SB Nation User Blog: RobLA1

home run derty

RobLA1 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:26:21 -0000

This is a bit of a rant. if it doesn't make sense, apologies all around.

For starters, let's look back to a more innocent time and place, the 2004 home run derby.

That year, the results were as follow:

First Place Miguel Tejada

Second Place Lance Berkman

Third Place Rafael Palmiero

Fourth Place Barry Bonds

Fifth Place Sammy Sosa

What an illustrious collection of ballplayers, so many memories. But now, lets flash forward to 2009. Below are the participants in the 2009 state farm home run derby at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, July 13:

NL, Bats, Age, 2008 homeruns, Career homeruns 2009 HR Total
Lance Berkman, HOU, S, 32, 28 (T-7th in NL), 281 currently 17 (look he's back!)
Ryan Braun, MIL, R, 24, 23(T-4th in NL), 57 currently 16
Dan Uggla, FLA, R, 28, 23(T-4th in NL), 81 currently 15
Chase Utley, PHI, L, 29, 25(T-3rd in NL), 122 currently 17

AL, Bats, Age, 2008 homeruns, Career homeruns
Josh Hamilton, TEX, L, 27, 21 (T-2nd in AL), 40 currently 6 (multiple injuries this season)
Evan Longoria, TB, R, 22, 16(T-14th in AL), 16 currently 16
Justin Morneau, MIN, L, 27, 14(T-21st in AL), 124 currently 19!
Grady Sizemore, CLE, L, 25, 23(1st in AL), 101 currently 10

Looks like a good clean group of guys (fingers crossed). And let's hope so, and that it stays clean. even if the home run totals drop and people stop paying attention and they ultimately drop the whole event.

Now compare this list of participants with the current mlb home run leaders (those all stars not participating the the home run derby are in bold type):

1 A Puljols, St. Louis 30 (hey isn't that where the all-star game is?) and i believe he received enough votes to be on the team. why not entertain the home crowd with that awesome slugging? WHY!!! wants to protect his elbow?

2 A. Gonzalez San Diego 24

3 C. Pena TB 23

4 R Ibanez Phi 22 Another all star apparently chooses not to participate. AWW

5 M Reynolds Ari 22

6 P Fielder Mil 21

7 R Branyan SEA 20

8 A Dunn Wash 20

9 R Howard Phi 20

10 M Texiera NYY 20 Yankee fans disappointed. BOO

So what does it all mean?

a the home run derby was, maybe not intentionally, created as a showcase for feats of performance enhanced strength. it's a dirty contest.

b. the players in bold stick out like sore thumbs and draw more suspicion on themselves by not participating.

c. wouldn't it be just as fair to fans if one player from each team were allowed to destroy their bodies, so long as their identity were public property?

d. cheating helps the bottom line and mlb franchises have made, let's be honest, billions off the steroid era.

e. juan pierre sits on the bench and good guys everywhere who care to notice this feel betrayed. (wait wait, torre put pierre in for manny! good guys keep hope alive!)

f.......

another 25 all star votes for pierre!

RobLA1 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:46:03 -0000

Just spend about 20 minutes clicking repeatedly in order to get some pierre votes in. My votes usually go to Dodgers and Red Sox players. But not exclusively. Players and reasons below:

2009 All Star Game

Rob voted 25 times for:

First James Loney LAD - pretty good

Second Orlando Hudson LAD - much deserved

Third Casey Blake LAD - much deserved

Shortstop Rafael Furcal LAD - good game today!

Catcher J. Flores WAS - i like martin, but why reward a so-so performance. the nats need votes.

Outfielder Andre Ethier LAD - sure, fine, finally started hitting.

Outfielder Matt Kemp LAD - much deserved

Outfielder - that is all

Write In Juan Pierre LAD - most deserved, the reason for voting at all

First K Youkilis BOS - my least favorite sawk; his large head makes me go hmm

Second D Pedroia BOS - inspiring!

Third C Figgins LAA - he's like the AL juan pierre

Shortstop E Aybar LAA - no reason, other names just didn't ring a bell

Catcher J Saltamacchia TEX - just thought it was an interesting name

Outfielder JD Drew BOS - bad in LA, good in BOS

Outfielder J Ellsbury BOS - for saving the red sox from coco crisp at the plate

Outfielder I. Suzuki SEA - i hear he's pretty good

ronald belisario

RobLA1 — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:06:25 -0000

ronald belisario

5/7/09 national anthem

Dodgertown?

RobLA1 — Sun, 17 May 2009 06:32:04 -0000

I have heard bits of info about how they are planning to transform the whole outer part of the stadium, add shopping areas and so forth. If so, when? This sounds like a big change.

Would it be open during the off-season? What kind of shops, restaurants. is it going to be like the Americana in Glendale, CA with condos? Is there a dry-cleaner? What if the baby is sleeping and someone hits a home run? Do I have to pay $15 to go home after work every day? Is that 75 words?

Dodger's Make Splash in Land Shark Debut, 6-4

RobLA1 — Sat, 16 May 2009 05:11:15 -0000

The Other guys keep finding a way!

After being shutout the first 5 innings, and falling behind 3-0. Casey Blake knocked a homer, which impressed Xavier Paul so much he tried to copy the feat, and succeeded! His first in the majors! Juan Pierre added a pair of rbi’s. That made 4. The other 2 runs were the work of Andre Ethier, who got his first clutch hit since....

...seems like since the Giants were thinking about how to pitch to Ramirez. Apparently Manny showed up at the hotel in Miami to (my quotes) “apologize” to “his” ‘teammates” - said Joe, but there was no elaboration.

Anyway, this is what he might have said,

‘Hey guys, it’s me. How you doing? Ummm...i just want to say...ummmm...i wish i could be there with you on the field, you know...... anyway, all this stuff you hear on tv...... first of all, it’s NOT TRUE... me and scott are working on that...and ummm... oh, um, i miss you guys... like, um, you, catcher guy....Russell! and all you guys, Joe...anyway, welcome to Miami, have a great game...um, oh....thanks for all the e-mails you sent....you know, i appreciate you guys...

...i could do this for another 3 paragraphs, but let’s not go there.

So a probable awkward face to face occurred that may or may not have actually included the words ‘i apologize’ - but perhaps we’ll get more in the days to come. Again, the above text is pure imagination.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers have won 3 in a row on the road. Not always purty, but they keep finding ways to do it.

For me, the keys to the new Dodgers were all on display in the Friday night win over Florida.

1 The quiet leadership of Casey Blake

2. Ethier and Loney busting out of their slumps

3. Juan Pierre piling up hits

4. The pitching staff not blowing leads.

5. The offense recognizing that no lead is safe and finding ways to tack on runs.

Yay!

Cy Young hopeful Chan Ho Park dominates Blew Crew.

RobLA1 — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:10:00 -0000

Things don't always turn out the way you imagine - which makes the game interesting. Chan Ho Park does have something, something I never saw when he was a Dodger, but which is magically on display elsewhere. JD Drew Syndrome. I thought for shoooore the Dodgers would chase him from the mound in short order, that it was a lock he would serve up runs, but something has changed.

Kershaw walked 4 and struck out 5. Whoopee. Was he haunted by the 2008 NLCS?And my hero, Juan Pierre, flied out in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and 2 out. How disappointing. Thanks to Hudson for managing to get something going against the Mighty Chan Ho Park.

Juan Pierre: Resurrection! But Torre pulls Belisario!

RobLA1 — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:16:26 -0000

Dodgers sudden underdogs, suddenly interesting!

Here’s a memorable remark from Vin Scully (commenting on an attempted bunt that rolled foul early in the game) Furcal wasn’t trying to poke it or push it...he was just trying to drop a poached egg on the infield...and it slid off the toast.’

The Game

You had Jeff Weaver starting for the Dodgers against Tim Lincecum, who looks to be about 17 years old (24, actually). I had no idea who he was, as I wasn’t aware the Giants were still playing ball. But Vin Scully had all the low-down and I got an excellent education. Apparently he won the Cy Young Award last year as a rookie, and he doesn’t take showers.

Anyway, I had watched the Dodgers yesterday, when they won easily, 8-0. I got a nap in between the 2nd and 6th inning. The new retro radio they gave away on Thursday was on...but the delay between the TV and the radio was too distracting. I just checked again. FSN is just as bad as Fox versus the radio.

Juan Pierre is coming to bat. One man on, 2 outs. Bottom of 9th. Poor guy, he must feel like he has to do everything. Well today he is pretty much the whole offense.

3 for 5, and a walk.

Oh well, he hit a fly ball but the outfielder made another amazing catch. If I were Juan Pierre, I would be like, ummm...hello? Where is the rest of the team?!

The Dodgers wouldn’t be tied at this point if Pierre hadn’t scored or driven in every damn run. And the Dodgers might be chilling in the locker room right now if...

Pierre makes another catch in the 10th

...if Joe Torre hadn’t yanked Belisario after giving up a single. Is it just me? Or is Torre pulling people too early? Remember the 2nd game? Kershaw had 13 strikeouts? The Dodgers were making history, up 2-0 on Jackie Robinson day. And after the 6th or 7th inning, Torre pulls Kershaw for i-don’t-know-who, and suddenly, in like 10 seconds, the Dodgers give up 4 runs. But they won in the ninth on a walk. And the decision to pull Kershaw is forgotten.

But not by me.

So here we are again. Belisario came in and got out the hard part of the Giants order 123 in the 6th. Came in in the 7th and gave up a single. BAM! Torre’s on the mound. Let’s get someone else in here. BAM! The Giants tie it up. And there’s Belisario, totally wasted. And you can’t have him back. And I was thinking, Joe hasn’t had to deal with pitching decisions like that. In New York he usually had a starter who could go 7, a set-up ace and then Mariano Rivera. It was automatic. But the Dodgers are a different story. All I know is...I wouldn’t have dumped Belisario like that. He throws hard. And I wouldn’t have pulled Kershaw back in April when he had 13 strikeouts.

Ethier just flied out. I can faintly hear Foreigner’s Cold as Ice playing in the back of my mind. He’s in a slump. And apparently he is trying too hard, they say. Message to Ethier: stand in front of the mirror and repeat this phrase a dozen times, ‘I can’t get a hit, and i don’t give a shit!’ As soon as not getting a hit no longer makes him feel bad, he will start hitting again.’ It’s that simple.

Look at the standings. The Dodgers are 5-6 games ahead, in 1st place. But it’s May. So no one cares about the standings. In August and September everyone will start paying attention to the standings and it will infect everyone.

2 down in the top of the 11th.

The point is, the standings don’t matter in May. When something doesn’t matter you don’t worry about it. Ethier is probably worried every time the Dodgers are batting. He probably feels relieved when the inning is over. And he can go back to the outfield and be a success and not give a shit. Anyway, it’s a vicious cycle. The more you suck, the worse you feel, the harder you try. It’s natural. You have to be counter-intuitive. Therefore, ‘I can’t get a hit, and i don’t give a shit.’

SF now has 2 men on. Bottom of the 11th. Game is over 4 hours.

Mota is in now...in the 12th. He was Gagne’s setup man. Remember? Before the dumped him to Florida or wherever. Speaking of Gagne...where is he? All I know is that last year he was blowing saves for Milwaukee. After blowing them for the Sox in ’07.

By the way, speaking of former Dodger pitchers....bet all your money on the Dodgers to beat the Phillies on Tuesday. Why? Three words:

Chan Ho Park

And we’re in the 13th inning. Oy! I have nothing more to say. Let God decide. Juan Pierre is the greatest! And the Giants have just gone ahead on a sacrifice. And Juan Pierre is probably saying, why did I even bother? Hang in there, Juan!!!! We believe in you!!!

But wait - Casey Blake just hit a homer in the bottom 12th and we are tied again.

5-5. I think Torre has spent more time on the mound today than Belisario.

13th inning. Mota is coming apart.

Giants win 7-5.