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Driving Nails into the Wall with My Forehead
2008-05-04 15:54
by Mark T.R. Donohue

I don't want to write about baseball. I don't even want to look at my page, to tell you the truth. But I do have some good notes from the game yesterday (which I went to under protest, having already paid for a ticket) that I guess I will hold my breath and share:

  • I knocked Willy Taveras's OBP the other day and then I felt bad when I saw that at the beginning of Saturday's game, it stood at a very respectable .355, bolstered by a bunch of walks, not usually Willy's forte. Then of course Taveras went 0-for-5. Willy, my hatred for you might be the only thing that sustains me through this miserable season.
  • It's hard to believe that two years in a row the Dodgers have gone out and spent big free-agent money on a centerfielder who can't play. In the second inning Todd Helton hit a dribbler through the middle and by the time Andruw Jones got to it he was on second. Todd Helton should not be able to stretch a single into a double off of Andruw Jones, or at least not the one I remember. It's possible Jones just wasn't paying attention, but that's not any better. It's probably worse. Jones looked completely lost at the plate, too -- the one single he had he was clearly guessing on.
  • This is how bad Rockies pitching is now: In the 6th inning Colorado made three phenomenal defensive plays, two diving catches by Taveras (whose defense I am finally coming around on, although I still wish he'd hit a cutoff man once in a while, just for variety's sake) and a stab and throw to home to catch a runner by Jeff Baker. Every batter in the inning who didn't walk hit the ball extremely hard. Even with the three great plays the Dodgers added on two more runs, totaling 12 for the game -- and this is not a very good offensive Dodgers team. They had more guys in the lineup hitting under .200 than the Rockies did, and that's saying something.
  • The photo that the Los Angeles public relations department has provided to away teams for use on their Jumbotrons of James Loney makes him look uncannily like classic child's toy Woolly Willy.
  • Twice during the game the Rockies saw high popups that ought to have been caught fall for singles in no man's land between second base, shortstop, and centerfield. The lack of experience playing together that Jeff Baker and Clint Barmes have is going to be a recurring nightmare for Rockies fans this season.

The Rockies did win today, but it was Aaron Cook's day in the rotation. Are you prepared for one win per week from here on out? Rockies baseball -- catch the misery!

Comments
2008-05-04 16:41:06
1.   underdog
I highly recommend a nail gun; much less chance of a concussion that way! Rockies games or no...

Now by saying the Dodgers are not a very good offensive team, what are you referring to exactly? The specific lineup for that day, or overall? Not sure the latter is particularly accurate, though it is hard to fear Gary Bennett specifically. (3rd in NL batting avg, 5th in OPS; 3rd in OPB; 3rd in runs scored; 2nd in triples...) Not a lot of power, especially with Jones struggling so mightily, but the most common lineup is pretty dangerous, even with 3rd base unsettled.

Cook pitched a great game today, he deserved a win.

2008-05-04 20:39:16
2.   Mark T.R. Donohue
1 I should have said the lineup for that game, with Pierre and Jones and Bennett.
2008-05-04 22:24:34
3.   jasonwrites
Which way are the nails pointed?

Today, they avoided reaching last year's nadir-- 9 games below .500, reached on May 21. Even with Tulo out, they're still far too talented (among position players, anyway) to sustain such suckitude.

I personally don't believe that a non-playoff season would be a failure-- but a finish anywhere under .500 would qualify as disastrous.

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