It’s the old saying, ‘It ain’t over til the fat lady sings.’ 
Well, the Los Angeles Dodgers were caught waiting for her last night in the series finale against the New York Yankees. With a 6-2 lead heading into the ninth inning, Joe Torre brought in his closer Jonathan Broxton, despite it not being a save situation.
Broxton had pitched the night before but Torre, knowing how tough the Yankees are, went …

Just some thoughts after the Mets finished up their series with the LA Dodgers.
 1. Home Sweet Home. The New York Mets finished a tremendous homestand at 9-1. That is quite the accomplishment no matter who you are playing. This is only the third time in the teams history that they have finished a ten game home stand with a 9-1 record.
2. 1st Place Yes, thats right, the New York Mets …

From time to time I have made a snarky comment or two about the Dodgers and their fans. That shouldn’t be misconstrued into some sort of belief that I hate the Dodgers or their fans in any way because I really don’t.
My disdain is reserved for the Oakland A’s. It’s a rivalry thing.
So, what about this Angels/Dodgers deal? Well, if you live in the Los Angeles/Orange County/Inland Empire …

Join us tonight at 9PM ET for PRO BASEBALL CENTRAL. Our guest will be Pulitzer Prize winner, Michael D’Antonio author of the book FOREVER BLUE: The True Story of Walter O’Malley, Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles (published by Riverhead Books/Penguin)
From 9PM to 9:30PM we will take your phone calls so if you want to discuss the Mets, Yankees or anything else in MLB …

Sunday February 7, 2010
According to a Twitter post by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, former Padre Brian Giles reportedly signed a minor league deal with the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers with an invitation to spring training.
Giles is a career .291 hitter with a .400 OBP, .502 SLG , .902 OPS. His career 136 OPS+ is 15th among active players, but he is coming off an injury filled year in …

Tuesday January 26, 2009
Padres sign Jon Garland
If you were wondering what was next for rookie Padres GM Jed Hoyer, then you have your answer today.
As was reported by Corey Brock of MLB.com and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports via Twitter, the San Diego Padres signed southpaw starting pitcher Jon Garland to a one year deal for $4.7 million with a mutual option for 2011 that includes a $600,000 option. Basically …

At the end of the award voting, I decided that since the Baseball Bloggers Alliance had come along so quickly, it might be nice to get an idea of who was actually in the group. To that end, I’m working through the roster and asking ten questions of each member. The first five are standard, while the last five are a little more personalized. Hopefully this will …

If you’re a baseball fan and you’ve never been to Spring Training, you owe it to yourself to go. Trust me on this, you’ll have the time of your life and wonder why it took you so long to get there. If you’re an Angels fan and you live in Southern California, you can easily drive to Tempe, Arizona in five or six hours. I’m telling you; it’s worth the …

The conventional wisdom this offseason has been that L.A. has not and will not be a major player in the free agent market because of the messy divorce proceedings between owner, Frank McCourt, and his wife and former Dodger CEO, Jamie McCourt. I don’t care to speculate too much regarding this subject, except to say, it is probably in the best interests of the franchise if Jamie is awarded the …

MLB.com – Padres interviewed Kim NG

Saturday October 17, 2009
In a twitter post tonight, Corey Brock of MLB.com says that the San Diego Padres have interviewed Los Angeles Dodgers Assistant General Manager Kim Ng.
Ng is one of two women to hold an Assistant GM position in MLB and the first to interview for a general manager position.
In her official BIO on the Dodgers website, Ng’s primary responsibilities are to assist General …

Friday October 16, 2009
What in the name of Steve Sax is going on?
After committing just 4 throwing errors in 155 games during the regular season and none in 4 postseason games against the Rockies in the NLDS this year, Philadelphia Phillies 2nd baseman Chase Utley now has two throwing errors in 2 games in Chavez Ravine.
Has Utley succumbed to Sax Disease? Has he caught the dreaded Knoblauch flu?
On two routine …

This is the way the season ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.
How fitting was it that Rick Ankiel was the last out–and a strikeout at that. Rick’s promise, just like that exhilarating promise of August, never quite came to fruition. All the signs of trouble were there, and excuses can be made, but in the end, like Ankiel’s at-bat, it turned into a lot of …

OK, wait a minute.  Back up.  Let’s look at this again, because something isn’t going quite as planned.
You are telling me that the Cardinals lost BOTH games that Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright started?  The one big advantage this team had and it’s been squandered?  At least you could put some of the blame on Carp for his outing, because he definitely didn’t have it.  Waino, though?  How tough of …

Originally posted at raisethejollyroger.com
Managing is difficult to quantify, unless you follow a team around for an entire season religiously, like I do with the Pirates (and trust me, John Russell is not getting any manager of the year votes). The conventional wisdom is that you look at the teams that did well, take the one that has the least natural talent, and say the manager made up for it and was …

In seven hours from now, the Los Angeles Dodgers will begin their quest to reach their first World Series since 1988. They will also look to move a step beyond last year’s National League Championship Series appearance; and anything less will be a disappointment.
Last year, the Chicago Cubs were primed to be upset in the first round, and the Dodgers were playing good baseball at the right time. This time …

The current end-of-season set between the Rockies and Dodgers is so packed with drama, the postseason itself may seem like a let-down.
Among the dramatic highlights of tonight’s game, which I listened to via MLB.com, we had Manny Ramirez, the 2004 World Series MVP, idiot savant of the batters box, supposedly immune to pressure and possessed of a “natural” swing and hitting ability that is matched only by guys enshrined …

Beat LA Part Two
Wednesday September 30, 2009
OUTSTANDING!
Can you think of anything better than watching the Padres keep the Dodgers from clinching the division for a night?
How about TWO nights in a row?
The Padres win tonight 5-0 and sweep the Dodgers in this short 2 game series.
I absolutely love it!
Read more about the Padres sweep of the Dodgers at www.websouslurfer.com
For more Random Ramblings, Heated Diatribes,
and Statistical Analysis about the San Diego …

Manny showing the effects of lack of steroids
Wednesday September 30, 2009
Manny Ramirez cheated and took steroids prior to the 2009 season. His first month of the season was outstanding. He hit .348 with 6 home runs in 92 at bats. He had a .641 slugging percentage. He was Ruthian.
Since he has returned Ramirez has clearly demonstrated that steroids may have been a large part of his performance at the plate.
He …

Beat LA, Beat LA, Beat LA
Tuesday September 29, 2009
Regardless of records, I don’t know if I enjoy anything more than watching the Padres beat the Dodgers.
Watching Manny go 0 for 4 helps makes the Padres victory over the Dodgers even sweeter.
And watching the Dodger fans walk out with their tails between their legs after they drove 4 hours through LA and Orange County traffic to get here hoping to see …