Jeff Kent is struggling mightly right now. His BA sits at .248. He’s either done or in a slump. I can say for a certainty that he leaves it all on the field everyday. You can’t ask for more than that! He doesn’t have the range he used to, but he’ll dive for a ball any time he needs to. He doesn’t always get it but he’s not afraid to get his uniform dirty. He’s not “one of the guys.” Never has been, but he has always been a hitter. If Jeff Kent has one last hot streak left in him, a hot streak of at least 6-weeks, he’s just the guy who can carry us to a pennant, or he may just ride off into the sunset. Like it or not, we need him to carry us for a while. Let’s hope he wakes up soon – we could have won last night if he had delivered just once. In his defense, over the past 9 or 10 games he has had some very hard shots… hit right at a defensive player. I think that might even out soon. We are a Jeff Kent hot streat out of first place!
TJ Simers occassionally writes a good piece. Today he writes in the LA Times about Jeff Kent. Here’s a small part. It’s a worthwhile read:
“I don’t hang out with the guys — never have,” he says. “I don’t go out drinking, look at porn, have a girlfriend or get divorced — so I’m selfish.
“I’ve given everything I’ve got to this game, sacrificing my body, time with my family and a number of other things,” he says, and while grouchy at times, he admits he will probably cry when it’s over for good. “The game has meant everything to me.”
CLASSIC JEFF KENT! I am rooting for you Jeff!
RANTS & RAVES
- I like Casey Blake’s passion in getting tossed last night – we need more of it! Tony Jackson writes about that very thing – here
- Kuroda looks hurt!
- Nomar has a sprained MCL – Amazing…
- It was a nice comeback, but we couldn’t complete the deal. That’s been the problem all along!
- Steve Dilbeck writes about Andruw Jones finally being benched. Jones did have a pinch hit RBI, but it was on a “hanging slider” and I am not ready to say that I’ve seen any progress. I could have probably hit that pitch!
- All we can hope for is that Jason Johnson can have a career game today.
- At least the “back lost too.
- So did Colorado…
What a weird game. Well, those first place Giants are tough.
Kuroda has looked terrible his last 4 starts.
In his last 18.1 innings pitched has has given up 33 hits, 21 runs, 20 ER, 3 walks, and 12 strikeouts.
Gee, the pen last night, what if Joe just used them for two or three innings each in a start.
The big K maybe needs some rest for a week prior to his next start.
Loney looked bad in those two strikeout he had.
Blake was the only Dodger with 2 hits last night.
The Giants could sweep this series. They have pretty great pitching right now.
So, hold on to your hats . . .
Did anyone else notice that Kent made a dive at one ground ball then after the whells fell off in that long inning (I think the 4th) he didn’t look like he tried for balls that were well within his limited range. Maybe it was me but I know somebody else must have noticed. I hate seeing guys pout on the field. All the more reason this guy is not a leader. He is tagged with that label “leads by example” but he has said he just “plays for himself”. I like his talent but he makes things tense around him and that doesn’t help situations on a team trying to build chemistry.
“I don’t hang out with the guys — never have,” he says. “I don’t go out drinking, look at porn, have a girlfriend or get divorced — so I’m selfish.
So I am guessing the guys in the clubhouse are asking themselves, “All we do is watch porn & get divorced and stuff?” So a guy like Nomar who is a family man and a leader in the club house fits into that category?
I guess what I am saying is when Kent says these things he doesn’t realize what impact. To stereotype your teamates as these cheating-husbands and porn watching men is really not cool and maybe it is his teamates that don’t want him around with a holier-than -though view of the world.
Lastly consider the source on this article. TJ Simers loves to stir it up and be the center of attention. He has a thing for Kent. He had a short lived radio show here in LA and Kent would actualy come on it. He and Kent would go hunting together so imagine why he speaks kindly of Jeff and so badly on the rest of the team. TJ Simers is the same guy who wanted to steal the show a few months ago when “hosting” the Evening with John Wooden & Vin Scully. Showing lttle class by referring to them both as “Old Birds” and “Geezers”. What an ass.
Good writer though. He does what he is paid to do.
So, Kuroda?
Kent, as good as he usta was, I would not count on him carrying anything. He is supposed to be a role player not the leader of an offense. That ship sailed a few years ago,
Good writer though. He does what he is paid to do.
So, Kuroda?
Kent, as good as he usta was, I would not count on him carrying anything. He is supposed to be a role player not the leader of an offense. That ship sailed a few years ago,
new laptop – sensitivity is way over the top – I’ll continue……
I do not expect Kent to repeat his MVP stats, but he will hit the occasional HR and drive in the occasional run. Defensively he was never great, and at his age, well, he is average at best. Our offense is supposed to be coming from Loney, Kemp, Martin, Ethier, Nomar, Blake and Jones. Jones is a waste of $18 million, hard to recover from that. Defensively we were never more than average. I think we are not even that. Jed has a “nuetral payroll” dictate from the boss, so, his hands are tied. Not that he does much with them when they are free. So, when the pitching fails, we are toast.
And that is why .500 is where we are, and likely where we will be.
I’ve seen too many ground balls hit to Kent’s right go through to right center or center field. We’re talking about ground balls that would be routine outs at the high school level. It is an embarrassment of the worse kind at the major league level. He’s a little better on balls hit to his left, but his lack of foot speed (Tommy Lasorda could beat him in a 50 yard dash–not to mention the 89 year old , peg legged 98 pound bag lady), is apparent to anybody who is paying attention. When he was hitting the ball like a real clean up hitter we could overlook how his defensive shortcomings were adding whole earned runs to our sinker ball pitcher’s eras but with a .248 average and a pathetic home run and rbi output, it’s clear he only has value as a DH to an American League team. If all he had to do is hit, even at 40 years old he could probably put up .275 25 75 numbers.
With the Dogs he’s a terrible waste of human flesh and a cancer in the clubhouse. He’s arrogant and concerned only with himself.
I need one last word on Hu but must post it here since yesterday’s thread is closed. I NEVER SAID YOU CAN HIT THE BALL WITH BLURRED VISION! Why do you think I refer to my bag lady example as being blind some of the time?
What I said is you don’t continue to play some kid for weeks who has blurred vision. The kid will not be able to hit or field without getting hit in the face and striking out virtually every time. A foul tip would be a major accomplishment.
What I said is that the “blurrede vision” fairy tale is just that. Hu didn’t have eye problems until he got down to AAA and then he probably tried to make it into an excuse for hitting like a blind 89 year old peg legged Andruw Jones.
If he did have that so called blurred vision, Torre would have had to know about it unless he has his head way up his asp all the time. To play a kid with no major league experience who can’t see the ball is capital felony stupid and deserves life in prison without parole. It would literally risk the kids life at shortstop and in the batter’s box.
It’s hard to believe that Joe “Jim Tracy” Torre was that unconscious and literally that dumbass. I thought Hu was lying. It’s akin to a kid saying the dog ate his homework.
But if he’s hitting .400 now after having his eyes replaced, or the like, I can only conclude that Torre is way dumber than I dreamed in my worst nightmare and he should be replaced immediately with anyone who isn’t a totally unconscious jackass!
Hu does what lots of guys who want to play do. He doesn’t tell anyone when he has a problem. No one knew. Torre didn’t know. No one did! It was only when he returned to AAA and still couldn’t hit that someone decided to have him get an eye test. At first they couldn’t find anything, but then concluded that his vison was blurred. The Dodgers have been close-lipped about the cause, but here’s an interesting tidbit: He had the same problem in 2006 and received treatment in the offseason for it and was “cured” in 2007! Hopefully, they have figured out the cause and cure…
On Kent:
I don’t think he’s a cancer. In fact, it’s easy to see that he plays around with Ethier, Loney and Kemp before games, but he’s not your vocal leader. I have never seen Jeff Kent not hustle – that’s not in his game. He is the direct opposite of slacker. I have seen him make some amazing plays this year, but he just can’t cover the ground he once did. My point is that Jeff Kent has to be able to carry this team for a while in order for us to win…
and I believe he will!
I am sorry Mark I respectfully disagree. I saw a lack of hustle last night in the inning that got away. He has been a well known cancer his whole career. He did not get that reputation by accident. Do you guys really think it ok to call your teammates out like he did? Brand them with a “CHEATERS AND PORNWATCHERS” blast? This is the same guy of such integrity that lied to the Giants about breaking his leg on a motorcycle, he told the team he fell washing his pick up truck. But now he is the moral authority? Hypocrisy is defined as “a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude” Look no further than second base tonight.
Look no one is questioning his ability to play the game, even if his skills are eroding he is still pretty good. I just think he should be quiet and play. Don’t pout on the field. Play ball and go away “team player”.
I can dig respectfully disagreeing.
Maybe you saw something I didn’t.
I have no illusions that Jeff Kent is not the best thing for this team. I am not a big Kent fan, but I do respect him, as it has always appeared to me that he comes to play (nothing less, nothing more). I never liked Pete Rose, but I respected him (as a player).
Nothing would please me more than trading Kent right about now and installing Andy LaRoche at 2B, which will never happen.
Trade Kent and then trade a low-level prospect to SD for the right to pay Greg Maddux the rest of his salary this year. Put him in the rotation and have Kuo or Johnson as his caddy, but he’ll help the rest of the staff immensely. That’s what we need.
Personally, if I were McCourt, I’d sign Greg Maddux to a 5-year/$20 mil personal services contract and keep him as organizational pitching guru! He works magic on pitchers!
I suppose since Hu’s native language isn’t English, and no player wants to make excuses for poor play, that I may actually be wrong (gasp!) and no one but Hu knew he was half blind. You’d think somebody with the 2006 minor league team would have noticed his struggles and given Torre a call–but that would assume facts not in evidence; i.e., that the Dodgers are a well organized team and that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing.
His .400 average since getting the corneas transplanted, or whatever, would tend to indicate that part of his problem was that he couldn’t see the ball. That would make his swings tentative and inaccurate and slow down his pursuit of ground balls limiting his “range”. With all these problems I imagine he might not want to add throwing errors to his bad showing making him hesitant to let loose with a throw and thus appear to have a pop gun arm.
It’s all very strange. And I still blame Torre and the coaching staff for not being able to figure out that the poor sumanabits couldn’t see all those weeks he was trying to play for us and failing miserably.
The fact he had the problem in 2006 and it has now reoccurred also should have been a red flag that would make Torre inquire as to whether or not Hu was seeing the ball. Torre was asleep at the switch no matter how you slice it.
That said, I hope Hu is getting the best care from one of the best eye specialists in the US. For the problem to reoccur like that would make me worry about a possible tumor–God Forbid!
Honestly, I don’t think Kent is a cancer. I think he’s a dick, but he also demands respect. When you’re around a guy like that, you let him be, and look up to him for his ability and winning attitude. He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy and it’s understandable. His Dad is a friggin’ CHP officer. Hello.
When I saw a picture on Dodgers Live the other day with Russell and Jeff kickin’ back rockin’ their mustaches in a very lighthearted way, (granted, it was only a picture) it made me realize that they all understand each other. They can have CERTAIN types of fun, but you’re not gonna call Jeff to hit up the Edison on Friday night. You call Kemp and Martin and Loney.
That said, I think he’s lost it. I’ve had him on my fantasy team all year, expecting that standard 20 and 90… and it ain’t happening gentlemen. Those two outs last night, the line drive and the fly ball to the wall were dingers a year ago. Something has happened, and he’s fallen off. He doesn’t have his power, his bat speed, and obviously his legs have been dwindling for a while.
I love the Kent. He’s a hard-nosed tough-guy who doesn’t take any sh*t from anyone, including Barry Bonds. And to make Kent the bad guy in that club house I think fails to understand who he is. All ball players have egos, but if you’re gonna be some cocky-ass, everybody pay attention to the records I’m gonna break kinda guy… he’ll let you know that it ain’t cool.
While yes, it would be nice if he were a bit more accommodating to the younger guys, I think guys like Russell who work their asses off and never quit, look up to a guy like Kent.
Hall of famer, but he’s retiring a year too late.
To get back to our little thing about defensive ball players:
If you could have an average defensive guy with a good bat, wouldn’t you take him over a guy with good defense and an average bat?
Furthermore, leave Casey Blake alone. The guy is a hard worker, puts his nose to the grindstone, and hits. His defense isn’t Grade A… but I think it’s surely adequate. Hit the ball and we win… I hardly see us losing games because of errors! We lose games because we can’t friggin’ score runs.
Realistically (spelling? sorry) what is the cost for Maddux? Do we really want to give San Diego anything of value? The Kent trade would be nice but I don’t think it will happen so really what is the cost? I think we can eat his remaining contract and get him cheap.
I was not impressed with Maddux last time around. He was brilliant one game and bad the next, but I think he is every bit as valuable as anyone we have now so why not.
I read somewhere we are targeting pitching at the deadline, some say we need a bat more. While the offensive void is easy to see, I would love to see another starter. I know the numbers have us at the top of the NL in ERA but it would be nice to have one more solid guy in the rotation not named Stultz, or Johnson
A guy who is friendly to a few of the players and gives the rest the cold shoulder, won’t talk to anybody or hang out once in a while is obviously an arrogant, judgmental person who thinks he’s better than most of the porn watching, whoremongering, drunken, crack users with whom he’s forced to share a locker room. He can’t get away from the swine fast enough and has nothing to say to such worthless pieces of crap.
Someone with an attitude like this is the epitome of a cancer and causes problems in the clubhouse. Tigers don’t change their stripes by changing abodes. There is a reason why Kent had a reputation for being as big an a$$hole as Barry Bonds in the Giants clubhouse. We’d be better without him if we had anybody at all who could play second base and hit .275.
He’s still a hitter who puts fear in a pitcher’s heart with the bags loaded and less than two outs. He’d make a great DH for a contending AL team.
We’re almost out of time for a last minute trade for that power hitting left hitter.
Kemp has proven himself to my eyes in the last few weeks. I think he’s already a young Willie Mays in the eyes of the opposition. Don’t trade Kemp now that he knows how to take a pitch, draw a walk and steal a base.
Are you certain these things are true or are they things you believe or assume? (Not trying to be judgmental, but I really never hear about literal interactions between players and their legit personalities.)
Kemp is totally legit. I’ve never thought once about Willie Mays but the kid is a damn good ball player and we’ve all been right in saying not to trade him away. The walks are the best thing, honestly. We all knew the rest would come together.
Dodgers are talking to the Rangers about Michael Young, by the way.
I’ll admit I’m being a bit speculative here and probably should have indicated that my opinion was based on a combination of facts and my gut feeling.
The facts are as follows:
1) Kent was a major problem compared to Bonds himself in terms of his club house presence. He was arrogant andcondescending to other players and basically wouodn’t give anybody the time of day unless he felt like being “magnanimous” on a particular day. But that’s really ancient history.
2) There is a cancer in the clubhouse which caused the team to implode and lost Grady his job last year.
3) Kent himself says he’s a loner and doesn’t have much to do with other players becasuse they are into porn, chase women and otherwise are beneath him. That is arrogance.
The rest is speculation on my part. When Kent was hitting .300 and hitting 25-35 home runs you could put up with a guy who doesn’t think his own shat stinks and every body else, with an exception or two, is nothing but a sack of stinking shat. But once he turned 40 and his batting average and power numbers dwindled to be below average–he becomes a problem we just don’t need.
Just my humble opinion though.
Just lost two bobbleheads in the earthquake. 5.8 that was a bigger hit then anything the Dodger had last night.
This Dodger Stadium can withstand the Jones Booing it which be OK.
IF
I must be shaken up. My spelling is worse then normal.
Sorry guys, I was in this site reading everyone’s comments when the earthquake hit SO Cal. The TV is saying 5.8 centered in Chino Hills about 10 miles south west of me. I had several bobbleheads flying of the shelve at me along with DVD’s and CD’s. I haven’t heard of any major issues in the area yet. I know most of you guys are not from this area so I thought I would gather myself and try to tell you about it. I was trying to say Dodger Stadium should be able to withstand the earthquake because it is holding up fine with all the Andruw Jones Booing. Anyway. Peace
I felt the earthquake too I thought it was Jeff Kent being told to shut his pie hole!! I had to say that.
Well lets put the Michael Young rumors to rest he has a broken finger so unless Ned is collecting DL’d players (a hobby of his I am sure) that aint happening.
I think we are stuck with Kent for the season so lets jsut get over that for now. What makes it interesting to me is a report I heard on xm’s MLB radio channel of the RedSox talking to the Dodgers about a trade.
Yes, Manny Ramirez is the topic. And this report mentions that the RedSox would be willing to take on Andruw Jones and his contract as long as more talent was involved in the trade. i know the Sox may want an outfielder to take Man Ram’s place and they need bullpen help. So with that what would be an acceptable package for Manny?
Imagine Mr. Personality (Kent) trying to school Manny on how to play the game “the right way”. We just felt a 5.8, imagine that earthquake!!
If we could dump Jones on them and get Man Ram… I’ll take it…
as long as Kemp, Martin, Kershaw, and Loney stay.
EQ was downgraded to 5.4. I’m in a high rise in West LA (Wachovia Building) and it shook pretty steadily, but we’re on rollers. It was quite fun!
I hear from the people on the ground that it was rather violent however. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Just read on ESPN that Jayson Stark says the Dodgers (and Yankees) are now in talks with the Braves about Teixeira. He said we were “flirting” with them… so I don’t know what that means.
Say goodbye to Loney if that happens though, no?
Jose Guillen wants out of KC… what do you guys think of him?
Sorry for all the posts… but here’s more from mlbtraderumors.com:
2:36pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has the Dodgers in the lead for Manny. The Red Sox would eat most or all of the $7MM remaining on Ramirez’s deal, and then receive a player like Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier. Such a deal would enable the Sox to enter the Mark Teixeira bidding.
Sherman also talked to one NL exec who believes the Dodgers might instead acquire Brian Roberts, pushing Jeff Kent into a utility role and leaving the shortstop problem unresolved.
1:05pm: Looks like Manny’s going to need his own post, after all. Earlier today, Dan Graziano said the Mets are still in on Ramirez despite the denials. Now SI.com’s Jon Heyman adds that the Dodgers are showing interest. The talks are still in their infancy, and keep in mind that the Dodgers do not want to add payroll.
—-I like to hear “we are in the lead” but I would MUCH rather ship Ethier in that package than Kemp… as much as I like them both.
Wow.. I’m a total troll today.
Ken Rosenthal now says that the Dodgers are NOT in talks about ManRam OR Teixeira.
Who knows what to think… and how could we NOT be in talks? I don’t like Rosenthal.
Fish hacks!
Can’t believe ‘em!
When was the last time we made a trade that you actually heard about beforehand?
I did not know this about Jason Johnson:
http://www.beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/prosports/mlb/dodgers/
You have to root for him!
Teixeira is an Angel. For Casey Kotchman and something else.
Now, wouldn’t it be funny if we outbid Moreno in the offseason for Tex? He is player I would go $140 mil/6 years!
Ho hum. All this talk about us getting Texeiera, Manny, Bay – I keep telling you guys it isn’t going to happen. You want one of those type of hitters? Say goodbye to Kemp and Loney and about 4 other top prospects.
Arte does it again. Who’s the man down there in L.A./Orange County? It sure hasn’t been McConfused.
I would be EXTREMELY surprised to see anyone take on Jones’ contract. I don’t believe that for a second. Who, besides Colletti, is that stupid? Boston may want to get rid of that headache, but, he can still hit (can’t play outfield worth spit) and is paid $20 million. That looks to me like a Yankee DH in the making.
I had the under on Nomar going 60 games – if I remember right, I had the WAY under. Nobody here wanted any of the action, so, I win. All you guys owe me 100 push-ups. DOWN 1! DOWN 2!
I am not unhappy with Blake. I just think adding a .265 hitter that is suspect in the field ain’t all that. Maybe he finishes the year above his career numbers, but, maybe he does what he always seems to do – .270 with a .339 OBP and maybe 18 dingers. Yawn. I believe we get that out of LaRoche if he is there 150 games.
Wake me up when something actually happens.
Badger,
You forget that I have edit capabilities!
I can make it so that you didn’t say it!
no body ask why joe left Kuroda. in the game so long..i would of pulled him 2 run early..seem joe like to wait till the game is out of hand…the game would of been 6-5 dodgers.
So long? He pitched 3.2 I don’t think you pull a guy any earlier than that unless he gives up a significant amount.
2 runs early in a game is nothing. How many times has Derek Lowe done that and pitched a shutout the rest of the way?
I think you speak to the fear that is Dodgers hitting. But Joe pulled him at the right time. You have to trust your pitchers to handle their business.
No, I said that wrong. Not the RIGHT time…
but pulling him after 2 runs would have been crazy.
Dooooh!
Say it ain’t so, Joe!
What idiot would trade either Ethier or Kemp in order to rent a 37 year old had case named Manny for 7 weeks? Even if it means losing Jonesy. It would strictly be a salary dump move and would cost us one of the four best young players on the team.
Just say no to recreational pharmacuticals Ned! You’ve done enough damage to this team already!
I thought Manny was signed through next year at 20 million???
Joe didn’t pull Kuroda after 2 runs for several reasons, not the least of which were it was early in the game AND he really wasn’t getting hit hard. It’snot like they were blasting the ball. Most of the hits weren’t even that hard. Kuroda certainly didn’t pitch good, but he didn’t pitch THAT bad. If he got the lead runner instead of throwing to 2nd Vizquel would have been the 3rd out and it was a totally different game. I know he was somewhat unnerved by the bonehead throw to 2B.
Tonight’s lineup:
Pierre, LF
Kemp, CF
Ethier, RF
Kent, 2B
Loney, 1B
Blake, 3B
Berroa, SS
Ardoin, C
Johnson, P
4-Way Deal:
Reds get Juan Pierre, Dan Wheeler
Red Sox get Andruw Jones, Adam Dunn, Blake DeWitt
Rays get Jeff Kent,
Dodgers get Manny, Alex Cora
There might have to be another player or two involved…
Lineup:
1. Ozuna 2B
2. Martin C
3. Loney 1B
4. Manny LF
5. Ethier RF
6. Kemp CF
7. Blake 3B
8. Cora/Berroa/NOmar SS
That might work!
This afternoon, driving back from the VA Hospital, The Show was on XM Radio with Kevin Kennedy and Rob Dibble. Kevin was talking about Casey Blake and what he brings to the Dodgers.
Example: in last nights game, Blake watched Kent strike out on a curve ball. When he went into the box, he took a fast ball, then hit a curve ball for a base hit (I think the double). Kevin then said, that LaRoche and DeWitt could not do that at this time, and that was their problem. In that Casey knew the curve was coming, waited for it, and bam.
Interesting.
Pierre needs to try and bunt once or twice tonight.
Mark, is that 4 way trade going down right now, after the game, or early tomorrow morning????
i quess you dont pay attention…he give up 2 in the first ..then 5 in the 3rd…like i said i would of pulled him when they got 3 more ..not 5 more, you dont give up 7 run with one pitcher
Look guys the Angels of Disneyland are closer to a ring than we are lets face it and that makes me as sick as the next Dodger fan. That is no reason to overreact. If we give up the moon to get a Manny Ramirez what does that guarantee us? Only a headline in tomorrows paper thats it! We would still be fighting for the playoffs and have a superstar for two months. If you think he would re-sign here you are crazy. The Angels know they have a slim chance to re-sign Tex (He has said he wants to play on the East coast)but they are now the odds on favorite to win the American League if not the whole thing.
Lets tip our hats to them for pulling off a great trade. I hope the RedSox do not trade Manny now and somehow beat the Angels in the playoff again!
We should go another way to improve. Lets conced this battle and hope to win the war. McCourt must look at 2009 when a lot of money frees up as an “all in” time of chance he must take to reclaim this city!
I botched that last line:
He should see 2009 as “all in”.Spend the money and reclaim this city. Anyway I hope you all know what I mean.
Wait till next year, is that what I am hearing???
Here is the problem — unless the Dodgers throw money around, like they did to Kevin Brown that he could not turn down — the top 5 or 6 or so FAs will not sign with the Dodgers.
Why? Because we are not a winning ball club. Not just this year but for the past 19 and 1/2 years. The Dodgers are only average or below at best. That is reality.
We want those big trades and signing, but it is the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Mets, Phillies, White Sox, etc. that the good players want to play for.
Blake saw a curve ball thrown to Kent, so he knew one was coming and that is something that DeWitt and LaRoche couldn’t do.
Say what???
Anyone who has ever played the game, from Little League on up, pays attention to what is being thrown, asks the batter what he saw, talk about it on the bench, etc.. Every coach, from Little League on up watches the pitcher looking for tips and patterns – what pitches are working and what pitches are not working. For some talking bozo to suggest something like that is ridiculous, or, to think that our young Major League players somehow miraculously got to this level having never paid attention to what a pitcher is throwing is ludicrous.
Who was it that said “has anyone here ever played this game?”
And then there is this from Pete Rose – “see the ball, hit the ball”. That has been a mantra for years.
Some times these guys say the dumbest things just to hear themselves talk.
Jerry,
I think practically every manager in baseball would have done the same as Torre in removing Kuroda.
But you need to pay attention Jerry, Kuroda gave up 2 in the 3rd, not the 1st and 5 in the 4th!
Next year, Kent, Nomar, Furcal and Lowe come off the books. That’s about $40 mil. Then, the next year Jones, Penny and Schmidt come off. That’s another $40 mil.
We could sign Tex and Hudson next year for $40 mil.
Then if we could trade Pierre, we would have another $9 mil off the books. Ned couldn’t pull that off, but someone could.
I think with our young pitchers and prospects, lots of Free Agents will come here, especially since Joe Torre and Don Mattingly are in charge on the field. Now, I know Tex wants to go to Baltimore, but I doubt they will pay him.
We might squeek in this year, but next year is the year!
Well, it’s obvious that Ned was right: Casey Blake is a player and if he wants to go back to Cleveland, he doesn’t show it!
Roger,
I guess it is wait till next year …kind of. I am not saying I am happy about it but I just don’t see how we are one move away from being a contender.
I am not being sarcastic but: Tell me what move you would make that makes us a contender? And please put serious thought into it. What i mean is a lot of times fans come back with a Trancoso, Kuo, Hu & DeWitt for Alex Rodriguez type idea. What moves make us contenders THIS year. And remember at the end of the day we are struggling to stay near .500
I was not in favor of trading anyone to get Tex.
I would trade for Manny in the right deal, but I doubt that it will happen.
We just need to get more experience for Martin, Ethier, Kemp and Loney. They are all stepping up, especially Kemp.
Blake is a nice player.
Here’s the key. Two things:
1. Healthy pitchers – Penny, Kuroda and Saito
2. Healthy Kent & Nomar
Not all have to happen, but if the pitchers are healthy and Kent and Nomar are healthy, we have as good a shot as anyone.
I haven’t given up.
Badger, the Kent / Blake curve ball deal, that Kennedy talked about — I understand.
How many times I have watched Kemp, Loney, Ethier, DeWitt, LaRoche take pitches right down the middle, then swing at balls out of the strike zone — I am tired of counting.
I understand what Kennedy was getting at. He is also tired of most of the younger player not sizing up pitchers better. They are learning, and players like Nomar, Kent, and Blake will help them to be more prepared to hit “their pitch” and not swing at so many of the pitchers pitches (the sucker ones).
What is frustrating is, these guys have been hitting around .300 for two years, but have still been fooled so much. When they get to thinking hitting more — they will be terrrrrific.
Hey troops, I need a little help. I have been listening to Vin since I was about 5 with my dad. I absolutely love the man. I almost feel bad asking this, but since I am 56 now and make Kojak look like a long hair, is Vin wearing a rug?
No. I have been a foot away from him… literally!
Blake is a nice player. He is not Texeiera, Dunn, Bay, Manny…. I could go on. I still think we could get his .270 .339 OBP with LaRoche.
Key to winning – keep the other team under 3 runs.
I get what you are saying Roger, I just think that for our players to get this far without paying attention to what pitchers are throwing to get people out is funny. I mean, this is a concept I have known about for 50 years. I would think Dodger coaches and players are talking amongst themselves before, during and after games. Maybe not with this group.
Moreno is going for it, and I believe he has a shot at it. The Dodgers? Everything must go our way. It is possible for a .500 team to win it all, but, the odds are still very much against us. I agree with Romey on this one – what makes us believe we have enough to beat the elite teams, every series on the road? Hope? Yeah, I got that all right. But, what I hope for today, or tomorrow, is a move by Jed.
Jerry might not have had the innings exactlyright, but he was correct in principle. Torre pulled another Jim Tracy the other night by leaving Kuroda in until he gave up 7 runs in 32/3 innings. He was had the stuff of a batting practice pitcher in the 4th and gave up all those runs with two outs. It was pathetic and Torre obviously gave up on the game we ended up losing 7-6. If he had pulled his butt after the 5th run had scored we’d a still had a fighting chance to come back. 7 runs and it’s scrub time. I was so made after the 5th run scored that I almost threw my Molson Ice at the tv. My wife restrained me pointing out that I’d not only rupture the Plasma screen but waste a truly fine Canadian Beer for what? If we were at the park and the can might hit Torre upside the head it might have knocked some sense into him, but that ain’t happennin’ long distance from Seattle through a tv screen… And even if I was at Dodger Stadium, throwing a beer at Torre would only get me arrested. He has so many rocks in his head, the blow wouldn’t even wake him up from that deep slumber he falls into once the ump shouts: “Play ball!”
A trade for one player that actually is DOABLE that will bring us a realistic chance of advancing in the playoffs? That’s easy, trade prospects for Bay.
Just don’t send anyone on the active Roster.