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…

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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…

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The Game Has Changed and Not For the Better

November 18, 2021

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…

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The Best Player I Ever Saw

February 22, 2021

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…

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Meet Me In St. Louis

February 3, 2021

The St. Louis Cardinals have always been an iconic organization in MLB and arguably the most successful NL via winning more WS than any other NL team, trailing only the NYY.  The Cardinals have won 11 WS in 19 appearances. They also hold the ire of Dodger fans as St. Louis  has beaten the LAD in four postseason series (1985 NLCS, 2004, NLDS, 2013 NLCS, and 2014 NLDS) against a…

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The Man, The Legend, The Hammer – Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron

January 31, 2021

Last week baseball lost another legend. Henry Aaron. Though he never played for the Dodgers, I had a deep respect for him as a man, and a ballplayer. I cannot imagine how it was for him growing up a black kid in the south. Nor can I imagine the hate directed at him when he was closing in on breaking the all-time HR mark set by Babe Ruth. He had…

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To Beard or not to Beard, that is the question!

January 17, 2021

Hi gang! I thought I would lighten the mood around the morgue and talk about a subject I know a little about. Beards. As I was looking through my baseball cards, I noticed the obvious. There is a lot more facial hair in the game today than when I first started watching the game. Clean faces were the thing. Back in the 1800’s, a lot of players favored wearing a…

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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…

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Clyde Sukeforth: He Helped Change Dodger History Twice

January 6, 2021

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…

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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…

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