Thursday Notes

• Could you watch every single game of the 2011 season? And then blog about it? Are you not ugly? If you answered yes to these questions, apply here. MLB Dreamjob (MLB.com)
• Catching up in the Dodgerblogopshere: Kenny Shulsen is the new lead writer at Lasorda's Lair, and I've been meaning to mention Opinion of Kingman's Performance (h/t TBLA).
• Attention, Facebook fanatics: Zigabid is giving away two tickets to Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers Opening Day Contest (Zigabid/Facebook)
• Can John Lindsey turn the feel-good story of 2010 into the miracle of 2011? Lindsey wants to stay in Majors (Ken Gurnick, Dodgers.com)

There Is No Justice In This World

As if this year wasn't miserable enough, John Lindsey's seventh-inning HBP broke his hand, knocking him out for the rest of the season:

PHOENIX -- John Lindsey, the 16-year veteran minor leaguer who finally got his first big league callup when the Los Angeles Dodgers purchased his contract on Sept. 6, will miss what is left of the season after suffering a broken bone on his left hand in Saturday night's 5-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lindsey was hit by a pitch from Diamondbacks rookie Daniel Hudson with two outs in the seventh inning. Lindsey winced in obvious pain, but managed to jog to first base, where manager Joe Torre and a trainer immediately met him. Although Lindsey remained in the game initially, by the time he got back to the dugout after Russell Mitchell subsequently grounded out to end the inning, his hand had swelled to the point that it was clear Lindsey needed further medical attention, and he was removed.

Lindsey immediately underwent an X-ray at the ballpark that showed a clean break of the fourth metacarpal. He is expected to see a hand specialist in either Phoenix or Los Angeles on Sunday, at which point it will be determined whether the fracture needs to be treated surgically. Even in a worst-case scenario, though, Lindsey is expected to be fully recovered well in advance of spring training.

"This will heal nicely," said Stan Conte, the Dodgers' director of medical services. "It will take some time to heal, but he will have plenty of time to be ready for spring training, no question about it."

Conte can talk about the broken hand. But how fast will the broken hearts of Dodger fans, let alone Lindsey's himself, take to heal too?

The John Lindsey Feel-Good Train Chugs Onward

Maybe it's because all of the Dodgers news is either depressing in the present (the 2010 season game recaps) or depressing for the future (the McCourt divorce), but it seems like the press is deliberately lingering on the story of the Dodgers' expanded roster call-up John Lindsey. However, even a blog as sarcastic as this one can't help but get warm and fuzzy reading articles likeJim Peltz's great feature piece in yesterday's LAT:

The story's big league chapter began last week in Round Rock, Texas, where Lindsey and his Albuquerque teammates were playing. Wallach called Lindsey into his office and said: "I've got the best news that I can possibly give somebody. You're going to the big leagues."

When Lindsey came out, "you could see it on his face right away," said pitcher John Ely, who was among those called up.

The Dodgers put them on a flight from Austin to San Diego, where the Dodgers were playing the Padres, and the beefy, 6-foot-2 Lindsey flew in first class for the first time in his life.

Then, in a moment that seemed tortuous for Lindsey and his fans, the right-hander was announced as a pinch-hitter in Wednesday's game at the Padres' Petco Park — officially his first at-bat in the big leagues. But then San Diego changed pitchers and before Lindsey could reach the batter's box, Dodgers Manager Joe Torre replaced him with the left-handed Andre Ethier.

"I told Lindsey, 'Something to live with: They'd rather pitch to Ethier than you,' " Torre quipped. "But [Lindsey] never lost his smile anyway." The manager also gave Lindsey the lineup card with his name on it as a memento, which Lindsey said he planned to frame.

Back in Hattiesburg, where it was about midnight, the game was on television and "when John came up to bat, we started receiving phone calls," his mother, Mattie, said. "People were apologizing, but they said, 'We just had to call because we're so proud of him.' "

I can remember the handful of times I was invited into my boss' office to find out I was being promoted, and how awesome it felt. But that wasn't regarding a position for which I had toiled 16 years in obscurity, and it sure as hell wasn't as cool as getting called up to The Show.

I can't get tired of reading stories about John Lindsey and his 2010 promotion to the Dodgers. What a great tale.

photo: Frederic J Brown / AFP / Getty Images

Post-Game 144 Thread: Congratulations, John Lindsey

ASTROS 7, DODGERS 4

The Dodgers stormed back from an early 4-0 deficit (Carlos Monasterios, 1.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks) in the fourth inning with four runs of our own, led by a three-run Jay Gibbons shot as well as a James Loney triple followed by a Russ Mitchell sac fly. But Ramon Troncoso allowed two runs in the fifth to put the game back out of reach.

The feel-good part of the afternoon/morning game (depending on your time zone) was long-time minor leaguer John Lindsey getting his first major league hit:

John Lindsey, who spent 16 years in the Minors before playing in his first Major League game last week, had a fifth-inning pinch-hit single for his first big league hit.

"It was awesome," said Lindsey. "It was a breaking ball, and I saw it. I wanted to be ready when I got something to hit, and it was there and I put a good swing on it. It fell in for me."

Sorry the Dodgers couldn't bring you a win in this game, John, but congratulations. Glad your perseverance paid off!

photo: Shawn E. Davis (not to be confused with here). P.S., Sorry this is up so late.