Odds and Ends – Bits and Pieces

Last Sunday 2D2 posted an article in which he asked us a couple of questions. At the time I did not respond but decided to do so today.

1. What player are you most disappointed in not being able to see play this year? Why?   

That is a difficult question for me as I look forward to so many minor league players getting into action. It is difficult to isolate one but forced to do so I would select Zach McKinstry who I want to see debut with the Dodgers.

Zach has been one of my favorites since he debuted with the Loons back in 2016 helping Great Lakes to the league championship. He came up to the Loons after a brief time in the Arizona League which is a bit unusual for a 33rd round selection. I felt he was a significant spoke in the Loons championship wheel and profiled him on January 14, 2017. I have written about many Dodger minor league players but Zach became my favorite way back then.

The answer to why is that he has climbed the impossible mountain with a work ethic, desire and confidence simply willing himself to achieve. He has played beyond all expectations, always smiling and enjoying the moment. He has made himself into a versatile player enhancing his chances to become an MLB player. Zach is super-coachable if that is even a word. At each level, he plays as if it is no more difficult than the previous level.

2. What are you doing to spend your time without baseball?

I must admit it is a major disappointment having made it through the baseball drought that is winter. Our provincial government and federal have asked us to stay home and when out maintain the two-meter separation going out only if really necessary. Elaine and I are adhering to that directive without question.

We have about a 3-acre  property so there is quite a bit I can do outside with yard clean-up after winter, pruning trees and shrubs, getting ready to garden, etc. I have been listening to a lot of my kind of music – classic country and western while trying to write a bit.

Oh yes. I don’t know if you folks go through this ritual but it is time for the annual house cleaning here. With the present shutdown, I am a bit of a captive to it. The entire interior of the house gets a cleaning, closets included. Walls and floors get washed as do every piece of glassware and metalware in the house.

Last week I built a learning tower for our grandson Rowan – 18 months old. We delivered it to Jamie and Laura which took us six hours there and back with my faithful 1996 Dodge Dakota. We dropped it off outside, kept our distance and left within five minutes.

Got our income tax done, submitted and refunds received. Pension splitting has been significant for Elaine and I. AC – had both returns right to the penny. That gave me a rush.

Vin Speaks

It is still a blessing to hear Vin speak. As always, he has this right too.

Robot Umps Article

It is on its way. I understand the cry to, “Get it right!”, but I am a traditionalist and not especially looking forward to Robo-ball wondering what the next step will be in electronic baseball. Maybe, playing from home which would work now.

“It’s going to be some time before the Florida State League begins to play, but when it does, the Sunshine State’s Class A Advanced circuit will usher in a whole new era of baseball.

During the 2020 season, nine of the FSL’s 11 stadiums will use HawkEye technology to call balls and strikes. Parks in Bradenton, Charlotte, Clearwater, Dunedin, Fort Myers, Lakeland, St. Lucie and Tampa, as well as the stadium shared by Palm Beach and Jupiter, will have the new system. Daytona and Florida (which will play in North Port beginning this season) will use the more standard umpire setup.

Human umpires won’t be fully replaced at those nine parks, mind you. There will be an umpire behind home relaying HawkEye’s calls — as determined by views from multiple cameras — and to make calls on plays at the plate. But otherwise, the era of automation is coming to the FSL as a test run in 2020, and several farm systems see the coming changes as learning opportunities.”

This is a link to the full MiLB article on Robot Umps.

MiLB Toolshed Teenage Dream Lineup for 2020

In the coming weeks, MiLB Toolshed will craft the best possible prospect lineups, sorted by age groups. This opening edition focuses on teenagers, i.e., those who will be playing at age 17, 18 or 19 in 2020. Eligibility as such will be determined by a player’s age on June 30, roughly the midpoint of a regular season.

No Dodger prospects made this list although catcher Diego Cartaya finished a close second to  Francisco Alvarez (18) of the Mets.

Most Intriguing 2019 Draft Selection

Which of the Dodgers 2019 draft selections intrigues you the most? There were 30 of the 40 selections signed. There are certainly a number of interesting choices and AC has previously given clues as to whom his selection might be.

I am intrigued by several but most intrigued by outfielder Jonny DeLuca signed in the 25th round out of the University of Oregon. He had previously been selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 39th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft but chose not to sign out of high school.

He did not have a particularly distinguishing two years at Oregon with a two-year triple slash of .226/.296/.354 over 111 games. He did have a very successful 2018 summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League which most likely boasts stronger pitching that regular college leagues. With the Red Sox, he slashed .296/.369/.368.

So why am I intrigued? DeLuca was signed in the last minutes of the draft deadline according to Jim Callis. The Dodgers pursued him right up to the deadline signing him for a bonus of $300,000. His signing bonus ranked seventh for the Dodger signees just below right-hander Jack Little’s signing bonus as the Dodgers sixth overall selection. That was $125,000 over slot.

What enticed the Dodgers? Perhaps his athleticism  which is considered to be the best in the Dodgers 2019 draft, perhaps just above 24th selection, outfielder Chet Allison. In college, DeLuca was a two-sport athlete with track and baseball partnering. In the long jump, he reached 23’ 8” in a dual meet against Newbury Park in the long jump setting one of the top early-season marks in the state.

He is a switch hitter and the 5’11”/196 lb. a native of Agoura Hills, California is well suited to patrol center field. To date, his speed has not translated into any significant number of stolen bases although he had nine with the AZL Dodgers in 2019 with no caught stealing. His slash line with the Dodgers was .273/.342/.384 over 26 games.  He struck out 8 times and walked seven. Johnny DeLuca Info

Here are his scouting reports.

Baseball America (Rank: 406)

“A 5-foot-11, 196-pound draft-eligible sophomore, DeLuca was drafted by the Twins in the 39th round of the 2017 draft, but instead made it to campus at Oregon where he has struggled to figure out the offensive side of his game. DeLuca is an above-average runner with above-average arm strength who was one of the best athletes in the 2017 class out of high school, where he also was a competitive long jumper and track runner, but he’s hit just .226/.296/.354 over two seasons with the Ducks and he’s striking out more in 2019. His offensive performance, combined with well below-average power might make him a tough draft, but if he can figure out his swing he could impact a team with his defense and running ability.”

Perfect Game (Rank: 426)

“The Ducks of Oregon will keep their eye on the June draft to not only monitor their incoming recruits but also on their draft-eligible sophomore Jonny DeLuca. His numbers from this spring may not jump off the page but he has made improvements across the board and is coming off a solid performance on the Cape in which he hit .296. The big draw with DeLuca is his plus speed and overall athleticism, two traits that help the switch-hitter patrol center field with fluidity to his actions, as well as on the basepaths as he leads the team in both triples and stolen bags.”

Today’s song is, “Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces” by Tompall and the Glaser Brothers. I thought Bear and DBM might enjoy it.

This article has 61 Comments

  1. Well I can see you are keeping busy. Spring is not here yet in Colorado, we still have snow in some places, and being outside very much with the wind the way it has been, well that is not happening. I have plenty of diversions right here to keep me occupied. I am also working on some music, and have been burning some CD’s for my friends. With our discussion yesterday about baseball cards and such, I went through my books and looked on ebay and found a couple of Snider cards I wanted. Another version of his 58 card that shows him as a Brooklyn Dodger, and a reprint of the 1952 card. Tompall and Glaser Brothers. Remember them well. We did a show with Jim Glaser at the bar I worked at in 1977. It was a lot of fun. Of course my favorite Tompall song is “Put Another Log on the Fire” Something people who have fireplaces do a lot in these parts. I was really looking forward to seeing Cody Thomas actually play in a few big league games. The guy has awesome power. Also want to see what McKinstrey can do. I think he is a left handed version of Kike. This will probably be Kike’s last hurrah as a Dodger when ever it finally starts. He is a valuable sub, but just has never quite reached the consistency they would like. MLB reached an agreement with the MLBPA that no matter how many games are played this season, they will be granted a full years service time, which means, Betts will indeed be a free agent at the end of the year.

    1. I love “Put Another Log on the Fire”! If you download the “Wanted: The Outlaws” album from iTunes Music, that song is not included. I’m relatively certain that it would not go over well with the MeToo movement. Great song nevertheless

      1. Which is weird because it is on the album itself. I know, I have the CD. but if you get the MP-3 from Amazon, it is included

  2. Which player am I most disappointed in not being able to watch this year? For me that is easy. My favorite player is Corey Seager, and I was very much looking forward to see him reignite his career as one of the top three SS in all of MLB. My second pick is David Price. I have no idea (and neither does anyone else) how well he will pitch as a Dodger. But he does represent the best current option the Dodgers have for a strong #3 for the playoffs. With the shortened season, perhaps the reduced innings will play favorably for the LAD playoffs. I recognize there are many out there that believe that Corey is but a shell of his 2016/2017 self, and that David Price is a waste of a roster space, but if the Dodgers win the WS, both are going to be needed to be a major factor this year.

    Johnny Deluca is a good choice to follow from the 2019 draft. He represents a true potential CF option that Jeren Kendall has not grabbed. Defensively he is solid with a plus arm. But what is intriguing is his change in his offense. With the reduced strikeouts, I am encouraged that he can continue to climb. The Dodgers have way too many power and swing and miss prospects, that one who might show good bat to ball skills with more than moderate speed is an excellent prospect to follow. Chet Allison is another excellent choice as a 2019 draft prospect to follow. My choice(s) will be revealed tomorrow.

    I am not in favor of robo-umps, but I am also not naive. It is just another coming change to a game that I loved growing up with in the 60’s. Just like the DH which I also detest.

    I did not get to experience the Boys of Summer era. My first memories of the Dodgers were in 1958, but I did not become a real fanatic until the 1959 WS. My first Vin Scully HR was Charlie Neal in Game 2 of the WS off Bob Shaw. My first LAD hero was Larry Sherry. My earliest favorite Dodger was Junior Gilliam. Not elite at any single aspect of the game, but very good at all of them. Jimmy Lefebvre and Lee Lacy later followed in the Junior Gilliam role and quickly became a favorites as well.

    DC, another excellent column.

    1. The big thing about robo umps is that now the players will have no on to argue with. Can’t yell at a computer. As for the DH, I once hated it. Now I want it. I do not want a 33 million dollar a year arm ending up on the IL trying to leg out a hit, or take an extra base and pull a hammy. Considering how many really terrible K zones some of those umps had last year, I can understand MLB trying to get it right. Replay has worked out pretty well. We had some bad calls reversed last year, and a few that were not. Geren is really good at spotting that stuff. I loved Charlie Neal. In 59 he really came into his own. In 58 and 59 he had 22 and 19 homers respectively. Left field wall at the coliseum helped him a lot. But he never came close to those numbers again and was taken by the Mets in the expansion draft. He was out of the game after 1963. Gilliam was another favorite. In 2018 they were supposed to have a Gilliam bobblehead give away. But they traded for Machado and gave his away instead. They need to do a bobble for Jr. Team dedicated the 78 World Series to JR after he died in October of that year. His number is the only non HOF number retired by the Dodgers. He never wore another uni in the majors. Only hit more than 10 homers once in his career. But as steady with a glove and probably the BEST # 2 hitter in Dodger history. How many times he moved Wills into scoring position by giving himself up is a testament to his unselfish play.

      1. #19 was my first jersey. I save up a lot of my paper route money to buy it at Dodger Stadium in 1964.

        I was at Game 1 of the 1978 WS and cried during the silent meditation for Junior. It will be a day I will never forget. I also attended Game 2 and 6, and the outcome was horrific. That feeling only partially subsided in 81 when the Dodgers paid back NYY. Someone at the game asked why it meant so much to me, and all I could say was that I grew up loving the team first player. Nothing special. Just a DODGER.

        “What a great team player he was. He’d hit behind Maury, take pitch after pitch after pitch. And when Maury got to second, he’d give himself up by hitting the ball to the right side, even with two strikes, which most hitters won’t do.”

        — teammate Jeff Torborg, describing Gilliam as the ideal #2 hitter[2]

        “He didn’t hit with power, he had no arm, and he couldn’t run. But he did the little things to win ballgames. He never griped or complained. He was one of the most unselfish ballplayers I know.”

        — manager Walter Alston

        1. I had a Dodger jersey when I was 11. Did not have a number on it. Now I have 7 . Seager, in military colors, Bellinger road jersey, Kershaw road jersey, a Koufax 63 World Series jersey, Robinson 55 World Series jersey, Gibson 88 WS jersey, and a Gonzalez # 23 from his years with LA. I also have a Brooklyn Jersey #7 that is flannel. Boy it gets hot in that thing.

    2. I understand Chet Aliison had the potential to be a 3-4 round selection if he had moved on to Arkansas for a couple of years. Now the Dodgers can use those two development years.Signed for almost $100,000 over slot. Maybe another Bob Allison.

  3. MLBTraderumors keeps pumping out the stories. The have a list of rookies in the NL west who might make an impact. One of the comments made me laugh a little. After stating McKinstrey’s multi position talents, the writer said sometimes it seems like the Dodgers grow these guys on trees. He was of course comparing Zack to Kike and Taylor. The other day they did a story on players who could be candidates for extensions. Bellinger was mentioned, although I think that deal is going to be massive. But other guys like Smith, and possibly Lux, could be had for reasonable deals. One thing I have noticed though is that the Dodgers have not really locked in players like that at team friendly deals at all. Other teams have taken that leap, so it will be interesting to see that if in the future, the team shifts that tendency to not do this.

    1. The funny thing about Kiki and Taylor is the Dodgers didn’t develop them. They were acquired in trades. The analogy is a little off, but I get what the author is saying. The Dodgers love flexibility with their backups and they have some good ones.
      I think the main reason the Dodgers haven’t signed their players to extensions is because they are represented by Boras. He steers his players towards testing the market.

      1. Taylor came over from Seattle and was no where near the player he became his second year. He totally redid his swing in the winter, so he was more a product of the Dodger system than Kike was.

  4. Bear – you know everybody. Did a show with Jim Glaser. How cool is that? Jim died about a year ago.

    I too am really interested in Cody Thomas but just selecting one I choose Zach. Barbara Mandrell was” Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”. I was a Zach McKinstry fan before being one was cool. He would be my signature 33rd round selection.

    I haven’t done anything to transpose my LP’s to CD’s and most likely never will since so much classic country is now available on You Tube and Sirius XM Radio. It would be a major task as I have at least 2,500 long play records.

    A number of years ago when real country was disappearing (before the internet for me )I panicked. I spent weekends raiding yard sales and flea markets buying up collections for little and sometimes nothing. They are not catalogued but stored in groups – C&W(major group), POP, Canadian, Classical, Christmas and Orchestra. My favorite orchestras are Bert Kampfert, James Last, Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk as well as Billy Vaughn.

    1. DC. There is a turntable you can buy, and I have one, that will download your LP’s to your computer and turn them in to MP-3 files. I also have a machine that does that with cassettes. I have a buddy in Calif who had a copy of The Rodeo Song on a LP> Since there is no way you can get that album on a CD, he sent it home with me and I downloaded it onto my computer and made him 2 CD’s in case he lost one. It is still on my computer so I can burn it again if he needs it. Blank CD’s are still relatively cheap, you can get 100 for about 15 bucks on Amazon. The only problem with these is that they catch the scratches and imperfections cassettes and LP’s have. But to get tunes you just cannot find, well, it is worth it. I liked Duke Ellington and Welk. And I loved the big band sound of Glen Miller. By the way, if you get Welk reruns on any station up there, the dark headed short guitar player, Buddy Merrill, is an old friend of mine. After he left Welk he played steel guitar for some C&W bands in So Cal. Nice guy. He hated “The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton. So one night I was sitting in with the band he was with at the Blue Bayou in Long Beach, and I started doing that song, Buddy quietly got up, put a cover on his steel and walked off the stage. We were all cracking up because we knew why he did it. As soon as it was over, he came back up and uncovered his steel and got ready for the next song. Glaser was not the only one I ever did shows with. Ernie Tubbs, Joe Stampley, Dwight Yoakam, Johnny Rodriguez, Justin Tubbs, T.G. Sheppard, Red Sovine, Red Simpson, just a few of the others we did shows with. And one time I went to the Palomino club in North Hollywood, and I met Skip Stevenson, who used to host ” That’s Incredible, and with him was a hero of mine. James Burton, who for years was Elvis’s lead guitar player. Really nice guy. There is another station with a lot of classic country, Spotify.

      1. Unbelievable.

        Moe and Joe.

        We saw Justin Tubb and Red Sovine at the local exhibition here years ago. Absolutely love Sovine’s narrations.

        Just played a TG Sheppard song perhaps my favorite along with “Smooth Sailing”. My favorite is “All My Cloudy Days Are Gone.”

        I think my favorite Johnny, among so many, is Johnny Rodriguez followed closely by underappreciated Johnny Duncan. I do like Johnny Horton – favorite song perhaps, “Comanche the Brave Horse” and also Whispering Pines”. “Sink the Bismarck” is a classic. He died too young (35) in a vehicle accident returning home from a concert.

        Johnny Rodriguez had so many ballad songs I can hardly pick a favorite. Perhaps, “Dance With Me Just One More Time.”

        Sorry to hijack my own thread but my third extracurricular is classic country after the Dodgers and gardening.

        1. No, it was not one of my places to play. Played at Georges Round Up on PCH, Wes Parker came and watched my show there, Chat Room and the Bedroom in Carson, the Forge out in Glendale, Wounded Knee in Buena Park, Crazy Horse Saloon in Santa Ana, Palomino in North Hollywood, Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth, Cal’s Corral in Lawndale, and many others long since closed. We did do a concert at the Navy base in Long Beach in 82 for the Jerry Lewis telethon.

          1. You have been around my man!! You should consider writing a blog post detailing your journeys. I know I would be interested in reading it.

            Although I was familiar with most the clubs you mentioned(I hadn’t thought of the Wounded Knee in over 50 years), I wasn’t into country music in my teens. The Cinnamon Cinder, which I think was owned by Bob Eubanks, would have acts associated with the songs he was was playing on the radio as a DJ. The Righteous Brothers, Sonny & Cher, and Buffalo Springfield appeared there frequently. The house band for the Long Beach location was the Vibrants, whose leader was Casey Van Beek. Casey lived in Artesia and was a local hero in the Dutch community. His mom and my mom cleaned houses together for many years.

            Probably one of the worse songs ever recorded was “The Cinnamon Cinder: It’s a Very Nice Dance” by the Pastel Six.

          2. There was also a club in Redondo Beach owned by a DJ. Reb Foster’s Revalaire. I went to a concert there and saw Dick Dale and the Deltones. Do not remember who the opening act was. But the place was packed. When I was in the Army, we went TDY to a couple of Fort’s in Virginia. One of them was Ft. Story, which is right on Virginia Beach. Great place to be in April. Virginia Beach was home to the Peppermint Lounge. The band playing there was The Rondell’s Also a huge crowd. 85% college girls. We GI’s had a nice time. I also played at the Silver Bullet in Long Beach, which was used as a Oklahoma honky tonk in Thelma and Louise. All of the dancers in that segment were friends of mine. Also played at The Bandstand in Anaheim. Before it was the Bandstand, it was The Cowboy. I won a 1000.00 dollars there in a talent show in the 80’s. Did An American Trilogy by Elvis. Brought the house down. My boys the Doo Wah Riders backed me up that night. They told me I was the only talent show contestant that ever tipped them after winning. I gave them 100 bucks. They still play in So Cal, sometimes at Cowboy Country in Long Beach, which used to be the Silver Bullet. The Bandstand was the bar in the opening scene of Patrick Swayze’s Road House.

      2. James Burton was a very good lead guitarist. Ozzie Nelson controlled most of Rick’s early career. He made sure that James played lead and The Jordanaires sang back up on many of Rick’s releases. Good enough for Elvis, good enough for Rick.

        1. One of the few who has a guitar named for him. Fender has a James Burton model. Starts out at close to 1500 bucks. Never played the Golden Bear, but we did play at the Golden West which was in Gardena. Place was huge. Could hold close to 1500 people. John Conlee’s road manager got killed there backing the bus onto Western Avenue. There was also a great club out in San Dimas called The Western Connection. Played there a lot of times. Also held close to 1200 people and had a huge dance floor.

          1. I don’t quite have the experience you do Bear…lol..My wife bought me a cheap,cheap guitar at Sears in 1974. I learned to strum a few chords so I could sing with my 5 year old son. He loved “Sneaky Snake” and “I Like Beer” by Tom T Hall. I had a cassette tape of us singing together. 40 yrs. later I came across that tape and found that my younger son had taped over all but about 4 minutes of it. What a bummer. Oh well, I still have those 4 minutes of memories.

  5. Happy Opening Day Kids! First pitch might not be tossed for another couple of months, but today is still opening day!

    Now, time to go buy some Dodger Dogs at Albertsons (if they have any left) and root root root for the Dodgers

  6. I was looking forward to following the bullpen this year, want to see if they are going to be as good as I think they can be.

  7. I was just a young girl during the Boys Of Summer days and it was hard to pry me off the love of Foster Hewitt and my favorite Toronto hockey team, but the Dodgers did. Over the years, Vince Scully became my “Foster Hewitt”. His calling and stories of the game fascinated me. I think the game has changed a lot since then and I accept most of the changes but secretly still long for the exciting “hit and run” or “suicide squeezes”. I remember listening to a game on the radio, while at work that went, I think, 17 innings and they had to put Fernando in the game as an outfielder, if my memory serves me right. My disappointment in not seeing a player do so far this year, mirrors who you all have been saying, Zach McKinstry, Cody Thomas, and yes, especially Corey Seager who I really think will have, if able to play this year, a great year.

    I really enjoyed your article DC, and thank you for keeping them coming. The stories of the players and their backgrounds make my day start off better. And yes, I did enjoy the song Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces.

  8. Great post DC and I too thank you for keeping them coming.

    Player I was most excited to see play was Mookie Betts of course, but of the youngsters it was Zach Reks. He probably would not have gotten much playing time unless someone was injured, but, like McKinstry, I’ve bee a fan since he was drafted and once I learned his back story, I became more of a fan. He strikes me as a Junior Gilliam type player, with just a tad more power.

    With respect to last years draft, I’m looking forward to seeing what we have in Logan Boyer. He could be lights out, or lights off, but what an arm.

    Like AC, I became a Dodger fan in 1958. It became serious in 1959, particularly after they came back from an 11-0 drubbing to win the world series against the White Sox. My transistor radio was never out of listening range and I rarely missed a game. by 1960 my parents purchased a TV and getting to watch the Dodgers vs Giants on channel 11 just cemented my devotion to the Dodgers. I remember that Scully would say something to the effect of: “Davenport will lead off, with Mays on deck and McCovey to follow” then he would add “doesn’t seem like Mays and McCovey are always on deck?” I always had to nod in agreement. Of course, I loved Don Demeter, but every Dodger from Koufax to Klippstein and Snider to Essegian were my players. Other than Juan Marichal, I can think of few, if any players that played for the Dodgers that I din’t like.

    1. In 63, I was in high school when they were playing the Yanks. I had my transistor in my pocket, and the ear piece wire in the sleeve of my long sleeved shirt with my hand over my ear so the teacher could not hear the game. Worked pretty good too. She never caught on.

      1. At our school, the teacher designated one person to listen to the game and provide the class with updates. I was always chosen for that duty because of my love for baseball and the Dodgers in particular. I sit in the back of the room quietly listening to the game through the ear piece and would give inning by inning updates.

        One of the very few things I enjoyed doing in school.

        1. What a great job, 2D2. I would have volunteered for that one. My 10th grade teacher, who was a nun, had two fingers missing on her hand for playing chicken with her brother in the wood shed with an axe as a child. She always let me write my essays on Baseball rather than “How I Spent My SummerVacation”, which was assigned to the rest of the class. Got “A’s” too. Ps, she was also the Boys and Girls Basketball coach.

    2. I can name a few. Dick Allen, Frank Robinson, for sure. Gary Sheffield. Always thought he was just an arrogant ass, and of course, as Mark well knows, Yasmani Grandal.

  9. Thanks for the great post, DC. I’ve been keeping busy reading a book about the history of Dodgers pitching. Some good stories, interesting interviews. I was most looking forward to seeing Mookie Betts, of course, but also seeing whether Kenley and Kersh can regain their old form. Lots of intriguing young pitchers, too: Urias, May, Gonsolin, Santana. Waiting is hard, but it will sure be sweet, as Vin said, when this is over and we can indulge in our “healthy addiction!”

  10. The player I wanted to see was Betts. He may only be here one year and on this team he might have been the difference maker. We may never know now.

    Tommy Davis, Maury Wills for me. I met them both, went to hitting clinic with Davis and though I could already hit pretty good, I got better after a couple days with him. A lot better. Wills played short, my position, and I tried to model my game after him. He was faster. I had more power. Snider and Hodges were older, still good of course, but my favorites were Davis and Wills. And Koufax of course.

    I met Snider at his restaurant in Fallbrook, early 70s. He was tending bar. As I recall he wasn’t all that talkative. Pleasant enough I guess, maybe having a bad day, but his answers to my questions were rather short. I know he said Gibson was the toughest pitcher he faced and he didn’t much like playing in the Coliseum. I don’t blame him. Right field was a joke. Since he was past his prime by then I think he felt the team was giving him the middle finger by making the right field fence damm near impossible to reach. Meeting Wills was a hoot. We shared a pizza at a restaurant in Palm Springs.

    1. Now that I think about it, it might have been Wills who said that about Gibson. Snider just said “there were a lot of them “, or something to that effect. Again, he didn’t much feel like talking that day.

      1. I also got to meet Tommy Davis. When the home I was living at opened our new Gym, he and Norm Sherry were there. Sherry lived about 4 houses from the home. He gave me about a 15 minute lesson after watching me swing my bat a few times. I patterned my stance after Duke Snider, right elbow about even with my shoulder. Kept my swing level. Great guy and very open with us kids. Met him again later at an autograph booth at Dodger Stadium when they did autograph Sunday’s. Something I think they should revisit. I told him about the encounter when I was a kid, and he remembered that day. Pretty cool. He signed my first basemans mitt.

    2. Duke didn’t like the coliseum but he sure liked Ebbets Field. I can still hear the call when he hit one to right field – “and that one’s out on Bedford Avenue.” Memories of “The Boys of Summer.”

  11. School starts up again next week, so that will be keeping me busy. This week I’ve spent most of my time watching silly shows like World’s Dumbest and Scrubs. I’ve been playing a lot of EU4 too.

    I was/am looking forward to how well Betts and Price do as Dodgers.

  12. The Indy 500 was postponed from Memorial Day until August 23rd.

    Does Roger Penske know something?

  13. I don’t have just one or two players I want to see. I was looking forward to seeing all the Dodger hitters in their second year under Robert Van Socyoc. I was also looking forward to the first year the Dodgers pitchers would be under Mark Prior, Josh Bard, Conner McGinnis, and Rob Hill. I hope this season gets to start at some point, but I am not convinced.

    Between 38 million and 54 million people have been stricken with the flu as of March 14, according to the latest CDC data. At least 23,000 have died. This is one of the deadliest flu seasons ever, but the coronavirus with less than 1,000 dead has taken center stage. I am not downplaying the importance of being safe and social distancing, but I think the biggest fear is that we understand the flu, but not COVID-19. Stay Calm, my friends! Stay safe. This shall pass… I just don’t know when.

    The percentage is starting to flatten and if like the media says, it has been vasty underreported, then the death rate is vastly exaggerated! Stay Calm!

    1. Biggest issue is the projected death rate is estimated to be 1.0% versus 0.1% for the flu.

          1. Dr. Fauci is not necessarily a reliable source. The man has an agenda that supersedes any concerns about COVID-19 and the health of the citizens of the USA.

          2. 2d2 – What exactly is Fauci’s agenda? He’s served under Presidents of both parties for many years so please enlighten me.

  14. But in the next breath, they say that since there is not good testing, it may be 300% under-reported. That brings the death toll down by a multiple of 3X!

    1. There is definitely under-reporting as testing is just starting to expand. There were issues with the original tests kits but the newer kits are ok. Several sources say 30% or more people in the US could get the virus. That would mean approximately 100 million people. Say 10% are critical cases, that’s 10 million. So let’s say a death rate of 0.3% that’s 300,000 deaths.

      With social distancing we can slow the rate and not overwhelm hospitals. Also provides time for critical supplies to be delivered. Also allows hospitals to take care of all health issues showing up at their facility.

      In any case, as you say stay calm. That’s the key(along with not buying every last roll of toilet paper).

      May everyone stay healthy at this time.

      1. Speaking of toilet paper, I just made a run to my daughter’s today to bring her some tp. She tried at about half a dozen different stores over the past few days and couldn’t find a roll. My wife was lucky enough to snag some at our Ralph’s so I made the trip from Northridge to Pasadena to drop it off along with a bunch of grapefruits from our tree (everyone needs their vitamin C). Gave me an excuse to see our granddaughter for a couple of seconds (at a distance of 6 feet).
        I kept wondering if some cop was going to pull me over and ask me if a had an excuse for being out of my house and I was wondering if I could bribe him with a roll of toilet paper and a grapefruit. Luckily I never had to find out.

    1. Difficult to separate them when our president is at the podium spewing nonsense his own experts have to walk back.

      MushersPop is right. This is going to hit a lot of people and many will be taken out. My sister in law is a physician in Southern Oregon on the front lines of this battle there. They have been calling for test kits for weeks. They’ve been told millions are “on the way”. So far, none have arrived. We must be able to test. We are WAY behind in this fight. Leadership is lacking.

      1. As a person who manages a lot of people, I can tell you that leadership can mandate something, but producing it takes time.

        Quit making this about politics.

        It’s not.

        It’s about people’s lives.

        I reject both sides who politicize this!

        You can tell me that Trump is great and I say BULLSHIT.

        You can say he is horrible and I say BULLSHIT!

        Just Quit!

        Can’t we just come together on this?

        1. Not until we agree that leadership is lacking.

          “Just quit” is not in my DNA.

          I would rather YOU were in charge at this time. If you were I’m damn certain once you had the information that was available in January, testing, and stay at home orders would have been put in place weeks ago. Ventilators and needed equipment would have requisitioned and distributed.

          I agree it’s time to stop making this about Trump. Ignore him. Immediately. Get him out of the way and put General Semonite, Dr’s Fauci and Brix, and Andrew Cuomo in charge.

          See how easy it is to agree on something?

  15. Just watched opening day 2019. 8 homers by the Dodgers. Great fun to watch, but so was game 3 of the series that the Dodgers won, 18-5. Lots of homers, 2 by Cody, Pederson was on base every plate appearance in the leadoff roll, and the best part?> Watching Russell Martin pitch the 9th inning and get the D-Backs out 1-2-3.

  16. Just read the news that the Toy Cannon, Jimmy Wynn passed away today at 78. RIP Cannon, you gave Dodger fans some great moments.

  17. Wynn was part of the 1974 WS team that lost to the A’s. He was traded after the 75 season to the Braves for Dusty Baker.

    1. Jimmy Wynn… R.I.P.

      Wow! A swatch in time…

      Jimmy Wynn, Mookie Betts…. Similar!

  18. Lost another musician friend today. Bassist Larry Bales passed away. Picked with him often years ago. Great guy, used to wear a derby hat all the time.

    1. I have a friend named Larry Bales. He’s an electrician. He doesn’t play a musical instrument but he’s good with amps.

      Sorry to hear about your friend. Every year someone I know checks out. This year it might accelerate.

      1. Thanks Badger. He was a fun guy to be around. Lived a good life. He was about 8 years older than me. He used to tell me that he was the guy who recorded Please Mr Custer, and he would actually sing it sometimes, but that was a guy named Larry Verne who passed away years ago.

  19. With the run on toilet paper do you think the drug cartels will start smuggling some in and sell it on the street?

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