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Dodgers Sign Zach Lee!
It's official…at least pending a physical. The Dodgers have signed Zach Lee, their first-round pick who had been previously considered unsignable by many baseball experts. He will give up football at LSU and focus on baseball full-time.
It's a huge signing for the Dodgers, who earlier today signed 11th-rounder Joc Pederson and 26th-round pick Scott Schebler to give them a total of 30 of their 50 picks signed, including nine of their top 10 and 13 of their top 15. Many believe that he would have been in the Top 10 in talent had everyone not assumed he was committed to playing football.
It makes tonight's awful loss just a little easier to swallow, though admittedly not much. That was yet another tough one.
304 Comments
Definitely helps me forget about tonight's debacle. Of course, the beer helps, too.
Thank you Josh for the update!!!! And we really do appreciate all you do. I know it's not easy dealing with us at times, but it's just because we truly want what's best for the players on this team. We want the Andres and the Matts and the James'and all these other young players to be around for a long time in Dodger blue, and we want them to want to stay here.
I am glad they signed Lee, but you know that 80% of Lee's contract is deferred cash, Frank's favorite terms.
Maybe they had to promise Zach all of the current mangement would be gone.
My Nellygirl!
80% of Lee?s contract is deferred? You have got to be kidding me?
I'm not hard to deal with.
I am hard to contain though.
Good one Trumom! So how did you celebrate your birthday girl?
Zach Lee and other signings are good news!!! Hey Ned, it's obvious Atlanta needs a 3rd baseman, unload Casey!!!!
CP – 80% of the 5.25 million signing bonus over 5 years. At least that is what is being reported by the media.
I'm not sure Ned knows when to fish, or master bait!!! Thanks Bear!!! This one's for you!!!!!!
Wow Nelly. But in Frank?s defense, deferring a kid?s signing bonus over 5 years seems to be a little more tolerable as deferring Manny?s contract an extra 5 or 6 or 7 years (or whatever it is)?
Deferred payment or not, it's a good signing. I thought for sure he would stay at LSU to play football. Good Job Logan White!! YOU would make a great GM.
Agree, big kudos to Logan White…and like it or not, kudos to Frank McCourt. Economically, makes me think Manny is not long for this team…
And Nelly, that's Logan White for Dodgers' GM, not the GM of another team, like the snakes…
And Kahli, do you want your piece of humble pie ala mode? I am. I never thought this would happen. Yes, I will take my piece of humble pie ala mode, thank you very much?
cpompe1, the only glimmer of hope I ever had was Logan White–both in evaluating Lee's talent and in getting a deal done. I envision White telling McCourt to keep Torre and Colletti as far away as possible.
Yeah, I hear ya Kahli? Still, wouldn?t it be nice if we just woke up to the headline, ?Colletti fired as Dodger GM; White takes his place.? Hey, a girl can dream, can?t she?
Well, I?m starting to get tired, so I?ve gotta go. I?ll catch up with y?all later?
"I'm ecstatic for Zach, his family and for the entire Dodger organization," said assistant general manager Logan White. "We're bringing an outstanding talent into the fold. I have tremendous confidence in this young man, and it's clear that he signed because he has a lot of faith in the Dodgers and in their tradition of developing young pitchers."
Logan White is right. They are good at developing young pitching. I just wish they can figure out a solution to keep them developing when they hit the big club. There is a weak link somewhere.
Happy Bday trublu to bad we couldn't win it for you tonight. They did the same thing on my bday on July 18 but that one was way worst than this one and yes I share the same bday as Torre go figure and 2 more I can remember Hunter and Sheets.
Danny Bautista hit his 37th homerun but it was an inside the park but this guy have to be on steriod and no way he's having a career year and wow almost another no hitter but Conner Jackson broke it up with that homerun.
Wow Morrow almost had one vs the Rays when he k's 17 on Aug 8 and his teammate Marcum almost had one. The Blue Jays pitching coming close.
First, I need to say "I am truly sorry" to Logan White. The only thing that makes all this crow-eating palatible is that my respect for him is still untarnished. Congratulations Logan, and please don't take a GM job with another team. Wait for this one to open up.
Lee is very promising and a good steal at that slot. But pitching is tough to gauge. Witness:
Our 1st round picks for the last 25 years
1986 – Mike White (OF) (19th pick) never cleared AAA
1987 – Dan Opperman (RHP) (8th) never cleared AAA
1988 – Bill Bene (RHP) (5th) never cleared AAA
1989 – Kiki Jones (RHP) (15th) never cleared AA
1989 – Tom Goodwin (OF) (22nd) waived after 5 yrs, 14 yr MLB career
1989 – Jamie McAndrew (RHP) (28th) lost to Marlins in '92 expansion draft, 2 yr MLB career
1990 – Ron Walden (LHP)(9th) never cleared high A
1991 – no 1st or 2nd round pick. (Took Todd Hollandsworth in 3rd)
1992 – Ryan Luzinski (C) (32nd) never cleared AAA
1992 – Michael Moore (OF) (36th) never cleared AAA
1993 – Darren Dreifort (RHP) (2nd) you know………
1994 – Paul Konerko (C) (13th) blocked by Eric Karros
1995 – David Yocum (LHP) (20th) never made it out of low A
1996 – Damian Rolls (3B) (23rd) rule 5 draft by KC, 5 yr MLB career
1997 – Glenn Davis (1B) (25th) never cleared AA
1998 – Bubba Crosby (SS) (23rd) traded in '03, 4 yr MLB career
1999 – Jason Repko (OF) (37th) now hitting .271 w/Twins
2000 – Ben Diggins (RHP) (17th) traded to the Brewers 2 years later, 5 games in '02
2001 – no 1st round pick, drafted pitchers in rounds 2 – 7, only one to make the bigs is Edwin Jackson, and he was drafted as an OF.
2002 – James Loney (1B) (19th) a winner
2002 – Greg Miller (LHP) (31st) never cleared AAA
2003 – Chad Billingsley (RHP) (24th) another winner
2004 – Scott Elbert (LHP) (17th) not so much
2005 – Luke Hochevar (RHP) (40th) unsigned by Dodgers, so-so w/the Royals
2006 – Clayton Kershaw (LHP) (7th) an absolute winner
2007 – Chris Withrow (RHP) (20th) tough time in AA (6.08 ERA, 105 Ks, 60 BBs in 111 innings)
2008 – Ethan Martin (RHP) (15th) tough time in high A (5.57/99/69/108)
2009 – Aaron Miller (LHP) (36th) OK in high A (3.01/83/42/83), but not so good after promotion to AA (7.04/22/18/23)
So, in the last 25 years, we've drafted 26 players in the 1st round. Sixteen of them were/are pitchers. Billz and Kersh are all we've gotten out of them so far. After all, the jury is still out on the last 3 but they're not exactly knocking anyone's eyes out yet.
None of this means anything as far as Zach Lee is concerned, of course. Hopefully he'll rival Kersh for our ace in a couple of years. Just temper the enthusiasm a little, OK?
I'm just happy we didn't waste a pick. I couldn't be more surprised, nor happier to be proved wrong. Again, well done, Mr White!
I'll take my Humble Pie disguised as a generous slice of Marie Callender's Chocolate Satin pie, garnished with a large scoop of Breyer's French Vanilla.
……..and some ice cold water.
Last 3 years Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
Bring back Dewitt blow me Ned
Yes Eric I don't know how you can actually call Logan White an idiot. I don't think White should be include into all this flasco we're having this year.
I forgot Konerko was drafted as a catcher. I really hope the last 3 improve because it they don't and they get traded and pitches like a CY candidate in the next 2 to 3 yrs after they get traded than it would be another mess they we shouldn't given up so soon on these 3 kids.
Dumb Phillies fans seem to be upset with us because we didn't win so who care. Just a reason why I hate this team and I hope they don't make the playoff.
lol Dodgers/Braves GT on the Phillies board hahaha. I'm glad we screw the Phillies again.
I take it as Logan White making the right call and the higher management finally backing him up. Unfortunately it won't make the season any better, and just maybe we should have gotten a catcher who can hit above .200, since we traded away two prospects who might have.
Torre is blowing this season fast. It's one thing to advance Kuo from not pitching on succesive days to expecting him all of a sudden to go for a two inning save. That's one way to ruin him fast.
In the meantime, Johnny was heard to say after the game:
Fu Qu All!
Fu Qu, Jo Jo
Fu Qu, Honey,
Fu Qu, Donnie (I could be a better hitting coach)
Fu Qu, Neddie
Fu Qu, Frankie
Don't even know Mannion, But Fu Qu Manni
"I'd rather play close to home where they eat grits with eggs –
I'd go to Atlanta when I'm free."
And Matty chimes in "Angel Stadium is as close to Rhianna as Dodger Stadium – I'd like to go there".
And Andre is looking forward to playing close to home with the D'Backs.
And even Kersh is liking what he sees the Texas team doing –
only a few more years now.
Our new RH PH specialist:
File under: all things must pass–
"Bobby Thomson, Who Hit Epic Homer, Dies at 86"
Lots to read here and the prior thread.
Happy belated birhtday Tru! Maybe a belated birthday win for you today but don't hold your breath.
Round of humble pie for me too on the Zach Lee signing. I'll take a slice of pecan pie or a slice of Knots Berry Farm Boysnberry pie! Marie Callender sounds good too.
First grade DNelly! Wow! Hey have you read the book "We Are the Ship" by Kadir Nelson? Is a children's book recomended by a Dodger fan who is an elementary school teacher. I have not read it.
Sorry to hear about your mom's accident. I hope she is feeling better.
Emma, knouff ? I didn?t see her today, but she?s being released from the hospital today. She looked good when I left her last night. She?ll be staying at my sister?s place for a couple of weeks at least, I?m sure.
And birk, I DO find it disconcerting that the Lee signing is the highlight of our season. Again, sad state of affairs, very sad. But hey, I?m not feeling much love coming from the Dodgers? organization these days, so I?ll take anything I can grab onto right now?
And Nelly, I?ve been thinking that we are good at developing young pitching. But there must be some kind of disconnect in the system when they get to the majors and something seems off.
and why did my post get all the way up there again???
this is weird. This happened yesterday. Will this one get up there too???
Yes, cp, how is the mother?
Thank You, again, Josh. This season can't be good for anybody.
Just heard Logan White being interviewed by a couple of boot-lickers (Mason and Ireland) on the radio. Seems they think mccourt isn't the skinflint that we all think he is. Whatabunchacrap. Just because he's loosening the pursestrings to hand out a $5 million bonus spread out over 5 years (and they conveniently omit that little tidbit of course) doesn't mean he's not cheap. We all know he has the money. 40,000+ per says he does. If Lee didn't accept the deferred payments (and I wouldn't have, because mccourt's credit score has to be smaller than his shoe size), he'd still be at football practice today.
White, good work. You came across as someone we want to keep.
mccourt, you still need to get outta town. Yesterday, if possible.
I too was surprised when I heard that Lee had been signed but I was also a bit taken aback by how much money not only Lee will get but what Bryce Harper will get as well. These guys have a lot of promise and are being paid on that promise. I hope they can handle the pressure all this money puts on them, deserved or not. I can only wonder if the Dodger's rapid fade in the standings had any influence on how the Dodgers approached negotiating with Lee. And does anyone else find it a bit disconcerting that the Lee signing may be the highlight of this season?
Ned will trade him for a middle reliever in his middle 30's or 700 OPS player anyhow. I give it three years.
Hi everybody
The good news is the Dodgers are in Dodger Stadium a place where they have been more successful than any place else, I believe we'll see win #61 pretty soon.
Tonight would be a good time for it to keep them (above) .500 after 120 games.
I guess it's the battle for 3rd place and who better than Kershaw to have on the mound.
Just hoping we can score some runs, enough for the bullpen to handle.
Have to try to win, one game at a time.
Those numbers mean nothing Vinny. I guess Vinny forgot about are bullpen and there no fat lady with are bullpen.
Gosh damn time warp and what's my comment during up there?
Wow a shutdown inning and we need couple of more of those.
With 5 runs, I suppose Joe thinks Kersh is almost done and will turn this game over to our fabulous BP 🙂
Wow 1 for 22 maybe Helton need to retired with Blake.
Call up Russ Mitchell sell that bum Blake.
Come on guys….5 more runs and perhaps our BP can hold on for a win.
Not that there was ever a doubt that they wouldn't score there with the bases loaded and one out, but honestly, Blake should do everyone a favor and retire before next season. Who the hell wants to watch him get even worse next year?
Pathetic!!!! Blake is washed up!!! Kemp has inherited Raul Mondesi disease.
Hi'Ya Beav!!! I hope Ned can trade Blake. I sure don't want to see him next year!!!!
Can't remember the last time I've seen a non-steroid player go down hill as fast as Blake.
Hey Wally!!
I can't even get upset at this BS anymore because its expected.
lol 89 mph fastball. Wow no lead off hit from Broxton shocking.
Damn what the heck are those 89 mph fastball?
I guess Broxton can pitch when we up 6 runs.
What's that 5 thing for the Dodgers in the box score?
Yep Beav, I'm totally with you. I'm just enjoying watching Kersh pitch. I'm hoping we can help derail the G'nats chances of making the playoffs!!!
I am glad we have the five runs, but I am very well aware that this may not be enough.
Hi'Ya DNelson!!! LOL!!!
I'd like to see Ned deal Blake, but I can't think of a team where he'd be an upgrade. Then he's guaranteed next year at what 5-7 mil? Frank would have to eat at least 4 mil of that. Fraid we're stuck with him.
Yep Beav, we're fished!!!
Hey JHall!!! I see we are in our formal mood tonight :))
You know another area where we have to be the absolute most pathetic in the league is BA by our pitchers. If our guys could even hit .150 they'd score another 10-15 runs a year. Why can't any of our pitchers hit? Obviously they spend no time in the cage getting instruction (not that its paid off for our position players. Thanks Donny Baseball.)
lol maybe Blake did take steriod.
Why yes DNelson, my lady!!! When we go down, we will go down with our heads high rooting for our Dodgers!!!
Yep Beav, not likely to get any takers for Blake.
Where's Ned's head Wally?
I agree Jhall!!!! Dodger Blue thru and thru :))
In his fishing aspirin!!!
:))) DNelson!!! Thru thick and thin!!! I am getting a little tired of the thin however!!!!
Good now Vinny said and he mention that 11-1 games and lost 12-11 in 1990.
Soap…here we go again!!!!
Hey all you kiddies reading this, Ned gets a headache when he doesn't catch anything worth keeping!!!! Lot's of good family fun and banter here!!!
WTF on an 0-1 and you pulled him? You didn't pulled Belasario.
Beauty Gem by Kersh, but can we hold it?
Hi'Ya Trumom!!! LOL!!!
Something tells me Kenley isn't ready for prime time.
Fortunately, Joe knows how to blow the game by now, so here comes Sherrill.
I knew we needed 5 more runs in order for our fishing bullpen to hold the lead.
Jansen better have been hurt for that removed
Holy soap….an out!!!!
Smith ought to be ashamed.
Wow Helton is wash up 1/23.
He might as well keep Sherrill in there until he gets hit.
How'd that happen?
Holy Fishing Soap, Sherrill got it done!!!!
Despite the fact we have 5 runs, we only have 5 hits again tonight.
Most of us are probably hoping what he gets hit by is a bus.
Fishing SEH is really a pain the the royal aspirin!!!!!!
Ned's head is in his fishing aspirin, and Frank needs a fishing aspirin whooping for putting the players and fans through hell.
Ahhh yes, the battle for 3rd place in the NL West!!! Tension so thick you can cut it with a knife!!!!!
If it wasn't for the generosity of the other team, we wouldn't score 3/4 of the time.
Well Nelly, we all know Frank and Ned are not very smart fishers!!!! JoJo is a master baiter!!!!!
As far as I'm concerned the entire managment staff, and all the coaches are full of soap!
That is very, very true Wally!!!
Do we dare say "Herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre's Johnny!!!" ?
Johnny says…..
Johnny says, "I really don't give a soap anymore."
Hey!!! A shut out for the other guy. It's about fishing time!!!!!!
A truely uninspired performance turned in by the Rockies. I applaud their efforts to make our team look good for once this month.
LOL DNelson!!!! Most of us don't give a soap anymore!!! Just playing out the season and hoping to derail the G'nats!!!
Good Night True Blue Faithful!!! Excelsior!!! Have a great night and a better tomorrow.
Good Night, Jhall….always a joy to have you in the house 🙂
Well, the gnats are doing a good job of derailing themselves right now. They have a healed Phillies team to contend with, and a Cardinals team who is trying to stay up with the Reds. So, they have their work cut out for them. They went from 1 behind the Padres to 5 games back real fast. The difference I see in the Padres (compared to the rest of us in the west) is they are winning the low scoring games almost all the time. That means their pitching and defense are doing their job, and we have said all along, to be a championship caliber team, you need to have pitching and defense. Our starting pitching is really picking up the pace, which is good, but the bullpen has been off almost all year long now. Plus, defense hasn't been our strong suit this season either.
Goodnight Jhall!!! Have a wonderful tomorrow. Always great seeing you around these parts :))
Nite Wally!
I have to say, and I mean this from the heart of my bottom, being able to co-miserate with y'all is the only thing making this season tolerable.
I hate both of those teams but I want to see Philliy scored double digit runs in the next 2 games and ruining the Giants chances and the bullpen but Philly can choke after that series is done.
Aug 17 COL W 6-0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 14 3 – – – 6.44
Aug 15 @ATL L 13-1 0.1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 13 3 – – – 6.67
Aug 14 @ATL W 2-1 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 – – H(4) 6.75
Aug 12 @PHI L 10-9 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 11 3 – – H(3) 6.83
Aug 10 @PHI W 15-9 1.0 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 4 20 5 – – – 7.00
Aug 6 WSH L 6-3 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 9 1 – – – 6.58
Aug 5 SD L 5-0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 11 3 – – – 6.66
Aug 2 SD L 10-5 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 16 4 – – – 6.93
Monthly Totals 4.2 5 2 2 0 1 3 6 10 84 20 — 0-0 0 sv 3.86
If it wasn't for Dotel getting squeeze in that Aug 10 game Sherrill ERA would've been below 6.
Dodger record after 120 games since '06
'08……61…..59…..1st (tie)
3 out of 5 years..61-59.
Thanks for the stats, OldBrooklynFan. Wonder what we'll do with this year's 61-59 record. As long as we can keep the Giants out of it, this year can't be considered a total loss, from a purely baseball standpoint.
I'm as curious as the next guy, but I've never wanted to find out what happens when you wake a sleeping giant.
Thanks for the stats, OldBrooklynFan. Wonder what we'll do with this year's 61-59 record. As long as we can keep the Giants out of it, this year can't be considered a total loss, from a purely baseball standpoint.
I'm as curious as the next guy, but I've never wanted to find out what happens when you wake a sleeping giant.
Hey Y'all…………..
I haven't given up, said I wouldn't.
I still love my Beloved Blue, maybe more so now, than ever before.
I just don't have anything to complain about, I am a blessed man, a very lucky and fortunate man. I do owe you all, counting our Beloved Boys in Blue for all the pleasures, I have come to love.
It is just that there comes a time in every mans life that he wonders, did I do my best? Was I all I can be?
That's where I am at now. I am not saying this to be self righteous, it is just the man I want to become.
The last few years have been a real struggle, and somehow I have survived. I know why and how, and that is the man I want to be.
I stopped Rah, Rah, Rahing…because I realized that, no matter what I say or do…..it is up to our Boy's.
I can only control my own destiny and it is a life long battle.
One that I now have a heart to win…..
I've been behin the 8 ball, alot longer than just this season.
I have always had a strong faith, I have never stoppped beliveing completly ( there have been some trying times, and I am not talking baseball) and I have finally realized that what I have been lacking is determination, the desire to set the standard, that future generations will look upon.
I have read every comment since my last post, and will continue…….I Love this Blog, that isn't going to stop. It is just time for me to be the man, I want to be.
Good Night and God Bless, I can honestly say there have been very few nights, I fail to put us all in my prayers.
Happy Bday Roberto Clemente RIP today would've been his 76th bday.
Keep on truckin' D4! You da man!
Happy birthday Roberto, indeed! What a player, what a human being!
Now here's an owner you can love:
"The Lakers were expected to conserve money this off-season because Buss was overly conscious of presiding over the NBA's highest payroll, but he continued to spend when free agency began last month and now has a player payroll of $95.6 million, up from $91.3 million last season.
The Lakers added free agents Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff, re-signed Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown, and picked up a pair of lively forwards in the second round of the NBA draft, Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter. Throw in contractually stipulated raises of about 10% for Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and the rest of the core of last season's team, and the money adds up quickly.
"You sit there and you say, 'No, we really can't afford this.' Then somehow the next day we end up spending some more money and getting another player and signing a new [contract] extension, etc., etc.,"
"Some time ago, I'm talking to some people and they wanted a bonus if the Lakers make the playoffs. I said, 'If they don't make the playoffs, you don't work here anymore.' "
Anyone know where we can get another one of those? OURS says stuff like, "This isn't the AL East. Why should I spend $150 million to win 98 games when I can spend half of that and still go to the playoffs in our division?"
Forgot to post the source:
Take two aspirins, and, that's what is running our fishing team.
I still say that franknedjoe still envisions Ramirez riding in from San Bernardino good enough to power an offensive resurgence. Add a reversal-of-fortune for the Torre-depleated bullpen and the continued excellent performance of the starters, and they'll have a pennant drive for the ages.
And if he comes back hitting .225/1/8 for the last 5 weeks, the press will have Ramirez to ride out of town.
Of course, they also thought they had some great ballplayers in Anderson, Sweeney, Jones, Pierre, Schmidt…..
ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that many teammates have grown with frustrated with what they perceive to be an intermittent effort and that there's been whispers that the Dodgers would love to trade Ramirez.
Uh, didn't Ned already have that chance and pass on it. If true though, I'd take a bucket of balls – golf balls.
BPB, can't say we weren't warned – just the charms of Manny being Manny. I counted him out after Podsednik was acquired. And to think – at the beginning of the year, all the hoopla was about our dynamic, powerful outfield. Such a shame . . . .
What is Joe going to do when Manny comes of the DL? Is he going to mess up his love affair with Pods? Maybe he will throw Matt to the wolves.
The idea of Manny back in this lineup does not excite me at all, not now. I have not totally given up yet either and won't until the Dodgers have been officially eliminated from the post season, but I just don't see Manny making much of a contribution. In fact, will anyone be surprised to see him play a few games and then suffer another injury? Our best hope is that he does come back, show some spark and generate some interest from an American League team who is willing to give the Dodgers something for him.
Think that's all we can hope for Birk.
By the way, no Matt in todays lineup.
With so many aspirins floating around, can we just call the front office the "pill box"?
Come on Dodgers. Even if you're not going anyplace, let's win some games to make it fun.
The Dodger Playoffs start on August 30th. Kick that aspirin, Jamie!
Why bring back Manny? Is not like our bullpen going to not give games away. Gosh I miss the #1 bullpen last year.
Maybe the Giants fans would keep there mouth shut.
lol wow someone started a DFA Fontenot thread on the Giants board.
oldbrooklynfan ~ Congrats on the jersey. How does it fit? Can't wait to see you in it!
Guess I do not miss Manny that much either. Like my wife says, he disappeared. Still, he'll have to show something if he expects to play next year.
ESPN is showing the giants and phillies tonight. Wow. I'm going to hope for injuries. Like nelly says, the giants are playing themselves out of contention.
Manny was fun and relevent until the PED stuff hit the fan. It was a risk to resign him but probably a risk worth taking. The Dodgers didn't know about the PED issue and it is not the first or last time a team pays a player a lot of money but does not get much in return. Even a less powerful but healthy and free spirited Manny would have helped this team this season.
Howzit Going ITD.
Here we are another night with nothing to do but hope the team can pull out another win to add to it's total.
We are 2 games above the .500 mark hoping to improve on that.
This 61-59 record is the same as it was in '07 & '08 and we all know what the only difference is.
I know we all miss the old 5 team race division but I guess we miss last year even more.
It's tough but it has to be one game at a time.
I got a Cool Base Dodger authentic jersey in the mail custom made for OLDBKLYNFAN with the read number 47 for my first full season as a Dodger Fan, with the 55 since '55 first World Championship patch, which I purchased.
oldbrooklyn-maybe you can get a picture of you in your jersey on here. I'd like to see it.
I'm going to try to send it maybe tomorrow or Friday. I've never tried it on ITD.
I've been sending picture on the "Dodger Dogs" & "TBLA" blogs for years but it would be the first time I tried it on this blog.
The Phillies lead the Giants by 2 games in the Wild Card Yipeeeee.
Yeah what's up with all those 61-59 record?
It means we've been mediocre for three years.
Joe, as far as sitting Kemp (again), PLEASE, PLEASE don't sit Casey Blake. The guy is a force, a difference maker…
What the hell kind of a dumbassed play was that??!! 3-2 catcher up, pitcher next… we don't call him Idiot Joe for nothing.
We took the title in '08 with a 84-78 record after that 61-59.
Hi'Ya Beav, Kahli!!! Ellis just flat out blew it on a decent pitch to bunt. Yep Kahli, would want to sit Blake, our offensive juggernaut!!! Kemp ain't exactly lighting it up however. Matt has really worked his way into JoJo the clowns doghouse!!!!
JoJo the clown, says he is sitting Matt because he wanted an extra lefty bat. Yea, sure!
But Brooklyn, had it not been for a total collapse by the Snakes that year, and a steroided up Manny having the half season of a lifetime, that team would've never made it to the playoffs.
Hey Wally! Who bunts 3-2 with a back-up catcher and the pitcher on deck?
Hi'Ya Trumom!!! Yea, sure!! Hey Beav, wonders never cease with JoJo the clown!!!!
Well, the gnats continue the derailment process. With the Padres not appearing to slow down, we might as well make it a race to see who can come closest to the d-backs 🙂
How come we don't have a catcher with 13HR and 49 RBI?
Oh yeah I forgot, we've got Martin, Ausmus and Ellis.
Kuroda looks a little soapy tonight!
LOL Nelly, how are you tonight? Yep Beav, we've got a black hole at catcher. And now, we've traded away May, our best catching prospect.
He's the toast of the town
Even though he sits the rail of the dugout with a frown
He is always putting the players down
Oh, yes, ladies and gentlemen…..he is JoJo the clown!
LOL TruMom!!
I am doing good Wally!! Started a new school year this week, and my class is soooooooo much better than last years. How about you?
LMAO Trumom!!!
Good Nelly, thanks!! Glad you've got a good class!!!
What a battle we're gonna have on our hands next spring for LF – Pathednik, Paul and Gibbons.
Why is it we're not trying to bend some contender over trying to trade Kuroda? He's about the only guy they'd get a couple of decent prospects for, and he's gone after the season anyway.
Good point Beav!! Most likely because our GM has his head in the aspirin!!!!
We have a GM?!
Only in title Trumom!!! All show and no go!! LOL!!!
I'm so excited….there's activity in the Dodger BP 🙂
Yes, Jhall….Ned is all show and no go
While Frank has no dough!
Boy we're really mashing again tonight.
Have a feeling that if/when Manny gets back, Matt's going to find the pine quite a bit.
Jamie got the dough!!! In more ways than money!!!
When you win who cares how you win?
Weren't you glad we made the post season in '08?
LMAO, Jhall!!!!!
A lot of fishing trips for Jamie 🙂
Definitely Brooklyn, they had a nice run and it was entertaining with the way Manny was hitting, but my main point was that they really weren't much better than a mediocre team overall. They only finished two games better than the year before, and I think we all agree that that team under Little was pretty so-so.
Evidently Jamie kneaded the doughboy more than Frank.
Would you prefer Jamie got more of a rise out of the doughboy than Frank?
Nice going KURODA his 11th gem.
I think he's pitching a lot better than Scully is saying.
I don't care how bad a team they were, they got to the NLCS.
That was O.K. for me.
Now the one time JoJo should have someone bunt, he lets Carroll swing and he hits into a DP. Why in the 7th in a tie game wouldn't you bunt, especially knowing you'd be using a PH for Kuroda?
No worries Brooklyn. Its all good!!
This game is b-o-r-i-n-g…………………borrrrrrrrring!!!!!!!
Whiff, Whiff, Whiff!!!!!
Pretty play by THERIOT, way to go guys.
Come on Andre!!!! Finish this game in Drematic style!!!!!
Ok I'm back to see a walk off hit off Beimel.
The teams back in 2008 and no one wanted to take the division that year.
Blake will heretofore be known as Poopeye the Failure Man. plop plop.
Bring up Mitchell or give Belliard the start at 3rd.
I'm Poopeye the Failure Man
I'm Poopeye the Failure Man
My skills are diminished
Career's all but finished
I'm Poopeye the Failure Man
(plop plop)
We also have a few Poopflies 🙂
LMAO Tru!!!
And of course, the ever popular Pooperscooper!
How is it we lived without Dotel? Sure glad we gave up McDonald and Lambo to get this guy. What a find Ned. Next time you think you're having a thought, flush twice.
Bring in Zach Lee…
Well this is just fishinng wonderful!
SOAP Kahli – Sara Lee could pitch better than the roach Dotel.
Poopeye and Roach Dotel….LMAO, bpb1!!!!!
Did Dotell just thrown 3 WP?
Looks like were gonna gain a game on Zona tonight.
BTW – speaking of poopflies, JP went 4 for 5 tonight and the Cow hit his 17th homerun. At least the Twins finally gave themselves some breathing room in their division. Wouldn't that be something if those two ended up in the playoffs?
Damn. Our winning streak stopped at one.
Johnson should've never tried to score, he was out by a mile.
Like enchanted said, we are now 12 back and getting closer and closer to the D-Backs.
I'd say wait'll next year, but I'll be surprised if next year's team doesn't lose 100 games.
Even worst those 2 win another WS titles.
lol the Kemp disease of bad baserunning has return I see.
In fact calls this guys up now. Sands hitting two jacks tonight. 31 overall on the year. Can he played catcher?
I hope Cargo is ok.
Gak! Whadda team!
Since we're creating nicknames tonight, how about BizarroJoe? Because it seems every decision he's making lately is the opposite of what common sense says.
Shad, I looked it up and he's an outfielder who has played some first base lately. But he's 6′ 4″. That'd make a pretty tall catcher.
This is a really nice headline for a change…….
"Former major leaguer Dave Roberts expects full recovery from cancer"
It is a case of a manager not changing his pinstripes. He is and will always be a Yankee. That alone is reason enough for his stupid decisions. He certainly wouldn't have made these aspirinine decisions while wearing pinstripes.
Dotel became the second Los Angeles Dodger reliever ever to have three walks and three wild pitches in the same game, joining Fred Norman, who turned the trick (with four wild pitches) against the Cubs on August 14, 1970.
I thought the same thing, OldBrooklynFan. Even after 10pm in L.A., there was 3 days worth of daylight between Johnson and the plate.
In other news, now we know why Chris Berman calls him "Don't ask, Dotel". Yikes.
THAT is really good news Dodgereric!!! Thanks for sharing :))
I know Eric and Loney played some OF in the minor but I'd rather keep Loney at 1st. I really want the old Martin back Amusmus/Ellis is not cutting it. Heck I want May and Santana back and also McDonald and Lambo. Can we had Loney pitch an inning? Is not like Loney hasn't pitch before and I bet he could pitch than half of our relievers lol. Where the good Dotel at when he was light out with the Astros?
Nice to here that about Roberts.
Time to blame Bowa on sending Johnson and I heard they ripping him up on Twiitter.
I normally don't get involved in the late night chatter around here but I was curious what was being said after the Dodgers found another creative way to lose a game. Perhaps this game should be dedicated to Little League Baseball as that is what it looked like to me with Dotel throwing pitches in the dirt. And as desperate as the Dodgers are to score runs, no way should Johnson have tried to score. But what disturbs me most about this game was watching Matt Kemp look so helpless on both of his at bats swinging at pitches so far out of the strike zone. He is starting to remind be of Raul Mondesi and Adrian Beltre, players with a lots of raw talent but little or no discipline and no smarts. He did throw a runner out at second but to me it looked as if the runner was trying to catch Kemp napping and almost got away with it. Kemp says he is aware of his actions; obviously he has not found a way to do anything about it.
I'm willing to bet that Johnson didn't go on his own. Maybe BizarroJoe will bench Bowa. Right.
I think they're working Sands out at first because of how promising Kyle Russell had been. At least until they promoted Russell to AA. He was really stuggling there until recently. Although his pop hasn't returned, at least he's hitting again.
But speaking of tall catchers, we have one in Rookie ball (Ogden). Michael Pericht is 6′ 5″.
Oh well, I still like Kemp and just hope he figures it out, finishes strong and comes back next year hungry. Good night, everyone.
Hi birk!
Normally I like agression on the bases, and getting thrown out because the fielders made perfect throws is OK. But this one certainly wasn't the case. Tulo's throw could have been 5 feet off-line and the catcher would have had plenty of time to recover and still tag Johnson out.
Regarding Kemp, I'm in his corner and wish people would just let him play his way out of his slump. But I share your concern with the look of his swings tonight. Lordy.
You know, Kemp in particular and the team in general have been swinging like they're just trying to make contact, not hit the ball hard. When was the last time (maybe other than Ethier) anyone crushed the ball? The Dodger's hitting and pitching coaches really leave a lot to be desired. Didn't Honeycut pay a visit to Dotel only to have the next pitch put the Rocks ahead?
It sure would be nice to start 2011 with a clean slate: new owner, new GM, new manager, new coaching staff.
Quiet. Let me dream……………..
Had it been Dre on deck I don't think Johnson would've been sent home, but being as how Theriot [The UnNatural] was up next, they took a chance.
I'm still stractching my head trying to figure out why you squeeze on a 3-2 pitch with the back-up catcher hitting and the pitcher on deck. Hell, that early in the game the defense is playing back and conceding the run. All Ellis would have to do is make contact.
Then in the 7th in a tie game you've got the leadoff guy on and Carroll up and they let him swing away rather than bunt the runner over. With a runner at second and one out you then have the option of hitting for Ellis, and you already know you'd be hitting for Kuroda.
JoJo talks about still being in the race for the wild card, but the way he "manages" I'd swear he's trying to lose.
Good Morning all,
What a night :0( Yeah Joe Torre has vacation plans for early October.
Well I was watching the highlights of last nights game! I love the one of Andre making the great catch to end the eighth! The best part is the little boy on the back. He is sooooo excited waving at Andre! Love it!
I agree with you, BPB1…..I think Bizarro Joe has plans for October, and it's not at a ballpark.
I believe the dodgers assigned the bullpen to send a message to Frank, the only way they can: Lose Games
Message: Provide Money or SELL The Team
Just waiting for the next inventive, perhaps never before seen method to lose. WE have quite a list this year already
Could it be that there is a concerted effort in the "pill box" to devalue the team? With the upcoming divorce trial, there just may be some advantage to have the team NOT make the playoffs and to show some reduced attendance numbers. A conspiracy is probably too strong a suggestion, but if the season winds up that way, it's not going to hurt Frank's position any on the value of the Dodgers' franchise as an asset.
Only the judge can make them SELL THE TEAM, and that's our best hope as Dodger fans. Then we can blow up the pill box.
Here's a Dodgers blog I've gotten to like lately: http://theleftfieldpavilion.blogspot.com .
The Blog isn't really big on words, but they do hilarious photoshops, lots of them within hours of the end of a game. The Bowa image pertaining to last night's game is pure genius.
But on their blog, I came across an interesting link I thought I'd share with you: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protest-the-McCourts/134766093232612 .
Apparently, this guy wants to rally a bunch of Dodgers fans to protest the McCourts at the courthouse on August 30 (Game 1 of the LADS [Los Angeles Divorce Series]). Would certainly take a huge bite out of McCourt's "The fans are with me" BS.
Hello ITd!
I was not watching Bowa when Johnson was trying to score but my brother VIi said that Bowa was signaling Reed to stop, Reed slowed down a bit but decided to keep on running.
I am also in Kemp's corner and also wish the Dodger Talk callers and media would stop picking on him. Let him work out of his funk. There ae other Dodgers in the same funk that they don't get picked on. Kemp is still the leader in homeruns. I see other outfielders in smaller park having a worst season than Kemp.
Has Dotel always been this wild? that was sick watching him.
Acording to an article I saw, Dotel only had two wild pitches the whole season before last night's game. I'm not sticking up for Dotel – I wish Ned hadn't brought him here, especially considering what he gave up. The other thing to consider is that wild pitches can also be partly the catcher's fault for not preventing them. The state of our catching is deplorable; another reason why we should not have given up catcher prospects. It's not like we didn't know how much Martin had regressed and that we might need a good catching prospect.
I hope Clemens goes to jail and gets barred from HOF forever.
Adjoining cells with McCourt for tax evasion would be very nice.
Northstateblues – I would love to know which fan is on McCourt's side, aside from his sons. I guess the fans of the other NL West teams would be on his side because as long as he owns the team, we are going to suck.
There is supposedly a document floating around that says Jamie is owner of Dodgers too….if this is true, wouldn't they be forced to sell?
northstate, that site is HILARIOUS! What imagination and talent! So no one has to scroll up to find it, it's:
I'm thinking about taking the day off and driving the 100 miles to join that protest on the 30th.
I was reading this:
……and was reading the comments that come after when I saw this site, posted by one of the commenters ("K"):
Veeeeery interesting reading. If it's possible to have a lower image of mccourt in my mind, I now have it. It's pretty long, but well worth the time to read. Some excerpts:
"Dodger Dog
Frank McCourt's Wife Is Only the Latest to Get the Raw End of a Deal"
"McCourt has been fortunate indeed. He and wife Jamie McCourt have carved out a life of private jets and lavish homes. But for a very successful real estate developer, he has actually developed very little.
McCourt's former business partners, who tell their story here for the first time, say that's because he can be impossible to work with. In fact, he can be implacable and even ruthless with his partners, whether they are fellow developers, the taxpayers, or ? in the case of the divorce ? his wife."
"If Jamie loses, she will wind up with something like 15 percent of the couple's assets. That may be unfair ? or even immoral ? but from a legal standpoint, McCourt has the stronger argument.
There's an irony in that, and it's one that Jamie seems to appreciate. After enjoying the fruits of her husband's give-no-quarter style for nearly 30 years, she is now bearing the brunt of it.
In one of her court declarations, she said she had firsthand experience of her husband's tactics: "I know that Frank is very litigious and that he employs a 'scorched earth' litigation philosophy," she wrote."
""This is not the kind of permanent partner I wanted to be involved with," says Chase, a Holocaust survivor and philanthropist. "I did not need that. I'd rather have no relationship than have a relationship that will be problematic in the future."
Chase says he was bought out for pennies on the dollar.
"He forgot what we did for him," Chase adds. "Without us, he could not have had the property."
"McCourt hired the top eminent-domain firm in the city, and the best lobbyists. In a settlement reached in 1997, the government agreed to pay an additional $57.5 million ? bringing the total from the state to $87.5 million. In return, McCourt agreed to pay $25 million to help build an underground bus station. Even so, he made $62.5 million from the state.
It was the costliest eminent-domain settlement on the costliest highway project in U.S. history.
The figure is staggering considering that McCourt got most of his land back, along with some new parcels that were awarded in land swaps."
Even though McCourt was handsomely compensated for being denied the ability to develop the property, once he did have an opportunity, he was unable to build.
To date, probably the biggest project McCourt has built is Camelback Ranch ? the new Dodgers spring-training facility in Arizona. But he didn't actually build it. The taxpayers of Glendale, Arizona, did, for $150 million.
Lately there are troubling signs that it was a very bad investment ? though not for Frank McCourt."
"Without leverage, the McCourts never would have owned the Dodgers. With it, they used a 3,000-space parking lot to buy a team, a stadium, a spring-training facility, a Dominican baseball academy and, don't forget, a 16,000-space parking lot surrounding the stadium.
Flying in the face of an MLB rule that limits owner debt to 40 percent, almost the entire purchase was financed with loans from News Corp. and Bank of America."
"Jamie and McCourt had signed a marital-property agreement upon moving to California in 2004. The agreement was intended to protect the couple's houses from creditors. Under California's community-property laws, the houses could be at risk if the Dodgers went bankrupt.
The agreement appears to be in keeping with Jamie's aversion to risk, and there is a strong legal argument that she should be made to live by it. The houses ? a stable, secure investment ? were put in her name. The team was put in McCourt's name.
But as the estate planner explained, if they divorced, McCourt would keep the team and Jamie would get the houses. Forbes estimated the team was worth $700 million, almost double the $371 million purchase price, and seven times the value of the houses.
This, Jamie and McCourt agreed, was not what they intended. In the summer of 2008, the couple decided to draft a new agreement that would make the team community property. But McCourt quickly had second thoughts. If he signed it, he would have some peace in the marriage. But their fundamental conflicts would remain, and if they later divorced, they would probably have to sell the team.
For nearly a year, Jamie pursued him and pleaded with him to sign it. When at last he refused, the marriage was effectively over."
"They put Drew, 28, and Travis, 27, [two of their sons] on the team payroll, though both had other full-time obligations. Drew was paid $400,000 a year to provide his opinions to Dodger management, a job many fans do for free on the Dodger Talk postgame show. He was given no specific tasks, and was enrolled in the MBA program at Stanford.
Travis, meanwhile, was paid $200,000, though he worked full-time at Goldman Sachs."
End of excerpts.
Along with a longing for some strong mouthwash, I'm left with a wondering of how someone can be willing to treat the mother of his children like a business partner. Although thankfully I'm not divorced myself, I'm a child of a divorced marriage and no stranger to the animosity it brings.
Scumbag, flim-flam man, cold-hearted SOB, he's like the worst parts of the .com era. Nothing of value produced, leaving a wake of destruction behind him.
I haven't been watching the games. I just got last nights score 5 minutes ago. Was pretty sure we would lose it one way or the other. 2 wild pitches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just wanted to comment that its a little strange that our 2 highest paid players (Manny, Furcal) are on the disabled list when we needed them most. I can remember a few years back that it would take more than those injuries to keep players off the field. Now a hang-nail shelves them for a week. Punch of wusses.
Well, maybe I'll come back next year to watch a few games. Maybe not. Been a fan for over 55 years and this is the first year I've really disliked the team, management, players, coaches, manager, and owner, etc,etc,etc. This team deserves to be in the basement.
Eric, that article reveals so much about the McCourt family, assuming that everything is true. In a way Frank has someone like me over a barrel because I still want to attend games regardless of ownership. But what still bugs me is even though most of us knew very little about the McCourts when they took control of the team, I cannot believe that Major League Baseball did not know more about McCourt's character, at least as a businessperson. As the article points out, what exactly had McCourt accomplished when he purchased the Dodgers? It seems to me he spent a lot of time in contentious relationships that generated a nice income but nothing concrete behind it. He did not build anything, did not create anything, and has little to show for his efforts other than a trail of legal filings and broken promises. My guess is the other owners don't really care what happens in L.A. because they believe the same thing McCourt does: Dodger fans will come out regardless of the team. Regardless, the commissioner and his constituents have to take some responsibility in creating this mess.
As for why it seems Kemp is the whipping boy, let me give you a different perspective. I believe this is because all of us, fans, coaches and teammates recognize the physical talent Kemp has and believe he can and, I dare say, should be getting better. For all we know, he does understand this and just has not found a way to make it happen. All I need to know is he is trying his best and playing as hard and as smart as he can. We all talk about a player's potential only when the perception is that player is falling short. But what is potential other than what we want someone to be without really knowing if he or she can really be that person, or in Kemp's situation, that player. This may not be fair, but as my father always said, life is not always fair. I am sure Kemp has more supporters than detractors. We all believe he can be an exciting player. Let's hope he believes it as well.
And now comes Jamie to contend that Frank altered the infamous property agreement after she signed it.
Would Frank be capable of actual fraud when it comes to money considerations?
Let us hear a YES or NO from all the fans on ITD.
As I said, the Dodger Playoffs begin on August 30th.
What great fun will be had by all.
From what we all know, I think both of them distrust one another so much right now either one is capable. However, from what we are learning, Frank and Jamie have lived in some sort of dream world where they get to make all the rules and everything is about them. I am beginning to believe that deception is part of their world.
Padilla on the DL.
Frank may be a pitiful dork, but I don't think he has the skill or cajones to alter a legal document. That's the against the law, right? Our collective plight reminds me of the Beatles:
"My tears are falling like rain from the sky.
Is it for her (and him) or myself that I cry?"
Hi Everybody
Another game another shot at winning.
Still looking for win #62.
Lilly vs DeLaRosa.
Hello Los Angelinos ~ In my travels today I was close to site of Ebbets Field. So I decided to steal ten minutes and take some pics. When I'm close…I always do. I can't help myself.
"Bedford Ave Blues"
"More Bedford Blues"
Too Cool Trolley!!! Thanks!!! Let's get a win and take this series!!! GO DODGERS!!!!
Nice pictures as usual Bklyntrolleyblogger.
always appreciated by an oldbrooklynfan.
I agree…wonderful pictures!
#1 for REED
WTG Reed on your 1st homerun of the season.
Let's go Dodgers, let's go!!!!!
Great reading material today!!! Thanks for all the links northstateblues and Dodgereric.
Stuck in the fishing time warp again 😦
I was hoping Broxton would've been on the DL next not Padilla again. Go figure Padilla would go back on the DL after his worst start of the season.
It's good to see Kemp smiling, he looks like a guy who got a load of his chest.
Good shot but right at Mora.
The Rockies trying to bunt shows a team really trying to get on base.
I am still catching up with my reading. Are we aware that Padilla is going back on the DL?
Wow, no mystery here!! Don't hit it to Tulowitsky(not sure if spelling is correct, but you know what I mean)!!! C'mon Dodgers!!!!
These DL stints are kind of convenient sometimes.
Yes we do and we don't care about the spelling here lol.
WAY TO GO TED LILLY!!!!! A complete game shut out!!!!
I can't seem to get out of the fishing time warp :((
So close Wally there a z instead of the s.
Sigh Lilly that not good.
Lilly is pitching a dilly!
Can I come out of my time warp now…………………….PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????
Hey Wally!!!!!!!!!! LOOK!!!!! Way up here!!!!!!!!!!!! Good Night Wally!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a wonderful TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi'ya Trumom and Shad!!! Certainly a dilly!! LOL!!! Thanks Shad, my friend!!
Hi'Ya Brooklyn!!! Thanks, I didn't think I had it quite right.
Too bad this time warp idea couldn't work in Vegas. Then Dodgereric could place his bet on the number 11……………..I mean number 48, and he could buy the Dodgers 🙂
Darn, Kemp is just trying to mash and pulling everything!!!!
Geez, runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out and Kemp and Loney can't deliver. Do our guys understand situational hitting? Unacceptable!!!!
Dylan Hernandez reporting on Twitter……………..
Dodger Stadium looks like it's less than half full. Wonder what the Dodgers will report as their paid attendance…
Shad – what was the paid attendance for tonight?
Gosh damn get the ball out of the infield.
I bet Shad knows how many complete shutouts Lilly has had :)))
Total soap!!!!! That's why we're in 4th place!!!!!
So what else is knew?
I have NEVER been stuck in the time warp this long. This is just fishing crazy!!
Not a surprise there we can"t hit with risp. Make me want a Kemp squeeze there and not like you have someone slow on 3rd bases either.
Lilly's second gem as a Dodger.
RISP….I still wonder…
I hope Lilly finish it out but we all know what's going to happen?
I don't even want to look at the numbers in the 2nd half of that because I know it not good.
8 full inning for LILLY, add his name to that list.
Here we go 9TH INNING.
Wow shock and Lilly would have the chance to finish it out.
1 more out to go.
This is the 62TH win one more to clinch 99 Loses.
OUTSTANDING LILLY!!!! Way to go Johnson!!!
EXCELSIOR TRUE BLUE BELIEVERS!!!! Have a great night everyone!!!
Brad Ausmus for 2011 Dodger manager.
Lilly's complete game was his fifth in 277 career starts and first in 174 starts since Aug. 23, 2004, when he beat Boston 3-0 at Toronto's SkyDome with a three-hitter and a career-high 13 strikeouts.
Orel Hershiser for 2011 General Manager.
Watching Monty Python's Flying Circus and thinking of this group. Funny stuff!!!!
FINALLY back on ITDFST!!!
Kahli – I would definitely go for Hershiser for General Manager.
Let's give Logan White the first shot as GM and Hershiser pitching coach.
Maybe Valenzuela as pitching coach.
I see the Dodgers have still signed Zach Lee. But what has be done lately other than clean out a dorm room he just moved into a short time ago.
I attended last night's game and have noticed the same thing all season: a lot of empty seats. For some reason the Dodgers no longer announce the attendance but clearly whatever the amount of tickets sold, there are fewer people going through the turnstiles. Wait, they don't have turnstiles anymore. Anyway, no way to know for sure the reason whether it be the economy, the owner, or just a lack of interest in this year's underachieving team. I will say that the fans who do show up are upbeat and as interested in the darn beachballs as ever. The crowd was pulling for Lilly in the ninth inning and everyone enjoyed a summer's eve at the ballpark.
Also, I have noticed a much greater presence of security personnel throught the stadium this season. I cannot recall any incidents of fights or unruly fans at any games I have attended. Fans are screened much more closely at the entrances than last year, so obviously stadium management is trying to maintain a fan friendly place. So to those of you who have had some negative experiences in the past, I urge you to give it another try. If you are not going because of ownership and don't want to put money in its pocket, don't deprive yourself if you like being at the ballpark. Buy the tickets but bring your own food and don't buy anything at the game. No, I am not a mouthpiece for the Dodgers but it occured to me that a night or day at the ballpark once in a while can still be a good form of entertainment for those so inclined. There is just something about being at a ballpark. Of course, a Dodger win makes that time even better.
Hi Everybody
Please don't get me wrong, I never root against the Dodgers and I don't intend to tonight but I'd rather see the Reds win the Central than the Cards.
So I'll be keeping an eye on them hoping they lose and also hope the Giants and the Cards don't catch the Phils in the wild card.
This is all hard to explain and I guess it happens when you're a long way from the postseason.
But it's still
New thread…
This ought to delight everyone…
According to Steve Dilbeck, the Dodgers claim that they're still "buyers."
My only comment is, "Un-fishing-believable."
You're right, BPB1….it's pure soap!


text:
The Winter 2012/13 issue of Vogue Knitting features a couple of sweaters that were knit in Classic Elite Yarns. The first is the Patchwork Pullover designed by Mari Lynn Patrick.
Photo by Paul Amato for LVARepresents.com
It uses Montera, La Gran, Kumara and Majestic Tweed. The pattern is available in Small, Medium, Large, X-Large. The color work and textural stitches make for an interesting knit.
The other sweater that was knitted in Classic Elite Yarns is the Round Yoke Tunic by Hitomi Shida.
photo by Rose Callahan
The tunic was knit in Wool Bam Boo in #1658 Tomato. The pattern is available in Small/Medium and Large/X-Large. Pretty lace panels are separated by columns of stockinette stitch. The short sleeves make it a great layering piece for winter and a perfect tunic for spring.
The tunic is also going to be part of an auction at the upcoming Vogue Knitting Live! to benefit Stitch Red's partner organization - the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's The Heart Truth. Classic Elite Yarns was happy to donate the yarn for this great cause. If you are going to be in New York for VKLive, please stop by and check out the tunic. If you win, you can still tell people you knit it…we won't tell anyone.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Facebook now has over 500 million users and growing. With that level of engagement and traffic, do you understand how to market your business on Facebook? Our friends at Hubspot have a new, free guide to marketing your business to other businesses. Here is what you get:
- Five B2B Facebook page tips
- 15 examples of successful B2B Facebook pages
- Links to more Facebook resources


text:
Coast to Coast: FWBL Folds
If you've been following along, you know I've been writing about six former Angels minor leaguers in a new circuit called the Florida Winter Baseball League.
Skeptics, including me, didn't think the league would last long, but we never anticipated it would fold after only fifteen games.
As expertly covered by Mark DeCotis of Florida Today, the first paychecks bounced, and the league suspended operations.
I was asked by Central Florida News 13, the local cable TV station, to do a standup interview about the league folding. Why? Because I'm around and everyone else is gone.
Click Here to watch the news segments as they appeared throughout the evening. You need Windows Media Player and a broadband (cable modem, DSL) Internet connection to watch.
I'm writing more about this on my other site, SpaceCoastBaseball.com, so head over there if you're interested.
I may be doing a piece for the local paper too. I'll post that link if/when it's published.


text:
BWW Reviews: Zach Theatre's 33 VARIATIONS is a Masterpiece
While I enjoy theatre, I'm not the kind of theatergoer who often has a cathartic reaction or bursts into tears when seeing a play. I could probably count the times I've been moved to tears. Such a momentous occasion happens maybe once a decade. After seeing 33 Variations, I'm guessing I'm safe for another 10 years. If this brilliant drama doesn't move you or elicit some deep emotional response, nothing will.
The play by Moisés Kaufman is a beautiful and well-crafted piece of work. Kaufman gives us three stories. The first is the story of the elderly and now hearing impaired Ludwig van Beethoven's obsession with creating variations on a mediocre melody written by music publisher Anton Diabelli. The second is the present day story of Katherine Brandt, a musicologist who tries to unravel the mystery of Beethoven's obsession with Diabelli's inferior tune as she grapples with the progression of her amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. The final plotline involves a budding romance between Katherine's daughter, Clara, and her nurse, Mike. Kaufman weaves all three plotlines together, creating a symphony that grows and crescendos by the end of the evening. His play is, in essence, a variation on variations.
Despite the weighty subject matter of ALS, Kaufman doesn't ever fall into any of the traps that often plague dramas about death and disease. You never feel sorry for Katherine. You never pity her. Sure, you feel sad for the rotten hand life's given her, but you applaud her strength, stubbornness, and tenacity. The same could be said of Kaufman's treatment of Beethoven's loss of hearing. He never lets the play become a play about disability. Instead, it is a play about how our ability is challenged and how we rise to the occasion. Not only does Kaufman handle the material with elegance and grace, but he also includes many strong doses of humor, often of the darker variety. One scene in which Katherine's family and friends consider buying her a male prostitute before it's too late for her to enjoy it elicited plenty of belly laughs from the audience.
Director Dave Steakley's handling of the material mirrors that of Kaufman. Nothing is overwrought, sentimental, or heavy handed. This is a refreshingly real look at a disease not many of us know about and even fewer of us talk about, and Steakley pulls out just the right amounts of both comedy and drama to create an entirely balanced show. His design team is equally as sublime. Cliff Simon's scenic design creates the world of both Beethoven and Katherine by mixing images of musical notes and an archival library. Michelle Habeck bathes the stage in deep blue lighting, and the costumes by Alison Heryer, particularly the period costumes worn by Beethoven and his associates, are beautiful.
Still, 33 Variations is a play that depends more on strong performances than anything else, and this production is brilliantly cast. The choice to utilize famed Austin-based pianist Anton Nel to provide live musical accompaniment is a fantastic one, and hearing him play is a treat in itself. As Beethoven, Peter Reznikoff brings a certain amount of humanity and humor to a composer that I always assumed was cold and calloused (anyone who wrote those first four cords of Beethoven's 5th Symphony couldn't be a happy-go-lucky kind of guy). Brian Coughlin adds to the humor by playing Anton Diabelli as a self-important snob, and Greg Baglia plays Beethoven's servant, Anton Schindler as a somewhat neurotic lapdog. In the second plotline, Barbara Chisholm is a standout as Dr. Gertrude Ladenburger, the stoic and cold librarian at the Bonn archives who eventually becomes Katherine's best friend. Christin Sawyer Davis is fascinating as Clara, Katherine's daughter who wishes to repair the strained relationship between them, and Lincoln Thompson is adorable as Katherine's charming but quirky nurse.
But the real star of the show is Beth Broderick as Katherine. Stepping into a role created on Broadway by Jane Fonda is not an easy feat, but Broderick is absolutely perfect. She performs with such grace and dignity, and every moment is carefully crafted. The way she portrays the progression of ALS is eerily accurate and altogether remarkable, and she easily uncovers her character's strengths and courage as well as her occasional moments of crippling fear.
With its fantastic script, brilliant direction, and flawless performances 33 Variations is an incredible piece of theater the likes of which are rare. This is one orchestra that hits all the right notes.
Before I end this review, I have to mention my good friend Megan Mishork whose life was claimed by ALS on July 17, 2011 at the age of 27. She was one of the funniest and most courageous women I know, and I feel that 33 Variations is a fitting tribute to Megan and all other people who have perished from ALS. This disease may limit their movement and rob them of their voice, but they are still heard nonetheless.
Due to language and nudity, 33 VARIATIONS is recommended for mature audiences only. Running time: Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes including one 20 minute intermission.
33 VARIATIONS plays The Topfer Theatre at 202 S. Lamar, Austin, TX now thru February 17th. Performances are Wednesdays thru Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets are $25-$65. For tickets and information, visit www.zachtheatre.org.
PHOTO: Anton Nel and Beth Broderick in 33 Variations. Photo by Kirk R. Tuck.


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Central Connecticut softball's Arielle Bruno, Laura Messina and Evie Rentzel earned NEC Player of the Week, NEC Pitcher of the Week and NEC Co-Rookie of the Week, the league announced Monday. The trio earned the Northeast Conference weekly awards after the Blue Devils' perfect 4-0 record in this weekend's opening of conference competition.
Bruno exploded at the plate this week to kick off NEC competition. She went 6-for-13 scoring six runs and belting a home run in three consecutive games including a three-run homer against LIU Brooklyn. She drove in four of Central's nine runs in the first match-up against the Blackbirds and posted seven RBI on the weekend. She wrapped up the week batting .462 and, after this week's performance, she is tied for fifth in CCSU history in home runs with 14.
"Arielle swung the bat very well this weekend," Head Coach Jeff Franquet said. "She is a great hitter and this week she was really able to show what she can do. I have no doubt that she will keep up the good work throughout the season."
Messina pitched the full 24 innings for the Blue Devils in the conference sweep this weekend. The sophomore totaled two shutouts bringing her career shutout total to 10, which ties the CCSU career record. She allowed only two runs on the weekend, struck out 27 batters and boasted a .58 ERA over the four NEC contests.
"Laura took the mound and got it done for us this weekend," Franquet said. "She pitched a solid four games, allowing only two runs to score. She performed very well and I am proud of her. We look forward to seeing what she can do this season."
Rentzel continued her impressive freshman campaign this week and earns her second NEC weekly honor. In the first match-up of the four-game stretch, Rentzel went two-for-three at the plate against Wagner. She belted two, three-run homers to lead the Blue Devils with six RBI out of 13 total runs. She completed the weekend scoring three runs, driving in seven RBI and batting .273. She also posted a perfect fielding percentage.
"Evie has proven to be a really great addition to our team this season," Franquet said. "She is transitioning very well to the collegiate level and getting better every day. She is our starting left fielder as a freshman and she has the potential to be a phenomenal collegiate player."
Sharing rookie of the week honors with Rentzel was Madelaine Wilen of Fairleigh Dickinson.
The Blue Devils return to action at home on Wednesday, March 27 against the Holy Cross Crusaders. The doubleheader is set to begin at 3 p.m.


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ForumsQuestions"Show All Subtasks" Issue
"Show All Subtasks" Issue
When I click the link at the top to "Show All Subtasks" it does so immediately for that view, and the link changes to "Hide All Subtasks". However if, say, I add a couple tasks and then refresh that view (required in order to get the newly added tasks into their proper location on the page), the link still says "Hide All Subtasks" as if they are currently showing. Yet after any page/list refresh all subtasks are automatically reset and are not showing. So I must then click the "Hide All Subtasks" link and then immediately click "Show All Subtasks" to get the view back to showing all the subtasks.
This can be easily replicated. Just click "Show All Subtasks" in any view, then perform any action which will refresh the view and the link still says "Hide All Subtasks", requiring two clicks: One to make it say "Show All..." (though the subtasks don't change with that click), and then again to actually show the subtasks.
Of course I have already requested in another thread that the "Show All Subtasks" feature be made a user selectable option to show them all the time. That would hopefully alleviate the problem.
Toodledo Founder
Thanks for pointing this out.
Thanks J-Mac for pointing that out. I thought I was the only one going nuts with this!
Subtasks is the main reason I'm considering extending my PRO Subscription trial so this would be a welcomed fix.
Anyone else out there using Subtasks?
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The Municipal Court Prosecutor represents the city in all municipal court matters involving citations issued by Grand Prairie police, code enforcement and housing enforcement officers. The prosecutor does not discuss pending cases over the phone. To schedule a conference with the prosecutor, please contact the clerk at 972-237-8600.
For docket information, please contact the Municipal Court.


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Norma,Thank you for posting your latest results. From your description, clearly what you got was not the Sukie pizza that you hoped it would be. It is hard to explain why that was the case. Perhaps the jump from the Bisquick Original Pancake and Baking Mix to the Bisquick Buttermilk biscuit mix and finally to the Sukie dough via the "goody bag" was too much. Or my attempts at reverse engineering the two mixes did not succeed, or sufficiently so, even though all the numbers seemed to add up. Or maybe there are some ingredient issues with the "goody bag", although I would rank that possibility below the others at this point since it is hard to imagine that using the Imperial margarine and fresh egg in lieu of their commercial counterparts in the Bisquick Original mix would have had a major effect on the outcome. We would have to use the same or very similar ingredients that are used in the Bisquick Original mix to know for sure, which may not be a viable option at this point.I suppose that in due course you might try making a Sukie pizza again using the Bisquick buttermilk biscuit mix and the "goody bag" for that application. If you can get similar results as you got the last time, that would be reassuring since you would know that using that combination is a viable approach. Peter
I also was stumped why this recent pizza turned out like it did. The dough felt about the same, fermented about the same and even smelled the same. I wish I could have said it also baked the same. I dont know if it had anything to do with baking in my home oven or not, but dont think it would make that big of a difference.
Norma,I always look for the obvious first. Looking at the photos and your description of the crust characteristics, is it possible that the IDY was left out of the "goody bag"? When I went back and looked at the ingredients, they didn't look out of line so as to produce such a different dough performance. From your description, it sounds like this dough performed differently than the last one with the much higher hydration.Peter
Norma,Thank you for confirming what you did. It was just that the last two sets of photos looked so different. Not knowing exactly how much baking powder is in the Bisquick Original Pancake and Baking Mix, I thought that there may have been enough after you added more to support a fair amount of fermentation. I will leave it up to you if you'd care to give the dough another try, but at market this time.Peter
Norma,Thank you for giving this another try.This morning, I tried to find the label information for the Imperial margarine in order to look at its ingredients again to see if I could find anything there that might have affected the last dough batch. I couldn't find the exact form of the Imperial package I saw in the supermarket recently, but I did find an interesting and useful website at http://www.labelwatch.com/prod_results.php?pid=361005 that provides the label information for a very large number of margarine products, far more than I have seen in the stores near me. Most of the margarine products in those stores tend to be the "healthy" variety, whereas what GM uses for its Bisquick Original Pancake and Baking Mix--partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil--is considered to be of the "unhealthy" variety, at least as current thinking goes on the subject. Whoever thought that we would be researching pancake and waffle mixes, biscuit mixes, margarine products, shortening and lard and what goes into them? This is supposed to be a pizza site .Peter
The Imperial margarine I have at market, and now, also here at home is the 53% vegetable oil spread in stick form. Do you think this brand had anything to do with how the recent pizza turned out or do you think using fresh egg also did something?
Norma,Whatever you used to make the pizza, it sure looks tasty.My guess is that you used a Betty Crocker blueberry muffin pouch mix. My guess on the mystery ingredient is a dairy product, maybe sour cream or something like that.Peter


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Taco Salad
Nothing says you can't still enjoy taco night when you live a grain-free lifestyle! This recipe takes classic taco flavors and deconstructs them to create a deliciously fresh salad. Enjoy this meal for lunch or dinner any day of the week!
- 1 whole 1 whole 1 whole Avocado, chopped
- 1 lb 1 lb 1 lb Ground Bison
- 1 1 1 Red Bell Pepper, julienned
- 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup Cilantro
- 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup Red Onion, julienned
- 10 10 10 Cherry Tomato, sliced in half
- 8 cup 8 cup 8 cup Spring Mix Salad Greens Lettuce
- 1/4 cup 1/4 cup 1/4 cup Buffalo Sauce
- 1 1 1 Lemon, juice
- Brown bison in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once bison is no longer pink, top with seasonings and stir until meat is evenly coated in spices.
- Remove seasoned meat from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Rinse, dry, and prepare all vegetables.
- Plate 2 cups lettuce per serving, and top each plate with red bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, ground bison, avocado, cilantro, freshly squeezed lemon, and a drizzle of buffalo sauce.
You can also substitute the bison for ground turkey, beef, or pork if you desire. Another great option would be to top this salad with guacamole instead of the chopped avocado.
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It's been three years (THREE YEARS) since my last post and boy have things happened in that time. I got pregnant (surprise!) and had a baby… then I went and did it again. So now I've got two boys, Zo aged 2 years and Zeke aged almost-8 months. Which means my reading time is almost down to zero. Since getting pregnant/having kids:
- I'm totally averse to movies with sub-titles, ironically unless they're English movies. Foreign films are just too hard to follow now that there's always something requiring my attention every few minutes - dirty nappies, a child who needs to be settled, dishes to be done, bottles that need sterilising, etc. But funny enough, these very things that make it so difficult to follow a movie purely through reading subtitles makes them really important to help me follow English movies. Go figure.
- I've become one of those people who are attached to their phones. I think it happened while breastfeeding - while it's great feeding time for the baby, it's downtime for me so I started checking Facebook, reading news sites, looking up things on Google, and next thing you know, the phone is now my go-to for just about anything - writing a shopping list, researching a new topic, finding a recipe and lurking around and seeing what my friends and acquaintances are up to.
And, as I mentioned, I'm not reading that much at the moment, which means the focus of my blog will probably need to shift a little. Or perhaps I need to consider whether a blog is necessary at all. I do own a diary after all, which I neglect just as much as this blog.
But for old times' sake, the books I've read this year include (all book club books!):
- Dodger by Terry Pratchett: fun romp, easy read.
- Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders: interesting read, learnt a bit about Oscar Wilde.
- The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman: beautifully told tragic story, had me heaving and ugly crying at the end.
Currently I'm reading the latest No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency book, The Minor Adjustments Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith.


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Nonprescription saline nasal sprays and nose drops are used to
keep nasal tissues moist, relieve nasal irritation, and help thick or dried
mucus to drain.
Saline nose drops can be purchased without a prescription or can be made easily at home:
Saline sprays can be used safely for as long as
Last Revised:
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Medical Review:
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The windblown, goggle wearing earnestness of this weather reporter seems silly in juxtaposition with the naked-from-the-waist-down tomfoolery of the townsfolk. The best part of this video is how angry the soaking wet meteorologist becomes as people can't resist mugging for the live TV camera.
Don't do this, guys. Stay inside and stay safe. Remember, it's all fun and games until someone's dick blows off.
via Buzzfeed


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Job Description:
Location: Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area, TX, USA
Lakeside Aquatic Club is currently accepting resumes for the position of Site Head Age Group Coach. The ideal candidate must demonstrate sound knowledge energy system training, advanced stroke mechanics and the ability to positively motivate and teach swimmers ages for 8-14 years old.
Lakeside Aquatic Club (LAC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization focused on bringing all levels of swimming to the area from learn-to-swim programs to national level development. LAC is one of the largest and most successful teams in the state of Texas, with over 1,000 swimmers. Our swimmers are Olympic Trials qualifiers, Paralympic Trials qualifiers, high school state champions, collegiate athletes and NCAA champions. LAC is a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club and has been a two time Gold Medal Club.
LAC currently operates in 5 facilities in 3 areas in NorthEast Tarrant County and Southern Denton County: The Colony, Flower Mound/Lewisville and Keller. Three of LAC's current facilities are school district owned and operated, two are city owned and operated and LAC has great relationships with all facilities and management. LAC's programs span from Learn-to-Swim all the way to Masters swimming for adults. All Programs are taught by highly qualified coaches using our proven curriculum that makes transitioning from one level to another seamless and successful.
Essential Job Tasks
- Develop and coach LAC programs as assigned. Plan, prepare, and conduct team practices in accordance with the LAC curriculum.
- Follow a seasonal, weekly, and daily training and practice plan for assigned groups based on the Head Coach's vision. Maintain an accurate swimmer roster and attendance records.
- Creates smaller workout groups within the larger group for the purpose of providing more challenging workouts to all swimmers in the group
- Creates workout sets designed to develop swimmers for the next group
- Proactively develop and maintain professional relationships with current swimmers through constructive feedback, encouragement, and general interaction.
- Perform responsibilities as assigned in the current LAC Administrative Duties list.
- Communicate professionally with swimmers, parents, and coaches by promptly answering telephone calls and emails according to LAC policies and procedures.
Job qualifications
- College Degree
- ASCA Level 4 Certified Coach
- 5-7 years competitive swimming experience
- 5-7 years competitive coaching experience with A and above level swimmers
- Able to communicate and engage all ages in practice and keep them excited about training at a high level.
- Energetic, patient and gives simple instructions.
- Must be able to foster an environment of excellence in swimming through drills, dryland, aerobic/ anaerobic training and racing.
- Understands stroke development and advanced aerobic training for age group and senior swimmers.
- Demonstrated strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Computer proficiency, including email, Internet navigation, Team Unify, Meet Manager and Microsoft Office software.
License and Certification Requirements
- USA Swimming Coach Member (required)
- American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) member (preferred)
- Valid United States Driver's License (required)
- Ability to work in the United States (required)
***This position comes with full benefits.
Email resume to [email protected]
How to Apply
Email resume to [email protected]


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Tottenham Hotspur Football Club can press ahead with plans to build a new stadium after a protracted Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) was finally pushed through.
The White Hart Lane club this evening reported the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) confirmed the CPO made by Haringey Council in respect of the remaining land required for the Northumberland Development Project has been approved.
The club released a statement saying: "This is a very significant step in the CPO process.
"The club has used the intervening period productively and has refined detailed design of the stadium in order to ensure it is future-proofed and optimised.
"We shall provide our supporters with a further update and timeline on the Northumberland Development Project as soon as we are able to do so."
Last month the Haringey Independent reported that Tottenham MP David Lammy had accused the Government of taking "too long" to make a decision crucial to the Spurs stadium development.
In response to a written question from Mr Lammy in Parliament on Monday, the Department of Communities and Local Government revealed the average length of time for a decision to be reached on whether to grant councils permission to issue a CPO is ten to 11 weeks.
Haringey Council applied to the department for the CPO in September 2012.
Mr Lammy said: "This decision has now gone on for too long, and we can see from these answers, how much longer this CPO is taking compared to most applications.
"Secretary of State Eric Pickles has said he will be reaching a decision shortly. If he does not, I will raise this issue with the Prime Minister directly."
In the Department for Communities and Local Government's response, Nick Boles MP, parliamentary under-secretary for planning, said the case was "complex", and that further views of interested parties had been sought.
He added: "We hope to issue the decision on this shortly. It is not appropriate to comment further as to do so may prejudice the Secretary of State's decision."


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A Passion for Taste
A nervous young man clutching a coffee pot quickly crosses the tiled patio floor and stoops to fill a cup. Stepping back, he waits off to one side, impatiently smoking his cigarette in a rapid, staccato motion. A large man in his mid-40s sits back in a chair and, holding the full cup, pauses briefly. A warm breeze rustles bougainvillea blossoms. In the distance, hawks soar lazily over an emerald green valley. Yet there's tension in the air.
William McAlpin, el patrón of La Minita Tarrazu coffee, is having his morning cup. He is an imposing man with steel blue eyes, known both for his dedication to perfection and his intolerance of failure. He is a man in love with good taste--in the coffee he grows and in the cigars he smokes.
He raises the cup of dark liquid, notes the color, and takes a full swallow. His eyes close momentarily. Far below in the valley, a dog barks. McAlpin puts down his cup and smiles, ever so slightly. The young man exhales a deep cloud of smoke, and suddenly the tension is a memory, gone like mountain fog under a rising sun. From where McAlpin sits, high in Costa Rica's Central Mountains, there is reason to smile. His La Minita Tarrazu coffee is regarded by many coffee experts to be the best estate coffee in the world; and this year the harvest looks very good.
For McAlpin, or "Don Bill" as he's known by the workers, drinking his morning cup of coffee is a moment of truth. It's a time for sensual data processing, when the success or failure of the year's labor becomes evident in the cup. In one sip, McAlpin can assess the cultivation, harvest, fermentation and milling (not to mention this morning's roasting and brewing) of his operation. It's the time to taste the rich volcanic soil, the winter rains, the plump berries, the beans drying in the tropical sun--to finally savor the coffee he grows.
McAlpin's passion for taste extends to his cigars as well. He prefers Romeo y Julieta Churchills with a good Port after dinner, describing the enjoyment of a good cigar as "a complimentary taste," meant to be savored along with other experiences such as stimulating conversation or good wine. "The best Cuban cigars are untouchable," he says confidently, "just like my coffee."
Estate coffee plantations control all aspects of the production of their beans--seed selection, cultivation, harvest and milling--rather than subcontracting any process to an outside business. This is especially true in La Minita's case, because Don Bill personally oversees every step. In addition, rather than expose its products to chemicals, La Minita grows its coffee without pesticides. By contrast, the huge grocery store brands, such as those in the "Juan Valdez" category, use a process dictated by enormous volume, and much of its coffee is made from high-yield, low-quality beans. The plants these beans come from are heavily dependent on chemicals, which, experts and connoisseurs contend, not only compromise the taste of the coffee, but ultimately destroy the soil.
The harvest, know as "fiesta de cafe," is an exciting time at the plantation. During the dry season of Costa Rica's "summer" (November to April), more than 500 workers spread out over La Minita's 700 acres to pick beans from more than a million coffee trees. Entire families, including children as young as five years old, work together in the fields filling their canastos, or woven baskets, with the bright red coffee fruit, called "cherries." With these baskets attached to their waists, workers move from plant to plant, gathering the fruit quickly while trying to minimize stress to the trees.
La Minita trains its pickers to pick only the best fruit and to treat the trees gently as they move along the steep slopes, and for this the workers are paid 30 percent more than the national average wage for coffee pickers. The farm employees also enjoy medical coverage for themselves and their families, including their grandparents. La Minita contributes to the local school and the farm workers association pension fund. Last January it opened a $100,000 medical/dental clinic on the plantation.
The harvesting is hard and sometimes dangerous work, and all of it is done by hand. The terraces where coffee trees are planted are steep, in places tilting as much as 60 degrees. Footing can be difficult. Stepping from plant to plant laden with a basket heavy with fruit requires strength and balance. Usually, only extremely fit pickers gather coffee fruit on the sheerest slopes; these young men are paid an additional fee. When you drive around the plantation's steep, meandering dirt roads that zigzag up the mountainsides, you often find it impossible to see the workers picking the fruit among the tall, shiny coffee trees. Only when you turn off the engine and stop to listen to the lilting Spanish rising up from the valley is it possible to realize that workers are picking coffee below.
At the end of each day, pickers haul their sacks of fruit, some as heavy as 80 pounds, up the mountain to a central location where they will wait for the foremen, the encargados, to pay cash on the spot for the volume of fruit picked. While waiting, the pickers clean the fruit of leaves and twigs and remove the unripe cherries. This is the harvest's social time. Everyone relaxes as pickers see their neighbors for the first time that day, catching up on news or just joking around. The foremen measure out the coffee using a 20-liter metal box, called a cajuela, which is a government standard of measurement. Later, a truck will load up the day's harvest and carry the fruit to a receiving station at another location on the farm. Here, the fruit is again measured and held in a bin for immediate transfer to the mill. Throughout the night, heavy trucks make the two-hour drive over the mountains to the mill. Even at midnight, it's common to meet 18-wheelers barreling down the precipitous mountain roads. It is of great importance that the fresh coffee be processed as soon as possible after it is picked.
During the rainy season, the workers at La Minita are busy with activities such as fertilization and shaping of all of the trees, as well as maintaining a vital nursery for seedling transplantation. In order to maximize production, each tree must be expertly pruned to make sure all of the plant's energies go into yielding the biggest and best fruit. Because the plantation does not use herbicides, all weeding is done with machetes, which adds greatly to production costs. McAlpin says that La Minita's decision to avoid using herbicides is based not only on their adverse effect on human health, but also on the plants themselves. Over time, herbicides greatly compromise the nutritional value of the soil.
High regard for La Minita Coffee is extremely widespread throughout the specialty coffee industry. George Howell, a Boston-based coffee executive, is generally referred to as one of the true aficionados in the coffee business; a "mentor," as one coffee distributor put it. Howell, who recently sold his majority share in the successful Coffee Connection, Inc., to coffee giant Starbucks, makes his living judging grades of coffee. He knows more about what's out there than most in the industry. He buys coffee from around the world and has an intimate knowledge of most of the operations from which he purchases beans, from Latin America to Africa. It is consistency of quality that most impresses him.
Howell has watched La Minita develop from its conception. "Bill McAlpin is the most reliable source there is," says Howell. "La Minita is the only coffee in the world that I could conceive of buying blind."
Howell adds that when someone approaches him with a new coffee to sell, there is often a lot of hype associated with the sale: a discussion of the plantation, the process, etc. But when McAlpin first contacted Howell, he simply offered him some brewed La Minita coffee and kept his mouth shut. Says Howell: "He let the coffee do the talking."
Kevin Knox, senior vice president of coffee operations at the Allegro Coffee Company in Boulder, Colorado, says that La Minita started as "a lunatic experiment in quality--to see how good you could make it if money were not an object." Knox thinks that La Minita's high production costs are justified by the taste of the finished product, and he adds that there are a number of more expensive trademarks that lack the polish of La Minita, which he calls "stunning in the cup."
While the plantation produces other varieties of coffee, it is the premier trademark brand, La Minita Tarrazu, for which it is renowned. The arduous process that McAlpin has created for weeding out inferior products in favor of first-quality selection is evident in all aspects of production--from seed selection, cultivation and picking to depulping, fermentation, drying and sorting, after which the coffee is sold to distributors who roast it. It's extremely time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive. The first-quality selection process is rigorous; of the more than one million pounds of processed coffee from the plantation, only about 250,000 pounds, or 1,650 bags, will become La Minita.
Once at the mill, the fruit is depulped, separated according to size and transferred to fermentation tanks, where natural enzymes slowly strip away the mucilage covering the beans (each fruit contains two coffee beans). Proper timing during this process is critical in order to prevent ruining the bean. Next, the beans go through a series of washings that remove more layers of mucilage, while again separating out the largest and best product for "first quality" classification. From there, the beans are laid out on a concrete patio and left for a few days to slowly dry in the tropical sun; they are then put into mechanical dryers. During these steps, the internal humidity of the bean is closely monitored. If the bean is overdried it will crystallize, and if left too moist it will quickly go stale.
For 60 days, the coffee is in the reposo, or rest, stage, where it lies dormant under tarps, allowing the beans to stabilize. At this point, workers take samples of the beans to the lab to be reclassified according to size. The samples are then roasted and tasted. The tasting procedure, known as "cupping" in the trade, is conducted by an expert who can appraise the overall character and strength of the coffee through the systematic sampling of brewed beans. Although at this point the coffee has few imperfections, McAlpin's almost manic devotion to quality requires another step. Prior to bagging, scores of women inspect the entire product by hand, bean by bean.
Sitting in front of waist-high wooden trays filled with green coffee, workers examine every bean, removing all discolored, misshapen, inferior beans. The concentration needed for this work is so intense that the women work only six hours a day, with 15-minute breaks every hour and a half. This process alone annually accounts for about 30,000 man-hours of labor.
The comparisons between the production of great wine, great cigars and great coffee are quite telling. Grapes, tobacco and coffee beans are each grown in specific regions chosen for particular environments of soil, rain and temperature. Each crop employs complicated and critical processes of farming, harvesting and fermenting. Adverse weather conditions can devastate any of these crops, and any error in one of the many strict steps in processing can have a disastrous effect on taste, be it in a glass, a cigar or a cup. Those who create a superb Burgundy or a hand-rolled cigar are driven by no less dedication to perfection than those who grow a world-class Costa Rican arabica.
Yet coffee is unique in one very important aspect: It is probably the only product in the world for which the grower, the distributor and the consumer all play an important role in the successful delivery of the product's taste. As McAlpin puts it, "It really doesn't matter how careful I am in my process, or even how good the roaster is in his; the consumer can still ruin it."
Coffee education is therefore extremely important from a business perspective for both the producer and the distributor. Visitors are constantly arriving at Hacienda La Minita to witness the coffee harvest firsthand. Many are employees of some of the best-known specialty coffee companies in the United States, whose employers see the value of educating the people who sell their coffee. Most of the owners themselves have journeyed up the steep mountain roads to Bustamonte, the small Costa Rican town where La Minita grows its coffee. They regard McAlpin's operation not only as a supplier of exemplary coffee beans, but also as something of a classroom.
McAlpin first discovered his discriminating palate in Switzerland, where he attended high school. It was there, in fact, where he first learned about fine cigars, smoking Cuban Partagas. "They came in glass tubes with little humidifiers on top," he recalls.
But it was in Latin America, growing up on coffee plantations, where McAlpin learned the coffee business. As a boy, he worked the coffee fields, picking the red fruit alongside the other workers, some of whom continue today to work the harvests of La Minita.
McAlpin's success is simple in theory and complicated in execution: To create the best coffee, he controls the entire process. This degree of perfection does not come easy. "I know there's a risk of burnout when you're working at this level," he says as he lights a Romeo y Julieta. "But the rewards are enormous."
Jim Daniels is a Maine-based writer/photographer who reports frequently from Latin America.


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When US Cellular decides to make an announcement, it plays no games. Single device announcements? Puh-leez, that's for kids. Three devices at once? Now that's pro.
That's exactly what the regional carrier just did, too: name dropped three new HTC devices set to land on its network next month. The Wildfire S, Hero S, and Flyer tablet, to be exact. Want the deetz? Keep reading.
Hero S
The long rumored HTC Kingdom is finally official as the Hero S, packing some nice specs under the hood:
- 4-inch qHD Super LCD display
- 1.2GHz single-core Snapdragon processor
- Android 2.3.x with Sense
Sure, it's no powerhouse, but a 4-inch SLCD at qHD res?Read More


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Wolf Watch is a web-based tool for class schedule planning and degree audit. Wolf Watch tracks degree progress, prepares for registration, and plans for graduation.
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