The Dodgers are coming off of one of the all-time great seasons in the history of Major League Baseball. Only the 1906 Cubs had a season in the Senior Circuit with more wins and only 4 teams have ever matched or exceeded 111 wins. There’s no doubt about it, last year’s team was great, tainted only by an early postseason exit against a team they dominated all season. That’s not…
Bluntly stated: “If you have one of the best farm systems in baseball, it is Felony Stupid to waste it.” We have repeatedly seen that buying expensive free agents is no guarantee of anything. Baseball executives are becoming painfully aware that youth and energy, and enthusiasm are really valuable things. I am not saying that age and experience are not necessary, but successful organizations need to blend them together. Andrew…
Now that the smoke has cleared, we can see pretty clearly that things have changed. Let’s consider what has happened or likely will happen: Craig Kimbrel is gone (YAY); Justin Turner’s option was not picked up; Andrew Heaney is likely gone; David Price allegedly retired; Danny Duffy is likely gone; Jimmy Nelson is likely gone; Blake Treinen is not a factor in 2023; Chris Martin is on the market and…
Everything is crystal clear! The Dodgers either have to win today, or the 2022 season is over for them. If the Dodgers win, they go back to Chavez Ravine for Game Five, where the winner takes all. If they lose, their best season… the season for the ages is over. It will be a shame if the season ends today, but that’s baseball. The baseball gods can be cruel. I…
I have always wondered about the predictability of having a closer and why teams have simply gone in the direction of having a 9th inning man, no matter what the situation was. If you really think about it, throwing that “stopper” out there for the final three outs night after night is probably not the best managerial strategy. It may be for teams with limited bullpen resources, but not with…
I do not read many other Dodger Blogs, but I do read www.LAdodgerChronicles.com. Jeff Dominique is a source of great knowledge, as is Harold Uhlman. I only comment here because I do not have that much bandwidth, but I read it every day. It’s at the top of this blog for a reason. There are six or seven people who comment there, and I am thankful that only a few…
So, all season Dodger fans have ragged the Dodgers’ “Botton-of-the Batting Order.” Specifically, they have been critical of Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, and Joey Gallo; however, that team they have been so critical of is poised to set a team record for wins. They are getting close, and the record should fall by next weekend. The question remains, “How much does it hurt the Dodgers to have Gallo, Bellinger, and…
Do you remember when (not that long ago) when Dodger Fans were questioning whether Farhan Zaidi was the “Genius behind Andrew Friedman?” I hear Farhan is awesome at Fantasy Football and Fantasy Baseball, but suddenly his star is getting tarnished in the real thing. He caught lightning in a bottle last year… never to happen again. Freidman is like the EverReady Bunny. The Playoff Roster for position players is set…
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…
Back in 1999, the Dodger organization used to have these various contests for fans during a celebratory home stand that they called “Think Blue Week.” They had a series of essay contests to win various prizes. The prizes included being able to take batting practice in the Stadium and raking the infield with the grounds crew during an inning of the game. You could even be the P.A. announcer for…