7/26/2008. Never Forget. I'm working on a nice rainbow of Santana's 2008 Bowman Chrome RC. The above XFractor is #'d 208/250 and was had for $6.99 delivered.
Above is a Refractor numbered 430/500.
And last but not least is the simple base card.
Showing posts with label Casey Blake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Casey Blake. Show all posts
Friday, January 18, 2013
Carlos Santana, As A Dodger, On Cardboard. Oy Vey, What Could've Been.
I wish I could go back in time just to stop Ned Colletti from dealing Carlos Santana.
7/26/2008. Never Forget. I'm working on a nice rainbow of Santana's 2008 Bowman Chrome RC. The above XFractor is #'d 208/250 and was had for $6.99 delivered.
Above is a Refractor numbered 430/500.
And last but not least is the simple base card.
7/26/2008. Never Forget. I'm working on a nice rainbow of Santana's 2008 Bowman Chrome RC. The above XFractor is #'d 208/250 and was had for $6.99 delivered.
Above is a Refractor numbered 430/500.
And last but not least is the simple base card.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Carlos Santana's Trade Was A Razor To The Heart.
I've had my eye on this card for some time, but the price was never right. That finally changed when I found an auction based out of South Korea, which almost certainly helped to hold down the final price tag of $9.01. Though I've heard stories of problems with shippers in the Far East, I wasn't going to hold someone else's issues against this particular seller, and in the end I had absolutely no trouble with the transaction.
I'm not entirely sure if this is accurate, but I've seen these listed as having a print-run of just 76. Either way, I'm happy to finally own what is basically Santana's lone (pseudo-) Dodger auto, if I stretch things a wee bit. On-card and from 2008 Razor, it's a welcome addition to my Santana Tribute Collection.
I'm not entirely sure if this is accurate, but I've seen these listed as having a print-run of just 76. Either way, I'm happy to finally own what is basically Santana's lone (pseudo-) Dodger auto, if I stretch things a wee bit. On-card and from 2008 Razor, it's a welcome addition to my Santana Tribute Collection.
Friday, May 25, 2012
It's Still Painful....
I spotted this card for a seemingly low Buy-It-Now price with a Best Offer option. There was a pending offer, but the price was so good I had no choice but to swoop in and purchase it before it got away. You know, like Ned Colletti let the player depicted on said card get away.
It's a refractor, numbered out of 500 - 430/500, to be exact - and is one of Santana's few Dodger cards. It pairs nicely with my base '08 Bowman Chrome Santana RC, and I got it for well under what it books for, and what the owners of the two copies on COMC are looking for.
#CollettiFail
It's a refractor, numbered out of 500 - 430/500, to be exact - and is one of Santana's few Dodger cards. It pairs nicely with my base '08 Bowman Chrome Santana RC, and I got it for well under what it books for, and what the owners of the two copies on COMC are looking for.
#CollettiFail
Monday, December 12, 2011
Ned Colletti, Value, Prospects, and A Complete Disconnect
Value is a funny thing. We debate it when it comes to major awards like Most Valuable Player, and often infer it from team accomplishments when trying to assess the contributions of an individual. The one thing I believe we can all agree on, however, when it comes to value, is that Ned Colletti has no conception of it.
None whatsoever.
The man has proven that to be true time and time again, and in varying ways (the recent trade of Dana Eveland for two mediocre, raw prospects not withstanding). It's evident with his recent signings of over-the-hill veterans whose best days are behind them, or who were for all intents and purposes never-weres to begin with. These signings waste money and years and take up roster spots from younger players who are both cheaper to keep on the roster and have a little something called upside. Ivan DeJesus is not going to be any worse than an aging and terrible Adam Kennedy, and in all likelihood he'll be better. There's certainly the chance he'll be more productive, while we know what we're getting from Kennedy (no offense, solid at best glove).
Bringing in one utility man to round out the bench is never a bad idea, and Ned's signing of Jerry Hairston, Jr. was just that. I would not have given him the two years he received, more money than he's ever made in a season as he's in his mid-30s, and signed him after already having signed two other utility men in Kennedy and Mark Ellis, who will unfortunately be starting. Of course, I would not have signed Kennedy and Ellis to begin with, but that's neither here nor there since I'm just a lowly blogger and not a General Manager with a clear fetish for the aged.
Moving back to value, that veteran fetish of Ned's manifests itself in not only blocking young prospects, but trading them away. Josh Bell was one such prospect, moved to Baltimore for reliever George Sherrill. The Dodgers have had a black hole at third base for years, and they traded away their best third base prospect in Bell for a reliever, way way back at the deadline in 2009.
Sherrill was solid as 2009 wore down, though he was quite lucky as well, as his advanced stats show that his shiny ERA was a mirage. Bell would not make his MLB debut until 2011, and has lost much of his luster as a prospect since being moved. However, it must be noted that he is still just 25 years old. That's ten years younger than Hairston, Kennedy, or Ellis can boast, and it also brings with it that all important potential and upside. Some guys are late bloomers, and perhaps Bell is one.
Even if Bell never accomplishes a single thing at the major league level, it's that value that he possessed that is so critical. He could have easily been part of a larger package of players used to bring in an impact player, but instead was shipped away by our terrible G.M. for a player who plays at the most fungible position in baseball. Colletti gave away a young third baseman with pop, a good eye at the plate, the willingness to take a walk, and a projected good glove for an older middle reliever.
I would imagine some would make the argument that Colletti didn't settle for Sherrill, but knew he couldn't pry more away from a team for Bell and took what he could get. That fallacy falls apart for two major reasons. We'll start with the second of the two reasons. Bell was coming off of two fantastic seasons in the minors, putting up lines of .273/.373/.455/.828 (.368 wOBA) and .296/.386/.497/.883 (.393 wOBA) with the Dodgers in 2008 and 2009, respectively. And now, the first and foremost reason Colletti simply failed (and continues to fail) to get adequate value back for a player he didn't need to trade in the first place and who should have been given the opportunity to help in the show at a position the Dodgers have desperately needed help in for ages: he's Ned Colletti.
Colletti Gonna Colletti, as it's been put elsewhere in the blogosphere. The Carlos Santana for Casey Blake trade is all the proof you need that Ned Colletti is a terrible General Manager who can't comprehend value to save his life. I'd say to save his job, but clearly he has pictures of someone. That, and our soon-to-be-deposed owner is a broke crook who is even worse at his job than Colletti in all likelihood, and that's extremely difficult to do.
Picture this Dodger team: Santana behind the dish, Bell at third, Dee Gordon at short, Blake DeWitt at second, Jerry Sands in left or right, and enough money that's not presently tied up in mediocre veteran-y goodness to have been serious players for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder to man first base.
A point I can't possibly emphasize enough is that results-based decision making is intellectually lazy and highly flawed. When you make a decision in sports, you don't know exactly what will happen. You can prognosticate what will occur and have some idea, but you're never entirely sure how a player will perform, if he'll stay healthy, and things of that nature. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, however, to know that trading a young asset with value for an aging and at best mediocre veteran is a terrible idea. Waiting until a situation has played out to pass judgment is just an easy way to never be wrong. It's saying that I don't want to take the time and put in the effort to analyze something, so I'll wait, see what happens, and then look intelligent.
Ned Colletti, value, and prospects just has Colletti Fail© written all over it. Anyways, the Bell autograph above was a couple of bucks at my LCS, and was acquired on Black Friday. Every time I look at it, it simply invokes disappointment in the current state of the Dodgers and our quite useless General Manager.
The man has proven that to be true time and time again, and in varying ways (the recent trade of Dana Eveland for two mediocre, raw prospects not withstanding). It's evident with his recent signings of over-the-hill veterans whose best days are behind them, or who were for all intents and purposes never-weres to begin with. These signings waste money and years and take up roster spots from younger players who are both cheaper to keep on the roster and have a little something called upside. Ivan DeJesus is not going to be any worse than an aging and terrible Adam Kennedy, and in all likelihood he'll be better. There's certainly the chance he'll be more productive, while we know what we're getting from Kennedy (no offense, solid at best glove).
Bringing in one utility man to round out the bench is never a bad idea, and Ned's signing of Jerry Hairston, Jr. was just that. I would not have given him the two years he received, more money than he's ever made in a season as he's in his mid-30s, and signed him after already having signed two other utility men in Kennedy and Mark Ellis, who will unfortunately be starting. Of course, I would not have signed Kennedy and Ellis to begin with, but that's neither here nor there since I'm just a lowly blogger and not a General Manager with a clear fetish for the aged.
Moving back to value, that veteran fetish of Ned's manifests itself in not only blocking young prospects, but trading them away. Josh Bell was one such prospect, moved to Baltimore for reliever George Sherrill. The Dodgers have had a black hole at third base for years, and they traded away their best third base prospect in Bell for a reliever, way way back at the deadline in 2009.
Sherrill was solid as 2009 wore down, though he was quite lucky as well, as his advanced stats show that his shiny ERA was a mirage. Bell would not make his MLB debut until 2011, and has lost much of his luster as a prospect since being moved. However, it must be noted that he is still just 25 years old. That's ten years younger than Hairston, Kennedy, or Ellis can boast, and it also brings with it that all important potential and upside. Some guys are late bloomers, and perhaps Bell is one.
Even if Bell never accomplishes a single thing at the major league level, it's that value that he possessed that is so critical. He could have easily been part of a larger package of players used to bring in an impact player, but instead was shipped away by our terrible G.M. for a player who plays at the most fungible position in baseball. Colletti gave away a young third baseman with pop, a good eye at the plate, the willingness to take a walk, and a projected good glove for an older middle reliever.
I would imagine some would make the argument that Colletti didn't settle for Sherrill, but knew he couldn't pry more away from a team for Bell and took what he could get. That fallacy falls apart for two major reasons. We'll start with the second of the two reasons. Bell was coming off of two fantastic seasons in the minors, putting up lines of .273/.373/.455/.828 (.368 wOBA) and .296/.386/.497/.883 (.393 wOBA) with the Dodgers in 2008 and 2009, respectively. And now, the first and foremost reason Colletti simply failed (and continues to fail) to get adequate value back for a player he didn't need to trade in the first place and who should have been given the opportunity to help in the show at a position the Dodgers have desperately needed help in for ages: he's Ned Colletti.
Colletti Gonna Colletti, as it's been put elsewhere in the blogosphere. The Carlos Santana for Casey Blake trade is all the proof you need that Ned Colletti is a terrible General Manager who can't comprehend value to save his life. I'd say to save his job, but clearly he has pictures of someone. That, and our soon-to-be-deposed owner is a broke crook who is even worse at his job than Colletti in all likelihood, and that's extremely difficult to do.
Picture this Dodger team: Santana behind the dish, Bell at third, Dee Gordon at short, Blake DeWitt at second, Jerry Sands in left or right, and enough money that's not presently tied up in mediocre veteran-y goodness to have been serious players for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder to man first base.
A point I can't possibly emphasize enough is that results-based decision making is intellectually lazy and highly flawed. When you make a decision in sports, you don't know exactly what will happen. You can prognosticate what will occur and have some idea, but you're never entirely sure how a player will perform, if he'll stay healthy, and things of that nature. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, however, to know that trading a young asset with value for an aging and at best mediocre veteran is a terrible idea. Waiting until a situation has played out to pass judgment is just an easy way to never be wrong. It's saying that I don't want to take the time and put in the effort to analyze something, so I'll wait, see what happens, and then look intelligent.
Ned Colletti, value, and prospects just has Colletti Fail© written all over it. Anyways, the Bell autograph above was a couple of bucks at my LCS, and was acquired on Black Friday. Every time I look at it, it simply invokes disappointment in the current state of the Dodgers and our quite useless General Manager.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Trade With Night Owl Cards: A Carlos Santana Black Ginter Mini, A Beltre Chrome Rookie, and A Grip Of PC Additions
I completed my third trade with fellow Dodgers fan and fellow Greg Night Owl, of the world-renowned and truly fantastic Night Owl Cards. You can find our first trade here and our second swap here.
For this third installment, in exchange for a Delwyn Young Fleer Mini
RC and some randoms, I received a Carlos Santana 2011 Allen & Ginter Black-Bordered Mini I had my eye on.
Oh, what could have been. What could have been. Thanks Uncle Ned!
Thankfully my partner in this trade had scanned the Santana, because my printer/scanner was on the fritz, and otherwise I may not have been able to picture this beaut. And after just figuring out I had access to a scanner, it had to go and possibly die.
(It lives, because it's a new printer/scanner).
Greg, always the generous card collector and trade partner, sent some sweet extras my way. Here are the highlights.
Woooo! A sweeeet Adrian Beltre 1997 Bowman Chrome RC. This is certainly one of the more spiffy cards I've seen in a while, and one I have never owned, so a big thanks to our nocturnal friend for sending this along and giving me a nice surprise as I was thumbing through the team bag full of goodness he sent along (and a special thanks to TMG for the scan I was able to pilfer).
A pair of new Kemps! Bronze and uber-shiny.
A new Clayton! Always happy to add a new Kershaw to the collection. Ditto for Matty, of course.
A half dozen new Russ Martins! All appreciated equally. The Ginter-back mini is from 2008, and pairs nicely with the black-bordered mini of Russ I have from the same year.
And finally, a pair of cards I did not previously own. Love both of the action shots. It's always fun to pick up Piazza cards, what with me being like 6ish during his Dodger heyday. A swell trip down memory lane.
As always, Night Owl outdid himself by leaps and bounds. Thanks for the fantastic cards Greg and the great PC help, I definitely owe you next time we trade! And I think I may just have a card you'd like, which should be arriving semi-shortly.
Oh, what could have been. What could have been. Thanks Uncle Ned!
Thankfully my partner in this trade had scanned the Santana, because my printer/scanner was on the fritz, and otherwise I may not have been able to picture this beaut. And after just figuring out I had access to a scanner, it had to go and possibly die.
(It lives, because it's a new printer/scanner).
Greg, always the generous card collector and trade partner, sent some sweet extras my way. Here are the highlights.
Woooo! A sweeeet Adrian Beltre 1997 Bowman Chrome RC. This is certainly one of the more spiffy cards I've seen in a while, and one I have never owned, so a big thanks to our nocturnal friend for sending this along and giving me a nice surprise as I was thumbing through the team bag full of goodness he sent along (and a special thanks to TMG for the scan I was able to pilfer).
A pair of new Kemps! Bronze and uber-shiny.
A new Clayton! Always happy to add a new Kershaw to the collection. Ditto for Matty, of course.
A half dozen new Russ Martins! All appreciated equally. The Ginter-back mini is from 2008, and pairs nicely with the black-bordered mini of Russ I have from the same year.
And finally, a pair of cards I did not previously own. Love both of the action shots. It's always fun to pick up Piazza cards, what with me being like 6ish during his Dodger heyday. A swell trip down memory lane.
As always, Night Owl outdid himself by leaps and bounds. Thanks for the fantastic cards Greg and the great PC help, I definitely owe you next time we trade! And I think I may just have a card you'd like, which should be arriving semi-shortly.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
You Always Remember Your First Time: Carlos Santana
A new-ish series of posts. A series that will randomly appear from time to time. The first time had as its focus top Dodger prospect Zach Lee. The second installment begins forthwith.
The 2008 trade of Carlos Santana and Jonathan Meloan for Casey Blake was one of the absolute worst trades in Dodgers history. And that's saying something, considering this is an organization that traded away Mike Piazza and Pedro Martinez, and lost Roberto Clemente to Pittsburgh in the 1954 Rule 5 Draft.
Thanks, Ned Colletti.
Anyways, for longer-time readers of the blog, though Santana was traded away years ago, I vowed to keep his name on the labels portion of the sidebar, as a form of silent protest. I also wanted to collect him, because this team would be infinitely better with him on it.
Of course, I'm not the only one collecting one of the brightest catching prospects in recent memory, so his cards - particularly his autos - weren't cheap when they first hit. Even after the devastating knee injury he suffered last year, his cards were still just out of the range I was looking to pay.
However, patience does sometimes pay off. And it pays off in spades when it comes to cards, eBay, and a fickle collecting community. So after numerous attempts to land a Santana Auto, I finally hit the jackpot. For $9 shipped, I landed this sweet 2010 Bowman Sterling auto:
I was beyond thrilled to have finally snagged a Santana Auto, and for a great price to top off the joyous occasion.
But as with just about every other collector I've come into contact with, a great deal can't be passed up, even for a card you already own. Especially when it's of a player you collect. And his signature is involved. And he's one of baseball's brightest young stars.
So yeah....I added another Santana Auto when the price was just $6.38 delivered.
The card is not miscut (sorry dawgbones). It is simply the scan Istole borrowed.
Well, you know how they say three's a crowd? I scoff at that time-honored statement. Because as we all know, everything is better in a 3-Way.
So checking in at a price of $7.51 shipped, this seemed to be a no-brainer.
I'm not even entirely sure I anticipated winning any of these, let alone all three. But I'm not complaining. Far from it. As the kids say, I'm stoked. But for us old, grizzled men, I think "I'm pretty swell right now" is a more apropos description of my state of mind.
To spice up the fun of having three of these bad boys (and I foresee one eventually making the trip to eBay, and hopefully netting me a handsome little profit - or not so little, as I'm not opposed to reeling in the scrilla), I placed the first Carlos in a penny sleeve, rookie toploader, and team bag; the second Santana in a magnetic and team bag; and the final "we're too cheap to pay two million dollars for Casey Blake, so here's our top offensive prospect" got the penny sleeve, regular toploader, and team bag treatment.
Oh, and I now only need Santana's true rookie card (with him in Dodger Blue!....oh crap, that's sorta bittersweet, come to think of it). It was hinted at in a past trade that never came to fruition - both me getting his RC and the trade itself. So yeah, if anyone has one they're willing to part with, I'll gladly trade you for it.
--------------------------------------
I'll have a Graduation Box Break to post tomorrow, so tune in. Because I'm sure there will be at least some Trade Bait to come from it.
The 2008 trade of Carlos Santana and Jonathan Meloan for Casey Blake was one of the absolute worst trades in Dodgers history. And that's saying something, considering this is an organization that traded away Mike Piazza and Pedro Martinez, and lost Roberto Clemente to Pittsburgh in the 1954 Rule 5 Draft.
Thanks, Ned Colletti.
Anyways, for longer-time readers of the blog, though Santana was traded away years ago, I vowed to keep his name on the labels portion of the sidebar, as a form of silent protest. I also wanted to collect him, because this team would be infinitely better with him on it.
Of course, I'm not the only one collecting one of the brightest catching prospects in recent memory, so his cards - particularly his autos - weren't cheap when they first hit. Even after the devastating knee injury he suffered last year, his cards were still just out of the range I was looking to pay.
However, patience does sometimes pay off. And it pays off in spades when it comes to cards, eBay, and a fickle collecting community. So after numerous attempts to land a Santana Auto, I finally hit the jackpot. For $9 shipped, I landed this sweet 2010 Bowman Sterling auto:
I was beyond thrilled to have finally snagged a Santana Auto, and for a great price to top off the joyous occasion.
But as with just about every other collector I've come into contact with, a great deal can't be passed up, even for a card you already own. Especially when it's of a player you collect. And his signature is involved. And he's one of baseball's brightest young stars.
So yeah....I added another Santana Auto when the price was just $6.38 delivered.
The card is not miscut (sorry dawgbones). It is simply the scan I
Well, you know how they say three's a crowd? I scoff at that time-honored statement. Because as we all know, everything is better in a 3-Way.
So checking in at a price of $7.51 shipped, this seemed to be a no-brainer.
I'm not even entirely sure I anticipated winning any of these, let alone all three. But I'm not complaining. Far from it. As the kids say, I'm stoked. But for us old, grizzled men, I think "I'm pretty swell right now" is a more apropos description of my state of mind.
To spice up the fun of having three of these bad boys (and I foresee one eventually making the trip to eBay, and hopefully netting me a handsome little profit - or not so little, as I'm not opposed to reeling in the scrilla), I placed the first Carlos in a penny sleeve, rookie toploader, and team bag; the second Santana in a magnetic and team bag; and the final "we're too cheap to pay two million dollars for Casey Blake, so here's our top offensive prospect" got the penny sleeve, regular toploader, and team bag treatment.
Oh, and I now only need Santana's true rookie card (with him in Dodger Blue!....oh crap, that's sorta bittersweet, come to think of it). It was hinted at in a past trade that never came to fruition - both me getting his RC and the trade itself. So yeah, if anyone has one they're willing to part with, I'll gladly trade you for it.
50/139
--------------------------------------
I'll have a Graduation Box Break to post tomorrow, so tune in. Because I'm sure there will be at least some Trade Bait to come from it.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Carlos Santana Was The Future
And should have been part of the present.
Thanks Ned.
$8 shipped. A deal I couldn't pass up. The seller's scan, while helpful to me, does not do this card near enough justice. And the pleasant surprise is Topps being completely honest in telling us where this jumbo jersey swatch originated from.
Per Topps:
The relic contained on this card if from the 2009 XM All-Star Futures Game.
Thank you kindly for the complete transparency Topps. It's much appreciated.
Thanks Ned.
050/139
$8 shipped. A deal I couldn't pass up. The seller's scan, while helpful to me, does not do this card near enough justice. And the pleasant surprise is Topps being completely honest in telling us where this jumbo jersey swatch originated from.
Per Topps:
The relic contained on this card if from the 2009 XM All-Star Futures Game.
Thank you kindly for the complete transparency Topps. It's much appreciated.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Tuesday's Game 6/29/2010
Dodgers 4, San Francisco 2
Box Score.
[AP Photo]
Box Score.
- John Ely went 7 effective innings (1 ER, 5 Hits, 5 K, 3 BB, 112 pitches - 67 for strikes).
- Bullpen: 2 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 K, 0 BB, 1 HR Allowed. 4 Relievers.
- Russell Martin stole his 5th and 6th bases of the season. The second one was a thing of beauty, caught the Giants' defense sleeping.
- Rafael Furcal (Triple, 2 Singles) and Casey Blake (Single, BB, IBB) each reached base 3 times. Matt Kemp (2 Singles), Andre Ethier (Single, BB), James Loney (2 Singles), and Martin (2 Singles) each reached base twice.
- The offense struck out 11 times, drew 4 walks, and had 1 extra-base hit.
- Manny Ramirez left with a strained right hamstring. He was replaced by Matt Kemp, who was inexplicable benched for the third straight game. Kemp made two absolutely fantastic catches.
[AP Photo]
Monday, June 28, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Monday's Game 6/28/2010
Dodgers 4, San Francisco 2
Box Score.
Box Score.
- Chad Billingsley, in his return from the DL and a strained groin, went 6 innings (2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 K, 2 BB, 98 pitches - 54 for strikes).
- Bullpen: 3 IP, 0 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 K, 1 BB.
- Casey Blake hit his 8th HR of the season.
- Rafael Furcal stole his 12th base of the season.
- Manny Ramirez (Double, 2 Singles, BB) reached base 4 times, Furcal (Double, Single, BB) reached base 3 times, while Blake (HR, Single) and A.J. Ellis (Single, BB) each reached base twice.
- The offense struck out 10 times, drew 3 walks, and had 3 extra-base hits.
- Jon Link continued his impression of Blake DeWitt circa 2009 as he was sent back to AAA to make room for Bills's return.
- The Dodgers signed aging lefty reliever Jack Taschner, assigning him to AAA (via Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness).
- Joe Torre will decide his managerial future late in the season. Please, just be gone now.
"Just so I don't hamstring this organization," said Torre, who is coming to the end of the three-year, $13 million contract he signed when he left the Yankees after the 2007 season. "I'm going to wait [to decide] until later in the season. I have to. It's not fair to them if I don't do that."
I feel for the guys," Torre said. "At that point, my managing is over with. You bring your closer in and your managing is done. That makes it tougher for me because there's nothing you can do. You just hope the result is better."
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Saturday's Game 6/26/2010
Dodgers 9, New York Yankees 4
Box Score.
[Reuters Photo]
Box Score.
- Hiroki Kuroda went 5.1 innings (4 ER, 7 Hits, 5 K, 3 BB, 1 WP, 1 HR Allowed, 110 pitches - 71 for strikes).
- Bullpen: 3.2 IP, 0 Runs, 1 Hit, 4 K, 2 BB. 4 Relievers.
- Rafael Furcal stole his 11th base of the season.
- All 8 positions players reached base at least twice. Manny Ramirez (Double, 3 BB) reached base 4 times. Matt Kemp (Double, 2 BB), Furcal (3 Singles), and Casey Blake (Double, 2 BB) each reached base 3 times. Andre Ethier (2 Singles), James Loney (2 Singles), Russell Martin (Single, IBB), and Blake DeWitt (BB, IBB) each reached base twice.
- The offense struck out 8 times, drew 10 walks, and had 3 extra-base hits.
[Reuters Photo]
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Thursday's Game 6/24/2010
Dodgers 10, Anaheim 6
Box Score.
[AP Photo]
Box Score.
- Charlie Haeger went 4.2 innings in his return from the DL (4 ER, 5 Hits, 4 K, 4 BB, 1 WP, 1 HR Allowed, 102 pitches - 56 for strikes). Two of the runs charged to Charlie were inherited runs allowed by the pen.
- Bullpen: 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 6 K, 2 BB. 6 Relievers.
- Manny Ramirez (2 Singles, BB), Casey Blake (Double, 2 Singles), James Loney (Single, IBB, HBP), and Jamey Carroll (3 Singles) each reached base 3 times, while Matt Kemp (2 Singles), Rafael Furcal (Double, Single), and Russell Martin (2 BB) each reached base twice.
- The offense struck out 7 times, drew 4 walks, and had 3 extra-base hits.
- Chad Billingsley may be near a return, this Monday barring a setback. Let's hope he's back then.
- The Dodgers signed Jesus Colome, 32 and a reliever, and he's in AAA.
- A second lighting delay this season. Joy.
[AP Photo]
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Thursday's Game 6/17/2010
Cincinnati 7, Dodgers 1
Box Score.
[AP Photo, via True Blue LA]
Box Score.
- John Ely went 4.2 innings (7 ER, 8 Hits, 3 K, 3 BB, 3 HR Allowed [one to the opposing pitcher, ugh], 78 pitches - 47 for strikes). Well, he DID get back one of those runs with an RBI single. That's.....something.
- Bullpen: 3.1 IP, 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 4 K, 0 BB.
- Casey Blake (3 Singles) Jamey Carroll (3 BB) each reached base 3 times, while Blake DeWitt (2 Singles), James Loney (Single, BB), and A.J. Ellis (2 BB) each reached base twice.
- The offense struck out just twice, drew 7 walks, but had 0 extra-base hits.
- Rafael Furcal hit the bereavement list to tend to an ill member of his family in the Dominican. Chin-lung Hu was called up to ride the pine. Jamey Carroll replaced Furcal in the lineup.
- Manny Ramirez again got a day game off after a night game, but I assume it's just to rest up for the weekend series in Fenway. He needs time to re-acclimate himself to the interior of the Green Monster. I imagine he spent the game watching video of him and the wall from his past glory days.
[AP Photo, via True Blue LA]
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Tuesday's Game 6/15/2010
Dodgers 12, Cincinnati 0
Box Score.
Box Score.
- Hiroki Kuroda went 5 rain-interrupted innings (0 Runs, 3 Hits, 8 K, 2 BB, 84 pitches - 55 for strikes). I would not have brought him back after that epic rain delay.
- Bullpen: 4 IP, 0 Runs, 5 Hits, 4 K, 0 BB.
- Manny Ramirez hit his 6th HR of the season.
- Rafael Furcal (Double, 4 Singles) reached base 5 times. James Loney (3 Doubles, Single) and Casey Blake (2 Singles, 2 BB) reached base 4 times. Manny (HR, 2 Singles) reached base 3 times. Matt Kemp (2 Singles), Andre Ethier (Single, BB), and Russell Martin (Double, BB) each reached base twice.
- The offense struck out 8 times, drew 5 walks, and had 6 extra-base hits.
- Chad Billingsley hit the 15-day DL with a groin strain. Big loss.
- RAIN DELAY: 2 Hours, 24 Minutes.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Meeting Dodgers' Righty John Ely
Saturday, June the 5th, I met John Ely in Culver City. The event was scheduled to begin at 11:30, and was originally scheduled as Chad Billingsley, who was unable to attend due to the fact that he was pitching later that night. I went with a few buddies, and wanted to arrive at 10:00, seeing as how Ely had been pitching so well that I assumed there would be a big crowd if I arrived later.
I ended up getting there at about 10:15, and was very surprised that there were about 80-100 people already in line. I quickly got in line, and then walked up to talk to one of the store employees and get a booklet he was handing out. He told me that there were about 20 people in line at 8:00 that morning. Pretty devoted fans (Elyites?).
Yeah, I'm going with Elyites©.
I also went looking for Roberto from Vin Sully Is My Homeboy, but couldn't find him. Clearly I didn't look hard enough, as he was near the front of the line. I got back in line and waited as my friends went off looking for items to get signed. 45 minutes later they returned with nothing. Oh joy.
I talked with a few different fans while waiting. One guy was from West Covina, and we talked briefly about the Chad Billingsley signing there this coming Saturday and how apparently he heard Andre Ethier had in fact been the one to sign in Pasadena (he wasn't, it was Casey Blake, and the belief that it was Ethier contributed to almost 1000 people in Pasadena). He told me he heard from a friend in the front of the line that there were people who had showed up as early as 4 am. I mean, I know Ely has been pitching well, and he probably hasn't ever had a major signing like this before, but jeez, 4 a.m.? I was happily sleeping at 4 a.m. You wake me up that early for a signing, it better be every player I love and have ever loved watching, all signing at once and giving out free tickets and taking pictures and giving out free money. Dedication? Sure. Insanity? You bet.
Found another Casey Blake shirt in the crowd. M.Brown, you should be very proud.
I also spotted some guy wearing an Andruw Jones jersey. Really? Why you would purchase one in the first place is beyond me, but really, at this point just burn that sucker.
As we moved up in line, we talked with a guy ahead of us about some of the potential trades being rumored and some players on the current roster. This guy hated Blake DeWitt and thought James Loney would win, and should win, the Golf Glove every year, but was robbed because Pujols hits a lot of HRs. He also thought it was meaningless that DeWitt had a good eye and drew walks. You can see where I'm going with this. He did have an awesome shirt on though, and was a nice guy, even taking into consideration his willingness to sell the farm in a trade and his misunderstanding of the importance of on-base percentage.
I headed up to the front to check things out for a minute, and behind me John Ely walked up and was greeted with a nice cheer and a round of applause. Ely arrived around 11:05, well early of when he was scheduled to appear. Our journey to meet John Ely was underway.
A store employee passed out this flyer to everyone who wanted one. I have no use for a new phone, but I suck at saying no to people who pass stuff out. I'm glad I did take the flyer, because I immediately noticed that they made the ridiculously egregious error of spelling John Ely's name wrong. Come on guys, how hard is it to ask the Dodgers how Ely spells John? The event was great though, so I'll give them a pass. But if I'm Ely, I'm mad, and you wouldn't like me mad! #ElyMania does not take kindly to spelling errors!
I then spotted this guy with a John Ely-like wig. The John Ely Hair Club For Men is strong with the people.
Near the front of the line, we saw this gentlemen who was also at the January Caravan Event I went to. He almost got into a fight back then, but managed to not come close to fisticuffs this time around. I think he's some type of collector/memorabilia dealer. He was trying to sell the people in line stuff back in January, which is what that almost-fight centered around.
We got in, and they directed us towards the back and towards Ely. We talked briefly with a guy who works for the Dodgers and helps organize and run these kinds of events; he said he'd been doing it for about 11 years. Pretty sweet job if you ask me. My turn in line comes, and I hand Ely the item I brought. He looks at it and immediately starts laughing. I smiled and said it was all I had, and I figured it was better than nothing. He said he thought it was really funny; that, coupled with his initial reaction, leads me to believe someone had shown him it before. Glad to know the Dodgers scour the Internet and Dodger blogs for what people write and say and create about them. While Ely was signing my item, I said he had been "pitching great and it was really good" - or something like that - and then was ready to ask for a picture when I noticed the signature had come out kinda faded. Ely noticed it too and then traced over his own signature. Really nice of him, a pretty cool gesture from an athlete who probably had to sign about 500 plus items that day. Took a picture, shook his hand and said thanks, and was on my way.
As is the case at most of these events, someone told Ely he was on their fantasy team, and John asked "How am I doing?". When told of his performance to date, Ely asked "Is that good". I found this exchange particularly amusing.
They gave us two free tickets each as we were leaving, which I chose for the next day's game. I couldn't attend, but it was pretty cool that they gave them out.
Two vantage points of the line. I would say there were about 80-100 people in line before us, and probably about another 100-200 waiting by the time we left.
Some random pictures from the signing, which was a fantastic experience. I highly recommend every Dodgers fan attend one of these at some point.
O.J.? A Dodger? Hide the women and children.
I didn't know Ramon Troncoso drove a Mustang and frequented Dodger autograph signings. The more you know.
I ended up getting there at about 10:15, and was very surprised that there were about 80-100 people already in line. I quickly got in line, and then walked up to talk to one of the store employees and get a booklet he was handing out. He told me that there were about 20 people in line at 8:00 that morning. Pretty devoted fans (Elyites?).
Yeah, I'm going with Elyites©.
I also went looking for Roberto from Vin Sully Is My Homeboy, but couldn't find him. Clearly I didn't look hard enough, as he was near the front of the line. I got back in line and waited as my friends went off looking for items to get signed. 45 minutes later they returned with nothing. Oh joy.
I talked with a few different fans while waiting. One guy was from West Covina, and we talked briefly about the Chad Billingsley signing there this coming Saturday and how apparently he heard Andre Ethier had in fact been the one to sign in Pasadena (he wasn't, it was Casey Blake, and the belief that it was Ethier contributed to almost 1000 people in Pasadena). He told me he heard from a friend in the front of the line that there were people who had showed up as early as 4 am. I mean, I know Ely has been pitching well, and he probably hasn't ever had a major signing like this before, but jeez, 4 a.m.? I was happily sleeping at 4 a.m. You wake me up that early for a signing, it better be every player I love and have ever loved watching, all signing at once and giving out free tickets and taking pictures and giving out free money. Dedication? Sure. Insanity? You bet.
Found another Casey Blake shirt in the crowd. M.Brown, you should be very proud.
I also spotted some guy wearing an Andruw Jones jersey. Really? Why you would purchase one in the first place is beyond me, but really, at this point just burn that sucker.
As we moved up in line, we talked with a guy ahead of us about some of the potential trades being rumored and some players on the current roster. This guy hated Blake DeWitt and thought James Loney would win, and should win, the Golf Glove every year, but was robbed because Pujols hits a lot of HRs. He also thought it was meaningless that DeWitt had a good eye and drew walks. You can see where I'm going with this. He did have an awesome shirt on though, and was a nice guy, even taking into consideration his willingness to sell the farm in a trade and his misunderstanding of the importance of on-base percentage.
I headed up to the front to check things out for a minute, and behind me John Ely walked up and was greeted with a nice cheer and a round of applause. Ely arrived around 11:05, well early of when he was scheduled to appear. Our journey to meet John Ely was underway.
A store employee passed out this flyer to everyone who wanted one. I have no use for a new phone, but I suck at saying no to people who pass stuff out. I'm glad I did take the flyer, because I immediately noticed that they made the ridiculously egregious error of spelling John Ely's name wrong. Come on guys, how hard is it to ask the Dodgers how Ely spells John? The event was great though, so I'll give them a pass. But if I'm Ely, I'm mad, and you wouldn't like me mad! #ElyMania does not take kindly to spelling errors!
I then spotted this guy with a John Ely-like wig. The John Ely Hair Club For Men is strong with the people.
Near the front of the line, we saw this gentlemen who was also at the January Caravan Event I went to. He almost got into a fight back then, but managed to not come close to fisticuffs this time around. I think he's some type of collector/memorabilia dealer. He was trying to sell the people in line stuff back in January, which is what that almost-fight centered around.
We got in, and they directed us towards the back and towards Ely. We talked briefly with a guy who works for the Dodgers and helps organize and run these kinds of events; he said he'd been doing it for about 11 years. Pretty sweet job if you ask me. My turn in line comes, and I hand Ely the item I brought. He looks at it and immediately starts laughing. I smiled and said it was all I had, and I figured it was better than nothing. He said he thought it was really funny; that, coupled with his initial reaction, leads me to believe someone had shown him it before. Glad to know the Dodgers scour the Internet and Dodger blogs for what people write and say and create about them. While Ely was signing my item, I said he had been "pitching great and it was really good" - or something like that - and then was ready to ask for a picture when I noticed the signature had come out kinda faded. Ely noticed it too and then traced over his own signature. Really nice of him, a pretty cool gesture from an athlete who probably had to sign about 500 plus items that day. Took a picture, shook his hand and said thanks, and was on my way.
As is the case at most of these events, someone told Ely he was on their fantasy team, and John asked "How am I doing?". When told of his performance to date, Ely asked "Is that good". I found this exchange particularly amusing.
They gave us two free tickets each as we were leaving, which I chose for the next day's game. I couldn't attend, but it was pretty cool that they gave them out.
Two vantage points of the line. I would say there were about 80-100 people in line before us, and probably about another 100-200 waiting by the time we left.
Some random pictures from the signing, which was a fantastic experience. I highly recommend every Dodgers fan attend one of these at some point.
O.J.? A Dodger? Hide the women and children.
I didn't know Ramon Troncoso drove a Mustang and frequented Dodger autograph signings. The more you know.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Hiroki Kuroda's Pimpin' Mad
That he wasn't included in this Dodgers 70s Night Poster Giveaway:
What, were Kuroda and his interpreter not available?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Thursday's Game 6/3/2010
Atlanta 4, Dodgers 3
Box Score.
Box Score.
- Hiroki Kuroda went 6 innings (4 Runs [3 ER], 7 Hits, 2 K, 4 BB, 1 Fielding Error, 99 pitches - 56 for strikes).
- Bullpen: 3 IP, 0 Runs, 1 Hit, 3 K, 2 BB, 1 Hit Batter.
- Casey Blake was scratched due to back spasms.
- After entering the game, Jeff Weaver left without having thrown an official pitch due to injury.
- Andre Ethier (Double, Single) and James Loney (2 Singles) each reached base twice.
- Russell Martin went 0-4 with 3 Ks.
- The offense struck out 6 times, walked just once, and had just 1 extra-base hit.
- Charlie Haeger was activated from the 15-day DL, and Travis Schlichting was returned to AAA after making his season debut yesterday and throwing 4 scoreless innings.
"It wasn't easy to tell Travis," said manager Joe Torre.
"I'm just happy I got the opportunity to pitch in a game situation," said the rookie. "They didn't have to explain. I'm disappointed to be going down, but I understand why it happened. They need the arms."
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Thursday's Game 5/27/2010
Chicago 1, Dodgers 0
Box Score.
Box Score.
- John Ely went 7.1 really good innings (1 ER, 4 Hits, 4 K, 2 BB, 98 pitches - 65 for strikes).
- Bullpen: 0.2 IP, 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 K, 0 BB.
- Russell Martin (Single, IBB), Casey Blake (2 Singles), and Reed Johnson (Single, BB) each reached base twice.
- Blake DeWitt struck out in 3 of his 4 plate appearances.
- The offense went down swinging 9 times, drew 4 walks, and had 0 extra-base hits for the third time in the last 4 games.
- Ramon Ortiz was designated for assignment, and Justin Miller was recalled from AAA.
"He [Justin Miller] can pitch every day. I saw him do that with the Giants last year," said Torre. "In Spring Training, we knew we couldn't take him, even though you want on your staff someone with durability."
So basically what Joe Torre is saying is that because Justin Miller wasn't on the team, he was obligated to burn through Ramon Troncoso. Lovely.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Wednesday's Game 5/26/2010
Dodgers 8, Chicago 5
Box Score.
Box Score.- Chad Billingsley went 5.1 very good innings (3 Runs [2 ER], 10 Hits, 6 K, 1 BB, 1 HR Allowed, 1 HBP, 100 pitches - 70 for strikes). A second of those earned runs should have been unearned had the Chicago home cooking from the scorekeeper not occurred, and an error correctly been charged to Manny Ramirez.
- Bullpen: 3.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 5 K, 0 BB.
- Jonathan Broxton got the save, of the 5-out variety.
- Casey Blake hit his 7th HR of the season.
- James Loney (Triple, Double, Single) reached base 3 times, while Blake DeWitt (2 Singles) and Blake (HR, Double) each reached base twice.
- The offense struck out 8 times, drew 3 walks, and, coming off of back-to-back games without an extra-base hit, knocked out 6 extra-base hits in this crazy game.
- Manny Ramirez was truly brutal in left field.
- Lovely 18 minute power outage, eh?
Do You Want To Meet Chad Billingsley?
Chad Billingsley will be signing autographs on Saturday, June 5th at the AT&T store in Culver City, CA. He's scheduled to appear between 11:30 and 1:30. The event is free.AT&T Store
3851 Overland Avenue
Culver City, CA, 90230
(310)
I called to confirm Tuesday, but you should always call a day or so before an event and confirm.
Two other Dodgers will be out and about that day:
Jonathan Broxton will be in Pomona.
Casey Blake will be in Pasadena.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Dodgers Notes From Saturday's Game 5/22/2010
Dodgers 6, Detroit 4
Box Score.
Box Score.
- John Ely, coming in having not walked any of the last 84 batters he's faced, had his streak end at 89 batters in the first inning. He ended up going 6 solid innings (2 ER, 8 Hits, 3 K, 1 BB, 83 pitches - 57 for strikes), rebounding nicely from a rough go around in the 1st inning.
- Bullpen: 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 HR Allowed, 1 Hit Batter.
- Matt Kemp hit his 9th HR, while Casey Blake hit his 6th HR of the season.
- Blake (HR, 2 Singles) and Xavier Paul (2 Singles, BB) each reached base 3 times, while Kemp (HR, Double) and James Loney (2 Singles) each reached base twice.
- The offense struck out 6 times, drew 2 walks, and clubbed 4 extra-base hits.
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