Rant & Rave Sunday

July 9, 2023

In 2021, 51% of all MLB Pitchers went on the IL. Let that sink in a little. Now, what pitcher do you want to trade for? Lane Thomas of the Nats is the latest “flavor of the week,” but a 27-year-old outfielder who is hitting over .300 with a .851 OPS and two more years of control is going to cost a lot… a whole lot! Is this his breakout…

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The Day the Dodgers Won Without a Hit

July 8, 2023

June 28th, 2008. Chad Billingsly faced off against Jered Weaver of the Angels on a Saturday afternoon. What followed has happened only 5 times in Major League history. The Dodgers would eke out a 1-0 win while being no-hit. The 2008 team would go on to win the division with an 84-78 record. They would beat the Cubs 3-0 in the NLDS, but then lose to the Phillies in the…

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The New Paradigm

July 7, 2023

I am not going to belabor this point, but most of us grew up in an era where batting average was king. Von Joshua, who was a Dodger for a few years, had a ten-year major league career with a .273 Batting Average (BA), which is not too bad. However, his On-Base Percentage (OBP) was .306, and his On Base Plus Slugging (OPS) was .686. Actually, a new stat that…

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Define “Pornography”

July 6, 2023

Potter Stewart was an American lawyer and judge who served as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1958 to 1981. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, court access, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. In 1964, Justice Stewart was asked to describe his test for obscenity, and he responded: “I know it when I see it.“ I write this in response…

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Trades & More

July 5, 2023

There are less than thirty days until the trade deadline, and Dodgers fans are clamoring for Andrew Friedman to make some trades. Of course, many are thinking Aernado, Flaherty, Burnes, Beiber, and others. I would be surprised if any of those players become Dodgers. The Dodgers could use a starting pitcher and of course, a RH-hitting outfielder. I would love to see Luis Robert, Jr., but the cost would be…

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Opponents I Admired

July 4, 2023

Ever have a player from another team that you wished was a Dodger? I have. Some ended up playing a year or two in LA. Some never did. But the list is fairly long going back to when the Dodgers first came to LA. Willie Mays: Willie was simply the best player I ever saw play the game. He could do it all, and he made it look so easy….

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What’s the Real Problem?

July 3, 2023

It should not be lost on anyone that the Dodgers brand of baseball is subject to peaks and valleys, and it should also not be lost on anyone that the Royals scored nine runs on the Dodgers yesterday WITHOUT a single home run! The Dodgers seem to only score on the long ball. When they don’t hit home runs, they don’t win. What do you do? Trade the team away?…

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Enjoy the Ride!

July 2, 2023

Julio Urias pitched about like I thought he would play in his first game back from the IL. He was rusty and gave up a lot of soft contact in the first inning. The Royals got just one extra-base hit, but Julio was not sharp. That was to be expected. He was using all his pitches but did not have command of them – kind of like what you would…

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Your Reality Sucks!

July 1, 2023

In 2016, my son was a Senior at Cardinal-Ritter High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their football team was picked to finish 5th in their conference before the season started. Stephen played middle linebacker his first three years, but in his Senior year, they switched him to defensive end (because… according to the coach), “they had no one else to play the position.” They started out 1-4, and the season looked…

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Once More Before I Die

June 28, 2023

Once more before I die. Yes, that is my wish. I am 75 now, and I have been alive for every single Dodger Championship, and I dearly want to see another. None of us, except those who take their own lives, choose when it is time to go. As Brooklynites would say We Wuz Robbed, in 2017, out played in 18 and missed some very good chances to advance in…

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