Comments on: Ain’t That A Kick In the Pants?

By: All Your First Place Are Belong To Us « Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:41:11 +0000

[...] an improbable comeback to snag a share of first place. Away we go… * Thanks, beautiful! Remember the other day when I wrote, regarding the debacle in San Francisco, that This is going to be one of “those” games – the [...]

By: Clay

Clay — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:40:51 +0000

Enough with the Torre bashing, seriously. Sometimes it’s just the players faults. “It’s really tempting to bash Broxton for blowing the save, but I also think it’s a little unfair.” Really? You might like the guy but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rightfully say something when he royally screws up.

By: shmolnick

shmolnick — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:24:04 +0000

Mike, is that two kicks in the pants now since the Dodgers’ pen blew two games in a row? This team continues to frustrate.

By: Rob McMillin

Rob McMillin — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:39:10 +0000

I listened to the radio broadcast, and it seemed like Kuo just got a little rattled once Randy Winn got the leadoff single. The second single was even worse, and Casey Blake's clank was the coup de grace. I take it as both illustrative and fitting that Berroa mangled the game-losing play; he was a bad idea to begin with, and now we can tie him to a specific loss in which his weak fielding has directly cost the Dodgers a win.

By: Mike Scioscia's tragic illness

Mike Scioscia's tragic illness — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:03:02 +0000

I didn’t see today’s debacle, so I can’t speak too authoritatively on it. But from what I’ve been able to glean from the box score and message boards, it seems as though Kuo didn’t actually perform all that poorly, but was massively let down by the defense. Blake had a big error and it seems both Berroa and Ozuna made mistakes that don’t show up in the box score, but really hurt the team. Far as I can tell, Kuo was never hit hard, but had NO support behind him, and what pitcher’s going to be able to succeed like that? I guess that’s to be expected when your middle infield consists of two guys that NO other MLB team wants. So when can we see Hu back up already?

Earl, I stand by what I said before. Broxton and Kuo were both better options than Johnson two days off throwing 87 pitches. Yesterday, I felt Kuo was a better option than Broxton based on how smoothly he’d made it through the 9th inning. Again, I didn’t see today, but I don’t see the problem lying with either Torre or Kuo, but with the lousy infield defense.

By: Earl Farmer

Earl Farmer — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:50:08 +0000

There is no blame here as far as I am concerned. Three games lost by having Johnson in, Broxton in and Kuo. In my above “hehehehe” at the end of the comment does not mean I am laughing at our losing, but that some are second guessing every move Torre makes. Johnson holds them a few days ago and Torre is smart. Broxton holds them last night he is smart. Kuo pitches like he is capable of, then Torre is smart. They have a bad outing then Torre should be fired. Gets old.
It will turn around and we will win the division
Kemp is awesome of late. Kent in the three hole looks like a different hitter. I will say this, I do not care how big a bat we put in the line up we cannot win with one person. It takes a team and that means position players, SP’s and the Bully. We are not getting that right now. Three games of late that could have us in 1st was lost no because of our hitting but because our usually strong pen let us down.

By: Rob McMillin

Rob McMillin — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:27:50 +0000

And yet, you were saying something about the pitching being so good. They’ve been very good, but I wonder how long the can handle being minus Saito. I have yet to see anybody that doesn’t make me nervous in the ninth.

By: Earl Farmer

Earl Farmer — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:50:05 +0000

I go back to the game Johnson lost in extra innings. Everyone screamed that the great Broxton or the great Kuo should have come in and Torre was a nut for not doing so. Well yesterday Torre obliged with Broxton and Broxton screwed the pooch. Today terrible Torre went with Kuo and the great Kuo screwed the pooch. What do the armchair manager’s think we should have done yesterday and today? I know, I know…blame it on Torre ’cause he should have put himself on the mound for the save. hehehehehe

By: VegasBlue

VegasBlue — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:23:45 +0000

Just as I finished reading this entry — Kuo comes to the plate in the 9th inning. According to ESPN Gamecast, Kuo’s hitting .500 vs lefties & .400 vs righties. And, Now he’s standing on first after an error by Aurilia. Maybe Torre is finally catching “The Illness?”

Second guessing is always a problem for us Dodger fans (I think Grady brought it to a whole new level prior to this season ). Mike, you put it very well as you showed the “train of thought” from the manager’s standpoint as it derailed in spectacular fashion last night. Hard to criticize Torre for going “by the book” but I agree that Manny being in the game seems to be an oversight/poor decision. But, we also have some smart coaches who I think deserve some blame in this case. No doubt, Torre is the skipper, but why isn’t mattingly or bowa stepping up to say, “hey, uhh, skip? I know you’re completely focused on winning this game, like the rest of us, and we were thinking, you know, (cough) Manram’s been carrying this team like a dreadlocked Atlas for the past week, while Fatdruw has been holding onto a sub-Mendoza line batting average tighter than a Box of Twinkies — on the pine no less. Skip, I’m just sayin, despite his addiction to buffets and donut holes, Fatdruw legs are fresh – so he’s going to have a little more range out there.”

And, now, Kuo’s just blown the save, courtesy of a Blake Bumble. Maybe this team is scared of first place.

By: Kochilin

Kochilin — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:11:58 +0000

How about Kent’s “Roger Dorn” impression at the end of the game?