With the recent attention to Justin Turner being awarded the Roberto Clemente Award, I felt the need to discuss a bit of the background regarding the Hall of Famer who gave his life to a humanitarian cause for whom the award is named. Justin and his wife Kourtney have been instrumental in aiding homeless veterans, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Boys and Girls Clubs, various food banks, and more….
It was said, and I do not remember who exactly said it, that Manny Mota could wake up on a cold December morning, get out of bed, and hit a line drive. He was that kind of hitter. Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo was born in the Dominican Republic on February 18, 1938. He was the sixth of eight children in a blended family. His mother, Fredesvinda, had four children with…
No one chooses their time to die unless they take their own lives. And it can strike at any time from any direction. There have over the history of the game been many instances when players have passed away during the season, or in the off-season. 4 of those players were Hall of Fame members. The most prominent is Roberto Clemente, killed when his mercy flight to Haiti crashed into…
When you think about the great outfielders who played the game, many come to mind, Mantle, Ruth, Aaron, Mays, Trout, Robinson, Griffey Jr., and Clemente. When you talk about great outfield arms, the list narrows some especially from the RF position. But some players are known for those cannons they possess. And the Dodgers had two of the best, and almost a third, Furillo, Mondesi, and then Clemente. Yep, he…
Earlier in the week I had a dialogue with MT and Bluto regarding the lack of confidence I have in RVS as a competent MLB Team Batting Coach. I have no doubts that his methodology can and does work for some, but each batter is different and needs a different approach. At least that is the way it used to be. I concede that the LAD method of hitting is…
Well, spring training is here. Right now it is dominated by the sound of balls hitting mitts with amazing velocity. There is plenty of optimism, and from each camp, you hear that this guy looks amazing, and his pitches are jumping out of his hand. All that will change in the next few days when the rest of the squad reports and soon the crack of the bat will join…
Born in the small town of Washington Maine on November 30. 1901, Clyde Leroy Sukeforth, or Sukey as he was known in baseball circles, was a typical small town boy. He began playing when he was young and grew as youngsters did in those days to love the game. Over his career he would catch, coach, manage and scout for major league teams. He is forever tied to the Dodgers…
Back again with my second installment about the 10 men in the hall who were umpires. Looking back and remembering some of the umps I do, I cannot help but wonder what has kept guys like Augie Donatelli and Shag Crawford out of the hall. Only the Vets committee knows for sure. But today’s story profiles a couple of pretty good umps and one really versatile one who excelled in…
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…
We are now down to the last week, and we have no more idea as to who will be the Dodgers Wild Card opponent today than we had at the beginning of the season. Because the 2nd place teams in the Central and Eastern Divisions are relatively close, there are six teams that could fall to the #8 seed. Only two NL teams have actually clinched a spot in the…