14 Responses to “Use Your Brains People!”

1. Badger says:

   January 10, 2009 at 10:06 AM

   I have always liked Abreu’s bat too. But, since we already have 2 second basemen, do we really need a third? Unless of course you plan on sending DeWitt down to play everyday – or use him in a trade to bring us a starter.

   I like all three of those pen pitchers, and back-pedaling from Piazza seems like a good idea to me, so I won’t hold that against Mota.

   Kapler is a good idea too. Repko is what he is and I don’t see him being any more than what he has been. Kapler is a better 4th. But, will he sign to be a 4th?

   I have no problem with signing a couple of maybe washed-ups to stock our AAA team, but we had some of those last year and never used them. I doubt we will use any of those guys this year either. We are more likely to bring up legit prospects from our AA team, like we have done in the past.

   Dog Days huh? Well, any day we can sign whatever thumper we have decided upon. Still no great rush, but, the time approaching ST is getting thinner as we type. Give Manny his third year and make him happy. I want a happy Manny showing up. If Manny is happy, everybody is happy.
2. Roger says:

   January 10, 2009 at 10:39 AM

   Hi folks. Time to jump back on the board.

   Nov-Dec were tough months for me, schedule wise. I was teaching a course that had hours of prep each day. Writing deadlines, and taking care of my wife who is not what she was a year ago health wise.

   Anyway — I have checked the board from time to time that I had time to do so — there have been a lot of great post here.

   If I had a chance to choose between Kapler and Repko — I pick Kapler in a heart beat. Repko seems to have the injury bug in him — and he looked terrible when he came up last year. Many times he took 3 straight strikes and did not take the bat off his shoulder. I think maybe he is just a AAA player at best.

   Manny is being Manny. If the Dodgers do not sign him — the Dodgers will not be as good or win as many games.

   Right now, with the roster — the Giants have better pitching. The D-Backs have better pitching. Watch out for the Giants — we might not score many runs against them, all season.

   Also, right now, the Dodgers do not have as good a pitching roster as they did last year. Face it, Lowe was just about the best pitcher in all the majors that last month of the season.
3. Badger says:

   January 10, 2009 at 10:49 AM

   Watch out for the Giants. I agree Roger. Also agree about Lowe. How can you not miss 211 innings of 3.24 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.

   I just checked Estes’ 3 year splits and his lh avg. against is .190 with a .600 OPS. He has only faced 42 in that span, but, he got them out. Maybe he is being looked at as Beimel’s replacement.
4. Mark says:

   January 10, 2009 at 10:54 AM

   We have 2 second basemen, but Abreu has a chance to win the job, I believe. The player he most resembles to me is a switch-hitting version of Orlando Hudson – Great Defense, Good Contact Bat, Good Speed. He’s 24 and has never been asked to steal a lot, but I think he’s a guy who can steal 20+ bases, if needed. Maybe we already have the equivalent of the O-Dog with the A-Dog! If he wins the job we have the option of trading DeWitt or getting him some more AB’s at AAA. Then we could trade Blake, who has a desirable contract to a team who might lose a 3B mide-season. We have lots of options…
5. Mark says:

   January 10, 2009 at 10:58 AM

   If we don’t sign Reyes, we could see Estes via for that sitational LH spot…

   Don’t forget about Jason Schmidt.

   I also expect much better years from Kuroda and Kershaw.

   It would be nice to add Sheets, too. However, so far it doesn’t look like the Dodgers are interested.

   Elbert, Lindblom, Stults, McDonald. Those are some very nice arms!
6. mario says:

   January 10, 2009 at 12:07 PM

   Totally agree on Abreu. the few times we seen him play, the guy was able to flat out hit. the guy never looked bad swinging the bat. and I remember him playing very good defense at second and third. hopefully he can be this years DeWitt, but hopefully with a better avg.
7. Roger says:

   January 10, 2009 at 12:27 PM

   Mark, as you say, Elbert, Lindblom, Stults, McDonald. Those are some very nice arms!

   Reality is that major league pitching is not as easy as it looks to us card collectors. Kershaw looked great a few games — then in the end, he was overthrowing, not hitting the zone, and some of the magic was lost.

   Almost every team in the major — has promising arms in the minor leagues. They all have young power kids just a step away.

   I feel that Ned will bring in another key pitcher, one way or another. But promise, nice looking arms, injury guys are all guesses — and most of them will be average. Not all guys are like a Fernando, one who comes in a lights up the league.

   And of all those second basemen on the roster — in my mind do they even have combined the stuff of what Jeff Kent had, say, four years ago? Kent was a key bat in 2005 for us with 29 HR, 105 RBI, and .289 average.
8. mark says:

   January 10, 2009 at 1:52 PM

   Saito is a RedSox Turncoat!
9. Harold says:

   January 10, 2009 at 4:10 PM

   There’s no way we have an offensive player like Jeff Kent for 2B again, maybe ever. He was offensive in other ways too. We can live without that if some other position players gives us those numbers or close to them.

   I don’t know that much about Abreu. I do know he had a bit of an attitude when he was sent down to AAA. Perhaps that was related to his ailment. I like Blake Dewitt’s down and dirty style of play. I don’t know if he will grow as a hitter but I hope so. Grinders are important in baseball too. I expect in due course he may have Casey Blake numbers.

   Roger – tell me a bit about your card collection. I have a small one and have retreated to collecting Dodgers, instead of sets, after all the marketing ploys by the card companies. Also, Canada and Nova Scotia in particular, are big into hockey. Lots of those available but not much baseball. I buy my cards from Sportlots now. Just got a small shipment for Topeka – all young Dodgers.

   GO DODGERS!!
10. Mark says:

    January 10, 2009 at 9:41 PM

    Harold,

    Abreu was hurting and for some reason, medical staff coun’t find the reason at first. It was first alleged that he didn’t play hurt, but 2 surgeries later, it was evident that he had a hip problem (since fixed). This year should be the one he gets a chance to shine. I really thing 2B could be his!
11. Roger says:

    January 10, 2009 at 10:33 PM

    Harold, my card collection.

    I have from my youth, the 1954, 1955 Topps sets, both complete. Value there is over $16,000 — because of all of the rookie cards: Clemente, Kaline, Aaron, Koufax, Banks, etc.

    I have almost everything from 1974 or 1975 through 1995; all of the different companies including Canada. I stopped at the beginning of 1996. Just ran out of room and the big deal then was not the sets, but the sub-sets, elite super sub-sets . . . the hobby got out of control then.

    I must have from 750,000 to 1,000,000 cards in all. All sets in binders. Many many monster boxes in order with second and multi cards.

    My son, still in school, going from his 4th degree kind of wants them in the future — but does not have time for them now. So about six months ago, I rented space in a rental place and have most of it there. Will bring over the monster boxes in the next month. There was just too much here — took up so much space.

    Maybe, to a super rich person wanting to purchase the entire stuff — I might sell. But it would take a medium size YouHall to take it away.
12. Roger says:

    January 10, 2009 at 10:38 PM

    I am thinking of bringing charges against Roger Clements. Back about 1995, I purchased a 1989 Topps lot of about 50 or 60 of card #450.

    And now that he is out there to hang — the cards probably have any value. But, if he were clean, went into the Hall — those 50 or 60 cards would have made some money.

    In fact, I should bring charges against all of those players in the 1980s and 1990s that I have their rookie cards and are now out to hang. McGuire, Sosa, etc.
13. mark says:

    January 10, 2009 at 10:38 PM

    Roger,

    Show him your Walter Johnson card…
14. Harold says:

    January 11, 2009 at 7:55 AM

    Roger – that is fantastic. I had many cards from ’53 -’57, not nearly complete. When we moved from Lunenburg, NS to Edmonton, Alberta in 1957, I thought my life was over. I gave all those cards to a friend who subsequently lost them in a house fire.

    I have only about 60,000 cards, having started in the mid-eighties to collect. As I say, I gave up a few years ago trying to collect sets as the marketing ploys made it not only expensive but frustrating. I now buy Dodger cards only.

    My absolute favorite card ever is the 1954 Duke Snider card. Duke is also my favorite player, and it was extremely difficult to get that card back then. I did give it away but acquired another about 20 years ago.

    About four years ago we went to a flea market in Halifax. I came across some cards, quite a few, that were absolutely perfect. They were 1955 cards and so perfect I thought they were archived cards. I picked out Podres, Spooner, Labine and Jackie Robinson and stuffed them in my shirt pocket. There were no other Dodgers. On the way home I took them out of my pocket to show Jamie, our son. He was astute enough to look on the back and see they weren’t reprints. I paid $1.00 a card, also for Jackie’s. I was upset that I had not looked at the others more carefully but relieved I didn’t know. I don’t think I could have taken them at that price knowing the true value of them and not telling the gentleman selling them.

    GO DODGERS!!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks