Things I'm Thankful For

I know it’s over three months to Thanksgiving, but after the Dodgers began their first two game win streak in awhile, I started feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Here’s a few things I’m thankful for in this long month of August.
The Cubs- Thank God someone with playoff hopes is even more inconsistent than the Dodgers. They seem to be playing themselves out of contention. It can’t be easy to be a Cub fan, and I’m sure it’s not much fun hanging around Lou Piniella these days. They’re seven games behind the Cardinals in their division, six out in the wild card, Zambrano is hurt, Soriano is not having a good year, and the bullpen has been a disaster. Thank God the Dodgers are playing them this weekend. Hopefully the Dodgers will sweep them or at least take three. At least the Cubs can feel good that they have Milton Bradley in their clubhouse
Randy Wolf- Saw him as a solid, yet injury prone vet in the middle or back of the rotation, but is pitching like a freaking ace. Pitched one-hit ball before letting Sherrill and Broxton finish it up last night. Third straight huge start, and has been helping himself with the bat, also. Billingsley’s gimpy, Kuroda’s hurt, Kershaw is young. Someone needs to step up, and Wolf has stepped up. Big Time
St. Louis Cardinals- I’m thankful we don’t play them anymore in the regular season. They are one team that seems to have the Dodger’s number, and hopefully the Blue will figure it out by October.
Russell Martin- Not having a good year. Hopefully that slam on Friday night will kick his bat into gear. His lack of power wasn’t a big deal because Kemp and Ethier were having great years, but now that the team is struggling, he needs to step up. Hopefully he will.
George Sherrill- His acquisition wasn’t the starter we were looking for, but he has certainly helped our bullpen, not giving up a run since the trade. He is a great set-up man who would also be a good closer if Broxton falters.
Giants-Rockies series- Hopefully they can pound each other out of contention.
Well, I’m sure there is more that I can be thankful for, but this will have to do on an early Saturday morning before my second cup off coffee. Hopefully I’ll be thankful for a solid start by Haegar and a power bindge by Manny, but we’ll see.

The Return of Chad Billingsley and The Pursuit of Vicente Padilla

Billingsley showed up big time for the Dodgers. After a dis-heartening series against the DBacks, and losing the opener to the hot Cards, there was anxiety. Chad missed his last start due to his shaky hamstring, and those things don’t go away easy. He showed up last night, he pitched well, and the Dodgers hitters took advantage of a shaky outing by Mitchell Boggs and evened up the series.
Andre Ethier went three-for four with a double, triple, and an RBI, O Dog also went 3 for 4 and Russell Martin had two doubles to help the Dodgers cause. The real hero was Billingsley, who gave up only two runs and three hits in six innings, which was a good indication that he’s back and will hold his place in the rotation. It is even better news since the Dodgers are pondering putting Hiroki Kuroda on the DL.
It won’t get easier tonight. Adam Wainwright goes for his 15th win against Clayton Kershaw in what will be another gut check game against the Cardinals. How the Dodgers and their young starters do in these big games will go a long way in helping determine how they do in October. That was a big start by Billingsley last night for a team that needs them.
According to ESPN, the Dodgers are “pursuing” Vicente Padilla. With Kuroda probably going on the DL, it leaves the Dodgers with only three full-time starters. They need to get someone, with John Smoltz signing with the Cardinals today; it leaves Padilla, who won fourteen games for the Rangers last year. For a fourth starter, they could do a helluva lot worse. They say that he’s a problem in the clubhouse, but at this point, he is worth a shot.

Gut Check Time

Two down to the DBacks. It is funny, but the Dodgers played a brilliant series against the Giants, but can’t seem to take care of the Diamondbacks. Danny Haren shut 'em down last night, but he’s one of the top five pitchers in baseball. Guffaws about his rough second half were held off for at least the next five days. Hiroki Kuroda (before the scary beaning- more about that later) pitched a strong five innings, and McDonald, Kuo, and Sherrill held Arizona scoreless for three innings. Then came Jonathan Broxton.

He struck out Gerardo Parra, than gave up back to back bombs to Mark Reynolds and Miguel Montero. Tie game. The Dodgers did nothing in the top of the tenth, than Ramon Troncoso came on. Troncoso has an ERA well over 10.00 in August, and he didn’t disappoint. Augie Ojeda singled to center, Haren, hitting for Chad Qualls, sacrificed, Stephen Drew was walked intentionally, and Parra singled Parra home, turning a ninth inning lead into a heartbreaker.

The Dodger bullpen is a disaster, primarily Gulliermo Mota and Troncoso. Both of their ERA’s are sky-high, and they are completely unable to keep the Dodgers in the game. The Bar Debating Society disagrees, but although Broxton has been a little scary with as many blown saves in August as successful ones, he hasn’t been too bad. Sherrill has been solid, not giving up a run since he was acquired, and hopefully, Hong Chih Kuo is shaking off the rust, there may be hope.

The Big Dilemma is this. Kuroda’s scare (at this posting, he was awake and not bleeding), Billingsley’s hamstring woes, and a lack of a true fifth starter means lots of work for the bullpen. This is trouble, my friends. Big trouble.

Well, The Rockies are 4.5 back and the Giants are 5.5 back. It is a race my friends, and as dismal as the year is for teams like the DBacks, they have big, big pride, and will play the Dodgers tough. The Dodgers need to be ready. The Debating Society says the Dodgers will sail by on an easy schedule; the DBacks are out to prove them wrong. The Dodgers have work to do on Sunday.

Scott Boras laughing his ASS off- Seems like negotiations between phenom Stephen Strasburg and The Nationals are not going so well. Strasburg’s agent is Scott Boras, and you know he is licking his chops over this one. The Nationals need to sign this guy to show their suffering fans that they are not a mere extension of the MLB-owned Expos. Boras knows this and will extort them for all they got.

Nothing against Boras, he knows he can extort the owners, and the owners know they can extort the fans. That’s capitalism for ya.

Here Come The Cards- If getting spanked by the lowly DBacks wasn’t enough, the Cards are just around the corner, and they just won their fifth straight. It is gut check time, people. Let’s see if the Dodgers

Getting by Lincecum, Losing In the 10th, The Return of Pedro Martinez, and the Brewer's Bloodbath

Tim Lincecum is a witch. He is the best starting pitcher in the game right now or at least in the top three. He won the Cy Young last year and he could very well win it this year. What makes it even more special, is he looks like one of the skinny teenagers who sits behind the supermarket, smokes weed, and listens to Killswitch Engage. He had the Dodgers on the ropes for over eight innings, and it seemed like the Dodgers would be denied a sweep in San Francisco that they so richly deserved.
That ninth inning was priceless. Although the Dodgers would go down in the tenth, it was sweet how they denied Lincecum a win. When Rafael Furcal weaseled out a single, than tagged to second on Russell Martin’s fly out to center, it became very interesting. Furcal hasn’t exactly been himself this year, but this balls-out play showed why the Dodgers stick with him. When Ethier hit him home, it was like winning the World Series again. It’s not every day the Dodgers would pull one out of their nether regions against Lincecum, so it was sweet.
Even though the Giants eventually won on Juan Uribe’s homer off of Gas Can Mota, it didn’t feel so bad. They won the series convincingly, and showed that the Atlanta series was a fluke. We still have a month and a half of baseball left folks; it will be an interesting ride.
Further proof of MLB.com’s sick sense of humor: The highlights of Ethier hitting that single of Lincecum on dodgers.com came courtesy of the Giant’s TV station, not Vin Scully. The Giants announcers sounded like they were at a funeral. MLB.com should get their highlights for the Dodgers from Vin Scully, not those pieces of wood who announce the Giants.
The return of Pedro Martinez: Pedro came back and looked sharp. His line score didn’t look amazing (5 IP, 7H, 3 R), but it’s only because the Cubs finally got to him in the fifth. He did strike out five, and he only gave up one run in four innings. It brings back vivid memories when the Dodgers traded him in 1993 for the immortal Delino De Shields. It’s also a further reminder that the Dodgers do not have a fifth starter. One funny highlight of the game was some Ape Cub fan threw beer on Shane Victorino as he caught a fly ball.
Brewers Blood Bath: Maybe it’s too little too late, but it looks like Doug Melvin finally lost his cool in a desperate attempt to keep the Brewers relevant in the playoff race. Bill Hall got cut completely, J.J. hardy got sent to the minors, and Pitching Coach Bill Castro got canned. Castro has been in their organization forever, while Hardy and Hall although seriously underperforming, were the longest tenured Brewers. We shall see if it wakes them up, and if it matters.

A Nice Little Statement, A Nicer Brawl, and the Pitfalls of Being Jamie Moyer

Nice little statement game. Making it even nicer was that it was against the Giants. The Dodgers needed to make a statement, and with the Giants and the Rockies beginning to get a little too close for comfort, a statement had to be made. Joe Wolf pitched one of his best games of the year, and they chased Joe Martinez. “Washed up” Manny got a homer and a double, Andre Ethier hit a three run double, and Matt Kemp hit a three run bomb to hopefully deflate San Francisco’s delusions of grandeur. Tomorrow we face Lincecum, but even if he throws a no hitter, the Dodgers will come out of this series at least 61/2 ahead of the Giants.
The Giants have a good young team, but this is the Dodgers year. There are still choking pangs I feel in the back of my throat, but the Dodgers went a long way toward quieting the Bar Debating Society with the win tonight. I swear I even saw some people that were Red Sox fans two weeks ago cheering for them. One thing that is cool about being in the Los Angeles area is that you can completely change who you are every two weeks, and it’s cool because everyone else is doing it to.
Red Sox-Tigers Brawl- Now was that cool or what! Every time you think the league is becoming a little too genteel, something like this happens. After taking turns throwing at each other yesterday, Rick Porcello hit Kevin Youkilis, and it was on. Those two got ejected, and then Terry Francona followed suit by getting ejected later on for questioning a stolen base call. Great stuff.
Jamie Moyer- Is unhappy about being removed from the rotation in place of Pedro Martinez. We love you Jamie, for all the hope you give all of us middle-aged Tommy John wannabes, but if you have an ERA of almost 6.00 and your team has hopes of repeating a championship, your opinion doesn’t hold much water.

The Witch Hunt of Josh Hamilton, A Nice Win, and The Revenge of Jim Tracy

The press is having a field day with this Josh Hamilton thing, predicting we have another Steve Howe thing on our hands. First thing is they look at addiction and recovery through Hollywood glasses. They think that because he'd been clean for so long, that there was a Hollywood Happy Ending where everyone would live Happily Ever After. Addiction does not work that way. Every day is a struggle. Recovering addicts always need to stay in touch with their program and sponsors. I'm not sure how much he got away from all this, or even if he did, but he is having the same problem most addicts do. Best thing is, he looks like he's owning up to it, so the Hungry Press and the Sighing Masses should put away their torches, rope, and lighter fluid for now.

As long as he performs for his team and does not embarrass them, the Hungry Press and the Sighing Masses should lay off him. While he's not having his best year, he does seem to be going about getting his work done and helping the team as much as possible. Although he did embarrass his team, the fault lies just as much with out YouTube society and the Hungry Press's self-righteousness. Everyone would cheer if any other player was caught doing what Hamilton did, saying that young baseball players are crazy by nature, but since he's Josh Hamilton, the Hungry Press and the Sighing Masses will not allow him the opportunity to make an idiot of himself.

Hamilton should, and supposedly has, apologized and made amends to his family and his team, so the Hungry Press and Sighing Masses should lay off and let him do his job.

How about those Dodgers

Nice win last night. Although the Dodgers were beginning to feel the warm, acrid breath of the Giants faintly on their backs, winning the series opener should help keep the dogs off for now. The Dodgers now have a won a one day grace period before we can all start panicking again. Kuroda was solid, Kemp had a big hit, and Broxton had a shaky ninth, although he weaseled out of it. The Bar's Debating Society thinks he's going down, and perhaps trading for George Sherrill means the brass may secretly agree with them, so we shall see..... Keep in mind that Broxton has been lights out the whole year, and we should cut him some slack for now and be assured he'll make the proper adjustments.

The Revenge of Jim Tracy

Trace is a classy guy who did a great job with the Dodgers. While you have to like Joe Torre, it's hard to escape the fact that ttrace got a raw deal from the Dodgers. The Rockies are hot, and are a serious playoff contender. It's hard to beleive that even a classy guy like trace wouldn't get at least a slightly evil grin at the thought of dispatching the Dodgers in October.

Here Come The Giants

Yes, here come the Giants. The Dodgers are up by 51/2 games, but after the rough series against the Braves, The Blue is beginning to look a little vulnerable.

The debating society at the bar says they should've made a run for Halladay. While I agree that Riccardi's asking price was ridiculous, there is a little gnawing voice inside of me saying that it would be nice to have a tough, durable, veteran starter at the front of the rotation, it wasn't worth the pie-in-the sky deal Riccardi was looking for. Good job to the Dodger brass to holding fast. The issue though is, whether or not the lurking Giants and Rockies are a true threat, do the Dodgers have the starting pitching to not only keep them on top of the west, but to also make a serious run in October.

Billingsley, the presumptive ace, is hurting. Maybe he will only miss a start, but will his injury affect his pitching over the long haul? Kershaw may be the real deal, but isn't it way too much to ask that kid to anchor the rotation? Wolf has been solid all year, but shaky in his last two starts. Kuroda is tough, but is still feeling the effects of his injury, and has always been inconsistent. The fifth spot is a toss-up. Stutts has his ups and downs, Milton is hurt, and Schmidt's three year rehab assignment finds him on the DL near the end of his contract. You know The Giants are having a good laugh about that. Rumors are they may be looking at Vincente Padilla or John Smoltz. Padilla may be an effective pitcher, but he has baggage about steroid allegations and being a bad clubhouse guy. You gotta love Smoltz, but let's face it, he's done.

The Dodgers have four solid #2/#3 starters with a strong, but increasingly put-upon bullpen, and the offense is pulling wins out of it's nether regions liike it was earlier in the season. Now the Giants come to town, and the Blue is beginning to look vulnerable. Another poor showing, and we hava a close race.

Hopefully Kuroda will pitch one of his patented big games tonight, and Wolf will return to being his consistent self tonight. Who knows who will pitch Wednesday. perhaps they can give us a solid five or six. The offense needs to start hitting again, and we need to get the bullpen some rest. If these things don't happen, we may be in for a much more exciting August and September than we originally hoped for.

Release It

Steroids is no doubt one of the biggest controversies to hit baseball anytime in it’s history. Nothing in recent memory has been as polarizing as the steroids controversy. While it looks like the MLB may be slowly emerging from this mess, there is one huge shoe still left to drop- The 104 names of the players who tested positive in 2004 hangs like a specter above baseball’s integrity and it’s hope to get past the steroid controversy. Until that is resolved, there will never be any closure to this issue, so they should release it.
Now this isn’t some scream for vengeance, nor is it some misplaced loyalty for the “purity” of baseball. The players implicated on the list should not be punished by their teams or the league, and they should not receive the scarlet letter of disgrace. It is instead a coming clean, a sort of truth and reconciliation commission.
It would cause an uproar from the players’ union, who would no doubt, perhaps rightly challenge it’s legality. The test was supposed to be confidebtial, and even though a few of the names leaked out, the fact remains. The fans would be angry, also. It is certain that there would be at least a few surprises on the list, outside of the usual suspects. The players on that list would need to either come up with explanations or take the less wise route of saying nothing. There would be upheaval.
If the players’ union was to give some ground on this, they would be seen as part of the solution instead of the problem. Donald Fehr’s departure leaves a huge opportunity for the player’s union to be seen truly as the advocates of the players instead of a screen to hide behind which does the players nor the union any good.
The players worried about fan vilification only have to go as far as Jason Giambi or Andy Pettite, two guys who made at best lukewarm admissions of guilt and were soon either forgiven or the indiscretions forgotten completely. Fighting back against the allegations has done serious damage to those who fight it or deny it. Roger Clemens’s reputation has taken a big hit. Mark Mc Gwire has gone from an Great American Icon to non-existent. If the names were released and the players sucked it up and took the heat for it, it would be much easier for everyone involved.
It makes perfect sense for everyone involved. It gives essentially a clean slate for the players, it gives the clubs and the leagues a starting point to work with, and most of all, it shows the fans that MLB and the Players Union is doing the right thing instead of simply covering it’s ass. Just release it, make contritions where necessary, and move on. That simple.