Of Puppets and Men

September 16, 2022

I find it hilarious that some of you think Doc is a “puppet manager.” I guess it is human nature to ridicule what we don’t understand. “Puppet” implies that Dave does exactly what the front office says, which is so much beyond silly; it is ridiculous! The job of a baseball manager has changed dramatically in the past 20+ years. It used to be the manager was a “John Wayne-type”…

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Friedman’s Failures & the Lizard Brain

September 14, 2022

If you ain’t failing… you ain’t trying! Well, Andrew Friedman has failed a lot! It all started with Brett Anderson, Scott Kazmir, and Brandon McCarthy. Maybe they weren’t an absolute failure – maybe they were a “bridge,” but most people view it as a failure. He tried… Good on Andrew. Seth Godin (one of my favorite writers) writes about the “Lizard Brain. Some people call it the “resistance.” Seth Godin…

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Things That Make You Go “What?”

September 12, 2022

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes finished the year 68-64 and will miss the playoffs for the first time (not due to COVID-19) since 2014. Scott Hennessey could be in trouble as the manager. The Great Lakes Loon’s season finale was rained out and will not be made up. They finished the season 75-55. On Thursday, they start the playoffs against Lake County in Eastlake, Ohio. If they end up playing Ft….

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Nothing is so Constant as Change… Except in Baseball!

September 11, 2022

I was listening to a conversation a couple of days ago where Person A was arguing that it was “crazy that baseball was making all these changes. The game is just fine – Don’t go changing everything!” Person B had a different take, “Other than the DH and lowering the mound, baseball is the last sport that has changed, and it’s way past time!” What was most interesting about this…

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“Get It Out of the Grandstand!”

September 7, 2022

On a night when no other Dodgers drove in any runs, Max Muncy and Joey Gallo, the true “Live by the HR, Die By the Strikeout Guys,” went yard three times and drove in all six Dodger runs. They didn’t have to get the Home Runs out of the ocean as Max did to Baumgarner, but they did have to get them in the grandstand. Don’t you dare say the…

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What About Next Year?

September 6, 2022

I had already started this blog post when Whistling Ranger (welcome to LADT) posted this: “I look for the Dodgers to concentrate on roster management in the offseason. There is extreme competition for the 40-man roster.  Look for them to trade older players for younger, promising players that they don’t have to protect. If they don’t, they will lose some through the rule 5 draft or have to DFA them.”…

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Wake Me Up When September Ends

September 4, 2022

There’s not a lot to play for right about now… except pride, and hopefully, the Dodgers have learned that trying to win the division or having the best record is not the path to a World Championship. The Dodgers are resting players and peppering the IL with pitchers so as to have them rested come October, so wake me up when September ends. There’s nothing to see here, folks; move…

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Hope for the Best – Prepare for the Worst

September 3, 2022

Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear, and you might be just as close to the truth as anyone. I don’t believe Doc when he tells us about Tony Gonsolin. Some of you prefer to think it’s because he’s stupid because that fits your worldview. I think Andrew Friedman and the Front Office have carefully constructed a narrative, and Doc gets to deliver the “punch…

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Kimbrel is Fixed… For Now!

August 30, 2022

That means he is really not fixed – you can just see the momentum shift as he throws strikes and then throws balls. I hope, wish, and pray he is fixed, but he’s not. I hope to the Big Dodger in the Sky that I am wrong. He’s Kenley Jansen revisited. The Dodgers will rue the day they did not DFA him. He looked great his last time out as…

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There’s Nothing Left to Say

August 28, 2022

Well, I am back! The Dodgers are 50 games over .500. They are indisputably the best team in baseball. Their farm system is as good as any – better than most. The Dodgers have scored more runs than any other team. The Dodgers have given up fewer runs than any team in baseball. Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, and Mookie Betts are all TOP 10 in the MVP Voting (Maybe top…

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