OFFICIAL 2009 DODGERS SEASON THREAD : Season Over. Congratulations Phillies.

[cincoseisdos]

Originally Posted by Mr Jordan04

How much for that LG? Yea...its right by the block, so things are kinda close. I %#%%$% hate changing barbers, so ill probably go to the same one

you still gettin the cuts in the garage?

 

[mr jordan04]

Originally Posted by CincoSeisDos

Originally Posted by Mr Jordan04

How much for that LG? Yea...its right by the block, so things are kinda close. I %#%%$% hate changing barbers, so ill probably go to the same one

you still gettin the cuts in the garage?

its a trailer park homie. I've tried switching barbers but I just can't get somebody to give me a cut I like/I'm used to

 

[cincoseisdos]

ohhhhhhhhh My bad, it's Jose who's chopping it up in the Garage. Dayday is cutting off Imperial and Paramount, trying to lay low and not getlocked up or get his mouth wired shut again

 

[sinser13]

[table][tr][td]2009 Power Rankings: July 20[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]RK (LW)[/td] [td]TEAM[/td] [td]REC[/td] [td]COMMENT[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]1 (1)[/td] [td]Dodgers[/td] [td]58-34[/td] [td]New ace Clayton Kershaw has a 5-0 record and a 0.63 ERA in his last seven starts.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]2 (2)[/td] [td]Red Sox[/td] [td]55-36[/td] [td]Jason Bay is hitting .178 (8-for-45) with one homer and three RBIs in July.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]3 (3)[/td] [td]Yankees[/td] [td]54-37[/td] [td]The Yankees have a 41-22 record, the best in MLB, since A-Rod came back on June 8.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]4 (5)[/td] [td]Phillies[/td] [td]51-38[/td] [td]The Phillies have won eight in a row and 12 of the last 13.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]5 (4)[/td] [td]Angels[/td] [td]52-38[/td] [td]No K-Rod, no problem: Brian Fuentes leads the majors with 28 saves in 31 opportunities.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]6 (9)[/td] [td]Rays[/td] [td]51-41[/td] [td]J.P. Howell saved all three victories against the Royals over the weekend.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]7 (

[/td] [td]Cardinals[/td] [td]51-43[/td] [td]Mark De Rosa is now 0-for-15 as a member of the Cardinals.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]8 (7)[/td] [td]Giants[/td] [td]50-41[/td] [td]Aside from Matt Cain (11-2) and Tim Lincecum (10-2), the rest of the Giants' starters are 18-25.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]9 (10)[/td] [td]Tigers[/td] [td]48-42[/td] [td]The Tigers have lost nine of 12 on the road and are only 4-13 against the AL East.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]10 (6)[/td] [td]Rangers[/td] [td]49-41[/td] [td]The Rangers have lost five of seven games since July 8.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]11 (12)[/td] [td]Rockies[/td] [td]50-42[/td] [td]The Rockies have won 30 out of 40 since June 4.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]12 (17)[/td] [td]Cubs[/td] [td]47-43[/td] [td]The Cubs have won six of seven to take second place in the NL Central from Milwaukee.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]13 (13)[/td] [td]Mariners[/td] [td]49-43[/td] [td]Ichiro Suzuki has hit safely in 26 of the last 28 games.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]14 (14)[/td] [td]White Sox[/td] [td]47-44[/td] [td]The White Sox have a 32-22 record since May 18.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]15 (11)[/td] [td]Brewers[/td] [td]47-45[/td] [td]Ryan Braun is hitting .218 (12-for-55) with no homers and one RBI in July.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]16 (16)[/td] [td]Twins[/td] [td]47-45[/td] [td]Joe Nathan has not allowed a run since May 21 (23.2 innings).[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]17 (1[/td] [td]Braves[/td] [td]46-46[/td] [td]The Braves won seven of their last 10 to reach .500 and climb into second place in the NL East.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]18 (15)[/td] [td]Marlins[/td] [td]46-47[/td] [td]After being swept in a three-game series during the weekend, the Marlins have lost eight in a row to the Phillies in Miami.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]19 (19)[/td] [td]Astros[/td] [td]46-46[/td] [td]The Astros have a 27-17 record since May 31.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]20 (20)[/td] [td]Blue Jays[/td] [td]46-47[/td] [td]Adam Lind, who had 22 home runs in 676 career at-bats entering 2009, has 20 homers in 355 at-bats this season.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]21 (21)[/td] [td]Mets[/td] [td]43-48[/td] [td]The Mets have averaged only 3.08 runs and have a 9-15 record in their last 24 games[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]22 (22)[/td] [td]Reds[/td] [td]44-47[/td] [td]Francisco Cordero (22 saves, 1.16 ERA) has allowed only three hits in his last 10 outings.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]23 (23)[/td] [td]Orioles[/td] [td]41-50[/td] [td]The Orioles own the AL's worst road record (15-29).[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]24 (24)[/td] [td]Pirates[/td] [td]40-51[/td] [td]The Pirates have lost lost 12 of 17 and have averaged 2.9 runs during that period.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]25 (26)[/td] [td]Diamondbacks[/td] [td]39-53[/td] [td]The Diamondbacks have scored two or fewer runs in 28 games this season.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]26 (27)[/td] [td]Royals[/td] [td]37-54[/td] [td]The Royals have lost eight of their last nine games.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]27 (25)[/td] [td]Athletics[/td] [td]38-52[/td] [td]Brett Anderson has allowed only one earned run in his last four starts (26.1 innings).[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]28 (2[/td] [td]Indians[/td] [td]36-57[/td] [td]The Indians have lost 21 of their last 28 games.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]29 (29)[/td] [td]Padres[/td] [td]37-55[/td] [td]The Padres rank last in batting (.232) and runs scored (342) in the majors.[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]30 (30)[/td] [td]Nationals[/td] [td]26-65[/td] [td]The Nats have lost 10 of their last 11 and are 0-4 under new manager Jim Riggleman.[/td] [/tr][/table]

 

[mr jordan04]

the smallest guy always gettin his +*% kicked and getting pistol whipped by cops. Who decides to run from the cops in TJ when you're HANDCUFFED!!?

 

[in yo nostril]

BN moving away from the cows i see.

 

[cincoseisdos]

SLAM article with Kemp

[h1]Dime Drop with Matt Kemp[/h1]

Free agency notwithstanding, it IS the offseason, so…Go Dodgers!

by Ben Osborne

Getting at least one baseball and football player per season that played basketball growing up and/or follows the game closely today into our monthly Dime Drop column is, by design, a goal of our magazine…the fact that this season's interviewees play for my favorite teams is a lucky coincidence.

As those of you who have read through our new issue should have noticed, this month's Dime Drop interview is with Matt Kemp, center fielder of my favorite MLB team, the Los Angeles Dodgers (and, as you basketball-only folks out there might not know, a future star to boot. Matt, who plays an athletic, exciting brand of baseball with power, speed and defense, almost got that "fans'" 30th All-Star slot this season-by next season he'll be an obvious choice.) Much like when I got at Giants' TE Kevin Boss for issue 125, I came about this story legitimately (as in, it's not like I scouted the Dodgers' roster to find a basketball fan). It was probably about two years ago that I read about this up-and-coming Dodger prospect who had played high-level high school basketball alongside Shelden Williams. I kept this knowledge in the back of my head and then, totally out of the blue, bumped into Matt at the T-Mobile party held during All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. I introduced myself, we rapped for a minute, and he expressed serious interest in being in SLAM (said he used to read it a lot back in the day).

Once the season started and Matt showed his promise was now a reality, the story was a go. I would have been happy to go through Dodgers' PR to do this, but Matt was cool about getting back to me via cell phone so we just hooked the interview up ourselves. And now, with the issue on sale everywhere (with the star of his favorite team on the cover, no less) and Matt the star of yesterday's game, I wanted to get this online.

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Here's the story as it runs in issue 131…

Dodge Ball

Young baseball star Matt Kemp was almost as nice on the hardwood as he is on the diamond.

As baseball season takes center stage in the sports world (maybe not in these pages, but it is the biggest sport playing real games right now), we figured the time was right to check in with one of the game's freshest young players, the first-place L.A. Dodgers' 24-year-old centerfielder Matt Kemp, who also has some great basketball history. The 6-2 Kemp, hitting .311 with 8 home runs and 16 stolen bases through mid-June, came up on the outskirts of Oklahoma City and used to play big-time bball.

SLAM: Is it true that basketball was your "first love?"
MK: Definitely. I went to a high school (Midwest City) with a powerhouse basketball program. We won the state two years in a row and we were ranked as high as third in the nation. We had Shelden Williams and some other really good players.

SLAM: How many years did you play varsity, and at what position?
MK: I played from my sophomore to senior years, and I played all over. I could bang down low if needed, but mostly I was a shooting guard.

SLAM: Did you have college interest for basketball, and when did baseball become the more obvious route?
MK:

I heard from some colleges for basketball but my senior year things pointed to baseball. If you're my size in basketball, you better have hops like Dwyane Wade. In baseball, I was big. There were a lot of scouts coming to my baseball games, and then the basketball coaches heard I was going to play baseball so they stopped coming around.

SLAM: Did you play any big names?
MK: Yes, when we were ranked we traveled and played a national schedule. We went to Delaware, Houston, and played against Carmelo, Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler and Hassan Adams, a lot of guys.

SLAM: Are you familiar with SLAM diarist Xavier Henry out of OKC?
MK: I knew his brother [CJ] well. We played a little AAU together. Now Xavier is supposed to be the man. I tried to catch some of his games when I was home over the holidays.

SLAM: How about the Thunder? Catch any of their games?
MK: I haven't. I think it's real cool Oklahoma City has the Thunder though. The Hornets got a lot of support there and I thought they'd stay, but now it's the Thunder and they get support, too. It's a good NBA city.

SLAM: Who's your team?
MK: I'm a Laker fan. I've been a Laker fan since the Shaq days. I didn't just pick them up as my team, they were my team, and that's cause when you grow up in a city with no team, you can pick whoever you want.

SLAM: Do you get to their games?
MK: Yeah, I go to a bunch. One of my best friends is Trevor Ariza, so I follow them closely.

SLAM: Do you play ball anymore?
MK: I'm scared, because you hear so many stories of guys getting hurt playing. The thing is, I'm so competitive, that if I had a ball in my hand and someone was talking trash, I'd just want to do them. So it's better not to play at all. When we're in Denver we stay near this court Carmelo has and we'll play some H-O-R-S-E.

SLAM: Editing SLAM is my job, but my hobby is rooting hard for the Dodgers. Will this be a title year?
MK: I think the sky's the limit for us.

 

[sinser13]

[h1]http://trades.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/07/dodgers_in_on_halladay_and_rel.html[/h1]

[h1]Dodgers in on Halladay and Relievers[/h1]
Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White and special assistant Vance Lovelace scouted Toronto starter Roy Halladay's victory over Boston Sunday. The need for Halladay is clear in a rotation that lacks a clear ace and the club has enough prospects that it probably could put an enticing package together. The biggest obstacle is whether ownership is willing to take on the salary Halladay will command when all the negotiating over no-trade clauses and contract extensions is done. The team payroll dropped by $30 million this year, even with the money (some deferred) committed to Manny Ramirez. The Ramirez exception aside, this is a franchise committed to developing from within and controlling costs. Depleting the farm system and adding payroll for one player, even a Cy Young winner, runs completely counter to that. Especially with the horrible history the Dodgers have had with their highest-paid players over the last 20 years.

And there's still the issue of acquiring bullpen help, which management considers at least equally important. The Dodgers might make that easier by sweeping the Reds this week and turning that club into a seller, because it has three relievers the Dodgers are watching -- Francisco Cordero, David Weathers and Arthur Rhodes. Among the other veterans they are scouting is Baltimore's George Sherrill. -- Ken Gurnick

 

[frenchblue23]

Matt Kemp

Anyone going to the Stadium this week?

I got tickets for 7/22, and 7/26. Can't wait, I haven't been to a game since May.

 

[cincoseisdos]

I'll be there on Wednesday

 

[frenchblue23]

Originally Posted by CincoSeisDos

I'll be there on Wednesday

Nice. I'll be in Loge.

Gonna hit up the TOP store to see what's new.

 

[ooiron manoo]

Originally Posted by CincoSeisDos

I'll be there on Wednesday

Everyone and their momma will be there on Wednesday,

I think we can put a together a better package than the Phillies. However, it will be more like the Dan Haren deal that sent him to the Diamondbacks.

We don't have the "elite" prospects because some of our prospects have made it and failed, but are still talented. I still think Chin Lung Huhas a future in MLB. His bat disappeared but his glove work was great during his short stint last season. He is seeing the ball better now, he had blurredvision in one eye.

These guys have to go, they are blocked at the Major League level, and they are not getting any younger:

Jason Repko
Chin Lung Hu
Jamie Hoffman
Ivan DeJesus
Josh Bell
Xavier Paul

I still think James McDonald and Scott Elbert are going to be good, but if the right offer comes they will be included in any package.

I don't think they are ready to give up Ethan Martin or Chris Withrow. Frankly, I don't think anyone would want them yet, they are in the early stagesof their development. Josh Lindblom could be included, but the Dodgers keep on raving about him, and might want to keep him.

 

[sinser13]

Here's tonight's lineup...

Furcal, SS

Martin, C

Manny, LF

Ethier, RF

Blake, 3B

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

Castro, 2B

Schmidt, P

 

[eyegiantjackpot]

ill be there tonight.. wed, and friday. dont know if i am gonna go tomorrow. I think i need a break.

i bought my donnie baseball shirt on friday.

 

[badboyf0life420]

hopefully we put up 20 runs tonight in case schmidt gives up 10 runs....

 

[cincoseisdos]

I HOPE, HOPE HOPE we can get something out of him

 

[Los Angeles]

Listening on 790am

What's the word on odog

 

[badboyf0life420]

^^he should be back tomorrow..

 

[sinser13]

good luck to schmidt

 

[div1lbc]

Originally Posted by sinser13

good luck to schmidt

Over and under how many games before he gets injured again?

Hopefully he starts earning his money though.

 

[sinser13]

 

[cincoseisdos]

off the top of the wall?

 

[badboyf0life420]

lmaoooooooo first batter and a triple..

 

[Los Angeles]

Schmidt will always be a POS

 

[sinser13]

[h3]Hudson likely to return Tuesday for LA[/h3]X-rays on repaired left wrist negative after Sunday scare

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By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com

07/20/09 8:56 PM ET

LOS ANGELES -- All-Star second baseman Orlando Hudson was out of Monday night's Dodgers lineup, but manager Joe Torre said X-rays were negative on Hudson's repaired left wrist and he should return to action Tuesday.

Hudson felt a twinge when he used the hand to prevent Houston pitcher Russ Ortiz from backing into him as Hudson ran by first base, where Ortiz was covering and taking a throw in the bottom of the fifth inning on Sunday.

Because of surgery Hudson underwent last August to repair a dislocation, his left wrist does not bend backward even a little. He's learned to glove grounders and throws while keeping the wrist rigid with the help of a brace, but he instinctively extended his hand to fend off Ortiz and the slight contact was painful.

"He's OK and ready to play according to him, but we'll give him today," Torre said. "He's usable if we need him."

Juan Castro started at second base on Monday.

Hudson signed a contract loaded with incentives based on plate appearances, so time is money. He's guaranteed $3.38 million this year, has already earned another $2.3 million in incentives with another $2.32 million possible.

The deal was structured to mitigate risk after Hudson suffered an unusual and potentially career-threatening injury while with Arizona last season. When Hudson's glove collided with Atlanta baserunner Brian McCann as he reached for an errant throw from pitcher Juan Cruz, Hudson's hand apparently was jammed back with such violent force that the lunate bone did a 180-degree flip down and a 180-degree twist to the left, blowing out the ligaments that hold the wrist together. Additionally, the bone came to rest against the median nerve in what amounted to an excruciatingly painful carpal tunnel catastrophe.

Hudson required emergency surgery by Dr. Michael Lee that night to return the bone to its proper location. Two days later, Dr. Don Sheridan inserted five pins to stabilize the bones and anchor sutures to reattach the ligaments.

Also, Torre said left-handed reliever Scott Elbert was returned to Triple-A Albuquerque to make room on the 25-man roster for Jason Schmidt, who was activated to pitch Monday night after two years on the shelf with shoulder problems. To make room on the 40-man roster, reliever Eric Milton was moved to the 60-day disabled list.

Left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo, another disabled reliever, will continue his rehab assignment at Class A Inland Empire, possibly to build arm strength so he can pitch multiple innings. Torre said management hasn't decided if Kuo's next test is back-to-back appearances or stretching out to two innings, but he likely will do one or the other this week before being activated around the end of the month.

The injury to Ronald Belisario has added to the workload of Guillermo Mota, and Kuo would be most helpful if he could handle multiple innings, but his brittle elbow hasn't been asked to do that this year.