Ramirez is 21-for-45 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 12 games since being acquired July 31 from the Boston Red Sox.

He better pick up the pace, if he expects anyone to show any interest in him as a free agent.

I've been watching a little bit of the Dodgers-Phils and Nomar has really impressed me with his defense considering how bad his rep has been the few years. He has made 3 or 4 very nice plays there the last few days. It's been fun to watch to tell you the truth. The Dodger lineup is actually quite good now. They have Russell Martin batting 8th which is probably a mistake but how many lineups could even consider doing that?

The LA crowd is falling in love with Manny.

Kent, who was four for five, is 13 for 26 with eight runs batted in over his seven games hitting third in front of Ramirez.

Kent does seem to like drafting off superstars.

The LA crowd is falling in love with Manny.

Not falling. It's been non-stop fellacio from day one.

The Dodger lineup is actually quite good now.

So long as Juan Pierre is polishing the pine.

With the addition of Ramirez, and if Garciaparra can avoid the DL, they should have enough to give 'Zona a run for the crown.

I hate the Dodgers, but if Torre's Dodgers makes the playoffs, and the Yankees don't, that would be OK.

I've been watching a little bit of the Dodgers-Phils and Nomar has really impressed me with his defense considering how bad his rep has been the few years. He has made 3 or 4 very nice plays there the last few days. It's been fun to watch to tell you the truth. The Dodger lineup is actually quite good now. They have Russell Martin batting 8th which is probably a mistake but how many lineups could even consider doing that?

Martin has sucked for the last month or so.

Fielding Bible says that Nomar has been average in his small sample at SS so far this year. Color me impressed.

The NL West race is going to be fun. I don't like Arizona's lineup much even with Dunn but their pitching is fantastic, especially if RJ can stay hot. The Dodgers did an outstanding job upgrading their line-up and can now field a lineup with average or better hitter at every position and their pitching isn't all that bad.

I am glad the Dodgers and Diamondbacks are playing better. It is embarrassing for the NL to have a division winner with a .500 record.

The races in every division save the AL West are going to be fun. This is simply a fantastic year for pennant races.

The races in every division save the AL West are going to be fun. This is simply a fantastic year for pennant races.

The NL Central race might not be that fun if the Brewers and Cubs continue to separate themselves from the rest of the NL. It's not much of a race if the loser is guaranteed the WC.

Another thing: I guess Met BTFers are more whiny than most. The Phils blew a 6-1 lead tonight. If the Mets had done that, we'd be complaining.

I used to think that, but after 2006, I don't anymore. As great as it felt to make the playoffs, it was somewhat disappointing to lose the division title.

Red Sox BTFers give the Mets a run for their money, but we're both very similar.

I used to think that, but after 2006, I don't anymore. As great as it felt to make the playoffs, it was somewhat disappointing to lose the division title.

Well Vaux, I would say that has a lot to do with the way that the Tigers won the wild card. They had a huge lead in the Central, and then flatlined for a month and half to back their way into the wild card, which changed the perception of that team by a ton.

Red Sox BTFers give the Mets a run for their money, but we're both very similar.

If you guys whine as much as us, you are worse. If the Mets ever win two WS in 4 years, I certainly wouldn't complain about much for at least a year or two.

If the Mets ever win two WS in 4 years, I certainly wouldn't complain about much for at least a year or two.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? It just doesn't work out that way though.

We don't whine as much as you, but we whine more than anyone besides you and possibly Cubs fans.

“Don’t drop me,” Garciaparra said he recalled thinking, adding that his sprained left knee still bothered him.

Was this directed at his teammates or the front office?

Nomar has really impressed me with his defense considering how bad his rep has been the few years. He has made 3 or 4 very nice plays there the last few days. It's been fun to watch to tell you the truth.

Nomar's better?

We don't whine as much as you, but we whine more than anyone besides you and possibly Cubs fans.

Oh god, yes. Cubs fans. I'd rank them first, even ahead of Mets fans.

“Don’t drop me,” Garciaparra said he recalled thinking, adding that his sprained left knee still bothered him.

Funny because I happened to catch this on Extra Innings and was thinking the same thing...

Red Sox BTFers give the Mets a run for their money, but we're both very similar.

Maybe I'm watching baseball wrong, but I'm not whiny. As far as I'm concerned, the Sox are playing with house money for a couple of years. Now, this may be a pisspoor attitude, maybe I'm putting sports in the wrong perspective, but I'm keeping my sanity; and my blood pressure low.

Oh, and, good for Nomar.

Now, this may be a pisspoor attitude, maybe I'm puitting sports in the wrong perspective, but I'm keeping my sanity; and my blood pressure low.

I'd say that's a sensible, logical attitude. I'm pretty much playing with house money fan-wise for the rest of my life, but that doesn't mean I'm capable of putting baseball in the right perspective.

I'm pretty much playing with house money fan-wise for the rest of my life
In Soviet Russia and in Philadelphia, the house plays with the fans' money!

Going forward, the Dodgers have a better lineup than the Dbacks, even with Dunn in AZ. The Dbacks have black holes at 2B and CF, and are way too inconsistent offensively. The Dbacks may have the better bullpen, and better 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation, but all things considered, the Dodgers have to be the favorites to win the division right now. Unless Dunn goes on a tear similar to the one Manny's been on in LA, the Dbacks aren't good enough to win the West

Oh god, yes. Cubs fans. I'd rank them first, even ahead of Mets fans.

Really? On this site? You've got to be kidding me. Mets fans are in a league of their own here. I really don't recall much Cubs whining the last year or so. On pure volume, both levski complaining about Eric Byrnes and Harveys complaining about Ned Yost surpass all Cubs fan whining here.

On pure volume, both levski complaining about Eric Byrnes and Harveys complaining about Ned Yost surpass all Cubs fan whining here.

True. Fair is fair. But Harveys and I have good reasons for our complaints. Cubs fans got squat

Cubs fans got squat

Besides the 100 years thing we keep hearing about over and over and over...

You're in more threads than I am, what complaining are we doing this year? I don't see much, nothing notable. Game chatters don't count, but even in those there's minimal complaining.

Cubs fans over the age of 105 got squat.

My guess is the lev threw this out there simply for his own amusement.

Oh, and the Brewers have the 2nd best record in the NL this year.

Really? On this site? You've got to be kidding me. Mets fans are in a league of their own here. I really don't recall much Cubs whining the last year or so. On pure volume, both levski complaining about Eric Byrnes and Harveys complaining about Ned Yost surpass all Cubs fan whining here.

Eh, maybe you're right. Unless Dusty Baker is the topic. :-)

i think that the whinyinh about dusty was justifyed

Eh, maybe you're right. Unless Dusty Baker is the topic. :-)
Now you did it. I think we need a Dusty Baker corollary to Godwin's Law.

This is the internet. Take away the whining* and what do you have left? Just porn.


*I'm so whiney, no team will have me.

Stock quotes, CS?

My worst fears have been realized. The Dodgers banished Jones to the DL, benched Pierre, and Nomar is playing decently at SS where his bat becomes a plus again. Adding Manny to that just blew everything up. They blew a couple of late leads and lost two games, momentarily disrupting their momentum, but they got those two games back the last two nights.

Since getting Manny they are hitting .289/.357/.464 .821 OPS and averaging about 5 R/G
During the same span, D Backs are hitting .251/.315/.416 .731 OPS and averaging 4.3 R/G

Getting Dunn is canceled out by losing Hudson. D Backs have not improved, while Dodgers offense improved by leaps and bounds.

I'm not sure if Dodger pitching will hold up, but their season ERA and ERA+ are better than the D Backs and over the last twelve games, their ERA is almost a full run lower than Arizona's too. And finally, their defense is better than the D Backs and the AZ Defense got worse with the addition of Dunn.

At this point, I would be very surprised if the Dodgers don't take the west. Hope I'm wrong of course.

EDIT: I should add that losing Saito was a huge blow for LA of course, and thins out their bullpen. That may be their achilles heel going forward. One can only hope.

Whilst I've spent a good deal of time with my eyes closed watching the last 3 nights, the Dodgers look scary offensively now. It probably doesn't help that Durbin and Romero look like they are running on fumes but the Dodgers have done a nice job of keeping the offensive pressure going inning after inning.

Stock quotes, CS?

No, they just sound like they are. I'm actually making these up as a go along.

When Upton's back, the D-Backs lineup doesn't look that bad even with Hudson out. -- Snyder, Jackson, Reynolds, Drew, Tracy, Dunn, Young, Upton. Defensively that looks mighty scary.

Unless Kent has discovered the fountain of youth, the Dodgers still have one big hole in their lineup too and Manny is the only great hitter in their lineup. They don't look particularly strong defensively either and are a Nomar tweaked something away from a big hole at SS again. Still no depth here.

So offensively I don't see a huge difference. Defensively I suppose I give the nod to the Dogers but neither looks pretty to me. Pitching is close. I'd give the DBacks the edge if it was the playoffs due to their big 3 starters but over 6 weeks.

Still look like two very evenly matched teams. So the big questions whose answers I suspect will determine this, in rough order of impact:

whose bullpen does better?
Kent/Nomar vs. Upton/whatever the DBacks do at 2B
who plays the better bad defense?
Manny vs. Dunn

Here is the Dodgers line up today, with season OPS:

Kemp - .817
Ethier - .792
Kent - .750
Ramirez - .983
Loney - 797
Martin - .799
Garciaparra - .838
Blake - .799

That is a remarkably balanced line-up, all in all. I know that Kent has been hitting well since Ramirez joined the team (.409/.458/.568/1.026), but I can't see that going on. But who knows -- maybe a superstar bat in the line up has a magical effect on him. But when falls back to earth, I would drop him in the line up.

There's no way Cubs fans whine more than Red Sox fans. We've done a lot of bítching in the end of the Baker years, yes, but that's entirely justified. Baker sucked and our team sucked. Red Sox, OTOH, are the only fans I know that whine and spill venomous hate on a 14-2, 154 ERA+ pitcher. Fans of every other team would be happy to have him, walks and all.

There's no way Cubs fans whine more than Red Sox fans. We've done a lot of bítching in the end of the Baker years, yes, but that's entirely justified. Baker sucked and our team sucked. Red Sox, OTOH, are the only fans I know that whine and spill venomous hate on a 14-2, 154 ERA+ pitcher. Fans of every other team would be happy to have him, walks and all.

But there's no way he can keep it up.

So you whine when he sucks, not before.

But there's no way he can keep it up.

So? He's getting it done now. When Glendon Rusch was magically pitching well and winning games for the Cubs in 2004, he became a folk hero. We knew it wasn't going to last, and sure enough it didn't, but we enjoyed the hell out of the wins we got from him. And even bad Daisuke is better than typical Glendon Rusch.

Steve Trachsel, that's a pitcher to whine and ##### about. Slow-paced AND sucky. Shawn Estes. Just when you thought he was out, he got pulled back in. Jason Marquis, the latest target of Cubs fan ire. These are players worth whining and complaining about. Matsuzaka? 154 ERA+? Red Sox 17-4 in the 21 games he's started? He's not the least bit worth whining about. Not yet, at least.

Here was the DBacks (OPS+)

Drew 102
Young 82
Jackson 123
Dunn 130
Reynolds 107
Tracy 102
Snyder 105
Burke 43

Like I said, once Upton (101) is back, assuming that pushes Burke out of the lineup, two very even lineups (outside of Manny, the highest OPS+ in that Dodgers lineup is Kemp at 110). Oops, Blake at 115.