April 16 Open Chat: Polka!

Three-hit shutouts make you want to do crazy things ...

* * *

Tonight's Game

Pregame entertainment suggestion: Rob McMillin recounts his Friday night at the ballpark on 6-4-2 - an evening that ends with a collision worthy of Dave Parker and Steve Yeager.

Comments

[alex 7]

1.  Just wanted to proclaim my dorkiness by letting you know my question was posted on Tom Verducci's mailbag article at cnnsi.com

http://tinyurl.com/8w3g5

under Alex, Medford, Oregon.

Sadly, he doesn't add much insight into my questioning the media's displeasure with DePodesta and the Dodgers. Looking at the entire team, it's obviously an upgrade over 2004 in the hitting, pitching, and outfield defense departments. It seems answers are in the "we need to wait and see" area as to the Dodgers, yet they didn't wait and see before lashing out against them.

[Steve]

2.  You're asking the man who put Alex Cora in his dream lineup whether DePodesta gets credit for signing Jeff Kent? You are an optimist, and I credit you for it, but Verducci was lost to idiotarianism long ago.

[Linkmeister]

3.  He certainly doesn't think much of Shea Stadium, does he? Dead last in "ballpark experience." I guess my one trip there (1965 or 1966) should do me.

[Eric Enders]

4.  IT'S A SCHMOLL WORLD, April 16:

On March 25, 2003, Steve Schmoll was pitching a no-hitter during the eighth inning against the U.S. Naval Academy when the lights at Maryland's Shipley Field mysteriously went out and plunged the game into darkness. After half an hour, the game was resumed, and Navy proceeded to tag Schmoll for seven hits and five runs during the conclusion of the eighth inning. However, Schmoll was redeemed when one of his teammates hit a walk-off RBI single in the ninth to win the game. Schmoll's 15 strikeouts in that game were the most by a Maryland pitcher since current Cincinnati Reds pitcher Eric Milton fanned 15 in 1996.

[Bob Timmermann]

5.  You know last Saturday I ate dinner at a restaurant called Polka.

Tonight, I'll be eating dinner at someone's home in Sierra Madre. I think posting on Dodger Thoughts while eating dinner as a guest at someone's home is not considered cool.

But I'm unclear on the etiquette.

I'm looking for restaurant suggestions tomorrow for the Valley. I've abandoned my childhood home and just want a nice, non-chain place to eat in the north end of the Valley. Although if someone has a very compelling argument for something along Ventura Blvd., I will listen.

[alex 7]

6.  touring the leagues, former Dodger Tanyon Sturtze gave up 4 runs in 1 inning as the Yankees are about to lose again, Guillermo Mota picked up the loss giving up the game winning run in the 9th to the Mets, and Dave Ross is 0-2 today.

[Bob Timmermann]

7.  Sturtze never pitched for the major league team in the regular season, he was just at AAA.

[DodgerfaninNY]

8.  #3 Linkmaster- Shea Stadium really is the crummiest stadium I've ever been in. Veteran's Stadium in Philly seemed quaint by comparison. Unfortunately, those two and Olympic Stadium in Montreal (bad stadium, great city) were the only places to see the Dodgers on the east coast.
Bob Timmerman - is there reliable mass transit to Dodger Stadium and if not, how early do you need to you at the stdium to avoid traffic?

[Bob Timmermann]

9.  There is not reliable mass transit to Dodger Stadium. After a one-year experiment, the Dodgers dropped their shuttle between the Stadium and Union Station.

So, all that is left are Metro buses, which stop on Sunset and require a very long walk uphill to get to the game and have the added bonus that you get to wait around at night for one to come pick you up.

How early you need to get to the stadium to avoid traffic involves numerous factors:
1) time of the game
2) day of the week
3) size of the crowd

In Los Angeles, it's pretty hard to avoid traffic of any kind. It's just the nature of the area.

The least congested approach to Dodger Stadium is from the north off the 110. But unless you live in Pasadena or Highland Park, that won't help.

[Marty]

10.  Bob, I've heard good things about Gorikee restaurant in Woodland Hills, but I've not been there yet myself. Cal-Asian fusion type food. Gorikee Cafe - 21799 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. Phone: (818) 932-9149.

I like Bistro Verdu in Montrose very much. Nice little French restarant. They do a Sunday night $20 three course prix fixe thats really good. 459 N. Verdugo Rd. (bet. Oceanview Boulevard & Sunview Drive), Glendale
Telephone: (818) 541-1532

Don't know much else in the Valley for dinner and don't know if those meet your criteria.

[Bob Timmermann]

11.  Thanks. I'm not looking for fancy. Just casual. Coffee shop/diner fare.

[Jim Hitchcock]

12.  Cal-Asian fusion food make Hee Sop big strong boy.

[Marty]

13.  If it would only give him confidence...

[Langhorne]

14.  Does anyone know if there's a specific reason Tracy is going with Erickson tonight and not Dessens? I know with two off days this week they are able to skip the fifth starter. I don't know which one is considered the fifth started but I thought it was Dessens turn. I don't have a preference really but Elmer pitched better than Scott in their first starts.
One more Jackie Robinson fact: In 1966 he was the GM of the Brooklyn Dodgers football team in the Continental League. The team played as part of the NFL from 1930-1943 and from 1946-1948 as part of the All American Football Conference. Their reappearance in 1966 only lasted one year.

[Steve]

15.  Arizona sure looks good again tonight against the used-to-be Expos. I knew Shawn Green could help this team if we used him just the right way.

[DXMachina]

16.  "He certainly doesn't think much of Shea Stadium, does he? Dead last in 'ballpark experience.'"

Like DodgerfaninNY, my only access to Dodger games is at Shea, I've seen more games there than anywhere else (also because I can't afford scalped tickets at Fenway). I dunno, some of the ballpark experience Verducci seems to want, such as "intrinsic entertainment value to the experience, not just the competition on the field" seems to be there in spades. Between every inning there is some kind of dog and pony show going on either on the field or up on the scoreboard. It's certainly the loudest park in the majors, what with the "entertainment" and the jets, and yeah, it's not especially clean. That said, it's usually pretty easy to get to, unless you're driving in over the Whitestone for a playoff game, and I've never had a problem finding parking when I've driven. The subway's even easier if you're coming from the city. The sight lines are pretty good from most seats, the tickets aren't ridiculously expensive (although the concessions are - we usually bring our own food), and you can usually get tickets.

By comparison, Fenway Park is also old and dirty, tickets require bank financing (and usually aren't available anyway), concessions are even more expensive than at Shea, and there a huge numbers of seats that are obstructed in some way. I once sat in the last row of the right field grandstand on a night that Jose Canseco hit a couple of towering home runs for Texas, and I couldn't see them once they left the bat because the roofline is so low. If you've got good seats, it's a wonderful place to watch a game, but those seats are impossible to get.

[Eric Enders]

17.  Langhorne,
My guess is they probably want to find out right away if Erickson is worth keeping on the team or not. If he has a couple more bad starts they'd probably like to use his roster spot for Penny once he becomes active.

[Jerry]

18.  Russ Ortiz is awesome! He is going to put them over the top this year. I can't believe he didn't win the Cy Young award in 2003 when he won 21 games!!!! Joe Morgan said he knows how to win games.

[Firstcut]

19.  Why is Grabowski playing first base tonight? Actually why is Grabowski ever starting a game at any position?

[Fearing Blue]

20.  Doesn't look good for Choi. I hope he's injured, otherwise Tracy has clearly lost confidence.

[Bob Timmermann]

21.  My brother wrote a commentary in the St. Louis paper last year on how run down and dangerous he thought Fenway was.

He said he received no negative letters or emails from anyone.

For the World Series, the out of town press was in the RF stands. He said that in case of an emergency, Fenway would be a hard place to evacuate.

You know when Shea opened, it was state of the art. It's just that state of the art changed very quickly.

People used to think Three Rivers and Veterans and Riverfront were nice. But they replaced really old parks. Which everyone is nostalgic about. Unless they had to work in them.

[Firstcut]

22.  I think we have to have faith in Scott Erickson still. He had a great spring and I don't think it was just luck. After all, Jeff Weaver looked just as bad on opening day!

[Firstcut]

23.  I think its too early to lose faith in Choi. I think maybe he thinks Grabowski can hit Eaton. But, of course, nobody on the Dodgers has ever hit Eaton.

[Firstcut]

24.  You know, Three Rivers, and Veterans, and Riverfront were always crummy parks. Probably because they were dual sport parks. Also, Shea is pretty rundown. Only Dodger Stadium from that period is still in good shape (except for the new configuration of seats, of course).

[Adam M]

25.  Went to a Yankee game last weekend with my dad (his first time there, my first in 10 years), expecting some baseball experience & all we could think was: what a dump! The "facade" is a hunk of painted concrete, you can't see anything, the voiceover guy sounds prerecorded (makes sense b/c he's older than Yoda), the grounds crew desultorily trudging through Y-M-C-A stopped working around the 10^7th time, and Monument Park is a series of twinkling squares you can't visit. Yankee Mystique is truly not of this earth--if the Phillies or the Mid-80s Mariners played there, they'd have called it The Steaming Urinal or something. Older parks have their charms (the Big A and Chavez Ravine among them). Yes, I'm sure Yankee Stadium is electric in playoff games, but which park isn't besides Turner? Just don't get it. Shea can't be any worse--in its favor, it has one piece of character: the Apple; I suspect the disparity in gripes is because Yankee fans pounce on any criticism, while self-loathing Mets fans tend to look at the floor and think, "we deserve this."

[Marty]

26.  I see Beltre is down to .238. The White Sox seem to have gotten themselves some pitchers.

[DodgerfaninNY]

27.  I've seen alot of Dodger games in Montreal, starting with the '81 NLCS. I believe ESPN named Olympic Stadium the worst in MLB last season. And yet, you could take a clean and efficient subway right to the stadium, get a fantastic deal on hotel and food when the dollar was strong up there, and enjoy Canadian beer and smoked meat sandwiches during the game where great seats were plentiful in recent years. I'll miss it.

[Linkmeister]

28.  When I saw Shea it was during the World's Fair in '65 or '66. It was almost brand new then, I think, and it was hyped as state-of-the-art. I could have cared less about that, though, as I was a teenaged Dodgers fan who'd been away from LA for 3-4 years and missed my team dreadfully. It may be wishful memory, but I think Koufax pitched and beat the Mets that day.

The other highlight of that trip from DC? Seeing James Bond's Aston Martin at the Fair.

[Steve]

29.  Did Jason Repko die in a horrible tractor accident or something?

[The Saul]

30.  I am not a big Choi fan, but I feel that booing him this early is unfair and does not help the situation at all.
I know, he sucked last year too, but so far this year he has played 9 games. Thats 9 games to get acquainted with the new batting approach Eli has made him adopt.
Besides, he's making a paltry (by baseball standards) $350k.
Maybe Tracy's benching him so he doesn't have to get booed in his own home field. He might give him another look on the road where he won't feel 80,000 eyes on him.

[Jerry]

31.  Tracy looks like he's sticking with a strict Ledee/Repko platoon for LF.

[Suffering Bruin]

32.  Well, on the subject of Hee-Seop...

---

Today's fact of Choi, SB's favorite player, 2005:

THE LIFE AND CURRENTLY DARK TIMES OF LEON LEE

This may get long but would you trust me if I said it was worth it? I'll limit it to bulletpoints on the man who discovered Hee-Seop Choi for the Cubs.

*Born in Bakersfield, California and father of Cubs first baseman Derek Lee. He has another son in the Mariners organization.

*He never played a day of major league ball though he was doubtless good enough to do so. Instead, he joined his brother Leron in Japan beginning in 1978. In ten seasons, he hit.308 smacked 268 home runs and drove in 884. His best season was 1980 when he hit .340 with 41 homers and 116 RBIs for Lotte.

*After retiring, he frequently visited Japan, started a busineess there--a bilingual hitting journal--and was a roving broadcaster. He apparently loved the culture and the feeling was mutual; Lee was a very popular "gaijin".

*He eventually became a roving batting instructor/Pacific Rim scout for the Cubs. He was with the team when they played the Mets in their "home opener" in 2000. He traveled with his son Derek when St. Louis went to Japan in 2003. Ever since Lee discovered Choi, the two call each other weekly.

*Lee accepted a full-time position as batting coach for Japan's Orix Blue Wave in late 2003. A month later, in a shocking move, he was promoted to manager. Orix had been piloted by Hiromichi Ishige, one of the JBL's most famous skippers. Apparently, Ishige was strict even for Japanese baseball. After Ishige was fired during a weekend series in April with Seibu, one Blue Wave player said it was like Saddam Hussein had left the team. Finishing 40 games out of first the previous seasons certainly didn't help. Lee was proud to accept the post. "Never in my wildest dreams when I came to Japan as a player in 1978, did I think I would be managing a team here 25 years later," said Lee.

*Later that season, when Nippon played Orix in the Tokyo Dome, it was the first time in 28 years of Japanese pro ball that both teams had American managers: Lee for Orix and Trey Hillman for the Nippon Ham Fighters.

*The team didn't fare much better under Lee but they had more fun. He was apparently welcome to return but he instead accepted a job with the Mets as manager of the Class A Brooklyn team. He would also assist in their Pacific Rim scouting.

"I've been involved in baseball in every capacity and I love working with young players," Lee said. "The idea of being able to come home and work with the Mets is very exciting. I've been everywhere in the world but I've never been to Brooklyn. I don't think I've been this excited about anything in a long time."

It was the last time he would be happy about much of anything. Two months later, he was under arrest for exposing himself.

*I stole the summary of a New York Times article on Lee's arrest below from this link:

http://japanesebaseball.com/forum/thread.jsp?forum=33&thread=7794

In April 2004, Leon Lee was managing the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones in the Mets organization when he was arrested in Port St. Lucie, Florida for allegedly exposing himself to four women in a hotel during minor spring training. After the arrest, Lee was forced to resign.

The prosecutor offered Lee a deal where Lee would pay $500 and perform community service and other things in exchange for the charges being dropped. Lee refuses to sign the deal because he wants to clear his name.

Meanwhile, witnesses say the women accusing Lee have repeatedly changed stories. Lee is bitter toward the Mets because they didn't stand behind him when he was arrested. Lee refuses to accept the plea bargain because no one will hire him until the case is resolved, including one NPB organization.

According to the article, Lee has liquidated many of his accounts including his retirement plans to pay legal fees to clear his name and it appears the case will go to trial.
(end of summary)

*Go to this link for a good-sized excerpt of the New York Times article here: http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/index.php?m=20050302

*Google does not have any recent news hits on Leon+Lee+Mets so the story will have to end there for now.

[molokai]

33.  Nice story by Crasnick on Kim NG, Dodger Assistant.
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=2037957

Also great story on Joel Guzman in BA
http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/features/050412guzman.html

[The Saul]

34.  Plus, if we give up on Choi, we won't get to enjoy our Choi fact o' the day!
: )

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

35.  Showing my age, and a propensity to confuse sports, on my scorecard I've already committed the error of calling Eaton "Mark."
http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=EATONMA01

[Jim Hitchcock]

36.  C'mon, Kent, let's pick up that average a bit...double Mendoza is just not gonna cut it.

[Steve]

37.  Alex Cora is slugging .318.

And yet another Dodger double play. Collect them, trade them, race them.

[mad reefer]

38.  Vin just referred to UC Berkeley as "Cal"

[DXMachina]

39.  "My brother wrote a commentary in the St. Louis paper last year on how run down and dangerous he thought Fenway was."

The thing about Fenway is that it is beautiful, especially when you looking at it in person. It's a work of art as far as the playing area goes, and if you have the cash and the right connections, you can thoroughly enjoy yourself there. But as you say, the parts behind the canvas need a helluva lot of refurbishing. The owners have committed to Fenway, and plans are being made to improve some of the infrastructure, which still does nothing about all the obstructed areas.

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

40.  Blum to short? I thought I saw Greene come up weird after that errant throw to second on Izturis' steal...

[Steve]

41.  Where's that guy who spent two months in here trying to convince everyone that Jeff Kent was a has-been who was helped by park effects and couldn't play defense and we should have kept Alex Cora because he hit .280 at home last year?

And Grabowski singles in a run. That's it, Jerry. We have to change the name NOW!

[gregsmokler]

42.  GIVE US THE MONEY GRABOWSKI!!!

[Suffering Bruin]

43.  Dodgers Indeed, Steve. Dodgers Indeed...

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

44.  Jane's Addiction selling Coors Light.
(weeps)

[Jim Hitchcock]

45.  Amazing. Last year we saw subpar defense when playing the Diamondbacks. Think that virus has spread...

[Steve]

46.  When we make the changeover, a regular feature will be "Dodger Guy I'm Writing Off Tonight." That is good for 2-4 and an RBI just about every night.

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

47.  Eaton in the 1st inning: 20 pitches, 9 for strikes.
2nd inning: 13 pitches, 12 for strikes.
Not that it helped.

[fanerman91]

48.  Aargh. No Choi =(

[Jerry]

49.  #44 -- Nothing's shocking. ;)

[alex 7]

50.  especially if you write off the starting pitcher.

[Steve]

51.  And they said our pitchers were 14th in the NL in hitting. They're always wrong.

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

52.  Don't get hurt, Jeff.

[mad reefer]

53.  did he miss a sign?

[Jim Hitchcock]

54.  Not that it matters now, but the new seats robbed us of a run on Kent's hit.

[Steve]

55.  I hope Hoffman gets plenty of splinters in his butt for that one.

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

56.  For all the offseason talk about fewer foul outs, there wasn't much attention paid to balls hit down the lines, was there?

[Jerry]

57.  #54, #56--it doesn't matter, it'll hurt and help both the Dodgers and their opponents

[Jim Hitchcock]

58.  Man. We have a very good team here.

[mad reefer]

59.  phillips for ishii...hallelujah!

[Marty]

60.  Jesus, I think Fernando is in the SD pen.

[Jerry]

61.  I don't care if Ross wins the Triple Crown in Pittsburgh; I love what I've seen of Phillips so far.

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

62.  Scars build character, Jeff.

[Steve]

63.  While the Rocks flirt with disaster yet again, they do us a favor by defeating the hated Jints.

[Marty]

64.  They beat SF? Miracle

[Jon Weisman]

65.  Just ducking in here for a second. I just have to say - I think you all are the best. I love your comments! Can't tell you how many times I've smiled reading them. Of course, winning helps. Polka!

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

66.  Jon, you're the host with the most!

[Steve]

67.  Amazing what the Rockies can do with a three run lead in the ninth at Coors (that the Jints can't)

[Adam M]

68.  If you've followed Jane's post-reunion career, it's not all that surprising, is it? Navarro had this mystique around him that just vaporized the last few years. Turns out he's just a freaky-looking geek with a crazy personal history. Knock me over with a boa.

Just came across Plaschke's piece on Dancin Frank McCourt from a few days back. The Dodgers are winning! Let's give McCourt some credit! Paul who?

[alnyden]

69.  Ross has 3 homers so far this season. As many as Jeff Kent in 10 less at bats. Not bad.

[Suffering Bruin]

70.  Polka right back at ya, Jon! And thanks for your thanks as we often thank you for how thankful we are... never mind...

Dennis Reyes! Wasn't he a throw-in in the Konerko for Shaw trade?

[Marty]

71.  Man, I'm enjoying this team right now. I'm sure they'll hit a very rough patch, probably an east-coast road trip, but it's great now to feel like they can't do anything wrong.

[DougS]

72.  Anyone else notice Eaton's body language in the 1st? He sagged visibly after two different pitches were called low, as if he was very disappointed with the result. Either his control wasn't all there, or he didn't get the call he thought he deserved. Could explain why he's been getting the ball up since then, and hasn't looked like the Dodger-killer of last season. Not that I'm complaining....

[Marty]

73.  Ok, so I jinxed Erickson...

[GoBears]

74.  Jon, I just used the inning break to take advantage of your archive feature. Went back and read your first few posts. No comments, no comments, no comments. And I can see just from that small sample how your own approach to "dealing with the Dodgers" has evolved. I just discovered your blog during this off-season, and I'm here every day now. It must be rewarding to you how far things have come. Kudos. This from a guy who hates Stanfurd so obsessively that he has not a spot of red in his house (well, OK, maybe the lettering on a book or two). Thanks for this little community and guilty pleasure that you've created and nurtured.

[Steve]

75.  There goes Erickson's breaking ball. Get someone up. Now.

[Daniel B]

76.  Throw strikes, Scott. Make them hit it.

[Daniel B]

77.  Is it my TV or is FSNW2 really on the fritz? The audio is sketchy and a few seconds ahead of the picture.

[Jim Hitchcock]

78.  That was nice of Jon to say. Pretty much the best living room in town for hanging out during games, with like minded meatheads :)

[DXMachina]

79.  Way to pitch out of trouble. Good job, Erickson.

[mad reefer]

80.  Between inning Polka! fact about... the Big GRABOWSKI - this common Polish surname generally derives from the place where the family originated - and could refer to any of dozens of Polish villages with names beginning with Grab. These place names, in turn, derive from Polish roots such as grabie (meaning "rake"). Hitting run in the family?

[Marty]

81.  Jim, exactly what I was thinking. Daniel, my FSNW2 audio is bad right now too.

[Steve]

82.  Phew.

Your FSW2 is messed up. So is mine.

[Jim Hitchcock]

83.  This the third time they've had had audio problems this season, Daniel B. It's still in sync with the game, though.

Damn, my idjit parrot just pooped on my keyboard....

[Daniel B]

84.  Im glad its in sync for someone, Jim.

I hear the catch/hit before the pitcher even throws the ball.

[Jerry]

85.  #74 - there were lots of comments before, but on the old site. They haven't been migrated over yet.

[GoBears]

86.  "Damn, my idjit parrot just pooped on my keyboard...."

Oh man! I hope that wasn't a euphemism for something. Because, from our point of view, that's one of the funnier non-sequitirs ever. HA!

[Jim Hitchcock]

87.  That's probably right, Daniel. DirecTv lags 3 seconds or so behind the radio broadcasts, so maybe that's why I'm not noticing the difference.

[bokonon42]

88.  I bought my car from Geoff Blum's mom.

[DXMachina]

89.  "Damn, my idjit parrot just pooped on my keyboard...."

Is the parrot now pining for the fjords?

Not only did the Rockies win, they beat Jason Schmidt.

[Suffering Bruin]

90.  If somebody said Erickson would be pitching one-hit ball threw five, I wouldn't have believed it.

[Jerry]

91.  The mlb.tv feed of Vin's broadcast is out of sync as well.

[Jim Hitchcock]

93.  No, he really pooped on my keyboard.

My last parrot chose last Thanksgiving to eat the cap off my right arrow key. Seeing as how I often have the need to self edit, I was pretty upset. So I had the bird stuffed. Into the turkey, prior to to cooking. Pretty sure the little fella came to regret it's choice of diet...

[Steve]

92.  The commercial for the SoCal Sports Report just said that Mark Gubicza was going to talk about the "mistakes the Angels made today." I almost fell out of my chair. It appeared for awhile there that Arte Moreno's Death Squad had the family members of every sports media figure in the area held hostage and secured in an undisclosed bunker.

[Daniel B]

94.  ?????

[Jerry]

95.  This is our ninth straight game with 8 or more hits.

[Daniel B]

96.  I'll make a deal with you. Since the sound is not good, Ill just shut up"

hahaha

[Suffering Bruin]

97.  Who else has been impressed with Steiner? I'm really liking his work.

[Steve]

98.  I was going to mention this earlier, but Vinny did a great minute there on what Milton did wrong when he caught that fly ball in the fourth with Loretta on third. Now with the sound bad, he's quiet so we can hear the game. Name an analyst who would do that. None.

[ryu]

99.  I am in Hong Kong, and KFWB.com does not broadcast the game. Do you guys know of any other way to listen over the Net for free? Thanks.

[Gold Star for Robot Boy]

100.  Most broadcasters would try to shout over the noise...