6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Tony Jackson via Jon has the Dodgers retaining Matt Kemp and Wilson Valdez on the 25-man roster, and cutting Larry Bigbie. Jon suggests that Andre Ethier won't get as many starts as a result, and that makes sense. Rudy Seanez will be in the bullpen, though that may prove short-lived. The Dodgers won't need a fifth pitcher for a while, so the four-man rotation will be Schmidt, Penny, Lowe, Wolf.

Labels: dodgers

By far the most amusing part of this game were the two bunts that ended up going foul (almost) and then staying fair, one for each side. In the top of the third, Mike Napoli let Wilson Valdez's bunt slink along the chalk until it returned back in fair territory, only to discover Valdez had safely arrived at first base. But the Angels got it back in the bottom of the fourth, when Izturis got aboard on a bunt single that did almost exactly the same thing.

Both sides hit a lot of balls hard, but none of them went over the fence. In some ways, the pitching performances were highlighted for the Dodgers by solid outings by Brad Penny and Brett Tomko, both of whom have been suspect; and a solid game for Jonathan Meloan, who hasn't pitched a significant number of innings above high-A. Joe Saunders had a rough first inning, but settled down thereafter to give up only two runs over four innings. The rest was bullpen, including Chris Resop's final appearance with the major league club for a while (he was optioned to Salt Lake after the game). Chris Bootcheck continued his fine spring efforts, and while I don't expect him to last beyond Jered Weaver's reactivation, probably April 16, it's likely he'll be the first called up if something happens to Scot Shields or one of the other pitchers. For the first time, he's looking like a real possibility as a bullpen arm.

Finally: Vlad left the game early, making me wonder if he isn't in one of his increasingly long slumps, and/or injured. I hope I'm wrong about that one.

The Angels finish their spring 19-13, while the Dodgers are 17-16-1.

Recap/Box

Labels: angels, dodgers, recaps

Before I do my game recap of the last meaningless preseason game of 2007...

• The Angels announced their opening day roster (emphasis on players who were unexpected):
  • PITCHERS (11): Chris Bootcheck (RHP), Hector Carrasco (RHP), Kelvim Escobar (RHP), John Lackey (RHP), Dustin Moseley (RHP), Darren Oliver (LHP), Francisco Rodriguez (RHP), Ervin Santana (RHP), Joe Saunders (LHP), Scot Shields (RHP), Justin Speier (RHP).
  • CATCHERS (2): Jose Molina, Mike Napoli.
  • INFIELDERS (7): Erick Aybar, Orlando Cabrera, Shea Hillenbrand, Maicer Izturis, Howie Kendrick, Robb Quinlan, Casey Kotchman.
  • OUTFIELDERS (5): Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Matthews, Jr., Tommy Murphy, Reggie Willits.
  Sorry, cousin Nick, it sounds like your lot in life is to be a player to be named later. Great spring, though. And:

  Right-handed pitchers Alex Serrano and Matt Wilhite and outfielder Curtis Pride were reassigned to Minor League camp. Right-handed pitcher Chris Resop, catcher Jeff Mathis, infielder Kendry Morales and outfielder Nick Gorneault were optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake. Right-handed pitcher Chris Bootcheck had his contract selected from Salt Lake.

  Finally, Bartolo Colon, Chone Figgins, Juan Rivera, and Jered Weaver will all start the season on the 15-day DL, and Dallas McPherson will be on the 60-day DL. Colon and Weaver will make rehab starts at Rancho Thursday and Friday respectively.
• Sammy Sosa has made the Rangers' 25-man roster. Eric Gagne was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to March 28. Marlon Byrd did not make the team and was designated for assignment; the Rangers will take former Diamondback Matt Kata as their reserve outfielder.
• The A's released Erubiel Durazo.
• Esteban Loiaza may start the season on the DL with back spasms.
• The Giants optioned RHP Brian Wilson to AAA Fresno; this was a very big surprise, because the Giants expected him to be a backup for Armando Benitez as a setup man or closer. His spring numbers have not been impressive, 7.71 ERA with a unity K/BB ratio.

Labels: angels, athletics, giants

If ever there were a column designed to evoke some strong response, this one's it (hat tip: Jon). Bill Shaikin, whose baseball coverage is usually excellent, falls down on a shortsighted column that compares Juan Pierre to ... wait for it ... Hall of Famer Lou Brock?

If you're a serious baseball fan, you know Ernie Broglio. If the trivia category is "All-Time Worst Trades" and the challenge is to name the player the Chicago Cubs got when they traded Lou Brock, the answer is Broglio.

Brock got into the Hall of Fame on his first try, as the outfielder atop the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup during their glory years of the 1960s. The Cardinals counted on Brock to hit .300, score 100 runs and steal 50 bases every year.

Juan Pierre can do all that.

The Cardinals were thrilled to have Brock. So were their fans. No one questioned his value.

The Dodgers were thrilled when they signed Pierre over the winter, but a vocal brigade of fans objected and a chorus of statistical analysts chuckled.

...

In Brock's era, batting average ruled. Today, the Dodgers are condemned for paying attention to the wrong statistics.

Whoa. Shaikin starts off by attacking an argument made by nobody in the sabermetric community criticizing the Pierre signing. Not only does that include this space, which lazily adopted Jon's general tenor while doing no actual analysis, but Baseball Prospectus's Marc Normandin, who called the signing "inexcusable" thanks to a near-total lack of discernable power and an on-base percentage that was almost entirely due to his high average. And that high average came because he's fast — but speed is one of the first things to go in a player:

He's also played in 162 games for four straight seasons, which means a lot of wear on his legs. Once he begins to lose speed, he's going to look like even more of a pinch runner and defensive replacement than he does as of now, and that is something every National League West team not based in Los Angeles can celebrate over the next five years.

Lew Brock was a far better offensive player than Pierre. In particular, Brock could walk; despite playing in fewer than 162 games every year of his career, he had 50 or more walks five years, with a high of 76 in 1971. Pierre has so far only managed that once, in his age 25 season of 2003. Now, Pierre's on-base percentage (OBP, as if I should need to spell it out to anyone reading this) has exceeded .350 four times in his career; Brock at the same point in his career had only exceeded .350 one time.

But this fails to contend with the players' respective eras and parks. Brock played in the huge strike zone era, in which all manner of offensive numbers were suppressed. Using Baseball Reference's Neutralize Stats function (for the neutral 750 runs environment), two of Pierre's over-.350 OBP seasons — his 2000 and 2001 seasons in Colorado, which inflated his batting averages — disappear. And while it's true that Pierre has posted some superficially similar stolen base totals, if he can't get on base to steal second, that skill has no value.

Then of course there's the matter of his age; with so much of his skill set tied up in his legs (almost all of it, really), he's in serious trouble when that goes — as it would appear to be doing even now. All of this is to say that while Pierre is a useful player, it's almost certain that he won't be nearly as useful as his current contract would seem to imply. Context matters, but Shaikin's analysis doesn't really try to look too hard for it.

Labels: dodgers

First impressions of the new Dodger Stadium parking situation from Chris Foster at the Times (all added emphasis mine):

"I didn't see any difference, just more people out there in green shirts and $5 more to park," said Juan Escobar, who lives in Los Angeles. "That was the plan? I could do that."

Those interviewed said that parking took about the same amount of time as it used to, though many said there was added stress from being micromanaged by attendants lining up cars. "It's like a theme park," Escobar said. "It doesn't feel right."

It didn't to [Tom] Leba, who was accustomed to getting a spot behind the left-field pavilion to make it easier on him and his [wheelchair-bound] wife.

"I would take her to her seat, then bring the wheelchair back. How can I do that from out there?" Leba said as his wife repeatedly told him, "Let's just go home."

This doesn't sound good, especially considering the fact that only 29,841 showed up to Thursday's game, about 54% of capacity. Further, it appears that the Dodgers are telling everyone — including people with handicap stickers/license plates — that they have to park in lots adjacent where they came into the park, rather than directing them to the handicap stalls closer in. Despite the official pronunciamentos of Dodger brass, the parking lot staff was telling one handicapped woman that she had to buy season ticket parking (at $20 per stall) to park there.

(Dear Frank: that's what they call a PR disaster, just so you know. Better have one of your handlers deal with it.)

Also, the Dodgers have nobody directing traffic at the end of the game, opposite the situation we had last year with parking Nazis who wouldn't even let me drive Helen to her car when we had to go in separate vehicles.

All told, it sure sounds like I won't be going to as many Dodger games as in years past.

Update: The Dodgers house organ says of traffic on the same night,

In any event, from what I've heard, the parking lot cleared faster last night than any time in recent memory, so hopefully some of you experienced that. I'm sure there will still be some growing pains, but I'm glad that many people are giving this a chance to work.

Talk about radically opposed viewpoints...

Labels: dodgers

Today's Birthdays

Howie Kendrick Hits (The) Big Time

Tim Brown pens a nifty piece about Howie Kendrick:

He is a born hitter. Everyone says so. He believes it and has since the moment his grandmother put a bat in his hand when he was a child. It was her – Ruth Woods – who raised Kendrick until he was 11 and who registered him for youth baseball in Callahan, Fla., for the purposes of distraction.

"Just to get me out of the neighborhood," Kendrick said, smiling, "and keep me from throwing rocks at the houses."

Then he started hitting. Going on 15 years, he has not stopped.

Bad Habits Die Hard: Dodgers 13, Angels 4

The Dodgers got their first home victory in eleven games of the Freeway Series last night, pounding Angel pitching for 13 runs and 18 hits; Ervin Santana was just throwing straightballs out there, and Dodger bats did not miss. I actually went to bed early on this one, the outcome essentially decided after the first inning.

Santana needs to get his head screwed on right. He's got a history of being terrible on the road, and while his 3.65 spring ERA prior to this game was a positive, it's exactly the kind of thing that makes you wonder if he's ever going to figure out how to pitch on the road. For the Dodgers, the news was only slightly less sobering, as Jason Schmidt failed to crack 90 MPH the whole game. Yet, Schmidt claims to be healthy and, more importantly, pitched well, so for the moment we dismiss such talk. But on a $47M, three-year deal, the Dodgers have to be at least a little concerned.

Box/Recap

Dodgers' Ticket Price Hike Leads The Majors

The Dodgers' new ticket price increases led the majors in the offseason, but was it that unexpected considering the addition of the Lasorda-friendly all-you-can-eat section?

Roster Notes

• The Dodgers acquired middle infielder Tomas Perez for future considerations, from the Cubs; he'll be a reserve infielder at AAA Las Vegas.
• The A's signed Todd Walker after he was released by the Padres.
• The Rockies purchased the contract of Steve Finley; he'll now have appeared in the roster of every NL West team, despite a spring in which he hit .255/.286/.383.
• The Mets optioned ex-Dodger Chan Ho Park back to AAA New Orleans.
• Jim Tracy favorite Jose Hernandez was released by the Pirates.

Tech: Apple iPhone Launches June 11

I don't care so much, but I know there are people out there who will want to know the iPhone's June 11 launch date. Jobs knows how to create a buzz, that's for sure; but is it worth trading in Verizon and their generally very reliable network? People, let's not forget that Cingular bought all of AT&T's assets, including not a few of their employees; it really makes you wonder whether all that Apple/Jobs coolness comes with a load of operational 'tude.

OT: Kathy, You Ignorant Slut

I don't know quite what to make of this three-page tempest in a teapot ($), chock-full of idiotic and outright vile name-calling from people who ought to know and behave better, except to say that when I read Kathy Sierra's most recent post about the matter, I tuned out immediately after the quote "respected Cluetrain Manifesto co-author Chris Locke (aka Rageboy)." The Cluetrain Manifesto, respected? By whom? Lord help me, it was the biggest, most braggadocio-filled piece of self-important puffery I've seen in the last decade. If he's respected, what for? It surely can't be Cluetrain.

Labels: angels, dodgers, recaps

This could be fun:

Apple® (Nasdaq: APPL - News) today announced it will be offering Major League Baseball video highlights for the 2007 season on the iTunes® Store (http://www.itunes.com), giving baseball fans the ability to catch all the action of their favorite teams anywhere, anytime. MLB video on iTunes will include a daily 25 minute "MLB.com Daily Rewind" highlight show and two weekly "Games of the Week," featuring full versions of the best games from the National and American Leagues. Customers will be able to download individual episodes of "MLB.com Daily Rewind" and each "Game of the Week" for $1.99, or purchase a Multi-Pass for a month of Daily Rewind shows for $7.99 or a Season Pass for every "Game of the Week" at just $19.99.

I've been pretty disappointed with Verizon's offering in this area; they're always a day behind, and therefore the highlights reel isn't really worth watching. I'd be much more interested in seeing the current day's highlights; if this is really what's being offered, I'll sign up for the full season multi-pass. Otherwise, sorry.

Labels: tech

First off, Nate Silver likes the Angels in the NL West ($) as an 86-76 team:

Take the Over: PECOTA is penalizing Casey Kotchman for an extremely poor performance in limited playing time in 2006 that was caused in part by his mononucleosis. I maintain that he’s an overrated player—even his 90^th percentile forecast limits him to .293/.360/.439, which is about average for a first baseman. But he also won’t be as bad as PECOTA’s .249/.308/.348 forecast line, and if he is, there’s no way he’ll get 350 plate appearances with the Angels.

I happen to think Kotchman is just Paul Konerko rewound a decade or so; he'll play a helluva lot better once he (a) stays healthy, (b) fills out a little more, and (c) gets the opportunity to play regularly. The problem with projecting him is his injuries, which weren't of the Jason Repko variety (i.e., chronic leg problems requiring surgery and extensive rehab time). He also likes Howie Kendrick as a player PECOTA underappreciates; it's interesting to note that last year it had him projected as the most valuable second baseman in all of baseball; his actual contributions (many of which came at first base, where his bat was considerably less valuable) were somwewhat less than that, but his maiden season was far from a bust. Silver finishes:

The Verdict: The Angels’ starting pitching had a few health scares in spring training, but Jered Weaver and Bartolo Colon are progressing nicely, and this rotation should be very, very good. In fact, the Angels would be candidates to be the best team in baseball if they weren’t wasting key offensive spots on players like Kotchman, Garret Anderson, and Shea Hillenbrand. I think Bill Stoneman takes at least one opportunity to leverage his deep minor league system and upgrade the middle of his batting order, which has the potential to produce huge gains at the margins. We’re going to add two wins for 88-74. Keep in mind that the Angels project to be a very good secret sauce team if they reach the playoffs. They’re my pick to represent the A.L. in the World Series. [emphasis added]

Silver likes the 88-74 Diamondbacks to take the NL West, and also to represent the league in the World Series; a Snakes/Angels Series? Man, that would be something. Anyway, he's got this to say about the Dodgers, whom he projects to an 80-82 record, good for third place behind the 86-76 Padres:

The Verdict: This is one of the harder teams in baseball to forecast because of the huge amount of injury risk, exemplified in guys like Jeff Kent, Nomar Garciaparra, Randy Wolf, and now apparently Rafael Furcal. I’m not sure that they’re the best team in the division even if they do stay relatively healthy; the NL West has gone from being relatively weak to relatively strong, and the Dodgers lack any kind of true superstar talent. Still, it’s a deep club, especially considering their minor league system, and that counts for something. We’ll add two wins for 82-80, but we’d add more if their GM wasn’t as veteran-happy as Ned Colletti.

Update: Joe Sheehan pegs the Angels as a fourth-place, 80-82 team in his preseason projections:

#19: Los Angeles Angels, 80-82, fourth in AL West, 717 RS, 723 RA. This is a hard offense to predict, as so much depends on how the playing time gets distributed. Will Casey Kotchman hold the first-base job and provide a dose of OBP? Will Juan Rivera come back in the second half and hit as well as he did in ’06? Will Robb Quinlan play as much as he deserves to play, especially in the absence of Chone Figgins? The pitching is solid, but the defense has slipped in recent years, and won’t be an asset this year.

Apparently he hasn't been watching them make those triple plays in spring training...

The other piece I wanted to highlight was part of a new fantasy feature at BPro, Market Movers. Today's includes a rip on Chone Figgins:

It's hard to find a player who exploits the difference between fantasy and reality more than Figgins. Despite a career OBP resting in the mid-.340s and power that couldn't jump-start a tricycle, he's a valuable commodity in rotoworld, thanks to lots of stolen bases and positional eligibility that reminds traders of a Bert Campenaris publicity stunt. Sidelined for a month with a broken finger, traders have unloaded Figgins for the time being, praying for a Brandon Wood IPO like the Aztecs prayed for rain.

I was absolutely certain Figgy was clearing .420 SLG over the last three years, but it looks like author Jeff Ma is right on the mark with this one: even with his speed-amplified SLG from triples, he's still hardly a guy you can afford to leave at an offense-minded position like third for an extended period of time.

Labels: angels, dodgers, predictions

Eight of 11 writers polled by the Wall Street Journal ($) picked the Angels to win their division, while only five of those picked the Dodgers to win the NL West. The writers were Alex Belth of Bronx Banter; Jon Bois, Nick Dallamora, and Brandon Stroud of The Dugout; Larry Borowsky of Viva Los Birdos; Will Leitch of Deadspin; Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus; Paul Steiger, Carl Bialik, and Jason Fry of the Wall Street Journal; and Dave Studeman of Hardball Times. For the relevant division races, the winners according to the writers:

AL West:
Angels: Belth, Bois, Borowski, Dallamora, Leitch, Steiger, Studeman, Fry.
Mariners: Sheehan.
Rangers: Stroud.
A's: Bialik.

Interesting that among this group there was only one writer willing to pick the A's as the division winner.

NL West:
Dodgers: Belth, Bois, Dallamora, Bialik, Fry.
Diamondbacks: Leitch, Sheehan, Steiger, Stroud.
Padres: Borowski, Studeman.

Aside from the two clear also-rans (Giants and Rockies), the lack of concensus is probably reflective of the relatively even state of the NL West; the Dodgers have a team that will go as far as their bats and health will allow them.

Labels: angels, dodgers, predictions

From today's UTK:

• On Eric Gagne: I can look back now and see the signs that this was coming. Gagne was allowed to pitch at his own pace, passing tests as they came rather than on some artificial schedule. While there were no setbacks to speak of, the progress didn't come at a pace that matched up with Opening Day.
• Rafael Furcal won't be back any time soon, and might start the season on the DL.
• Carroll calls the estimated three-month recovery for the A's Dan Johnson in yesterday's AP story "a bit heavy".

As an aside, those who read me for Angels content might want to take a look at Jon Weisman's latest column at Sports Illustrated about trainers and the effect they can have on teams.

Labels: athletics, dodgers, injuries, rangers

Today's Birthdays

Roster Notes

• David Wells likes his sarcasm dry:

  "We've got some good pitching here, providing everybody stays healthy and does their job. I think we can win those 2-1, 1-0 ballgames, with our powerful, explosive offensive we have from time to time," the big left-hander said, just a bit sarcastically.

• The players' union will file a grievance over Todd Walker's release by the Padres.
• Dan Johnson will start the season on the A's DL with torn hip cartilage. He could miss as much as three months.
• Randy Johnson will start the season on the DL, but the Diamondbacks are expected to reactivate him shortly after the season starts. He's having back problems.
• Former Angel and Dodger Aaron Sele has made the Mets' roster; ex-Dodger Chan Ho Park is also on New York's short list.
• Only 8.4% of major leaguers were black last season; apparently Darin Erstad forgot that it was his turn.

Labels: angels, dodgers

One of the last tuneups of the season, the Angels somehow ginned up a third triple play of the preseason, the highlight of an otherwise relatively uninteresting game. Joe Beimel provided three runs in a sloppy eighth inning (the box score on MLB.com incorrectly shows it as Chin-Hui Tsao), while Chris Bootcheck continues an inexplicably good spring by offering two innings of scoreless relief against a Dodger lineup that, Jeff Kent aside, looked very little like an opening day roster.

One item that may well prove worth mentioning here, though, and that was Nick Gorneault's hard collision with Dodger reserve catcher Mike Lieberthal. Lieberthal didn't appear too badly damaged by the affair, but as with all such collisions, they tend to be hard and sometimes last longer than you would think.

Box/Recap

Labels: angels, dodgers, recaps, spring training

Troy Percival will sign a minor league deal with the Angels on Monday and then retire, according to a press release issued today.

"I'm very proud to be a part of this organization," said Percival. "This club has always embraced me and my family. I'm honored to retire as an Angel."

"Troy Percival has been an integral part of the success and tradition of Angels Baseball for many years," said Angels Vice President & General Manager Bill Stoneman. "It is very appropriate that he retire as an Angel."

Percival is a special assignment pitching instructor with the Angels, and is also involved with alma mater UC Riverside's baseball team. His seven successful saves in seven opportunities tied a major league postseason record in 2002.

Labels: angels

The Angels have signed relief ace Scot Shields to a 3 year/$14.6M extension. The deal replaces the one-year deal he signed earlier.

The 31-year-old right-hander was 7-7 last season with two saves and a 2.87 ERA in 74 games, the fourth-most appearances in the AL. It was the second-highest games total in franchise history behind his 78 in 2005.

He is now signed through 2010.

Labels: angels

Texas Rangers reliever Eric Gagne will start the season on the DL; Akinori Otsuka will remain the Rangers' closer.

Labels: rangers

Labels: angels, dodgers

In this video, Jered Weaver talks about his rehab schedule — which would have him returning to the rotation on April 16. That day happens to be the 10:00 AM EDT Patriot's Day game, which doubles as the date of the Boston Marathon. Good luck, Jered — you'll need it.

Labels: angels, red sox

Plunk Biggio, a blog dedicated to Craig Biggio and his quest to own the major league hit-by-pitch record, reminds us that history might be made in Anaheim this June when the Astros visit Los Angeles de Anaheim:

The Astros visit where ever it is the LA Angels of Anaheim actually play for three games, June 18th-20th. That sounds like an excellent time for Biggio to get the 70th hit he needs this season to cross that 3000 hits milestone everyone seems so excited about. Biggio recorded his 70th hit last season on June 18th, and in 1991, he had his 70th hit on June 20th. That series could also be a good time for Biggio to record the all time record breaking 288th plunk of his career.

Labels: angels, astros

Russ Ortiz has rejoined the Giants as their fifth starter over four years after that team traded him to the Atlanta Braves for Damien Moss and Merkin Valdez; Moss was later traded to the Orioles for Sidney Ponson in a multiplayer deal, and Valdez continues to toil for the Giants at AAA Fresno.

Labels: giants

Tyler Blezinsky moves to Orange County, the heart of Rally Monkeydom. (Yeah, I know it was announced back on March 15, but I can barely keep up with the Angels and Dodgers, let alone all the in-division blogs for all their opponents.) Welcome to enemy turf, Blez, and I've got a couple spare season tickets for you and your wife when the A's are in town if you want to join us.

Labels: athletics, blogs

According to today's broadcast, Dustin Moseley has been named the Angels' fifth starter.

Labels: angels

The Senate is holding hearings on MLB's Extra Innings package, according to MLB.com.

There was far more interest in [steroids]. Of the 23 senators who are members of the committee, only two were in attendance as the hearing began at about 10 a.m. ET: Kerry and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the vice chairman. Five other Senators joined in at one point or another, including four committee members. But near the end, only Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) were left sitting at the horseshoe-shaped front table. Neither could correctly pronounce DuPuy's name.

Labels: tv

• Jered Weaver's fastball was clocked at 91 MPH in a AAA game in which he was limited to 46 pitches.
• Bartolo Colon started a AA game against the Cubs, hitting 92-94. He struck out two, walked none, and gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits.
• Kelvim Escobar threw an eight minute bullpen session and reported no problems with his back.
• Matt Hensley was reassigned to minor league camp.
• Grady Little gave Juan Pierre the number 9 on his back he wore last year, and so now Pierre's giving him a motorcycle customized the way he likes in return.
• Blake DeWitt and Ivan DeJesus, Jr. will accompany the Dodgers to Los Angeles to play out the Freeway Series; left behind will be Matt Kemp, James Loney, Marlon Anderson, Joe Mays and bench coach Dave Jauss, who will manage Thursday's Grapefruit League finale.
• The Dodgers reassigned reliever Tim Hamulack, starter Joe Mays, and catchers Kelly Stinnett and Sandy Martinez to minor league camp; all but Martinez will play for Las Vegas this year.
• Nomar is a new dad, to twin girls.
• Rafael Furcal's sprained ankle should be healed by opening day. He will miss the Freeway Series.
• Derek Lowe, Jason Schmidt, and Randy Wolf will be on 60-pitch pitch counts for their last tuneups of the preseason.
• New Dodger outfielder Brady Clark has yet to join the team because his wife is pregnant and due to deliver at any moment. He continues to work out in Arizona with the Brewers.
• The Devil Rays named ex-Dodger prospect Edwin Jackson as their fifth starter.
• Another former Dodger, Paul Shuey, will continue his comeback bid for the Orioles at their AAA affiliate.
• Dan Johnson of the A's has been hobbled with a strained left hip flexor.
• The Mariners optioned former Dirtbag Jeremy Reed to AAA Tacoma.

  Reed was among the Mariners' roster cuts on Wednesday morning, sent to Triple-A Tacoma, along with right-handed pitcher Sean Green, left-hander Eric O'Flaherty and catcher Rene Rivera. Veteran right-hander Aaron Small was reassigned to Minor League camp.

• The Rangers have settled their rotation, with an order of Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Brandon McCarthy, Robinson Tejeda, and the oft-injured Jamey Wright rounding out the order.

Labels: angels, dodgers, spring training

The Baseball Crank projects the Angels to win the AL West as an 86-76 team using Established Win Shares Level. His comment on the Halos:

Injuries are a huge issue with the Angels right now. Colon is still rehabbing, and Weaver won't be ready for Opening Day, giving Saunders, at least, room in the rotation, and possibly Dustin Moseley. Figgins could be out several weeks. Dallas McPherson is sidelined for a year.

I could have used a subjective adjustment to bump up Kotchman, but then he has an injury history himself, and EWSL is also rating Rivera and Izturis high based on their prior playing time, and the Angels have a lot of flexibility to slide people between OF, 3B, 1B and DH. If Kotchman can't establish himself, Kendry Morales will eat his lunch. Also expect Brandon Wood to enter the picture, probably as a result of Cabrera getting dealt.

I'm pretty pessimistic that a 35-year-old Garret Anderson will produce and last in left; the sooner they get Rivera out there, the better. End of the day, the Angels are division favorites on the strength of their starting pitching - if the starters can get healthy, they will be formidible, if not they don't have the offensive firepower to overcome that loss.

I share his pessimism about Anderson, but his comment about Kotchman goes unsupported; is Kotchman's mono due to recur? Or is he expected to get a grounder take a bad hop to his jaw? So far, Casey's injuries have been of the freak variety, and there's been no indication that they'll recur; his terrific spring (.327/.357/.538) speaks for itself. As for Izturis, I've compared him unfavorably with Cabrera before, but I find myself agreeing with others who say he's about OCab's equal offensively while burning far fewer dollars.

Labels: angels

Today's Birthdays

How To Order Baseball Tickets

Well, it ain't like it used to be:

Ask for a box seat these days, and you get more options than voice mail. As seating charts evolve into color-coded mazes and teams charge an assortment of prices for the same seat, some box seats are more equal than others.

The Dodgers sell 24 categories of seats, 11 with "box" in the name, with box prices ranging from $20 to $100 a ticket.

"It is a bit confusing," said Joe Sciuto, a Dodgers fan and the principal at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks. "The box seats used to be the field level. Now you've got seats in the second deck being called box seats."

And you might pay more for your seat than the fan seated next to you. The Dodgers sell tickets in the field box section for $20, $30, $35, $37, $40 and $45, depending on whether you buy on game day, before game day or as part of a full-season, partial-season or group ticket package.

What's the ticket price? The Dodgers offer you 104 answers in all.

Sites like StubHub.com and eBay have encouraged team owners to broach hitherto unimaginably high prices. Similarly, online sales now mean that ticket prices can change from the day they first go on sale; flexible pricing means the teams can discount hard-to-move games, such as the Dodgers' series with the Pirates last year.

But there are limits; both the Dodgers and Angels have said they won't engage in online auctioning of seats, despite some pressure from MLB to do so. "It looks like we're just trying to get as much revenue as we can get," said Robert Alvarado, Angels' director of marketing and ticket sales. "You're not sitting there trying to do a bait and switch on people."

Quote, Unquote

"I don't think my skills have depreciated," said Anderson, who will open his 13th season with the Angels on Monday night against the Texas Rangers. "In fact, I know they haven't. It will happen one day, but I'm not there yet."

— Garret Anderson, whose .433 slugging percentage was the lowest he's posted since 1998

News

• More evidence the National League could use the DH thingy, as the Dodgers appear poised to demote James Loney and Andy La Roche to the minors.
• Jason Repko is done for the season.
• Hong-Chih Kuo will miss 4-6 weeks.
• The Albany D.A. is expected to call Gary Matthews, Jr. to testify about his involvement with HGH and online pharmacies.
• Former Dodger Duaner Sanchez, previously the victim of a separated shoulder during a collision in a taxi, has lately been diagnosed with a broken shoulder that will keep him out through August.
• The Padres released Todd Walker after he hit .225 in spring training, only a month after getting a $3.95M salary in arbitration. The team owes him a $971,311 buyout.
• Ex-Dodger Toby Hall will miss most of the season for the White Sox, with a torn labrum.

Labels: angels, dodgers, minors, spring training

The Dodgers traded Elmer Dessens for Brady Clark while I was out at the gym, the inconsiderate bastards... nah, I don't really care. Their respective PECOTA cards show this as a pretty lopsided trade, with Dessens clocking in at about 9.1 projected 2007 VORP and Clark a 3.3 projected VORP. But that doesn't take into consideration something that Dodger Thoughts commenter Grant found, namely that Clark's BABIP wasn't in line with his career numbers. Take that for what you will.

Labels: dodgers

• Mike Napoli got some extra at-bats in minor league games on Sunday. His new approach?

  "Don't waste at-bats, make adjustments, don't get away from the things I do, like use the whole field," Napoli said. "Be disciplined, go up there with a plan, know what the pitchers are trying to do to me, and instead of worrying about struggling, that I've got to do this or that, just have fun."

  And Mickey Hatcher says the W word again:

  "He's not going to be a .300 hitter," Hatcher said, "but if we get the walks and the home runs out of him, he's going to be great."

  Napoli is batting .407 in 11 spring training games this year.
• Hector Carrasco will start Friday, and it looks like with Kelvim Escobar at least temporarily out of the rotation, Dustin Moseley will be the fifth man in the rotation. That's the kind of depth you don't want to be using.
• I see that Kendry Morales clouted his first homer in yesterday's 3-2 win over the Cubs. Erstwhile staff ace Kerry Wood had entered the game in relief, and according to Al,

  BCB reader bleacher came out to the berm to tell us he'd been watching the scouts' radar guns on Wood, and unlike Friday's appearance, when his velocity was good, Wood peaked at 88 this afternoon, and the pitch to Morales was only 82 MPH.

  It now appears there's a reason for that, as Wood will start the year on the DL.
• Somebody needs to tell the Register that it really sucks when I have to find their stories online syndicated in some other newspaper's website. For instance, this Bill Plunkett story about Gary Matthews, Jr. Where is it on the Register's sports page? Or their Angels page? You're creating the content, guys ... at least try to display it on your own website...
• Brett Tomko is in the Dodgers' rotation. Well, don't everybody get excited all at once now. He's made a charcoal drawing of Jackie Robinson that will be distributed on Jackie Robinson Day at the park, April 15.
• Matt Kemp is worried about getting sent down to the minors because of Larry Bigbie's performance.
• Kuo, not so silent:

  Lamenting that young players often are hesitant to disclose injuries when they are battling to make the team, Little had said Kuo hadn't mentioned the pain until after his next start, March 21 against the New York Mets.

  "After the Boston game, I told the trainers that it hurt a little bit," Kuo said. "But it felt fine leading up to the Mets' game, so I pitched."

  After talking with trainers, Little said Kuo was correct.

Labels: angels, dodgers, spring training

Yesterday

Today

Labels: dodgers

Photos from March 18. Enjoy; the rest should be coming after we get back. Gotta pack and get outta here.

Labels: angels, photos

The daily column that can't seem to stop...

Today's Birthdays

Short list today...

Sam Zell Favored To Buy Tribune Co.

The Wall Street Journal ($) reports that real estate billionaire Sam Zell is favored to buy the Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and the Cubs. Zell's net worth is estimated at $4.5M according to the latest Forbes estimate, which ranks him as the nation's 152nd richest individual. His Equity Office Properties Trust was recently purchased by the Blackstone Group for $23 billion, so those numbers may be out-of-date.

Other News

• Blah, blah, blah, Jose Guillen, smacktalk.
• Tony Abreu, sudden shortstop, despite his long-term history of second-basetitude.
• Blue Notes has a useful interview with Will Carroll about the Dodgers. Excerpt:

  Blue Notes:  Start with the flagship of Dodgers injury potential, Nomar Garciaparra.  Last year, he impressed many with his production in a relatively healthy season... in which he still played only 122 games and would have missed more at the end had the Dodgers not been in a pennant race.  Considering he played only 62 games in '05 and 43 in '04, how many games do you see him playing this season (and if you had to guess, what will put him on the DL this year?  Pick some body parts...)

  Will Carroll: First base didn't really help, but I don't think you can blame the shift. An interesting thought -- is it Nomar's body that's breaking down because of his workouts, or are his workouts keeping him playable beyond where he should be? I think he's good for 120 games. He's not stupid and seems to be adjusting to his new-found level. He'll probably pull a hammy, maybe an oblique in mid-May.

• Speaking of Will, I agree with his opinion ("This kind of rumormongering is why rumormongering has a bad name.") on the A-Rod-for-unspecified Angels rumor.
• On the other hand... I had dinner with Brian Clevinger last night, and he reminded me that I haven't been quite as diligent in keeping up with my reading as I had been. One side effect was my missing the Will Carroll piece on closers' health. He still has a red light for Frankie:

  Every year, I look at Rodriguez throw and predict his arm is going to physically detach at some point. So far, I’ve been wrong. So far.

  I bought into it a couple years ago, but there are others who have been wondering when Carroll will be taken to task for his failed predictions, something he finally seems to be doing. So far. (Takashi Saito rates a green, by the way.)

Labels: angels, dodgers

What a fair catch in spring training looks like. I keed, I keed... though from this photo it does look like a trap, we can't know what the umpire saw. Kinda funny anyway, though.

I'm way behind on my slide shows. I hope to catch up next week.

Labels: giants, photos

Stuff that I just have been too lazy to post before that still hasn't expired its sell-by date...

• Is the Yankees' Wang hurt? Why, that's nothing compared to a bad Kuo sign:

  "I just wasn't comfortable," Kuo said about his time on the mound Wednesday night, when he took over for scheduled starter Brad Penny, who reported stiffness in the front of his throwing shoulder.

  It's his elbow that was giving the Dodgers fits about his durability, so this is even more scary/weird.
• Owies: Rafael Furcal and Jason Repko collided; the former has a sprained ankle, while the latter survived the collision unscathed, only to suffer a hamstring pull two innings later. Repko will miss opening day (recovery time, two weeks), while Furcal is expected to return within a week, but only after the swelling subsides will the real recovery time be known.
• Bud Selig wishes to remain dictator for life, and has petitioned for the afterlife, as well. I recall at this time the story of the Devil and St. Peter agreeing to a baseball tournament. St. Peter claims he will win, for all the great players are in heaven. Satan concurs, but adds, "I have all the umpires." And apparently, not a few of its executives.
• In order to be sick, maybe John Lackey should be sick:

  Lackey had been virtually untouchable in his first three starts after missing his first assignment with the flu. In 12 1/3 innings, the 6-foot-6 right-hander had yielded one earned run on 10 hits and one walk, striking out 15.

  Lackey gave up nine earned runs today in a 10-6 rout at the hands of the Mariners.
• I got nominated for Best Angels Site at Sports Illustrated, and yes, I did vote for myself. I think that padded my total by, oh, 100%.

Labels: angels, dodgers

I guess I'm as big a believer in springtime miracles as anybody, but Ronny Cedeno? It's not so much that you want a player to have bad spring as preventing the wrong guy from getting the starting spot — or in this case, a place on the bench. In that sense, the Cubs' victory today was a failure for the regular season; Cedeno now is considered a lock for the team, despite last year's .245/.271/.339 line, and a hopelessly undistinguished minor league career.

Sadly, much as I may like Cesar Izturis for what he did with the Dodgers (mostly with the glove), the fact is that he's been just another weak-hitting shortstop for the Cubs, who seem to be accumulating them like lint. That they got him and his increasingly injured body and these days, less-than-reliable glove in exchange for certain Hall of Famer Greg Maddux is just more galling to Cubs fans. But, it appears that Izturis has a lock on the starting job, and while nothing short of an injury was likely to keep him out of that, the Cubs' weak up-the-middle infield is likely to grate for months.

The alternative to Cedeno is Ryan Theriot, whose minor league numbers feature excellent OBPs at every level, including a .412 OBP with the Cubs in 159 plate appearances in 2006. However, The Riot at second wasn't in today's game, and so the news that Cedeno blasted a three-run shot, which proved the eventual game-winner, was greeted with less-than-total enthusiasm among the Cub fans to which I was attached for the game.

We sat with Al Yellon and his friends, most of whom we have met at one time or another: Jessica, the transplanted Chicagoan whose recent project, Reel Baseball, a set of DVDs of silent films of early 20th century baseball, was favorably reviewed by the New Yorker; her friend John, who lives in the Phoenix area; and several others whose names I shamefully did not record (but see the update below).

The game passed, therefore, amiably, though the results weren't so pleasant if you were a San Francisco partisan. Noah Lowry's start continued a pattern of spring disasters for him, as his ERA is now up to 6.87. Lowry's walked eight in his last two starts, hardly a positive sign; you expect crazy numbers in spring, but this one was a little uncomfortable, especially giving up longballs to the likes of Cedeno.

Update: BCB reader San Diego Smooth Jazz Man, whom we met for the first time, made a comment that Al expanded upon in his game recap. This will be of considerable interest to anyone going to Sunday's Angels/Cubs game at Hohokam:

Several of the above-mentioned BCB'ers arrived quite late, all muttering about having to park somewhere near the Superstition Mountains; I couldn't believe it when I left the park and saw cars parked diagonally up and down both sides of Center Street outside the park; this is something I had never seen the Mesa police (who apparently shrugged at Rob and Helen when they parked there in a no-parking zone) allow before. They'd better prepare to do this again on Sunday, when perhaps the largest crowd of the year arrives to see the Cubs take on the Angels.

Recap/Box

Labels: cubs, giants

So now they're saying he broke the index finger in addition to the middle finger of his throwing hand.

Labels: angels

Labels: angels, dodgers

We came out here, as I have said, to see the demolition derby that is spring training, and yesterday's rainout — wha-wha-wha-what?! A rainout? In the desert? Yup, you read me right. Yesterday's rainout certainly qualified, on several levels. But first, I should probably flash back to last night's dinner at the Roaring Fork with Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue. Al is as knowlegeable a fan as I've ever met of the game, and certainly he stands second to nobody when it comes to holding an informed opinion of the Cubs.

Strangely, it took a while to steer the conversation in the direction of the Cubs' chances this year, and in particular, what to do with Mark Prior. Now, the theory to date is that, since the Cubs' total meltdown in 2003 NLCS Game 6, Prior has never been the same. Injuries aside — and there are plenty of them, including a rumored, irrepairable, genetic "loose shoulder" — when he has been healthy, he hasn't pitched at all well. Anybody not named Mark Prior wouldn't ever have been given the opportunities needed to go 1-6 with a 7.21 ERA, as he did last year. Al's advice: hang on to him for another year, and if he isn't well, then cut him loose.

It struck me as wholly reasonable. Prior's mental approach seems to have changed; nothing about his mechanics looked, today, to be terribly off, but in the first inning I began to think he was back to his bad old self, allowing hit after hit on balls he was leaving consistently up in the zone. None of those hits were cheapies, either. If it hadn't been for Matt Murton making a beautiful throw to the plate to nail Padres starting catcher Josh Bard, the beating would have continued until Pinella decided to yank him.

But then he settled down in the second, managed some good outs, and even struck out Greg Maddux. There were too many line-drive flyballs hit right at gloves for me to be sanguine about his immediate future, but as Al wrote,

Is Mark Prior "back"? Heavens, no. It's one game, four innings, in spring training, though against a good team that was starting what is probably going to be its Opening Day lineup (although how the Padres can hit Josh Bard cleanup on an everyday basis is beyond me). Prior's stuff was better. His command was better. Is he ready for a major league mound? No, he's not. Is he ready for another spring training start? I would suspect so; next Tuesday against the Royals would make sense to me.

And then this showed up:

Helen: (looking at the horizon) We're going to get soaked.
Rob: Nah. See all those rain streamers? They're way east of us. It'll pass by us on one side.

A few minutes later...

Rob: (wiping a raindrop off his cheek) That's one.
Rob: (wiping a raindrop off his leg) That's two.
Rob: (wiping raindrops off several extremities) That's ten.

And shortly thereafter we hightailed it out of the stadium. Or, at least that's what I tried to do after packing my camera in its (thankfully waterproof, so far) bag. There are two exits from the stadium on each side, a total of four each. One set, those toward the middle, are covered tunnels leading under the seating sections, while the other is simply a walkway around the edge of the seats. Since everyone was apparently intent on staying in the short covered section of the tunnel, instead of walking directly to their cars or into the main concourse where the concessions were, they decided to block the tunnel instead. This episode has absolutely shattered any little faith I had in humanity's intelligence on aggregate, because there was obviously plenty of space in the concourse for people to roam unmolested by the rain.

Helen, of course, was waiting for me in the concourse when the crowd ahead finally gave up their positions in the tunnel; she had already long ago solved the problem by just going around the stadium on the left field exit. Of course, she also got soaked in the process, as did her cellphone, which is likely a total loss. Topping off matters, it turns out that in circumstances where flash floods are possible, the city closes off streets that don't have bridges (at least, that is what I heard on the news), diverting thousands of motorists onto freeways, and snarling traffic even further. Bottom line, it took us an hour and thirty minutes to get back to the hotel. Phew.

Box/Recap

Labels: cubs, spring training

Chone Figgins, human guided missile on the basepaths lo these many for Mike Scioscia and Co., broke the middle finger of his right hand after Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Snakes. X-rays taken today confirmed the fracture; he hopes to be ready before opening day, but I have my doubts.

Labels: angels

Today's Birthdays

The Cost Of Doing Business: Angels 8, Diamondbacks 3

Joe Saunders had one bad inning in him — the second — in which he was unable to squelch a two-out rally by the Snakes. Instead, he found out all about the bat of reserve catcher Miguel Montero, who cashed in ex-Angel Alberto Callaspo and Chris Young; the thing came to a halt when Reggie Willits fielded Orlando Hudson's single and returned it to Jose Molina for a comic end to the inning, as Montero was out by feet.

Otherwise, the game had plenty of diversions; Jose Molina stole a base against Montero, who made a number of mistakes during the game. The string of failed or dubious catching prospects for the Snakes continues apace, and it seems that if this game is representative at all, the rest of the division will be running against him, early and often. Baseball America recently ranked him the team's fifth-best prospect ($), and cited improved defense as a reason for the rating; if yesterday's game was any indication, he's got a ways to go before he knocks Chris Snyder out of the starting job.

The rest of the Snakes' roster was also shaky, and in particular, the outfield. Robby Hammock, the former catcher, has been converted to a super utility guy, and lost a routine fly in the seventh that eventually put Tommy Murphy on third with a credited sac fly and a two-base, one-run error. The Angels compounded it with a three-run eighth against Jorge Julio, an erstwhile relief ace with the O's in 2002 who's never been as good before or since; he's carrying a 5.40 ERA this spring, and all the pitchers the Angels faced today had spring ERAs higher than that, even.

But my favorite moment of the game had to be watching converted shortstop Warner Madrigal come in to pitch the last out of the ninth. Greg Jones got himself in some trouble, walking the bases loaded after an Alberto Callaspo single, and then giving up an RBI sac fly. Scioscia had seen enough, and called in Madrigal; what was hilarious was that this was, to my knowledge, the first time he has ever appeared in a game with major leaguers, though not against them. Madrigal had once upon a time been considered an outfield prospect, but his bat vanished in 2005 and 2006, and so he was converted to the mound, to some (limited) success — 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings. He got Carter to fly out meekly to left, ending the threat. I still wanna see Madrigal do it more than against a few low-A hitters. More, I don't see how they could have thought he was anything but a first baseman or a pitcher based on his incredibly thick middle; if he's an outfielder, it's in the Albert Belle mold, but you can think of a dozen active pitchers with his build, including guys like David Wells, Brad Penny, Bartolo Colon, and so on.

Recap/Box

News

• Joe Saunders reported no soreness after yesterday's game, which means little by itself, but the Angels are about to make a midseason mistake by bringing back Bartolo Colon to replace him.
• Bartolo Colon is on schedule for a late-April to mid-May return.
• Casey Kotchman is back, just like I knew he would be. Earth-shattering confession from Mickey Hacker Hatcher:

  "Every guy who comes up thinks he has to hit home runs, he has to show power," Hatcher said. "I just keep telling him, we want a guy who's going to hit .300, hit to the opposite field, drive in runs, and he'll get his walks too. When he's going good, he'll start hitting home runs."

  Hey, he said "walks"...
• John Lackey will pitch on opening day, not really a surprise...
• ... as is the news that Jered Weaver will start the season on the DL, but should make his second start after April 15th or 16th.
• Grady Little gets a one-year extension; his salary is an estimated $600,000, in the bottom quarter of all major league managers.
• New, worse parking at Dodger Stadium: congratulations, Frank, for completely misunderstanding how parking was supposed to be set up. In addition to a raised fee of $15 to park at the park, the new, "better" parking will force you to park near the entrance where you came into the lot. Gack. At least Frank understands one issue:

  McCourt said parking problems would be eased if there were public transit to the stadium. The Dodgers are working with government agencies to begin the process.

  How weird is it that Angel Stadium has actual rail transport conveniently located, while Dodger Stadium has ... nothing. More of the same at dodgers.com.
• Brad Penny was a scratch from his last scheduled start, due to shoulder stiffness. Hong-Chih Kuo and Elmer Dessens looked equal parts awful in a 6-2 trouncing by the Mets, who even offered recent punching bag Oliver Perez as a potential victim. No such luck. Kuo has a 3.00 ERA in spring training, but that doesn't count the rainout against the Red Sox, in which he gave up five runs over two innings.
• Top Rangers pitching prospect Thomas Diamond is done for the year; he has had Tommy John surgery and is expected to return to the mound in 2008. Because of his tenure with the Rangers, the team will have to put him on the 40-man roster or expose him to the Rule 5 draft.
• Darin Erstad has made the White Sox as their starting centerfielder. Unbelievable.

  "If the season started today, my center fielder is Erstad," [manager Ozzie] Guillen said. "But it's a good thing the season doesn't start today. Hopefully, [Brian Anderson] will step it up."

• Bobby Jenks owns a 10.64 ERA in spring training, and Ozzie Guillen is predictably shooting his mouth off:

  "I worry about Bobby. If you are not ready one week and a half before the season starts, you have problems," Guillen said. "If you are not ready to this point, and you are not in condition to start the season right now, you have to dig in and start pushing yourself to get better." Unlike last year, Guillen can't take issue with Jenks' weight. It's just that his usual velocity isn't there yet, and he's also struggled to hit his spots. The White Sox haven't gone public with any additional concerns about Jenks' arm.

• Tony LaRussa, busted for DUI.
• Via David Pinto, Seth Kolloen worries about Felix Hernandez's sudden offseason weight loss:

  FELIX HERNANDEZ LOST a bunch of weight in the offseason, and everyone seems pretty psyched about it. Shin splints bothered him last season, and optimists expect that a slimmer Hernandez will be a better Hernandez.

  I'm not psyched. I'm terrified. Hernandez's drastic weight loss may help his legs, but I'm losing sleep about what it might do to his arm. Ever hear of Edwin Nunez? You would have -- in fact, you might be deciding whether to draft him for your fantasy team -- if weight loss hadn't derailed his career.

  Hernandez has a 3.21 ERA over 14 innings and 4 games, with 10 strikeouts and 2 walks. I wouldn't be too worried.

Jon's Five Questions About The Dodgers

Jon prognosticates about the Dodgers at Hardball Times:

Despite losing offense with the departure of Drew, the Dodgers are slightly better on paper this year thanks to the ongoing maturation of the kids and the increased depth on the mound, but they also had some things break their way last season in unexpected fashion: Saito's debut, Kemp's seven home runs in his first 15 career games, the clutch hitting, and will need similar strokes of good fortune to keep pace with the San Diego Padres and improving Arizona Diamondbacks. (On the bright side, Odalis Perez's collapse and Cesar Izturis starting at third base are distant memories.)

Basically, the team's entire season rests within the infamous margin of error, and I'm not going to try to fool anyone by pretending to know where it will land. You like a good mystery? Pick up the Los Angeles Dodgers in paperback.

Labels: angels, dodgers, spring training

Labels: angels, dodgers

I came down with either the worst case of heat exhaustion in history or else I got food poisoning at the Rangers' home park in Surprise yesterday; it was a terrible, terrible experience, and I just spent most of the last 12 hours in bed trying to recover. As a result, we missed yesterday's 8-7 loss by the Angels to the Padres, made worse by the fact that the Internet connection here doesn't work so well for streaming media, and I think the Flip4Mac solution itself has some holes in it. As a result, I couldn't even listen to the game. Bugger.

Anyway... the Giants/Rangers game we wanted to see mainly on the chance that we'd catch a glimpse of (a) Barry, (b) Bengie Molina, (c) Eric Gagne, or (d) Sammy Sosa. Sosa didn't show up, but we weren't disappointed on the other three counts. Gagne gave up a pretty long tater, but managed a couple groundouts otherwise, and a strikeout besides; it wasn't the sort of outing that would make a Dodger fan rue his exit. Molina was slow as always, of course, and at one point Bochy sent him home from second base; this turned out as you might have expected, with a not-really-close play at the plate, in which Molina got called out.

Photos to come, as always.

Box/Recap

Labels: angels, dodgers

How Marriott Ate My WiFi

We've been going to spring training now for four years, and this is the first one that we haven't spent at the Days Inn Mesa. Instead, we're at the Springhill Suites Marriott in Tempe, not too far away from the Angels' home park. Looking strictly at the lodging, the quarters here are noticeably superior to Days Inn: not only do we have the usual bed/bathroom/TV/minimal furniture combo, but we also get a sizable desk and chair, a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, and single-basin sink, and a little cupboard to boot. However, there's one thing here, one peculiar absence, that's made itself felt especially strongly that needs mention.

Internet access.

What we took for granted at the relatively middle-of-the-road (and frankly, quite affordable) Days Inn is now an extra-charge item at the Marriott. In Mesa, you got free WiFi in all the rooms; here, no WiFi in the rooms, only the lobby, and more, 10BaseT Ethernet that's free only for the first day and only up to 384kbps, not nearly enough to stream, and just adequate to make you wonder whether you were having latency issues. If you want 1.5 Mbps, you've gotta pay something like $30 for the week per MAC address, which means both the wifey and I (inadvertently) ended up spending $60 on access only one of us could use at a time. Sure, you can slip down to the lobby and use their free WiFi there, but that's an inconvenience if you've also gotta haul around your camera bag and (as I do) breakfast in the morning, or you just plain want to work in the privacy of your own hotel room.

I can sort of understand the decision-making process here; at some point, you have to go with a particular technology to support your guests. Probably at the time the Marriott people did so, 10BaseT made sense and was perfectly reasonable, especially considering downlink speeds from the Internet, and the costs involved in wiring every freakin' room. So, they figure, let's pencil it out for a few years and see how long it takes to get back all those labor costs. "A while", I suspect was the answer, and so now we have 10BaseT in our room.

One of the most annoying things I ever encountered while traveling was Hyatt's policy of nickle-and-diming you to death for every last thing; at the downtown Chicago hotel near UI, they had mandatory valet parking with a daily surcharge, and maybe the greatest insult of all, obscene rates for calling 800 numbers (this was in the days before national cellphone coverage was ubiquitous and cheap, i.e., about 1997). It left such a bad taste in my mouth, I vowed never to stay at a Hyatt again.

I'm not quite there with Marriott, but I'm definitely at the "if we can avoid them, do" stage. The chain has seen better days, as witness an event that happened at LOSCON 33 at the LAX hotel. I went with three others into the hotel restaurant and waited 20 minutes without even being offered so much as a glass of water. Compounding matters, the shift manager did inform us that she emphatically was not our waitress as she came by to take our silverware. We left without ordering.

Fry's Imagination Runs Dry

So it seems like Marriott lately is just misfiring in some rather visible areas. Next year, we're back at the Days Inn, I think, but in the meantime, we're booked here, and we're not sufficiently upset to cancel the rest of our stay and try to find lodging elsewhere. So, in order to set things up so we can both use the network at once, we went over to the Fry's Electronics in Tempe, just across the 101, to pick up a cheapie WiFi router to attach to the hotel's wired network.

Those used to the California Fry's will be in for a huge disappointment. One of the best things about Fry's was their theme designs; Anaheim is space exploration, Fountain Valley is ancient Rome, Burbank is 50's B-movie space invaders, Manhattan Beach is tiki, and so on.

But then Fry's bought Incredible Universe, a failed venture of Tandy, parent of Radio Shack. The store is simply ginormous — if I had to guess, two or three times the size of even the largest Southern California Fry's — but dull as dishwater.

We took our $30 router and got out of there before we spent more money. I hate Fry's. I love Fry's.

Bringing A Knife To A Gunfight

Back to the game. We found ourselves ensconced at Hohokam again, this time under the awning for a laugher between the B-team Mariners and the (mostly) A-team Cubs. The Cubbies trotted out Wade Miller, the former Astro now hopefully recovered from arthroscopic shoulder surgery, and likely now after a solid spring to get the job of fifth starter in Wrigleyville.

The M's, on the other hand, started Ryan Feierabend, the M's fifth-best prospect according to Baseball America, a 22-year-old southpaw control specialist with 88-92 MPH heat hot enough to save him from the "soft-tossing lefty" sobriquet. His specialty is a circle change that he sets up with a sinker or cut fastball. Feierabend has a couple breaking pitches, but neither of them are major league ready — something we got to find out rather presently.

Now, at this point I should probably admit to two things:

1. The family that lived next to us until I was about 12 or so had the last name of Feierabend. Their oldest son was the neighborhood bully, giving me years of trouble until they finally moved away. Years later, we heard rumors about a dishonorable discharge from some branch of the service, news which tickled my schadenfreude funny bone.
2. Our former neighbors pronounced their surname FIRE-ah-bend; Ryan, FEAR-bend.

Well, if there was any fear, it was the Mariners quaking and not the Cubs, as Feierabend — however you want to pronounce it — gave up eight runs, six of them on homers, and two of those taters in the first inning as the Cubbies batted around. They weren't cheapies, either, as the balls struck against him mostly cleared the left field berms. Mostly, it was because he was leaving his pitches up in the zone, but once he managed to get some down, round about the end of the second inning, he accumulated more than a few meek tappers.

But the high-octane results weren't unexpected; setting a mostly major league lineup against a guy who's never pitched at a level higher than AA is asking for detonations. The most exciting screwup by the Cubs was a two-base error by Cliff Floyd that the M's turned into an unearned run; and Adrian Beltre clouted a ball to left that Floyd drifted back, back, back on, until finally it snuck, warm and dry, over the fence. But by then, the game was long lost, and affairs dragged on through a parade of name changes and linebacker numbers without names on the uniforms for the Mariners. It was enough, and for those remaining in the ninth, the early exiters — I guess even Cubs fans are willing to leave in the seventh when they see a spring training blowout — provided us with an easy egress of our own.

Recap/Box

Labels: cubs, mariners, spring training