text:
Quick turnaround
Interesting game last night…certainly not enough offense but obviously there was a little fracas in the eighth as frustration boiled over from Matt. He certainly sounded remorseful after the fact, as that's never the way you want things to turn out, but in this case, it obviously happened and we'll have to await word from the league office on the ramifications.
There are plenty of people who are of the school of thought that a fight of this nature can often create team unity and get the team fired up. I know that in 2002, Jeff Kent credited his dugout dust-up with Barry Bonds as the turning point in the season that saw them eventually reach the World Series.
Who knows if it's a real effect or a perceived one or how it will affect the team today and down the road, but it's certainly made for good fodder on DodgerTalk, message boards and this blog. In any event, here's today's lineup for the afternoon matinee.
Pierre LF
Kemp CF
Ethier RF
Martin C
Loney 1B
DeWitt 3B
Maza 2B
Hu SS
Kershaw LHP
272 Comments
I'm never first. I just hope you're right and last night's fight will get this team turned around. I know Matt will probably be suspended for the fight. I just hope for not too long; we need him too much!
Go Clayton!
Go Dodgers!
Nice…Maza, Hu and Pierre. Not exactly Ruth, Gehrig and Mize, huh?
I'm going to the stadium on Friday, so I hope Kemp isn't suspended, or at least appeals it until after I get to see him. 🙂
Do the cubs who were 66-96 with Pierre in 2006 miss him? The dodgers are 110-110 with Juan Pierre. If that's good. Cool, if not then start complaining like the rest of us or shut up and stop trying to make me think he is good.
From previous thread:
Dodgerboy – thanks for the compliment – I am just trying to keep up most of the time. You should try doing a song – it's very theraputic, and it's addictive (in a good way).
I guess Pierre is still "Pierre." uggghhhh!!!! Why won't they just try giving a chance to Ethier, Kemp and Young. Sara the thought of Pierre in CF again is just frightening.
we need a t-shirt for James ("My Loney has a first name")
It would be very cool!!!
jhall – "UNACCEPTABLE" (whichever version you choose) would make a good shirt too – lol!!
Exactly Jungar, For the life of me can not understand what people see in Slappy. He is NOT a good baseball player he is average at best!
To DNEL from yesterdays post……
Thanks for the good luck but we LOST!!! 😦
We have to play again tonight and win to stay alive in the Tournament. It didn't help that only 9 boys showed up for the game!!
I hope Kersh is on his game today and doesn't try and do to much like last game.
Go Dodgers!!!
Pierre had a about a 10 game stretch this year where he HIT well (notice I didn't say "played" since his outfield play is always limited), but the rest of the time he's been the same old Slappy Juan for 4, easy out for the other team. And now this year Penny stinks as well. Ugghhhh!!
jungar – THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why won't they listen?
Hey, jnv – sorry about your team – maybe you will be the comeback team 🙂
that is what we are hoping for!!! LOL
My wife is going to bribe the boys and let them know if they win tonight and friday night then we are taking them out for pizza and ice cream and they get to get me with the ice cream!!
Here's a scary stat – after being MIA for the past 25 games, Rafael Furcal still leads the Dodgers in runs scored with 34. Tied for second (and not even close) with 28 are Russell Martin and Matt Kemp.
Our replacement leadoff hitter? Juan Pierre is sixth with 23 runs scored.
You just need more around a bunch of 24 year olds (if trying to win now) than Pierre, a 40 year old Kent. Nomar, Loazia, Schmidt and others have already sorted themselves out. We barely had enough with Furcal. We need an impact bat, as obvious by lack of Furcal, cause he was an impact bat and it shows…but we need that Piazza, Sheff type hitter who can hurt with power, a walk or a single to right. Martin is close.
Hey guys,
I just met Sandy Koufax at my country club for about the third or fourth time. He comes up and plays about twice a year with his good friend and former Dodger second baseman, Dick Tracewski. But anyway I was talking to him about Kershaw, and he said that he didn't work with him, but he saw him down in Vero, and he said that he hasn't seen somebody like him in a long time and that he is going to be a star for a long time. If Sandy is singing his praises, he's gotta be something special.
Yeah Crash. I noticed last night that Raffy still leads the Dodgers in a number of offensive categories. That is a very scary stat. Isn't he still leading in RBIs too?
Also from the last thread regarding Pierre getting picked off second base:
I'm telling you, watch Pierre when he (manages to) get on base against a lefty. He has trouble reading them. I'd love to find a split somewhere that breaks that down so that I'd know if it's fact or my horribly prejudiced vivid imagination.
That small hat size of JP has got to factor in somewhere…
I wonder if Colletti wears the same size?
Loney leads in RBIs with 32.
A true test of leadoff men: Raffy has 34 runs in 31 games when leading off (more than a run per game – he's the man, when healthy)
Pierre has 13 runs in 27 games when leading off – about one run every two games – that's pathetic
That's incredibly cool, brown! There's probably not a blogger reading this that isn't insanely jealous!
I'm hearing this praise from Koufax and putting it along side that quote from Jerry West after he saw Kobe Bryant's workout before the draft when he said it was the best workout he'd ever seen anyone ever have. It means so much more coming from someone like those guys.
As I've been saying we need some offense and Matt Kemp provided some.
Let's hope it works out for the better.
If there's such a thing as a "must" game this sure qualifies as one.
I'd hate to lose two straight right now to this team.
Not with the Cubs coming to town.
We'd have a tough enough challenge on our hands without having to forget about losing to a depleted Rockies team.
Let's hope we can do something against Aaron Cook and give some support to the kid.
crash – you would think any of the top 5 in runs scored could be lead off (Kemp 28, Martin 28, Ethier 27 and Loney 27) plus Pierre is only in the top 5 in OBP (5th) and steals. If he is so great, shouldn't he be at the top of the hits category?
Listening to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – that has definite song potential – lol!!!
jnv – sounds fun!!!!! – lol!
thx Crash… I've gotta go clean up around here and then watch Kershaw pitch!
Go Clayton!
Go Dodgers!
how about a "Free DY" shirt. He gets out once a month, other than that he is on 23 hours a day lockdown. Joe try something new. What is the old saying, if you continue to do the same thing over and over with the same results, you are an idiot!
Go Clayton!!!
As long as Furcal is out of the lineup, I don't expect anyone else leading off but Pierre. Regardless of his stats.
Also Pierre is not the reason we are losing so many games, right now.
Meeting Koufax, a dream come true. That is awesome, I had the fortune of meeting him at Dodger Fantasy Camp, got a picture with him and an autographed baseball. You feel heavenly when you leave his presence. I got to see him work with Greg Miller at ST this year I am hoping it is starting to show.
PierreEW I agree he is not the only reason, but he is part of the problem. I just want Joe to try something new besides benching Ehtier and Young. Their potential is limitless and unknown. We know we will get 4 weak at bats from Pierre, a failed bunt attempt and a weak groundball to SS.
PierreEMW, Your right he isn't the reason we are losing so many games, but he sure is not going to help us win games either!!
He needs to sit out and let us see what an outfield of Ethier, Kemp and Young can do and let RM lead off
Dodgerboy – we may have to add "Free Andre" to the list when Andruw comes back, but I agree with that one for now ("Free DY") –
PierreEW – I know what you are saying, but that doesn't mean I have to like it 🙂 lol!!
almost game time – I am at lunch right now, and then I have 50 more minutes until my 2007-08 school year is complete. So, I am going to let my class watch the first few innings and hopefully James gets a hit so we can sing the song. (MLK and Leefink, hopefully this carries through the summer and they come back remembering the song – that would be way too cool!!)
How can you say he is not a reason. I have always said he is part of the problem not the problem but to go back further..Pierre teams since 2003 have a combined record of under .500. It's not a coincidence.
I agree with earlier posters that Kemp needs to follow Russ Martin's example on how to play, but that's basically true of everyone on the team. I think Martin should be made Captain in the off-season, and I think that he will one day be the manager of the Dodgers. As Steve Lyons pointed out, even though you don't like to see the fight, Martin and Loney–and Ethier too–were the first guys into the scrum, and you have to at least like that these guys will immediately get each other's backs. (And Pierre is probably the right guy to try to calm down the Bison–he may not have the physicality, but he can catch him speed-wise, and for all the grief we give him, he is a veteran who know to calm the situation.)
Kemp, however, continues to learn and grow–he's still but 23. And while you can't like what happened in the game, the way he dealt with it after was pure class–compare that to Clint Hurdle who completely ignored the facts that: i) Torrealba pushed Kemp for really no reason; ii) gave him a hard tag in the stomach; and iii) punched him in the face. I think Torrealba was still hot from the "brush-back" pitch frmo Cory Wade, which was an 0-2 fastball that was supposed to be high and outside to get Torrealba to chase it, but got away from Wade–and as a catcher, Torrealba should know. And then he refused to answer questions or take any responsibility after the game.
The offense, however, really needs to get going. The pitching has not been stellar (starting and relief problems–and unfortunately not great relief when we have had good starting, and reverse), but the pitching has kept us in. There is no reason that teh offense cannot turn around–the talent is obvious, and, except for needing a little power to come on, you can see it's there, once if starts coming consistently. Don't give up on the year, but most importantly, be optimistic about this year and years to come.
Public Enemy #1
Lotta pitches, but nice.
A better than average first inning for Kersh.
Now the important thing, the guys with the lumber.
For those of you watching the game on MLB.com, doesn't that photo of Kershaw look like Hershiser?
Phew, what's that smell!!!
Way to get things started JP!!!
eric – yes it does!!
Brewers are at it again. This time they're giving the snakes the old Keilbasa 5 to 1, top 4th. Vinny just called Kersh, Clayshaw. I like it.
The cause of our Losing ways, mostly is the lack of offense from the entire team. IMO
Especially with RISP. All are at fault.
But I believe it is a lack of major league experience in some cases.
And with more playing time TOGETHER it will straighten itself out.
Not a way to get started with Cook on the mound. We can't take advantage of the D'backs terrible showing as we are doing the same.
At times we show some life, but it quickly disappears…
Come on guys, I'm getting sick of this.
Kershaw will learn you have to pitch from ahead at this level. He is still struggling with his command. Dewitt should have had the liner but it was smoked and had a lot of top spin and that makes it a heavy ball when it hits the glove.
We knew we had to score some runs so lets go…hit this bum!
Now, where's our Home Run to tie it????????????????
Thats the way to get us started Russ, come on loney we need a gapper!
Pierre, agreed that the hitting w/RISP is the biggest problem with our offense right now, and also agreed that it will probably work its way out. Looking at the BAs in the lineup today, it's not bad. Pierre .282 Kemp .310, Ethier .301, Martin .315, Loney .280 DeWitt .293. Personally, I'm just frustrated at Torre for not EVER trying someone different in the leadoff spot. What's wrong with TRYING? One game?
On another note, wasn't Pee Wee Reese named captain of the Dodgers? And didn't we have another after him? What do you think of naming Martin as a captain. I think it's a good idea.
Lets make him work he is a little wild….no chasing
I am with you DodgerEric Martin epitomizes what you need in a team leader. They will probably give it to Pierre!
Fudge a hit after a DP, it never fails with this team!
When I state that I don't see anyone else but Pierre leading off in the absence of Furcal, I mean I don't think that Torre would put anyone else there.
Even though James grounded into a DP, my class sang the song anyway – they really do love this song, honest!! It will be the last time this class will sing it with me. I told them to keep singing it if they hear about him while they are watching ESPN or just listening the Oscar Mayer commercial.
MLK and leefink – you did good!!! 🙂
josh – this song needs to be made into a t-shirt
Kershaw needs a quick inning….love that Maza, he fits right in with our weak hitting middle infielders.
Let's get Laroche up here and move Dewitt to 2nd when needed. I'm sick of watching Maza and Hu not being able to contribute offensively…
Torre, where is your management abilities. It's not showing up very well. You have yet to impress me. Get Pierre out of there. He's not a lead-off asset at this point. He sucks
I think the Dodger batting averages are really very good but
They hit at the wrong time.
They are all doing good at setting the table but terrible at cleaning it off.
Not only the hitting out of synk, but their lack of patience at the plate is well known.
If they ever want to get anywhere this has to change.
good inning Kersh…lets get the bats ready. It would be even nicer if you would get ahead, but not a lot of pitches.
Maybe Kershaw should have kept the old number…. I'm with you guys in saying I have no idea what will wake this team up. Although it is becoming more and more appearant that this team really is not built for this year. We have to be excited about the young guys getting experience, but like I've said all along, we have got to get someone who is a power hitting RBI man. It's going to be a while before we get the power numbers we're looking for from Loney, Kemp, and so on…. Martin is still having a great year despite the changes in the lineip all the time…. Well, here's to hoping that somehow we can actually make a run….. this division is VERY WINNABLE!!
More Keilbasa and the Brewers are slathering on the mustard. 10-1 top 5th.
0 for his last 21 at bats. What the hell are they waiting for???
Hu needs to go to Vegas.
0 for 22
10-1 Brewers…the Snakes are giving us every opportunity to get back into thiis race…Come on Dodgers sense the urgency….
How would like to be a ML pitcher knowing you have to face
Hu, Kershaw, and Pierre…What a cupcake inning!
Our offense is really not anything other than OFFENSIVELY BAD!!
Keep Maza around, send Hu down, bring up LaRoche.
Yeah, I agree 110% dodgerboy, what the hell are we waiting for!?!?!? The division is totally there for the taking, and the D-Backs have come back down to earth…. What will it take…. Are we trying to win NOW, or are we waiting for something that may never come!?!?
That was a tape measure shot by Pierre! Someone measure it…63 feet I believe!
Boy, Juan is really jumpstarting the offense!
Speed Kills!!! Potential Rallies is what it kills…FKDKFEFL:!!!
This is such a joke-even when we manage to get a runner on-which rarely happens with this crap offense-we either hit into a dp or get caught stealing-its so frustrating!!!
I hope Cook tired out a little in that 3rd, otherwise if he keeps this up it looks like another lost cause.
Unless he makes a few mistakes.
Well put david86.
82 pitches in 3 innings. I love him, but he sure is raw. I hope they keep him here so we can watch him develop. I really don't think it matters where he does his growing up as long as his mental makeup allows him to handle it.
Anyone else here think that 2 runs might be enough for a Colorado win?
What the hell is Kemp swingin at there on strike 2.
Cy Cook
Kemp can have a great nite like monday or looks totally out of it like today. Really bad swings at lousy pitches.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Why cant we get a break, even when we manage to hit a ball hard its right at someone it seems, every time
Well, for all of the "talent" that we have…. we all need to remember that they are extremely RAW and that they have a lot of growing still… it's going to make for a LONG year.
Lets face it, we suck against average to good pitchers. We can even make the worst of pitchers look pretty good, and against a pitcher like Cook, we make him look like a great pitcher.
This is the first year for me to have MLB.TV and I'm totally pissed that the Dodgers who I thought would run away with this division this year are just plodding along. WAKE UP DODGERS. I want to see some good games, Maybe a come from behind win once.
It's only been 16 inning since we had a run maybe the law of averages will step in and help out.
I have confidence that this will all end.
If not today, someday.
I don't mean these present scoreless innings I mean the poor offense that we've seen for a quite a while now. LOL
Throw him another big curve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Padres think we have problems scoring runs!
that was one hell of a snap dragon to Helton…
Stop it with the CY crap
lol Spilbourgh with 3 bb's. You think that was Helton with those 3 bb's.
Raffy is the key…You have someone at the top that can make things happen and hits with power it makes it a lot harder on the opposition.
Kershaw way to battle. He did not get support in the minors and it is carrying over to the Bigs!
Come on Loney this is a chump pitching
Come on Loney this is a chump pitching
I tell you the truth this season is going a lot better than I expected, I thought we'd be battling the Giants for 4th place.
Thats a break, lets see if we can get a 2 run homer like they did.
Come on rookie of the month hit the ball hard
Well, this inning is over…………………….****
Wow how predictable was that. Now we have Hu, Pitchers spot and Pierre again. Cook must be salivating pitching to this lineup.
What do we do!?!?!? Do we make a big trade? Do we suck *** this year and wait for next year?!?!? Do we start a fire sale!?!?!? Any ideas? I'm open to them all…. It just feels like a lose, lose situation!!! This is by far the most frustrating season I've ever had in my 27 years of being a Dodger fan…. Only because of the expectations of this great group of young talent mized with veteran leadership…. and for whatever reason this team has got 0 chance of getting anywhere. On top of that, we've not had a legit power hitter for about 4 or 5 years now…. How long do we have to go and continue to hear managers say crap like " we're just not going to be able to hit a lot of homeruns, and we need to manufacture runs, it's really not bad, we've just got to hit 4 singles in a row to score a run, we'll be fine" I'm so sick of hearing that " we'll be fine…. we're just stuck in a rut" Anyone with me!?!?!?
That was a good outing by KERSHAW
It would be a good start if we could score some runs.
A Dodger pitcher has a rough job.
Great Job CHAN HO
Tell me…. how good can a team be that has had 3 managers in the last 4 years, 3 general managers in the last 4 years, and the longest tenure player is 3 and a half years….. Something is SERIOUSLY wrong there.
Ive never seen a franchise lack power like the Dodgers do. This is pathetic. Great now Joltin Joe Hu is up to bat.
They should have a fight every game!! That was exciting!!
i'm joking 😉
We have to give them a chance.
If no change by the All Star Break, maybe make a change.
It's up to management.
They may just mature and start getting better offensively.
Only time will tell.
Vin just said that their centerfielder is playing the most shallow center you would ever see, even with a pitcher up. And guess who's up? Pierre!
Do we have a come from behind victory in this team at all???????????
that's why we love Vinny lol
I'd like to see the Fightin' Bison knock one out here.
You know you are in trouble when you have just 4 hits and 2 of them measure a combined 90 feet. This is painful.
I'll take it Matt!
Damn why can't we play the Reds every day?!?
Can our scouts tell what a power hitter looks like……..
Come on Ethier, Where's that power you were showing in spring training???
brandondaughrity asked, "What do we do!?!?!? "
"Do we make a big trade?"
Not if it costs us the youth we have up here right now.
"Do we suck *** this year and wait for next year?!?!?"
"Do we start a fire sale!?!?!?"
That would be incredibly stupid.
"Any ideas?"
Sit back. Relax. It's a game, not life and death.
"This is by far the most frustrating season I've ever had in my 27 years of being a Dodger fan…. "
I've been one for 49 myself.
"Only because of the expectations of this great group of young talent mized with veteran leadership"
The veteran leadership has been more mixed than the young talent. Name me one vet that has performed to expectations. One.
"Anyone with me!?!?!?"
Yep, as long as you don't trade my kids.
That Tie K_E_M_P with Loney with 32RBI for team lead.
Well that little drought is over.
Squeaked out a run on Cy Cook!!
PATIENCE We'll get there.
Quintanilla kinda looks like Lorenzo Mata
Well dodgereric…. I'm basically saying that expectations were high prior to the season starting. If the players we've had that were vets had even come close what we expected, then we'd be in great shape… but, no, I agree with you, not one of them have… We had no wiggle room to allow for that either. And as far as relaxing… I do, after the games are over, and I get over it, but during the game, I can get awfully frustrated and passionate, I've grown up rooting for this team, and have seen an awful lot of good and bad, but I also expect them to at least contend, and it's very difficult to watch them just be an OK team with a bright future.
Got to pull this one out. Losing a series in our house to a struggling team that has been the door mat of the NL so far is;
Ethier hit a HR and is benched the next game. Young hits two doubles, which was most of the Dodger's offense, and is benched the next day. Pierre costs us runs with his running and lack of a good arm and he keeps playing. It really makes you wonder what Torre's problem really is. He certainly is not demonstrating anything near a HOF manager's mentality. The Dodgers would be much better off this year if Torre was still managing the Yankees. But unfortunately the Yankees were smarter than the Dodgers once again.
COOK is nearing 100, that sometimes is good news.
If he comes back in.
Between Ned and Torre, they don't have two brain cells to rub together.
It's becoming real obvious that Torre would rather LOSE with his favorite veterans than win with the kids. How pathetic!!
So jhall and redfox think that because they can post anonymous comments on message boards they are smarter than the manager… and of course.. every game we lose is because of Pierre. even though his stats are better than Loney's right now… and I don't hear anyone saying "Loney sucks… lets bench him and bring up some prospect from Vegas to play first!"
It isn't Torre's fault that Furcal got hurt.. it isn't his fault that they have to play a bunch of inexperienced kids in the lineup every day.. it isn't his fault that no one on the roster can hit for power regularly..
Maybe it is Ned's fault…. but you cant get the kind of power hitter we need without giving up the guys you people are in love with…
It's a lot easier to complain on the computer than it is to actualy do the job of a big league manager…
Chan Ho Park has been awesome!!
Another great inning for PARK.
Now it's time to gang up in COOK.
Torre, what the #$%^&#$^%&^*#@#$%$%%% is wrong with your management of this team.
I'v said it before, here it is again, Torre is a mediocre manager at best. Another blunder by Ned. I would have rather had a green manager that puts some fire in this team.
Aw c'mon jhall, they do SO have two…….
brandon, I know exactly where you're coming from. Yes, expectations were high in the spring, but I think we were all expecting a 30/100 season out of Andruw, weren't we? Plug someone like that into the lineup and stick a healthy Furcal out there and we're in first place and not by a little bit. Crap happens, but hang in there. The fat lady ain't even in the building yet.
That's the problem, Torre is not doing the job of a big league manager.
He sucks at this job……..
But it is Torre's fault, Spanner, for who he plays. And if he doesn't field his strongest offensive team, there is no one else to blame.
And I think I'll have to amend my remark about the vets. Park is a vet and he's certainly outperforming expectations.
One more thing brandon. I remember listening to the game one evening a long time ago in my first car, a '63 Ford Galaxie sled. I got so mad I ripped the horn ring right off the steering wheel. I understand.
Yea Spanner, it's so anonymous that you know who we are. Get a clue dude.
Yeah you guys could manage better then Torre. Our 6-8 in the lineup today is just brutal. Blake is ok, but still nothing an opposing team should be afraid of in the 6th hole.
redfox, that's your opinion.. he plays who he has available to him.. The only substitution you guys ever suggest is benching Pierre and playing DY… an unproven player who you really don't know will do any better… That subtitution would NOT substantialy change the teams fortunes. Young is not a power hitter. He is playing the best lineup available to him right now.. everyone else is on the DL.
I think what's the most frustrating part is that this team shows no emotion, win or lose, they seem to not care. Some fire would be amazing…. I know, I know… I saw the fight last night, I'll tell you one thing… Matt Kemp for being bigger than Torrealba was taken down hard…. When I say fire, how about throw a Gatorade Jug, or pump a fist, or wave some arms for the fans to get excited… SOMETHING…. You watch other teams, and they seem like they're pumped… every year when you watch the playoffs you see it, on every team, and we just don't have it. Don't get me wrong, I wanted Milton Bradley gone just as much as anyone, but boy did he give a **** about this game. The same could be said for Loduca, and a few other guys we had, Brian Jordan was another one…. Ever since Lasorda retired, our managers have all been very boring and blah!! We need to show some EMOTION!
It wouldn't matter redfox without Pierre were still lose 1-0, Did Pierre save us a run our that 3rd base coach an idiot for stopping Cook?
Loney sucks? He is hitting .280 with 32 RBI and playing a very good 1st base….I do not know what you are watching but Loney is far from the problem.
Torre doesn't have a problem with a lineup that should produce but still struggling but I'm sorry he's trying everything he can really do about it.
lol calling Jim Tracy boring I guess. I like Tracy wonder what happen to him since he was fire from the Pirates.
PARK has still got it.
He may have lost it for a while but he's got it back IMO.
The Dodgers are playing well, it a good little team.
Just the trouble scoring runs.
They got to find a way.
COOK is still in there. He has to feel it.
Is it Torre's fault he has to choose between playing Maza or Hu at shortstop?
It's no win with either of those guys. Hopefully Furcal will be back soon as the other options in the minors aren't any better.
To be honest I wish we still have Bradley over Pierre.
We wouldn't had Ethier on this team if it wasn't for Bradley What you wanted Young at SS where he's a defensive liability at 2nd base? No one was complaining when Maza was batting over .400.
I'd take Bradley over Phew anyday.
DY should be our major PH, he's the best one we got.
Come on guys give us a walk off next inning.
Shut them down JOE.
Sweeney – out.
DY – hit.
Earlier someone had commented on LaRoche played 2B at Vegas. DeWitt actually played 2B for 93 games of the 2006 minor league season and his fielding stats are a wee bit better at 2B than 3B. LaRoche, on the other hand, has always been at 3B and it's only this year that they're playing him every which way. It means that DeWitt could be a long-term answer at 2B PROVIDED LaRoche plays himself into a position to even be considered a 3B starter.
Speaking of that liability at 2nd base he's in now.
DY got another hit…imagine that. The kid can hit and he has gap power not 2nd base power ie Pierre. Since we are struggling what do we have to lose trying him for 7-10 days in a row.
This is why Young should be PH over Swenney.
I think most of us knew Dewitt is a 2nd baseman and jsut maybe we could have an infield off LaRoche,Furcal,Dewitt and Loney not a bad infields.
We need a good outing by BIG JON, if just to get him straight.
Why would Mr Kent not pinch hit for Maza, down 1 run and Kent has been known to hit a home run or 2 in his day.
what's our record in one run games? It's got to be horrible… or at least it seems like it. We just can't seem to get over the hump. I like everyone else here, think we really need something emotional to happen, like a walk off homer, or a no hitter… I know that's a little far fetched, but you know what I mean.
I think most of us knew Dewitt is a 2nd baseman and just maybe we could have an infield of LaRoche,Furcal,Dewitt and Loney not a bad infield. I hate making typo. They should had an edit feature here.
I agree, we should have an edit button in here. Same for Ned.
Oh no, it's the hometown boy pitching – come on Dodger Blue!!!
Good to see BROXTON come through that inning Ah batter.
At least Bradley has some power.
Let's go ETHIER
If we were expecting Kemp to react with some care today after the fight last night, we did not really get what we were looking for….. SHOW SOME DAMN EMOTION!!!!
Come on Kemp. Throw a couple of bats, kick a water fountain, throw a couple of helmets, get some spark going in this lifeless team.
we're going to get clobbered again by the cubs. I may not even make the effort to watch those games
Ouch were the 2nd worst hitting team in day game batting .232 and cleveland .229 but were in top 10 in home average. Those splits are freaking weird were 3rd in average indoor
You're welcome, Colorado. D-Backs fall and the Dodgers just keep on losing. Welcome to The Wild, Wild National League Worst.
This team has NO FIGHT!! NONE…. They lay down and just roll over to the freakin' ROCKIES!!!! I'm an extremely patient person, but it's really wearing thin with these guys…. I can only imagine what Torre must be thinking!!
NL West is a joke. Im glad it stinks.
Oh well football season is close, time for some Sooner and Steeler football.
Bowa needs to have a meltdown, Joe will not. Something needs to change we cannot continue to give outs away our 7,8,9 hitters are easy pickings for the opposition and add Pierre, that is 4 automatic outs.
**** this ******* team. this is just out of control…ive never seen such a bunch of cry baby-emotionless losers- Once theyre down they just give up-and weve scored 2 or fewer runs in 15 of 26 games. its so damn pathetic, i dont even know if i can watch anymore
Very disappointing afternoon!!
We can't do nothing without our MVP in the lineup.
There is more fight in most T-ball teams than these guys have. Now to me this team is kind of like a train wreck…. you know something bad is going to happen, but you can't look away, you've got to watch it….. I really hope they do something soon, I fear the chances that Arizona is giving us are wearing thin…..
Wasted some pretty darn good pitching again.
I'd much rather have Bradley than Pierre. When Ned took over he had to choose between keeping Kent or Bradley, and he choose Kent. I said all along I would have rather kept Bradley if for only the age difference. It's true we wouldn't have Ethier, but we wouldn't have Pierre either. Would it have made this team better, who knows? I do know a team that loses 2 out of 3 at home to a depleted Rockies club is no good!
Giants losing 5-2 🙂
Kershaw didn't derserve to get his 1st loss like that without no runs support
The Pressure's all on the Cubs.
Maybe we'll do to them what these Rox did to us.
This seemed to be the typical happening here, all pitch no runs.
The only thing offensively today was Kemp tied Loney for the Dodgers 1st Place in RBI. with 32.
Park & Kuo have really looked good lately.
If Kershaw was pitching for another team he would've won today.
Hey Nelly. Bummer of a game, eh?!
The Giants are losing___That's good news DNELSON.
Well less than 12 hrs for the drafted tomorrow I wonder who were going to pick.
Geez, if we were just playing .500 ball the last couple of weeks, we would be in first place. Luckily the NL West is very weak this year or we'd already be buried.
oops less than 20 hrs
I really hate when TB getting the top pick and I bet the dback are thanking us big time.
Probably should draft some kids with lots of power potential. But we'll probably draft a LHP first.
DRAFT some power hitters!
First 32 games: 172 runs
Last 27 games: 85 runs
What exactly has changed? Our two worst hitters are hitting everynight. One leads the team in Abs during that time and has scored 13 runs in 27 games.
It's official..!!! The Dodgers lineup is a big JOKE….How are they supposed to win when their last 3 hitters are Maza, Hu, and the pitcher…The rest of the lineup isn't that great either, so having those 3 at the bottom is like the icing on a bad cake…All we can do is hope that this will affect Ned's job…otherwise, forget this season….We don't have great pitching…(think Penny, maybe Kuroda, Proctor, etc) and we have terrible offense…The only time we can hit is if we get a really bad pitcher…otherwise it's one or zero….I'm totally embarrassed by the product that is being put on the field. I know Furcal is out, but other teams have alot more players out and they get through alot better….and don't even say Andruw is out, because he was out before he got here.
drphedblnd no one is going to say Jones so no need to write an essay. This is how bad we missed Furcal. I don't think this offense can stay like this the rest of the way but seriously look at Oakland attendance. Most of there home game I found there average around 11,000+ in a 35,000+ capicity and they funny part there like 3.5 games back against the Angels or maybe we should average last than 20,000+ the rest of this monthat home for them to do something about it and get Sweeney and Hu off this team and called up LaRouche and Repko.
Yeah missing Furcie is huge, but geez this offense is brutal.
I was searching through all the pitchers and found another ala Pierre type lol.
Gose, Anthony Bellflower HS (CA) LHP L/L 6'01" 190 1990-08-10 HS 400K
Comments: Depending on how he develops, Gose could fit one of two types. He could be a Corey Patterson type, one who flashes brilliance and hits for power but strikes out a lot. He also could be a Juan Pierre type, a leadoff hitter who sprays line drives and steals bases. Either way, someone will draft the Urban Youth Academy product based on his projectability. Gose has also drawn plenty of interest for his ability on the mound, throwing as hard as 97 mph from the left side, but he's been fairly adamant about wanting to be considered an outfielder only.
Enhanced Scouting Report
at least spell "larouche" right
Yes, the game was certainly not what I expected. I left after the 2nd inning – had to take students out and home, and then we went out for late lunch. Like I said above, I let the students watch the first two innings hoping the James would get a hit so we could sing the James Loney song, but he grounded into a DP. We sang anyway in hopes he would do well later in the game.
I was hoping for a breakaway 9th inning – Ethier hitting a homerun off hometown boy,Fuentes, would have been nice, but it's okay – I can't be as hard on the Dodgers as some. I enjoy watching them play win or lose, and even more so when the kids are playing. I'm with PierreEW in that respect; I am willing to wait it out for the day that we will see a Dodger team that most of us have envisioned, even if that is tomorrow, a week, a month or a year from now – I'm with this team for the long haul – always have been. 🙂
BTW – MLK/leefink – can I have permission to make your song (My Loney Has a First Name) into a poster for next year. I want to add it to my baseball wall. I will make sure you two get full credit (your names will be laminated forever – lol!)
jhall and eric – I want to display your songs (about me) also somehow on the wall. My A's/Braves fan next door thinks those songs are fabulous and should be displayed. My students did know I was corresponding with other Dodger fans around the country, so they are aware that some of you are not from California. My baseball wall includes a map, and it displays where all the teams are located, and I have mentioned where some of you are from (Sacramento, San Diego, Los Angeles, Ohio, New York, Cruces, etc., etc.). Obviously, they don't know many of the songs for good reason – I edit myself pretty good – lol!! So, jhall, like you mentioned yesterday how I was an icon for Inside Dodgers, well, you and your fellow creative genius' are becoming icons in Mrs. Nelson's classroom 🙂
sorry for the long post
Who cares how you spelling it and this is not a spelling classes. You know exactly what I'm talking about and that the main point.
I got the spelling right with no spelling error so get over it.
Andre hasn't had an "0 for" day in quite a while – that benching he got yesterday must have done something to him.
kpookiemon@aol. talk about him doing the same thing and and I'm just copying him.
If you really wanted to be technical Joey that is the right way and I think you owe me an applogy.
Thanks Nelly. I'm honored. I like the idea of being a push pin in Columbus, Ohio. Hope the pin is Dodger Blue. LOL. If not, scarlet and gray is cool. HaHa. GO BUCKEYES!!! GO DODGERS!!!
Say what LaRouche is a former SS? Why in the hell is Hu still doing up here
Also, not just a homer Buckeye fan, I graduated from Ohio State.
I still can't believe we gave us Travis Denker for Sweeney. He probably didn't have a future here but I'd rather keep Denker.
Hey, jhall
My neighbor teacher is a big Grady Sizemore fan and wants to know if your are also an Indians fan.
and yes, of course, I only use Dodger Blue push pins – lol!
I've been a fan of this team since 1978 and I never seen a team that like to keep a couple of wash up veteran. It like every year there about 2 to 3 players than seem to have a pathetic season. I wonder what are season would look like if we didn't have Tomko, Hendrickson Gonzo and Saenz one of his worst year in a LA uniform last year and had Chad in the starting rotation from day 1. We could had Pierre played all 162 game and have Ethier and Kemp around 150+ seriously they probbaly would had been a nice 100+ winss season and notice I didn't say Schmidt I'm not given up on him just yet. Oh yeah and Loney around 155 games at 1st bases and Sanez/Nomar the other 7 games and platoon Betamit, Nomar and Ramon at 3rd. We would had definitely won the west last year and by a big margin. We could all dream can we.
Yeah Nelly, I root for the Indians. They're my AL team. Well run organization. l also root for the Reds when they aren't playing the Dodgers. Dodgers are and always have been my #1 favorite team. Wish we had Grady Sizemore.
We definitly could have won the West last year SHAD 78.
I think we would've had a great chance if our offense didn't turn cold and mostly because at about the same time the Rockies, D'back & Padres offense got remakedly better.
Very cool, jhall – Jill is very happy that you support the Indians. I have Jhonny Peralta on my fantasy team. When we went to the A's/Indians game, Peralta gave a pair of batting gloves to a young Indians fan – too cute and very cool!! Boy! wouldn't that be nice to have Grady instead of Andruw. An outfield of Andre, Grady and Matt would be fantastic!!! Power and awesome fielding. Grady is a lead off hitter, too. There goes the Pierre problem – lol!!! Only in our dreams, and if it were that simple – ha!!
Andre/Grady/Kemp and the team sans Phew and Andruw would be incredible.
Clayton Kershaw was charged with the loss in today's game. Here is a link to my recap of his performance: http://dodgersblog.mlblogs.com/archives/2008/06/kershaw_gets_his_first_loss.html
In the American League, I root for the New York Yankees. I live in New York so I feel almost obligated to support my hometeam. They're actually not doing as well as the Dodgers in 2008.
Just imagine had we signed Chase Utley when we drafted him out of high school….You want to talk about a great ballplayer. How good would he look in Dodger Blue. We can only dream about it, but what a great dream.
Just knowing what the Rox accomplished last year coming up through the division the way they did, makes anything possible, even when things seem so screwed up right now. There is still a whole lot of baseball left, and eventhough the Dodgers haven't been playing well, we could be a lot worse off. Only time will tell what will happen in the next three/four months of baseball. I have confidence the Dodgers will be just fine if we keep playing the kids and don't do anything stupid at the trade deadline.
Someone asked about our 1-run game record: We're now at 7 – 7. I find it interesting that we're 2 games under .500, but we've scored 10 more runs than we've allowed. One of those things.
Which leads me to some more interesting stats.
We're hitting .315 in our victories, but .215 in our losses.
We've scored 200 runs in the wins, and 57 in the losses.
I doubt those numbers are remarkable.
After yesterday's game, we were hitting (overall): .266 .335 .384 .719
With RISP: .265 .373 .362 .735
I find that interesting, don't you?
Two outs and RISP: .283 .408 .381 .789
Doesn't seem like it, does it?
In a tie game: .260 .341 .366 .707
Within 1 run: .275 .346 .400 .746
Day games: .232 .297 .345 .643
Night games: .280 .351 .401 .752
I think one of us mentioned that recently
Most of the other splits are unremarkable, no real meaningful differences. However, I find this VERY interesting considering the emphasis that Torre puts on running up the pitch count:
Hitting the first pitch: .299 .301 .443 .744
1 – 0 count: .395 .393 .644 1.037
2 – 0: .315 .309 .463 .772
3 – 0: .286 .860 .286 1.146
1 – 1: .293 .298 .451 .749
2 – 1: .310 .308 .403 .711
3 – 1: .438 .750 .667 1.417
0 – 1: .322 .326 .454 .780
0 – 2: .138 .155 .186 .342
1 – 2: .191 .198 .264 .462
2 – 2: .203 .207 .271 .478
Full: .266 .520 .379 .899
Reaction: Waiting until you have a 2-strike count is DEATH TO HITTING! The leap with the full count must be due to walks. No charged at bat, higher OBP. It's seemed to me all season that we're not aggressive enough at the plate, looking at way too many called strikes early in the count. Not swinging hard, excuse-me swings, one-handed swings, protecting-the-plate swings. Now, a golf swing is fairly similar to a baseball swing. Jack Nicklaus used to preach swinging hard, worry about direction later. What's happened to Kemp's power? The average is there. Someone else remarked the same thing about Ethier's spring power.
I think Torre ought to shelve this pitch count crap and let these guys be themselves. Take advantage of the pitcher's need to get ahead and hit that fat first pitch. I wonder if anyone in the organization has noticed this and has called it to his attention. There are lies and there are lies and there are statistics. These are significant. And now we're getting into Torre.
Game management ain't brain surgery. Almost anyone can do it. I've never played the game past the high school level, but I've been watching it pretty carefully all my life. Vin has been a pretty good teacher. I don't agree with some of the in-game moves he's made, but who am I?
I think Joe is absolutely positive that the veterans (Kent, Sweeney, Nomar, Pierre, Jones, Lowe, Penny) will eventually come around. He may just be right about that. Unfortunately, the only way to bring that about is to keep running them out there. How long is too long? Impossible to say, really. The season would probably be too far along to save by the time it's been proven to Joe that they're done.
I think that the kids have done just fine so far. I love watching them play. I love watching them progress. I am very patient with them and am willing to suffer through their growing pains. Being an emotional person myself, I would like to see more emotion, but you can't make someone who is a calm person do that. Bill Buckner was my favorite Dodger after Sandy Koufax. I don't think you could come up with two more different personalities and I wouldn't ask either of them to change even if they could.
I would love the Dodgers to have that perfect mix of veterans and youth. The vets have not held up their end so far this season. I'm personally tired of the media pointing towards the kids' mistakes as the scapegoat responsible for their record. Look at the Dodger's own website after this game. "Clayton Kershaw's one mistake, a two-run homer, proved costly…."
For someone who's still a bit wild, I thought the kid did great today. One pitch in a full-count, ten-pitch at bat cost him the loss. With any kind of offense, we'd be happier than a pig in new mud right now.
Wow, look at the length of this. I apologize, but I just reviewed it and I can't delete a thing. It's just one person's opinion and I appreciate the opportunity to vent it.
Stick with the kids. Stick with the Dodgers. Sports is supposed to be life's toy department. We root for the greatest team around.
Go Dodgers! Let's take it out on the Cubs!
Speaking about rooting for other teams, My daughter and I have a pack.
If the Dodgers can't make it, I root for the Mets, and she does the same thing, Roots for the Dodgers if the Mets aren't in the race.
Of course it's been a while for her since the Mets seem to be always in it.
But personally I hate to see the Mets lose to other teams but seem to come back to beat us- so I actually feel good to see them beat up on other teams.
So that way it's not as bad when they beat the Dodgers.
Wow – very well said eric – nice job!!!
I agree with you 100%
I hope Torre & Coletti don't give up on our guys and give them a lenghty chance to play everyday.
They're a young, even though this the second season for many of them, they need time.
There's no rush.
Eventually they will compete successfully with teams like the Cards, Mets, Cubs, Phils & Marlins.
looks like kemp's blow up last night got the dodgers fired up enough to score one run today. maybe juan pierre will get so pumped up that he hits a ball out of the infield tomorrow.
I was at the game today and the guy in front of me asked if I thought they were going to bring in some help soon, and I said, hopefully Furcal will be the help coming back soon… and he said, that all the names in the lineup are terrible, and that they can't win this way and that we need to bring in bigger bats and make trades… he said that we needed to trade RUSSELL, or Loney, or Ethier and get someone proven. I thought he was kidding. TRADE RUSSELL??? Or Loney? He was dead serious. He thinks that the youth movement is a joke, and that we can't ever win unless we have proven vets.
There ARE actually fans who believe this.
I just said that while the team is inconsistent and struggling, the best thing is to let them grow up together and have a bright future. They might even put it together later this year. He shook his head and said they'd never be good. You could see him shake his head after every poor at bat by our guys (there were many). Our offense was absolutely lifeless today. As it was yesterday. And when the game was over, he just looked at me calmly and said, they HAVE TO make a move and bring in someone… I just said, there's no one to bring in… augh =P
We had $49 million on the bench (Kent, Furcal, Jones, Garciaparra) today.
We currently have $63 million on the DL or being paid not to play for us (Loaiza, Schmidt, Furcal, Jones, Garciaparra).
And Ned says Matty Kemp needs to learn how to win.
Thanks, PierreEW – you are the master of positive thinking, and you are great in bringing us back down to Earth after getting all worked up after a bad game.
i'm sure that everyone knows that juan himself was making more than all the other 8 starters today, COMBINED..
Unfortunately, those fans might be the ones Ned listens to, and that would definitely be scary. I hope not – Yikes!!
jungar – When will it end?
Oh please dodogeboy don't remind me about Utley and remember when TB drafted Price last year? We had drafted Price straight out of high school and boy I surely hope he doesn't turn out great.
oops sorry for the spelling.
Great stuff Eric. I guess when you get the first pitch fastball you might want to take a hack at it. Interesting info Sara. I guess there are two sides to every coin. I'm with you, stick with the kids. I like your parting remark also. Who are we gonna get. There's no one out there. I agree Nelly, lots of baseball to go. We could be alot worse off.
Saying goodnight for now. My son's summer baseball season starts tonight and he is pitching – Have a great evening everyone – blog you later 🙂
jhall- indians are winning 4-1 for now, but I am assuming you already know that. Grady walked, didn't get caught stealing and scored a run – wouldn't that have been nice today from our lead off man – lol!
sorry PierreEW, couldn't resist getting in one more Juan Pierre dig – I know, my bad – lol!
A lot of us bloggers in here are frustrated and that's understandable. But when we label defeats as unacceptable or bulls**t, allow me to offer some perspective. "Unacceptable" is when two runners are thrown out at the plate on the same play, within one nano second of each other, and in a playoff game, no less. "Bulls**t" is when a team has won exactly one playoff game in 20 years and that team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. By contrast, young players struggling at the plate, flailing away with RISP, or being impatient at the plate is what I would refer to as manure being strewn for a future bountiful crop.
These Dodgers look dead. I'm embarrassed with this team. I've been a Dodger fan for many years and in my opinion there is no fire with any player with the exception of Russell Martin. Everyone seems to be going thru the motions. When they get down two runs, they seem to realize that it's over. I'm tired of this punch and judy show. No power. No hitting with runners in scoring position. Hu and Maza belong in little league. Is there no one else in the minors to replace these two? Where's this big power hitter Matt Kemp? 4 homers is a joke. The D-Backs keep leaving the door open for us, but we keep failing to walk in. I am totally frustrated.
Since Furcal went down:
Ethier: .301/.333/.434
Kemp: .289/.366/.389
Loney: .292/.333/.438
DeWitt: .292/.357/.483
Pierre: .248/.305/.275
Kent: .198 .249/.375
Martin .356/.425 /.426
So when the season ends and we are vying for anything between 1st and 4th place and talking about how the future looks good, let's recall the present and who stepped up when the best player went down and who did not, espically if the finger pointing starts again.
Did anyone catch this article on ESPN about the June 4, 1974 10-cent Beer Night riot? Kinda puts the Dodgers' 1995 Ball Night fiasco into perspective. I'm 27 years old, have been a baseball fan since I was 4, but I've never heard of this one:
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Well…I tried!?!???!!?!
For the record…it didn't work. If my indents had been recognized there would be a picture here…
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Kind of.
Oh, well, not exactly an illustration program, here. See what happens when the Dodgers tank for a few days! Hey, where are the songs??????????????
Along with DNelly, everyone is welcome to use the James Loney Song in any format you want as far as leekfink and I are concerned. The more, the merrier.
Bill Buckner is my all-time favorite player. I'm happy to see Clayton Kershaw wearing his number. Remember when he went halfway over the bullpen fence in Atlanta trying to get Hank Aaron's 715th homerun ball?
Trivia: Who caught the above-mentioned Aaron ball?
I'm wiped out, and hitting the sack very soon. After staying up until after midnight "helping" to make a baseball poster for a 3rd-grade oral book report last night, I hoped to nap a little this afternoon. No could do. I ended up watching the same 3rd-grader and her 5-year-old brother when their parents had to take their days-old boy to the hospital. He has a little jaundice from some minor kidney problems. Apparently this problem is not all that uncommon among babies, and he should be fine but has to spend a couple of days in the hospital. So if those of you who pray or do something similar could include him in your prayers, that would be nice. His name is Adan Gabriel. Thanks.
Chin-lung Hu is killing us at the plate!! If we MUST sit Jeff Kent, then by all means, the best lineup should include Maza at short and Delwyn Young at second base. Hu is simply killing us at the plate and needs more seasoning at triple-A, and BEFORE it affects his confidence to hit at the MLB level. Also, it's time to experiment with the LaRoche/DeWitt combo at second and third base. This team needs to do something to inject more offense than what the lower third of the order is giving us… which is next to nothing of late.
Tom House…just out of Buckner's reach.
Consider it done, mlk. You'll get the best I got. You're correct, it's relatively common. That doesn't make it any easier for the parents. Good job being there for your friends/relatives.
I remember being at a game in what I think was Buckner's rookie season. He hit 5 ropes, each one snagged, the hardest 0 for 5 I've ever witnessed. The fifth one was a laser that the right fielder caught before it broke his nose. He never moved his feet. Bucks was just staring out at him and then bent over and ripped first base out of the ground. He became my favorite player from then until today.
Seems to be the mood of the day…………..
The long and winding road that leads to success,
Is not easy to watch, sometimes it's such a mess.
But if you stick with them, they'll lead you through the door.
If you're a Dodger fan, you haven't won since disco
At least we're better than those chumps up north in 'Frisco.
They haven't drank champagne since Elvis was in preschool.
Many times we've worn the crown and many times we've cried,
Pretty soon we'll get back there, and you'll be glad you tried
to tell all those who jumped the ship that they'd be fools to fly.
Relax and let the Kemps, Andres and Billingsleys
Return us to the days of winning World Series
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah……….
As the great and wonderful Red Skelton used to say, "Goodnight and God Bless!"
You guys that wanted "My Loney has a first name" shirts have got your wish. http://www.cafepress.com/myloney has shirts and other stuff.
MLK – thank you for your consent. I will use the song honorably. My students this year loved it, and if I start in August next year, this next year's group will be even better. Hopefully we will be singing it into October before bringing it out again in February/March. And, yes, your prayers are definitely with your family (it is very common – shouldn't be any worries).
myloney – THAT IS AWESOME – THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
kalhi, working on songs, but haven't finished any of them – fell asleep early for me last night, probably because of no game and the last day of school, but I see from up above.
I see dodgereric did a song – Nice one!!!
jhall – we need Grady – lead off man with HR power. Ethier, Sizemore and Kemp in the outfield would be quite nice ( and not bad to look at from a girl perspective either – lol).
Even though my class is gone, I still have things to do in the classroom (like clean and do paperwork), and today many of us teachers are going to an out-of-area school to observe a writing program that they have incorporated. My goal for next year is to work on biographies of different ball players. We would start off doing class projects ending with Jackie Robinson in February, and then by Opening Day 2009, I am hoping they will be able do their own.
Have a wonderful morning, and I will try to catch up to all of you in the afternoon. I purchased a new lap top last night, and I can't wait to try it out when I get home later on tonight.
My first thing I am going to do when I get back is order a My Loney has a first name t-shirt – too cool!! We need to come up with songs/chants for our other beloved Dodgers (Martin, Ethier, Kemp, DeWitt) so if the Loney shirt becomes a hit (which it will), there will be others to follow. Okay, now I'm saying good-bye – 🙂
Kershaw article in the Times today:
More Kershaw info and a Scott Elbert update from the Orange County Times:
One day after saying he would skip Kershaw in the starting rotation when a fifth starter wasn't needed, Torre said Kershaw will start on Tuesday night at San Diego, with the other four starters getting an extra day of rest.
Torre was non-committal beyond that, but Kershaw pitching against the Padres necessarily means he will be needed again on June 15 at Detroit and probably June 21 against Cleveland.
In other words, Kershaw – his 170-inning limit for the entire season notwithstanding – is on something approximating a regular starting pitcher's schedule. Kershaw pitched five innings against Colorado on Wednesday and now has thrown a combined 57 this season in the majors and minors. … LHP Scott Elbert, the Dodgers' first-round draft choice four years ago, was assigned to Double-A Jacksonville this week, marking the end of an interminable 14-month rehabilitation from shoulder surgery that included at least a couple of setbacks.
"Right now, we're just going to take it one outing at a time, and we'll assess," said DeJon Watson, the Dodgers assistant general manager for player development. "We want to make sure we don't go too fast." Watson said. Elbert routinely hit 90-92 mph with his fastball in extended spring training.
There is a dilemma we'll face with our youngsters predominating our team. I know we love each of them individually and would maintain the patience to ride along with them this season no matter what the outcome. However, it's very unlikely, like much against all odds, that we will develop a championship team with all home grown talent. That just doesn't happen in today's baseball age. That means that in order to fill certain holes we will eventually have to trade somebody who's already at the major league level. DY or any of the AAA prospects won't be enough to secure anybody really good. We already know that we will need help in the middle of our infield, because the inadequacy of Hu and Maza is too apparent. Furcal may come back, and he may not, and his value and presence beyond this season is certainly in doubt.
When it comes to engineering any kind of significant trade, I'm scared silly because of the inadequacy of our GM. There is no record that he's acquired anybody sufficient to improve our team – in fact, we know the problems he's created in the off-seasons. It's also foreboding to know that other teams automatically require more in terms of prospects from the Dodgers than they wind up accepting from other teams. They simply look to take Colletti for a ride because they don't respect his judgment. Neither do I. If we do anything after this season, we need to replace Colletti. It would be even better if that was done early, and my personal choice would be Logan White. I don't know some of the other candidates that might be available, but it should not be someone who's not had a first hand working relationship with baseball talent and with developing a successful team from their own prospect base.
I keep asking the question "what team can you think of that would be interested in hiring Ned as their GM with his track record when he becomes available" – I can't think of one, can you?
LOL Bear and you hit the nail right on the head.
Eric, good stuff on Clayshaw and Elbert. It certainly is a Long and Winding Road and I'm not confident in Ned's driving ability. LOL
MLB draft today. Wonder if we'll look for some power prospects or go with lots of pitching like we usually do. Maybe grab the best LHP in the first round and then power, power, and power.
One of the biggest problems I see as Sara pointed out to the fan at the game yesterday is the availability of a true impact bat. Now or in free agency. There just aren't any available that are worth the price in players and prospects we would have to give up to get them. Most of the free agents available are 30 or older so you might get a couple of years of their prime. They want fat 5 year deals based on what they did in their prime years of 27-30. Teams with true impact players in their prime and under control for 2 or 3 more years are not letting them go. At least not for a reasonable price. Especially when they deal with the Dodgers and Ned. I'm sure Ned is the joke of the GM back room brotherhood. Same is pretty much true of pitchers as well. I believe that we have to develope our own power and pitching and stay the course with the youth and farm system for better or worse. I would stay away from any long term deals (5 years or more) especially for pitchers. I'll give Ned credit in that department as he has not signed anyone for over 3 years except Phew. And look at that albatross. We're stuck with him thru 2011. At least with Fat Andruw, Nomore, Schidt, Kent, Bombko, etc… there was/is an end in sight. Ned, there are no quick fixes out there. Be patient. We're struggling right now like the majority of teams out there. The kids are getting valuable experience and I believe it will pay off down the line. We're not as bad as we've been playing for the last 2 weeks and I look for things to improve throughout the summer. We've got the horsepower under the hood, now we just have to get it to the road. It takes time. The 2 weeks we were hot and had an 8 game winning streak went fast and seemed like a blur. This 2 week funk seems like eternity.
Excelsior, true blue believers!!!
i think 4 games is way too much
Wow, wasn't thinking it would be that many.
i really didn't think kemp would get MORE games than torrealba.. not sure if that is fair to me.
it'll be interesting to see whether they appeal just to have kemp in there against the cubs, or if they feel it's best to get it over with during the 4 game series with the cubs that will be tough with or without kemp..
i know it's hard to focus on the positives while things are so bad right now.. but we are still only a few games back.. there is SO much season left.. i believe in the kids
AND i believe in getting raffy back, and hopefully making a little run =)
They always set the suspension a game higher knowing the player will appeal. I do not remember one never being reduced by 1 game.
DY will/should get 3 starts in a row and I hope he knocks the cover off the ball.
Rafael has to come back soon, I have no doubt we would not be frustrated fans if Raffy were healthy.
Also Ned/Frank have a tough call on Raffy. They have to see his value to this team when he is not playing, but his back is a touchy situation.
Kemp did shove first, but Torrealba was the one who took it to the next level…as in a ball to the neck. Whatever.
messagbear, I kind of agree and kind of don't. I think we need to give the kids more time. Loney and Kemp don't even have a full year under their belts (though they're getting close). Martin does, and he's ahead of them all. Do agree that Ned worries me when it comes to trade savvy. I listed my untouchables a few days ago and I'll repeat them:
Martin, Loney, Kemp, DeWitt (I really think he's going to be good), Billingsley, Kershaw, and Broxton.
The other kids (LaRoche, Hu, Repko, Abreu, Ethier) are available on one condition: that Campanis is exhumed from the grave and allowed to engineer any trade, because I know he'd get value for value, or even a bit one-sided on the Dodgers' receiving end.
I'm with you Sara. 4 games is a bit harsh. I was thinking he would get 2. Two games seems reasonable for what transpired. I would appeal it so it may get reduced and Kemp can play against the Cubs at home. Next week we go to SD with an off day Monday. I guess it depends on if you would rather have Kemp sit out at home or on the road against a division rival.
Kahli, that is the problem. Ned is a stooge. I wouldn't mind trading one or more of your availables if we got equal or greater value for them. However, given Ned's history, we will give them away for virtually nothing and be worse off when the dust settles. Ned just doesn't have the tools. Curse his pointy little head!!!!
Some draft stuff:
"Some draft analysts regard the 2008 first base onslaught as a one-year aberration. After eight high school pitchers went in the opening round last year, the 2008 prep contingent is decidedly weaker. These things typically go in cycles.
But Logan White, the Los Angeles Dodgers' assistant GM for scouting, thinks we might be on the verge of a trend for two reasons: (1) Baseball teams love "run-and-throw" guys, but the pure athletes have turned more toward football and basketball in recent years; and (2) with so many teenagers playing for select travel teams and receiving private hitting instruction, offensive skills are advancing by leaps and bounds.
"You have kids who aren't the athletic, Ozzie Smith-types in the middle of the diamond, and they're going over to the corners," White said. "And they can hit. They can mash."
And as long as baseball values offense, the kids will get picked early in the draft and reap the benefits. The demand for mashers has always existed. This year, there's plenty of supply to meet it. "
Thanks Eric. Great stuff. God knows we could use a couple of mashers.
I kind of agree with the "untouchables" and available prospects list above by kpookiemon. The crux of the matter is always what you get for whom.
When it comes to the draft, I have the same problem with Ned as when it comes to his trades or FA offers. Let's get guys who are designed to help us and who can be signed. If a guy can help us, let's not worry exactly at what round of the draft he's picked – let's pay him what he's worth rather than what is the norm for his drafting round. I'm reminded of the pitching prospect Blair during last year's draft. The acknowledgment seemed to be that except for signability considerations, Blair would have been picked in a higher round. When we were unwilling to pay him the price that the higher round would have given him, he went to play college ball, and we effectively lost his draft selection. In the meantime, just add up all the dollars that Ned has pissed away in every other conceivable manner, and it adds up to his totally Unacceptable performance ranking.
The draft has started. TB selected a HS shortstop. We go #15.
I predict a LHP.
Hey guys, does anyone know about Field Box section 18 at Dodger Stadium, and if there are any perks? I don't know what row yet, but that is the section.
We're on the clock.
I wanted Aaron Hicks….darn it?!!!!!
I'm predicting Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri for us. Pitcher with a great arm, great ceiling, but possible injury issues.
If not him, then Christian Friedrich, LHP, Eastern Kentucky. crafty lefty with a great curve, Barry Zito type.
possibly Ethan Martin. A IF/RHP.
11. Ethan Martin, RHP/3B, Stephens County HS (GA)
What He Is: Kinda of the East Coast version of Hicks, only he's an infielder instead of an outfielder.
What He's Not: A guy who has an issues beginning his career on the mound.
In A Perfect World He Becomes: Like Hicks, a star-level power righty.
Backup Plan: Closer, then third baseman–he does have a very real power bat.
Open Issues: His mechanics on the mound aren't bad, but do need refinement and repetition; if things go bad, will he want to go back to hitting before the team does?
If it's Christian Freiderich, I'm gonna laugh…………
Ethan Martin he looked good in the bp, I hope he develops into a power hitter.
Interesting selection. Didn't see that coming.
Why's that Eric?
ethan martin, RHP or 3B>?
Hopefully 3b we need a power hitting prospect…he looks like he can mash!!!!
Josh can you have Dejon or Logan to come on and answer some ?s…or have someone do a blog on the Minor Leaguers. I love the young boys, they keep hope eternal….
That just does not translate well in a blog. I love to read and watch tem develop….
I hope Matt doesn't start his 4 game suspension tonight. We need him for cubs game.
jhall, I was going to laugh because he's a LHP.
15 Los Angeles Dodgers
Ethan Martin RHP/3B Stephens County H.S.,
Toccoa, Ga.
Martin is a two-way player. He came into the year as a potential first-rounder as a third baseman, but he didn't hit well at the beginning. He likes to pitch, and he shut down American Plantation H.S. (the team of prospects Eric Hosmer and Adrian Nieto) in February. He throws 91-95 mph. He has a chance to be an above-average bat at third base, and he obviously has a plus arm. I would be surprised if the Dodgers kept well at beginn. Likes to pitch. Shut down Hosmer and Nieto team in a feb. turn 91-95 off the mound. Chance to be an above abverage bat at third . Plus arm. Good athlete. Would be surprise if keep him as a pitcher because they tend to prefer guys with polish. He has arm strength, but not much polish as a pitcher.
L.A.'s Story: Martin, at 3B
Posted Jun. 5, 2008 2:35 pm by John Manuel
Filed under: Draft Day
Just four high school players were among the first 14 selections, and at the halfway point of the first round, the Dodgers added to that with Ethan Martin. However, commissioner Selig announced Martin as a third baseman, not a righthander. The Dodgers have had success with such athletes, such as James McDonald (from outfield to pitcher) and Edwin Jackson (who DH'd early in his career before going just to the mound).
Martin is the fifth high school player picked, with 10 college picks so far. Now we're thinking high school again with Brett Lawrie the likely pick at 16 for the Brewers. Of course, BA's Executive of the Year, Jack Zduriencik, never divulges such things, and this year the Brewers have extra picks this yea in the supplemental round. So they could get a little adventurous if they want to.
new thread is up


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Since the Government updated it's guidance on outdoor performances we have seen a trickle of LIVE events announced. We would remind you that these events will have limited capacity, most will require pre-booking, and all will be enforcing social distancing. We are listing these live events but there are also a whole host of virtual gigs taking place too.
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subset: commoncrawl


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I got things to say and feels to feel so let's get started. First, let me say that Thirteen Reasons Why is one of my favorite books of all time. In the way of re-reads, it even rivals the Harry Potter books. I picked this book up on a whim when I was in high school. I read the synopsis in my school library and I thought it would help me a lot. High school is also when my thoughts shifted from, "I need to leave South Carolina" to "I should kill myself." I know some kids with mental health issues probably shouldn't read books about suicide, but I was hoping that I would find something about loss and hurt. Thirteen Reasons Why did that for me. It was a book I needed in that time of my life, and it continues to be a book that I refer to even as an adult. When I found out one of my favorite books was going to be turned into a TV show, I was cautiously hopeful. Then I saw the trailer and my heart sunk. It looked like this big mystery and it didn't feel like the book I fell in love with. Sure, there is some mystery involving all of the people on the tapes and how they interconnected, but the trailer for the show made it sound like most of these people were small and there was one major person who really caused Hannah to kill herself. Don't worry, I'm not going to shit on the show. After the first couple of episodes, I realized I was enjoying it far more than I expected to. It's actually a fairly decent show. Of course, there are some positives and negatives. Yes, they do involve the changes that were made but, out of respect for the author, this book, and everyone involved with the show, I'm going to try to be fair. So, here are my thoughts about Thirteen Reasons Why, the book and the show.
In standard Kim fashion, I'm going to hit some of the characters. I'm not going to talk about every character in the story. Just the ones that impacted me the most. Either good impact or bad. First, there's Clay. I LOVED Clay in the book. He is the kid you can't help but like because he seems so kind and aware. Don't start with the, "If he was aware then he would have known Hannah wanted to kill herself." This wasn't a book about people trying to save a girl. She was already gone before the book started. I still enjoyed Clay in the show. The fact that he was a nerd made my heart happy. I didn't really like how aggressive he got at certain points. There was a part with Skye where he grabbed her arm and exposed her self-harm scars. Don't do that. Don't ever do that to a person. Another thing I didn't like about Clay in the show was when his parents brought up medication to him. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with anyone taking medication. Clay in the books wasn't on any sort of drugs. Yes, it's hard to tell when the book takes place over the span of a single night, but I like to think Clay was a pretty well put together person. The drugs made me sad because it seemed like there was something deeply wrong with Clay and it played into the myth of "the only person who can love someone mentally ill is another ill person." As a teen, I hung out with a lot of ill people so it wouldn't have bothered me as much back then, but my perspective as an adult is vastly different. I'm blessed enough to have made friends who are well and loving. They are patient and kind. They do not look at me and see my disorders. They just see me. Maybe Jay intended Clay to have some dark secrets about his own mental health. I just don't see Clay with those kinds of struggles.
I really liked Tony in the book. I thought he was an interesting secondary character with his own share of secrets. In the show, Tony immediately became my favorite character. He is suave, but honest. He is kind, but reserved. His interactions with Clay are humorous and heartfelt. I loved him. I also loved that he is gay, but it isn't a big deal. It's just part of Tony and he even says that everyone knows he's gay. It isn't some weird secret Tony has to wrestle with. He's comfortable with himself. He did say something that bothered me. When his boyfriend confronted him about the phrase "my friend" versus "my boyfriend," Tony said Ryan called him "my boyfriend" and he wasn't comfortable with the possessive tone. But "my friend" also has that possession aspect. If anything, the wording should have been "a friend." Correct me if my hearing is off and they did actually use "a friend." It's such a minor thing, but it seemed really contradictory. Beyond that, Tony is fantastic. I could spend hours gushing over him.
Skye. Oh Skye. I have feelings. In the original story, she wasn't the most necessary character. She was a chance for Clay to try again when he sees someone in need. That's fine. I've accepted that. I actually thought that was a nice way of ending the book off. Then they brought her into the show. She was fine, but she embodied the stereotypical "emo" girl with the dark clothes and the "I don't give a fuck about anything" attitude. Fine. I rolled my eyes when she was introduced because I had no real attachment to her character anyway. What DID bother me was towards the end of series when Clay exposes her self-harm scars. Skye says that her self-harm is what she needs to do in order to survive. That's one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to writing about any kind of mental illness. Especially depression. This idea that your options are either kill yourself or live, but you have to self-harm. Yes, those sound like the only two options to some people. Those sounded like my only two options for a very long time. But I wish that wasn't what Skye's character had become. She could have easily been that quiet girl who tries to stay out of everyone's bullshit but still manages to get dragged by bullies. She wouldn't have been as interesting for people watching the show, but it would have been a healthier representation of depression compared to how she was depicted in the show.
I'm done talking about characters for now. Those were just the three big ones that I had a lot of feelings about. Now, I want to talk about the story. A large part of why I love Thirteen Reasons Why is Hannah already died. It isn't going to be a story about trying to love a girl back to health after she tries to kill herself. She's gone. There is no fixing that. I've seen some people get upset over this approach to depression. They say it focuses less on Hannah and her mental health and the focus is more on Clay. That's fair. But I like how the narrative was about the people left behind. Yes, this includes Clay. I like how the story isn't about fixing the broken girl and it's about where to go from here. What I really enjoyed about the show was the overarching story of Hannah's parents and their lawsuit against the school. I'm sure it's for legal/personal reasons, but we don't really hear about that side when kids commit suicide. I was fascinated by how they both struggled with how to approach the lawsuit and how both parents changed throughout the story. I admired Hannah's parents a lot. I'm sure it isn't easy to deal with the loss of a child. Especially when that child commits suicide. I wasn't really bothered that they lengthened the time in which the story takes place. It actually made a lot of sense. My friend committed suicide a couple of years ago and, if I got a mysterious letter or box of tapes from her, I would have to take longer than a single night to process everything. I also appreciated seeing how the school as an organization and the student body changed throughout the story as Clay moved along with the tapes. Overall, the story was good. They changed things and moved some stuff around, but it was still solid.Here comes the not so positive things. There were a few things with the story that got on my nerves. First off, Justin. I appreciated how the show gave us more insight to the bullies and what their home lives were like, but I still hate Justin. He doesn't get a pass because his home life is crap. Bullies do not get to use that as an excuse for why they are terrible people. Maybe my past makes me too angry at Justin's story, but I don't care. Something else that bothered me was the last scene with Tony and the last scene with Alex. Much like my problem with Skye, I felt like their reactions were predictable. They made me roll my eyes. I do think stories like theirs are important, but they also deserve their own focus. Their struggles shouldn't be tacked onto the end of Hannah's story. The last thing that bothered me was Hannah and Bryce's last interaction. First, this brings up the question of how a person defines rape. In the book, Hannah was fingered by Bryce. In the show, it is definitely rape. Both of those are bad and Bryce is scum. That isn't my problem. My issue is with how the scene was done. In the book, Hannah allows herself to be in this position as a farewell of sorts. Like, this interaction with Bryce was the only thing missing before she could commit to killing herself. In the show, Bryce uses force and takes advantage of Hannah when she clearly doesn't want any of it. I felt like the scene in the book was more empowering because Hannah had that situation planned out. She knew what she was getting into. She wasn't trying to make excuses. In the show, Hannah appeared trapped. This depiction of her was unfortunate. I think I'll stop here. This is already way longer than I thought it was going to be. As a whole, I still love Thirteen Reasons Why. I still give the book 5/5. I would probably give the show 3/5. I just wanted to express some things as a fan of the book.
The trigger warnings at the start of the last few episodes were greatly appreciated. That being said, this is also really helpful if you want to know specifically what troubling things are in the show:
There are also a few scenes that involve guns. One is in the very last episode, and the other is a few episodes before it. Sadly, I don't remember exactly which episode off the top of my head. It's the scene with Bryce and Jessica. If you've watched the show, then you know which scene I'm referring to.


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Nominations Open for 2013 Infor Excellence in Action Awards
Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, today announced that nominations are now open for the 2013 Infor Excellence in Action Awards. The awards recognize Infor customers whose strategic initiatives have successfully driven innovation and profitability to positively impact their organization's overall business performance. Winners will be announced at Infor's annual user conference, Inforum 2013, this April in Orlando, Fla.
"The Excellence in Action Awards provide an opportunity for Infor to recognize customers for new and creative product use in front of thousands of industry leaders and peers at Inforum," said Duncan Angove, president of products and support, Infor. "The theme of this year's conference is Faster Together because it's focused on demonstrating how Infor solutions are changing the way our customers work by accelerating the way they do business. Infor's industry-specific products combined with the ingenuity of our users create a new level of speed and efficiency, which is embodied by the winners of these awards."
Customers will be selected for one of five categories: financial excellence, employee excellence, operational excellence, customer excellence, and innovations. In addition, Infor will recognize the organization that best exemplifies innovation across all categories as its 2013 Customer of the Year.
A panel of Infor solution and industry experts will evaluate nominations based on the scope and depth of performance improvement, quantifiable business benefits, customer focus and satisfaction, and innovative use of the technology. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2013, and customers must be on active maintenance for consideration. Winners will receive one complimentary registration for Inforum 2013, recognition on the Infor website and support portal, and an Infor Excellence in Action Award and graphic image to use in promotional materials.
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Jay-Z & Mary J. Blige On Tavis Smiley Show [Full 20 Minute Episode]
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Welcome to F.I.E.L.D.- the First Ismaili Electronic Library and Database. Guests are not required to login during this beta-testing phase
April 8, 2006 Kabul, Afghanistan:His Highness The Aga Khan, with Mme Bernadette Chirac, Alain Deloche, the founder of La Chaîne de l'Espoir (left), and Phillipe Douste-Blazy, the French Foreign Minister (right) at the inauguration ceremony for the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) in Kabul.
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An unidentified Fort Wayne, Ind. man was leaving a local liquor store with his wife and four kids when the adults apparently got the bright idea to strap the children to the hood. You know, for fun.
A U.S. Marshal saw the dad driving with children on the hood of a swerving car and promptly stopped the ride and waited for local place to arrive and arrest the man. Police suspect the man was intoxicated. The Department of Child Services was also called.
"They were strapped down with one of those straps you crank on a semi to hold down lumber. They were strapped with that thing, wiggling and wobbling down the street," a witness told WRTV.
Witnesses said he told police, "It was only 20 feet," and acted as if it were a joke.
The kids — aged 4,5,6, and 7 — are all fine as the dad strapped them tightly to the hood and was only able to drive a few blocks before being apprehended. Well, physically fine. The deep emotional and psychological pain of having this guy as your father is hard to imagine.


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We've had our hands full with all sorts of art for the Banner Saga in recent weeks. We've been busy designing cities, UI, icons, environments and what we'd like to cover today for you which is characters. There's a process by which we design the look for the them and implement them into the game and it goes something like this:
The sketch
We start every character (Re: class) with a sketch phase where we try out different looks and styles. What's this classes job in combat? Are they heavily armored or are they a damage dealer?Since we've set the Banner Saga in a low fantasy setting it's important to us to make a viking look like a viking, not some random fantasy barbarian with huge shoulder pads and spikes and...whatever. Keeping every class looking like they could exist in a real world is the major motivating factor behind each design. Here's the final sketch of the Axeman, which eventually became the Backbiter, one of the upgraded, or promoted versions of the base Axeman.
The Combat
The next step is to take the sketch we've got and design it to be used in-game on the combat board. Even though the combat design is, in this case, different than the sketch you can see the similarities and the reason for doing a sketch phase previous to this. You may wonder why we didn't do a larger, more detailed phase before this, but the way a class appears in combat is of the utmost importance to us. I've kept the details in his design simple, not just to help time estimates during the hand animated process, but also because I believe this is in keeping with what I see in the older animated movies. I favor burly beards and macho mustaches on my vikings so I went that route for this guy. Since we're using an animated style it's important for us to use colors that aren't garish, but rather a bit desaturated to go with our real world approach. We throw the concept onto our game board and see what he looks like in context with all the other classes. It's very cool and rewarding for us to see all the classes in our game on some big combat board all sized correctly and posed next to each other to see how they interact with each other visually.
The Rough
Okay we've got the combat design complete after some back and forth with the other guys up here and we're happy with it. We then take the combat design we've got and convert it into a rough that will later be used in close-ups for dialogue and UI screens. It's a time to finalize the details of the combat design. You'll notice his axe is just a viking axe as you'd see them use in a real world setting, it's not some huge, highly ornate epic fantasy weapon. The shield is what vikings actually used, it's a worn wooden shield which keeps the weight down, important during long combat, overlaid with metal to add rigidity and support. His jerkin is what you may see an average northman wearing, and so on and so forth. As average and normal as this man looks you should also get the idea that he's pretty serious and could kill you if need be. He's not called an Axeman for nuthin'!
The Final
This is the final stage for a class where we take the rough and convert it into a style that looks like an old animated movie. I start with line-work, tracing over my rough, then use flood-fill colors that are color-picked from the combat design to fill in the character. I then take some of the black holding lines and hue shift them to change their colors, the axe handle was changed to brown, the blue shirt/belt went to a blue holding line and the skin and hair went to a deep red/brown, as did the wood on the shield.
The style you see in the Banner Saga, whether it's regarding the characters or environment or anything for that matter is not done by accident. It's done deliberately and with forethought to provide an experience that harkens back to hand drawn, frame by frame hand animated movies that we were so impressed by years and years ago. We sincerely hope you enjoy it.
The Animation
Once we've nailed down the design, we film all the animations we need, break them out frame-by-frame and send them to Powerhouse Animations to do the final animations. Powerhouse takes our raw video footage and creates a rough pass based on that. We do a revision pass or two before getting the whole thing cleaned up and finalized. You can see the whole process from video to rough to final pass here.
As you can tell, this isn't just flash puppeteering where limbs just rotate at the joints; we're really having each frame drawn the way you would in a classically animated film. Between all the actions a character can take in combat we have sixteen animations like this created per class. This is the axeman's attack and death animations and we've now gotten every animation for the axeman cleaned up and ready to put in game.


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|poster credit to footnoteMaven
Back on Valentine's Day, I did a post on a photograph of my paternal great-great-grandparents, Jacob and Elizabeth Gierse Pape. This photo was one of many old photos from my Pape family provided to me by my newly-discovered second cousin Bill. He notes that on the back of the photo, it says "From Emma Pape Childs."
Off and on for the last nine months, I've been trying to figure out how Emma Pape Childs is related to me. Although she's not one of my ancestors, currently she is my most frustrating brick wall. I thought I would write about her just to consolidate all of the information I've found. I've checked some more obvious places, and I'd welcome suggestions on where else to look.
Here is what I've been able to find out about Emma Pape Childs:
1) A Cook County, Illinois, marriage certificate shows Emma Genevieve Pape, age 26 and born in Evanston, Cook County, Illinois, married August S. Childs, age 28 and born in Green Springs, Seneca County, Ohio, on 22 February 1911 at St. Nicholas Church, 806 Ridge Ave., Evanston, Illinois. My grandfather Paul Pape and five of his six siblings were baptized at this church (between 1889 and 1900), so that is a good indicator that we are somehow connected.
2) A Cook County, Illinois, birth register shows James Wilson Childs born to August and Emma Childs on 18 November 1911.
3) Cook County, Illinois, birth certificates show Katherine Elizabeth Childs born 19 November 1913 on Vernon Avenue in Glencoe (August was age 30 and Emma was age 27); Mary Jane Childs born 10 February 1919 at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston (August was 30 and Emma 34? - I think that's backwards), and John Pape Childs born 16 October 1922 at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston (August was 40 and Emma 38). For the latter two children, they lived at 503 or 507 Oakdale Avenue in Glencoe/Chicago, and August was a painter. Mary Jane's birth certificate shows she was the fourth child born but only three were living; and John's says he is the fifth child born with only four living. This told me there was another child born between Katherine (listed as the second child born with two living) and Mary Jane, and either that child, Katherine, or James had died.
4) A Cook County, Illinois, death certificate shows Gertrude Emily Childs was born and died 15 October 1917 in Glencoe of "failure of respiratory center." She is buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Northbrook, Cook County, Illinois (where I know James W. Childs, Katherine/Catherine E. Childs Anderson, and Mary Jane Childs Domscheit are also buried via FindAGrave.com).
5) Per his World War II 1942 draft registration card, August's middle name is Solomon and his date of birth is 29 April 1882. He was living at 503 Oakdale Avenue in Glencoe at the time. His son James is shown as the person who "will always know your address," so I have to wonder if Emma had passed away by that time. The World War I draft registration card (from 12 September 1918) verifies his middle name and date of birth, and the contact is listed as Emma G. Childs, wife, address 507 Oakdale Avenue in Glencoe.
6) August, Emma and family appear on the 1920 and 1930 censuses at 507 Oakdale in Glencoe, New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois. The 1930 census shows another daughter, Isabel M., born about 1926 (the Cook County birth certificates in FamilySearch.org only go through 1922). Both of these censuses show Emma as born in Illinois of German parents.
I think it is interesting that two of Emma and August's children were named John Pape and Gertrude - my great-grandparents' names.
My posting of Jacob and Elizabeth Gierse Pape's photo prompted a response from a woman who is a granddaughter of Mary Jane Childs Domscheit, and thus Emma Genevieve Pape Childs is her great-grandmother. She told me Emma's mother was named Katherine. I wondered if she meant Catherine/Katherine "Kate" R. Hoffman Pape, the second wife of Anton Pape. Anton was my great-grandfather John Pape's brother; both were sons to Jacob and Elizabeth Gierse Pape. I don't think it is likely that Emma is their daughter, though, as Cook County marriage records show that Anton and Katherine married on May 8, 1888, and it looks like Emma was born somewhere between 1883 and 1886 (based on censuses, birth records for her children, and her marriage record).
However, I am wondering if Emma could be the daughter of Anton and his first wife, Regina Allers, and if Katherine Hoffman Pape is the stepmother who actually raised Emma. I believe I have found a record for the death of Regina, on the Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre – 1916. Regina died March 15, 1887, in Cook County, at age 25, meaning she was born around 1862, which is about right (based on the April 1883 Baltimore passenger list, and her marriage certificate with Anton Pape). Since Regina died when Emma was age one to four years old (approximately), I think Katherine/Catherine raised her and that is why Emma referred to her as mother.
Katherine Hoffman was born in Wisconsin around 1859-1861. This would not fit with the 1920 and 1930 censuses, which say Emma's parents were born in Germany. However, there are some interesting connections with Emma (and other Papes) and Hoffmans in other census records.
I found an Emma Pape, born in May 1885 in Illinois of German parents, living in Wisconsin in 1900 - "at school" and boarding along with a Minnie Hoffman. Later, in 1910, I found another Emma Pape of the right age working as a servant in a home in Evanston, Illinois, along with an Alea Hoffman. Yet another connection of Hoffmans and Papes is that a Jacob Hoffman was the sponsor for my grandfather Paul Pape at his baptism in July 1896. There's a family named Heffman/Hoffman on the 1870 census in Wisconsin with daughters named Catherine, Mena/Mina (Minnie?), and Lecilea/Cecilia (could this be Alea?), who are the right ages.
I do think that if Katherine/Catherine had been Emma's natural mother, Emma probably would have been living with her in 1900. Anton and Regina's son Hugo Aloysius Pape (born in November 1879 in Germany) WAS living with Katherine in Evanston, Illinois, in 1900; listed as stepson, and she as a widow (Anton died around 1893). But Hugo was 20 and may have been helping to support his stepmother.
There is definitely a connection between Emma and Katherine/Catherine Hoffman Pape. The latter is buried in the same cemetery (Sacred Heart in Northbrook, Illinois) as four of Emma's children, in the same plot (2-6), per FindAGrave, as at least three of them.
As of now, I can't find any definitive information on Emma Genevieve Pape Childs prior to 1911 or after 1930, nor on her husband August Solomon Childs after 1942. I'm making the assumption here that Anton Pape is Emma's father, and that is how we are related (first cousin twice removed). I'm hoping to hear back from Emma's granddaughter and from a relative of Hugo's wife (who found me on Ancestry.com), and perhaps that will give me more clues.
© Amanda Pape - 2010