Odds and Ends – Bits and Pieces

Posted By on April 1, 2020

About a year ago I posted a column on the remaining Brooklyn Dodgers. The current list includes any player who put on a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, even for one game. In the last year, we have lost Don Newcombe, Randy Jackson, and Glenn Mickens.

Eddie Basinski

This is the link to the previous article.  https://ladodgertalk.com/2019/01/06/the-oldest-living-dodger/

And this is the present list.

Eddie Basinski (97): November 4, 1922        1944-45

Tim Thompson (96): March 1, 1924              1954

Wayne Terwilliger (94): June 27, 1925          1951

Chris Haughey (94): October 3, 1925            1943

Bobby Morgan (93) June 29, 1926                 1950-53

Carl Erskine (93):December 13, 1926           1948-57

Tommy Lasorda (92): September 22, 1927   1954-55

Tommy Brown (92): December 6, 1927         1944-50

Joe Pignatano (90): August 4, 1929               1957

Roger Craig (90): February 17, 1930             1955-57

Fred Kipp (88): October 1, 1931                     1957

Jim Gentile (85): June 3, 1934                        1957

Don Demeter (84): June 25, 1935                  1956

Sandy Koufax (84): December 30, 1935        1955-57

Bob Aspromonte (82): June 19, 1938             1956

MiLB  Toolshed Predictions for minor league debuts.

Naturally, this would be if there is a season.

June

Keibert Ruiz, catcher, Dodgers: Similar deal to Kirilloff here with some extra caveats. Ruiz is in his second season on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, so it should be even easier for Los Angeles to bring up the No. 73 overall prospect. Except it’s difficult to overlook that the Dodgers have two young quality backstops already in Will Smith and Austin Barnes. Still, even the best teams have their depth challenged at some point, and by June, the Dodgers need to dig into their catching depth chart. Luckily, they have a 21-year-old switch-hitter who makes lots of contact and generally has solid defensive skills. At some point, Ruiz still needs to win over a job, and this will be his first real opportunity with one of the game’s most talented clubs.

July

Josiah Gray, right-handed pitcher, Dodgers: Los Angeles’ pipeline to the Majors doesn’t stop. Any club’s pitching depth gets tested over time, and even with a solid rotation and Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin able to help as prospects, the Dodgers eventually could find their way to Gray, who knows a thing about climbing quickly. The No. 67 overall prospect moved up from Class A to Double-A in his first full season and is capable of making a similar jump with a four-pitch mix and above-average control. He could enter as a spot starter and give Los Angeles another bullpen weapon down the stretch, should the rotation get too crowded again. As if the Dodgers needed more help.

Another Flashback – For Me

A while back I posted an article on Ron Fairly – actually sent to Mark just hours before Ron died – and told of watching him play with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Western Canada Baseball League back in 1957. That brought to mind two other players who played with the Eskimos during my time in Edmonton and later with the Dodgers.  The two to whom I refer and who I watched play in Edmonton are Len Gabrielson and John Werhas. Tom Satriano who later played with the Angels was also on that team. 

Gabrielson and Werhas both graduated from the baseball program at the University of Southern California as did Satriano and Ron Fairly, all falling under the spell of head coach Rob Dedeaux.

Do you remember outfielder Len Gabrielson?  After graduation from USC, he was signed by the then Milwaukee Braves in 1959 as an amateur free agent.

Gabrielson had a nine-year career while playing for five different teams. Following three years with Milwaukee he was involved in what turned out to be an interesting trade and one that the Cubs surely regretted. They did not regret acquiring Gabrielson but with much pain regretted the trade that his acquisition precipitated. Two weeks after his arrival and being installed as the Cubs right fielder, the Cubs traded Lou Brock to the Cardinals. Yes, that Lou Brock.

A year later he was traded to the Giants in a deal involving another big name, although this time Harvey Kueen was nearing the end of his MLB career. For a time Gabrielson beat back budding star Orlando Cepeda but again was traded to the Angels at the end of the season. His stay with the Angels lasted but 11 games in 1967.

His next move is also interesting. He was traded to the Dodgers on May 10, 1967, for former USC and Edmonton Eskimo teammate, the aforementioned infielder John Werhas, who had been signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in 1959. Werhas played parts of three seasons with the Dodgers with but 40 at-bats. I naturally remember John Werhas as a Dodger as a result of his Edmonton days.

Len Gabrielson played four seasons with the Dodgers before retiring at age-30 following the 1970 season.

With the Dodgers, he played 324 games posting a .262/.315/.390 triple slash and actually leading the Dodgers with 10 home runs in 1968 in the “Year of the Pitcher”.

Gabrielson felt he was privileged to have played at USC and with the Dodgers.

On Becoming a Trojan

“One day, some guy came to the house and I didn’t who he was. It turned out to be Rod Dedeaux, the baseball coach at USC, who had played many years before with my dad. They were hugging on our porch and I had no clue. An introduction was made and Dedeaux said I heard your son has committed to play baseball at Cal, which was true. Back then it was more informal, not like today with letters of intent. So, Dedeaux said, “I’d like to have Len come down and check out USC.” I said okay, but I’m still going to play baseball at Cal. I had never been to Southern California, so I agreed to get on a plane and go down there with him. It ended up being the proverbial rush job. Dedeaux had it all planned and before I know it, they were giving me the royal treatment. Long story short, I signed and played for USC during my freshman and sophomore years and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Playing for Dedeaux was a huge part of my baseball career and he quickly became a member of our family.”

On being traded to the Dodgers

“I spent four years with the Dodgers and it was magnificent. The stadium was the antithesis of Candlestick, like an oasis in the middle of L.A. And Walter Alston was the consummate manager—the way he handled players; his regard for his players—he didn’t motivate players through intimidation as many managers did. But, with his size and the way he carried himself, no one messed with the man. When the younger players came up—Bill Russell, Steve Garvey, and Davey Lopes—that was the new generation of the Dodgers—and I was at there at the very beginning of that.”

We are doing well.

COVID-19 is close to home with those returning but we are pretty much hunkered down.  Two self-isolated locally with the virus, three returning from Peru self-isolated but no signs of the virus.

A difficult time but most folks here are compiling with the directives. There are always those who feel they are invincible and not concerned about others. First fine of $700 delivered yesterday to a woman who ignored directive in a park in Halifax. A few such fines should get the message across more clearly.

Song of the Day

All over Canada and US people helping people. Here is the song of the day. “The Chain of Love” by Clay Walker who is battling MS with a very positive attitude defying the life expectancy for him. He was diagnosed at age 26 in 1996 being told 8 years was his then life expectancy. He is still going strong in his musical career and enjoying his family.

This article has 31 Comments

  2. Outstanding post. I naturally know a lot about Clay and I have a couple of his albums. Yes, the Brooklyn players are slowly leaving us. Only Oisk, Sandy and Craig left from the 55 champs. I remember Gabrielson. And I remember how pitiful I thought it was that the leader of the team had only 10 homers. Then you realize they only hit 67 all year. # 2 on the team was Bob Bailey with 8. As a team they hit a paltry .230. The only thing that kept them above water was their pitching. Team ERA was 2.69, and they got 20 shut outs out of the starting staff. That ERA would have been lower, but Mike Kekich had an ERA close to 4. Big D won in double figures for the final time in his career. He was also the only starter who had a winning record at 14-12. He had 8 shutouts, and of course 6 of them came during that incredible scoreless innings streak.

  3. Tommy got a WS ring that year although he pitched only 4 innings and was not on the WS roster.

  4. Excited to see sport net la on my direct TV guide. Tuned in to find that this programming is not available in my area , Spokane.
    That sucks!

    1. I just tuned in just in time to see Manny Machado hit a 2 run homer off Kershaw. May 3rd. Whoops, Kinsler just hit a solo. 3-0.

      Hey, at least it’s working.

  5. Naturally Len Gabrielson will always be a favorite because of his USC credentials. I was fortunate to matriculate during a four consecutive year NCAA championship run. I rarely missed any baseball games when I was there. Players I went to school with included HOF Fred Lynn, Steve Kemp, Jim Barr, Steve Busby, Brent Strom, Roy Smalley, Dave Kingman (who Lasorda fondly remembers), Pete Redfern, Rich Dauer…There were also some players who played baseball but were better known for their football exploits; Anthony Davis, John Vella, and Rob Hertel.

    I had no idea that Bob Aspromonte played for Brooklyn, I had to look it up to see how much, and I see he struck out in his one AB in 1956. He was back with the Dodgers in 1960. He did not have much of a Dodger career, but I did have a Bob Aspromonte baseball glove.

    Are you saying that the Cubs did not get the better of that Lou Brock deal for Ernie Broglio?

    Going back to yesterday, I also want to say how much I miss MJ. She continues to be in my prayers.

    Another great job DC.

      1. Neither do the Cubs. Watched simply for nostalgia’s sake, The Babe Ruth Story with William Bendix, yep, the Life Of Riley guy. Not many real ballplayers in it. But Charles Bickford played Brother Mathias who steered the Babe to baseball after he came to St Mary’s home in Baltimore. Claire Trevor played his wife. In the early movies they never really got athletic guys to play athletes. Gary Cooper was RH, so they reversed the film to show him as a LH hitting Lou Gehrig, and he had to run the bases backwards, from 3rd to first. Mark Koenig, who helped the Cubs win the 32 pennant was in the movie for about 3 seconds. He had been traded to the Cubs by the Yanks and then voted only a half world series share, and the Yankees, especially Ruth were pretty peeved about it. Of course Hollywood being Hollywood had to tie a sick boy into the story line about Ruth and the called shot off Charlie Root in the 32 series. And Bendix really played that scene up. As to whether Babe actually called his shot or not, many have said he did, and many he did not. Some say after taking 2 strikes he simply held up his finger meaning I have one left, and then hit the ball over the CF fence. Ah, love a mystery. Bendix for his part, could barely make contact with a ball. They were trying to film the scene where Babe hit’s his 60th, and Bendix tried to make contact for what was said to be close to 50 takes. Finally the director said take one more, and if he does not hit it in the air, we will fake it. On the next pitch, Bendix hit a long fly to right. Seems the Babe had one more in him.

    2. My favorite LaSorda quote was not about Kingman, although the rant he made after that game was classic. No, after a game against the Padres, where journeyman Kurt Bevaqua had the game winning hit Tommy came up with this classic, Bevaqua? He couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. I almost fell off my chair. Another was watching him go out to the pitchers mound and asking the ump when he showed up if he should pull the pitcher. Classic Tommy.

      1. Badger, the names do not ring a bell. Am I going to be shamed for not knowing?

        1. AC – I was pretty much sure the USC connection would more than catch your attention, probably stirring up fond memories of your USC days.

  6. .Although I thought , DC, your article was very good highlighting not so well-known Dodgers, at least for me. Thank you. I would like to comment on The Song Of The Day, The Chain Of Love by Clay Walker. A beautiful song with an almost Celtic-like intro. It tells a story and has a great message.

  7. White Sox broadcaster Ed Farmer passed away. Would have been his 29th year in the booth. Pitched for 9 teams over a 11 year career. On Yahoo there is a story about an idea Justin Turner likes to change how extra inning games are decided . He proposes a Home Run derby, kind of like the NHL’s shootout to decide games. Interesting idea, doubt it ever catches on though.

    1. Bear, I think a home run hitting contest after 9 innings would be awesome! I know some wouldn’t want to leave it up to the sluggers, but it would quickly become popular.

    2. We are only talking about this short year, right?

      Pederson could be the designated extra inning home run guy based on his performances in the home run derby and make a lot more money.

      1. I’d give 3 hitters 3 strikes. Each swing that doesn’t go out is a strike. If one does go out, next hitter is up. I think that would work. Every team has at least 3 guys who can hit it out.

        I wonder how many times it might still end in a tie?

        A problem with just putting 3 sluggers up there until they get 3 strikes on them is that teams like the Twins, Yankees and Dodgers might have 30 before they’re done. I guess whoever has one more home run wins by 1 and none of the home runs count in the stats?

  8. Don’t like the shootout in hockey or penalty kick shoot out in soccer. Would like the HR shoot out even less. Too many variables.

    Why not teams tied after 9 innings, play at most two extra innings and then award each team a half-game if still tied. I agree that multiple extra innings is too much for teams yet it would have to be done in play-off games as extra periods are played in hockey until a winner is determined.

    The shoot out, at least in hockey, has nothing to do with the teams, in my opinion. It is for the fans. As a fan that may be legit but for the teams it seems like a poor way to break a tie. In hockey the loser in the shootout still gets a point.

    1. I’m ok with that. I also like the idea of starting the10th with a runner on second and if after 10 it remains a tie it ends in a tie. I know most probably don’t like the tie idea, but it works for other leagues.

      1. If a tie is like kissing your sister then I guess it depends on how good looking your sister is to be a fan or not.

        1. Yeah, I’ve heard that old saying but I don’t know how it applies to anything in sports. I kiss my sister whenever I see her, which unfortunately isn’t that often. But I do get the point. We’ve all watched movies that just sorta ended and we’re left with a “wtf was that?” feeling. A tie in baseball just isn’t a thing. Never has been. But hockey fans sure get into it. It’s a point system, and a tie is a point. At least you get something out of it. A dramatic ending is what everyone wants but avoiding a loss is certainly on the list.

          All that said I don’t see baseball doing it. They’ll try something else first, but I think everyone is pretty much on board with eliminating those extra innings. It doesn’t make extra money but it sure does put stress on players bodies. Enough already. Put a runner on second in the 10th and if it’s still tied at the end of that inning, end it with a home run contest in the 11th. I think fans go for that.

    1. Never heard of them, can’t be that great. Speaking of obscure. How about a player on the 59 Dodgers who played in 9 games and was traded to the Phillies and still managed to be on a 59 baseball card. Outfielder by the name of Solly Drake. He and his brother Sammy were the first Afro-American brothers to play in the major leagues. Tommie Aaron, Hank’s brother did not make it to the majors until 1962. So the Drakes beat them to it by a couple of years. They were however the first brothers to appear in a league championship series together. Tommie died at 45 from Leukemia.,

          1. I like some of what they do, but I am not smart enough to figure it all out.

            I either like music or I don’t and my tastes are eclectic.

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