The Final Day of the Regular Season (Day 1)

89-72 Brewers
89-72 Mets

87-74 Twins
86-74 White Sox

If Brewers win the wild card, Dodgers play at Cubs.
If Mets win the wild card, Dodgers play at Phillies

Rays will play either Twins or White Sox.

* * *

Marlins at Mets, 10:10 a.m.

Cubs at Brewers, 11:05 a.m.

Indians at White Sox, 11:05 a.m.

Royals at Twins, 11:10 a.m.

* * *

I still can't get over how Greg Maddux threw fewer pitches in six innings Saturday than Jake Peavy threw in one inning (the fifth) on Thursday.

In other news: Manager Nomar Garciaparra and bench coach Mark Sweeney have given A.J. Ellis his first major-league start today, and Tanyon Sturtze has been named pitching coach.

Dodgers at Giants, 1:05 p.m.

Comments

[Dodger Dawg]

1.  Sweeney has to be a better coach than he has been a hitter this year. Maybe this is his true calling.

[CodyS]

2.  Maddux pitched about as well for us this year as he did for the Padres, when you focus on peripheral stats. It doesn't take much bad luck to give up a couple extra runs, which looks like a lot over the 40 IP he gave the Dodgers. He had two bad starts out of 7 where he let up 14 runs in 10 2/3 innings. Those seven also include two of the best starts anybody had this year, giving up 4 baserunners in 13IP. You don't know what you're going to get with him necessarily, but as long as you're quick with the hook, I think having him start is an excellent choice.

[D4P]

3.  3 words that belong in the same sentence:

bench, Mark, Sweeney

[Gagne55]

4.  3 If we acquire Mike Sweeny and Mark Bellhorn, then we can convert Bellhorn to right field and use Kemp and Loney off the bench.

[Eric Stephen]

5.  I had no idea Peavy threw that many pitches in the 5th the other night! How many was it (I was busy watching Oregon State crush my hopes and dreams)?

[bhsportsguy]

6.  5 53 is what I saw.

[Jimmyv11]

7.  phillies please

[bigcpa]

8.  The odds are pretty good that 2 games will happen tomorrow and another one Tuesday.

[D4P]

9.  Setting the Dodgers aside, I'd much rather the Brewers make the playoffs than the Mets.

[deburns]

10.  Re: Paul Newman. As much as I loved Newman, his first film, The Silver Chalice, has to take the prize for his worst. I understand he took out a full-page ad in the trades to apologize for it. The Sting, The Verdict, Slapshot and two bookends: On The Terrace and the Young Philadelphians are particularly good trash.

[Bob Timmermann]

11.  I counted 53 pitches by Peavy. And that included Juan Pierre's one pitch AB.

[Bob Timmermann]

12.  God should hate the Mets. If God doesn't hate the Mets, then I will go off and buy a copy of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zoroastrianism" and look for a new god.

[Bob Timmermann]

13.  On cable, you only get one HD game at a time. The first one is Tampa Bay at Detroit and the second one is Colorado at Arizona.

[D4P]

14.  Bill Maher's recent "New Rules" segment on white people is quite clever.

[Gagne55]

15.  12 Bob, I want to see your argument for why God should hate the Mets.

[Bob Timmermann]

16.  I hate the Mets. God loves me.

QED

[Bob Timmermann]

17.  Mets-Marlins in rain delay until at least 10:25 am.

[jasonungar07]

18.  Yah I want no part of the Cubs in the first round. I have tickets to game 4.

[sporky]

19.  161 I lol-ed.

[sporky]

20.  Subtract 145 from the link in 19 .

[oshea2002]

21.  the only reason I'd want to cubs is so that I can go to game 1 or 2. Other then that, I'd just rather play the Phillies and pray for the Mets in rd 2.

[Branch Rickey]

22.  My problem with seeing Maddux start in the playoffs for the Dodgers is that I saw it once before. That was truly one of the worst pitching performances that I ever witnessed. Mariano Duncan would have been a better choice to start that game.

[Branch Rickey]

23.  My problem with seeing Maddux start in the playoffs for the Dodgers is that I saw it once before. That was truly one of the worst pitching performances that I ever witnessed. Mariano Duncan would have been a better choice to start that game.

[Bumsrap]

24.  If the Dodgers sign CC I would prefer for his season to be over, now.

[D4P]

25.  24
What about Lowe? And Manny?

[Linkmeister]

26.  Curses. Why, Prime Ticket, why? The last regular-season game of the year, against the Giants, no less, and you don't televise it?

Curses.

[MollyKnight]

27.  I'm not worried about the Cubs. Honestly, I'm just not. We've got the best pitching in the majors, and I do believe one of the scariest line-ups top to bottom.

This doesn't look like a one and done team to me. Yah!!

[jasonungar07]

28.  It's just that realistically (while playing well) we can be down 2-0 coming home in a must win vs a guy throwing 1.71 era in his last 71 innings pitched (Harden). And we throw Kuroda. Not an easy feeling in advance. So normally I say I don't care who we play with bravado, but in this case, yep, Phillies please.

[Bob Timmermann]

29.  Game on at Shea.

[Eric Stephen]

30.  If a movie ever gets made about Joba Chamberlain, Rickey Gervais should play the lead.

[Bob Timmermann]

31.  So if they never play in Boston today, will Johnny Pesky's number still be available?

[berkowit28]

32.  26 That's down to the Dodgers, not Prime Ticket. They have a contract with FSN (PT) to carry 100 games, and with KCAL to carry 50. (Presumably because they still think that non-cable non-satellite viewers in the local market should get to see a few games and/or it earns them more money this way.) Today happens to be one of those 50 KCAL days. How FSN and KCAL divide up their 150 games (the rest are on FOX and ESPN) is a mystery - hard to know who to blame for that.

Even in the Dodgers' own territory, this has an effect. I'm in Santa Barbara. The only way to get KCAL here is via cable (Cox), which does not carry KCAL in HD, only in SD. So even though I have an HD TV, I can't see these 50 games in HD (in LA, all 50 KCAL games are available in HD). It's also what keeps me from switching to satellite: DirectTV also doesn't carry KCAL. (This is still way better than for poor Angels viewers, with Santa Babara also in their "territory". Even Cox Cable no longer carries KCOP and their 50 games at all.)

Cox also has a very weird arrangement for showing FSN PT games in HD. Instead of a (single) dedicated FSN HD channel, as DirectTV has, showing 75 Dodgers games in HD from PT and I don't know how many Angels games from FSN West, we can find a few on a peculiar channel called MOJO-HD. For many months, the games weren't even listed in the channel guide - you just had to go see if the game happened to be on, usurping regular listed programs. I just happened to stumble upon a game by accident one day last summer. Since July or August this year, they've been listing the games - sometimes Dodgers, sometimes Angels. But about 1/3rd of the time, it's completely wrong - not showing the advertised game, or occasionally showing it when it's not advertised! And, if the game goes on longer than 3 hours, it dissolves into "regular" MOJO programming either after 3 hours, or after 3 1/2 - impossible to know when. This really screws with recording on the DVR - to be safe, I have to record both MOJO and non-HD FSNPT. Which of course means I can't record any other program at the same time.

Still a lot better than your predicament of not seeing the game at all, of course. I've learned all the tricks of working around it. I've also told DirectTV that if they'd just start making KCAL available here, I'd switch to them the same day.

[underdog]

33.  30 I was thinking Gary Farmer myself...

--

Not surprise there are weather issues for games back east today. My g/f made it back safely, barely, yesterday from Massachusetts before the hurricane hit. Had to take a puddle jumper from Martha's Vineyard to Providence to escape and I was terrified just hearing about it after there was a plane crash on same route the day before. In other words, a lot of rain and violent weather is coming to New England today.

[Eric Stephen]

34.  28
Or we could be up 2-0 coming home facing a guy made of glass, while we send a pitcher with a 2.77 ERA over his last 10 starts.

[oshea2002]

35.  26 - I've come to despise K Cal channel 9.

[Frip]

36.  The other day James Loney said something about how "after Pierre hit that home run, we tried to give him the cold shoulder..." Was that in reference to Juan Pierre not celebrating with the team when someone else would hit a home run? I was told that Juan, being disgruntled lately, would remain on the bench after a teamate hit a homer. Can anyone shed some light on this.

[mwhite06]

37.  32 I have Direct TV, and I get KCAL in HD. I live in the Valley though, is that the difference?

[Bob Timmermann]

38.  It's just a baseball thing for players to try to ignore a player who does something unusual that the player is excited about.

It happens most frequently when a rookie hits his first homer, but it's also done when banjo hitters or pitchers hit home runs.

[Icaros]

39.  36

Loney was just talking about the long-standing tradition of pretending not to care when a guy who rarely homers finally does. They wait a few seconds, then mob him. They did it to Berroa as well.

Pierre's chronic pouting is a separate issue.

[Eric Stephen]

40.  36
It wasn't anything negative at all. It was a playful thing where the teammates ignore the guy when he gets to the dugout then all mob him in celebration.

They did the same thing after DeWitt's 1st ML HR, and with Ozuna's 1st of this year as well.

[okdodge]

41.  36 I think he probably meant something different then what you're thinking. It's kind of a new thing in baseball when a guy hit's a big homerun the whole team will ignore the guy when he gets in the dugout, then the team eventually mobs him a second later. It's just something a team does to mess with the guy who hit the homer.

[Bob Timmermann]

42.  I also don't think Juan Pierre pouts any more than the average major leaguer who has lost a starting job.

I'll try to find his VORP (Value over Replacement Pouter.)

[okdodge]

43.  And I gladly accept the bronze medal....

[oshea2002]

44.  37 - Prime Ticket games are on MLB Extra Innings for those of us outside of So Cal. K Cal games are not. So when the game is on K cal, we get the other team's broadcast, or nothing.

[Icaros]

45.  42

His Pout+ is 130.

[okdodge]

46.  39 After Berroa's was the best. He kinda looked at the whole team and shrugged his shoulders like he was saying, "Seriously? I look like Wesley Snipes and I hit homeruns and no one celebrates? Seriously?"

[Branch Rickey]

47.  DirecTV does have KCAL HD as part of the LA local channels for Los Angeles. If you're not in Los Angeles, there may be a way to get LA local channels but you'd have to ask them about how that works.

[Bob Timmermann]

48.  The Cubs-Brewers crowd at Miller Park is similar to the mixture of fans at the Rose Bowl yesterday.

[D4P]

49.  The Brewers's lineup has 5 players with 20+ HRs.

[Bob Timmermann]

50.  Angel Guzman, who had Tommy John surgery earlier this year, is hitting 97 mph on the radar gun at Miller Park.

[Bob Timmermann]

51.  Peralta homer gives Indians 1-0 lead over White Sox.

[scareduck]

52.  On the way over to see the Angels try not to stumble again for their final regular season game of the year ... bummer about the Dodgers not being televised for whatever reason. There's plenty of drama with the Royals/Twins, Indians/White Sox, Cubs/Brewers, and Mets/Marlins. I'm kinda bummed I missed yesterday's Maddux start; sounds like it would have been a lot more interesting than the lackadaisical game the Angels assembled.

See everyone after the game, and go Dodgers!

[D4P]

53.  51
Jhonny be good!

[underdog]

54.  Just had the first moment of the season where I missed Jason Elam. Because Matt Prater missed a 28 yard field goal. He's also my fantasy kicker. Thus, I will virtually strangle him.

[Bob Timmermann]

55.  And Oliver Perez has won the NL single season walks title! 103 and counting!

Barry Zito gets a break.

[Eric Stephen]

56.  If the Dodgers can get any type of starting pitching, they can advance in the playoffs. Here are the playoff starts the last two appearances:

2006
Gm 3: Maddux - 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2/0 BB/K, 30 game score
Gm 2: Kuo - 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2/4 BB/K, 49 GmScr
Gm 1: Lowe - 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2/6 BB/K, 44 GmScr

2004
Gm 4: Odalis - 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 5/0 BB/K, 39 GmScr
Gm 3: Lima - 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1/4 BB/K, 80 GmScr
Gm 2: Weaver - 4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2/4 BB/K, 26 GmScr
Gm 1: Odalis - 2.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2/3 BB/K, 25 GmScr

Heck, if the Dodgers can just get the starters to pitch into the 6th, their chances will dramatically improve.

The Lima Game® is tied for the 7th highest game score by a Dodger starter in the playoffs.

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/nJJa

There have been 101 Dodger playoff games, and here's how the above starts ranked in terms of game score:

2006
3: Maddux - 92nd of 101
2: Kuo - 59th
1: Lowe - 68th

2004
4: Odalis - 75th
3: Lima - t-7th
2: Weaver - 97th
1: Odalis - 99th

[D4P]

57.  And Oliver Perez has won the NL single season walks title! 103 and counting!

By walking...

wait for it...

Cody Ross!

[Bob Timmermann]

58.  Marlins leave two on in the top of the second. No score at Shea.

[Bob Timmermann]

59.  Cody Ross now has 33 walks to go along with his 116 Ks.

[Icaros]

60.  56

Who has number 101?

[Bob Timmermann]

61.  60
Ramon Martinez. Game 1 of the 1995 NLCS.

[Bob Timmermann]

62.  Change that C to a D.

[D4P]

63.  59
You're just trying to make him look bad.

[Eric Stephen]

64.  60
Somebody didn't click the link! :)

It was Ramon Martinez in Game 1 of the 1995 series against the Reds.

[underdog]

65.  My bet on the Saints minus 5 over the Niners today is looking pretty good, however.

[Bob Timmermann]

66.  Konerko ties it up in Chicago with a solo homer.

[Eric Stephen]

67.  62
Never a good thing for a student to hear.

[Bob Timmermann]

68.  Cubs cash in an error by Cecil Fielder and go up 1-0.

[Icaros]

69.  63

There wasn't room for Bob to mention his 22HRs and .809 OPS.

[underdog]

70.  Who's Cody Ross? {ducks}

[Eric Stephen]

71.  65
Ummm, Denver was favored by 10, and some people might like them to win by more than that amount. I will renew my cat hatred if the Broncos don't cover! :)

[Bob Timmermann]

72.  I do not worship at the altar of Cody Ross.

Now Zoroaster is another matter.

[D4P]

73.  69
And $390,000 salary.

[Eric Stephen]

74.  The easy part about the Dodger playoff struggles since 1988 is that when one says "the 1995 series" you don't have to think too hard to figure out which series it was.

[Icaros]

75.  64

Copying and pasting is hard.

[underdog]

76.  Okay, Prater misses a 28 yard field goal but then after I virtually strangled him he makes a 56 yard field goal in KC! Ay caramba.

[Bob Timmermann]

77.  73
I can't hear you. My Andruw Jones jersey is covering my ears.

And many other parts of my body.

[underdog]

78.  71 Oh noes, you didn't!? Even I wasn't confident about this one, they always have a struggle in KC even when KC stinks.

[Icaros]

79.  Cubs cash in an error by Cecil Fielder and go up 1-0.

Bob emulating Vin Scully.

[Eric Stephen]

80.  77
You realize you just set D4P up on a tee for another fat joke, right?

[trainwreck]

81.  71
I picked Denver to be high scorer of the week.

[Bob Timmermann]

82.  80
I'm in a generous mood today.

[Bluebleeder87]

83.  i don't know what you guys are talking about, I just turned on the t.v. & it looks like the game is on kcal 9 think blue t.v. first & then the game.

[Eric Stephen]

84.  75
I agree. That's why I use Linkification. That way I can set it and forget it...oh wait, I mean "click it rather than cut and paste."

[underdog]

85.  Cecil Fielder's jersey laughs at Andruw Jones' jersey.

[Eric Stephen]

86.  83
The gripe is that KCAL is not part of extra innings, so those of us outside of LA are deprived of Vin.

[underdog]

87.  Well, then I can blame you guys for betting on them.

Maybe they'll be like my soccer team this morning. We were down 2-1 at halftime and won 11-2.

[D4P]

88.  OK, here goes:

My Andruw Jones jersey is covering my ears

I bet it's covering your entire body...!

Thankyouverymuch.

[Bob Timmermann]

89.  Actually I bought the Andruw Jones caftan.

[Bob Timmermann]

90.  A Jamey Carroll error gives the White Sox another run and they lead Cleveland 2-1.

[Bob Timmermann]

91.  Cabrera sac fly makes it 3-1 White Sox.

[Frip]

92.  Thanks for the fourteen answers to my James Loney "cold shoulder" question.

[D4P]

93.  Actually I bought the Andruw Jones caftan

I like to think of Andruw along these lines:

http://tinyurl.com/4yslqp

[Bluebleeder87]

94.  86

oh o.k. One thing I noticed when i was in san diego, you guys get the angels feed (i know that for sure cause i saw FNSW) but do you guys get prime ticket as well? the hotel i was in didn't carry prime ticket.

[Bob Timmermann]

95.  Zambrano pinch hitting for Angel Guzman in Milwaukee. The Brewers will enjoy seeing a different pitcher.

[oshea2002]

96.  I don't understand why K Cal can't get something worked out with Extra Innings. It can't be strictly a local channel thing b/c Local Channel 4 in San Diego is now a part of the Extra Innings package.

[D4P]

97.  1. What I want to happen:

Twins and Brewers make playoffs

2. What I don't want to happen:

White Sox and Mets make playoffs

3. What will probably happen:

See 2

[KG16]

98.  85 - and Mo Vaughn's jersey mocks them both.

[MC Safety]

99.  I started L. Coles today! Woohoo!

[trainwreck]

100.  Just an hour and 15 minutes before Lane Kiffin's last game.