The Top 10 - In No Particular Order

I have no clue where this “Debacle in the Ravine will take us, but I’d say Jamie does not have the upper hand.   No, I’m not going to speculate on who we will sign and who we won’t or who we should trade.  Today, I just want to do some “farming.”  Let’s take a look at the Dodgers top prospects. Read the full story

I have read extensive analysis of which match-ups are the best for the Dodgers in the NLDS, which is a lot like all the baseball pre-season predictions.  I read all those magazines (and save them, which shows how stupid I am) and then go back and see how the prognosticators fared.  A monkey throwing darts at players names would be more accurate. 

These people PRETEND to have some special ability to foresee the future because of their vast baseball knowledge.  PURE RUBBISH!  To try and analyze (AND PREDICT) that the Cardinals are the best match-up for the Dodgers is like doing your taxes by starting at the bottom line and working up.  It’s silly and dis-honest! 

Look, no one knows what will happen at a time when ANYTHING can happen.  Who will step up?  It could be someone like Raffy or Russ Martin, who have had less than stellar seasons.  Casey Blake could be the MVP.  Vicente Padilla could be lights out.  Chad Billingsley could pitch a perfect game (OK, I got carried away on that one).   Maybe Manny will find his stroke and hit like last year (OK, now I am really delusional).  The point is – we play the Cards.  We have to beat the Cards to go on.  Read the full story

It’s tempting to only write about Chad Billingsley’s meltdown in the 5th inning, but really, what lost the game for us was again a lack of hitting.   Andre Ethier had 3 hits and the rest of the team didn’t show up.  We do have a new LH pinch hitter: Doug Mientkiewicz.  With Jim Thome on the roster is it possible that we will keep both for postseason play?  I doubt it!   The Dodgers have been in a malaise for a while, except for and occasional outburst.  I am not panicking at this point because I would rather get hot LATE!  The Cards are white hot -it’s doubtful they can stay that way.  The same thing happened to the Rox.  Hopefully we will get HOT at the right time.

Which brings me back to C-Bill.  He was pitching a perfect game through four innings, then a one-out double (it broke up his perfect game), and then he pitches out of the stretch – BANG first pitch HR!  Is that the inside book on C-Bill?  When he goes to the stretch does he automatically come in with a fastball strike?  Maybe he shouldn’t pitch out of the stretch and maybe he shouldn’t throw a fastball strike on the first pitch after a base-runner gets on.  Of the first 12 batters he faced, he had 9 first pitch strikes (8 were fastballs).  They were sitting on that pitch and that was the game.  The other two runs were of the ticky-tack variety.  If Blake were at 3B, both might not have scored.  Belliard is not a Read the full story