hiway29

apparently, only the elitist way corps can view this.

I enjoy the Monkees so much, I'll even tolerate Bill O'Reilly for a few minutes.

We live in a time where we have more access to information, film, you name it, than ever before , due to the internet, dvd's, and 500 channel cable tv. We also live in a time where little of the past is experienced , unless one goes looking for it. In the dark ages of our youth, television was teeming with windows to the past. The Little Rascals, Abbott and Costello, Frankenstein, re runs of old Tv shows, cartoons from the 30's and 40's, and on and on, were part of our everyday life. 'Regular' TV channels show none of this anymore. TCM and TVland are just about the only place to go, and they only present so much. It's kind of sad.

I've been as critical of McCourt as anyone. He's stumbled through the last few years with amazing errors in judgement. Yet, suddenly , the Dodgers are on the verge of becoming a really good team, needing only a piece or 2. Matt Kemp has the potential of becoming a major power hitter, and '5 tool' player. He's still prone to mysterious mental lapses in the field and the base paths, but hopefully he's learning. As one writer put it, in 5 years he can be another Willie Mays, or Willie Mays Aikens. That sounds about right. I'd rather keep him and deal Ethier if a choice is made. Juan Pierre is fine as long as you don't expect him to be 'the man'. I think a move to left, and having Druw hit behind him will help settle him into a role more suited for him. He took alot of heat for the Dodgers usual failure to meet expectations (fantasies?) last year.

I'm way too busy to start making t shirts, but you're right in that now would be the time. I'm still on board with Andruw. I'm looking forward to seeing him set up to steal second in person. Every time he takes a lead at first the camera zooms in on his face to catch his eyes darting back and forth. If he doesn't fall in love with In-N-Out burgers here, he may have a few more steals in him. I haven't heard much feedback or vibe on this move yet. My hard core Dodger fan friends seem more concerned as to how this will affect Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp.I had to slap one upside the head almost to remind him that Jones is a major improvement offensively and defensively, and gives them the 'big bat' they've needed for years. Maybe. Unless he hits .222 again, which I doubt he will. Point is, it's not like the city has gone ga ga yet. Maybe some bluw cruw pr will help.

Maybe with your pr guy coming over here, that's exactly what we'll see. The only player in recent memory to get that kind of promo, was Gagne a few years ago. You couldn't get away from 'game over', and I knew it was only a matter of time before that became a cruel joke. In Gagne's case, the hype came after he produced. With Andruw, we'll see. I may get sick of the letter u before we're through. Also, remember that Frank McCourt took the names off the teams uniforms a couple years ago, with the theory that it's the name on the front of the shirt that counts, not the back. The outcry forced him to reneg after a couple of years and the names are back. There was one season when they had so many 'no names', you had no idea who was who on the field without a scorecard.

Actually, since my name is Andrew, I was thinking of adopting the u. Dodger Stadium is not the ideal home run park. If Jones can hit 40 here he's doing well.

Too bad, Mstar. I was even entertaining thoughts of buying a couple tickets off you. NOT when the Yankees were in town-that's too much passion for me. On further reflection, I'm liking the Andruw Jones signing. If he's good enough, I just may start spelling my name wrong in tribute.

It wasn't specified if those were at Yankkee Stadium or Fenway. I guess an arguement could be made for the demand in the Stadium's last season. For that money, I'll be content with my memories.

6100 bucks and counting ! For a baseball game. I can have as good a time at a Rancho Cucamonga minor league game for a whole lot less. I wonder how the rain check works in case of postponement.

I didn't know the Dodgers got Andruw Jones. I read this before the news today. For the Dodgers that's a major move. If he hadn't hit .222, he probably would have been too expensive or valuable to another team. Right now, he looks like they threw him a bone, like when they got Nomar, and will hope the .222 season was a fluke. A couple of years ago, I thought Andruw a major talent. A season like last year makes you wonder. As far as I know he had no health issues. If he returns to form it's great for the Dodgers. I'll probably like this move more as I study on it. I just can't figure how his name is spelled that way.

I don't think the Angels will bite. The Marlins are already asking more than they're willing to part with, and they're certainly not going to add to that. The Tigers will be looking pretty nice if that move is made, though. Nice to see an old 'small-market- franchise rise from the ashes like they have.

Sorry about the funeral. The Yankees of the 90's were put together much like the current Sox were. Home grown talent, smart trades, a couple of good free agents. It was a gradual shift away for reasons unknown to me. From what Cashman says, they are returning to their 'roots'. Unless something like Santana comes up. I don't think they're getting him to keep the Sox from having him. He's too good a pitcher for that. It's just another reason to go after him, since as I said, they need him more than the Sox do.

Andy Pettite has decided to pitch another year. He may not be the Pettite of old, but I'll take him anyday. If the Yankees do land Santana, the staff isn't looking so 'sucky' anymore. Even if they don't get him, it's looking alot better, with question marks of course due to all the young pitchers.

The other nice thing about that clip is that it's from the ONLY good Chipmunk show, the 1961 version. Forget the 80's cartoons, and especaially the new computer animated thing. The original 'Alvin Show', was the real deal. This Christmas novelty song was one I DID like, and still do.

The Dodgers don't try to get anyone. At least not since I've been here. Their re- building program is going on 20 years now.It's commendable that they don't want to trade away their youth. Russell Martin has become a premiere catcher, and James Loney is about to come into his own. The problem is they refuse to part with anyone, even when it makes sense. They'll draw over 3 million every year , regardless of the team. It's no accident the Angels are more aggressive, and realyy blow the Dodgers away as an organization. Ialso think the Yankees need Santana alot more than the Sox do. At least they need to keep him from going to the Sox, if possible.

With Hughes in and Lester out, it's hard to think the NY package isn't more desirable. But what do I know. I would hate to lose Hughes, but it's not like they're not getting good value in return. And they'd still Have Chamberlain and Kennedy. I also don't like losing Melky, but outfielders are easier to replace than pitchers.

I guess I'm responding to internet insanity, where people say any insulting, degrading thing that comes to mind without having to say it to anyone's face. Rooting for a team is good and natural. Calling a fan of another team names that would get you a punch in the face in person is gutless and shows immaturity and severe imbalance , in my opinion.As intense as the Dodger-Giant rivalry gets, it doesn't approach the emotionalism of Sox-Yankees. To me , that hostility is no fun at all, unless one enjoys rolling around in the mud and thowing punches-which some people clearly do.If that's baseball, you can have it. Of course the Sox are sitting good. They do have an excellent farm system. They also pay JD Drew more than their best player, which is ridiculous to me. You'd think by the stuff I read that the Sox are the only team that ever put together a team the right way. The Yankees of the late 90's were also a model of intelligent design. So were the Twins before free agency began ripping the team apart. I'm done with this I hope. I made the mistake of checking out the fan forums, and left with a stomach ache. I'll know better next time I'm tempted.

I kind of liked novelty songs that were actually songs. Those Dickie Goodman things never struck me as being as clever as they liked to think they were. Even to my 8 year old tastes.

Just for 'kicks' I just sifted through about 200 online opinions about the Santana trade. These were from Sox, Yankee, ( or Skankee, based on many references), and others . Nothing brings out the ahole in a person more than being a rabid homer for a team. That goes for any team, but especially those two. I could only wish people would get so concerned about something that really matters. I'm probably in the best world for my baseball temperment. The Dodgers play in a beautiful park, 10 minutes away They compete (sort of). We've got Vin Scully, now Joe Torre, and a long history.A lot of exciting young players, and a few grizzled veterans. If I want to see a REALLY good team, I can still drive 45 minutes south to see the Angels. The intensity,personal insults,and frankly stupidity of the Sox -Yankee War is more than I can take on a daily basis. Also read an interesting article on the Blue Jays. If they were in any other division, they'd be contenders every year. Now no matter what they do, they're just 3 rd place no shows. They can add millions to the payroll, bring up good minor leaguers, etc, but the mountain they, and the other east teams have to climb is so disproportionate to any other division. And yes, I blame the Yankees for raising the bar that high. The problem is in MLB's structure. On the other hand there has been an amazing parity throughout the rest of baseball, with so many different teams winning the series the last several years. According to all the posters I read, the Sox are a 'lock' for the next 5 years though.

I thought those 'novelty' recordings were pretty stupid when I was a kid. Time has not changed my opinion.

I see that 'ball-playing' was forbidden in the streets of Worcester, Mass in 1816. Not a good beginning.

geez-we never thought of no centerfielder-it was always right field that was done away with, and anything hit that way was foul-which seems wacky in retrospect. When one of the few lefty hitters came up, the outfielders groaned and moved over to right and center, making left field foul. We also often didn't have enough players for first or second base, so a grounder to short was thrown to the pitcher for an out , on those sad days.

Happy Birthday, Rocky. Better late than never.

I just saw some talking heads sports show that said the Sox are the 'frontrunners' for Santana. After a few minutes they referred to themselves as Sox fans. I never saw them before, and don't know where the show came from. It was some cable show on channel 408 or something. If the Sox do get him, I guess it's 'lights out' for the AL-at least come playoff time. I then read how the Rays payroll may 'skyrocket' to 38 million this year, up from the 25 million it was last year. They should just have the Sox and Yankees duke it out for 162 games, and let the other teams play each other. With that kind of disparity, there really is something wrong somewhere. As much as I like Hunter with the Angels, he really should be a Twin. Watching good players come up with small market teams , only to bolt to the big money teams gets kind of sickening after awhile.This whole Santana thing is only the Twins protecting themselves before he jumps ship next year. Of course as a Yankee fan, I'm with the team that's mostly to blame, though the Angels, Sox(both colors) and Cubs are catching up real fast. I guess I'm an oddball fan. I rooted for the Sox in '67, '75, and '86. Really didn't care one way or the other this year. Just wanted a competitive series.