He’s Singing Our Song: Willie, Mickey, and The Duke

May 21, 2022

Once upon a time, early in the 1950s, there were three professional baseball teams in New York City. The Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Yankees, and the New York Giants. At that time, perhaps three of the best center fielders who ever played the game played for those teams. Duke Snider with the Dodgers, Willie Mays with the Giants, and Mickey Mantle with the Yankees. Over their careers, the three…

Read More >>

Amphetamines and Steroids. They Are Both Pharmaceutical Supplements To Improve Performance

November 24, 2021

The discussion between Bear and B&P on the use of drugs in Baseball got me to thinking.  Drugs of some kind have been in vogue in some fashion as long as I have been following baseball.   I may not have been aware of it, but it was prevalent.  A number of former players have become open with their confessions. Bear on numerous occasions has expressed in his opinion, steroid users…

Read More >>

My Current Dodger Observations

July 25, 2021

First, to Badger.  I love trade scenarios.  I do not care how outlandish they are or how realistic they may be.  I enjoy reading Bums trade proposals.  I am not sure that I ever read one that was realistic, but they are fun.  Bluto sometimes gives us scenarios from the baseballtradevalues.com site.  They are fun for me.  That is what blogs are for.  Throw out ideas.  To the best of…

Read More >>

Losing Our Youth

January 15, 2021

Mark did such a great job in his tribute to Lasorda. It was moving and fitting. And as usual, it got me thinking of how many of those who influenced us in our lives have passed on over the last few years. I remember how sad I was when Duke Snider passed in 2011. He was 84 at the time, but I was glad that Duke had been alive to…

Read More >>

Collecting All Things Dodgers

December 27, 2020

It starts when you are young. For some, it is your first program, for others baseball cards, and some an autograph. Mine started with cards. I got my first pack when I was 7. 1955 Topps. I was living in Minnesota with my mom and we moved back to California that fall. I went to an Angels game with my uncle. And the next day I got a pack of…

Read More >>

Smokey

December 16, 2020

Today’s post is about the longest tenured Dodger manager. Walter Emmons Alston. Smokey to his friends. Alston was the manager when the team moved from Brooklyn. He was just 3 years removed from guiding them to their only World Championship in their long history. His team was a mixture of old Brooklyn stars, Reese, Hodges, Snider, Furillo, Erskine, and some new blood just beginning to make some noise on the…

Read More >>

Dodger Killers

October 13, 2020

With the passing in the last week or so of Bob Gibson, Whitey Ford, and now Joe Morgan, I got to thinking about players who always seem to be at their best against the Dodgers. It has always seemed to me like some players just have another team’s number. Take for example, Willie McCovey. His BA against the Dodgers in 297 games was .241. He hit 45 HR’s and had…

Read More >>

The “Dook”

September 20, 2020

He was my favorite player growing up. A California boy who found fame in the borough of Brooklyn. He was a graceful outfielder, and a power hitting threat on the great Brooklyn teams of the late 40’s and 50’s. He was the only lefty threat in the lineup that featured Jackie, Gil, Campy, Pee Wee, and Scoonj. And in Brooklyn he was simply “The Dook”. I got that part from…

Read More >>

Reggie Smith

September 10, 2020

One of the better mid-season trades that the Dodgers ever made was acquiring Reggie Smith from the Cardinals for Freddie Tisdale, Bob Detherage and Joe Ferguson in June 1976.   While many Dodger fans were heartbroken to see Tisdale leave the Dodger family, getting Smith more than made up for that loss. After joining the Dodgers, Smith hit .280 with 10 homers and 26 RBI in the 65 games following the…

Read More >>

Old School – Analytics

August 24, 2020

I am old school. Never have claimed to be anything but. Baseball has been a part of my life, a big part, for over 60 years. LA was a minor league city until the Dodgers moved here in 1958. We played the game anywhere we could, usually on our school playground. Some played little league, others did not. I never really had any coaching until I played little league. Then…

Read More >>