biel at the What a Pair! concert in LA

Beyonce and Jay-Z leaving Cipriani

At the Disney Celebrity Carnival:
Thandie Newton, Zooey Deschanel, Kristin Cavalleri

Rachel Bilson, Michelle Trachtenberg, Lacey Chabert

source 1, source 2, source 3, source 4

TALE of 2/2006:THE CITY WE KNEW AND THE CITY NOW

2006-07-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 19th, 2006Performance and interactive forum about urban erasure and the meaning of community Fomenting ARTS' bicoastal series of "re-collection events," continues on July 9 at the Skirball Cultural Center with THE CITY WE KNEW AND THE CITY NOW, featuring a new selection of readings from playwright/performance artist Heather Woodbury's soon-to-premiere play TALE OF 2CITIES: AN AMERICAN JOYRIDE ON MULTIPLE TRACKS performed by Ann Magnuson, John Fleck, and others. The event also features presentations by West Side community groups and another open discussion about the absence and presence of neighborhood in our lives. West Side community contributions: a five minute documentary about Lincoln Place evictions by former resident Erin Grayson and a sampling of music related to the event's themes of American diaspora from music critic Josh Kun, author of AUDIOTOPIA: MUSIC, RACE, AND AMERICA.Sunday, July 9, 2pm, Skirball Cultural Center2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049 Advance tickets: Available via TicketWeb at (866) 468-3399 or www.ticketweb.com, or on site at the Skirball Admissions Desk during regular hours. Tickets also available at the door, subject to availability. General Information: (310) 440-4500 or www.skirball.org $8 general admission, $5 Skirball members, students and for those who bring an image that speaks to the project's central concern of urban erasure. THERE GOES THE BARRIO, the first in Fomenting ARTS' bicoastal series of "re-collection events," was held on May 31st at Los Angeles Central Library as part of the ALOUD lecture and performance series. The sneak preview reading of selections from Tale of 2Cities featured, among a stellar cast, beloved film actor John C. Reilly and sardonic Six Feet Under writer Jill Soloway. The actors also read poems by 7th grade students from Boyle Heights' Dolores Mission School, and films by the Echo Park Film Center's �Young Filmmakers� were screened. Spontaneous participants in the open forum included Dion Neutra, the architect who planned a public housing project where Dodgers Stadium now sits, partisans of the South Central Community Farm, and the visibly moved teacher of the �Boyle Heights Poets�. The event was called "visionary" by one audience member. Another said the evening "rejuvenated my hope for theater in LA." On July 9th, audience members are encouraged to bring photographs, accounts of neighborhoods past and present and other memorabilia that speak to the play's central concern of "urban erasure." These are duplicated and collected in NY/LA �community scrapbooks" and grow as the series continues. They will travel with the upcoming bicoastal production of the play, with some elements contributing to the projection-based set design.Following THE CITY NOW AND THE CITY WE KNEW, the "re-collection" series will move to New York with BROOKLYN BALL TEAMS AND WRECKING BALLS on August 6th at the Brooklyn Baseball Gallery in Coney Island and THE DEATH AND LIFE OF GREAT NEW YORK NEIGHBORHOODS on August 22nd at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy's Tobacco Warehouse.Cultural Sponsors of the 2Cities �Re-collection� project: The Baseball Reliquary, Boyle Heights Poets/Dolores Mission School, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, Brooklyn Baseball Gallery, Casa 0101, Casa Del Pueblo, Councilman Eric Garcetti , The Eagle Rock Arts Center, Echo Park Film Center, Los Angeles Central Library, Performance Space 122, Progressive Jewish Alliance, Semio(e)text, Skirball Cultural Center, UCLA LIVE.ABOUT TALE OF 2CITIES�Entrancing and exhilarating�molding gut-wrenching truths and hilarious caricatures into a portrait of the family of man�past and present.� --Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-TimesTale of 2Cities:An American Joyride on Multiple Tracks is a six-act, two-part play about contemporary urban displacement and the reverberations caused by the Dodgers� historic 1957 transplant to L.A. Tale won both an NEA Fellowship and a Kennedy Award while in development at the NY Public Theater. It premieres this October at UCLA Live in Los Angeles and Performance Space 122 in New York with a multi-racial ensemble cast. It will be published by semio(e)text/MIT press in September, 2006.Tale of 2Cities is a collision of life-stories from New York and Los Angeles spun into an epic mix by a young Echo Park DJ mourning his grandmother's death and traces the impact of displacement on three generations of characters on both coasts when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved across country. From the rise of Senator McCarthy to the fall of the twin towers, "Tale swoops through cities and drops into the minds of a mini-series worth of major and minor characters." (David Cote, Timeout NY) Heather Woodbury is the founder and artistic director of Fomenting ARTS Unlimited, Inc., which was founded upon the belief that sharing the "foment" of theatrical and literary work as it develops is a means of drawing together people of various ages, ethnicities, regions and economic status, as well as bridging the gap between artist and community. Her first living novel, What Ever (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2003) was a ten-hour solo theater piece, directed by Dudley Saunders, which toured the U.S and Europe, and was adapted as a radio play hosted by Ira Glass. Woodbury recently won the inaugural Spalding Gray Award, initiated by UCLA LIVE and PS 122 and Kathleen Russo, Gray's widow, for "writer/performers who fully realize both aspects of Gray�s legacy" and are "fearless innovators". Directed by Saunders and featuring a cast from both cities, 2Cities co-premieres in LA (at UCLA Live's Fifth Annual International Theatre Festival) and in NY in October 2006.

Signings Galore

2006-07-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

Jim Bowden has had his red contractin' pen out a lot lately, ensuring that the New Orleans Zephyrs will have the highest average age in the PCL.

In order of usefulness:

Felix Rodriguez officially signed. Frodo, a right-handed reliever, got a one-year $600K contract, which contains a wacky bonus structure which pays another $650K if he's still floating around the team at various points of the season.

Rodriguez appears to be this season's Hector Carrasco or Antonio Osuna (remember him?) veteran arm signing. Hopefully for the Nats, he'll be a lot closer to the former than to the latter.

Frodo had a bad year last year, but that's expected when you go to the Yankees. Between their all-world horrid defense, a manager who hates relievers not named Rivera or Stanton, and a pitching coach who's obsessed with pitching to contact, there's little margin for error. A few bad appearances early, and a wonky knee later, and he found himself as the 14th man on a 12-man pitching staff.

Instead, look to his previous seasons, where he was excellent. Dominant, at times. His strikeout rate was down last year (always a red flag), but the injury and pitching coach are strong possibilities for that. For his career, opposing hitters have batted .238/ .331/ .357 against him, the mark of an excellent reliever.

My only question about the signing is wondering where he fits in. Obviously he should be one of the top relievers, but the pen now has Cordero, Ayala, Majewski, Frodo, Eischen and Stanton all with guaranteed contracts. There's no room for Bergmann, Hughes, Rasner, Bray, etc. And there's no room for the loser of the Rauch/Drese/Armas starter battle. It's been mentioned that Bowden could use some as trade bate, but how much is a bullpen arm not named Gagne/Wagner/Lidge really going to get you? Just like second base (and the entire infield) there are too many warm bodies making too much money for the slots on the team.

Royce Clayton signed a minor league contract, and apparently is content with being a backup. Clayton, in some circles, is being looked on as some kind of saviour. He's more of a false idol.

He turns 36 next year, and hasn't had a good offensive season (non-Coors-aided) since 2001. Worse, his OPS+ (which compares him to league average and adjusts for park) over the last four years has been 73, 64, 76, 73. Cristian Guzman's career OPS+? 73. So even if Clayton doesn't suffer any more age-related decline, the best we can hope for is a typical Cristian Guzman season. Still, a typicaly Cristian Guzman season is literally worth 2 or 3 more wins than last year's version.

Defensively, it'd probably be a stretch to say he's better than Guzman. Guzman's not especially good, but he's not horrible either. I just don't have much faith in a 36-year old being a good defensive shortstop, especially when he was never considered a gold-glover in his prime. For what it's worth he's ranked below Guzman in the Probablistic Model of Range (yeah, I think that's a clunky name, too). I'm not completely comfortable with his methodology, and I sure wouldn't rely on it as the sole tool of evaluation.

Having Clayton around isn't going to kill anyone, but if you're counting on him to be anything other than replacement level, you're asking too much. He's definitely not the saviour.

Daryle Ward was officially signed a minor-league deal (I don't think I mentioned it after becoming official). Ward's a decent left-handed bat off the bench, but he, too, doesn't seem to have a place on the roster. He'd be behind NJ, Fick, and Anderson on the first-base depth chart. I just can't see a way he'd be able to make the roster barring catastrophic injury. (and if there was a serious injury, maybe the team would want to give Larry Broadway a tryout?)

Ward's not much of a defensive player. He's played some corner outfield in the past, but was pretty horrible. (Did you know that Nick Johnson has played the outfield, too?)

Offensively, he's passable. He's strictly a platoon hitter, though. He's hit just .238/ .281/ .329 against lefties over the last three years. Against righties he's markedly better: .248/ .304/ .420. That's not really good for someone who doesn't play defense, but part of that also reflects the difficult home parks he's had over that period: PNC and Dodgers Stadium.

Valerio de los Santos also earned himself a minor-league deal. Were it not for the fact that he throws left-handed, he'd be looking for a real-world job now.

Unfortunately, he's not especially good against lefties. Over the last three years, they've knocked him around: .277/ .343/ .437. Against righties, he's even worse.

With Eischen and Stanton entrenched on the roster, he's going to have to hope that Joey Eischen does his Flipper impersonation again. If one of those two goes down, de los Santos will get his chance to do a Joe Horgan impersonation.

George Lombard earned himself a minor-league deal, where he'll be sure to entertain the Zephyrs fans with his all-or-nothing swing.

Lombard, who was once a hot prospect for the Braves, turns 31 next year. He's only seen extended playing time in one Major League season, despite having cracks at 5. In 2002, he hit .241/ .300/ .373 in over 200 ABs for the Tigers. He spent the last two seasons having moderate success smacking the ball around Rhode Island.

Purely a depth signing, Lombard bats lefty, so if something breaks with the Church/Watson/Byrd/Soriano/Sosa/Hondo logjam in the outfield, he could sneak a few ABs as a 6th outfielder.

I've lost track of all the 40-man roster comings and goings, but they outrighted Francis Beltran today, taking him off the roster. Beltran visited the good doctor Andrews in March, finding himself with a brand new elbow. It'll be a long season of rehab for him.

I'm sure glad I didn't have to type Sammy Sosa's name. (And I hope that that doesn't jinx it.) The Post says he's waiting for a guaranteed deal. Am I the only one who thinks he'd look great in a jersey for the Nippon Ham Fighters?

Bar Review, Day 6

2006-07-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Topics covered during the Property lecture:

An incident in which a lesbian couple was supposedly given free lifetime passes to all Dodgers home games as an apology for kicking them out for kissing-- which apparently inspired the lecturer to go to Dodgers Stadium with his best friend to "make out", in hopes of scoring free tickets. The vignette was described in loving detail, including the phrase "His hands were down my pants", and was entirely inappropriate for a public gathering of any sort, but especially for one ostensibly professional in nature.
A separate incident in which the lecturer ran into Pamela Anderson at a coffee shop while ordering his Tool Drink. She was ostensibly taken with the idea of his being a law professor, and hit on him: a 60-ish looking balding man with a terrible beard, an obnoxious voice, and freakish hands (seriously, they looked like enormous rubber gloves stuck on the ends of his shirt sleeves and pumped full of air), but he didn't pursue it.Jennifer AnistonCher*Farting during the bar exam, requiring the use of a second pair of earplugs to stopper the nose after the proctor refused to allow him to switch seats to get away from the farter.***Okay, actually I'll give him this one, because it developed into an anecdote about how supposedly Cher sued someone who tried to build a home that would have impeded her view of the beach and was, I suppose, intended to illustrate the repudiated doctrine of negative easement for air, light, or view.

**He actually inserted sound effects during this story. I wanted to die.

Me and my auntie Square!

2006-07-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

Today get to take care of my nephew while my sister and brother-in-law go to the Dodger game (as Dodger Stadium is ten minutes from my apartment). And while I babysit quite often, it is usually AT the location of my neices or nephew's, thus in a more baby proof environment. The last time I watched my nephew at my place I realized just how NON-babyproof my apartment actually is and wrote this post on another site:

Dear Mamma and D-A-D Dad,
I like our house and all, really I do, but after hangin out at auntie Square’s last night I realized that our house really isn’t very baby FRIENDLY after all. Let me show you what I mean…

See! SquareGirl's doors actually OPEN and are not stuck together (by the way, her toilet seat opens too). and why is this? That’s because Auntie Square TRUSTS me mom…you ever hear of that word? "TRUST"? Maybe YOU should try it sometime.

Oh yes, and the shelves…look at all these fun things for me to pull down...er I mean, look at.

Auntie Square has an actual fireplace, the perfect size for me to walk into. I tried.

See that vase behind me? It is totally real live genuine GLASS. And these candleholders? Much better than any of the toys you sent with me.

And let’s talk about the television set…It’s my perfect height! I can touch it and everything! AND auntie Square let ME hold the remote…see? I liked the news. That Sesame Street DVD is getting a little old.

Oh yeah, and that whole eating in a high chair thing you make me do? Well auntie Square doesn’t believe in those restrictive chairs so at her house eating time is actually fun…eat a bite and run, another bite then play some more…really mom, you can learn a thing or two from her.

All in all it was a wonderful night with my auntie Square, and I am quite sure that midway through the evening, she could hardly even wait to start having kids of her own.

Love,
Your son

I think this time I'll take him to the park.

Darby Crash 1977-Germs 2006

2006-07-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

He can't be there to front them on the Vans Warped Tour... Darby Crash. Too bad. I wonder what he would do in front of such a large crowd.

Its right in the middle of the Warped tour --- have any of you gone? I haven't heard how its been going... what are the Germs like with an actor leading them? Please write and tell me!

If you want to see the Germs, or Joan Jett on this tour, here's when and where the tour will be:

7/5: Phoenix (Peoria Sports Park)
7/6: Chula Vista, Calif. (Coors Amphitheatre)
7/7: Pomona, Calif. (Fairplex Park)
7/8: San Francisco (Pier 30/32)
7/9: Fresno, Calif. (Savemart Arena)
7/11: Ventura, Calif. (Seaside Park)
7/12: Los Angeles (Dodger Stadium Lot)
7/13: Sacramento, Calif. (Sleep Train Lot)
7/14: Boise, Idaho (Treasure Valley Speedway)
7/15: George, Wash. (Gorge Amphitheatre)
7/16: Portland, Ore. (Columbia Meadows)
7/18: Vancouver (Thunderbird Stadium)
7/20: Calgary (Race City Speedway)
7/23: Denver (Invesco Field)
7/25: Maryland Heights, Mo. (UMB Bank Pavilion)
7/26: Cincinnati (Riverbend)
7/27: Burgettstown, Pa. (Post-Gazette Pavilion)
7/28: Noblesville, Ind. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
7/29: Detroit (Comerica Park)
7/30: Tinley Park, Ill. (Tweeter Center)
8/1: Buffalo, NY (Darien Lake Fields)
8/2: Fitchburg, Mass. (Fitchburg Airport)
8/3: Camden, NJ (Tweeter Center)
8/4: Scranton, Pa. (Montage Mountain)
8/5: Uniondale, N.Y. (Nassau Coliseum)
8/6: Old Bridge Raceway, N.J. (Englishtown Raceway)
8/8: Charlotte, NC (Verizon Wireless Lot)
8/9: Virginia Beach, Va. (Verizon Wireless Lot)
8/10: Bristow, Va. (Nissan Pavilion Lot)
8/12: Toronto (Park Place)
8/13: Montreal (Parc Jean Drapeau)

Darby Crash 1977-Germs 2006

2006-07-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Darby Crash 1977-Germs 2006

2006-07-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Darby Crash 1977-Germs 2006

2006-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

A Flag's Journey

2006-07-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Don't miss this story about the flag which Rick Monday saved from being burned at Dodger Stadium in 1976. It's been on a very special cross-country journey as it traveled to Dodger Stadium for Independence Day ceremonies.

Photos of the Patriot Riders during the trip can be found here and here.

Monday to the Rescue

2006-07-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

A July 4th treat: A great piece I found by AP columnist Tim Dahlberg on the memorable 1976 "save" by Cubs outfielder Rick Monday:

Monday's save of the American flag a Fourth of July memory

By TIM DAHLBERG
AP Sports Columnist

Rick Monday doesn't remember the score, or who won the game. He can't tell you how many hits he got that day at Dodger Stadium.

The other details of a Sunday afternoon 30 years ago, though, are forever seared into his memory.

The commotion from left field in the bottom of the fourth inning. The sight of two men carrying something running toward left center field.

A glint of sunlight off a can. Someone striking a match.

And, finally, fans standing as one to sing "God Bless America."

"I had goose bumps upon goose bumps 30 years ago when I did it, and I still get them when I recap the story 30 years later," Monday says.

What Monday did was race in from behind and snatch an American flag carried by the men just as they were about to burn it in protest on the pristine grass of the outfield.

Had it been another time, it might quickly have been forgotten. But it was the year of the Bicentennial, and the country was trying to come together and heal after the long war in Vietnam and the Watergate crisis that brought down a president.

Now, three decades later, Monday's running grab lives on as not only one of the greatest saves in baseball history, but an iconic moment that transcends the sport itself.

"There are those who become involved and those who wait for someone to become involved," Monday said. "It comes down to a very simple matter of what is right."

The same flag returns to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday for the first time since Monday carried it off the field on April 25, 1976. The Fourth of July celebration is the culmination of a trip across the country with a group of some 200 motorcyclists called the Patriot Guard Riders spearheaded by Monday's wife, Barbaralee.

There will be a pre-game ceremony honoring Monday's rescue, which was recently named one of the 100 greatest moments in the game by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and likely some grainy video of the incident on the scoreboard for fans to enjoy.

If they're really lucky, they will hear Vin Scully's call of the moment.

"Wait a minute, there's an animal loose. Two of them! I'm not sure what he's doing out there. It looks like he's going to burn a flag," Scully says.

"And Rick Monday runs and takes it away from him!"

The day Monday became more than just a baseball player began like many in the young season that would be yet another exercise in futility for Monday's team, the Chicago Cubs. Monday was playing center field and leading off for the Cubs, who were leading 1-0 when they took the field in the bottom of the fourth.

Ken Crosby had just thrown the first pitch of the inning when Monday heard something coming from the left-field corner.

"When you're around stadiums every day they begin to breathe in a certain sequence, something happens and people react," Monday said. "There wasn't anything happening yet, the stadium began to breathe out of sequence. So I looked over and here comes two guys onto the field."

The two, later identified as a father and son, were holding something, but Monday was not sure what it was. They stopped in front of the 370 sign in left center, put it down and started soaking it with a can of lighter fluid.

By then, Monday had figured out what they were doing. He began running at the men, whose backs were turned to him, and as he got closer watched as one lit a match.

"I thought, they can't light it if they don't have it," Monday recalled. "I reached down and took it away from them. It happened so quick they were putting the match on what they thought was the flag on the ground."

Monday ran toward the third-base line with the flag doused in lighter fluid billowing about him. One of the men tossed the can of lighter fluid at him, but it missed.

From the third-base coaching box, Dodger coach Tommy Lasorda ran past Monday toward the men, screaming profanities at them. Lasorda would say later that he planned to grab the flag, but Monday beat him to it.

The crowd started applauding, a section at a time rising. Then, as the two men were being led off the field by security, many of the 25,167 in attendance that day began singing "God Bless America."

"That's what is right about protecting the rights and freedoms of that flag," Monday said.

Some may argue that Monday may be trying to infringe on those very rights by lending his name and the flag to a recent campaign for a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. He went to Washington a few weeks ago to argue for the amendment, which fell one vote short in the U.S. Senate.

There's also an argument to be made that baseball and politics shouldn't mix.

Monday, who served six years in the Marine Reserves, wants no part of it.

That may be because of his upbringing. Or it may be the fact his life was forever changed -- and forever linked to the flag -- by one moment that defined both his 19-year baseball career and his life afterward.

"It overshadows 19 years of me chasing a dream since the age of 8 to play professional baseball," Monday said, "but I am much more proud of that than I would have been if people had questioned why I didn't stop the people from doing it.

"I don't know anyone who wouldn't have done the same thing."

Dodgers Stadium

2006-05-08T01:09:00.000-07:00

Currently, Dodger Stadium is one of the few Major League Baseball stadiums without the name of a corporate sponsor as part of the title. (Others include Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, and Fenway Park).

Dodgers

2006-05-08T00:56:00.000-07:00

The Dodgers played their home games from 1958 to 1961 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a gargantuan football and track-and-field stadium that had been built to host the 1932 Summer Olympics. The Coliseum's dimensions were not optimal for baseball, and the only way to fit a diamond into the oval-shaped stadium was to lay the third-base line along the short axis of the oval, and the first-base line along the long axis.This resulted in a left-field fence that was only some 250 feet from home plate, and a 40-foot screen was erected to prevent home runs from becoming too easy to hit.

2006-04-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

DodgersOsoria new articles for Sunday, April 16, 2006Manatees Manhandle Dodgers (OurSports Central)
(Viera, FL) - Brevard County scored in all but two innings to defeat the Vero Beach Dodgers 9-4 Satuday night at Space Coast Stadium. The Manatees improved their league-best record to 9-1, while the Dodgers dropped their sixth straight and fell to 1-9.

Perez Gives Dodgers 3-1 Win Over Giants (AP via Yahoo! News)
Odalis Perez had a simple explanation for his success against Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants. "Getting ahead in the count," the 28-year-old left-hander said after working seven strong innings in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-1 victory over the Giants on Saturday night.

Wright, Durham lift Giants over Dodgers (The Sports Network)
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Jamey Wright pitched eight strong innings to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 2-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Perez shines as Dodgers even series (MLB.com)
Perez shines as Dodgers even series

On Baseball | Dodgers GM cut teeth covering the Flyers (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
If you ask Ned Colletti, it was fitting that his Los Angeles Dodgers played their first road series of the season in Philadelphia.

Dodgers pay tribute to Robinson (MLB.com)
Dodgers pay tribute to Robinson

Perez powers Dodgers past Giants (The Sports Network)
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Odalis Perez pitched seven solid innings and Jeff Kent finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, as Los Angeles defeated San Francisco, 3-1, in the middle game of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Dodgers 3, Giants 1 (San Francisco Chronicle)
Odalis Perez pitched seven strong innings and held Barry Bonds in check, Kenny Lofton hit an RBI triple for his first hit with Los Angeles, and the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 Saturday night. Perez (2-0) allowed only three hits _ none...

No Cheers for Bonds, No Win for Dodgers (Los Angeles Times)
They came to boo Barry Bonds, and they did. But Bonds will be gone after the weekend, and who might be left to pitch for the Dodgers?

Perez gives Dodgers 3-1 win over Giants (OregonLive.com)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Odalis Perez pitched seven strong innings and held Barry Bonds in check, Kenny Lofton hit an RBI triple for his first hit with Los Angeles, and the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 Saturday night.

2006-04-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

DodgersOsoria new articles for Monday, April 10, 2006Minor League Scorebook
... Little Rock stadium and the local government's attempts to keep the stadium's ... the new stadium — you'd think the local media could cover them a little better. ... 2006-04-09: GCL Dodgers did not play. 2006-04-09: Ogden did not play.

Minor League Scorebook
... up Jered this week -- very hard to believe -- I'll be in the stadium come hell or high water. ... Nonetheless, the Dodgers decided to let Broxton close the game, ... 2006-04-08: GCL Dodgers did not play. 2006-04-08: Ogden did not play.

Dodgers 8 Pirates 3- A typical Home Opener in Pittsburgh
After seeing a 7-3 loss that year, I attended every Home Opener to the close of Three Rivers save for one, the final home opener at the stadium that was delayed a day by rain, pushing it to a day that I couldn't make the trip on (I ...

Alextronic and the Judge
The folks at Jones Day and Guidance Software invited me to an exclusive evening out at Dodgers Stadium this week to join their guest of honor, Judge Scheindlin. Of course, like all other ED junkies, I came to be introduced by Judge ...

Why Are We Building a New Yankee Stadium?
So mighty were the Yankees, and such a draw was the team and its stadium, that by 1958 the the Giants and Dodgers, New York's other Major League Baseball teams, had moved to California. For four years, from 1958 through 1961, ...

the original dodgers stadium - it's still here
One wall of Washington Park, the original stadium for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Third Avenue and Third Street in Brooklyn. Photo from http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SC ENES/Dodgers/dodgers.html I was walking near Third Avenue and ...

Opening Day: Hour 4
1:48 -- The top of the third in the Dodgers game begins with a look at the new new seats in Dodger Stadium, which are literal box seats, complete with a little table. 1:50 -- Long line for Dodger Dogs at the concession stand. ...

The NEW Hardest Working Man in Show Business
ceremonial first pitch at Dodgers Stadium. As he pulls out his baseball mitt and prepares for his moment of truth, his TV Land friends stop by to help support him. Also appearing in this installment are: Brady castmates ...

A Fitting Name for the New York Mets' New Ballpark: Jackie ...
Shea Stadium was named for lawyer William Shea, whom Mayor Lindsay at the time ... The connections between the New York Mets and the Brooklyn Dodgers are ... Just like our Mets, the Brooklyn Dodgers were the underdog team in a city ...

Dodgers 1960...
I had heard that a few renovations were made and were looking forward to seeing what they have done with the place. It was obvious the direction the stadium would be when we picked up our tickets. The Dodgers went retro. ...

New Mets park, but not a new Shea
Instead of calling the new park Shea Stadium they've stated that they're actively looking for a naming rights partner. It's lovely to honor the Brooklyn Dodgers' history; isn't it better to honor the New York Mets' history? ...

Everything New York Baseball
The second part I love that really corresponds to this is the fact that there's going to be a tribute to New York Baseball in the stadium. We're talking about the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 40's and 50's, the New York Giants of the that ...

Ruminations: Friday
The Mets are joining the Yankees in new-stadium heaven. The new stadium certainly won’t be called Shea but it will pay homage to Ebbets Field, the old home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. While the architectural renderings look great, ...

"Council Votes Yes On New Yankee Stadium" on NY1, 4/5/6
Mets officials say the new stadium will have an Ebbetts Field look to it, referring to the old stadium that was once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Mets hope to have construction completed in time for the 2009 season.

Opening Day: Hour 6
3:43 -- Attendance at today's Dodgers game is announced as 56000, which happens to be the exact capacity of Dodger Stadium. Hmm... According to Vin Scully, it's never been that high for a regular-season game before. ...

Woof-woof, Dodger Dogs
We were only "live" from inside the stadium during the pre-game festivities. ... The Dodgers lost by one run and I think I only botched one "Chief thing" I was ... I don't know when the Dodgers play again, but I think they'll have more ...

DC SCENE MONDAY
Of the first 18 former Negro Leaguers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, nine played for the Grays at Washington's Griffith Stadium. ... That was seven years after Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and shattered ...

Minor Notes - 4/10/06
... to a 7-2 victory over Akron on a cold, windy Saturday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium. ... -SLU notes: Jose Sanchez started the game on a good foot for the Mets holding the Dodgers to only three hits and one run in five innings of work. ...

Shea goodbye: Mets unveil new stadium plans
Shea goodbye: Mets unveil new stadium plansShea goodbye: Mets unveil new stadium plansNew York ... stirred up the past on Thursday when they unveiled a stadium design reminiscent of EbbetsField, the storied home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Monday, April 10, 2006
... of the Year" award in his first year and help lead the Dodgers to 7 pennants in the 10 years he played for them)... ... pitcher Larry Jaster (the area is still marked and is considered the longest home run ever hit at Shea Stadium). ...

2006-04-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

DodgersOsoria new articles for Sunday, April 02, 2006Dodgers '06 preview: Radical reconstruction project (Daily Breeze)
Dodgers have revamped almost everything, including the stadium, to repair the damage from a 71-91 season.

New Era Launches National Interactive Tour at Dodgers Stadium (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
New Era Cap Co., Inc., the exclusive maker and marketer of Major League Baseball's official uniform cap, announced that it will launch the "Authentic Fit" tour, an interactive mobile tour, during the Los Angles Dodgers 2006 home opener at Dodgers Stadium on Monday, April 3, 2006.

Angels top Dodgers in Freeway finale (MLB.com)
Angels top Dodgers in Freeway finale

Dodgers unveil stadium renovations (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Dodgers' McCourt unveils stadium renovations

Angels Drop Dodgers In Spring Training Finale (CBS 2 Los Angeles)
Juan Rivera hit a three-run homer in the first inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Dodgers 4-2 on Sunday in the finale of the Freeway Series.

Dodgers drop Freeway Series finale (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Dodgers drop Freeway Series finale

Inclement Weather Threatens Dodgers Opener (AP via Yahoo! News)
The Atlanta Braves have been the model of consistency for any team in any sport, winning 14 straight NL East championships.

Escobar helps blank Dodgers (Anaheim Angels)
Escobar helps blank Dodgers

What a thrilling Giants-Dodgers fight this will be (San Francisco Chronicle)
We're about to witness the most fascinating season in the Giants-Dodgers rivalry since Will Clark roamed the landscape, and be warned, you may find the context disturbing. The Dodgers are the good guys in this story, at least from a national viewpoint,...

The Newly Renovated Dodger Stadium Opens Today (CBS 2 Los Angeles)
The newly renovated Dodger Stadium will be open to the public Friday when the Los Angeles Dodgers play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Freeway Series.

Dodgers Stadium

2006-02-03T22:47:00.000-08:00

Dodger Stadium, in Los Angeles, California, has been the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball team since 1962. It was also the home of the Los Angeles Angels between 1962 and 1965.